BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, US, November 2, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In August of 2019, Woody Overton received a phone call from Stephanie Belgard, a mother whose daughter was murdered 15 years prior. Little did they know this call would change their lives forever.

Courtney Coco of Alexandria, Louisiana, was murdered October 4, 2004 and left in an abandoned warehouse in Winnie, Texas. Officers believed she was strangled to death and wrapped in her own comforter. The case went cold almost immediately.

Inconsistencies, cover-ups and lies throughout the investigation were all Stephanie had to go on. She had her own case file she had compiled over the long years and it was in these same files the killer hid. Law enforcement made Stephanie promises so many years ago, but it was that August day she was tired of waiting and broken promises. She needed justice for Courtney.

In February of 2019, Woody Overton started a true crime podcast, “Real Life Real Crime” which details his own stories from his colorful career in law enforcement. The stories are told from the perspective of Woody. He recounts what he saw, smelled, and heard throughout his own cases. He quickly built a diverse and loyal fan-base that loved hearing his “old cop stories.” Being approached to take on an almost two-decade old cold case was not expected, but the retired homicide detective still inside of him was not going to decline to help a family in need.

Woody quickly agreed to help Stephanie solve Courtney’s murder but had one caveat- he wanted the story to be told on his podcast. Instinctively, Woody knew that he could somehow use his rapidly growing listenership to assist.

Woody dropped the first episode of “Who Murdered Courtney Coco?” on September 6, 2019 and suddenly Stephanie and Courtney’s family had an army behind her. The “Real Life Real Crime” listeners, known as “Lifers”, became enthralled with the case and just as appalled with the injustices as so many others who were aware of Courtney’s story.

Woody threw himself into the case without hesitation. After months and months of travel, investigation and interviews with family and other law enforcement, Woody unraveled the truth all while documenting the journey on Real Life Real Crime. It was crucial for him to recount his discoveries without tarnishing a future case, because Woody was now sure who murdered Courtney Coco.

Woody brought his case to the Alexandria Police Department in Rapides Parish, Louisiana and Woody announced on his podcast a “call to action.” Because of listeners of the show, endless amounts of calls and emails were sent to the police department, the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s office and local news station, forcing those responsible to face the truth of what happened to Courtney. This explosion led law enforcement to assign a new detective on the case, and they were one step closer to getting justice.

Local law enforcement officers reached the same conclusion Woody did, and David Anthony Burns was arrested for the second degree murder of Courtney Coco on April 8, 2021. Burns was closer than anyone could have believed, as he was the fiancé of Courtney’s sister and a pallbearer in Courtney’s funeral.

On October 25, 2022, jury selection began for the trial of Burns. Because of the podcast, 15 of the 20 potential jurors were aware of the case and at least five stated they would not be able to find a “not guilty” verdict. After a three day long trial, jurors were sent to deliberate. Nearly two hours later, they reached a unanimous vote. It was almost 18 years ago to the day that Stephanie kneeled at her daughter’s grave and promised she would get justice for her daughter.


On October 31, 2022 David Anthony Burns was found guilty of second degree murder by a jury of his peers and justice was finally served for Courtney Coco. The conviction for Second Degree murder carries a mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole in the state of Louisiana.

Woody Overton, host of Real Life Real Crime, is an award winning podcaster who recently won four 2022 People's Choice Podcast Awards: Best True Crime Podcast in the world, Best Male Hosted podcast in the world, Best Drama- Storytelling podcast in the world and 2022 Listener Influencer of the Year. In 2019, after only seven months podcasting, he won People's Choice Podcast Award for Drama- Storytelling. Woody releases weekly podcasts on all listening platforms.

Cyndi Overton
Real Life Real Crime, the podcast
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