A birthday party at a cabin in Hawking Hills should have ended with a hangover, maybe some blurry group photos, and everybody arguing about who forgot to bring enough ice.

But instead, it ended with a young father bleeding outside in the dark, a 911 call from the middle of the woods, and a murder case that would hinge on just a few chaotic seconds of a cell phone video.

Yeah. that would hinge on just a few chaotic seconds of a cell phone video. Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries podcast, a true crime podcast featuring myself,

Mandy, and my dear friend Melissa.

Hi, Melissa.

Hi, Mandy.

How are you?

I'm doing pretty good. I'm feeling springy. I feel like spring has definitely sprung here in Central Florida. It has. And you've got a big birthday this weekend, not you, but your family. Yes. So if you're listening to this on Tuesday, then we're past it. But yes, my son's turning 13. My youngest son is turning 13, which is

crazy. Really does not make any sense in any universe. I don't feel nearly old enough to even have

a 13-year-old, much less for that to be the youngest. Yeah, it's, it's mind-blowing. I have really

no other words for it. But yes, we are planning on taking him and his friends to

the water park and he's going to go shopping for some new clothes because that's, I mean, he's at that age now where that's,

he wants to go buy clothes. So I know. I like that, but also don't like that because clothes are expensive.

So we'll see. We'll see what we end up with.

Yes, exactly. So today's story takes place in Hawking Hills, Ohio, which is home to Hocking Hills

State Park. This is a place known for waterfalls, hiking trails, and quiet cabins tucked into the

woods. A weekend there usually would involve a bonfire, some cheap beer,

and people insisting that they are definitely going to wake up early and go hiking tomorrow,

but they never do. So just outside the scenic park sits Sugar Grove. It's a tiny village of only a

few hundred people, and it's often called the gateway to Hawking Hills. It's peaceful and rural, and rental

cabins in the area promise privacy, nature, and just a break from real life. But on the night of

April 22, 2023, one of those cabins became the setting for a confrontation that would end with a

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