Snapped: Killer Couples, April 21, 2024, Oxygen, “Crystal Brinson and Byron Boutin”

The upcoming episode of Snapped: Killer Couples, airing on Oxygen on Sunday April 21, investigates the tragic case of Crystal Brinson and Byron Boutin, whose actions led to the death of 18-year-old DeAnna Lee Stires. In December 2012, hunters made a gruesome discovery, finding Stires’ decaying body wrapped in fabric in a remote wooded area of Levy County, Florida. This triggered an investigation that uncovered a night of partying, drug use, and a deadly act of desperation.

Stires was reported missing on New Year’s Day in 2013, with her body being discovered 18 days later. The investigation soon led authorities to Byron Boutin and his girlfriend, Crystal Brinson. According to Boutin, he and Brinson had spent Christmas Eve with Stires, smoking methamphetamine in his Homosassa mobile home. On Christmas Day, Brinson arranged for Stires to come to the trailer again, this time to trade methamphetamine for morphine pills.

Boutin claimed that he and Brinson left Stires alone for about an hour, and during this time, she ransacked the trailer and stole some of Boutin’s drugs. Upon their return, they found Stires agitated and under the influence of drugs. Boutin alleged that Brinson injected Stires with what he believed to be a consensual dose of morphine to calm her down. However, Stires started “flipping out,” screaming in fear that Brinson would hurt her.

In a violent response, Brinson struck Stires several times on the head with a pistol, rendering her unconscious. The couple then bound Stires, gagged her, and placed her in the back seat of Boutin’s car. They drove to Boutin’s father’s vacant home, where they left her alone, still alive, with the radio turned up to drown out any potential noise. When they returned, Stires was dead.

Faced with the reality of their actions, Boutin and Brinson immediately began planning to dispose of the body. They wrapped Stires’ body in black fabric and secured it with wire and strap ties. Boutin kept the body in the trunk of his car for two days before dumping it in Levy County.

The medical examiner’s report revealed that Stires died of acute morphine intoxication, with a toxicology report also showing the presence of alcohol, ibuprofen, and cold medicine in her system. The high level of morphine indicated a potentially lethal dose.

Both Boutin and Brinson were charged in connection with Stires’ death. Boutin was convicted of second-degree murder and faced a potential life sentence. Brinson was charged with first-degree murder.

Snapped: Killer Couples provides a chilling insight into the dark world of couples who commit heinous crimes. Through interviews and reenactments, the show unravels the twisted dynamics that lead to murder.

Snapped: Killer Couples – Crystal Brinson and Byron Boutin airs on Oxygen at 6.00 pm on Sunday, April 21, 2024.