If you enjoy listening to this show please rate, subscribe and review on your favorite podcatcher. True Consequences is fully listener supported; to support this show go to patreon.com/trueconsequences To keep up with all my updates, you can follow me on FB and IG at trueconsequencespod and on twitter @trueconspod.

I’ve never been that interested in what I would consider history. When I think of history I think of long boring books about the past. I know some people love it and I’m not mad about that. I just never felt it was accessible to me in a way that made sense. Until I had an amazing teacher in high school that made history interesting. He made me want to learn about all these crazy things that happened. The way he explained it made sense to me. It wasn’t far off and inaccessible. This is the value of a great teacher I guess. Speaking if you haven’t thanked a teacher for what they do, you should. Oh and thank all the first responders and healthcare workers while you’re at it. 

When Lydia suggested we cover spies in New Mexico I was intrigued. I started my own research into this case as Lydia worked on hers. We dug deep and learned about a piece of New Mexican history that is fascinating and bizarre. All you history buffs may scoff at this but my understanding of Soviet Espionage in New Mexico was non-existent. I am grateful to Lydia for recommending this as an episode because I learned a lot. And maybe I might be willing to admit to myself that I like history after all. Maybe.

Today’s case deals with the plot to steal nuclear secrets from the US by the Soviet Union. And because this show is what it is, it will address these issues as they pertain to the beautiful state of New Mexico. 

I am Eric Carter-Landin and this is True Consequences. 

Sources:

Held, E. B. (2011). A spy's guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press

https://www.thedailybeast.com/could-secret-cables-have-saved-ethel-rosenberg-from-the-electric-chair

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/rosenb/ROS_ACCT.HTM

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/rosenb/ROS_TRIA.HTM

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/figure-in-rosenberg-case-finally-admits-he-was-a-spy/

https://youtu.be/Ptvwzd-q7c0

https://youtu.be/lO2mvxwXMGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvrOyVtGCw8

If you enjoy listening to this show please rate, subscribe and review on your favorite podcatcher. True Consequences is fully listener supported; to support this show go to patreon.com/trueconsequences To keep up with all my updates, you can follow me on FB and IG at trueconsequencespod and on twitter @trueconspod.

The following episode discusses themes which may be difficult for some listeners. It deals with issues of kidnapping and alleged murder listener discretion is advised. 

Imagine it’s a normal fall afternoon. You and your family are going about your normal daily business. Your child sets out to do something they do everyday and you think nothing of it. After all, they do this all the time. Imagine your child disappears seemingly out of thin air. That panic. The moment of realizing that you may never see them again. The sinking stomach and intense fear. This is what Patty Doel, of Belen, NM experienced in 1988 when her daughter Tara Calico ventured out on her daily bike ride. The afternoon of September 20th would be the last time that Tara Calico was seen by her family and friends. 

This case gripped the nation and news of this disappearance spread quickly. There seemed to be little in the way of clues to help uncover what happened to Tara. Until a mysterious photo was discovered nearly 2,000 miles away, in Florida. This made her disappearance even more bizzare and the photo only raised more questions. It’s now been 32 years since Tara vanished and the case is still considered unsolved. There are lots of rumors and theories about what happened to Tara and honestly it can all be so confusing to sift through. 

Today I am joined by my friend Alex. You may remember him from the West Mesa Bone collector episode. Alex and I discuss this case as best we can in one episode. If you want to know more about Tara’s case there is a very thorough investigation conducted by the host of Vanished The Tara Calico Investigation podcast. Host Melinda, was able to interview key witnesses in the case as well as access the entire case file, or at least what was left of it. How can we ever hope for this case to be solved when records and evidence seem to vanish just like Tara. This is one of the most baffling cases in New Mexico and the United States. It is certainly one of the most baffling cases I have ever reviewed. 

I am Eric Carter-Landin and this is True Consequences. 

Sources:

http://charleyproject.org/case/tara-leigh-calico

https://www.taracalico.com/new-blog

https://truecrimediva.com/tara-calico/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/tara-calico

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Tara_Calico

http://culturecrossfire.com/etc/unsolved-mysteries-tara-calico-and-joan-gay-croft/

https://people.com/crime/tara-calico-polaroid-photo-true-story/

https://lauthinvestigations.com/2018/07/05/disappearance-tara-calico/

https://thoughtcatalog.com/jordan-windnagle/2020/03/heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-unsolved-case-of-tara-calico/

If you enjoy listening to this show please rate, subscribe and review on your favorite podcatcher. True Consequences is fully listener supported; to support this show go to patreon.com/trueconsequences To keep up with all my updates, you can follow me on FB and IG at trueconsequencespod and on twitter @trueconspod.

The following episode discusses themes which may be difficult for some listeners. It deals with issues of, religious abuse, child abuse, neglect, and child sexual abuse. Listener Discretion is advised. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault please call the national sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673

To report child abuse or suspected child abuse please call 1-855-333-SAFE [7233] or #SAFE from a mobile device. 

Since I can remember I have always been interested in weird things. I liked books about unexplained phenomena. One of the topics that interested me was the topic of cults. Growing up in the 80s and 90s cults were all over the media. I remember hearing about Jim Jones, The Rajnesshees, and yes the Branch Davidians. I watched the raid on the Branch Davidian compound in horror and awe from the safety of my living room. What drives people to follow these charismatic leaders? Why do they follow them through some pretty insane ideas including mass suicide and abuse? What makes people susceptible to this type of control? This episode will not answer those questions, unfortunately. But it will look at the role of certain cults in the beautiful state of New Mexico. 

Some of the things I love most about New Mexico make this state ripe for this type of activity. New Mexico is the fifth largest state in terms of square miles with a total area of 121,590 square miles. New Mexico is also one of the lowest populated states in the US. With a population of about 2.1 million people, most of them reside in the Albuquerque metro area. The rest of the state is sparsely populated. This leaves lots of open land where a sinister cult could set up their operation. The two cases covered in today’s show are just an example of two cults that either have operated or are still operating in New Mexico. This is not meant to be an exhaustive look at all cults in our state because that would be a very long episode. Today I am joined again by my friend, Lydia and we will be discussing two New Mexico based cults. 

I am Eric Carter-Landin and this is True Consequences. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Our_Righteousness_Church

https://documentaryheaven.com/end-of-world-cult/

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/arts/television/07cult.html

https://culteducation.com/group/1168-strong-city.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramilitary-sect-deborah-green-aggressive-christianity-missions-new-mexico-sentence/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramilitary-sect-members-indicted-in-child-abuse-case/

Sacramento Bee

Albuquerque Journal

https://durangoherald.com/articles/316401

New York Post

Promo: Lady Justice True Crime

If you enjoy listening to this show please rate, subscribe and review on your favorite podcatcher. True Consequences is fully listener supported; to support this show go to patreon.com/trueconsequences To keep up with all my updates, you can follow me on FB and IG at trueconsequencespod and on twitter @trueconspod.

The following episode discusses themes which may be difficult for some listeners. It deals with issues of domestic violence, rape, child abuse, neglect, and child murder. Listener Discretion is advised. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence please call the national Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

To report child abuse or suspected child abuse please call 1-855-333-SAFE [7233] or #SAFE from a mobile device. 

Winning and losing. These two ideas pervade much of our society. These concepts are important in sports, in gambling, and even in business. But these ideas also drive the actions and behaviors of our legal system and its people. I used to imagine that our legal system was infallible and just. You see,  I have struggled working through Jacob’s case and reconciling my naivete and belief in the system. Seeing cases come through the state like Victoria Martens, Baby Brianna, Omaree Varela and countless others really started to erode what little hope I had of seeing Jacob’s killer brought to justice. Watching these victims and their families struggle with the justice system was infuriating, to say the least. But back to my original point, it seems that it is a common practice for prosecutors to assess whether a case is winnable or not in their mind. And based on their gut feeling, they have the prerogative to choose whether to prosecute or not. This, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable. Especially as it pertains to children and child abuse. There should be no question as to whether a child abuse case goes to trial. While I don’t mean to discount the knowledge and experience of state prosecutors, I must question how they can justify not trying to prosecute each case fairly? Jacob’s case never stood a chance and it’s starting to feel hopeless for me. 

I am constantly asking myself how someone could get away with doing something so horrendous and evil. How is it ok for him to continue living his life with impunity? What kind of message does that send to would be child killers and abusers? Does the state and its people really believe that this is justice? What can we do to change things? Is there anything that can be done? I know that there aren’t any easy answers to these questions. But shouldn’t we at least try to fix this broken system? Shouldn’t we attempt to make it so that the people who prey on the innocent and vulnerable pay for what they do? 

In Part 2 of Jacob’s story you heard from Edna, a former prosecutor with the State of NM. She had many opinions about the case and whether it was provable or not. Edna felt strongly that the case was provable. She also gave me some reassurance and validated what my mom and I had been through. 

Edna asked to meet again so she could give me an update on what she found through looking further into this case. Some of this information was difficult for me to hear. You will hear me get very emotional. I decided to leave that in because it is real and authentic. I think the pain and frustration is something that many New Mexicans experience when faced with the problems of our Justice System. Today I am joined again by Lydia and Edna in discussing justice in New Mexico as it pertains to Jacob’s case.  At one point in the conversation Edna asks me what justice looks like for my mom and me. And honestly, I don’t really know the answer to that. I do know that it doesn’t look anything like what we are experiencing now. 

I am Eric Carter-Landin and this is True Consequences. 

If you enjoy listening to this show please rate, subscribe and review. True Consequences is fully listener supported; to support this show go to patreon.com/trueconsequences To keep up with all my updates, you can follow me on FB and IG at trueconsequencespod and on twitter @trueconspod.

The following episode discusses themes which may be difficult for some listeners. It deals with the issue of murder. Listener Discretion is advised. 

Albuquerque became a haven for crime in the last decade or so. This has been made worse by poor policy, reduction in police staff, and trying to solve jail overcrowding by releasing repeat offenders. In 2019 Albuquerque had a rate of 12.3 murders per 100,000 people which placed us in the top 40 cities for homicide in the US. To make things worse the rate of solved murders in 2019 was just 52%. This means that nearly half of all murders in Albuquerque went unsolved.  When I created this show I did it to make a difference. I wanted to give family members of unsolved murders the opportunity to tell their stories. I am hoping this will help bring attention to their cases. If you or someone you know is interested in recording an interview about your family's case then email me at eric@trueconsequences.com . 

In today’s episode I meet with the mom and step father of Jonathan Saiz. In May 2018 Jonathan  was found murdered near Zuni and Louisiana Boulevard in Albuquerque, NM. There were little to no leads at the time his body was discovered. It has been devastating for his family and continues to be a source of pain and frustration for them. The problem is that there were several issues with the investigation from the beginning. According to Yvonne, Jonathan’s mother, she feels like she is getting the runaround when it comes to her son’s case. She just wants to see the person responsible for this terrible tragedy brought to justice. Jonathan was loved by many and was known for his big personality and even bigger heart. This is a heart breaking case and if you have any information that could lead to the arrest and capture of those responsible for Jonathan’s murder please call (505) 843-STOP (7867) or go to p3tips.com you can remain anonymous.

I am Eric Carter-Landin and this is True Consequences. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence please call the national Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

To report child abuse or suspected child abuse please call 1-855-333-SAFE [7233] or #SAFE from a mobile device. 

In Part 1 of Jacob’s story you heard about his case and how he was murdered by my step father. You learned about how he terrorized my mom and I  for years. This is the follow up to Episode 1. For context, my mother and I went to a cold case investigator to have the case looked at again in 2004. We weren’t aware of the status of this secondary investigation until I requested the documents for the case in January of this year. As a result of the request, I received close to 200 pages of documents related to the case. I learned a lot from these documents, most notably, I learned that the case is, in fact, closed. I became extremely emotional as you can imagine. Learning that no one  is willing to prosecute this case was heartbreaking.

The most frustrating part of this discovery was learning that the cold case investigator stated, quote, “ Suspect was arrested (in 1992) and charged with that offense, but after his arrest, it appears that nothing else occurred after the initial filing of the criminal charge, and I have been unable to determine why this had occurred, as records no longer exist. There was sufficient evidence, in this investigator's opinion, to prove that he knew of Jacob's recent head injury, which occurred several weeks before this incident, and this incident which then resulted in Jacob's death. He should have been more  attentive to Jacob’s needs.

He did negligently, and without justifiable cause, placed Jacob in a situation that endangered his (Jacob's) life. He knew of Jacob's prior injury, and combined with the fact that he changed his story or version of events, during the investigation, which were not witnessed by anyone else, several times, that fact alone draws a lot of suspicion to any story he tells after his initial statement. This incident which resulted in Jacob's death occurred one way, not the two or three ways as told by the suspect. He knew that he needed to be much more attentive to Jacob's needs, as Jacob was only nine- (9) months old and still in need of almost constant supervision, and the suspect, failed to do this.

The problem with this investigation at this time is the statute of limitations, and in this investigator's opinion; if this is not overcome there can not be a successful criminal prosecution in this matter. We also have a speedy trial issue. He was arrested in 1992, and it appears that the criminal charge was never pursued by the State.” end quote.

Today I am joined by my friends Lydia and Edna. Edna is a former prosecutor for the state of New Mexico. Edna tries to help me understand the case more. In the follow up to this episode you will hear some corrections to what is discussed in this episode. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence please call the national Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

To report child abuse or suspected child abuse please call 1-855-333-SAFE [7233] or #SAFE from a mobile device. 

New Mexico has never done a great job of protecting children from child abuse. This is an issue we as a community cannot seem to figure out. According to statistics released by NM CYFD, in 2018 15 out of every 1000 kids in New Mexico were victims of abuse and neglect. In 2017 that number was 25 out of 1000. The national average in 2018 was 9 out of 1000 cases. In a 2019 Albuquerque Journal Article, Dan McKay states - “Only three states had a higher rate of child maltreatment than New Mexico in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available..” I have said over and over again on this show that the problem of child abuse and child murder in New Mexico is not new.  These challenges and issues continue to plague New Mexico to this day. And they will continue to be an issue unless we are willing to face it and address it. This episode is very close to home for me. It is the story of why I started this show. It is the story of the murder of my brother Jacob’s from 33 years ago.. Season 2 of True Consequences will feature stories like this in a new segment called, New Mexico’s Forgotten Children.

On April 10, 1987 my mom, Brenda, was working her shift at a local grocery store in Socorro, New Mexico. She had received a call from my grandmother stating that she needed to leave my baby brother Jacob somewhere so she could go to church. My mom only had an hour left on her shift and figured my brother could safely be left with her boyfriend at the time. Shortly after my brother was dropped off, my mom’s boyfriend runs frantically into her workplace to let her know my brother is on the way to the hospital. I start this episode by speaking with my mom and walking through the details of the case. At one point she becomes unable to continue as she is overcome with emotion. I will step in and continue the story for her and then we will resume the interview. I am hoping that this episode will get people talking about the issue of child abuse in New Mexico. I did not initially want to release an episode about my brother because I was worried that it would be too intense. I now realize that by telling my story I am breaking my own stigma related to this issue and if this story can help one child then it was all worth it. 

If you enjoy listening to True Consequences please rate, subscribe and review. To keep up with true consequences you can follow me on FB and IG at trueconsequencespod and on twitter @trueconspod.

https://www.voicesforjusticepodcast.com/