i'm frank mallicoat. thanks for joining us folks. before we go send us your like it or not questions or record yourself asking a question. tell us where you're from and you could see yourself on our next program or send us a message or comment. you can go to instagram or tiktok. like it or not, we'll see you agag i'm anna garcia. right now on true crime news. robert robertson, just days from execution over the death of his daughter in a case of shaken baby syndrome. sent to death row for a crime that experts say never happened. and the new discovery that may explain his unemotional demeanor after she died. as his life hangs in the balance, the fight to save him. then terror on the water. >> i think he's going to drown. hold on baby. >> did this groom to be die in a horrible accident? or was it the

bride to be's devious plot? that's the half million dollar question. >> she was doing cartwheels. seemed like she was having a great time. >> your daily source for true crime starts right now. thanks for joining us. we start with one man literally in the fight for his life. robert robertson is scheduled to be executed in the coming days, but many say that he's been wrongfully convicted. >> everything i had, i lost. you know, you know, all my possessions and stuff. i lost all of that. >> robert robertson is facing imminent death scheduled for execution this week in a texas prison. appeals exhausted in a case based on shaken baby syndrome that some believe should have never been brought to trial at all. >> i want people to know that i'll be there for him and i'll do all i can do to be the best me living on death row has been

robertson's life for over two decades. >> convicted of killing his two year old daughter, nikki curtis, after he says he found her unconscious with blue lips. one morning in 2002. >> i mean, this is a parent, a father very concerned about what's going on with his daughter. >> as the innocence project steps in to fight, overturning the execution. attorney vanessa plotkin says that at the time, the child died, robertson had rushed to the hospital, but doctors and nurses noticed bruises on her body and head. they immediately questioned robertson's story. plotkin says because robertson has autism, he had trouble showing emotion and communicating with the medical staff. >> his impairment led to being misjudged. outdated. science has landed him on death row for something that wasn't even a crime. >> but plotkin says the conviction was flat out wrong.

not only has shaken baby syndrome been largely discredited. nikki was very ill and taking medications prescribed by a doctor. >> she was prescribed a medicine phenergan, which at the time was acceptable to give to children of her age. but now there's a black box warning about it, because we know that it can suppress respiratory system. >> and robertson has more defenders, including the very detective who helped put him on death row over 20 years ago. >> if we had to take this same case to court today, there's no way in the world we would a conviction with a set of facts that we worked with. >> wharton has directly apologized to robertson, who he visits regularly in prison. he believes the father's autism led to a misunderstanding of the child's death. the former detective now strongly regrets his role in the conviction. >> you're shaking, baby notion is gone and so you have to go back again to those medical records which don't support

anything but a natural death or an accidental death. >> it's mind boggling, unconscionable that robert robertson is still on death row and days away from his scheduled execution. >> robertson has a lot of support for clemency. over 80 texas legislators have opposed the execution, and a bipartisan group of legislators recently visited with robertson at the prison in livingston. death penalty proponent republican rhonda tomek posted on social media that robertson's conviction was based on faulty science, adding, we want to see justice served and this is not it. >> the outpouring of support that he has had is reflective of a recognition that this is an innocent man who is at danger of being executed for a crime, that never even occurred. >> the texas court of appeals dismissed both a motion to halt

the execution and a new application for relief filed by robertson's attorneys. the court appears unwilling to consider extensive medical and scientific evidence proving the child died for reasons other than abuse. unless robertson can win clemency from the state board of pardons and paroles, he will be executed on october 17th, k's first goes to the board of pardons and parole if they recommend that clemency is granted, then it's up to the governor and governor. >> abbott can go ahead and grant clemency. we expect that they will give their recommendation on tuesday. >> meanwhile, robertson spends his time talking to anyone who will listen and despite all odds, he holds on to hope. >> what keeps me hopeful? my faith in the lord and stuff, you know, because one day, walking up out of here, you know. >> the innocence project is encouraging people to contact texas governor greg abbott to ask him to stop the execution.

you can call governor abbott's office at three, six, 12649653. now we turn to the drowning death of vincent 5-4 while he was out on the water with his fiancee, angelica griswold. was it a tragic accident, or did she try to use mother nature to hide a heinous crime? it's a chilly april afternoon in new york's hudson river valley, with the sun setting on the water. dispatchers received this frantic distress call. >> 9-1 rauhauser marincin sting. hi, i'm. >> i'm in the hudson river. hi. what's your name? angelica. we are kayaking. my hands are flipped over. he's in the water right now. he's going to drown. please call somebody. we've got help on the way. stay on the phone with me, okay? okay. hold on. >> baby. >> oh, my gosh, i can't see him anymore. you don't see him? no. oh, my god.

>> when help arrives, rescuers pluck angelica griswold, a twice divorced 35 year old latvian bartender from the frigid river. but there's no sign of her fiance, hudson valley local vince villasenor. state police investigators believe they're looking at a tragic kayaking accident where the engaged couple were spending time on the water. >> you said that vincent was in front of her approximately 50ft. the winds began to pick up the swells and the water began to rise. as a result of the conditions, he flipped over into the water and she was unable to get to him. >> but as law enforcement searches for vincent's body, angelica starts grieving in a unique way. >> she was posting pictures of herself doing shots, smoking cigars, doing cartwheels just seemed like she was having a

great time. >> i didn't think it was crazy odd because everybody reacts differently when investigators in angelica head to the local beach where vincent was last seen alive, she was all over the place, to the point where i told her, angelica, what is wrong with you? >> they are about to get an earful. >> she begins to open up about her sex life with vincent and how he made these sexual demands towards her and that it really, really bothered her. she looks up at me and she says, you know about the plug, right? he didn't have the plug in the kayak. and i said, is that why his kayak sunk? and she's like, yes. i said, did you take it out? she said, yes, i think i did. she goes on to also tell me about a ring that was on a paddle that she had taken off to disable and dismantle his paddle, so it was inoperable. i said, did you take the plug out and take the ring off the paddle because you wanted him dead? and she says, yes, i guess i did. i said, so you didn't help him? she says,

no. and i said, why? and she goes, i wanted him gone. i wanted to be free and i wanted to be myself. >> i was shocked, no pun intended. the tide changed. >> investigators bring angelica back to their station. >> i didn't want to kill him or anything like that. >> did you? >> did you want him gone? isn't that what you said? i do okay? yeah, i still want him. >> i still want kids with him. >> now. >> but according to police, just li >> why do you keep changing what you're saying? you're confusing me. yeah, and that's a that's an issue for me. >> hours in frustrated police try to establish if angelica had a motive for killing vince. >> he had a life insurance policy. >> yeah. and you were on it? yes. angelica, the reality is this. okay, you killed vinny, right? >> yeah. no, i'm. i'm asking you the question, and i want to hear

it. i want i want you to tell me the truth. >> i am telling you. >> what is the answer to that question? >> i didn't i didn't want him. >> angelica, what is the true answer to that question? you need a statement. >> i wanted him dead. and now he's gone. and when he came bac. >> when we come back, cops might think angelica admitted to killing vincent, but her attorney sees it differently. >> that is not a confession. that's not i killed him. >> but there's a problem. tectives think they have a motive. >> my name is braden. i was five years old when i came to saint jude. i'll try and shorten down the story. so i've been having these headaches that wouldn't go away. my mom, she was just crying. what? they said your son has brain cancer backwards. it was your worst fear coming to

life watching your child grow up is the dream of every parent. >> you can join the battle to save the lives of kids like braden by supporting saint jude children's research hospital. families never receive a bill from saint jude for treatment, travel, housing or food so they can focus on helping their child live what they have done for me, my son, my family. >> i'm sorry. yeah, life is a gift, especially for a child battling cancer. >> call or go online and help save the lives of children like braden. >> now i'm 11 years old. we were actually doing the checkup for my brain and they they saw something in my throat. it's thyroid cancer. >> it was heartbreaking to find out that he has cancer again,

but we knew who we had behind us. it just gives me hope you can make a difference. >> join with your credit or debit card for only $19 a month and we'll send you this saint jude t shirt without saint jude or its donors, we would have been in a bad place. >> these kids, they've done nothing wrong in the world. finding a cure for childhood cancer. it means everything to help saint jude give kids with cancer a chance. >> on the next true crime news, a search for a young missing girl. >> this was not going to

we're back now with the question did angelica griswold mean for her fiance to drown, or was it an accident? new york detectives believe that they have her confessing to it on tape, and they can also count several hundred thousand reasons why she might have wanted him dead. >> i wanted him dead, and now he's gone and i'm okay. >> why? >> after those very clear and forceful words, angelica griswold is charged with murder in the second degree. >> in my opinion, it was premeditated. how can you not come to that conclusion? >> she casually admitted to police. she removed the drain

plug and the paddle ring on her fiance's kayak. police say to deliberately drown him. >> it's the furthest thing from a confession, defense attorney richard portale says angelica was being framed and detective story of a beachside murder confession is not at all what it seemed they said on her. i mean, like a pack of wolves. there was three armed male senior investigators, and they pulled her to an isolated spot and they beat her up emotionally. and we have witnesses that saw it. they were trying to conjure up a confession, and they didn't get it. >> but police do have angelica referencing some kind of confession on tape. >> i wanted him dead, and now he's gone and on the table for tally. >> here's those words all differently. >> that is not a confession. that's not. i killed him. it reminds me of, you know, the old gangster movies, when you know the detective approaches it and says, did you kill him? you wanted him dead. and so the

gangster says, yeah, so did everybody. so what? i wanted him dead. >> he claims vince often pulled his own plug, using the drain to strap it to his car. >> we've provided you with pictures so that you can see that the strap is up, and then it's through the plug. the drain plug hole. >> bertolli believes police suspicion of angelica's happy behavior after his death is just a cultural misunderstanding. she came from a community where open grieving was not an option. >> you don't cry in latvia, and the motive that the unemployed bartender stood to reap nearly a half $1 million in life insurance payouts. she's not somebody who cares about money. she's not interested in money. she's a very simple girl from a simple country who cares more about flowers and photographs and sunsets than she does about money. >> orange county, new york prosecutors blink and offer angelica a plea deal, downgrading second degree murder

charges to a conviction of criminally negligent homicide. >> but i can tell you that the prosecution probably knew that this case was not strong. and if we pushed that, it was all going to come out. >> it's a huge victory for the defense. >> that crime is the equivalent of keying a mercedes. >> angelica is sentenced to one and a half to four years after time served and time off for good behavior. she is released after serving just 32 months. and in a real twist, angelica also receives that money from vinces life insurance policy. not that she kept any of it. >> she had signed it all over to the defense team, $542,000 to be exact. so. but she's home. >> investigators moscato and di quarto say despite the outcome, they still believe justice was served.

>> as an agency, i'm very proud of what we did, very proud of what danny decaro did because, let's face it, if it weren't for his interview, she would have gotten away with murder after serving her time, angelica returned to her native latvia, leaving the hudson valley behind her. >> this case continues to trigger debate, so we want to hear from you. do you think angelica intended for vincent to die, or was she just happy that he drowned? go to true crime news.com and take our poll when we come back, a survivor of an abusive relationship shares her story. the most important thing that she learned during this meic violence awareness month. that's next. >> look at this one under-eye bag. it's gone. >> there's this side and this side. >> just look at these results 50 and haven't slept in weeks.

>> 35 and fresh from a vacation. >> they are some of the hottest videos on social media. those videos claiming to instantly get rid of bags under your eyes. it's called plexaderm, and lifestyle expert annette figueroa is here to tell us why. she says this one is for real. >> this one is for real, and i'm so excited. and i did this to my father. we were at home, i had the timer on and we were screaming, four minutes, 34 seconds, completely gone and not only does it work on the bags, it works on the appearance of crow's feet, fine lines and wrinkles and are $14.95 price. >> it's the best way to try plexaderm and see it work. after your first application. your solution is at plexaderm trial.com. or call the number on your screen. >> for the latest breaking crime news, go to true crime news.com. watch more on our youtube

closed captioning and other considerations for true crime news provided by. >> teeth sensitivity is so common it immediately feels like somebody is poking directly on the nerve. i recommend sensodyne sensodyne toothpaste goes inside the tooth and calms the nerve down. and my patients say, you know doc, it really works. >> look at this one under eye bag. it's gone. >> they are some of the hottest videos on social media. those videos claiming to instantly get rid of bags under your eyes. it's called plexaderm and lifestyle expert annette figueroa is here to tell us why. she says this one is for real. >> this one is for real, and i'm so excited. and not only does it work on the bags, it works on the appearance of crow's feet, fine lines and wrinkles and are $14.95 price. >> your solution is at plexaderm trial dotcom. >> october is domestic violence awareness month, and there's an eye opening statistic on

average, 24 people in this country are attacked by an intimate partner every minute. that's 12 million men and women being raped, assaulted or stalked every year by a partner. according to the national coalition against domestic violence. sometimes those attacks even lead to murder. ronell golden survived being attacked by her partner and turned her trauma into purpose. she created the getting out guide to help others escape domestic abuse. joining me now is ronnell. ronnell. can you share with us your experience? >> i met a man who was very kind to me, very warm, overwhelmingly friendly, and by the time that the behavior started becoming negative, it was first, you know, the little jabs breaking me down a little bit, telling me what's wrong with me, comparing me to other people, eventually openly criticizing me and eventually physically harming me and causing me to end up in the emergency room. abuse is about

control and i was fully under this person's control. >> explain this guide to us. >> the guide was created to help victims of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and other types of abuse get out of abusive relationships. it is a simple three step process that any victim of abuse can understand. it helps to guide a victim from the point of understanding what abuse means, all the way to getting out of the abusive relationships and rebuilding their lives. >> when someone is trying to leave, it's generally the most dangerous time for them. how can you advise someone to remain safe? >> it's a very difficult thing to do if you are in imminent danger. physical danger. what you want to do is that you need to find a place that you can disappear to, where your abuser cannot find you, or track you down. that might be a shelter, it might be a family member in your city, but potentially in a different town or in a different city. you need to switch off your cell phone. you need to not use your email address. i know

it's very difficult to do, but if your life is in danger, that's the only way to do it. >> you've been working with the city of houston and you've made some progress there. can you tell us about trying to put together one hotline as opposed to multiple hotlines? >> so harris county recently came up with the idea to have a single hotline in harris county that victims can call into, that the victim can then explain what their need is, and then they will be directed from a single hotline to the organization that can support them. what are the red flags? the problem is that if you grew up in a household where you saw abuse, it's not going to be somebody screaming at you or somebody belittling you or somebody taking money from you. what you're looking for is not an occasional disagreement. you're looking for a pattern of good and bad behavior that harms you and then causes you to stay in the relationship. >> ronell golden, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> ronell is working on

publishing the getting out guide in book form, in addition to hosting it on her website. if you or someone you know needs help, you can call the national domestic violence hotline at one 800 799 safe. that's 1-800-799-7233. or you can text start to 88788. we'll be rig igit back. >> still have symptoms from moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease after a tnf blocker like humira or remicade put them in check with rinvoq. rinvoq works differently, and it's a once daily pill. >> when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief with rinvoq. >> check when flares tried to slow me down, i got lasting steroid free remission with rinvoq. >> check. and when my doctor saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. >> rapid symptom relief, lasting steroid free remission, and visibly reduced damage. >> check, check. and check.

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>> on the next true crime news. >> something was different with this case. >> a search for a young missing girl goes deep into the woods. >> it was rainy. it was cold. >> the police also started to get a little bit more worried. >> hey, shine your light at that tree over there. >> we knew that this was not going to be a happy outcome. >> the chilling discovery. >> i don't know. i came in the woods and i just started moving. >> oh, hey. hey. right there. >> that shocked everyone. >> oh my god. oh my god. >> on the next true crime news for the latest breaking crime

news, go to true crime news.com. watch more exclusive content on our youtube channel, listen to our podcast and follow us at my true crime news. that's it for today's true crime news i'm anna garcia. join us next im (energetic music) - some of our world's most fascinating places can also be the most inaccessible. this week on awesome planet, we travel under the sea, over the land, and into the ocean. in search of hidden treasures in nature. now, thousands of islands are spread out across the south pacific. but when one of the world's most majestic creatures shows up right off the coast of the yasawa of fiji, well, research that would be remote and virtually impossible in many parts of the ocean becomes much more accessible.