Burden of Proof

24/01/2025

With the heaviest yet most grateful hearts we must announce the discontinuation of Burden of Proof. The past two years have been a phenomenal journey and we are so appreciative of all who have followed us as we covered cases we felt were important for the world to hear. Unfortunately, our lives today look different than they did when we began and we would rather go out on top than have the quality of our production decline. While we aren’t sure exactly what the next chapter holds for each of us, it certainly isn’t the end! You can follow Savannah’s lifestyle vlogs on Instagram and YouTube , or get book recommendations from her on Instagram . To keep up with where the next chapter takes Elysia, you can find her on Instagram .

We wish all of you the very best and recommend the following Indie podcasts to fill your true crime needs:

About Time for True Crime
Buried Motives
Sleepless
The Dark Corners Podcast

26/12/2024

Case 115: The Covina Christmas Massacre

On Christmas Eve 2008, the Ortega family held their annual holiday party with all their family and friends. As the party was winding down, Santa paid a visit as he had many years before. Unfortunately, it wasn't the Santa they all knew and loved. Instead of a bag full of goodies, he brought a nightmare that was unleashed on the entire family.

Join us for this disturbing holiday tale as Elysia walks through the many twists and turns of the investigation and Savannah shames Santa.

Photo 1: Joseph and Alice Ortega with their children; James, Charles, Leticia, Alicia and Sylvia
Photo 2: The Ortega family including in laws and grandchildren
Photo 3: Sylvia Ortega Ortiz Pardo and Bruce Pardo with unknown woman
Photo 4: The Ortega family home after the fire
Photo 5: The blue Dodge Caliber after detectives set off boobytrap
Photo 6: Katrina, survivor and advocate against gun violence

19/12/2024

Case 114: The Wasp Woman Murder of Susan Cabot

Susan Cabot, a rising Hollywood star in the 1950's, was known for her roles in cult classic films like The Wasp Woman. Unfortunately, her life off screen was marked by tragedy, failed romantic relationships and eventually mental health struggles. This in turn created the unhealthiest of dynamics between she and her only son, Timothy.

In this episode, Savannah unravels the bizarre and heartbreaking events that led to her untimely death in 1986. Meanwhile, Elysia attempts to crawl straight out of her skin and out of the studio.

Photo 1: Susan in the early Hollywood years
Photo 2: Susan as The Wasp Woman
Photo 3: King Hussein of Jordan
Photo 4: Timothy Scott Roman as a child
Photo 5: Timothy at trial

12/12/2024

Case 113: The Murder of Yolanda Holmes

Yolanda Holmes was a beloved pillar of her community in Chicago, Illinois where she owned a small business and raised her son, Qawmane Wilson. After a night of rekindling a romance with her former boyfriend, Yolanda was killed while lying in bed next to him. According to him, there was an intruder that shot her before he could react but the two men fought until the gunman got away. The problem with his story was there was no forced entry into the high rise apartment.

Detectives spent over a year following leads on more than 80 pieces of evidence only to find that the person responsible was in front of them the entire time. Tune in as Elysia shares the investigation ups and downs and Savannah suffers from whiplash.

Photo 1: Yolanda Holmes
Photo 2: Yolanda with Qawmane Wilson
Photo 3: Qawmane's mugshot
Photo 4: Eugene "Boo" Spencer's mugshot
Photo 5: Loriana Johnson's mugshot

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05/12/2024

Case 112: The Disappearance of Danielle Locklear

When Danielle Locklear left home on March 11, 2014 saying she was running to a friend's house down the street, her family had no idea their lives were about to change forever. After she failed to return, police were slow to act until her family tracked down the first clues that indicated she did not run away. Several potential suspects were ruled out including Danielle's on again/off again boyfriend, Je'Michael Malloy. However, his alibi turned out to be a clever scheme.

Tune in as Savannah walks us through the investigation and elimination of suspects while Elysia becomes enraged at the motive for this tragic crime.

Photo 1: Danielle Locklear
Photo 2: Danielle and Je'Michael Malloy while dating
Photo 3: Je'Michael during trial
Photo 4: Dominic Lock mugshot

28/11/2024

Case 111: The Robertson Family, A Very Ungrateful Thanksgiving

When Earl and Terry Robertson were found slaughtered in their home just days before Thanksgiving, detectives were stunned at how such horrific murders could take place in their small town of Rock Hill, South Carolina. It did not take them long to determine the Robertson family were not as picture perfect as they seemed, especially Earl and Terry's eldest son, Jimmy Robertson.

Tune in as Elysia breaks down how the events unfolded, who was involved and why a family that seemed to have it all fell apart. Meanwhile, Savannah tries to make it make sense.

Photo 1: Terry Robertson in her younger years
Photo 2: Earl Robertson in his younger years
Photo 3: The Robertson Family: Earl, Terry, Jimmy and Chip
Photo 4: Jimmy Robertson at trial while his sentence was being read
Photo 5: Meredith Moon at her court hearing
Photo 6: Jimmy Robertson's most recent inmate photo

21/11/2024

Case 110: The Pizza Thrill Kills, A Deadly Slice of Chaos

In this bizarre and horrifying case, what began as a couple of outcast teenagers breaking the rules escalated into breaking the law and eventually committing the ultimate sin. On a seemingly ordinary night Tony's Pizza and Pasta took one last delivery order. Due to the late hour, owner Giorgio Gallara refused to let his teen driver, Jeremy Giordano go it alone. Unfortunately for them both, this delivery turned into a nightmare of mayhem and cold-blooded murder.

Tune in as Savannah shares the unsettling motives and the shocking aftermath. Finally, Elysia asks the question she believes is on everyone's mind but is extremely disappointed with the answer!

Photo 1: Jeremiah "Jeremy" Giordano
Photo 2: Giorgio Gallara
Photo 3: Thomas Koskovich during trial
Photo 4: Jason Vreeland during trial
Photo 5: Thomas Koskovich today
Photo 6: Jason Vreeland today

14/11/2024

Case 109: The Michael Reese Murder, A Sinister Betrayal

When Michael Reese was found murdered in his Alabama home, it initially appeared as a burglary gone wrong. However, as investigators dug deeper into this very average joe's life, they uncovered a chilling conspiracy involving his wife, Cindy Reese, and their former Pastor, Jeff Brown.

Tune in as Elysia unravels the details of this case, examining the motives, the evidence, and the web of lies that ultimately led to Cindy's conviction. Meanwhile, Savannah gets swept away in the small town Baptist Church gossip.

Photo 1: Michael and Cindy Reese
Photo 2: Cindy Henderson-Reese's mugshot
Photo 3: Jeff Brown mugshot

13/11/2024

Know a fan of the show but aren't sure what to get them this holiday season? Check this out!!

Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

08/11/2024

ICYMI... Check out our coverage of the Lady in the Barrel on Buried Motives!

The Lady in the Barrel: Howard Burton Elkins (With guests, Elysia and Savannah, from Burden of Proof)
*links to episode in the comments*

07/11/2024

Case 108: Patricia Rorrer, Femme Fatale or Faultlessly Framed? Presented by Buried Motives

Join us for this very special episode where Christie and Melissa from Buried Motives presents their coverage of the Patricia Rorrer case!

When Joann Katrinak and her 4 month old baby, Alex, went missing all detectives eyes were on her husband, Andy. That is until their bodies were found and evidence suggested that Andy's claims about his ex-girlfriend, Patty, started making sense. Was Patty spurred on by a jealous rage over the life she had wanted with Andy or did they conspire to set her up?

Tune in as Melissa presents the evidence and Christie, Savannah, and Elysia share their thoughts on whether Patty is a dirtbag or not.

Photo 1: Joann Katrinak and baby Alex
Photo 2: Andrew and Joann Katrinak
Photo 3: Patricia "Patty" Rorrer when she was blonde
Photo 4: Patty during trial
Photo 5: Patty during sentencing

31/10/2024

Case 107: Carly Gregg, The Deadly Daughter

In the suburb of Brandon, Mississippi, Ashley and Heath Smylie were, by all accounts, doing their best to raise their family in a loving and healthy home. This included Carly Gregg, Ashley's daughter from a previous marriage. From the outside everything appeared pretty normal.

Unfortunately, Carly's thoughts were anything but typical. Basically leading a double life, even her friends grew concerned. When one of them informed Ashley of the trouble, conflict arose and Carly made a deadly decision.

Tune in as Savannah breaks down the facts for us and shows off her impeccable geography skills. Meanwhile, Elysia is absolutely heartbroken over this entirely preventable case.

Photo 1: Ashley Smylie
Photo 2: Ashley and Heath Smylie with Carly
Photo 3: Kevin Gregg with Carly when she was young
Photo 4: Carly Gregg at trial
Photo 5: Carly Gregg prison photo

24/10/2024

Case 106: Buried Secrets, The Bonnie Haim Murder

23-year-old Bonnie Haim, a young mother from Jacksonville, Florida, mysteriously disappeared in January of 1993. Initially a missing person's case, detectives' suspicion of foul play arose quickly with Michael Haim, Bonnie's Husband, at the center of the investigation. Bonnie had been preparing to leave her marriage and making plans to start a new life with their young son, Aaron.

The case went cold for over two decades, until a shocking discovery in 2014. This episode dives into the years of mystery, the unraveling of the case, and the emotional toll on Aaron, who had always believed his father was guilty.

Tune in as Elysia reveals how justice was finally served and sends shivers down Savannah's spine with the words of a child.

Photo 1: Bonnie Haim
Photo 2: Bonnie with young Aaron
Photo 3: Michael Haim with Aaron during news interview
Photo 4: Michael's mug shot
Photo 5: Aaron Fraser testifying at Michael's trial

18/10/2024

We are so proud of our friends Gage and Rae at Gore Report: A True Crime Podcast!!! Their new merch at the Carrington Candle Company is Amazing and we can’t wait to use it in the studio!! You can find their exclusive collection here: https://www.carringtoncandlecompany.com/gore-report-exclusives

17/10/2024

Hey guys! Unfortunately we will not be having an episode this week. Our studio just got power restored, and Elysia has not had internet to edit our episodes. We typically record in advance, but due to the back to back storms, we aren’t ready to come back.

The linemen have been kicking butt in our area to get us back to normal with record power outages, and we are so grateful for their help! We miss you guys, but we will 100% be back next week! Thank you to everyone who has been checking on us, so more personal updates below:

Elysia has minimal damage but was without power for nearly a week, and internet restoration about 24 hours after power. Getting the kids back on track, the house unprepped, the studio unpacked, etc, is a full time job and she is doing an amazing job!

I (Savannah, but I’m not going to type in the third person, my mom taught me better than that) had minimal damage, spent several days with friends and family cleaning debris, and had power restored on Monday, with internet and cell service restored 24 hours after. My office building has major damage, which is the picture, but we are actually back in the building while it awaits repairs. Catching up all our cases after two back to back storms is jntense and very busy, but I’m almost caught up and back to normal. My fiance works in the ER, and has been worked ragged the last few weeks, but we are slowly getting our home unprepped and back to normal. And the dogs couldn’t care less, they are happy we are home and that they have their yard back 😂

10/10/2024

Day After Milton: We are all safe! We've made it through with minimal damage. Fencing down and lots of debris to clean up, but our homes seem good. Communications this week may be limited as power is out and cell service is spotty. We thank you all for the supportive messages and comments! Your kindness means the world to us in these stressful times.

10/10/2024

Update for us! We were able to walk Cooper in the Eye of the storm, and the winds have definitely been much worse since. Scary!!

Since I’m evacuated to my parents, I don’t know the state of our home, but my parents lost power about 7/7:30, and have lost a large oak tree (which luckily, did not break any windows)

Our cell service is shotty but we have 5G occasionally. Will update in the AM

08/10/2024

Quick update from us: Hurricane prep has taken over as Milton comes directly for us. Unfortunately, we will not have an episode on Thursday. There’s just not enough time in the day!

We hope everyone is staying safe, and we will talk soon 💞