This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.

Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime. We're starting our new series, and it's going to be a doozy.

I often get requests to cover serial killers, and they will be represented in this series,

although that is not the main topic.

This month's series is Murder in the Family,

where I'll detail cases of family members who commit murder together.

First up, I will tell you a story of a particularly brutal band of brothers

who terrorized Richmond, Virginia during an eight-month killing spree in 1979.

This is one of those cases that is shocking in its brutality and baffling in its motivation.

This is the case of the Briley Brothers.

The three Briley brothers, Linwood, James Jr., who was called J.B., and Anthony, grew up in a

stable middle-class home in the Highland Park neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Their father, James, was employed

by a concrete factory, and their mother, Bertha, was employed at Virginia Union University

in the food service department. Bertha was described as one of the sweetest ladies you'd ever

want to meet. James Sr. was described as a hard worker and a good father. He once said that his son Linwood

was nearly a genius. Some would say that James Sr. was the only person his boys feared in life,

so perhaps he was somewhat strict, although no one has come forward to say he was abusive in any way

towards his sons. Neighbors of the Brileys said that as young boys, the boys were polite and helpful,

sometimes assisting neighbors in yard work or other chores.

But as the three Briley brothers reached 13 years, something seemed to change.

Those who attended school with them described them as bullies.

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