Dateline NBC

Son testifies against father in Hawaii. A pastor accused of cyberstalking wife. Plus, Hailey's Law.

34 min
Apr 2, 202616 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

This episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly covers three major cases: a Hawaii anesthesiologist's trial for allegedly attempting to murder his wife on a hiking trail, with his son testifying against him; a South Carolina pastor charged with cyberstalking his wife who died by suicide nearly two years ago; and a father's push for 'Haley's Law' after his teenage daughter was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a man she met online gaming.

Insights
  • Digital evidence and electronic communications are becoming critical prosecution tools in domestic violence and cyberstalking cases, often establishing motive and intent patterns
  • Family members testifying against relatives creates credibility challenges for defense teams, who increasingly focus on bias and relationship proximity rather than disputing facts
  • Gaps in missing persons alert systems (runaway vs. endangered classifications) can delay critical response time in cases involving online predators and grooming
  • Cyberstalking charges in domestic contexts represent an evolution in how law enforcement addresses modern harassment tactics including tracking devices and non-consensual intimate imagery
  • Legislative responses to high-profile crimes are gaining traction, with parents leveraging tragedy to advocate for education requirements around online grooming and predator tactics
Trends
Increased prosecution of cyberstalking as domestic violence tactic, particularly involving tracking devices and non-consensual intimate imagery sharingFamily members serving as key prosecution witnesses in intimate partner violence cases, shifting burden to defense to establish biasGrowing gap between traditional alert systems (Amber, Silver) and modern abduction scenarios involving online grooming and voluntary departureLegislative momentum for mandatory education on online predator grooming tactics in K-12 curriculaFederal involvement in state-level domestic violence cases when interstate elements or online platforms are involvedMedical evidence (injury severity, lack of internal trauma) being challenged by defense to create reasonable doubt in assault casesDelayed criminal charges in high-profile deaths, with cyberstalking and false statement charges filed years after victim's deathPlea bargain trends in high-profile serial crime cases, with defendants changing pleas as digital evidence accumulatesParental advocacy movements emerging post-tragedy to close legal loopholes in child protection frameworks
Companies
Xfinity
Sponsor offering rewards program and exclusive entertainment perks to members, including Super Mario Galaxy content
Solid Rock Church
Church in Myrtle Beach where pastor J.P. Miller served and met his wife Micah
People
Gerhardt Koenig
Defendant accused of attempting to murder his wife on a hiking trail in Hawaii; pleaded not guilty
Emil Koenig
19-year-old son of Gerhardt who testified against his father about incriminating phone calls
Ariel Koenig
Wife of Gerhardt Koenig who testified about alleged attack on hiking trail; suffered head injuries
J.P. Miller
Charged with cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators regarding his estranged wife Micah
Micah Miller
Pastor's wife who died by suicide in 2024; subject of cyberstalking allegations against her husband
Rex Heuerman
Accused of murdering seven women near Gilgo Beach; expected to change plea to guilty on April 8th
Jeff Spence
Convicted of murdering entrepreneur Kirby Carpenter; received mandatory life sentence in Mississippi
Caitlin Spence
Girlfriend of victim Kirby Carpenter; pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and testified against her father
Caleb Flynn
Former American Idol contestant charged with murdering his wife Ashley; facing 11 total charges including aggravated ...
Tyler Thomas
39-year-old charged with sexual exploitation of minor and interstate trafficking in connection with death of 17-year-...
Bo Busby
Father of deceased 17-year-old Haley; lobbying Indiana legislature for 'Haley's Law' to improve missing persons alerts
Haley Busby
17-year-old who disappeared after meeting predator on online gaming platform; remains found in Ohio
Mahelani Richardson
Anchor and reporter covering Gerhardt Koenig trial from Hawaii courtroom
Eric Richards
NBC affiliate reporter covering J.P. Miller cyberstalking case in Myrtle Beach
Blaine Alexander
Host of Dateline True Crime Weekly podcast
Quotes
"Predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you."
Bo BusbyFinal segment
"I'm not going to make it back. I tried to kill Ari, but she got away."
Gerhardt Koenig (alleged statement to son)Hawaii trial segment
"We have to become stronger advocates for our children and their safety because there are so many gaps."
Bo BusbyFinal segment
"That he would not be making it back to Maui and to take good care of the younger kids. And that he had, that Ari, my stepmom, had been cheating on him. And that he tried to kill her."
Emil Koenig (testimony about father's call)Hawaii trial segment
"I'm about to kill myself, and I just want my family to know where to find me."
Micah Miller (911 call)J.P. Miller segment
Full Transcript
I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. I've always been a glass half full kind of guy. And now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too. Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows? You might just come away with your own glass half full. Search glass half full with Craig Melvin from today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. In video games, you collect coins. But in real life, you can collect rewards. Our Xfinity members get access to one-of-a-kind experiences, exclusive perks, and great discounts with fresh rewards every Thursday. It's like having a power-up included with your Xfinity services. Right now, Xfinity members get access to Super Mario Galaxy exclusives. Check the Xfinity app for details and watch the Super Mario Galaxy movie only in theaters April 1st. Xfinity, imagine that. Restrictions apply. Visit Xfinity.com slash membership for details. Hopefully someone can hear me. Yeah. You're listening to the Dateline Story Meeting. Let's go ahead and jump in. I know it's a super busy day there. Our producers are catching up on breaking crime news. She was like filing reports and reports and reports. She's starting to believe in her father's guilt. Whether he takes the stand or not, good chance he might. Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. I'm Blaine Alexander. It's April 2nd, and here's what's on our docket. In South Carolina, a pastor has been charged with cyber-stalking his own wife. They say that he sent her unwanted and harassing text messages and had tracking devices on her car. So this is really intense. In Dateline Roundup, we've got a big update in the case of the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer. And new charges have been filed against a former American Idol contestant who's accused of murdering his wife. He was hit with a waterfall of new charges, including aggravated murder and intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness. Plus, after an Indiana teen was allegedly kidnapped by a man she met playing video games online, her dad is now on a mission to change the law. Predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you. But before all of that, we're back in a Hawaii courtroom at the trial of an anesthesiologist accused of trying to murder his wife. A key prosecution witness has taken the stand, the anesthesiologist's son. It's week three in the trial of Gerhard Koenig. That's the anesthesiologist accused of attempting to kill his wife when they were hiking on the scenic Palipuka Trail in Oahu on March 24th, 2025. He is pleaded not guilty. Last week on the show, we talked about the disturbing testimony of Dr. Koenig's wife, Ariel, who told the jury how her husband pushed her towards the edge of a steep cliff, pulled out a syringe to try and inject her with a mysterious substance, and then hit her in the head with a rock multiple times, only stopping when two other hikers arrived at the scene. I, at some point, hear a woman's voice say, we're here, and we're calling 911. Okay, so after you hear that woman's voice, what happens? And Gerhardt just kind of froze and knelt back away from me. And I just crawled away really slowly. But it's what Gerhardt Koenig did next that the prosecutor asked the jury to pay attention to this week. He alleges that after running off into the woods, Gerhardt called Emil Koenig, his 19-year-old son from a previous marriage, to confess. He says, I'm not going to make it back. I tried to kill Ari, but she got away. Gerhardt's defense attorney says far from being a confession, the call was Gerhardt's goodbye to his son as he contemplated suicide. He was calling him to tell him he was sorry. He was calling him to tell him that he wished he was a better man. On Tuesday, the jurors got to hear from Emil himself as he took the stand against his father. Can you start off by stating your name, please? Emil Koenig. And who is Gerhardt Koenig to you? My father. Here to bring us the latest from the courtroom is Hawaii News Now anchor and reporter Mahelani Richardson. Welcome back, Mahelani. Aloha, Blaine. Aloha. So good to see you. Thank you for being here with us to break this down. Now, last week you mentioned that this case was basically a he said, she said type of situation. The only two people who really know, of course, what happened at the top of that mountain are Gerhardt and Ariel. Now, she says that he attacked her first, but Gerhardt's defense is basically saying that she hit him first. The state has since been calling a bunch of witnesses to support their version of events. But break down for us, what has the jury heard so far in this case? We heard from Ariel Koenig herself. She lifted her bangs to show the head injury that she still had. And she was missing parts of her hair on her head. The prosecution also showed pictures of her from the incident. Bloody head, blood streaming down her face. And we also heard from an emergency room doctor who said the injury went down to her skull. If you could see down and through portions of this laceration, you could actually see the skull. I observed pieces of rock and material that were actually embedded in the laceration. Oh, my gosh. That's just incredibly graphic. I mean, just some really disturbing details in all of this. Break down for us, how has the defense been handling these expert witnesses on the stand? When it comes to the doctors, the experts who have looked at the case, the defense has been very, very pointed in questioning. The defense said that the injury, it looks bad, but it's not that bad. When we heard from that emergency room doctor, the doctor said that she did not have a traumatic brain injury and no internal bleeding. And doctor, the CAT scan to the head indicated that there were no skull fractures, correct? Correct. Correct. And no hemorrhaging was found either. Yes. I mean, correct. No internal hemorrhage. Now we know that Gerhard's laptop was turned over to the police. Walk us through that. There was hours of testimony in terms of what Gerhard looked at on his computer after he believed that he had discovered that his wife had been cheating on him. And he was on the computer late night reading these forms about infidelity and divorce. The detective also said that Gerhard sent an email to a woman named Andrea Miller. And Andrea Miller is the wife of Jeff Miller, the man who Ariel was allegedly having an affair with. And he wanted to talk to her on the phone. He offered his number. At this point, we don't know if Andrea Miller ever responded to his email. So Ariel told the jury last week about this emotional affair she was having with Miller. He lived in another state and she says it never got physical. But it sounds like the prosecutor was using Gerhardt's digital footprint to show just how upset he was at the issues in their marriage, those ongoing problems. Still, the search histories, the injuries don't answer that basic question, though. Again, who hit first? That's kind of what it sounds like this whole thing is coming down to, right? So Emil took the stand on Tuesday, and I'm just curious, what was your impression of him? You've been following this case from the very start. Emil is very young. He was very somber. He was serious, only looked at the prosecutor. He didn't look around. His answers were very short, very concise, and not emotional. So one of the big things, of course, is that call he got from his dad. Let's listen to what he says about that call. What did the defendant tell you during that call? As close to word for word as you can remember. That he would not be making it back to Maui and to take good care of the younger kids. And that he had, that Ari, my stepmom, had been cheating on him. And that he tried to kill her. Did the defendant say anything about self-defense? No. Did the defendant say anything about Ariel attacking him? No. So this was a FaceTime. Emil could see his dad. What did Emil say that he noticed about his dad during that call? Emil said that he noticed that there were blood splatters on his dad's shirt. And when he asked about it, he said that Gerhard told him that it was Ariel's blood. I mean, that had to have just been shocking for him to hear. But then shortly after that first call, Gerhard actually called Emil a second time. What was that all about? This was about an hour after that first FaceTime call. When Gerhard called again on FaceTime, he told Emil that he wanted to jump off the cliff, according to Emil. He said that he was just going to jump and said that a couple of times. So after the defendant told you he was going to jump a couple of times during the second call, how did you respond? Same way as before, said not to. I don't know. You told the defendant not to jump. Right. How did the second call end with him saying with the defendant saying I going to go before the police catch me Let's talk about the defense's strategy on cross. How did the defense approach cross-examination? The defense asked if Emil wrote down what his dad said, if there was any recordings, if there was any video of what the dad said. You could see the defense was challenging his memory of what happened. You remember telling the detective initially that your dad told you he tried to kill Ariel by pushing her off a cliff. You remember telling the detective that? Yes. Okay. But later on, when a detective asked you about that, you clarified and you said the part about pushing her off the cliff was what you assumed he meant, not what he had actually said, correct? Yes, correct. And Mihailani, the defense also pressed Emil on his relationship with Ariel's side of the family versus Gerhardt's side of the family. So what exactly is the defense trying to do with this line of questioning? Well, the defense is trying to show some sort of bias by Emil. Over the last year since this incident, you have continued to live with Ariel, correct? Yes. You also would see Ariel's parents, Judy and Pete, regularly over the last year, correct? Correct. And you referred to them as your grandparents, yes? Yes. And they came with you to court today, yes? Yes. The defense is trying to show that Emil is very close to Ariel and her family. When Emil was in high school, he chose to live with Gerhard Ariel and his two half-brothers in Kahului, Maui. They had been living together for about two years before this violent incident. He works on Maui and lives with Ariel and his two half-brothers today after this incident. That's fascinating. There is a lot to watch in this case. Maheilani Richardson, we know that you will be all over it. Thank you so much for joining us. Blaine, mahalo nui. Thank you. After we taped our conversation on Wednesday, the defense called Dr. Koenig to the stand. We'll bring you details on what he had to say in next week's episode. Coming up, nearly two years after a woman was found dead in a park, prosecutors have accused her pastor husband of cyber-stalking her. Hey, guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit-Down podcast. On this week's episode, I get together with Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey to talk about his career from Dazed and Confused and his thoughts in a new book on a better direction for the country. You can get our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts. He was a young Marine. She didn't care about convention. They made a life together. Then one night, the Marine died. And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected, and utterly bizarre turn. I'm Josh Bankowitz, and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all-new podcast from Dateline. Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now, wherever you get your podcasts. For our next story, we are heading down to South Carolina, where the sudden death of a pastor's 30-year-old wife two years ago made national headlines and is back in the news. And just a warning for our listeners, this segment includes discussions of suicide, so please take care while listening. On April 27th, 2024, Micah Miller left her Myrtle Beach home, went to a pawn shop, purchased a gun, and crossed state lines to Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. From there, she called 911. Tell me what's happened. I'm about to kill myself, and I just want my family to know where to find me. Let me make sure I got the exact location where you're at, okay? Just one minute. Then Micah hung up the phone. Police were dispatched to the park where a kayaker alerted them to a body floating in the river. It was Micah. Micah's death made headlines after suspicions circulated online that her estranged husband, a well-known pastor named John Paul or J.P. Miller, abused her and may have even been responsible for her death. J.P. Miller has denied any abuse or involvement in Micah's death, and a medical examiner officially ruled it a suicide. But now, almost two years later, J.P. Miller is facing criminal charges in connection to his wife, not for anything to do with her death, but for how prosecutors say he treated her when she was still alive. Miller has pleaded not guilty to charges of cyberstalking and lying to investigators, those are the charges against him, and he's set to face trial this month. So joining us now to break it all down is reporter Eric Richards, who has been covering this case for the NBC affiliate WMBF in Myrtle Beach. Eric, thank you so much for joining us. Very nice to be with you today. So, Eric, just give us some background. Tell us about Micah and J.P. Miller. Well, I can tell you that Micah really was well-loved in her community, in her family. She was very deeply rooted in her faith. J.P. Miller, the pastor at Solid Rock Church, that was his church then, in Myrtle Beach, and that is where he actually met Micah. They were friends since like 2009. She was a teenager when they met. He was 30 years old at the time. They became a couple, though, and actually married in 2017. So what was the state of their relationship leading up to Micah's death? Can you kind of pull back the curtain for us a little bit? Well, yeah, I can tell you that they were actually estranged at the time of Micah's death. And her former attorney, Regina Ward, says that she had actually filed for legal separation twice from JP. The second time was on April 15th, less than two weeks before her death. And her sister, Sierra Francis, actually alleged that JP had been abusive towards Micah. Sierra said that Micah told her on many occasions that if she ended up with a bullet in her head, it was not by her, but actually by JP. Wow. And Sierra said this in a sworn affidavit. This is just such a chilling thing to hear. You know, Micah had actually filed a police report the month before her death saying that she feared for her life. But the medical examiner said that there was no concern for foul play, that this was consistent with suicide. All this on top of J.P. Miller, who was actually in a different state at the time that Micah died. He was down here in South Carolina, allegedly with a woman that he was romantically involved with. This is according to the Robson County Sheriff's Office. And, of course, Micah died in North Carolina, so across the border from each other. Correct. OK, well, in the months after Micah's death, the FBI did get involved in the case when local authorities asked for their assistance. But then three months ago, December of 2025, there was some big news. J.P. Miller was indicted on federal charges of cyber stalking and making false statements to investigators. It's a very interesting charge, right? We think of stalking as something that a potential victim gets from somebody they don't know. But in this case, the alleged cyber stalking is being done husband to his own wife. Exactly. You know, and when you read the indictment, it sounds more like a domestic violence incident than your typical stranger danger or stalking situation. What exactly are prosecutors alleging that J.P. did to Micah and when are they alleging it happened? Yeah, well, they're saying that this really started in November of 2022 until her death in April of 2024 with J.P. Miller allegedly engaging in various cyber stalking behaviors. They say that he sent her unwanted and harassing text messages and other electronic communications. Prosecutors also say JP had posted a nude photo of her online without her consent and also threatened to do so various other times. They say that JP had tracking devices on her car, in fact, that could surveil her with the end goal really of harassing and intimidating her. So this is really intense. That's the cyber stalking charge. Break down the false statement charge. The false statements surround events on March 11th of 2024. On that day, Micah had actually contacted the police and said that she believed that somebody had deflated her tires and that she felt that she was being followed and contacted unwillingly by J.P. Now, prosecutors say that J.P. falsely claimed that Micah called him more than he actually called her that day, when in fact it was the other way around. And they say that J.P. also told police that he did not damage Micah's tires, when in fact they said that he did using a deflating device. Wow. OK. So I'm really struck by this. There are these new charges that come about two years after Micah's death, but it doesn't sound like there are any charges actually relating to her death. This indictment does not lay the blame any blame in fact on J Miller for Micah death Well in January J Miller pleaded not guilty to both of the federal charges against him So Eric tell us what next for J Miller here J.P. is still out on bond and he has to wear an ankle monitor. After several delays last week, there was finally a date set for his final pretrial conference. That will happen actually on April 14th, with jury selection scheduled on April 21st. And if there is a conviction on these charges, what sort of sentence could these charges bring? Well, JP, you know, if convicted, faces up to five years in prison for the cyber stalking charge and up to two years for making those false statements. Okay. And before we go, we'd like to share some information with everyone who's listening. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or you can visit the website 988lifeline.org. And if you need resources on domestic violence or if you're in an unsafe situation, a good place to go is the National Domestic Violence Hotline. That number is 800-799-SAFE, 800-799-7233. Or you can text the word BEGIN, B-E-G-I-N, to 88788. Or go to thehotline.org. And of course, we'll put that number and all of that information in our episode description. Eric Richards from WMBF, thank you so much for joining us to break this down. And for all of your great reporting on this, we know that you'll continue to stay on top of it. Thank you. And yes, we will. Up next, it's time for Dateline Roundup. The alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer may not be heading to trial after all. We've got the latest. And new charges in the case of a former American Idol contestant accused of murder. Plus, after an Indiana teenager is allegedly kidnapped and abused by a man she met online, her dad wants lawmakers to do more to protect children. Hey guys, Willie Geist here. We're celebrating 10 years of Sunday today by hosting a very special Sunday sit-down live event. And our guest is one of the biggest stars on the planet, Ryan Reynolds. We're taking our conversation to the stage in front of an audience of you for one night only at City Winery in New York on April 7th, an intimate in-person evening I promise you won't want to miss. Tickets are limited, so grab yours now at today.com. Welcome back. Joining me for this week's Roundup is Dateline producer Rachel White. Hi, Rachel. Hi, Blaine. Well, first we're off to Long Island, New York, where there is a stunning development in the case against Rex Heuerman, the man accused of murdering seven women and dumping their bodies in or near Gilgo Beach, dating back to 1993. Rachel, this trial is certainly one of the most highly anticipated trials of the year. Tell us the latest on this case. So Hureman's trial was scheduled for September 2026. And, you know, he was arrested in 2023, had maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty. But according to two sources close to the case who spoke with WNBC's Greg Sergal, he's now expected to plead guilty. Oh, wow. That is a very big change. Do we know exactly when he's expected to change this plea? Court records show that he's expected back in court on April 8th. So that's when we think he could change his plea. So, of course, now the big question is, why might he be changing his plea? Why now? I mean, that is the big question. Hureman and his attorneys have yet to release a statement. You know, we've watched the state build a sprawling case against Hureman with DNA evidence, cell phone and digital evidence. We've also seen the defense challenge the state's evidence planning to present their case and ultimately lost those arguments. So did that impact Hureman's decision to change his plea? We don't know. But either way, this is a huge development and certainly changes the trajectory of this decades-long saga. Absolutely. And calling it a saga is very accurate. We will certainly be watching this on April 8th. So there's more to come there. Next, we've got a verdict out of the state of Mississippi in the murder trial of Jeff Spence. That's the man accused of murdering his daughter's boyfriend, entrepreneur and precious metals dealer Kirby Carpenter. This happened back in 2022. Rachel, this is a case I know that you've been following very closely. Just give us a quick reminder about this one. Sure. So back in 2022, Kirby Carpenter was found shot dead outside his home. A year went by without any arrests. But then on the anniversary of Kirby's death, there was news of not one but three arrests. Kirby's girlfriend, Caitlin Spence, and her parents, Jeff and Karen Spence, were all arrested. Just break down, what was the investigator's theory of this crime? So they alleged that the family conspired to kill Kirby, but that Jeff Spence was the one who fired the fatal shots. And as for why, prosecutors believed it was all about money and greed for Jeff Spence. Kirby was in the precious metals trade. He often carried gold, silver and lots of cash on him. And their theory was that Jeff Spence wanted to take that from him. So, Rachel, as we talked about last week, Kirby's girlfriend and her family members initially pleaded not guilty to these charges. But before their trial got underway, Caitlin, his girlfriend, and her mother, Karen, changed their pleas. Just walk us through what we know about all of that. Karen Spence took an Alford plea to being an accessory to grand larceny. She got 10-year suspended sentence and is out on probation. Caitlin pleaded guilty to be an accessory after the fact to capital murder and agreed to testify against her dad at his trial, with her sentencing set for after his trial took place. Okay, Rachel, so her dad, Jeffrey Spence, did go to trial back in 2025. During that trial, the jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared. So last week, his second trial began. And as we mentioned, the star witness in this first trial was his daughter Caitlin. Lynn, did we hear her testify again in the second trial as well? We did. And just like during his first trial, she told jurors about a conversation that she had with her father where he basically confessed to killing Kirby. Okay, let's listen to a little bit of that. And then later, by a waterfall, your dad apparently implies that he killed Kirby, right? Yes. You entered a plea of guilty to accessory after the fact. Yes. And what was the basis for your pleading to that? For the knowledge that I had after my conversation with my father. Based on that information, did you consider that information to be your dad admitting to you to killing Kirby Carpenter? Yes. Well, last Friday, this case made its way into the hands of a jury. Rachel, you were right there. You were at the courthouse, and the jury came back pretty quickly. Yes. So they got the case around lunchtime and they were back with a verdict about two hours later. Oh, wow. That's very quick. Let's take a listen. After this verdict was delivered, the judge went directly to sentencing Jeff Spence and he received a mandatory life sentence. OK. And Rachel, what about Caitlin? What happened with her sentencing? On Monday, Caitlin Spence was sentenced to 20 years suspended. So she won't be serving any more time behind bars. She'll just be under supervised probation for the next five years. Was this an unexpected sentence for her? It was not. So the prosecutors recommended that the judge stick to the terms of their agreement, saying Caitlin did testify and it did lead to a conviction. So that's what the judge did. And finally, we are off to Ohio, where a former American Idol contestant is back in court this week. Back in February, Caleb Flynn was arrested after his wife, Ashley, was found shot dead in the couple's home. Rachel, just give us a quick reminder about this case. Sure. So Caleb Flynn was a contestant on season 12 of American Idol, which aired back in 2013. In his interview for the show, he talked about how much he loved his wife. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. Just, oof, I love her. Caleb Flynn made headlines in February 2026 when he was charged with his wife's murder. And according to authorities, on the night of February 16th, Caleb called 911 to report an intruder saying that someone broke into his house and shot his wife in the head. But after processing the scene, investigators concluded that Caleb had staged the scene and was responsible for killing his wife. Oh, Rachel, since we last talked about this case, he was hit with several more charges, right? Yeah so originally he was arrested and charged with Ashley murder felony assault and tampering with evidence He pleaded not guilty But then following a grand jury indictment on March 18th he was hit with a waterfall of new charges including aggravated murder and intimidation of an attorney victim or witness As for who Flynn is accused of intimidating the indictment doesn say but it did say that this happened between February 16th through February 18th, so the days surrounding his wife's death. Now he faces a total of 11 charges, and he has yet to enter a plea for the new charges. Okay, and this week he had a pretrial hearing, right? So what happened there? Well, we learned that his court date has been set. So it's April 28th. That trial is expected to last two weeks. OK, and I know that we will continue to follow that one as well. Rachel, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. For our final story, I wanted to talk to a dad who's heading to the Indiana State House this week to lobby for new legislation that he believes could help protect children. He's speaking out after suffering a truly unthinkable loss, the alleged kidnapping and death of his own daughter. This dad's name is Bo Busby. On January 5th, 2026, Bo said goodnight to his 17-year-old daughter Haley. And the next morning when he woke up, she had vanished. Police say a missing 17-year-old is now considered to be an endangered missing juvenile. Within days, investigators figured out Haley had been communicating for more than a year with a man that she'd met through an online gaming platform. That man's name, investigators say, is 39-year-old Tyler Thomas. Authorities say Thomas picked Haley up from her Indiana home on the night she disappeared and took her to Ohio. Nearly four weeks later, Thomas led investigators to her remains. Tyler Thomas has been federally charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and with traveling across state lines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He has not been charged with Haley's death. His attorney told NBC affiliate WTHR that he plans to fight those charges. Since Haley's death, her father, Beau, has set out to change the law in Indiana to close what he sees as gaps in the current alert system for missing teens and to set up safeguards to protect kids from people they meet online. Beau joins us now to talk more about it. Beau, first, thank you so much for joining us today. I don't have enough words to say how sorry I am for your loss. And I really, really appreciate you speaking with us today. Thank you. Before we dive into our conversation, Beau, I just want you to tell me about Haley. I want to know more about your little girl. Tell me about her. Sure. Haley was a very kind and loving, smart girl. Such a special child with one of the sweetest spirits. Such a special girl to so many. I could only imagine. Bo, I mean, I think that what you're about to describe is something that lives in the fear of every parent. So if you could just walk me through what happened, how did you realize she was missing and what happened after that? Sure. You know, it was a good day on that Monday night. Followed a lot of our normal family, I'll say, daily routines, traditions. We usually end the night with her tucking in her little sister before bed. And then before we go to bed, stop by her room, tell her good night one more time. Um, nothing really stood out. The next morning, we realized that she wasn't home. We knew something was very wrong. We immediately reached out to law enforcement and then started working hard and diligently to find her and bring her home. So, Beau, you reported Haley missing right away, but initially the police classified her as a runaway because she had left a note telling you not to come looking for her. So what that meant then is that an alert didn't go out right away, notifying the public that she was missing. And police then waited a day before issuing a press release. I know that you've said that you believe this cost you valuable time. In Indiana, and I think this applies across most states, we have the amber alerts, we have the silver alerts, but they're so outdated and they don't reflect today's reality or risks because she wasn't physically abducted, you know, because that's sort of the laws that we're still working under, you know, physically taken. You know, you get the runaway category assigned and predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you. Well, you're now pushing for what's being called Haley's Law in the state of Indiana, and it includes what's called a pink alert. Explain that to me. What is that and how would that work? So it's looking at risk. What are these things that we see in today's world where we know these are high risk situations and applying those to our response? It's not just looking at, well, this kid decided to leave the house. It's, well, what else are we seeing? We know how these predators, these experts online, you know, their tactics. And so let's look for those. And if we start to see some of those, maybe you'll get some type of public notification within 24, 48 hours. It needs to be more timely. I know that a big part of Haley's Law, and I think this is so important, is helping prevent situations like this before they happen. Let's talk about the education piece. You know, in Indiana, we have our education requirements. We have cyberbullying. We have trafficking. But we don't talk about predators or we don't talk about groomers. That's nowhere in the law. Grooming is so often that first contact point, that first interaction. It makes sense that we start there and teach our kids what to look for and how to respond and our parents as well. So that's what we're trying to do there with the required education. Well, Boma, I just want to end with this. Is there anything that you want to say to parents who are listening about warning signs, red flags that you wish you'd watched for or something that you would like parents to know today? We have to become stronger advocates for our children and their safety because there are so many gaps. You know, Haley wasn't like the stereotypical gamer. I mean, she wasn't in her room all day with her doors closed, you know, just gaming. Our kids are just too accessible and the companies and the platforms that, you know, want to be in our homes. I don't feel like they're doing their part of it to ensure that they're being responsible and looking out for the safety and well-being of those users that are using their platforms. Absolutely. Bo, thank you. Thank you. That's it for this episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly. To get ad-free listening for all of our podcasts, just subscribe to Dateline Premium. And we've got some very exciting news. Dateline's Missing in America podcast has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Crime and Justice Podcast category. So we can't win without you. Please go online and vote for Dateline. We've included the voting link in our episode description. And coming up this Friday, I have a brand new episode that I've been working on for the past few months. It is truly an unbelievable story that's been on Dateline's radar and mine from the very beginning. It's about a murder plot involving an affair, a fetish website, and a live-in au pair. And we have exclusive footage from her very first police interrogation. He was going to do something and I shot him also. I did. You can watch Temptation this Friday at 9, 8 central on NBC, or you can stream it starting Saturday on Peacock. I hope you'll join us. Thanks as always for listening. Dateline True Crime Weekly is produced by Carson Cummins, Caroline Casey, and Keanu Reed. Our associate producers are Ellery Gladstone-Groth and Aria Young. Our senior producer is Liz Brown-Kurloff. Production and fact-checking help by Audrey Abrahams. Veronica Mazzaca is our digital producer. Rick Kwan is our sound designer. Original music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan is executive producer. And Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline. Thanks, everybody. I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. I've always been a glass half full kind of guy. And now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way too. Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come away with your own glass half full. Search Glass Half Full with Craig Nolten from today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.