Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Did Jeffrey Epstein leave a suicide note? His brother, Mark, says no. He doesn't believe the one page letter unsealed by a District Judge Kenneth Karas was written by Jeffrey. Theres only five sentences printed on a sheet of lined paper.
It's been seven years since the accused sex trafficking suspect was found hanging in his cell. A former cellmate says he found it in a book in their shared cell. Nicholas Tartaglione has said he discovered the note during the approximate two week time period they shared a cell in July 2019. During that time, Epstein reportedly tried to hang himself. He initially claimed that Tartaglione had assaulted him. Epstein later told staff that he had no memory of the incident.
Epstein died by suicide less than a month later.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Mark Epstein - Brother of Jeffrey Epstein
Bart Baggett - Forensic handwriting expert. He is the founder of the Handwriting Experts Inc. Host of “The Bart Show “ Podcast, website: http://www.bartbaggett.com
Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Host of a new podcast: "On The Couch with Dr. Bethany Marshall" Author: "Deal Breaker,” featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock, www.drbethanymarshall.com , Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
Lynn Shaw - Founder and Executive Director of Lynn's Warriors,  Host of Lynn's Warriors on YouTube, website: lynnswarrior.org,  X: @lynns_warriors, YouTube: @LynnsWarriors
Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan", Instagram @JoScottForensic
Dave Mac - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
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Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing and presumed abducted for 100 days. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos facing heavy backlash for the handling of the case, and may be officially ousted from office.
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It's been four years since father of three, Eric Richins, died from a fentanyl overdose. We now know his ingestion of the drug was planned by his wife Kori. Afterwards, she wrote a children’s book about grief, with her children, to help them cope. Kouri Richins' book isn't the only thing she's written.
There's a six-page handwritten letter, "the walk the dog letter." Prosecutors say that in the letter, Richins is instructing he family how to lie about what happened the night her husband died.
It's called the "walk the dog letter," since that phrase is written in big letters on the top. In it, Richins makes the claim that her husband Eric was addicted to drugs, that he would make frequent trips to Mexico to get pills, and that his death was an accidental overdose. The letter was written to Richins' mother, and it reportedly tells her to instruct Richins' brother to make the connection to Mexico and drugs
The jury deliberated just under three hours before convicting Richins of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud.
What happened to the Richins children?
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
Donna Kelly– Former Utah Senior Deputy District Attorney and Attorney for Crime Victims Legal Clinic; Helped form the Utah County Sex Crimes Task Force
Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst (Beverly Hills, CA); Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall; Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
Justin Boardman – Retired Detective, West Valley City Police Department Special Victim’s Unit, Boardman Training & Consulting
Dr. William Morrone – Toxicologist, Chief Medical Examiner, Bay County Michigan; Author: “American Narcan: Naloxone & Heroin-Fentanyl Associated Mortality”
Elaine Aradillas - Senior Crime Reporter at the Messenger; Twitter: @elaineja, Instagram: @the_elaineja
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In this week’s episode of "Zone 7," retired NYPD detective Mike Alcazar joins Sheryl McCollum to talk about what hostage negotiation looks like when a scene is tense, the stakes are high, and one wrong move can change everything.
Drawing on decades in law enforcement, Mike discusses the Nancy Guthrie case, explains how negotiators read people in real time, and highlights the importance of patience, trust, and teamwork.
He also shares stories from the field and looks back on the path that took him from undercover work to hostage negotiation and, later, to the recovery efforts after 9/11.
Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl McCollum welcomes retired NYPD detective Mike Alcazar to Zone 7
(1:00) Mike’s first reaction to the Nancy Guthrie case and why it struck him as unusual from the beginning
(4:15) Information negotiators look for first: behavior, history, and possible mental-state concerns
(9:00) The challenge of deciding when family can help and when they may make a crisis worse
(13:30) Tension between negotiation and tactical response, and how one decision can undo hours of progress
(19:30) How Mike became a negotiator and what the training process was like
(23:00) A Brooklyn barricade, drone technology, and the friend who helped bring the situation to a peaceful end
(29:45) Why voice, personality, and appearance can shape who a subject chooses to trust
(31:15) How a sandwich from the bodega helped resolve a case
(32:45) Mike looks back on becoming a detective and how 9/11 changed the course of his career
(35:15) Ground Zero, recovery efforts, and the emotional toll officers carried after 9/11

Guest Bio
Mike Alcazar is a retired NYPD detective with more than 30 years of service in law enforcement. During his time with the department, he worked undercover in vice, served as a hostage negotiator, and handled organized crime investigations.
Mike took part in recovery efforts following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and now serves as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
About the Host
Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide.
With more than 4 decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases include, in part, The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, and Tupac Shakur. Her work on the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.
Social Links:
Email: [email protected]
X: @zone7squad
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
Preorder Sheryl’s upcoming book, "Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life, Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist," releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster.
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