Case: Murdered in boyfriend's bed, Winnsboro, Texas 2007
4 May 202629 min read1h 2m
TL;DR
19-year-old Brittany McGlone was brutally beaten to death in her boyfriend Jeff Stogner's bed in May 2007. After eliminating Jeff, his family, and other obvious suspects through alibis and polygraph tests, investigators eventually zeroed in on Chad Carr—Jeff's sister's 25-year-old boyfriend—who had a suspicious 59-minute window unaccounted for that morning and had violently attacked another woman with a jack handle six years prior.
Key Moments
Ashley Flowers
“So when a 19-year-old is found dead in her boyfriend's bed, it doesn't feel random. You can practically hear the gossip at the gas pump, the church parking lot, echoing through the checkout line. There are men with motive, men with violent past, men the town already talk about.”
Flowers introduces the case, emphasizing how in small towns like Winnsboro, suspicion immediately falls on known troublemakers
“Britney is completely naked, and there is blood everywhere. On the sheets, on the pillow, cast off on the wall behind the bed. Like the kind of pattern you would see when someone is struck over and over again.”
Brit describes the brutal crime scene discovered when Jeff returns home from picking up his grandmother
“In the bathroom, there are signs that the killer took a shower. This is the thing that really stands out to Wood County Sheriff's deputies once they arrive.”
A key detail that suggests the killer was composed enough to clean up after the murder, indicating someone familiar with the house
“Britney had confided in her sister Hope before she died that their grandfather had been sexually abusing her. This went on from the time she was young up until fairly recently.”
Hope reveals at Brittany's funeral that their grandfather James McGlone had been abusing her, which becomes a potential motive but is ruled out by his work alibi
“Years earlier, in 2001, a woman reported to deputies that Chad assaulted her by hitting her in the head with a jack handle, which I don't know if you're familiar with that, but that's the kind of weapon that Britney was possibly killed with. The weapon that they've never been able to find.”
The hosts connect Chad Carr's prior violent assault using a tire iron-like weapon to the tool believed used to kill Brittany
Crime Junkie is a true crime podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit that investigates real murder cases with deep reporting and narrative storytelling. Each episode follows the hosts as they uncover new details, interview family members and investigators, and piece together what happened in small-town crimes that often go unsolved or unreported.
Takeaways
1
Inconsistencies in timeline create suspicious gaps Chad claimed he went home to change clothes due to weather, but May 4th, 2007 had mild temperatures (high 60s, low 70s). He also told the doctor's office he had car trouble to explain being 20 minutes late, but never mentioned this to detectives—a discrepancy that weakened his alibi.
2
Prior violence with same weapon type suggests pattern Chad Carr attacked a woman named Debbie with a jack handle in 2001, hitting her in the head with the same type of tire-iron-like weapon believed used to kill Brittany. The pattern connects his history of brutal violence to the current murder.
3
Tiny circle of knowledge makes witness identification critical Only a handful of people knew Brittany would be sleeping at Jeff's house that morning instead of going home as usual. The investigation hinges on identifying who in that small circle—Jeff, his family, and anyone they told—could have accessed the home.
4
Suspect behavior under observation reveals guilt indicators When Chad Carr arrived at the crime scene hours after the body was discovered, a deputy noted he was visibly shaking, nervous, and fidgety—signs initially dismissed as normal stress but later considered red flags when he became the primary suspect.
5
Sexual assault indicators without forensic evidence complicate theory Brittany was found naked with missing underwear, suggesting a sexual motive, but autopsy results showed no evidence of sexual assault or semen. This contradicts the assumption that a sexual crime occurred and raises questions about the killer's actual intent.
6
Polygraph results can clear innocent people but don't solve cases Jeff, his stepdad, and weed dealer Cody all passed polygraph tests, ruling them out as suspects despite circumstantial suspicion. However, passing tests left investigators without a clear culprit, forcing them to reconsider peripheral figures like Chad Carr.
7
Age and power imbalance in relationship signals red flag Chad was 25 years old dating Jeff's mentally vulnerable high school-aged sister Velva, representing a significant age gap and power dynamic that investigators viewed as concerning behavior distinct from the murder but revealing of his character.