Content warning: this episode contains detailed discussions of domestic violence, strangulation, gun violence, and intimate partner homicide.

In this week's episode of Cocoa Crimes, we tell the story of Mariah Samuels: a vibrant mother, athlete, and adventurer from Minneapolis, Minnesota who was known for lighting up every room she walked into. Mariah was a devoted mother of two sons who was her absolute world, but behind the warmth and life she poured into everything around her, she was navigating a dangerous situation that would force her to repeatedly reach out to law enforcement and the courts for protection. This episode is a deeply important conversation about intimate partner violence, institutional failure, and what happens when a woman does absolutely everything right and the systems designed to protect her still fall short.

This episode explores the murder of Samuel Johnson Jr., a kind and hardworking father from San Antonio, Texas, told through the lens of family dynamics, manipulation, and greed.

This week on Cocoa Crimes, we discuss the heartbreaking story of Iyana Sawyer, a 16-year-old girl with big dreams, a close-knit family, and secrets that would eventually unravel into one of the most disturbing cases to come out of Jacksonville.

This episode discusses grooming, manipulation, family betrayal, and the warning signs people sometimes miss until it’s too late.

What happens when social media obsession goes too far? In this episode, we're talking about the tragic story of 23-year-old Kayla Hodgson, a sweet, soft-spoken young woman from South Florida who was just living her life, minding her business, and loving the people around her. But while Kayla was navigating her 20s, someone else was watching. This is a story about jealousy, obsession, and what happens when someone decides that access equals ownership. Buckle up...this one is heavy.

Content warning: This episode contains references to gun violence, homicide, grief, loss of a parent, parental substance abuse and abandonment, mental health, physical assault, and incarceration.

This week, we’re switching things up to look at the heavy weights carried on both sides of a shared tragedy. On one side, a 19-year-old student striving to break family cycles; on the other, a young mother crushed by the burdens of caregiving and survival.

It’s a story of how two beautiful lives were pushed until the vessel of resilience finally cracked. It didn't have to end this way.

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What starts as a trip to the corner store ends in tragedy. In this episode of Cocoa Crimes, we tell the story of Markeis McGlockton — a devoted father, artist, and partner from Clearwater, Florida — whose life was cut short on July 19th, 2018, when a self-appointed parking lot enforcer named shot and killed him outside a local Circle A food store in front of his five-year-old son.

The episode explores how carefully managed “secret lives” can run side by side until they collide in ways no one expects, setting a tense backdrop for the story of Latrese Curtis. When one night goes wrong, small decisions and hidden connections take on ominous weight. The story follows how those threads tighten, urging listeners to consider how control can masquerade as care until it’s too late.

This episode explores the tragic story of Merlene McDonald, her murder in Jamaica, and the subsequent revelations that connected her case to a series of family tragedies involving violence, control, and legacy. It delves into the impact of generational patterns, the importance of justice, and the lessons learned about love, entitlement, and accountability.