An online love triangle leads to a deadly crime

Case 267: Brian Barrett
In the spring of 2005, two 18-year-olds met in an online chat room and immediately hit it off. Jessi went by the username TalHotBlond, while her new friend Tommy called himself MarineSniper. It wasn’t long before the two had fallen in love and gotten engaged… But less than a year into their relationship, the romance would be destroyed by a shocking revelation that ultimately led to devastating consequences…
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Research & writing - Erin Munro
Creative direction - Milly Raso
Production and music - Mike Migas
Music - Andrew D.B. Joslyn
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[@juliamcwilliam]

You know you're getting old when the highlight of your Saturday night is being in bed by 1030 listening to your favorite podcast

[@rankoutsider2363]

😂

[@joannegully7770]

Me too!

[@neekotheconvict2513]

Welcome to the club!

[@midiknight6404]

For real

[@chesspiece81]

I get the uploads early on Saturday mornings 5:30am here, but they always kick off my Saturdays.

[@jennifer60515]

So this genius lied about his entire identity and ended up killing someone over someone else who lied about her identity. And yet he was shocked to find out that the woman could have been lying to him about who she really was. Humanity never ceases to amaze me.

[@martinwarner1178]

I feel the same, but I would replace 'amaze' with DISSAPOINTS me. Peace and goodwill.

[@oceanstaiga5928]

Right?! When the “girl” did the same exact thing to the second man I realised something was fishy. You’d think a real teenager would take a step back after being lied to and invested into an online relationship only to find out it was all a lie. Instead she dove right into a new online relationship doing the exact same things of sending packages and seemingly being all in.

[@zama422]

@@oceanstaiga5928 Her user name didn’t tip you off from the start?

[@BlackLightPsych6249]

@jennifer60515 "Humanity" fell further.. long, long ago. But yh I catch your drift..

[@donnabeuth3193]

It's wrong that Mary wasn't held accountable for her part imo

[@stuartd9741]

Although involved. It was Tommy's. Decision to kill Brian.. - the two had not previously met in person.. I guess at best accessory to murder might be charge.. Difficult to prove that. Unless Mary was egging Tommy on....

[@immir6647]

She should have been charged on some kind of sexual misconduct for taking the pervy upskirt photos and distributing them without consent.

[@zama422]

Yeah exactly. What Tom did was entirely on him, but she knew exactly what she was doing and could have stepped in at some point many points.

[@leahstone9308]

This case seems like it can’t possibly be true, like there’s just no way it’s true, but somehow it’s all true, and these two ghouls are real, and this young man is dead. Incredible

[@raisaa1537]

I felt the same way about the Bill Payne & Billie-Jean Hayworth video (posted June 2021). I had to look it up afterwards because I couldn't believe it actually happened.

[@stuartd9741]

Truth is stranger than fiction....

[@SuperMichelleDJ]

Every single case in this channel so far has made me feel like it's unreal but it has to be true somehow. So frightening yet so true.

[@fearlounge]

I don't understand how this podcast isn't more well-known. I love storytelling podcasts a lot more than podcasts with a lot of talking back and forth and silly opinions.

[@ninedaysjane2466]

It's VERY well-known outside of KZbin. It's one of the most popular true crime podcasts ffs. I don't understand why people think it's not.

[@Crafty-One]

adhd visuals gen@@ninedaysjane2466

[@haydencooper_]

It is well known and regularly charts high on podcast charts. There are many other platforms it exists on besides KZbin. Now you understand.😝

[@ixizn]

I always see people say this and like the comments above have already said, it IS definitely popular! Trust me, I first found it because it’s basically the only thing 90% of people will mention if you search for true crime podcasts recommendations lol

[@rashone2879]

Not everyone is into details of brutal murders. Most of the victims here did stupid stuff, naive, placed themselves at risk. At best, these “stories” (no this happened to real people) could be a red flag for anyone bright enough to understand what not to do if you like being alive.

[@Meanwhile-]

I had a feeling from the get-go that this was going to have some kind of catfishing swerve, but I never expected it to be quite so gross.

[@kristenlebreck3025]

What in the actual **** is wrong with this mother!?

[@ixizn]

This is one of the wildest cases I’ve heard. I feel so bad for the real Jessi, she was failed and victimized several times over. Like how would you ever process your mother doing that AND finding out in the way that she did. Hope she’s doing well, wherever she is.

[@rydz656]

She's fine.

[@Jath2112]

Casefile has been going strong for so long now... easily my favorite murder show.

[@Crafty-One]

casefile is 2nd home

[@ant.o.nina.123]

Definitely his voice combined with his choice of music

[@rydz656]

LPOTL is better.

[@lovegottaget]

The revelation about Mary had me screaming "no effing way" to the screen

[@makpusak1897]

😂😂😂😂

[@eliannafreely5725]

Me too! If it was a novel it wouldn't be believable.

[@stuartd9741]

I thought poor Brian...

[@rekacolour]

At first I was sure "TallHotBlonde" was a catfish, because no real teenage girl would ever call herself that online, but as the story progressed and Tom Montgomery turned out to be a fake, I kind of forgot about the weird username. That's until....

[@stuartd9741]

@@rekacolour Do you think Mary should have been prosecuted alongside Tommy for Brian's murder? Initially I thought no. Now after some thought I'm not so sure.. Accessory to murder ?

[@rileytherandom]

i dont understand how the police didnt inform jesse about what was happening. She had her underwear filmed while being asleep. She was a victim and had a right to know and a chance to press charges.

[@immir6647]

Yeah I agree. Especially as it was all over the internet. She was basically a victim of a peeping Tom. Absolutely disgusting

[@bettyboop-xg6jo]

Wow, do people ever make their lives complicated 😢

[@nizzla12]

Tragic tale. What sort of Mother pimps their daughter out, albeit virtually.

[@veronicaellen4634]

Casefile 💞💞💞 It's pretty obvious something's wrong with "Jessie" from the start. The math wasn't mathing, so I was waiting for that bombshell the whole case. But I just was not expecting the details about the mother upskirting her own daughter and exploiting the images to strange men online. A fantasy world is one thing but that's something else all together and she should have been charged for what she did to her kid. And poor Brian. He didn't deserve what he got at all. Those two adults should be so ashamed of themselves.

[@Crafty-One]

he may not have deserved to die but ''poor Brian''...I don't know. He went out of his way to date a 17-18 year old and get in her pants while demonizing the other guy and going out of his way to torture him at his job. From my understanding, that's a pretty jerk move. He wasn't a poor guy. He was a jerk imo.

[@veronicaellen4634]

@@Crafty-One honestly, you're not wrong. I thought what happened with the messages being spread in the workplace was awful. Death is an intense punishment though

[@FireRising86]

Everyone in this case is an idiot, let’s just agree on that

[@harleynielsen516]

Ok, so he said he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave bullet casings at the scene but he was dumb enough to leave behind a peach pit and a clip! 😂

[@jbailey5061]

There should be a content warning for stupidity. I know it was the early days of chatrooms but this is absolutely infuriating.

[@johnmichaelfitzgerald3052]

G'day guys n girls, cheers from Melbourne 🇦🇺

[@hilarywallace3007]

I am in Victoria as well

[@lizardspoint]

Greetings from Nottingham England x

[@jdenton1337]

The most shocking part for me during the first half was that someone named 'TallHotBlonde' was actually an 18 year old girl lmao

[@Yes_Anastasia]

Lmaooo so true. Like, c’mon.

[@buk390]

I thought the same until I heard Brian’s online name was Beefcake!!! 😆

[@madlad_dad]

@@buk390 The usernames people picked during the 90’s and early 2000’s are wild.

[@ItsKrma00]

Really loving the abscence of ads right in the middle of the podcast - Thank-you!!!

[@Rup869]

I know. Its so much better. They always used to startle me. Not good of a night time.

[@kristywalters8867]

Dang two grown sickos got that poor boy killed. This is a sick world we live in.

[@morganosborne9258]

Wjat crazy behavior from supposedly grown up people. Holy Hannah, Brian was way too young to pay for their foolishness

[@ahmahreennusrat8297]

This case makes my blood boil what misjustice . i agree that woman should be in prison because she pretended to be her daughter , she should at least get some punishment , pretending to be someone else should be a crime , People did nothing to stop this . people didn't listen or care for the victim . we need to have strict laws against predators who pretend to be someone else . i am glad that the man is in jail for murder . RIP Brian Barrett

[@lindc1070]

It only goes to show the internet isnt safe but this wiman using her daughter's identity is truly 🤢

[@Gospel_weekly]

Been waiting for this upload , I’m all set let’s get into it , Sydney Australia,

[@makpusak1897]

I am a big fan of yours. I love how you narrate your stories and i look forward to the next one every weekend.❤ all the way from Malaysia 😊

[@lisetteeliseparis7070]

Heard of this one - and the two older adults complete nutters. Both of them got that young man killed. Thanks, CaseFiles. RIP Brian.

[@elainestokes2787]

Damn I can’t imagine doing that to my daughter, and then meeting an even bigger psycho and not caring he’s a rapist. Poor Brian, poor Jessie.

[@Crafty-One]

brian shamed the other guy for dating a 17 year old and turned around and tried to do the same thing WHILE making life miserable to the older man. I dont know how he's so ''poor''. He didnt deserve to die but he wasn't a good guy either in this story!

[@eliannafreely5725]

@@Crafty-One Brian was in his early 20's and she was 18, if I caught the ages correctly. They are of a dating age (if Jesse had been real). Tom was in his 40s. Edit: I agree on his behavior toward Tom being terrible though.

[@immir6647]

What if one of them had actually found THE Jesse though? She was in a lot of danger.

[@nancychisholm5399]

Greetings and salutations from Cabbagetown, Toronto! Thanks Casefile and team for my Saturday morning treat. The bodum and I salute you.

[@teaspoonsofpeanutbutter6425]

CABBAGETOWN??!! that's awesome!

[@Sacred.Wisdom]

Small world...I'm like a block away from you near Allan Gardens 😅😊

[@nancychisholm5399]

@@Sacred.Wisdom Hey Neighbor I1m near the farm!

[@Sacred.Wisdom]

WOW .. I'm by Maple Leaf Gardens... nice to know I have neighbors who like True Crime...😂

[@dwayneboyer7864]

Grew up in cabbagetown

[@danrobinson572]

Should have gotten longer!!!!

[@tinylifeoflin]

I'm laughing at the cringe text messages

[@lolad.7566]

This is literally the best podcast ever❤ you are so underrated I am constantly telling all my true crime besties to check you out!😊

[@SweetTooth8989]

I remember hearing about this case. It's one MASSIVE clusterf*ck of a situation. Just absolute craziness 😂

[@amethyst1826]

You got that right!!

[@immir6647]

Oh wow mother of the year right there

[@cronstrubzo]

this was amazing. the storytelling.

[@buk390]

I’m so glad I didn’t read any comments until that twist! I did not see that coming!!! WTF!

[@amethyst1826]

Wow!! I saw your comment, so I expected a twist, but that is not the twist I expected!! That was totally f@cked up!!!

[@Gospel_weekly]

My sound is working

[@chesspiece81]

I'm well aware of this case and the outcome, but I love Casefile narration on Saturday mornings.

[@makpusak1897]

That makes 2 of us 😊

[@suzbay8932]

Love this podcast great show as always ❤

[@jaccusefashion]

This is a brilliant case

[@MissVanHelsing]

Why couldn't Mary be charged with taking perverted photos of her daughter without her permission?

[@klientproby]

Exactly! Probably if her daughter had been underage, the authorities could have charged her.

[@markcynic808]

There's was no law against doing so in the USA in 2005 and that hasn't changed since. It only became a crime in the UK in 2019. But what point would it serve? The story is about idiots and liars believing the words of other idiots and liars without any evidence of who they are and then someone ending up dead because of it. I can't imagine anyone - even in 2005 - talking to another for over a year without seeing them on cam. It's mind-bogglingly naive.

[@eliannafreely5725]

@@markcynic808 What point would it serve? She is also a sexual predator. Against her own daughter, let alone Brian. Sure he's an adult but she obviously targeted an immature person (witness his childish behavior toward Tom) that was 20 years her junior. It's not a story with a moral about stupid behavior, it's a real life criminal and frankly super gross person (in the spirit if not the letter of the law) who ideally should see some consequences. But yeah in 2005 there probably was no such law. I googled it and since 2013, 30 states plus D.C. now have some law against nonconsensual exposure of explicit material, with varying degrees of penalty depending on the state - some just a fine, others prison. I assume her daughter hasn't sued her because that would just be more heartache.

[@markcynic808]

@eliannafreely5725 Again, you missed the point of this episode and, in addition, called her mother a sexual predator, which is pure fantasy on your part, as she has no convictions for any such offences. It's the same kind of fantasy that led to the death of one unfortunate young man, which is the whole point of this episode. I found no federal law changes in the USA. There are now states with laws that try to cover the issue of upskirt photos, but they appear to regard such offences as misdemeanors, not felonies, unlike shooting someone dead.

[@MissVanHelsing]

@klientproby yeah, right? Also, comparing this case to other online relationships ending in murder or death, it would feel like justice had been better served had she been charged with something regarding the man's death. The only difference is, she wasn't conspiring to have him killed or coercing somebody into going through with suicide.

[@user-mt4ku7jw1y]

Catfish galore, what a story

[@diane5522]

I can’t believe that she didn’t care that he admitted to being a rapist.

[@stuartd9741]

Well it appears both were using Alta ego.. Soo anything possible...

[@johnsmith-mv8hq]

That was a wild and tragic tale. :/ But well told. As always.

[@kateran3544]

This is my Saturday morning ritual! Southern California ❤

[@linziwade2529]

Yesssss

[@r.deeblanche6939]

Can’t get more bizarre than this one

[@fireheartedtimemanagemente5678]

They legit catfished each other... This has to be the funniest true crime story ever.

[@whyohwhy9679]

Except for the dead guy and the totally innocent daughter, sure.

[@fireheartedtimemanagemente5678]

@@whyohwhy9679 Well yeah that's true, I don't know why I wrote that

[@danrobinson572]

Good 👍 morning from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 😊

[@kimgarciacruz2983]

This is the craziest story

[@brandyjean7015]

Mary is the danger in the internet. And apparently a pathological liar. If you're bored & lonely: get a pet, a hobby, or volunteer to do something worthwhile with your life.

[@TheWallace6969]

omg! the tangled webs we weave.insane!

[@teenytinytunaa]

When you realize this episode is about where you grew up 👀 How did I miss this??? Little Ole Buffalo getting so famous 😅

[@Crafty-One]

casefile thank u

[@jaqiharrison1984]

Poor Brian!

[@raoscometh]

Just finished listening to this case on spotify. This case was bananas!

[@AnarchoEnby420]

Man hearing about pogo again after so long is really a nostalgia jumpscare

[@carolinel7027]

Wot a shocking twisted story..loved it.x

[@lhickey2930]

Omg that plot twist

[@jennklein1917]

Love this series 🎉🎉🎉

[@Arlong1776]

anyone surprised the woman, Mary, doesn't think she really did anything wrong?

[@akdragosani]

Some Seriously Sick & Demented people in this world 😳

[@Maligroot]

Thanks Matey 👍

[@Flazlorky]

What the fuck is wrong with everyone involved here

[@m.t.1616]

This is an insane story. Omg. People are nuts.

[@amethyst1826]

I expected a twist, but that was not the twist I expected. Mine was very mild in comparison as I thought Tom was also the wife who sent the letter to Jesse AND Brian, which would've been f@cked up enough, but WOW!! I never even considered that!! Mary Sheila may have lost her husband and daughter due to her actions, but she should have spent time in prison, too, as she was just as guilty!!!

[@austenpowers]

Deffo in my top podcasts 😃

[@jeffcampbell1555]

Okay, more reprehensible human beings wreaking havoc while insisting they're simply victims. Seems more like an elaborate parable about dystopian modern life. But. It's. Real.

[@blackkittens.]

Mr Ballen covered this story and it was wild !! So looking forward to hear Casefile's take ☆☆☆

[@rebeccah8881]

I wondered where I heard it!

[@PoetofHateSpeech]

Both older parties are disgusting

[@ryancostello5288]

tom committed murder but idk I feel like Mary did worse lol

[@roslynweidemann9487]

There was a movie about this creep and I watched it. These 2 adults sucked each other in and it led to murder. The mother was just a shocking person to do what she did to her daughter

[@Thatanticapitalist]

Just.. Wow

[@pikeman80]

Senseless killing? As opposed to sensible?

[@Outcry4truth]

This was a weird one

[@cherylmeredith7141]

Catfish inception

[@ermac6466]

Would of been funny if she sent him the wrong underwear

[@wildgr33n]

i figured they were fishing each other but JFC WUT THE EFFF

[@LilaHubert-jl9zd]

PLOT TWISTS! CUE THE JIGSAW MUSIC!

[@abbie545]

So what’s the lesson here?……..

[@kirschrot77]

The doco was made in 2009 not 2006

[@dwayneboyer7864]

Me too

[@RED-cy7ig]

It's very strange how two dead women were found so closely near one another.

[@deniseconsultant1538]

Yeah, a rotten girl a wonderful father a wonderful family. But hey, what about all those commercials you have all those sponsorships I know you do this for a job, but I’ve never seen anybody had to let alone three or four or five.

[@genie674]

I don't understand how people can be so gullible. I knew from the beginning what was going to happen.

[@stuartd9741]

Really. You saw the Mary angle straight away....?

[@dylanwicklund5129]

Yeah also the fact She went from 1 relationship with someone she never met to another one with someone she never met is also weird lile go meet people in person especially after what just happened you message some other random guy that very well could be lying about who they are aswell god she is dumb

[@dylanwicklund5129]

Yeah the fact she was 18 though How does that make him a predator Yeah I was weird

[@roadwarrior528]

I'm sorry Brian got murdered, but he made a choice that led to this. He purposely ruined the life of his killer, Tom. It was malice intent, and ultimately led to this tragic outcome.

[@ninedaysjane2466]

Nice victim-blaming. You're not sorry, you're just sancitmonious.

[@Crafty-One]

nice shaming. Its not victim blaming. He said he was sorry he got murdered. Brian shamed the older man and turned around and did THE SAME thing trying to get into her pants all the while bullying him at work and mocking him. So get your sanctimonious head out of you know where...lol@@ninedaysjane2466 obviously you agree with shaming/bullying others. That didnt bother you. The sanctimous comment is hypocrisy.

[@stuartd9741]

​@@ninedaysjane2466although Brain didn't deserve to be murdered. Do you not think he contributed to the outcome? By getting involved in an online relationship with a girl Tommy was already interested in. ..

[@ninedaysjane2466]

Oh hey, it's the Talhotblond case. That hasn't been covered everywhere. There's an entire documentary and everything. 🙄