Hold My Sweet Tea

Send us Fan MailA normal morning jog should not come with a survival plan, but that’s exactly where our minds go when we talk through the murder of Laken Riley. We start with the heartbreaking basics: Laken is a 22-year-old nursing student who texts her mom before a run on the University of Georgia campus. Within minutes, a 911 SOS call is triggered from her phone, the call drops, and she never answers again. A trail camera, phone records, and a Garmin watch timeline turn this case into a chilling sequence of moments you can almost feel ticking by.We dig into what investigators and the courtroom record point to, including the trail camera sighting of a man matching Jose Ibarra’s clothing, scratches observed during questioning, and the discarded jacket and gloves found near his apartment. Then we get into the forensic details that matter in real life: DNA under Laken’s fingernails, DNA on the jacket and gloves, and how those results shaped the case. We also talk about the autopsy findings and why this kind of violence hits so hard, especially for women who already get trained to carry pepper spray, watch over their shoulder, and still get blamed for simply existing.The story doesn’t stay contained to one trail in Athens. This case became a national immigration flashpoint, and we wrestle with how tragedy gets politicized while still keeping the focus on what happened and what women live with every day. We close with practical awareness tips for runners and a reminder to stay safe out there. If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.

Send us Fan MailA quiet back road at night doesn’t look like danger, but sometimes it’s the most frightening setting of all. We’re Holly and Pearl, and we’re unpacking the Mackenzie Shirilla case out of Strongsville, Ohio, where a late-night drive ends with a car accelerating past 100 miles per hour and slamming head-on into a brick wall. Two teenagers, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan, die at the scene. Shirilla survives, and what first reads like a horrific accident starts to look, to prosecutors, like something else entirely. We break down the crash timeline and the details investigators couldn’t ignore: clear weather, a straight road, no mechanical failures, and vehicle data suggesting no braking and no last-second correction. From there, the story pivots into the hardest part of so many true crime trials: intent. We talk teen relationship volatility, the state’s claim of a prior threat to crash the car, and how prosecutors used motive and digital evidence to argue a murder-suicide attempt. We also get into the 2023 bench trial, the guilty verdict on multiple murder counts, and the life sentence with parole eligibility after 15 years. Then we zoom out to the public storm online, where TikTok and Instagram commentary fuels questions about trauma, memory loss, and whether justice landed in the right place. Listen, then share your take with us, subscribe for more, and leave a review if you want to help more folks find Hold My Sweet Tea. Sources:Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now? — People MagazineBy Alex Gurley (July 31, 2025)Website: https://people.comWoman gets 15 years to life in deaths of boyfriend, friend — Associated Press(August 21, 2023)Website: https://apnews.comMackenzie Shirilla’s appeal denied after it was filed 1 day late — Court TVBy Lauren Silver (March 17, 2026)Website: https://www.courttv.com3News Investigates: New medical evidence challenges conviction — WKYC(April 18, 2025)Website: https://www.wkyc.comStrongsville woman sentenced to life in prison for crash that killed two — Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office(August 21, 2023)Website: https://www.ccprosecutor.us

Send us Fan MailA small town in Arkansas builds a big legend, and the details are too strange to forget: dark hair head to toe, red eyes catching headlights, and three toed footprints stamped into swamp mud. We’re Holly and Pearl, and we’re taking Sweet Tea After Dark to Fouke, Arkansas to talk about the Fouke Monster, also known as the Boggy Creek Monster, with all the giggles and side comments that come with telling scary stories after dark. We dig into what witnesses claim they saw in the early 1970s near Boggy Creek, why the setting matters in Southern folklore, and how the swamp itself turns every sound into a question. Then we get into the moment that makes this Arkansas cryptid story feel personal: the 1972 claim from Bobby Ford and his wife Elizabeth that their house shook, the siding got scraped, and whatever was outside didn’t bolt the second a shotgun appeared. Whether you’re a Bigfoot believer, a skeptic, or just here for a good tale, that scene sticks with you. We also talk about how a local rumor becomes a national story once a film gets made. The Legend of Boggy Creek turns a backwoods monster into pop culture, and from there you get modern sightings, dare trips, “proof” that never materializes, and even a festival celebrating the creature. Along the way, we ask the question that sits under every cryptid podcast: are these monsters real, misidentified animals, or stories we use to warn each other about the dark corners of the world and ourselves? If you love cryptids, paranormal legends, and Southern storytelling, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who’d drive Boggy Creek Road at midnight, and leave us a review so more night owls can find the show.