The Caretaker (Logan Atkins)
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What is the background of the hosts?
Perfectly healthy babies don't just suddenly collapse and die. And there's nothing wrong with that child. Something else is going on. I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former deputy sheriff.
I'm Anastasia Nicolazzi, former New York City homicide prosecutor and host of Investigation Discovery's True Conviction.
And this is Anatomy of Murph.
Why discuss crimes against children in this episode?
If you've been an AOM listener, you may have noticed that we don't often cover crimes against children. Very often, stories about abuse perpetrated against a defenseless minor are just too hard to digest. Even as a prosecutor, I found that these cases impacted me differently than other cases because you were dealing with the most innocent of the innocent.
As you're well aware of, these crimes do happen way too often than we would like to believe. And the fact that these young victims cannot advocate for themselves is precisely why we thought it might be a good reason for us to highlight some of their cases here.
One such case involving the sudden and unexplained death of a seven-month-old infant occurred in Fayette County, Texas, in July of 2016.
The investigation and resulting trial would confront issues of child abuse, parental responsibility, and most tragically, the murder of an innocent child.
Of all the cases I prosecute, baby death cases are the ones that affect me the most. I have a two-year-old. I have a child. And, you know, when you look at autopsy photos of an infant, it's just a lot harder than it is to look at autopsy photos of an adult.
Who was Logan Atkins and what happened to him?
That's Josh Summers, an experienced prosecutor at the Texas Attorney General's Office. In his role, Josh is often called in to assist on complex investigations or trials occurring in smaller towns and jurisdictions throughout the state that might benefit or can benefit from the full resources of the Texas Attorney General's Office.
So I always tell people I have the best job in the entire world because I get to travel all over the great state of Texas and prosecute some of the worst offenders. You know, my job is to see that justice is done in these cases.
And when Josh says worst offenders, that would certainly include the rare, but not rare enough, instances of child murder.
When you talk about baby death cases, no one likes to think that an adult, that someone is capable of murdering a baby. But the sad reality of the world we live in, these things happen.
And when they do, it takes a special breed of prosecutor to make sure that young victim and his or her family get the justice and the care that they deserve.
You know, I always tell people when you talk about being a prosecutor, I tell families and crime victims, I can't change what has happened, but what I can do is make sure that the right thing happens now. So when I step into a case and meet with a family that's lost a loved one, it's really my job to be a strong person and to shepherd them through what may be the darkest time in their lives.
Nicole Lambert was a small-town girl who had grown up in rural Texas. And while her life had not turned out quite exactly how she dreamed as a little girl, there was one very bright spot in her life, her seven-month-old son, Logan.
Logan Atkins was a beautiful baby, just a gorgeous little boy, and was just one of those children that, you know, when you see his picture, you could just tell this child was very full of life and full of love.
In 2016, Nicole was a single mom trying to make ends meet. And when it came to taking care of Logan, she often relied on the help of friends and family, including her mom who lived in the area and a good friend named Billy Palaszczuk.
Billy would regularly spend time with Logan. Billy was someone that Nicole would trust to watch her child. He was almost like a second father to Logan, very much a godfather type figure.
On the night of July 3rd, fireworks were already starting to pop around LaGrange, a small town on the Columbia River between Houston and San Antonio.
But while most people were preparing to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday, Nicole had to do a night shift, so she asked Billy if he wouldn't mind watching Logan for the night.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the background of the hosts?
0:01–0:39
2
Why discuss crimes against children in this episode?
0:39–1:56
3
Who was Logan Atkins and what happened to him?
1:56–4:45
4
What were the circumstances leading to Logan's death?
4:45–12:43
5
What inconsistencies were found in Billy's story?
12:43–16:39
6
What evidence suggests Logan's death was a homicide?
16:39–24:26
7
How did investigators approach the crime scene?
24:26–31:39
8
What challenges did investigators face in this case?
31:39–51:20