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[The Deadly Pact: The Murder of Veronica Boza]-[Criss Cross (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)]

MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories · B2 · 2022-07-25

True crime
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📋 Summary

The Tragic End of a Rising Star

In August 2010, Veronica Boza, a successful 39-year-old music producer in Nashville, Tennessee, was living a life that seemed to be on the rise. Despite the personal strain of a divorce from her husband, Tim, Veronica was professionally accomplished, having produced the Country Music Television Awards in 2009. She was a devout Catholic and a dedicated mother to her nine-year-old son, Jordan. However, the veneer of her stable life in the affluent Bridgewater neighborhood was shattered on August 29, 2010.

The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

After dropping off her son with Tim following church services, Veronica returned home. Upon pulling into her garage, she noticed something suspicious outside. Moments later, she was brutally murdered inside her living room. Her boyfriend, Brian Robinson, discovered her body shortly after and called 911. Investigators found the scene gruesome; Veronica had been shot four times at close range. While robbery initially seemed unlikely as cash was left behind, her white iPhone was missing. The presence of a shell casing behind a sofa provided a critical piece of forensic evidence, though the killer's identity remained elusive.

Unraveling the Web of Suspects

Police initially focused on the two men closest to Veronica: her boyfriend, Brian, and her estranged husband, Tim. Both had alibis that were eventually corroborated by surveillance footage and phone records. The investigation took a turn when detectives analyzed Tim's phone records, revealing an intense volume of communication with his business partner, Corey Cotham. Cotham, who had a history of aggravated assault, became the primary person of interest. Further forensic analysis by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) proved that Veronica’s stolen iPhone had traveled the exact same path as Cotham’s phone following the murder.

The "Crisscross" Murder Plot

The breakthrough came when Cotham’s girlfriend, Jenny Addington, confessed to police that she had lied about his alibi. She revealed that Cotham had stolen a gun from her—the same weapon used to kill Veronica. The investigation uncovered a chilling, real-life "crisscross murder scheme" inspired by the film Throw Momma from the Train. Tim Boza and Corey Cotham had conspired to kill each other's "problems." Specifically, Cotham agreed to murder Veronica for Tim in exchange for $35,000 and the promise that Tim would later murder the ex-husband of one of Cotham's girlfriends.

Justice Served

Motivated by greed and a desire to escape the constraints of their respective lives, the two men executed the plan. Tim, who stood to inherit $550,000 from Veronica’s life insurance policy, even inquired about the payout on the day of her funeral. In 2012, both men were brought to justice: Corey Cotham was sentenced to life without parole for first-degree premeditated murder, and Tim Boza received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 51 years. The case serves as a dark reminder of how personal grievances and financial desperation can escalate into calculated, heinous acts of violence.

🎯Key Sentences

1
stick around to make sure you hear it
2
if that's of interest to you
3
the chemistry between them had been instant
4
sure enough, there outside on her driveway was something totally unusual
5
his reaction to that discovery had raised some red flags
Expand All

📝Key Phrases

1
cookie-cutter
2
stick around
3
take for granted
4
tight-knit
5
dwell on
Expand All

📖 Transcript

In 2010, a very successful Nashville Tennessee music producer turned her car into her driveway and pulled into her garage.
After turning her car off.
She was about to click her garage door remote again to shut the garage door when she turned and looked out her car's back window and she saw something very strange sitting there on her driveway.
Seconds later, Veronica would be scrambling to get out of her car and inside of her house as fast as she possibly could.
Initially, this story will seem fairly cookie-cutter for a true crime story.
However, it is not.

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