Good morning, and thanks for joining me for Rise and Crime.

Your morning caffeine hit, All About Crime.

I'm Mama Jules, and happy Halloween, the spookiest of spookies to all rise and crime listeners

on this eve of Halloween.

And since it's right before Halloween, we need to do at least some spooky crimes today.

So let's start out with this short yet kind of creepy story out of Los Angeles.

Here, I'll set the scene.

It's mid-October of this year in the sun-baked hills of West Covena, California.

That's a suburb east of Los Angeles, where the air

smells like eucalyptus, and currently the economy hints at quiet desperation.

Joey Espinoza, who was just 44 years old, has died from heart failure, just the week prior.

Joey was from what his family says,

the kind of guy with a, quote, heart of gold, the uncle who energized family barbecues with his easy laugh and unwavering loyalty. Born and raised in the L.A. area, Joey worked in construction,

kind of the hands-on job that built communities, but probably wore down his body over time. His sudden death left a void.

His aunt, Laura Lavario, described him as the nephew who always had your back. He was a quiet

pillar in a sprawling Latino family rooted in

Covena's tight-knit neighborhood. The Espinosa, like so many working-class families,

turned to Forrest Lawn, a sprawling upscale mortuary chain known for its manicured grounds,

celebrity graves, and promises of dignified

send-offs. The family shelled out nearly $20,000 for their memorial service, expecting solace

amid the sadness they were feeling. As the family gathered in the chapel,

Lara and her husband George and Joey's siblings,

...