Gulf Coast Confidential with Mollye Barrows

Send us a textWhen did we start calling beat downs and assaults “hazing?” Hazing is the word you use when you’re pledging a fraternity or a sorority and now it’s being used interchangeably with locker room bullying and brawls as well as isolated attacks on individuals. Officially, hazing is strictly against the law when it’s part of abuse, but the word doesn’t hold a candle to the terror, anguish, and sometimes death victims experience because of it. We’re diving into several cases that stretch from Ocala, Florida, and Georgetown, Texas, to Newport, Rhode Island and all the way to Bozova, Turkey.  These are incidents that some may call hazing, but the actions are cruel, criminal, and deadly.But before we get into those cases, we also want to remember Danika Troy, a Pace girl who was tragically killed, allegedly by classmates who deceived her.Join us tomorrow for the next episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Bullying on steroids, hazing in high school sports and the workplace.”Support the show

Send us a textExactly two years ago I broke this story and remember standing beside the front door of Dr. Ben Brown’s office, Restore Plastic Surgery, where someone had left holiday poinsettias as a kind gesture after Brown’s wife, Hillary, had gone into cardiac arrest just on the other side of the door just before Thanksgiving 2023, after he had performed several procedures on her and later died. Since then, Brown has been charged with manslaughter in the untimely death of his 33-year-old wife, and dozens of former patients have come forward with complaints of botched surgeries, unwanted procedures, gaping wounds, and serious infection. All allegations Brown denies.The Florida Department of Health restricted his license to only practicing under the supervision of another doctor in 2024, and this past fall an administrative judge recommended to the Florida Board of Medicine that Brown’s medical license be suspended for a year for not immediately calling 9-1-1, starting CPR, or having life saving equipment on hand when Hillary coded from what investigators say appears to be lidocaine toxicity. Brown was also sued for medical malpractice in 2022 after a former patient claimed he used mesh in her DIEP flap reconstruction in 2019 that caused infection, necrosis, and corrective surgeries, and also during surgery left her arm in the same position for too long and it led to permanent injury. That case went to trial just last week, and the jury returned a verdict of not liable on both counts against Brown. Brown’s criminal trial on manslaughter has tentatively been scheduled for May 4.He has pleaded not guilty to the charge. He has two other hearings coming up in Santa Rosa County before that, though including a hearing on Feb. 10 on if he will be allowed to appear at specific defendants depositions and a case status check hearing on March 24. In this latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, we talk about the state administrative hearings that were held in September on the department of health’s allegations against Brown that led to Florida restricting his medical license. We recorded this before the judge made her recommendation for discipline and before the outcome of the medical malpractice trial. Join us for “Beauty Buyer Beware VIII: Dr. Ben Brown,” and remember you can catch up on all the episodes we've recorded on the embattled plastic surgeon on the Beauty Buyer Beware playlist. Support the show

Send us a textExploring the world is normal for young people, but finding new “friends” online can be deadly. Cybercrimes like sextortion over pictures real or A.I. generated, wire fraud, and targeted harassment are skyrocketing and children, especially teenage boys, are in the crosshairs of online predators. These criminals aren’t breaking into homes in the traditional sense, they are crawling inside through the internet and setting up shop on websites where they can target children and teens.A series of recent headline-making tragedies has put these serious crimes – which are a problem across the world – back in the spotlight. The calculated attacks on vulnerable and inexperienced children use intense, fast-paced manipulation and control tactics to demand and threaten money, information, or even sadistic behavior from their victims. One in five teens surveyed in a recent report experienced sextortion, a form of sexual exploitation that combines "sex" and "extortion" or blackmail. It involves a bad actor threatening to distribute a victim's private or sexually explicit images or videos unless the victim complies with certain demands, and victims are never at fault. The parents who lost children to suicide in these cases never saw it coming until they awoke to their worst nightmare. Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “Suicide under threat, who’s killing teenage boys online?”  Support the show

Send us a text Remembered as a mother, sister, daughter and a friend, 25-year-old Tierra Binion’s life was cut short after a confrontation between her, Rachel DeRise, and Rachel's boyfriend Christian Ketchup who showed up armed to the Pensacola bar where he shot Tierra to death. The night of August 23, 2023, Tierra and Rachel exchanged words which led to Christian sucker punching Tierra and knocking her to the ground. Rachel then pounced on her as she lay in the parking lot and repeatedly landed wide flung punches to Tierra's head. Surveillance video shows Christian generously helping his girlfriend up off the ground, then reaching for his gun and pumping ten bullets into the unconscious woman's back. Now Christian Ketchup is going away to prison for life for what the judge called an "unnecessary" crime that is an example of why "alcohol and guns" don't mix. It was devastating enough for Diamond Jordan to lose her beloved sister. On top of the grief and trauma, she and Tierra's family also endured the roller coaster of emotion that came with watching the cases of Tierra's accused attackers move through the criminal justice system. A roller coaster no one in Tierra's family ever wanted to endure but had to anyway. The "lows" included Rachel DeRise being charged with misdemeanor battery for her role in the deadly altercation and even standing up at Christian's sentencing when the crowd of onlookers was asked to rise if they were "there for Tierra." The "highs" included Christian Ketchup receiving a life sentence for his 2nd degree murder conviction, a sentence both the state and Tierra's family petitioned the court to give him. Join us tomorrow for our conversation with Diamond about what this journey has been like for her and Tierra's family and the lessons she learned along the way about murder, her sister's killer and his girlfriend, and the justice system in the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “Dollar drink night plus ten bullets in the back equals life in prison for Christian Ketchup.” Support the show

Send us a textChristy Martin was a trailblazer who took women's boxing from novelty (kinda sideshow) to mainstream during the 1990s and 2000. As eventful as her boxing career was it had nothing on the hits she was taking in her private life. The secrets, the abuse, the drug addiction, the sex tapes, the isolation and the domestic violence she suffered. Her public image as an attractive, powerful, crowd-pleasing star boxer was the polar opposite of real life. “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” was stuck in an abusive marriage yet survived the belittling, gaslighting, beating, and isolation from her Puppet Master husband.  He even tried to unalive her because she was leaving him. How could one of the most prolific and best pound for pound boxers in the Sport be controlled by this man. He had her feeling so small and “less than” because of her closeted sexuality, he told her the world would hate her if they found out that she was gay. Her career was impressive, structured, and storied ….49 wins  (31 were knockouts) 7 losses and 3 draws. She made millions and was the consumate professional. Her personal life however was a piping hot mess with chaos, drugs, loveless marriage, destruction, and one bad decision after another. Christy Salters Martin fought like a champ every single time she got in the ring…but nothing compares to the fight for her life in her very own bedroom on November 23, 2010. Join us on Tuesday for our Gulf  Coast Confidential Podcast …. "Box Like a Girl, Fighter Christy Martin Still a Champ after Stabbed, Shot by Hubby."Support the show