logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
26m 43s

The Case of Heaven Waktins

The Misery Machine
About this episode

This week, Yergy and Drewby head to both Minnesota and Virginia to discuss the case of Heaven Watkins, a young autistic girl with cerebral palsy who was killed by her mother, Latoya Monique Smith, and her new boyfriend, Demont Harris. Even more infuriating than the fact that this beautiful little girl was killed, is the fact that Demont was being paid by the state of Virginia to care for her - but he didn't. He did the exact opposite of that. 

Support Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine

PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine

Join Our Facebook Group: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1

Instagram: miserymachinepodcast

Twitter: misery_podcast

Discord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM

#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrime

Source Material:

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/investigations/kare-11-investigates-heavens-tragic-life-and-death/89-611352180

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/norfolk/heaven-watkins-latoya-smith-sentencing/291-6ff0fe42-2331-4d58-9886-d7004cca287f

https://youtu.be/ohqL3WsVGOg?list=PL63Lm4ZCdVCBOIToqZexHpMQL7MbE48L9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0yp0PD4CXg&list=PL63Lm4ZCdVCBOIToqZexHpMQL7MbE48L9&index=2

https://www.13newsnow.com/video/news/local/13news-now-investigates/full-interview-sheronda-orridge-on-her-niece-heaven-watkins/291-8221111

https://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/media/news/heavens-story-after-girls-death-her-child-abuse-case-is-prompting-nationwide-legislation

https://disability-memorial.org/heaven-watkins

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/485

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr485

https://childwelfaremonitor.org/2018/11/27/why-america-needs-an-interstate-child-abuse-and-neglect-registry/

https://wset.com/news/local/mother-fianc-charged-in-death-of-11-year-old-autistic-child-caused-abdomen-to-split

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193395667/heaven-raola-watkins

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/investigations/man-pleads-guilty-in-norfolk-child-abuse-death/291-a934951d-da32-4f72-ac16-9b908034afda

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/13news-now-investigates/gov-northam-signs-heavens-bill-into-law/291-277a0507-c670-4b14-a2ed-9fc4e31795f8

https://www.wtkr.com/2018/05/25/bond-hearing-scheduled-for-norfolk-mother-charged-with-murder-in-childs-death

https://www.wtkr.com/2018/05/23/family-of-11-year-old-victim-speaks-out-as-they-plan-memorial-services-to-honor-the-child

https://www.wtkr.com/2018/05/21/two-more-children-taken-from-norfolk-home-after-11-year-olds-death

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-103-heaven-watkins-part-1/id1499010711?i=1000553419032

Up next
Yesterday
The Case of Alexis Avila
In January of 2022, a shocking case out of New Mexico stunned the nation. Surveillance cameras captured 18-year-old Alexis Avila tossing her newborn baby into a dumpster... alone, wrapped in a dirty towel, and left for dead. The footage went viral, sparking outrage, heartbreak, a ... Show More
29m 55s
Aug 21
The Case of Ghislaine Maxwell
She was born into wealth, luxury, and power… But behind the diamonds and designer clothes lurked something truly sinister. Ghislaine Maxwell wasn’t just Epstein’s confidante... She was his enabler, his hunter, and his partner in one of the darkest sex trafficking rings in modern ... Show More
29m 20s
Aug 18
The Case of Hershall Creachbaum Jr.
This week, Drewby and Yergy head back to Ohio to discuss the case of Hershall Creachbaum Jr, a young boy with cerebral palsy who was beaten to death by his drunken stepfather. But the horror didn’t end there... In a desperate attempt to cover up the murder, the man staged a fake ... Show More
31m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 23
Case 326: Cooper Harris
*** Content warnings: Child victim ***When doting mother Leanna Harris arrived to pick up her 22-month-old son Cooper Harris from daycare in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 18 2014, she was shocked to find that Cooper wasn’t there. She soon discovered that her husband, Ross Harris, had ... Show More
1h 31m
Jan 2025
The Murder of Charline Rosemond (Massachusetts)
Charline Rosemond left home in Everett, Massachusetts one day in April of 2009 excited to buy a new car, but the evening took a deadly turn. Now for more than fifteen years, her family has waited for justice and answers in the still unsolved homicide.Someone knows something about ... Show More
32m 9s
Sep 2024
Leah Hickman
When 21-year-old Leah Hickman went missing from Huntington, West Virginia, in December 2007, the entire community rallied together to find her. Within days, her family spoke to national news outlets, digital billboards displayed Leah’s picture and information, and her employer of ... Show More
40m 5s
Dec 2024
The Murder of John Evers Robinson (Connecticut)
Nearly 35 years have passed since John Evers Robinson was found dead in his New Haven, Connecticut music studio. The original investigation generated several leads and theories of the killing, but the case remains unsolved. Now, John’s sister is doing everything she can to get he ... Show More
42m 50s
Oct 2023
Jada Pinkett Smith on Tupac, Will and Their Kids
Jada Pinkett Smith isn’t done with the bombshells. Her new memoir “Worthy” just dropped today, and Jada’s full steam ahead on her book tour. And she’s spilling plenty of tea: from deets about her separation from hubby Will Smith to stories about her former “soulmate,” Tupac. And ... Show More
11m 5s
Dec 2024
The Disappearance of Celeste Doghmi (Maine)
It wasn’t unusual for Celeste Doghmi to go long stretches of time without talking to her friends and family. She’d lost touch with her mother and many of her close friends, but as far as they could tell by posts on social media, her life was busy with a new baby and starting coll ... Show More
32m 3s
Jun 18
Talking Dateline: Secrets in the Mist
Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy sit down to talk about Keith’s classic episode "Secrets in the Mist.” Nearly 30 years after a young mother by the name of Carol Lubahn went missing from her California home, cold case investigators built a murder case against her husband, Mike, ba ... Show More
16m 29s
Jan 2024
How an investigative podcast helped get justice for an Ontario family, plus new and notable podcasts for January (ft. Yusuf Zine, Ronald Young Jr. & Ian Coss)
This week on Podcast Playlist we're sharing new and notable podcasts for January, along with some interviews from the podcast world. First: In 2016, Soleiman Faqiri was killed by guards at an Ontario jail. An inquest last month determined his death was a homicide, but the podcast ... Show More
54m 11s
Sep 2024
Talking Dateline: The Day Akia Disappeared
Keith Morrison and Josh Mankiewicz sit down to talk about Josh’s episode, “The Day Akia Disappeared.” In May 2017, 22-year-old Akia Eggleston vanished in Baltimore, Maryland. She was eight months pregnant with her second child. When she didn’t show up for her baby shower, Akia’s ... Show More
21m 36s
Jul 2020
A Father's Grief
Kate and Sam lost their beautiful baby girl, Wren just six days after she was born. Their grief is shared, but their experiences quite different. This episode covers the loss of a baby through a father's eyes.Content warning: This podcast contains graphic descriptions that some p ... Show More
35m 53s