When Trust Becomes A Trap
The Knife: A True Crime Podcast
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 December 2025
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ashlee and Kristal join us from Perth, Australia, to discuss the case of their mother, Donna Nelson. In January 2023, their 58-year-old mother was arrested in Tokyo on international drug-smuggling charges. Right away, they suspected the man Donna had been dating online. Together, Ashlee and Kristal share their family’s heartbreaking story, their ongoing fight for justice, and the warning signs of the elder drug mule scam.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is exactly right. |
| 0:06.1 | The courtroom isn't just about justice. It's about power and money and some truly bizarre loopholes. |
| 0:10.7 | I'm Michael Foote. And I'm Melissa Malbranche, and we've got a brand new show called Brief Recess, Illegal Podcast. |
| 0:15.5 | Every week, we talk about wild tales from court, trials gone wrong, and cases and rulings that shape our world. |
| 0:55.3 | Today we're going to be talking about stolen antiquities, all the weird things Melissa found at in a state sale, the crazy conversations I had with the bouncer and J.K. Rowling. We make the complicated clear and the serious, surprisingly fun. From the exactly right network, new episodes of Brief Recess drop every Thursday. Watch Brief Recess on YouTube. Listen to Brief Recess on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Pasha. Hannah. We have merch. Isn't this so exciting? It's so cute. We have tote bags. They're red, which I feel like really stands out. What a great pop of color for the season. That's right. It has our logo on it, the knife. |
| 1:00.7 | They're perfect for whatever you need to carry around as long as it's the size of the tote or smaller. |
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| 1:12.8 | placed by December 14th in order to receive them by the 25th. This story contains adult content |
| 1:20.8 | and language. Listener discretion is advised. The claims and opinions in this podcast are those of the |
| 1:26.4 | speaker and do not necessarily represent the knife or exactly right media. |
| 1:33.0 | And he was saying, I just left the airport looking for your mom. |
| 1:36.8 | I was there for two hours. |
| 1:38.8 | I said to him, well, she landed this morning. |
| 1:41.7 | Why weren't you there this morning to pick her up? |
| 1:58.0 | Yeah. Well, she landed this morning. Why weren't you there this morning to pick her up? Welcome to the knife. |
| 1:59.1 | I'm Pasha Eaton. |
| 2:00.0 | I'm Hannah Smith. |
| 2:04.1 | This week we're speaking with two sisters, Ashley and Crystal. |
| 2:11.4 | In January of 2023, their 58-year-old mother, Donna, was arrested in Tokyo on international drug smuggling charges. |
| 2:16.8 | The news stunned her family, especially because Donna had long been fiercely anti-drug. |
| 2:21.7 | Immediately, Ashley and Crystal knew this had something to do with a man named Kelly that Donna had met while online dating and developed a relationship with. |
| 2:26.3 | Together, Ashley and Crystal tell their family's heart-wrenching story of the elaborate scheme |
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