Episode 325

Sword and Scale

Incongruity

True Crime, Entrepreneurship, Business, Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4 • 61.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 October 2025

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

17-year-old Halia Culbertson and 18-year-old Bryanna Baronzinni went from friends to enemies over the course of a few months. Then, it all ended in a single, fatal fight. But did the person who set this tragic murder in motion walk away unscathed?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Sword and scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences.
0:06.3	Listener discretion is advised.
0:11.8	If I were to know that she was getting stabbed tonight, I would have let myself go stabbed before her. At just 20 years old, Brianna Barrosini could pass for a teenager.
0:32.0	But today, in the courtroom, she looks even younger.
0:36.1	Her blonde hair falls straight down her back, framing a face drained
0:40.1	of color. She stands motionless before an Ohio judge, a shadow of fear flickering behind her
0:47.4	solemn eyes. The room is silent, bracing for the words she's about to speak, words that seal her fate.
0:57.7	Brianna is here to plead guilty to killing her former friend, Alia Culbertson.
1:03.1	You're now pleading guilty or admitting that you've committed this crime.
1:07.3	When you plead guilty, you waive or give up constitutional rights.
1:10.9	Do you understand each and every right?
1:13.1	Yes, Your Honor.
1:14.1	Are you waiving those rights and are you pleading guilty knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily?
1:20.1	Yes, Your Honor.
1:21.1	Only a year has passed since Halea was killed.
1:24.1	It all happened so quickly on that March evening of 2023.
1:28.3	It's been a year of legal battles, bond hearings, and fear on both sides.
1:35.3	But today, Brianna is admitting to what she did and she will face consequences for Halea's death.
1:41.3	Prosecution is going to push for prison.
1:44.5	Your lawyer is asking for probation.
1:46.8	I indicated I would likely send you to prison with the ability maybe to get out early.
1:52.7	Is that your understanding of the discussions?
	...

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