Latest / Minor Mischief Podcast / Sabrina Zunich, Girl Seriously?
Transcript
- Kiki George: What happens when being sold a pipe dream as a teen leads to one of the most horrific crimes in a small town in Ohio State history? This is the Minor Mischief Podcast and this is Sabrina Zunik. Girl, seriously? Y'all like that little riff there? Listen, I've been trying to like sing for real, but I signed up for my church choir and had an entire panic attack before I was supposed to get on the stage and I never even made it. I was like, oof, good thing I wasn't the lead child. But welcome back to the Minor Mischief Podcast, a true crime podcast where we discuss the crimes of young people. I'm your host and homegirl for the time being, Mrs. Kiana Amir, and thank you for hanging out with me. How are y'all? How is everybody? Has everyone's 2026 been as ghetto as mine? Like, for real? I feel like I've been swinging all year. And it's not all bad, but also it's like, I just need a break. Like, sis is tired. Sis is sis is stressed. Sis is me. Sis is anxious. Sis is overwhelmed. Sis is me. You know what I'm saying? But I hope everything is going well with y'all. Fall, is that you, Playa? Coming across the Himalayas. I'm still counting this time as my official last weeks of summer, but happy September, everybody. Keep your pumpkins until the end of the month, respectfully. Like it's still 90-something degrees outside. Let us all just just relax, okay? But without further ado, let's get into today's story, shall we? We shall. For today's story, let's pack a small tote and head to the town of Willoughby Hills, Ohio. Willoughby Hills, Ohio is a small town of about 9,000 residents in Northeast Ohio. The town is roughly 10 square miles and sits about 15 miles northeast of Cleveland. So it's a 20 minute drive from downtown Cleveland, to be honest. Willoughby Hills, as stated in their town slogan, is where the city meets the country, because it's a rural area, but it's close enough to Cleveland, to downtown Cleveland specifically, where Like, you know, if there's a concert in Cleveland or if you want to go to Cleveland for some fine dining, you know, I don't know what's in Cleveland. I've never been, but if you just want to chill in Cleveland, I heard they got some good Dominican spots. I heard they got some good chichet on this, you know? So yeah, if you wanna live in the country but party in the city, Willoughby Hills is for you. In Willoughby Hills, Ohio, we meet Sabrina Zunick, who is our mischief maker, and Lisa Knuffel, who is respectfully the star of our show. But also unfortunately our victim. Now, I'm going to butcher Lisa's last name because it's to me, when I look at it on paper, it's noful. Cause it's spelled K-N-O-E-F-E-L. But in all of like the trial footage that I saw, they said cana cnafel. Canafle. Canafel, I believe. I'm so sorry. Even though I don't think Lisa's family cares about the canafle name, but I'll tell you why shortly. Sabrina A. Zunik, aka Brie, was born on October 27th, 1994. And girl, you are not making a great case for us October babies. But she was born to her parents, Susan Edwards and Mark Zunik. And honestly, Brie's childhood was extremely troubled. Her parents never married or lived together, and Sabrina has one half-sibling on her mother's side. Now As the story goes, it's becoming a tale as old as time. It's becoming one of those things that we could pretty much set our watch to. Sabrina's parents had serious substance abuse issues. They love their drugs and they love their alcohols. And what have we learned at this point, kids? Unless you're intentional, those substances will win and they will take over your life every single time. And I don't even want to say unless you're intentional, because granted, I don't know exactly what would make a person look at heroin and say, you know what? To try that, but also they do, and once they start, it's damn near impossible to stop because, like I mentioned in last week's episode, certain drugs, heroin, meth, you go your entire life chasing that first high, and it's just never going to be the same. Like it takes you to a place when you first do it, and you're just never able to get back to that place. So you spend your life chasing that high. And unfortunately, it claims the lives of so many people. So just It's better just to not start. Cause for me, any drug that's gonna make me wanna sell my ass, lose my house, abandon my kids, keep it respectfully far the hell away from me. So her parents are dealing with these, you know, substance abuse issues. They're both, you know, in and out of jail. And her father was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. So social services stepped into Sabrina's life pretty early on. Now she lived with her father and grandmother until the age of three. And then she lived with her grandmother only. And she admits this is pretty much where her relationship with her parents ended. Like they became incredibly distant. They were chasing the drugs, chasing the alcohol, chasing the street life. And she was at grandma's house. And so to Sabrina, it's like, okay, my parents really would rather chase the streets than to just love me. And so she, you know, began those feelings of abandonment. She started, you know, having that void, that feeling of abandonment inside of her. Feeling not necessarily wanted by her parents, feeling like, you know, she didn't matter, like my life didn't matter. She felt rejected, like, and that really festered inside of her. And she did not necessarily know how to process those feelings. Now her grandma did what she could to take care of Brie, but as grandparents, she's older. She has her own things going on. She has her own health issues. So she's trying her hardest to care for Sabrina, if you know what I mean. But at the end of the day, it's like, I cannot keep up with this young, rebellious girl. And honestly. One of my biggest prayers is that my husband and I do not leave Earth before our kids are grown because I know for a fact their parents cannot handle them. Especially that little one. He is a rambunctious something. They'd be like, you know what? Do whatever you want to do. Like, I can't. But living with grandma left Sabrina honestly up to her own devices. In addition to Brie cutting up at home, Brie was cutting up at school too. She was constantly getting into fights, constantly in the principal's office, constantly suspended, just constant. And Those of us who have dealt with children with behavioral issues, it's just like it gets to a point. It just gets draining. It gets draining. Like literally, your phone starts ringing in the middle of the day, and you're like, my gosh, what is happening now? You know what I'm saying? And so Grandma at this point is drained and she's just like, I don't know what to do. My health is continuously declining. And Sabrina is just getting older and wilder. So one day, Sabrina and Grandma are at home, and grandma goes to her wallet. And she is just like, I know you freaking lying. I know for a fact I had some money up in this hair wallet. Brie, Sabrina, where the hell is my money? Now, I've known you do a lot, Sabrina, but theft, that is where I draw the line. And so grandma and Sabrina are going back and forth. And grandma's like, you know what? I know you did this. I'm pressing charges on you because you are going to learn your lesson by fire or by force. And I honestly have to commend her grandma for that because How many times do we hear these stories of parents of troubled children? And their parents or their caregivers don't do anything about it. And it's just like they turn them out into the world thinking that they're never gonna have to face the consequences of their actions. And when they do, it shocks the hell out of them. But grandma's not letting up. She calls the police, she presses charges on Brie for stealing her money. Brie gets taken away. They go to court, the whole thing. And as grandma's telling the story, they're just like, Ma'am, we really don't think you're equipped, like mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially to deal with this child. And so they remove Sabrina from her grandmother's care and place her into foster care. Brie, when she first went into the foster care system, she went from group home to group home to group home to group home. And in 2011, her caseworker meets with her and says, You know, I have a family that's looking to foster. And I think that. You guys will probably do really well together. They're super sweet. They're super loving. They have two daughters of their own. And we really think that this may be a great opportunity for you. And at this point, Brie is as happy as a hoe at a weenie roast because finally the love and acceptance that she has been yearning for her entire life is within reach. And that is when she is introduced to Kevin and Lisa Knafal. Lisa Kanaffel was born Lisa McIntosh in Reynoldsburg, Ohio on May 2nd, 1971, to her parents Clark and Rita McIntosh. Lisa had one sister named Laura, and she was said to have a heart as big as gold, honey. Like Lisa just loved, she loved hearts, she loved people, like she didn't take no mess. But Lisa was extremely sweet, extremely compassionate, and she cared very deeply for others. And her care showed even in her line of work as she chose to go into the wonderful career of social work. Lisa worked for the Cuyahoga. I probably messed that up. Cuyahaga. I don't know. Cuyahaga. I Koyahaga. I don't know. It's one of those. But she worked for the County Department of Social Services and per her work family, she was a damn good social worker. Lisa dealt primarily with child sex abuse cases and would follow the children from the time their file was open and follow their cases for years. She was said to be very compassionate with her caseload, very caring. Like she was a social worker that listened, that took action, that advocated. And that just speaks a lot to her character. Lisa in her 20s, she dated a man and they got close and they got they went to the altar and they Got married and his name was Nick Zanella. And so in 1999, the two had a daughter named Megan Zanella. And you know, as life goes, as things happen, early on in Megan's childhood, they divorced. And it was just Megan and Lisa at that point. And life was fine. Like they did good. You know, I'm sure things were hard as single moms do, but Megan said her mom was truly her bestest friend and she had an amazing childhood, regardless. And so now it's the early 2000s, and Lisa meets Kevin. And the two were described as love at first sight. Like even Kevin's own friends admitted that he was head over heels for her. Kevin He did mostly like CDL driving, like truck driving. He worked for a private ambulance company. He worked, I think they said for like a bread company at one point, but most of his work was done over-the-road driving. So he did spend quite a bit of time away from home. As he worked long hours, sometimes he'll work nights, he'll work weekends. Like whenever they needed someone to drive, Kevin was your guy and he did it. Even Kevin's best friend and co-worker, David, admitted that very early on in Kevin and Lisa's relationship. Kevin confided to him, like, bro, I think she is the one. Like, she just makes me smile. I get giddy thinking about her. I love this woman down. And David said that when Kevin even came to his wedding, he once again was just like, Man, I'm telling you, like, Lisa's the one. She's the one. Now, Kevin had a son, Cody, from a prior relationship, and Lisa had Megan from a prior relationship, but As love and as fate would have it, in 2006, Kevin and Lisa get married. And so begins the beginning of their blended, beautiful family. And so life is good. Megan recalls having a great childhood. They would go on trips together. They would go swimming. Kevin loved on her mom. And even more than he loved on, well, not even more, but as much as he loved on her mom, he loved on her as well. And To the point where she said, like, that was my dad. Like, yes, I have a relationship with my regular dad. But also, like, Kevin was my dad. Like, he was a great father figure to me. He was great in our household. And they just had this really wonderful life. In 2009, Kevin and Lisa, feeling all the love and full of love stuff in, they welcomed their first child, their one and only child together, a young, beautiful lady named Haley. And like I said, by all accounts, Kevin and Lisa had an amazing marriage. Like they loved each other. They were fun together. They laughed. Like they were so amazing together. So Kevin, Lisa, and their daughters, because Cody lived, I'm assuming with his mom, but it was Kevin, Lisa, and their daughters in the house, and they're they're living life. Like they have just a beautiful American dream type of life. It's mom, dad, daughters. We have this beautiful house. you know, the white picket fence, they didn't really have a white picket fence, but they just lived in this beautiful house at the end of the street. Love and laughter flowed throughout the house and life was really good. And so being that Lisa had the heart for foster children, throughout the years they would foster kids on and off. And in 2011, you know, they're just like, okay, we're looking for another foster kid. when they are introduced to Sabrina, Sabrina hears about them and in July 2011, Sabrina moves in with the canafles. And in Sabrina's mind, she's just like, Wow, this is what I need. Like a family that loves me, that loves each other. Like there's no yelling here. There's no screaming and arguing, but we're playing board games. We're we're hanging out. We're we're on the iPad. Like life is good. And so Sabrina for the first time in her life she knows peace. Now upon moving in Because Lisa, she's not new to this, she's true to this. She set some rules and regulations in place. Because, you know, Brie, I understand that you're a teenager, you're sixteen years old, and I love that for you. However, I also want you to be a successful person. So this meth use that you've been carrying on with, we're not doing this weed smoking you've been carrying on with, we're not doing the drinking, we're not doing the staying out late and partying. The hanging out with that little smooth haired boy from down the street. We are not doing that. Bree obviously she didn't like it because she's used to doing what she wants. Like it ain't tricking if you got it. I'm gonna do what I wanna do. But she complies and she follows Lisa's rules without issue. Even though, like deep down inside, she's a teenage girl and it's whatever, whatever I do what I want. She respected Lisa and she respected their family dynamic and she knew that this was better than going back into the group home. So she's like, you know what? Yes. I'll do it. Now, Lisa was the disciplinarian of the pair. Kevin was more laid back, more easygoing, more easy to live with, more easy to talk to. And honestly, that's how it goes sometimes. Like in my house, I know for a fact I'm the disciplinarian. And that's not to say my husband's a punk, because he'll check a child, but our approaches are different. Cause I'm gonna knock your head off. But he he might be like, Well, I'm taking your computer, I'm taking your phone, I'm taking your iPad, me. I'm gonna knock your head off and take your things. You know what I'm saying? I do both. But that's neither here nor there. So, Brie, with you know, Lisa's guidance and the rules and the boundaries that were set in place for her, people start seeing a change in her. She starts a new school, she's not acting out at much, she's doing well in therapy. She had even made friends. Like in school, she would sit at the cafeteria. Sometimes she'll be with people, sometimes she'll do her homework. But she was they said she was cool to be around. Like she laughed with the other kids. She was a social butterfly. And she really began to open up around this time, you know? Now sometimes she'll keep to herself, but you'd never think there was any type of issue going on because she wasn't skipping school, she wasn't doing drugs, and her life was on an upswing. But as teenage life would have it, her and Lisa they do butt heads a little bit, especially when it came to discipline. But that's totally expected. And I mean, she's a teenage girl. She's 16. She's 17. You know, it happens. You get to a point in your teenagehood where you feel like you know it all. I'm dealing with two of them right now. And that's not to say you're rude or disrespectful, but that is to say that you're not gonna like every rule thrown your way. Because until you have those life experiences, you don't understand why those rules are set in place. But you know, as it was, their relationship ebbed and flowed. They had good days, they had days where it was just like, my gosh, my foster mom's getting on my nerves. But the respect was still there. Megan and Haley began to view Brie as a sister figure because Megan was 11 at the time that Brie moved in. So she thought Brie was really cool. Like you guys know how it is when you're in middle school and there's the high school girl and you're just like, my gosh, her like her fits are T. She's super fly. She has all these friends. She's super cool. And so they really formed a sister-like bond. Like they would do each other's hair and paint each other's nails and You know, they just grew to know and love each other. Like she called her her sister. They both called each other their sisters. And, you know, as Brie is getting more and more acclimated to the finally dynamic, she's just like, you know what, guys? I know what I want to do with my life. I want to enroll in school after graduation for massage therapy. And so it's like finally, Sabrina has hope for the future. She is just like doing what she gotta do, and she's just doing the best that she could. And Everyone is super proud of her. So as she's growing close to the family, she's growing even closer to Kevin as a father figure. Or is she? She was so close to Kevin that she spoke to Kevin more than Lisa spoke to Kevin. In a one-month span, Kevin spoke to Brie over 2,000 times via phone calls and text messages, while speaking with Lisa about 200 times over phone calls and text messages. So it's just like, what exactly is it that you guys have to talk about this much? As a father-daughter relationship. Do you talk to Megan this much? Like what's going on here? So as time went on, the structure in the house became a bit much for Brie. Because remember, Lisa's the only one upholding the rules. Kevin's just like, she's a young lady. Leave her alone. she just, you know. And so everything kind of started cracking. Especially because Lisa at this point, she's feeling unsupported by her husband. She's just like, babe, like we're one front. We're on one accord, one band, one sound. Like, why is it that I am disciplining Sabrina and you're just like, she's just a girl. You don't do that with Megan. So one day, Megan, Lisa and Haley, they're out. And Brie goes to Kevin and is just like, You know, I wanna enroll in that massage therapy class, right? And he's just like, Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Like Why is it that you want to get into massage therapy? And she's just like, I just really feel like that's healing with your hands. And so Kevin looks at her and he's just like, Well, you know, I drive trucks all day. You know, I'm not in the best of seated positions all day. So why don't you massage my thigh? And so Sabrina starts massaging his thigh. And she's massaging his thigh, and he's liking it. And she's seeing that he's liking it. So she's moving closer and closer and closer. And next thing you know, her hands are on his dick. And so, you know, the two kind of like separate at that point. And it's just like, okay, like, wow, did we really just do that? But their relationship had been teeter tottering on inappropriate for a few months now, you know? Brie is getting closer to Kevin. Kevin and Lisa's marriage really begin suffering. And even the relationship that Lisa and Brie have begins suffering. So, like for instance, Bree started accusing Lisa of treating Megan and Haley better than her. And every time she would complain about it, Kevin would have her back. Lisa would be confused. So there was like on one occasion, Brie was playing with the family's iPad. And Megan is just like, you know, hey, mom, Bree's had the iPad a really long time. Do you think I could play with it? And so Lisa walks upstairs and she's just like, Hey Brie, you've been on the iPad for a while. Can you please give it to Megan? I think she should have a turn now. And so the two have a heated exchange. And Bree calls the police on Lisa and tells them that Lisa abused her. She hit her. And so the police come over to the house and Lisa is just like, I work for social services. Like I can I'm not gonna lose my job over this. I did not hit her. And so they're just like, Well, are there any distinctive marks? No. Can anyone else corroborate the story that Lisa hit you? And so they ask Megan, they're just like, Megan, did your mom hit Sabrina? And Megan's just like, No. And Megan to this day says, like, my mom did not put her hands on her. She did not put her hands on her. And so the police leave and Kevin turns and is just like, wow, that was an ordeal. And then he puts his hands around Bree and is just like, Are you okay? Let me tell you something. If I was Lisa, I would have been pissed. I would have been pissed. Because you could have jeopardized my career. You could have gotten me arrested. So much could have happened to me off of the baseless claim of, she put her hands on me. But I digress. Lisa at this point is like visibly upset. And she's also like, what the hell, Kevin? Like, why are you consoling her? One band, one sound, Kevin. What part of that are you not understanding? And so it escalated. The neighbors even started complaining of hearing Lisa and Sabrina going through these shouting matches. Like it just became A volatile environment because Lisa felt disrespected in her own home. And on top of that, Kevin's not backing her up. And it did not start out this way. Kevin at this point and Brie, it's now April 2012. Their massaging and her touching his penis turned into groping, turned into kissing, turned into a sexual affair. Now Brie was 17 when their affair started, and pretty quickly she and Kevin were hooking up every morning before he dropped her off to school. And I say hooking up very loosely because Lesbi's so for real. Every morning before Kevin dropped her off to school, he was statutorily raping her. That's what was happening. But they're getting closer and closer. People around them are starting to notice like, this is weird behavior on your part. Like, this is weird behavior. Like Megan admitted that Kevin favored Brie. Like, whenever they would get into anything, Kevin was taking Brie's side. And this infuriated Lisa so bad. And she was just like, you know what? I think it's time for Brie to go. So she goes and she has a conversation with Kevin and she's like, Kevin, I think that this is a bit much. This is like one thing, and and this is where I'm gonna have to agree with Lisa because one thing that you're not going to do is take the peace out of my home. That's where I draw the line. My home is my sanctuary. If I let you into my home, I'll let you into my heart. Like I don't just allow anybody to come over. Like now she's messing up things at home. And so she goes to Kevin and she's like, Kevin. I really feel like, I really feel like Brie needs to leave. And of course, Kevin is just like, what? No. Like, I don't think, you know what? I know what'll do us some good. You know, why don't we go take a little camping trip with David and his wife? Let's just blow off some steam. Let's just enjoy ourselves, right? And so Lisa kind of, okay, Kevin, this does not solve our problem, but I'll allow it. So they go on this camping trip with David and his family. And David and Kevin, like I said, they're like best friends. They're like bros. Like they talk about everything. And so they get there and Kevin confides in David. And he's just like, you know, Lisa is just having a whole, a really hard time with Sabrina living with us. Like she is thinking something is going on between me and Brie. Like she is making up all these baseless claims. And David is just like, well, why would she think that? And he's just like, I don't know. I really like I think Breed is a cool girl. She's a really good girl. She's super respectful. Like, I don't know what's going on with Lisa, but we gotta figure this out. Just as fast as Kevin said that to David, he then turns around and goes, Sabrina wants to be a model and I really want to support her. Do you want to look at these pictures I took of her? So David thinking nothing of it is like, maybe he has pictures of like Sabrina in the leaves, or maybe he has picture of her with like a full-blown jacket on, you know? And so Kevin pulls out his phone and he s shows David the pictures. And in the pictures, it's a very suggestively posed Sabrina in all of the pictures. And so David is just like, that is odd to me because that's like not a that is not an image I would want to take of my daughter. So the fact that you have them is just, it's just a little strange to me. Not gonna hold you, not gonna lie. But he was just like, okay, you know, it is what it is. On the same trip. Kevin is just like they're talking. And Kevin is just like, David, I want to show you something. And he like shows him these boxers he has on. He's like, aren't these nice? And David's like, yeah, I suppose those are cool or whatever. Why are you showing me your draws? And so Kevin is just like, yeah, because Brie got these for me. She said that she did some research and these are really comfortable. And he's just like, okay, weird. I'm gonna file that as W for weird. In my mind, and then I'm gonna let you have it. Like that is just super strange to me. The trip ends, they head back home, and like I said, at this point it's the fall of 2012. Lisa had had it up to here with Brie's disrespect and Kevin's lack of having her back. And once again, she goes to Kevin and she's like, Kevin, Brie needs to leave. Like, I c I can't do this. And once again, Kevin ain't going for none back. He ain't going for none of it. This is where some believe that Lisa begins to question the nature of Kevin and Bree's relationship because it's just like, I'm talking to you about someone that is bothering me. As my husband, you have to protect me. Like, and that's like, husbands, if y'all are listening to this, if your wife comes to you and she's just like, this person really bothers me, don't ever, never, never, never, ever discredit her. Unless your wife is problematic. But even in that case, it's like you kind of know your life is problematic, but she wants to feel she's coming to you because she has a problem and she's looking to you for a solution. She wants to feel supported. She wants to feel like you care about her. She wants to feel like you give a damn about whether she lives or dies. You know what I'm saying? And so one day, Kevin and Bree, they're, you know, canoodling, doing what they do, which I find it even disgusting to say. And he comes to Brie with a proposition. He's like, Listen, Brie. Lisa wants you gone. I know you know Lisa wants you gone. You know I know Lisa wants you gone. Megan knows Lisa wants you gone. Even baby Haley, because Haley was about three years old at the time. Even baby Haley knows that Lisa wants you gone. I don't want that for us. And to be honest, Lisa is worth more to me dead than she is alive. You're about to turn 18 soon. We can start a new life together. Me, you, Haley. Lisa's death would bring me about $785,000 in life insurance money. At that point, we really could start over. We really could make our lives like we could do this. You me and you, you and I, where do you want to live? Cabo? You wanna live in St. Martin? You wanna live in LA? Like, baby, with seven hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars, there's no place we can't live. So here's what we should do. One of these nights when I'm at work and I'll pick the night, I'll make everything I'll make everything worth it for you. Go get a large knife out the kitchen and I just want you to stab Lisa in her chest. I want you to ransack the place, make it look like make it look like a robbery, if you will. And then call the police. They'll come investigate. The assailant ran out the door. Megan goes to live with her dad. Me, you and Haley live happily ever after. And so Bria's just like, my gosh, he really loves me. Like he wants to be with me for the rest of his life. She's like, okay, but wait, what if I get caught? Like, because I know how these things go. Like, what if I get caught? And he's like, I did think that through as well. If you get caught, plead insanity. Just tell them you don't remember. I don't know, I don't remember. I don't know nothing. What y'all talking about? Huh? He said you'll do a couple years for mental illness. He said, You're already documented. All these childhood issues, your dad has, you know, been diagnosed with schizophrenia. And I feel like you have a case here. If you get caught, which you shouldn't, if you stab her in the heart and make it look like someone broke into the house, then but if you do, just plead insanity. You'll do a couple years in a mental institution and then we'll live happily ever after. So now it's the night of November 11, 2012. Megan's walking down the hallway where she hears. Bree and Kevin in Bree's room, they're just And so Megan peeks her head in and she's like, hey y'all, what's going on in here? And they're just like, nothing. I'm just telling Bree goodnight before I head out to work. And so Megan's just like, okay, Kevin, well, good night. And it's about 9 p.m. and Megan goes and she goes to bed. So Megan's sleeping, and at this point, she's hearing Bree's phone. Over and over and over and over. And she goes into Brie's room and she's like, Girl, I know you got friends, but I know you are not that popular. Who is blowing your phone up like this? And Bree is just like, girl, it's nothing. It's just my phone is kind of acting up. But it's cool. Just go to bed. I'll see you in the morning, okay? And so Megan is just like, Okay, this is super weird. But she turns around and she's like, All right, Brie, good night. Cause you know when you get woken up out your sleep and you're irritated because it's just like Bro, what the hell? But it's also like I'm just ready to go back to sleep. So, you know, just leave me out of it type of thing. So Megan goes back to her room, and now it's shortly after 1 a.m. on the morning of November 12th, 2012, when Megan is awakened by blood curdling screams and she hears her dog frantically barking. So she's like, What is the dog barking about? Like, what is that noise? something going on with the neighbors? And so she's like in and out of sleep, and she's What the heck? And so she jumps out of bed and she's following the noise when she leads to Kevin and Lisa's room downstairs and she sees Brie on top of her mother stabbing her repeatedly. So Megan is like, Brie, stop. Brie, get off of mom. Brie, let her go. And Lisa yells to Megan, call 911. So Megan is just like, okay, she gets her phone, she calls 911. Now the 911 call is online. It's available. I listen to it. I just do not have it in my heart to add it to this episode because it is truly like it's very chilling in my opinion. Like it's my gosh, my heart broke listening to it. But feel free to go listen to it on your own. I'm just not adding it here. So Megan calls 911 and they're she's like screaming. She's like, please come help me, come help me, come help me. My mom, my mom, like my sister. And they're just like, okay, slow down, sweetie. What is going on? My mom, she's killing my mom. Stop. Bree, stop. And they're like, who's killing your mama? She's like, my sister. And to me, I'm just like, for her to even consider Bree as a sister in that moment, I almost said the bad word. I promise God I was gonna stop cussing, but I was like, girl. But she was scared because you can stand to reason, like, okay, why don't she go attack Bree? She is stabbing my mother to death. What am I gonna do? She's gonna stab me. And then who's gonna live to tell the tale? So Meg is on the phone with 911. She's Pleading, she's begging, she's like, please hurry up, hurry up. And they're just like, okay, police and EMS, they're on the way. Stay on the phone with me. Let me know you're safe. And so police show up just a few minutes later, and Megan bolts outside. And she's like, at this point, her feet are covered in blood because Lee is just stabbing Lisa repeatedly over and over and over and over. And so police draw their gun at Megan because they're just like, put your hands up. And Megan's like, it's not me. She's inside. She's still stabbing. And so police just, you know, they brush past Megan, they run inside, and they go to the room door and they're just like, come out right now with your hands up. And so Brie calmly walks out of the room. She is covered in blood. The knife is still in her hand. And they're just like, drop the knife right now. She drops the knife and she's arrested immediately. Now, they put her in the ambulance first because She had stabbed Lisa so viciously that she cut herself a few times. And her cuts were deep and required stitches. So she's in the ambulance. They're reading her her rights. They're just like, we're taking you to the hospital. But best believe your ass is going to jail after this. And so after she walks out of the room, they go in the room and Lisa is on the floor. And she is saturated in blood. There, there are stab wounds all over her body. The walls are covered, the carpet saturated. They're just like, ma'am, and they feel her and they're just like trying to perform life saving measures. But unfortunately it was too late and Lisa did succumb to her injuries right there on the floor. And so they hear like a little noise from the closet and they're just like, what the heck is that? Cause the dog ain't in here. And so they opened the door and baby Haley was in the closet the entire time. So they take Haley and Lisa out. They Turn them over to Nick, they call him, you know, Megan's father, and they're just like, Hey, can you come get them? You know, something tragic has happened. They're just like, go over to the hospital, we'll meet you guys there. So Nick comes, they call Kevin, they're Kevin, there's been an, you know, an emergency. So Kevin, he's out of state for work at this time because he drives, like I said. And so he turns back around and he heads home to see what's going on. Breed stabbed Lisa. A total of 178 times, 62 times in the head and neck alone. They said that the attack on Lisa was so violent that the knife was completely and permanently bent out of shape. The fatal blow to Lisa was a knife wound that punctured her lung. And I do believe there was another one that punctured her heart, but don't quote me on that last one. But I do know that they said the one that punctured her lung was fatal. Megan, Nick, Haley, Kevin are now at the hospital. And so they come in and they said, you know, hey, you can see Lisa, but unfortunately she has passed away from her injuries. You can go in and you can say your goodbyes, and then we can make arrangements from there. The first words out of Kevin's mouth were, Where's Sabrina? I need to see her. They just told you that your wife has been stabbed to death. She is dead. And you worried about where's Sabrina at? When you know Sabrina's the one that was stabbing her? Okay. So they give Kevin the information. They're just like, well, she's been arrested. she, you know, I don't think they gave him the information about her medical care. I'm not sure. He was her legal guardian, so I'm not sure. But they're just like, yes, you know, she received medical care. She was arrested. This is where you can find her. And so the morning goes along, and Kevin is just cool. He's just chill. And so Nine hours after the murder, so this will make it about ten AM, he calls Lisa's job and he's just like, Hey, Lisa's dead. you know, RIP to her. About that life insurance policy, because we had several out on her. Can we go ahead and get the ball rolling on that? And they're just like, Yeah, my condolences. I'm so sorry for your loss. Yes, we can contact the life insurance company and they'll reach out to you. They'll probably ask you some questions. You'll probably need to provide the death certificate. But yeah, they'll get you all squared away. After he gets off the phone. David rushes over to him because David is just like, remember, this is David's best friend. So David is in a frenzy. He's just like, my gosh, you know, Kevin, I heard about what happened to Lisa. Like this is so unfortunate. And he's just like, Yeah, can you take me to the jail? I gotta go see Sabrina. David is just like, Okay, that's weird, but sure, let's go. So down at the jail, Brie is being questioned by police and they're just like, Okay, Sabrina, what walk me through the events of the night? Like, what would cause you to so viciously attack your foster mom. And she's just like, I didn't. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember. And they're just like, you walked out of the room with the knife. It was just you and her in there. You did this. And she's just like, did I? Are you sure it wasn't self-defense? Like, bro, I really blacked out. Like I don't remember anything. And they're just like, okay, I understand that this is traumatic for you. But I need you to I need you to tell me what's going on. And she's like, no, I just like I completely blacked out. I don't remember anything. I I just don't remember. And so after a couple hours of questioning her, they're just like, child, we ain't getting nowhere. Go back to your cell. And they just leave her there. So as Bria's back in her cell, Kevin shows up at the jail. And he's just like, hey, I need to see Sabrina Zunik. And they're just like, yeah, no. she's not allowed to have visitors. And he like slams his fist down, like, damn it. And he's just like, okay, well, if I give you a letter for her, can you at least pass it to her? And so the officers are just like, yeah, also, no, like she's not allowed to have visitors. She's not allowed to write notes. Like this isn't freaking camp. She's in jail for murder. Like, get out of my face. So Kevin is just like fine. And then he kind of storms off. And David is looking at him like, okay, this is weird. This is weird. Like, I know I filed it as W for weird earlier, but this is like, At this point concerning. So as news of Lisa's murder began to spread, friends of Sabrina came forward, specifically her friend Autumn, who told the police, like, you know, Sabrina had come to me a couple months ago and asked me if I knew any hit men. And I asked her why. And she said that Kevin and Lisa were getting a divorce. Even the school, they're just like, yeah, like their behavior was hella inappropriate when he would pick her up. Like they really act like, Boyfriend and girlfriend instead of dad and daughter. Like it was really strange. Leading up to Lisa's funeral, even Kevin's behavior became like heavily under scrutiny because you know how after someone passes and everyone comes over to the house and they're offering their condolences, they're bringing food, they're bringing snacks. Well, during one of the gatherings at Kevin's mother's house, the everyone's asking him, like, How are you doing? He's just like, You guys, we just really need to pray for Sabrina. Like, Sabrina's gonna need us to rally behind her in this time. And they're like, Well, you're not talking about the same Brie that killed your wife. Like, we know forgiveness is essential, but excuse me? And so everybody is just like questioning, like, this is really strange. And so everyone is just like, Kevin is being weird. And as he's being weird, they're going to the police, like, Kevin is being weird. And so the police are just like strange, but they're just like him being weird is not really a reason to lock him up. We're going to need more evidence, right? Lisa's funeral was held on Tuesday, November twentieth, two thousand twelve at the David Babcock funeral home in Willoughby, Ohio. Her service was officiated by Reverend Dana Fleming and Reverend Dr. Hazel E. Partington. Right before Thanksgiving though? my gosh. my gosh. Like, my gosh. my gosh, my gosh, like I my heart, right? At Lisa's funeral, there were over 900 guests in attendance. And every last guest was like, Kevin showed zero emotion. Now, obviously, showing emotion after someone passes is not a litmus test of whether or not you love them, but you didn't show emotion when you found out she passed. You didn't show emotion when they were having the gathering at your mom's house. You're not showing emotion at her funeral. Like you never even really checked to make sure the girls were good. You have been focused on Brie this entire time. So during Lisa's funeral, Kevin gets up, no tears, nothing, just a completely stoic face, and he gets up to the altar and he's just like, you know, dearly beloved family and friends, we're gathered here today to make it through this thing called life. Lisa, you know, she was cool and all. Great woman, great wife, great mom. Let us all rally behind Brie. Like she is going to need our prayers. She is going to need our support. Pray for Brie. Put some money on her books or something. You know what I'm saying? Like be there for Brie. And everybody is just collectively puzzled. Like, I'm sorry. Brie continues to sit in jail. And she is, like I said, largely uncooperative with investigators until May 2013. So Bria's talking to her lawyer, and her lawyer's talking to her, and her lawyer basically lays out what's happening. He's just like, you've been in jail now for about six months. You have not said boo to the investigators, you know, which is, you know, that's that's cute on your part if that's what you want to do. However, they have full evidence that you did this. There is a witness, you came out of the room covered in blood. Insanity is not a defense for you because yes, you have these issues, but also you were in your right mind when this was happening. And a hundred and seventy-eight times I'm just saying, we can go to trial, we can bleed insanity. That's fine. But if the jury does not agree, you could be sentenced to death. Now, if you let Sabrina tell it, she says she finally admitted the truth because she's religious and truth prevails. I call BS. I personally think that she had been sitting in that jail cell, unable to see Kevin. Kevin is moving on with his life. He has cashed the insurance money. He is living his like. He is moving on. You know, I there's nowhere that said he had another girlfriend. There's nowhere that say, you know, he was dating or anything like that. But if you and I did this together and I'm taking the fall for it, baby, I'm dragging you down with me. There's one thing if it's just like I'm protecting you. But she's just like, I'm 17. I'm about to do death about this, and this was his idea, and he's just walking away free. Think the hell not. Bring the investigators back. I have something to say. So the investigators come back and they speak with her. And at that point, she's just like, Yes, I did this, but I did it because this is what Kevin wanted me to do. She tells them about the affair. She tells them about the plot to kill Lisa. She tells them about looking for a hitman. And with her testimony, authorities immediately begin building their case against Kevin. So they go back to Brie they say, Listen, Brie, we don't have a whole lot on Kevin, just your word. Like, They even had her friend Autumn like try to catch him admitting to it in a phone call. They tried to get Autumn, like Autumn went over to the house wearing a wire one day and he didn't admit to sleeping with Bree and planning it, but he didn't deny it either. So they're just like, We need a smoking gun. We need something. And so they're just like, Bree, are you willing to testify against Kevin in exchange for a life sentence with the possibility of parole? And Brie is just like, compared to death, sign me up immediately. On August 28, 2014, Brie goes in for her sentence and hearing. She pled guilty to aggravated murder, foregoing a trial, and moving straight to sentencing under Judge Richard Collins Jr., as per their agreement. Sabrina was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Which brings me to where are they now? Sabrina's currently serving her sentence at the Dayton Correctional Institution where she will become eligible for parole on November 8th, 2042. She'll be 47 years old. Or will she be 48? I feel like she'll be 48. Something tells me though that her first appeal is gonna be denied. I I get that feeling in my spirit, like something tells me her her first appeal is gonna be denied. But I guess, you know, God willing, I make it to 2042. Especially if Lisa's daughters have anything to do with it. I mean you stab their mother to death in front of them. So Kesara Sarah girl, whatever will be, will be. But if I was Megan, if I was Haley, baby, I'm showing up to everything. There she go. That's the girl that killed my mama right there. Yes, I saw her. It traumatized me. Yes, I went through so much angst over this. Like my mom didn't I'm telling you, I was telling it all. Recent pictures of Sabrina though look like she been in prison. Being a little player player. I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but she looked like there has not been a piece of coochie that she has laid to waste. Like she looked like she has been in there hunching on everything. She got the little, I don't even know what kind of haircut. She got the little regular. She got this, her haircut. She looked like she'd been turned out and she'd been turning other females out. That's what she looked like, in my opinion. Let me know what you think in the comments. And this is no shade. This is no shame. You know, live your life. Be who you are, see your pride. I feel like she got there. She was rallied by women who loved her and probably are afraid of her, but she looked like she'd been munching on hella carpet, in my opinion. But also you can't judge a book by its cover. When asked why she committed such a horrible act, she said it was because it was what I was told to do. If you're looking for Kevin Canafle, He too can be found in the Ohio DLC. Like I mentioned earlier, after Lisa's death, he was moving funny. Investigators kept an eye on it. And finally, Bree sang like a canary. Kevin lawyered up pretty quickly and denied any involvement with Lisa's murder. And he also denied any involvement with Sabrina. We never had sex. She was just obsessed with me. She just liked the way I looked. Maybe she didn't see me as a father figure. Maybe she just wanted to get with me. I don't know, but it was not me. And he went to trial. Autumn testified against him. Sabrina testified against him. His best friend and brother, David, testified against him. His defense said, that is all hearsay. Sabrina will say anything that she wants so that she don't have to serve a life sentence or get the death penalty. How could y'all believe her word over this kind gentleman? Jury went out to deliberate. They found him guilty on. Everything they threw at him. One count of aggravated murder, six counts of sexual battery. He is currently serving his sentence at the Lake Erie Correctional Institution and will be eligible for parole on July 29, 2055. He will be 85 years old if he makes it that far. As part of my research for this episode, I watched Megan's story on the TV show Evil Lives Here. And during that episode, she mentioned that. Kevin essentially took her mother's life insurance money and left she and Haley with nothing. Like he was just like, My name is Bennett, I ain't in it. He took the money and he was just like, I don't know, y'all got another daddy. I don't know who Haley went to custody of, but from what I could see, it looks like Megan went and lived with her father, Nick Zanella. Now they did sue Sabrina and Kevin, and Sabrina and Kevin were ordered to pay six point two million dollars in civil damages. And I do wonder how that works. Because does she have to wait until they get out of prison to see her money? Or y'all gonna help them give her some money? Like, because awarding her $6.2 million in damages is amazing. Did she get the money? Is my question because y'all better give her her money. Because truth be told, right after Kevin, she was the heir. And obviously she would rather have her mom than $785,000. But to not have her mom or $785,000, Kevin should burn in hell. You took all that money, you didn't give her nothing. And that's messed up. Like, even if you had given her $100,000, it was better than nothing. You could have given her $185,000 and you would have still had $600,000. Like what? Don't piss me off. But let me know in the comments. Does anyone know how that works? Which brings me to my final thoughts. I am a bit conflicted on this story, honestly. Sabrina was a teenager that had been through a lot. Like I said, she felt rejected by her parents. They chose substances over her. They chose jail time over her. They chose themselves over her. And that's not an easy thing to get over. Because then you go your whole life searching for that love that you should have gotten from your parents. And the truth of the matter is you don't always get it. But her being that young, she's just trying to fill the void. She's not trying to, she's not, you know, of the capacity of I'm acting out because my parents hurt me. She's of the capacity of I'm acting out because it's the only way I get attention. And I just feel like I understand addiction is a disease, but I feel like I've known too many people that have gotten their self together to fight their disease for the betterment of their children. And, you know. Sabrina's parents were just unable to do that. And I don't know. I'm interested in the psychology of what makes a successful recovery versus not. Because I once knew this lady. She had four kids. She was a horrible heroin addict. I worked at the clinic that she was being treated at. And she had gotten clean because she was pregnant. And she went through her entire pregnancy. The day she gave birth, she went back. She relapsed and died. She overdosed. And now I'm just like, now you have four kids and a brand new the baby wasn't even a week old. And she overdosed because that it's like that demon was just clawing at her, like, get high, get high, get high. And it's so important to just like, I mean, I don't know. I don't know what it's like to be addicted to heroin. I just know what it's like when I feel like I'm disappointing myself. Right. So, like for me, if if you if I'm addicted to anything, I'm addicted to some fried food. I love chips, I love. Fries, I love crispy chicken, I love it. But now I'm trying to shift my mindset. So I'm tracking, okay, I ate a Chick-fil-A sandwich on on Monday, and baby, I didn't eat for the rest of the day because I was like, what do you mean I consume that many calories in one meal? You know what I'm saying? I feel like at some point you kind of you just have to make a decision and you just go through each and every day. Start fresh every morning. And if you fail, that's okay, but don't forget your goal. Don't forget your goal. Don't fall back into this pattern, you know? And so I don't think there's enough research on the effects of foster care on children or even the effects of not being raised by your biological parents. But I feel like everyone could collectively agree that Sabrina was a a troubled kid. Like she was looking for love and Kevin really manipulated her. Because the truth of the matter is, if your foster daughter comes to you and she's just like, let me massage your thigh. First of all, why are you telling her to massage your thigh? First of all, why are you talking to her 2,000 times in a month? Why are you talking to her more than your wife? Because it's inappropriate. You know what I'm saying? Like, I just feel like because of that desire to be loved and that void that she needed to be filled, she fell victim to a grown-ass, manipulative ass, childish ass man who used her to do his dirty work and basically let her take the fall for it. And that's really a shame. On the flip side, Megan Zanella. I I saw a quote from her and it really ate. She was just like, Do I feel bad for Sabrina? Yes. Because I do believe Kevin manipulated her. I do believe this was her idea. But at the same point in time, you did it. And you stabbed my mother a hundred and seventy-eight times. Do you know how depraved you have to be to stab somebody a hundred and seventy-eight times? And I agree with Megan. At seventeen big years of age, yes, you're still a child, but you know the difference between right and wrong. Like what was the plan here? Did you really think that you were gonna get away with stabbing this woman while her daughters were home? And I understand you had a little discourse for Lisa because you wanted her man. But I would have told Lisa, like, because at some point you have to realize what he will do to her, he will do to you. So if he's gonna cheat on his wife with a child, because baby, you're gonna get older. You're not gonna be 17 your whole life. And then he's gonna find another 17-year-old. But I understand that her brain waves did not go that far. But I just feel like stabbing Lisa over and over when Megan, like she truly like, she had a moment of insanity because Megan is like pleading, like, girl, stop. But I honestly do feel like she felt like she could not disappoint Kevin and that's why she kept going. Girl, you were clutching the knife when the police showed up. You had plenty of time to stop. You had plenty of time to come to your senses. And I'm sorry, but if ever there was a candidate for the chair, baby, it would be you. I'm just saying, because this was heartless. And I I have to agree with Megan because Megan is just like, I don't think she has no remorse. I think she's upset about how her life turned out, but I don't feel like she has no remorse. And I concur. Because let's be honest, she did not tell on Kevin to vindicate Lisa. She told on Kevin because she felt like she was going down alone. And nobody can change my mind of that. I am sorry. You are old enough to say no. And to be quite frank, at the time that this happened, it was right after her 18th birthday. So I understand enjoying the safety and security of this family that you had, but it's like you also had no obligation to be there because she was released from foster care. They're just like you can essentially be free and go on your own. And she signed paperwork to stay in the canafel house. So it's like you had every right to go. And you had the tools at this point to be like, I know better now. Like I can finish school. She genuinely could and I don't know if her grandma was still alive at this time, but she also had an aunt because her aunt was the first person that she confessed to about her inappropriate relationship with Kevin. So it's just like at this point, if you're doing well, you could have even been like, Auntie, like things are getting a little toxic here. Can I please just stay with you till I finish school? Prove yourself. What does the Bible say? Study to show yourself approved. I think. I've heard that a lot. I don't know if it's actual scripture, though. Like God takes care of fools and babies. That's not an actual scripture, but we say it all the time. Studies to show yourself approved. You were already doing well. You had been doing well for over a year. I feel like you had other options. And then if you wanted to still slide with Kevin, because now technically you're an adult, but he did groom you, girl. He did. He groomed the hell out of you and he played in your face. But that's why he is. in prison now and I don't think he getting out, I'm be honest. I think they should have given her life without parole, but I suppose 30 years would suffice. But I do know when she goes up for parole, I do believe Megan and Haley probably gonna be right there staring you in your face, reminding you of what you took from them because they don't get their mom back. You snuffed an incredibly bright light from this world. And I get your position, but I don't get your thought process. At 17, I don't think there was a soul that can manipulate me into killing anybody. I'm sorry. At 37, there's not a soul that can manipulate me into killing anybody. You have you had the freedom to just walk away. But you wanted Kevin. And you loved him. And I feel bad for you because that wasn't real love. That was manipulation. And so you never got to know real love because This grown ass man, this forty three year old man was playing in your seventeen year old face. And that is the part I don't like. Kevin, you can burn in hell. I don't know if you had any of that life insurance money, but I sure hope they made you give it to Megan. And that's the end of our show. Keep up with me. Follow me on TikTok, Minor Mischief Pod on Instagram, Minor Mischief Podcast. If you want to talk, you want a Kiki, you want a Kakai, you want to cackle, you want to do whatever, email me, minor mischiefpodcast at gmail.com. Let me know what you think about today's case in the comments. If you have any case suggestions, please email me. Write it in the comments. Let me know what you like. Let me know what you don't like. Rate the show. That helps me a ton. I currently have a four-star rating because somebody gave me a one. And if you're gonna give me a one, tell me why. So that I can fix it if I want to. But thank you for your feedback. But I wanna know who gave me a one. Cause it was one person, but you brought my review down to a four instead of a five. And I'm aiming for a five star review. What else is going on, y'all? My other podcast comes out past the popcorn. So look out for that. if you're into horror movies and horror movie reviews, check out Pass the Popcorn Podcast. Listen to the Minor Mischief Podcast every Thursday. Same day of the week, every week. And yeah, I think that's all. I love you guys to life. And until next week, stay mysterious, friends.