In this laugh-out-loud episode of Crime Bistro, we dive into the ridiculous world of not-so-brilliant criminals who prove that crime doesn’t pay—especially when you’re terrible at it. From failed getaways to hilariously dumb missteps, these stories will have you shaking your head and wondering, “What were they thinking?” Sometimes, you need to take a dive into the lighter side of true crime, and this episode is the perfect reprieve from the heavier cases as we head into the holiday season.

On Thanksgiving Day of 2012, Bryon David Smith, a retired security-engineering officer with the US State Department, walked solemnly and silently into his basement, sat down with a rifle, and waited. The house was dark, and he had taking the extra step of hiding his truck so that it appeared he wasn’t home. His home had been burglarized several times in the past few months, and Byron had enough. It was time to take matters into his own hands. As he sat there, two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, started to circle the property, making sure that no one was there before then broke in, while Smith lay in wait. Chaos ensued – glass shattering, screaming, and then…gunshots. Byron Smith had shot and killed both of the teens, and then, after all had gone quiet, he was heard saying “I refuse to live in fear. I am not a bleeding-heart liberal. I felt like I was cleaning up a mess…I was doing my civic duty…I don’t see them as human. I see them as vermin.”

In 2011, a woman named Ellen Greenberg from Philadelphia was found dead at only 27 years old from more than 20 stab wounds. Now, it may seem as if this case would have immediately been considered to be a horrific homicide, and that her manner of death would have instantly been determined as such. Except, it wasn’t. Ellen’s grisly murder was considered to be a suicide by the investigators, a determination that shocked and devastated her parents, who have done incredible work fighting for justice for their daughter. It was only recently, after Ellen’s parents have fought relentlessly to get their daughter’s case re-opened, that they have gotten the opportunity to fight to change her official manner of death in courts. So, investigators need to find out the truth after over 12 years about what had really happened to Ellen Greenberg. Who killed her, and why?

Justice For Ellen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JusticeForEllen2019/