SERIALously - 81: Mom Who Threw Baby in Dumpster RELEASED From Prison, Alicia Navarro Update + New Charges, DERANGED & SICK Teachers, & 2 Active Manhunts

Episode Date: October 26, 2023

Welcome back to this week’s episode of Headline Highlights, where we discuss the latest news and everything going on in the true crime world. Today we have A LOT to talk about. There has been major breaking news and a disgusting disgusting disgusting and gruesome confession, and some disturbing new cases, and updates to cases we have covered.  Follow the podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serialouslypod/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/annieelise All Social Media Links: https://www.flowcode.com/page/annieelise_ SERIALously FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/SERIALouslyAnnieElise/ About Me: https://annieelise.com/ For Business Inquiries: [e-mail] Sources: Law & Crime Network FOX NBC True Crime Daily Alicia Navarro YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/19iyVk0h_b4?si=CaZky8mWcyewVBCH  Alexis Avila Podcast Episode: https://pod.fo/e/1ecd13 Alexis Avila YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/4NgV7B0GWW0?si=3PpcCPli_Ng0dODT 

Changing a light bulb should be simple. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Uh-oh, that's not supposed to happen. Quickly submitting and tracking a claim on the Bel Air Direct app actually is simple. Bel Air Direct. Insurance simplified. Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistly. Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Headline Highlights over on Serialistly. It's me, Annie Elise, your true crime bestie, here to break down all things true crime for you. Now, let me just preface today's episode of Headline Highlights. It's like the mecca of

Headline Highlights. I hate to use the word banger, but I feel like that's what it is because there is so much to talk about, guys. We've got new cases that are crazy. We've got updates to existing cases, so much so that as I was keeping tabs on everything I wanted to talk about this week, I kind of, on a lot of them, was like, wow, should I just do a full episode, a dedicated episode, or a dedicated video over on my YouTube channel? But there's a lot to talk about. We're going to discuss a new update related to the Alisa Navarro case, an eyedrop murder trial, Alexis Avia, who was that teen who literally chucked her baby in a dumpster, because there's an update there, which I never thought I would say, considering she was sentenced to prison earlier this year, but of course, disgusting teachers accused of sex crimes against their students, and

two ongoing manhunts. Like I said, we have got a lot to talk about, so let's really just kind of get right into it. I want to start with the eyedrop murder trial. This week, a trial involving a 39-year-old woman from Wisconsin named Jessie Kercheski starts. She is charged with the alleged murder of her affluent acquaintance through the use of eyedrops. Yes, Visine. That stuff that, like, gets the red out, you know? So jury selection started on Monday, and this trial is expected to last for five weeks. Now,

what's interesting, and the reason that this case had caught my attention, is because Judge Darrow, who presided over the psychotic Daryl Brooks trial, is also the judge in this case, and it will be live-streamed. The judge is literally a saint in my book and probably everybody else's after the Daryl Brooks trial shit show. Now, if you haven't seen that, go to TikTok and search Daryl Brooks trial. You will not be disappointed, my friend. YouTube has clips as well, but it was like the wild, wild west, a huge circus. So this girl, Jessie, is being charged for murder and murdered them using eye drops. The charges stemmed from inconsistent versions of how Jesse's friend died. Initially, she described finding her friend Lynn Hernan, who was 62 years old,

lifeless and not breathing in a recliner chair when Jesse then called 911. This all back on October 3rd, 2018. Well, when police arrived, Lynn was discovered dead with a significant amount of crushed medicine on her torso and also a plate beside her, also containing a substantial amount of what seemed to be pulverized medication. This a direct quote and also in the criminal complaint. the official cause of death was presumed to be an overdose until January of 2019, when the police department determined that Lynn's death was due to a lethal amount of tetrahydrozoline. Now, tetrahydrozoline is the ingredient that is found in eye drops. This revelation led to a murder investigation, and Jessie was arrested on June 4, 2021. She faces charges including first-degree intentional homicide, as well as multiple theft charges, and the reason the finger was eventually pointed at her

was because once she was told about the toxicology reports, she explained that Lynn was known for having large amounts of eye drops and purchased them in bulk, kind of offering up an explanation of why they may have found a lot of eyedrops at Lynn's home. And the crushed pills? Well, Jesse had an explanation for that too. According to the criminal complaint, and I quote, Jesse suggested that Lynn might have orchestrated her own suicide using the crushed pills because Jesse herself did not. Jesse then asserted that Lynn had been attempting suicide by mixing Visine with vodka, also by experimenting with various doses in water bottles or vodka, which would make her extremely ill. But then, Jesse's story changed once again. This time, she said that Lynn's death was similar to an assisted suicide.

Jesse claimed that she and Lynn had a heated argument lasting an hour prior to Jesse leaving the house that morning. Eventually, she handed Lynn a water bottle containing six bottles of Visine, and she said it was her choice to drink it. Initially, in pretrial motions, it seemed that Jesse's defense was going to argue the assisted suicide defense, even though that is not an actual defense to murder, but more so as to a justification for why she did what she did. However, then prosecutors brought new evidence

to light, suggesting that an assisted suicide is absolutely not what happened here, and that Jesse was after Lynn's money all along. According to Law and Crime, the prosecution claims that Jesse's expenditures noticeably increased when she started associating more with Lynn. They assert that this uptick in spending was facilitated by Jesse transferring over $100,000 from Lynn's funds into her own account. The complaint alleges that Jesse swindled Lynn out of a total of $290,000. Well, that's like the rounded version. It's, to be exact, $290,210.06, and also apparently had control over her estate. Law enforcement also contends that Jessie has a history of attempted fraud and struggles with gambling, suggesting that her alleged financial

misdeeds might be reflective of an addictive behavior, a compulsion that she couldn't resist acting upon. So, crazy trial alert. And I guess what is so baffling to me is that I had no idea that Visine was actually deadly. Maybe that's just me. I remember the scene in Wedding Crashers where they're trying to make hot-ass Bradley Cooper sick, so they squirt the Visine or their eyedrops into drink, and it makes him ill, and he's like throwing up all night. I didn't know that it was actually deadly, but I guess when I start to think about it,

it does make sense. If it's in a high amount of volume and a large dose, I suppose if it could make you that sick, the right dose could be deadly, but that's what I remembered it from. I didn't know that people actually used it for murder or for assisted suicide, allegedly. So now switching over to Alicia Navarro. A new update relating to Alicia Navarro, who was just 14 years old when she disappeared, has now come to light. Shockingly, four years later, a now 18-year-old Alicia had walked into the police station and asked to get her name taken off of the missing persons list. It was very odd because she had been missing for years,

and then she just walked in casually saying, hey, I'm 18, I want my name removed from the list. So I covered this case over on my YouTube channel, and I will link that video in the description, but the whole thing was a very sketchy start to finish, and a lot of people were looking at her 36-year-old boyfriend, who she was apparently living with at this time, as a major predator. But until now, that was all speculation given the circumstances of harboring a 14-year-old child. Well now, this boyfriend, Edmund Davis, has been officially charged with two felony counts of sexual abuse of children,

resulting from child sexual abuse material found on his cell phone. So Edmund was arrested on Monday afternoon this week, and according to court documents, the material was allegedly found on a cell phone that he tossed into a garbage can during a police search of his home back on July 26th. When police went to his home on July 26th, according to court documents, Alicia stated that no one was present at the apartment but her. But officers observed Edmund in the kitchen behind Alicia. Edmund was seen throwing a cell phone into the trash can and placing items on top of the said phone. Now here's where it gets ultra fucking disgusting. Sorry, excuse my cussing. But when investigators viewed the contents of it,

they found more than 80 images of boys and girls being sexually abused, some of them under the age of five. Talk about a freaking predator creep. Now according to documents, some were photos of infants, toddlers, and prepubescent children, at least one of whom was in bondage gear. There were also a multitude of pictures found that are computer-generated or animated content showing apparent children being sexualized. showing apparent children being sexualized. Edmund Davis has not been charged regarding Alicia's disappearance, but he is being held in the Hill County Detention Center on $1 million bond as of Tuesday. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison, which honestly, good fucking riddance. Like, go, I hope you never get out of prison, I hope you rot in a jail cell. God only

knows what happened during the four years that Alicia was missing, and she will surely have a lifetime of trauma and healing ahead of her. It's honestly just so devastating, and I can't imagine what she and her family must be going through. And I think back to that video of the FaceTime she did with an officer where she was saying that she was okay and that nobody hurt her, but you could tell that something was deeply wrong. Again, this case was sketchy from the jump, and I break it down more over in that video on YouTube,

so if it's piquing your interest, definitely go and watch that. But my initial instinct when I had heard all of this, she had disappeared. She left a note behind, though, so she wasn't abducted, but then she walked into the police station at 18, simply saying, I want my name removed from the registry, but not saying, hi, I've been missing for four years. To me, and I could totally be wrong because I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm not a psychologist. I'm not any of those things.

But to me, it seemed as though this creep ass guy had preyed on Alicia when she was 14 years old, met her on the internet, met her somewhere, did whatever, convinced her to run away, be with him, leave her house, and go be with him. At that point, he had his predator claws in her. I think that he either, you know, love-bombed her, did whatever, maybe he did hold her captive, who knows, but it's been now a period of four years. It's my belief that she was in love with him or thought that she was in love with him, whether it was Stockholm syndrome or what. Then at the age of 18, perhaps they were going to leave the state together. Perhaps they needed to do something to where she needed an ID. She needed identification, maybe even to get married so that

he couldn't be charged in the future. Who knows? So that, I think, is why she walked into the police station requesting that her name be removed from the registry, more so of a formality of the whole thing because of her age. Now, in that moment, she didn't say anything against him. You even hear when they go to search the house back in July, she covers up for him, saying she's there alone, nobody's there at the time, and then he tosses his cell phone. So I think it could be a lot of different things, right? I think it could be Stockholm. I think she

could have been brainwashed. I think she could actually believe things are right. Maybe she was starting to age out and he wanted somebody younger. Maybe she was helping facilitate with that. Who the fuck knows? All I know is this guy is a creep. And I am just hopeful that now that he has been arrested and she's out of his clenches, that she can get the help to, you know, undo all of the damage that he clearly has done to her mentally, to where she can reunite with her family, rebuild those bonds, and just unweave all of the crap that he has done to her, this young, impressionable 14-year-old girl, over the last four years. And it's one less predator on the streets for future victims, which, hallelujah. But speaking of predators on the streets, that kind of is a perfect segue,

unfortunately, into this next case that I want to talk with you about in this segment. There have been a couple of teachers in the headlines lately who have been charged with sex crimes against minor students, which, God, we see this all the time, right? Disgusting. And no offense to men, but for some reason, it's a little more shocking when it is a woman and a woman teacher who is being charged, as is the case here, at least in my opinion. I kind of expect it from men and whatever. Call it sexist. Call it whatever you want. I think for me, at least, I expect it from men almost. Like I'm not as shocked when I see it. When I see a woman, even though I lived through Mary Kay Letourneau or whatever the hell her name is, it still shocks me every single time. So a teacher in Iowa, specifically a married reading teacher, is now out on bond after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old and

sending obscene Snapchats to three minors during the school year. Cassidy Krause, who is 24 years old, resigned from her school back in August, and she is currently facing felony charges of third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of lascivious acts with a child, plus three misdemeanor charges for sending the Snapchats during the 2022-2023 school year. According to the Iowa Criminal Code, the lascivious acts with a child charge is fondling or touching the victim and causing the touching of the person's genitals to any part of the body of a child. One charge comes against her after doing this to a 13-year-old boy in May of 2022. The third degree sexual abuse comes from a 14-year-old boy between January 17th and January 31st, and this was by performing sex acts. Her charges are heightened because she is

a mandatory reporter of child abuse. And guys, it does not stop there. Another teacher in Tennessee named Alyssa McCommon, who is 38 years old, was arrested in September of this year after being accused of raping a boy 12 years old or under in her home in 2021. It's worded that way because we aren't quite sure on the age because, of course, the minor's identity is not being released, and that's the charge that she received from it. However, it gets even worse. According to police, and I quote, multiple juvenile victims have come forth saying that they were befriended by their former teacher, who began playing video games with them, and then further engaged with them through mobile phone social media apps, which led to her allegedly sending inappropriate photographs and requesting sexual relations with the victims. Alyssa used to teach fifth grade at Crestview Elementary until this school year.

Then she joined Charger Academy, teaching fourth grade English and language arts. That's where she was working when the school district suspended her without pay. That's where she was working when the school district suspended her without pay. According to Law and Crime, Alyssa allegedly admitted communicating inappropriately with the students. She posted a $25,000 bond to get out of jail. And her lawyers say she maintains her innocence, saying, We believe that it's borderline a witch hunt on social media, and that is frustrating to us. What we're asking is that the public be patient and allow the justice system to do its job and not create further persecution on the alleged victims or

on the family of the defendant. Which let me just say here, because borderline witch hunt, I'm sorry, if she is communicating inappropriately, sending bad pictures, trying to get, you know, sexually inappropriate with them. That is not a witch hunt, my man. That is outright predator behavior. And while out on bond, Alyssa allegedly used an unknown phone number to communicate in code with a victim, suggesting he would regret doing this. That is a direct quote.

And of course, it was recorded. doing this. That is a direct quote. And of course, it was recorded. So, Homegirl was re-arrested on September 28th for alleged coercion of a witness, aggravated stalking, and harassment. And not only that, but now, allegedly, Alyssa is claiming she is pregnant with the boy that she raped child. So, once again, I'd like to really know if this lawyer still believes that this is a borderline witch hunt. She is pregnant with a child's child. Make it make sense, you freaking disgusting cow. Sorry, getting heated over here. So in a recent court appearance, recorded phone calls were played. Investigators say prior to either of McCommons' arrests, she used a code word to communicate with students. They say the special word was used to ensure the victim was alone at the time, and after that, prosecutors say McCommon would send explicit photos to the students.

They also say she used that same code word while out in bond last month to message the boy with threatening comments, saying he would regret going to the authorities. But days after her arrest, this shocking voice recording was played in open court, alleging McCommond is now pregnant with the 12-year-old boy's child. I'm trying to tell you when it comes out, we're looking like you. We don't have to come anymore. Just please, God, tell me you're not going to say anything. I'm never speaking again. I mean, what the actual fuck?

How are you going to call a boy who is 12 years old or under and say, I can tell you the child is going to come out looking like you. We don't have to talk anymore, but please God don't tell anyone. What? Now, if your mind is just blowing now and you are eye rolling and seeing your brain like I am, take a deep breath because it gets crazier. Alyssa's lawyer was interviewed after all of this, gets crazier. Alyssa's lawyer was interviewed after all of this, still claiming she is innocent. So let's start at the very top. Your client maintains her innocence? Yes. She was accused, obviously, I guess we're working on six weeks or so ago, of a very serious offense. And she denies her guilt in that charge and then also maintains her innocence on the follow-up charges that she acquired while on bond. More developments continue to come. The most

recent involves a voice recording that was played in court with an alleged bombshell, a pregnancy bombshell. What do you have to say about that recording? Well, I mean, my focus is on what was actually presented in court. And I think it's important for everyone to understand that this was not a trial. This was a bond revocation hearing. The judge only had to hear enough evidence in the judge's opinion to rise to probable cause, which is a very low burden of proof, to decide whether she would reinstate the original bond or set a new bond. She felt there was at least enough probable cause to hold Ms. McCommon with no bond at the moment.

So she did revoke the bond. As far as the recording that was played, the only verification that they had that that was Ms. McCommon was a detective who admitted that he had only spoke with her very briefly several weeks ago. The voice was very agitated on there. So I assume when he spoke with her, she wasn't. I just think that it was limited evidence presented that it was her. Now that's not to say it was or wasn't her. I don't know. I mean, it's just what the proof is going to show. And they didn't present a victim, alleged victim or anything. They just had the detective testify that that was her voice. That was literally the only proof that that was from her.

And they had text messages also, but neither the text number or the voice call number is registered anywhere. So they had no record of where the phone number ties to, who it's tied to, and they still don't have the phone. So, I mean, I understand the judge's position, but it was limited proof on it actually being Ms. McCommon. Have you spoken with McCommon? Is she pregnant? Well, I can't confirm or deny any of that at this moment. I know basically what you know, what you guys had heard from the hearing. To my knowledge, there's no medical evidence right now that she is or isn't pregnant. That's yet to be seen. So their claim is we don't have proof that that was her voice or her phone number sending messages and her attorney can't confirm or deny that she is

pregnant. I mean, is there another adult woman calling this boy's phone and saying this? Because I am not buying it at all. The math ain't math in homegirl. If you're pregnant, you're calling this guy, telling him he's going to regret it, saying the baby's going to look like him. You've already admitted to sending risque Snapchats and doing this. You know, the math is math in actually. You are a creep.

You are a predator., you are a creep, you are a predator, and you are absolutely disgusting. And once again, that is a perfect segue, guys, into the next segment of disgusting human behavior, and that is Alexis Avia. Alexis Avia, not to be confused with Alexi Treviso, is the woman, another woman, who tossed her baby in a garbage dumpster. And get this, she is now going to be released from prison as she waits for the results of her conviction appeal. Okay. Deep breath, Annie. Count to five, count down, here we go. Now, I have covered this case in depth on another podcast episode, and it is absolutely crazy. Because she is caught on surveillance camera dumping her baby in a dumpster. And then during the interrogation, she admits to it.

So tell me, conviction, appeal, or not, how is somebody released from prison when there is footage of it? When she has admitted to it, when there is clear evidence of all of this. Make it make motherfucking sense. I can't. Alexis's trial was in April of 2023, and she was found guilty of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm. On May 1st, the teen was sentenced to 16 years. It was 18 in total and two years suspended. Her attorneys appealed her case on the day of sentencing. Then on May 5th, they filed a motion for her to be released while pending her appeal. This request was originally denied, which great, chef's kiss, it should have been. However, her attorneys appealed that decision, and on October 18th,

the decision was reversed. So what on earth could possibly be their claim for an appeal in the first place? Well, they were appealing her conviction, claiming six key issues, including whether the evidence presented to the trial court was sufficient to find that the offense and subsequent harm could be designated as a serious violent offense, offense and subsequent harm could be designated as a serious violent offense, and whether there was sufficient evidence for a jury to find her guilty of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm. Other issues included in the appeal are the court's jury instructions, expert witnesses, and venue. Now, I'm just going to say this here. Again, I'm not a judge. I'm not an attorney. Just little old Annie here. But how are you arguing that the evidence presented to the court, if it was sufficient or not to find the offense,

be designated as a serious violent offense? I don't know what is more serious or violent than taking your newborn child who is alive and chucking them in a dumpster and driving away. And they also are trying to argue that there may not have been sufficient evidence for a jury to find her guilty of child abuse resulting in great bodily harm. Okay, so you don't think that it's child abuse to throw a child against a, you know, metal dumpster wall to then close the lid, to leave them without food and water, to leave them without basic needs until they quite literally die? You don't think that that is evidence enough? Sufficient evidence enough? Give me a break. I can't. I hate everybody this week. I told you I'm on another one this week. I'm like power tripping here because these cases just infuriate me.

So kind of taking a pause on, well, not a pause on disgusting human beings, but I guess a pause on disgusting women. Let's move into disgusting men for a second. This is a manhunt now for a judge killer. Police found Judge Andrew Drew Wilkinson dead in his Hagerson driveway last Thursday evening by gunshot wounds. He was overseeing the divorce case involving his suspected killer, a 49-year-old man named Pedro. According to Fox, Pedro is an alleged child abuser who once stuffed a towel into the mouth of a crying baby, according to allegations made during a hearing just hours before the shooting. Eugenia Argott, the wife, told the court that her husband was abusive and controlling, described the towel incident, and said that he restricted her access to their finances and even their shared vehicle. Lawyers for Eugenia also accused her husband of halting

mortgage payments. Pedro's adult daughter from a prior relationship testified that he beat her and put cameras all around their house and spied on her. Judge Wilkinson said, and I quote, the manner in which Mr. Argott has isolated these children and mom over the past two years, I think that has gone on throughout the marriage, and it's shocking. I think he is abusive in multiple ways. Authorities are saying that they believe Pedro shot the judge after he gave his ex-wife full custody of the children, denied his rights to any visitation, and was ordered to stay away from their home and the children. So now Pedro is on the run, and there is an active manhunt ongoing after authorities found his Mercedes abandoned over the weekend in Williamsport. Pedro has ties to other states, including New York and Florida. The U.S.

Marshals are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his capture. And let's talk about another manhunt going on. Investigators are searching for a 33-year-old man that they allege shot and killed his wife in their home over the weekend because she wanted to move away with their four children. According to Massachusetts State Police Facebook and press updates, on Sunday, October 22nd at approximately 9.15 a.m., Gardner police responded to a disturbance call and found 30-year-old Breanne Pennington deceased inside. and found 30-year-old Breanne Pennington deceased inside. District Attorney Joseph Early identified the suspect as Aaron Pennington, the husband, and said he was last known to be driving a white 2013 BMW 320. Aaron is considered armed and dangerous. Aaron works for defense contractor Raytheon as a senior supervisor for manufacturing and operations,

and is also a U.S. Air Force veteran. Police went to the home after the couple's four children went to a neighbor's house for help. Allegedly, the children ran to their neighbor's house Sunday morning and were scared because they could not find their father and their mother was in her bedroom crying. When police went inside the home, they found Breanne in her bed with obvious signs of death from an apparent gunshot wound to the face. in her bed, with obvious signs of death from an apparent gunshot wound to the face. The children, who are 2, 5, 7, and 9 years old, are now in DCF custody. On Tuesday, October 24, the DA announced that a hunter found Aaron's BMW in the woods and said investigators are treating the situation like he is alive and would be somewhere in the woods. According to court documents cited by the

Gardner News, Breanne and Aaron had issues in their marriage for quite some time, and she wanted to move to Texas. Court documents also say that Aaron has dealt with mental issues and has threatened suicide in the past. Now, I just still have such a hard time wrapping my mind around the narcissism and entitlement of these men who, just because their wife wants to leave and take the children and take care of them better than you clearly can, that that means they must die. They must pay. I'm going to wipe out the family in some scenarios. It's disgusting, and to me, it just really illustrates the highest level of narcissism and entitlement that I've ever seen.

You're not only hurting your wife, who you hate and who you are blaming and holding responsible, but think about what you're doing for your children, the very children that you apparently are fighting for and so distraught over losing. How do you think this is going to affect them? Clearly, you don't have their best interest or their well-being at heart at all. Otherwise, you wouldn't do something so selfish. You care about yourself. You care about how this impacts you, how this makes you feel. It is awful. I know I went a little off track today, guys, and I kind of let the wheels fall off, but like I told you in the beginning, this week was a doozy. So I appreciate you sticking with me through this week's segment of Headline Highlights. I will be back with you, of course,

next week to break down all the new updates that come out of the true crime world next week. But before that, I have my ad-free bonus episode. If you are looking for an extra bit of true crime fix for your week, it is available starting Friday morning. And again, it's ad-free, it's a bonus episode, and it is exclusive to Patreon members or to Apple subscription. So get hooked up with that either through Patreon, which I will link in the show notes, or if you're using Apple, you can sign up through the podcast app on there. Other than that, I will see you bright and early

Monday morning with another true crime case and a deep dive. All right, guys, I'm gonna go take a breath. Maybe have a glass of wine. Maybe do some chanting and try to calm myself down. I hope you guys appreciated the case coverage today and thank you again for tuning in. Signing off. Have a great day, besties. Bye. some chanting and try to calm myself down. I hope you guys appreciated the case coverage today and thank you again for tuning in. I'm signing off. Have a great day, besties. Bye. you