Teen Ariana Ptarcinski Stabbed Dead in Neck, BF Walks Free, Sheriff Scolds Victims' Parents

Teen Ariana Ptarcinski Stabbed Dead in Neck, BF Walks Free, Sheriff Scolds Victims' Parents

Author: iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline April 20, 2026 Duration: 49:43

Christmas Eve, 2021,  Ariana Ptarcinski, 1, is in her room with her boyfriend. As the evening unfolds, Ramon Durst, 20, pulls then teen out of her room holding her neck from which she is bleeding profusely, a knife wound to her neck. It is fatal. 

According to a Hernando County Sheriff’s Office report, deputies responded to a call from neighbor Thomas and Melissa LoBianco who reported hearing screams.  Police reports state that Durst kept repeating ‘ I really (screwed) up, shoot me because I’m going to jail for a long time.’“  He can be seen in police footage making similar comments.   Ariana’s 12-year-old sister told deputies arguing work her up.   

Ariana’s autopsy report show she was murdered. Cause of death  listed as “complications of stab wound of neck.” Manner of death...homicide. The medical examiner noted 3 stab wounds. The fatal stab was 1.5 centimeters long, on the left side of Ariana’s neck. She also had two cuts on the right side of the back of her head and there were two faint bruises on her left forearm 

No one has been charged in Ariana's death. 

Joining Nancy Grace today: 

  • Judy & Eddie Ptarcinski - Parents   
  • Greg Morse  - Criminal Defense Attorney of Morse Legal, author of “The Untested” found on Amazon; website: morselegal.com
  • Dr. Shari Schwartz  - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy),  www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: @TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology" 
  • Dr. Kendall Crowns  -  Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue”, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
  • Sydney Silvagni [sil-VAH-knee] (TX) Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Each day brings another headline, another case that grips the public, and Crime Stories with Nancy Grace goes straight to the heart of these developments. This isn't a retrospective look at cold cases, but a timely, urgent examination of breaking news and ongoing investigations. Drawing on her unique background as a prosecutor with a perfect conviction record, Nancy Grace applies her relentless, questioning perspective to the latest shocking crimes. She built a reputation on television for uncovering missed clues and amplifying searches for the missing, and now she channels that same intensity into this daily audio format. In collaboration with iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, the podcast leverages the immediacy of digital media and her substantial social media reach to deliver fresh insights and developments as stories unfold. Listeners are brought directly into the analysis, hearing the tough questions asked and the details that might otherwise get lost in the noise of a 24-hour news cycle. It’s for those who follow true crime not just as a genre, but as a constantly evolving narrative of justice and intrigue, served with a prosecutor’s precision. Tune in daily for a direct, no-nonsense take on the stories dominating the news.
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