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1995 · Austin, Texas

Regina Hartwell

The story behind Wasted

Regina Hartwell was murdered in Austin in 1995, and her body was left in a burned vehicle. The investigation connected her death to Justin Thomas and a circle involving drugs, money, and complicated personal relationships. Thomas was convicted of murder, while testimony exposed the events leading to the killing and its concealment.

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The Story

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When1995
WhereAustin, Texas
In this collection20 resources

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Blogs & Essays

The Journal

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Blogs & essays

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Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.

Bonnie’s Blog of Crime

Regina Hartwell: case reporting and resources

A case resource post gathers links about Regina Hartwell’s murder and the prosecution that followed.

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Books

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Books

1 items

Suzy Spencer

Wasted

A nonfiction account of this case. See the linked edition for publication details and available formats.

BookCatalog / Availability

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Movies & TV

Documentaries & Adaptations

Movies

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TV & documentaries

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Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.

Oxygen · Season 12

Snapped: Killer Couples — Kim LeBlanc and Justin Thomas

Nonfiction screen coverage of this case. The linked page identifies the program or episode; playback, subscriptions, and regional availability vary.

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IMDb · TV episode

Scorned: Love Kills — Love Is the Drug (S2 E20) (2013)

IMDb episode reference connected to the Regina Hartwell case. Listed release: 2013. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.

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Audiobooks

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Listen to a book connected to this story. Each edition below is matched to its author and audiobook source.

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Fiction Work

Adaptations & Inspirations

Fiction Work

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Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.

No verified fictional adaptation or inspiration has been identified in this collection. Nonfiction coverage is listed in the other media sections.

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Podcasts

Episodes & Audio Stories

Podcasts

8 items
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Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.

Apple Podcasts

Beyond the Rainbow — The Murder of Regina Hartwell (S10 E5)

Direct episode page for this case or its screen adaptation. Open it for listening options and the publisher’s episode notes.

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LOVE MURDER

Drugs, Sex and Murder: The Lethal Love Triangle of Regina Hartwell, Kim LeBlanc and Justin Thomas

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released March 15, 2023. About 89 minutes.

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The Dark Side of Love

55 – Regina Hartwell and Kim LeBlanc – Addicted to Love

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released January 13, 2025. About 32 minutes.

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Spooky Show

86. True Crime: Regina Hartwell

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released February 7, 2022. About 36 minutes.

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The lonestar187's Podcast

Case File 21- Regina Hartwell Part 2

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released October 23, 2019. About 44 minutes.

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The lonestar187's Podcast

Case File 21- Regina Hartwell

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released October 9, 2019. About 44 minutes.

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90s Crime Time

Burning Rage

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released February 14, 2025. About 38 minutes.

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Redrum and Red Wine

Episode 8 - Cynical Cycle of Mishaps

Podcast coverage of the Regina Hartwell case. Released June 4, 2021. About 97 minutes.

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Social Media

Videos & Conversations

BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE

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Social Media

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Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.

Brooke Makenna

OBSESSIVE LOVE TRIANGLE TURNS DEADLY (Regina Hartwell)

Video from Brooke Makenna covering the Regina Hartwell case. Length: 32:15.

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Oxygen

Love Triangle Led Man to Murder His Girlfriend’s Former Lover | Killer Couples Highlights | Oxygen

Episode recap or excerpt from Oxygen covering the Regina Hartwell case. Length: 12:56.

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YouTube Movies & TV

Scorned: Love Kills

Video from YouTube Movies & TV covering the Regina Hartwell case. Length: 43:34.

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News & Reading

Reporting, Clippings & Archives

More Reading & Audio

1 sources

Explore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.

Reading Access Notes

Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.

A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.

News & reporting

1 items

Oxygen

Oxygen — The Regina Hartwell investigation

Linked reporting or commentary. Read the source date for its historical context; access may require a subscription.

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Newspaper clippings

2 items

Featured newspaper clipping

Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.

Austin American-Statesman · 1996-08-22 · Page 17

Thomas convicted of Hartwell’s murder

A local verdict report explains the competing testimony and the jury’s decision.

Sentencing was still to follow.

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Austin American-Statesman · 1996-08-23 · Page 17

Sentencing hearing examines another alleged killing

The newspaper reports testimony offered after Thomas’s conviction in the Hartwell case.

The separate California killing is an allegation discussed in court, not a conviction established by this article.

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Internet Archive

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Court & Files

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Court records & documents

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Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.

Court opinionArchive copy

Thomas v. State — Regina Hartwell murder appeal

Justin Thomas’s appeal from his murder conviction and life sentence in Regina Hartwell’s death. The opinion identifies the offense as murder and examines the evidence supporting the conviction.

Court / agency
Texas Court of Appeals, Third District
Document date
March 12, 1998
Case / citation
03-96-00600-CR · trial 0954512
Hosted by
Justia

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Positive Outcome

Laws, Advocacy & Change

Positive Outcome

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Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.

No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.