The Case Of The DNA Covered Cigarette 

I've received a few comments asking for more details on his conviction. As I stated in the video, the ultimate piece of evidence was the DNA but there were a few other things I should have mentioned. After he was interrogated, he made several phone calls from jail that were used as evidence against him. Also, his alibi was proven to be false which did not help his case. Ultimately, it was the cigarette that would lead to his conviction but these other small facts definitely helped push the conviction and should have been added to the video. Thank you for watching and please share your thoughts below.

Telling others that you have $100K in a hidden safe in your home is a very bad idea

I won't say anything without my lawyer So anyway here's my biography

“i wanna get this down again bro… what. are. you. doing”

Looked up the trial etc, and there was additional evidence. He made calls from prison and pretty much admitted via his conversations he did it. He needed money, had domestic abuse charges, potential prostitution promotion charges, and had drugs hidden in his house. So, he was lying about many things.

Here’s what I’ve learned from being a true crime buff, The American judicial system terrifies me on so many levels.

Three packs a day?? No wonder the dude couldn't afford child support.. that's a carton of cigarettes every fourth day.. damn 🧐

"I tooken care of..." He needs a lot more school than that one semester.

This channel is my new addiction!!! No re-enactments!jus real suspects,real interrogations, n real arrests!!!!

Why exactly are they taking people's drivers licenses who owe child support? Just for them to not be able to pay the child support because they can't get back and forth to work? Makes a lot of sense Edit: 1,800 likes?! Wow I’m shocked y’all agree!!!!

Wow🤩 amazing interrogation.,! Great content as usual! Thx for the upload 💝

The detective's "monologue" starting from 20:30 is absolutely masterful. I can listen to this man talk forever.

“So how did my name get brought up?” “Science.” Now there’s a line detectives fantasize about dropping. Great video, RTC.

"I'm not going to say anything without my lawyer..." proceeds to talk for 20 min.... These guys are geniuses.

Awesome video, very well put together and explained. My new favorite channel!

Great stuff man keep bringing em classic rare interrogations, you are unique

Two men's DNA on the same cigarette. One gets the case thrown out, the other gets life. American legal system working as intended

Another excellent episode. It's great that you cover lesser known cases. I don't know how many times I've seen famous cases eg; Israel Keyes covered by different RU-vidrs. Thanks for your content bud.

It's ironic how the detectives claim DNA is the smoking gun, But when they find the other guy's DNA on the cigarette too he gets off for insufficient evidence.

Damn JCS is getting so much love. He single handedly made a new genre of true crime.

This Detective is one of the best interrogators I've ever seen, and I watch a ton of interrogations. He is a PRO!

Wow...how could a jury say there was no doubt when there was 2 separate DNA strands belonging to 2 people on the cigarette.

Great voice and story telling! I'm very particular about who I like to listen to and this is great at

Thought it was really interesting how the victim went by “Johnny.” And when they asked the suspect if he knew “John” he replied “I don’t know Johnny.”

Before revealing the DNA, the cop should've figured out what cigs he likes to smoke to compare to the the cig butt

This channel has super interesting and wildly insane content. Really great narration skills and explanations. Thank you!

Thanks for such good content.

I could not convict someone based on a cigarette butt left on the scene. It could so easily be planted or even carried in by the treads of someone’s shoe. I would need a lot more evidence.

I'm not saying he is definitely innocent, but I do not think he should have been convicted in this case

That was some excellent detective work! Another great, high quality video...thank you!

Well done, Red Tree Crime. Excellent narration and editing.

Thank You for the video.

I LOVE your channel ❤ Once video a week isn't enough 😩

I wanna know why I'm here and I'm going to wait for my lawyer. Also while I'm waiting I'm going to answer a million questions.

Great job! Thanks!

Thank you for the great videos

For some context here. I knew Lisa and Johnny. I also went to school with and knew 2 of the people mentioned in the interrogation. Chris and Tony Watson. They were, and one still is, two of the sleaziest pos's you could imagine. Tony was murdered in an apartment complex parking lot a couple years ago over drugs. And Chris and another guy involved in the case, Zack Burkett, are currently extorting some poor guy to let them live at his house and sell heroin and prostitutes out of his home. The guy's dad died and he inherited his house . Chris and Zack use violence and intimidation on him to force him to let them turn his house into a flop house. These are the kind of people these are. Tony, Zack, and Cameo Pettaway knew Johnny. Cameo was linked with dna and Tony and Zack were also interrogated by the cops. At the very least Tony, Zack, and Cameo set Johnny and Lisa up to be robbed. They tried to frame Sam Williams and it worked. Sam was on the Eastside at the time of the murders, verified through his phone GPS and witnesses. The Eastside of Toledo is 30-40 minutes away from the Straub home and there's no way he could go commit that crime and be back at the bar he was at in the time frame they said. They also found unknown dna on the duct tape Johnny and Lisa were bound with. They still haven't found the person whose dna that is. Sam is innocent and the people directly or indirectly responsible are free right now. Everybody that knows the people involved in this case know who did it. But the cops in Toledo have no interest in reinvestigating to find out the truth.

I'm in early! Thanks for the content! I love it and have spent a week binging your channel.

if this doesn't tell you that smoking is bad, nothing will

Happy I came across this video because I seen the interview

And another story I haven’t heard before. Well done Red Tree Crime!

Reading some of these comments about the possibility of any random person smoking his leftover cigarette butt, combined with the fact someone else's DNA was ALSO found on that butt...... Idk enough to affirmatively say guilty or innocent, but what I WILL say is I personally believe just those two things alone raise enough reasonable doubt. I mean... Casey Anthony got acquitted ffs, but not this guy?!? Just sayin'.

Great detectives being able to make the suspect relate to them….excellent work sirs..

big fan of your content!!

This channel is better than anything on TV right now. Please carry on.

Good stuff Red Tree, creepin towards my fav channel!

I’ve seen my share of interrogations, and these two do a pretty good job

The detective off screen is killing it. It didn’t work but still a great job trying to rationalize with the guy. It’s almost hypnotizing.

Really love this video looking forward to watching more thank you 😊 🙏 😀 ☺

What if that was packed in the house in someone's shoe? It kinda freaks me out to think that could happen. I dont mean I think this particular guy is innocent, but after learning about transfer DNA, it scares the bejeezus out of me that someone could pack my cells to a crime scene and I get accused and even convicted based on that DNA.

Pls, Put a warning for a epilepsie attack in the beginning of the vid because of the flickering effect when you speak. Great video👍

You have the best narrating voice in this niche. Would love to see a collab between you and EWU crew

while all other channels w this kind of content are going downhill, you guys keep it 100!

Literally watching everything you've posted today and then I see this. You're making being sick a little easier. Thank you.

Wooow these detectives are masters

That little Did You know speech kinda got me pumped up

Top notch narration and content!!

I heard the 911 call from the male victim’s mother just a few days ago. It was gut-wrenching, and has been on my mind ever since. Thanks for posting this.

"Idk Lisa Slob" Detective: "Slav" 😅😅😅😅

Christ loves you and died for YOU on that cross🙏

I know how hard you are working to give us this excellent content, you're doing a great job and I am truly grateful for your hard work and dedication! Keep it up my friend

Wow, this is a tough one. I don't know if he did it or not o.O, I was a smoker for over 15 yrs, now I personally couldn't see myself lighting up a cigarette IN the house right after /during the murders no less leaving more evidence there, doesn't mean he's not dumb enough to. It does seem real sketchy though, like if I were going to try and frame someone for a crime... Leaving behind some DNA of someone else is a damn good way to go about it.

Man i can agree with the other comments; this detective is the smoothest interrogation style I’ve seen . He can talk the cuffs onto anyone given time.

If that cigarette had 2 peoples DNA on it, I can totally see how that could happen. I'm a smoker, I only ever smoke half a cigarette at a time, I always have my son or my brother or one of their friends grab the other half of my cigarette out of the ashtray and take it with them, usually tucked over their ear and smoke it later. So my DNA could end up at a crime scene without me ever being there.

That detectives speech about asking for help was so good I almost confessed

Did I have a stroke? Or did he clearly ask for a lawyer at the beginning of the interrogation, yet they still asked questions?…

Cigarette butts blow in the wind sometimes people flick them out the window when they drive by a house and then someone steps on it and it sticks to their shoe and they carry it in the house I've seen cigarette butts in my car that have gotten there from the bottom of my shoe I couldn't easily carry it in to a friend of mine's house from across town you need more evidence than that

I love your channel and I look forward to your new videos. You don't do a great job making sure all details of the story are 100% accurate. Thank you for another awesome video!!!!

They showed him a pic of the murder house and asked if he knew the victims... so how would he not know why he's there?

The way that detective broke down life problems and this being the biggest day of his life had to have hit him hard. I look back at being 24 and if some old man had said that to me about a situation it would have hit home for sure.

Thank you.

The stories I’ve never seen before are like finding a needle in a haystack! I could binge on this content forever. It’s so interesting, and you really REALLY learn how to read people while observing these professionals working their magic. We truly are so easy to unravel and decode.

I watch so much true crime, to find cases I haven't seen before is so exciting! I'm a dork! I know! Thank you for your videos, I subscribed and look forward to seeing many more. You do a great job! I find the interrogations so interesting.

That is the best detective I've ever seen, I woulda spilled whatever beans I had 🤣

A man sitting next to the store yesterday asked me for a smoke, I was going to go in so instead of stepping on my cigarette I gave it to the man. What if he killed someone and dropped the butt? Now maybe he killed a stranger but it was someone I knew? If it had 2 sets of DNA and he looked innocent I’d be the one going to jail. If I told the truth they may assume I was making up a story to fit my narrative. This story really freaks me out!

Kind of silly to suggest he didn't know why he was there after they started off asking him if he knew the two deceased... Especially if he is the culprit.

There's obviously much more to this that wasn't mentioned here. If a cigarette butt is all they have and it has two DNA profiles on it why was one of them acquitted and the other sentenced life. Makes no sense.

“You can ask my mom” Rock solid alibi there

Bro what are you doing ? The first 5 minutes were gold

Your story telling and the time you put into your videos is top tier level.

Holy fucking shit!!!!! He smokes 3 packs a day!?!? That's insane. I am a former smoker of a pack a day. 3 packs is seriously crazy

Moral of the story. Never talk to police even if you think you have nothing to hide

Dude said he was going to be quiet and ask for a lawyer, then got sucked into a conversation. 🙄😄 The detectives are brilliant at getting people to open up and talk.

Smart move for a criminal can be taken from this. Go to a bar in a pretty bad area, get a cig butt or 2, leave them at your crime scene & hope for the best! lol

If two people's DNA was on the cigarette, it could have been only one of them smoking a butt the other had left. I hope that wasn't the only incriminating evidence.

The interrogator is a total gun. Sam got owned big time. Fascinating viewing. Great narrative, thanks for this video 👍

He asked for a lawyer and they kept questioning. All that will be thrown out

This is a tough one. I mean, he doesn't seem very bright, but leaving a cigarette butt at the crime scene? Since he's a big smoker and probably never done anything like this before, it's possible that he broke down, calmed himself with a smoke and didn't think. Also his reaction is very unnatural. I would've gone mental if i was accused of double murder.

This was a particular interesting video because it includes police interviewing witnesses. When edited right these interviews can be particularly compelling, for instance there’s a guy who covered the multiple interviews with the corrupt Buck Eye police department and it was FASCINATING

Channel has a ton of potential just connect and lay things out at the end with the results and summary

Really enjoyed this but I have light sensitive epilepsy and I had to close the screen and only listen -

Field stripping your cigarette butts and automatically sticking them in your pocket/purse is akin to putting your shopping cart where it belongs on a regular basis. I know it's a small, menial job but imo it does tend to reflect on weather or not you care about your environment and those around you. Someone mentioned that maybe a stranger picked a few butts out of an ashtray and dropped one at the crime scene. I would argue that the suspect doesn't care enough about others enough to worry about looking for someplace to throw his cigarette butts.

"I just want to know what its about then I am going to wait for my lawyer." Immediately starts talking to the detectives.

Damn. Sometimes I'm so deep into these vids. That I want to confess. LOL

Here is what happened: Some punks who set up & did the double murder got a little bit smart and dropped this guy Sam's cigarette butt at the scene to frame him.... cigarette butt was left inside the house to preserve DNA and make to sure it was found... its absolutely crazy how easy it is to frame someone.

The second they asked him those names and showed him the photo of the house he knew what was up

From beginning monster hart and condolences 🙏

This detective got me ready to confess something too

I sure do love these kinds of videos, but I’m sure they’re really helpful to murderers, too. The interrogators do a phenomenal job tricking suspects.

Wait....I went to school with Johnny back in Jr high and high school. Never thought I could say that about one of these videos