She Taught Him Everything — Then $96,000 Was Gone | HO”

William Todd Austin was from Bojer City, Louisiana.

He graduated from Westport High School in Missouri back in 2006, but moved to Dallas and eventually the Carolton area of Texas.

Todd had his hands in multiple businesses and started out selling wigs and hair.

In August 2016, he started working with Entrepreneur Blueprint and also founded the vendor mansion.

But his main business was Credit Champs, a credit repair company.

In case we haven’t met yet, let me share a bit about me.

I founded multiple businesses, navigated the challenging waters of credit, both personal and business, and mentored countless individuals like you to financial success.

I remember when I was just starting out, much like some of you, the world of credit seemed like a dense forest with no clear path.

My past mistakes loomed large, and the myriad of business structuring choices only added to the confusion.

>> Todd promoted his business heavily on social media, posting client testimonials.

>> This isn’t a great company to invest in because they are really good and they’re legit.

I know a lot of people that are out here scamming people and I was so fortunate for me to be able to come to them and them be my first experience and it was a great experience.

Um, I got access to the funding that I needed in just a few months.

I know everyone’s situation is different so I just want to be realistic.

Everyone’s situation will be different but for my situation I got it pretty quickly.

So I’m really u grateful for that and really grateful for them.

Um, I do not put my name behind anything that is scammy or fake or anything.

I Everything I put my name behind, I stand behind.

He showed off the lifestyle that came with success.

Trips, designer clothes, a cyber truck with his company logo wrapped all over it.

His whole brand was about financial freedom, helping people fix their credit, build their business credit, get funding.

He regularly made posts encouraging people to fix their credits with him.

In one post, he wrote, “The reason why you’re struggling is because you haven’t started on your credit.” In another, he wrote, “Fixing your credit should be your main priority.

It can literally change your life.” He also worked as a private chef on the side, frequently posting cooking videos with one of his sons, and had just celebrated his 37th birthday on May 15th, 2025.

At some point in his life, he met Timone Michelle Williams.

She was also 37 years old and like Todd, she was from Bojer City, Louisiana.

Michelle was a US Army veteran.

After her service, she’d built herself up in the credit repair industry.

She founded Lux Credit Services and was a CEO, financial strategist, credit analyst, tax preparer, and mentor.

Todd and Michelle’s relationship seemed like a power couple situation from the outside.

two people in the same industry, both ambitious, both building brands.

They dated for a few years and on December 25th, 2022, Michelle gave birth to their son, Amir Blue Austin, who she called a Christmas baby.

She was now a mother to two children.

Their life looked good.

Business posts, family celebrations, and the perfect thriving couple.

But at some point, the relationship fell apart and they got separated.

Not just romantically, but in business, too.

And Todd was locked out of Michelle’s home.

On Friday morning, July 11th, 2025, Todd had an appointment for a routine haircut at the Salon and Spa Galleria on South Cooper Street in Arlington, Texas.

The salon was a large building with dozens of independent suites.

Hair stylists, barbers, nail technicians.

Everyone had their own space and ran their own business.

Todd was a familiar face, and his barber had reportedly been cutting his hair for 12 years.

Around 10:15 that morning, Todd walked into the barberhop suite in the back and sat down in the chair.

Just another Friday morning for his haircut.

But Michelle knew his schedule and where he’d be.

She walked into the salon shortly after Todd arrived and headed straight to the back toward the barberhop suites.

Within minutes, shots were fired.

People started screaming, running, and trying to figure out what was happening.

Then someone called 911.

When Arlington police officers arrived at the scene, Michelle was reportedly trying to leave the building, but went back inside when she saw them.

When officers entered the salon, Todd was found with serious injuries and was pronounced gone at the scene.

Michelle was also found seriously wounded and was rushed to the hospital that didn’t make it.

The barber who witnessed everything was too shaken to speak.

His wife came to the scene while other salon workers were outside trying to process what they’d just seen.

Police tagged Michelle’s white Tesla in the parking lot before having it towed.

while Todd’s family was allowed to take his Cyber Truck.

>> This is the moment Arlington police officers arrived at the front doors of the Spa Galleria strip mall on shots fired recorded on a cell phone.

Just after 10:00 a.m.

Friday, police say a 37year-old woman walked into the South Cooper Street location with a gun and opened fire on a man she had been dating as he got a haircut.

>> They were just all nervous and we were all scared.

Another vendor inside the galleria had just finished with one of her clients.

>> I got multiple texts from them saying there was shooting happening and um I heard I saw the cop cars in front of me and I heard gunshots.

>> The victim identified by family and friends as 37year-old Todd Austin was getting his haircut by Dax the Barber, a popular Arlington stylist.

Dax, who didn’t want to go on camera, told us she fired several shots striking Austin in the chest area.

He’s been his customer for 12 years and says on his Facebook page that his clients are his extended family.

As other Galleria employees arrive, >> I have a barber suite inside.

>> They got the devastating news >> and one of the suite owners two doors down actually told me, “Hey, don’t go inside.

Somebody just got shot.” >> Police say after the shooting, the woman tried to leave, saw officers outside, retreated inside, and then shot herself.

She later died at the hospital.

Homicide detectives took statements from witnesses as the crime scene unit collected evidence.

They tagged her white Tesla before police called a record service to tow it away.

Police allowed Austin’s family to take his cyber truck containing his business logo that was parked outside.

Dax, visibly shaken by the shooting, got comfort from his wife as others stood by trying to make sense of the deadly salon gunfire.

in Arlington.

I’m Scoop Jefferson.

>> The story that came out first seemed straightforward.

A successful businessman was getting his haircut when his jealous ex-girlfriend walked in and opened fire.

But then the initial narrative uncovered something more complicated.

And it started with court records.

On March 6th, 2025, Michelle filed for a protective order in Denton County, Texas.

In the court documents, there was a section about the history of violence.

It stated that William Todd Austin Jr.

had a history or pattern of acting a certain way during the 2 years before the filing.

11 days after Michelle filed that protective order, Todd was arrested and booked in Colin County, Texas.

The bond was set at $5,000.

So months before the incident, there was already a protective order with allegations of threats.

In the filing, Michelle asked to be appointed sole managing conservator of Amiri.

She didn’t want joint custody.

The petition included sections about his history of violence, referencing the protective order that had been issued.

Michelle was also seeking monetary relief over $250,000, but not more than a million.

As these court documents surfaced, people started asking questions.

What happened between March and July? What led to Michelle seeking that kind of money and then ring camera footage of Todd at Michelle’s door surfaced? This footage shows someone who wasn’t supposed to be there trying to get in and getting increasingly aggressive when he couldn’t.

Then alleged text messages between Michelle and someone she knew also started circulating online.

In the messages, Michelle had sent screenshots of the Ring camera footage along with photos showing damage to her property.

The messages showed Michelle venting about Todd’s behavior from the beginning of their relationship.

The conversation revealed he’d been living downtown on a CPN when they met, behind on rent and bills.

She talked about teaching him the credit business, getting him to make more money than he’d ever made, only for him to take everything.

In other messages, she emphasized he knew nothing about credit until she taught him.

His specialty became business credit, but before that, he was just selling hair and vendor lists.

There were screenshots where Todd admitted he wasn’t in a good place.

Another showed him requesting Michelle record a testimonial for his business, claiming he’d helped fix her credit when that wasn’t true.

Michelle talked about being his only baby mama from Texas, saying he was about to find out how they get down, and wrote about confronting him if only she could get past the gate security.

The messages painted a picture of someone who’d been dealing with unwanted visits, property damage, and a relationship that had completely broken down.

But the biggest revelation came when a woman named Nikki Hunter posted a video online defending Michelle.

Nikki claimed to be Michelle’s friend, saying she wanted to clear up false narratives that were spreading about what happened.

>> Did not give her HIV.

He was not cheating on her at the time of the murder suicide.

In fact, they haven’t even been together in over a year.

Y’all, Michelle came from nothing.

She built herself up as a veteran, as a successful business owner.

Her knowledge, the things that she knew in order to get money to take care of her kids as a single mother.

When she met Todd, Todd was living downtown Dallas under a CPN number.

He did not know how to do credit repair.

She taught him how to do that and they built this business credit champs together whenever they broke up because I see he’s been sending his clients the video when she pulled the gun on him.

She wanted him out of her house and he would not leave.

There’s an active restraining order right now against him.

Terroristic threat against her and her son.

He threatened to kill them both.

Okay.

>> [snorts] >> Todd reversed all of Michelle’s mortgage payments up to like I think 18 months, probably more to the point where she was about to lose her home.

How he did this is because they have a joint bank account.

He removed her off of the bank.

I don’t even know how he could have even did this, but he removed her name off the bank account.

She had no access.

He created a new email for everything to go to.

not the emo that they had.

Michelle went to Vegas one weekend and she came back and all her money was gone.

Now, could you imagine having a quarter million dollars or even a half a million dollars in your bank account and now it’s zero? You can’t pay your mortgage.

You can’t take care of your kids.

He’s threatening you.

He’s not giving you nothing for your kid.

Okay.

Michelle had several cases against this man.

Okay.

me as well had a lawsuit that I just won and got paid off a day before the murder suicide.

Michelle was suing him for a lot.

He was taunting her by still promoting this company, still making money off this company that they built, not giving her access to any of the money.

He also wrapped a ciper truck, was riding past her house.

She could see it on her ring camera.

He was taunting her.

She was so full of debt.

She was about to lose her home.

The air went out in her Tesla.

It was just a lot of stuff going on.

And she had zero dollars to deal with her situation.

She reached out to family.

She reached out to people to help her.

And only a handful of us helped her.

Okay.

[snorts] So, with all this stuff that y’all got going on about he gave her HIV or she was cheating and it’s more dick out there, it had nothing to do with that.

That man stole her whole life and he flaunted it in her face.

Todd also took her $10,000 settlement payment that she got from the military when he got access to her phone.

He drained her personal account, locked her out of her business accounts, wouldn’t help her with her son.

So all of this stuff, I just want to clear the false narrative.

He is not who you think he was.

And I’m not justifying anything that she done, but I understand.

So y’all can say whatever y’all want to say because I really don’t care.

But then, just when it seemed like Nikki had set the record straight, someone came forward with information about Nikki herself.

Someone close to Todd posted online calling out Nikki’s credibility.

He claimed Nikki wasn’t actually Michelle’s close friend at all, but was Todd’s former client and mentee who had paid Todd for credit repair services.

>> This is just a quick little, you know, for the oh so ugly Nikki Hunter.

How did you forget out of this heartfelt story that you told the internet? How did you forget to tell the people that you were sucking? How How did you forget to tell the people that you paid him for a mentorship? HOW DID YOU FORGET TO TELL THE PEOPLE THIS? HOW DID YOU forget to tell the people that you never met Skril until we went to the [ __ ] master connection seminar and you just happened to notice him to say, “Damn, hey, you’re my mentor.” Oh, damn.

Hey, what’s up, Nikki? Okay.

Yeah.

Damn, Nikki.

What’s up? Yeah.

How did you forget to say that? Do I need to post these receipts? How did you forget to mention that you never knew his his his girlfriend, the [ __ ] whoever the [ __ ] You feel me? How did you forget to mention that those pictures in those Lamborghinis? Well, that Lamborghini that bro had.

Yeah.

With the lime green stitching that’s on your page.

How did you forget to mention that was his [ __ ] that you was posting pictures in? EVEN THE VET.

HOW DID YOU FORGET TO mention that you was a [ __ ] guinea pig and a [ __ ] guzzler? How did you forget to mention these things? How did you forget to mention? You know, you trying to sue, bro, because he didn’t want to give you $3,200 cash and he was going to pay it off gradually on your credit card.

That’s the point of having credit.

Why would he pay you 32? He could have just paid the [ __ ] that he rented the the the the limb from 3,200 cash.

That’s the whole point of using your credit card, dummy.

You feel me? Where was Michelle a [ __ ] a a guru at? Tedric the goat TAUGHT BRO EVERYTHING HE KNOW.

TEDRIC the goat.

Bro b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b a mentorship from him years ago and they still locked in.

He just talked to him when he was just in Miami and Tedrick was in PARIS WITH HIS WIFE.

What the are you talking about? Where are these allegations coming from? And when did you start sucking Michelle’s [ __ ] Because you didn’t even know her.

YOU WENT TO FIND HER AFTER YOU FELL OUT WITH BRO.

DO I NEED to post the receipts, man? Because this [ __ ] right here is kind of getting out of control and the internet is running with it.

And I hate how they try to make a legend die, but legends don’t die, man.

We multiply, man.

That’s how it happened, man.

It’s long live forever.

Whatever that Nikki’s talking about, Nikki Hunter, whatever she’s talking about, that cap.

She didn’t know nobody.

WHERE? GO BACK AND LOOK AT MICHELLE’S PICTURE.

SHOW ME 200 A $250,000 [ __ ] man.

This [ __ ] was wearing rainbow and and [ __ ] Come on, man.

Stop playing with me, man.

Where did he steal 250K? How did she just go broke if she was the GOAT AND TOLD HIM EVERYTHING? NIKKI, you on here capping on my brother name, man.

And that is diabolical, man.

You need to pay your respects.

>> Another person pointed out inconsistencies, claiming that the situation wasn’t as one-sided as Nikki presented.

This person stated that both Todd and Michelle had been aggressive toward each other and had their own personal issues.

Michelle allegedly changed the email to the bank accounts first, locking Todd out and leaving him with just a backpack and the clothes on his back because she wouldn’t let him get his things.

That she had his cars towed and threatened to tell police he hit her if he tried to get them and said that it was impossible for a 37year-old to take out a reverse mortgage like Nikki claimed.

The person also debunked claims about Todd being romantically involved with men and having an illness which he passed to Michelle, suggesting Nikki had been in a romantic relationship with Todd herself and had her own history with him, implying she wasn’t actually Michelle’s real friend, but someone settling her own score and making up the whole thing up to get followers for her own credit repair business.

Because here’s the thing, Nikki Hunter ran her own credit repair company, too.

Rich reports same industry as Todd and Michelle.

On February 6th, 2025, Nikki made a post stating that she was suing Todd Austin and that he was texting her with threats saying he was going to send her to jail because she was a scammer.

So, was Nikki really defending her friend Michelle? Or was she using the tragedy to settle her own score with Todd? Because Nikki was actually a competitor in the same business, someone with her own connections to Todd, someone who potentially had her own reasons for wanting to damage his reputation.

More anonymous posts circulated with additional allegations about Todd.

One claimed he had nine children and was $200,000 behind in child support, collectively across all his cases.

The post alleged he evaded child support by hiding money and locations under LLC’s and not filing taxes on his businesses.

Another post alleged that Todd’s credit repair business involved selling client information and stated they were suing Todd and had a court date, though none of these claims have been verified.

According to reports and documents, they were both separated and Michelle was seeking over $250,000 in sole custody of Amiri.

By July, Michelle’s situation had deteriorated completely.

No access to the business account, no income, and was allegedly facing foreclosure.

Meanwhile, Todd kept posting on social media, still promoting Credit Champs and showing the lifestyle.

The day before the incident, he posted about credit being the reason people struggle.

Then, on the morning of July 11th, he posted again about fixing credit being a top priority.

Some believed these posts flaunting his success while Michelle allegedly struggled financially may have gotten to her and influenced her choices that day.

>> It’s been 10 days since a woman walked into a salon in Arlington and shot one of the barbers working that day.

Stylists and clients took cover and for the first time tonight, we’re hearing from the barber who witnessed his longtime customer get killed.

Dealing with that hasn’t been easy.

And he just spoke to Scoop Jefferson about the strangers who’ve stepped up to support it.

>> The murder suicide happened almost two weeks ago here at the Salon and Spa Galleria.

The barber who witnessed it is starting over.

I just sat down with him about the impact it’s had on his business and his life.

>> I’ve created peace.

>> Barber life will never be the same >> because I’mma see something I never thought I would see.

or Dax the Barber after witnessing a horrific murder suicide while at work.

>> At any moment I could be like, you know, I’m good cuz that’s my that’s those are my two favorite words to say.

I’m good, but sometimes I’m not.

Dax is not doing good sometimes because on July 11th, 37year-old Michelle Williams walked into the salon and Spa Galleria here on South Cooper Street just after 10:00 a.m.

approached her 37year-old boyfriend Todd Austin in Dax’s barber’s chair and shot him.

According to police, Austin died and then Williams took her own life, no one else injured.

When I go in there, I turn the chair around and and when I touched it, it it was eerie and then I I see dried up blood on it.

So, I’m like, “Don’t keep this chair.” >> I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I just wanted to help him.

>> Not knowing Dax, Jessica Abara, a stranger whose husband cuts hair, started this fundraiser.

>> He’s going to need all new stuff.

He’s going to need a new barber chair.

He’s going to need new supplies.

>> Starting over, especially in today’s economy, from when he first started, things have just gone up.

The fundraiser will help Dax, who grew up cutting his four brother’s hair, start over at a different location.

>> My motto is, you know, it’s right there.

You know, the best way, you know, to attract new clients is to take care of the ones you have.

>> Using his same business model since earning his first dollar as a barber in Arlington.

I’m Scoop Jefferson.

>> The barber who witnessed everything that morning talked about what happened.

He’d been cutting Todd’s hair for 12 years, and Todd was like family to him.

He talked about being there, seeing it all, and not being able to close his eyes without reliving it.

He couldn’t work in that space anymore, and some of his clients were too scared to come back to the salon after what happened.

The community started a GoFundMe to help him move to a different location and get back on his feet.

>> Days later, when I was able to go back in there and see what I could salvage, you know, I’m thinking it was, you know, pretty much cleaned up, but I’d pick up something and see blood on it.

Um well well first of all Dax tell me what made you want to become a barber? How did that happen? >> I started Well, I had four I have four brothers, right? So my mom used to cut our hair when we were little and she just used to just get off what she could get off, you know, cuz it’s expensive for four five boys to get a haircut.

So her thing was, and that’s back in the day when you wore chili bowl haircuts.

So she just did the chili bowl and the line wasn’t even straight on the chili bowl.

So one day she was at work and I just grabbed clippers and cut my brother’s hair and that was my new I guess uh that was my thing to do in the house then.

That was my chore, keep our haircuts.

And I just it just made me start loving cutting hair.

And I I grew up watching other guys cut hair in the neighborhood and I saw how like popular they were and how they seem to have their stuff together.

So that made me want to cut hair too.

So I’ve always had like a passion for doing it.

>> Um did you were you were expecting to make a career out of it? >> Not initially.

Uh, I figured eventually yes, because I mean I saw that there could be some good money made cutting hair if you do it correctly.

Not just jumping there and thinking I’m going to make a a lot of money, you know, without putting work in.

You know, there’s a certain way to get to the money is the money, but you have to work towards the money.

It doesn’t just come because, okay, I got some clippers and a I got some nice clippers and uh a good logo.

Now I can make some money.

You know, you have to have customer service.

You have to care about people.

You know, care about your clients.

You know, take care of them.

You know, my that’s my motto is, you know, it’s right there.

You know, the best way, you know, to attract new clients is to take care of the ones you have.

So, I think 80% of my business is built on word of mouth and people, you know, talking about how I take care of them.

So, >> yeah.

When you finish with someone’s hair and they get up, they look in the mirror or you hand them that mirror, is there something you looking for at the end of that haircut out of that customer? >> Looking for them to say or do >> the satisfaction, the >> Oh, yeah.

You always want that.

>> What does that mean? >> You know what I really want? You know, I I’m trying to get to a point to where >> I’d say say I cut 25 heads or 30 heads in one day.

20 of them will tell me, “I don’t need that mirror.

I’ve been cutting hair so long that they don’t even need the mirror anymore, you know, because they know I’m going to give you what you want.

I know what you want.

I’ve been doing it probably the same cut for 7 to 10 to 15 years.

So, most of them don’t even want the mirror unless they just want to, you know, look at themselves.

But most of them like, I don’t need that mirror.

That’s my goal is to get to the point to where I have consistent clients that come in.

I They don’t have to tell me what they want anymore.

I just start cutting and we just start talking.

>> Yeah.

Um, a lot of barbers end up at somebody else’s shop.

They rent chairs, which is different from being on your own like you are.

Um, did you go through that too? Were you in >> I was in the shop I started in the shop for 5 years.

Built my client from there.

Yeah.

About two years in, I started doing appointments only because I would have people waiting and you know, you only want to wait so long before you’re like, “Oh, you know what? I’ll just go let somebody else.” Then I started, you know, getting appointments, getting everything in line and it started flowing from there.

So I’ve been doing appointments for about 15 years.

Appointment only.

I don’t do walk-ins at all.

>> Was it scary going out on your own? >> Absolutely.

Absolutely.

But with anything else, you know, how you going to know if you don’t do it? You have to step out on faith and do it.

Um, let’s talk about Mario and his wife who decide to step up and do the GoFundMe without even asking you.

>> Without even >> what’s going through your mind >> initially being how I am and who I am, I wasn’t with it, you know, but talking to my wife and talking to my pastor, he he’s like, “You don’t block that blessing.

That’s a blessing.

It’s God’s blessing.

You don’t block that.” So that made it easier for me to accept it.

You know, it’s not it cuz to me it wasn’t about it didn’t come from a place of let’s see how much money we can get it.

You know, these are people, mind you, I had never met.

Mario worked in the building with me, but we had never like formally met.

We saw each other in passing.

I didn’t even know his name was Mario.

I thought it was Doc cuz his his window says Doc.

His his his logo is Doc.

I never seen him cut a head or anything.

So, this is it was so it touched me.

I can’t even explain how it made me feel because nobody’s ever done anything like that for me.

>> Um, you’re having to move locations, restart with new equipment.

How are you doing inside with what happened? my emotions go at any moment.

I could be like, you know, I’m good.

Cuz that’s my that’s those are my two favorite words to say.

I’m good.

You know, but sometimes I’m not, you know, I’ll have I can’t keep my eyes closed too long.

If I if that makes sense.

Yeah.

Because I’mma see something I never thought I would see.

Tell me about your support system.

Who’s around you? >> My wife.

>> I met your wife.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> Tell me about her.

That >> That’s That My wife.

Yeah.

That That’s my guardian.

Yeah.

>> Reach each other’s protector.

Yeah.

She uh she going to be mad at me for saying this, but uh she told me she was when I called [clears throat] her, she was at work.

She works from home.

and uh she just jumped up and put you know put started putting clothes on and forgot to put bottoms on and her son was like mom where you going so she had to go back and put some bottom that’s how fast she was trying to get out the house.

>> Yeah.

Um I I looked over the GoFundMe.

There are people donating who never gotten a haircut from you.

Haven’t even met you.

How does that make you feel? I can’t describe that because like I said, I’m not used to being the person somebody does something for.

>> Especially people that don’t know me.

Cuz to me, it’s not it when I see this, it’s about it.

It it it in the world we live in today where [clears throat] everybody’s pitted against each other in some kind of way.

Um you get people who genuinely show they genuinely care about not basically me but the situation, you know, cuz that could have been any barber in any chair.

you just happen to be me, you know, just to to care about the situation because you don’t have people, you know, they don’t they don’t know anything about my life.

They don’t know how I live.

They don’t know what I drive.

They don’t know what kind of house I have to say to have a mentality of, “Oh, he he’s all right.” You know, because some people look at that and that’ll shy them away from what it’s really about.

which is someone who doesn’t even know me decided to take into consider consideration something besides themsel cuz they could have been like hey I’m just glad I wasn’t there I’m glad it wasn’t me you know but this guy you know has gone through something that can’t be wished on anybody and and and survived and you know I I can’t put it into words I’ve been laying up since like 3:00 in the morning thinking of words to put it in I I can’t I can’t cuz it’s not like I have an example cuz I don’t have an example.

Um I know that in the all the years that you’ve been barbering, you’ve gotten your favorite clippers and just equipment.

Um, [snorts] >> you’re having to start all over with that, right? >> Yeah, basically.

Yeah.

Cuz there was there were things that, um, I thought I might be able to go salvage, per se.

Um, and when I went back in my suite days later, when I was able to go back in there and see what I could salvage, you know, I’m thinking it was, you know, pretty much cleaned up, but I’d pick up something and see blood on it.

And freak get freaked out, you know.

So, I’m like, I don’t want none.

I don’t want none of it now, you know? I don’t know.

I don’t want to one day be over here trying to get over this whole thing and then pick up something from I brought from the other place and there’s blood on it.

>> Yeah, >> cuz it Yeah, it wasn’t it wasn’t it wasn’t nice.

Dax, you know, I I see the scripture over your door.

Um, with God all things are possible.

Uh, do you ever ask, okay, God, why did I go through this? Why am I going through this? >> Yeah.

Who wouldn’t? I don’t question it.

I don’t question cuz I know it was his will.

I mean, but I don’t I’m not mad about it.

I’m not mad at him about it.

You help me.

You You made sure I walked out of there.

So, I got to get mad at that.

What do you want your clients to know, especially those who have been with you over the years? How important is it um for them to stay with you, continue with you, just give you a I don’t know, a pat on the back.

It’s everything.

It’s everything.

I have clients that I cut I’ve been cutting clients since I was they followed me from barber school.

I was they I cut their hair in barber school and when I left they came with me.

I have clients that have were some of the first CL people that I ever cut.

The first week I was in the shop.

They still come to me.

That’s dedication.

You expect to see them right here? >> Oh, they’re going to be here.

[laughter] Not to sound cocky, but they’re going to be they they would go anywhere I go.

Not cuz of a haircut.

And I can say that with the utmost confidence.

>> Yeah.

Days after the incident, Lita Davis, who alleged that she was once in a relationship with Todd, wrote a detailed post about what she claims to know about the situation.

She wrote, “Greed is real.

The real story.

I’ve talked to close friends and family.

At the time they met, she was a single, very stable mother with everything.

Good job, retirement check, homeowner, with a few cars.

Todd did not have the resources or success people often believe.

In fact, he had a history of deceptive behavior and was not financially stable.

Their relationship moved quickly, but they were never married and were only together for a few years.

They had a mutual agreement that Todd would move out of her home so that they could amicably separate their shared business.

Although he initially moved out, he became increasingly hostile and began returning to her residence uninvited.

This led her to obtain a restraining order against him in March.

After moving out, Todd removed her name from their shared business bank account, changed the associated email, and withdrew all funds, approximately $96,000, leaving her without access to money she needed for living expenses.

She had not been working due to caring for their baby and was relying on those savings.

He also found a way to claw and withdraw funds from her personal account.

Further compounding the situation, Todd filed fraudulent disputes on 18 months worth of mortgage payments that she had paid from their business account.

This resulted in a foreclosure notice in July demanding $55,000 or requiring her to vacate the property within 60 days.

Since he had removed her name from the business account, it was difficult for her to contest the fraud claims.

Meanwhile, Todd used the misappropriated funds to purchase a Cyber Truck.

Legal proceedings followed, focusing on the division of their jointly built business, Credit Champ.

Last week, the court ruled in Todd’s favor, granting him full ownership of the business and all three vehicles purchased under its name.

Despite her significant role in starting and growing the company, she was left with nothing.

No business, no income, and only a few cents in her personal account.

She had attempted to reach a compromise, asking Todd for $20,000 to help her and the baby stabilize, but he refused and responded cruy.

She was not driven by jealousy.

She was desperate, soon to be homeless, and had been completely stripped of everything she helped build.

Also, she did not have an illness.

I’m not here to bash anyone, but I do have a personal story to share, a real one based on my own experience.

I was in a relationship with William Todd Austin for nearly 2 years, during which we dated while he was between the ages of 24 and 26.

It was a wild and emotionally draining experience.

After about 22 months of dating, I made the mistake of allowing him to move in with me.

That’s when everything took a darker turn.

At the time, I was and still am a business owner and I exposed him to a different level of lifestyle and business insight.

I introduced him to entrepreneurship from selling hair to clothing and he learned a lot from me.

Unfortunately, rather than showing appreciation or giving credit, he took what he learned and passed it off as his own, never once acknowledging where it came from.

It became clear over time that he was trying to mimic everything I did.

Every business idea I had, he tried to copy.

He presented himself as a nice guy.

But the reality was different.

Behind closed doors, there was a pattern of manipulation, jealousy, and dishonesty.

Despite his charming behavior in public, he had narcissistic tendencies and constantly blamed me for everything.

Child support letters started arriving, multiple each month, addressed to him with different names.

When I questioned him, he claimed he only had three children and that others were falsely attributing kids to him.

His explanations never added up.

And when I asked why he didn’t communicate with his kids, he blamed toxic relationships with their mothers.

Then she wrote, “My last relationship taught me this.

You can be the total package wrapped with a bow on it, but delivered to the wrong address.” In another post, she wrote, “Y’all really out here letting people do whatever with your name and SS.

How can they help you when they one don’t even own assets or two doesn’t know how to buy a house or three have personal credit cards themselves? Explain to me how can they help you fix your credit? Make it make sense.

You’re going to learn one day.” Her description matched patterns that some others had described.

the financial chaos, the manipulation, the women, the debts.

They say there are three sides to a story.

The two sides of the people involved and the side of the truth.

But the only thing certain is what was left behind.

What happened on July 11th affected multiple families.

Two people lost their lives.

Their children lost their parents.

The barber had to carry the weight of what happened that day and had to find another location to work because some of his clients were too scared to come back.

Workers at the salon and spa Galleria also lost clients who were too afraid to return after the incident.

And everyone who witnessed what happened that day, both clients and workers has to carry the weight of what they saw.

I hope these stories help you recognize warning signs and encourage you to seek help or offer support before it’s too late.

I’ll see you in the next episode of Crime of Passion.

Thank you for watching.