About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "True Crime Time For October 1, 2026 | A Mom Leaves 4 Kids for a Cruise, 40 Years on Death Row & a Midair Attack" from Real Life Real Crime opens with crimes tied to October 1 in history, including the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the Los Angeles Times bombing, the kidnapping and murder of Polly Klaas, the Nuremberg Trials sentencing, and the Golden State Killer case. From there, the episode turns to a midair emergency on a flight bound for Israel, where an alleged cockpit attack left one pilot injured and the aircraft losing altitude. In Family Matters, Florida mother Nathalie Belazare faces allegations of leaving four children, including a two-month-old, home alone during a three-day cruise to the Bahamas; she was arrested on her return after police found the children unattended. The episode also addresses developments in Tennessee death-row inmate Christa Pike's case, the release of Douglas Stewart Carter after more than 40 years on Utah's death row following new DNA evidence excluding him in the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen, and the constitutional challenge raised by Florida death-row inmate William Lee Thompson, tied to the 1976 murder of Sally Ivester.
The case behind the episode
Among the historical crimes referenced is Golden State Killer: Joseph DeAngelos forbrydelser og dom, involving Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., a former police officer who committed at least 13 murders and 50–51 rapes across several California counties—Tulare, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Orange County—between 1975 and 1986. DeAngelo was identified through forensic genealogy in 2018. Victims included Janelle Cruz, Lyman and Charlene Smith, and Keith and Patrice Harrington, among others.
Hosts and release
Woody Overton hosts Real Life Real Crime, a weekly true crime podcast drawing on his firsthand experience as an active investigator. This episode, number 291, runs 39 minutes and was released October 1, 2026.
