Murder Unscripted

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159 episodes · showing the newest 159

The Shocking Clue Jackie Hawks Left Behind

Nov 10, 2026 1 hr 25 min

Jackie Hawks was forced to sign over her boat and her bank accounts right before she was tied to a boat anchor alongside her husband Tom, and thrown overboard. But in a heroic show of bravery, she purposely left the “S” off of her own last name as a clue for investigators - pointing investigators to the five monsters responsible. In Part 2 of our coverage of the Tom and Jackie Hawks case, Melissa takes us from a jail cell, where a man is accused of plotting four more murders, to a courtroom, where a prosecutor squares off against the attorney he used to work for. A wife turns down an offer of complete immunity. And one question from the prosecutor is so brutal the whole room goes silent. Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 | Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH?si=bd750581f2294738 Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership. 20% of every membership goes to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Follow: @murderunscripted #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderUnscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Couple Vanishes After Selling Boat to Power Rangers Kid

Nov 3, 2026 1 hr 18 min

Tom and Jackie Hawks sold their beloved yacht in Newport Beach, California, to a former Mighty Morphin Power Rangers star and his sweet young family. Then they vanished. Two days before Thanksgiving 2004, family found the boat looking sloppy and the couple's car gone, and the story of the sale only got stranger from there. Melissa opens The Art of Conviction, our prosecutor spotlight block, with Part 1 of one of Orange County prosecutor Matt Murphy's biggest cases. Part 1 of 2. Ad-free and bonus episodes on Patreon, where 20% of every membership goes to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychic's Shocking Vision Leads Straight To Missing Boy

Oct 27, 2026 1 hr 20 min

He found a missing child 200 searchers couldn’t. Then they gave him a badge. To close out the Psychic Connections block, we sit down with the man whose name has run through the whole month: psychic Phil Jordan. In 1975 he led searchers straight to a six-year-old boy lost in the woods when two hundred people couldn’t find him, and was soon sworn in as a deputy sheriff. For fifty years he has worked missing persons, homicides, and arson alongside law enforcement. We dig into how he actually works a case, the Rose Swartwood murder we covered two weeks ago, and the skeptic questions Ed and Melissa couldn’t let go of. Then, at the very end, Phil turned the tables and gave the two of us a reading. Believer or skeptic, this is one you won't want to miss! Ep. 127 | Psychic Connections Finale | Murder Unscripted | October 2026 Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | Money Beet Media, LLC Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She Led Police To The Body, Then They Arrested Her

Oct 20, 2026 1 hr 6 min

A stranger told police exactly where to find the body of a missing nurse. So they arrested her on suspicion of murder. December 1980, the San Fernando Valley. Melanie Uribe, a 31-year-old nurse and single mom, stopped at a red light on her way to an overnight shift and never made it to work. Days later, a woman across town who had never met her, an ordinary Lockheed clerk named Etta Smith, began seeing a place in her mind: a canyon, a curve, a dirt path, something white in the brush. She took it to police. When they wouldn't listen, she drove out and found Melanie's body herself, exactly where she'd pictured it, and detectives made her the prime suspect in Melanie's murder. Ed continues “Psychic Connections” (our October block of cases where a psychic worked alongside police), with a story the detectives could never explain, and a victim who deserves to be remembered for far more than the mystery around her death. E126 | Murder Unscripted | October 2026 Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | Money Beet Media, LLC Researched by Pam Beiler Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He Knew Things Only the Killers Knew

Oct 13, 2026 1 hr 7 min

Police handed him a stack of 50 mugshots. He pulled out their two suspects. August 1988, Elmira, New York. Rose Swartwood was 74, a kind, impeccably dressed retiree who would talk your ear off at the mailbox and spent every evening with her little sister. One morning her family found her beaten and stabbed in her own bed, and whoever did it had stayed long enough to scrub the apartment clean. For almost two years, police were sure they knew who was responsible but could not prove it. So two detectives tried something that is not in any manual: they brought in a psychic, told him nothing, and set a stack of unlabeled mugshots in front of him. He described a cleanup no one outside the department knew about, a long knife, a ring on Rose’s hand, and then he reached into the pile and pulled out two faces. Ed continues October's "Psychic Connections" block with a case that we skeptics can't fully explain! LISTEN ON AUDIO Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | Socials: @murderunscripted #MurderUnscripted #TrueCrime #PsychicConnections Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:124 | The Murder of Shilie Turner | Psychic Knew Exactly Where To Find Her Body | Murder Unscripted

Oct 6, 2026 1 hr 26 min

She was one of the fastest runners in the country. And then, she was gone. January 1993, West Philadelphia. 17-year-old Shilie Turner was one of the fastest high school runners in the country, filling out college applications and dreaming of the Olympics. One freezing night she got off a bus six blocks from home and was never seen alive again. Police had no leads and no body, so, on the FBI's advice, they brought in a psychic. What she described, the park, the shallow grave, the missing shoes, was so exact that detectives couldn't explain it, and it pointed them somewhere no one wanted to look. Melissa opens Psychic Connections, our October block of cases where a psychic helped, with the story of who Shilie was and the heartbreaking truth about who took her future. This one has no happy ending. Ep. 124 | Murder Unscripted | October 2026 Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | Copyright: Money Beet Media, LLC Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He Solved 52 Arsons in 75 Hours | A Conversation with Arson Investigator/Profiler Ed Nordskog | Murder Unscripted | E123

Sep 29, 2026 1 hr 48 min

52 fires in 75 hours. One man terrorized Los Angeles, and this is the investigator who hunted him down. To close out Burning Desires, we sit down with one of the most decorated arson investigators alive: Ed Nordskog. Decades on the LA County Sheriff's Arson-Explosives team, five books that other investigators keep on their desks, and a wall of honors that is frankly ridiculous. Nordskog was the lead investigator on the worst arson spree in American history, the 2011 rampage that brought Los Angeles to its knees. He walks us through how it began in a federal courtroom, how a one-dollar-a-year reserve deputy on his third shift made the arrest, and what it is like to sit for hours across the table from the most dangerous person you have ever met. He also does the thing we have wanted all month: he weighs in on John Orr and Paul Keller, and explains why almost everything the public believes about arsonists is wrong. 🖤 LISTEN ON AUDIO Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | Socials: @murderunscripted #MurderUnscripted #Arson #TrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:122 | Son Sets 76 Fires Killing Three, Father Turns Him In | Paul Keller | Murder Unscripted

Sep 22, 2026 1 hr 15 min

For six months, a phantom arsonist burned Seattle to the ground. The man who finally stopped him was his own father. In 1992, more than a hundred fires tore through the Seattle area. Churches, warehouses, strip malls, and, on one horrifying night, a retirement home where three women lost their lives. Whole neighborhoods slept in shifts. Investigators called the man behind it "the Specter," because chasing him was like chasing a ghost. But he was not the drifter everyone pictured. He was a clean-cut advertising salesman in a nice car. And the person who finally recognized him was the one who knew him best: his own father, reading a police profile at the kitchen table. Ed closes out September's "Burning Desires" block with the story most people reduce to a number, and the three women, Bertha, Mary, and Adeline, whose lives deserve more than a statistic. LISTEN ON AUDIO Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | Socials: @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:121 | The Pillow Pyro, Part 2 | How A Fire Captain Became A Serial Arsonist | Murder Unscripted

Sep 15, 2026 1 hr 24 min

For years, a serial arsonist burned his way across California and vanished before the smoke cleared. In Part 2, we finally put a name and a face to him, and it is the last person anyone suspected: John Orr, a celebrated Glendale fire captain and arson investigator. Orr did not just work near the case, he helped run it. He photographed the scenes, argued the theories, and chased the very fires he had set, including the deadly South Pasadena blaze that killed four people. Then he did something almost unbelievable: he wrote a novel about a fire investigator turned serial arsonist, and the story cut far too close to the truth. Melissa brings the Pillow Pyro story to its conclusion: how a fingerprint, a first-of-its-kind tracking device, and Orr's own manuscript finally brought him down, and how a fire once ruled accidental became four counts of murder. Miss part 1? Start here 👉 https://youtu.be/FD6BHgMF5GA LISTEN ON AUDIO Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership (20% of every membership goes to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾) CONNECT Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | Socials: @murderunscripted #MurderUnscripted #JohnOrr #Arson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep: 120 | A Cigarette, Three Matches, and a Rubber Band | The Pillow Pyro (Part 1) | Murder Unscripted

Sep 8, 2026 1 hr 18 min

A cigarette, three matches, and a rubber band. For most of the 1980s, that was all it took for a serial arsonist to burn his way across California and vanish before the smoke was even spotted. Most of the fires destroyed property. One destroyed a family. A fire at a crowded hardware store in South Pasadena killed four people, including a child, and was quietly ruled an accident, letting the man responsible keep going for years. Melissa opens a two-part story on the hunt for one of the most prolific arsonists in American history. And the truth about who he was is something almost nobody saw coming. Ep. 120 | Burning Desires | Murder Unscripted | September 2026 | Part 1 of 2 Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | A Darkcast Network Production Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 119 | Murders of Barbara Walsh & Renee Powell | He Set 7 Fires to Erase Himself. He Missed One Thing | Murder Unscripted

Sep 1, 2026 1 hr 5 min

Shoreline, Washington, 1995. Firefighters knock down a small apartment fire and find a woman's body inside. One month later, 50 feet away, it happens again. Two ordinary, kind women were murdered in nearly identical attacks by a man who brought nothing with him. He used the victims' own belongings, disabled their smoke detectors, and set the fires to erase himself completely. For two years, it worked. Ed opens September’s “Burning Desires” (a month of arson cases) with the story of how one piece of evidence that survived the flames finally brought Renee Powell and Barbara Walsh's killer to justice. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep: 118 | A Conversation with Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick | Pioneer of Genetic Genealogy | Murder Unscripted

Aug 25, 2026 1 hr 5 min

Her degree says nuclear physics but her work changed the way cold cases are solved. ⬇️ To close out our Killer Connections block, Ed and Melissa sit down with the woman whose name has come up all month long: Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick. Before forensic genetic genealogy was a headline, before it was even a field, Colleen saw a different way to use DNA. She founded Identifinders International, helped turn distant relatives into the key that unlocks decades-old cold cases, and became a legend in true crime genre along the way. In this insightful conversation, Colleen discusses the road from physics to the front lines of cold case work, the cases that never left her, and where this science goes next. Ep. 118 | Killer Connections Finale | Murder Unscripted | August 2026 Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | A Darkcast Network Production Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 117 | Murder of Cliff & Linda Bernhardt | Killers Leaves Bowl of Ice Near Victim's Body | Murder Unscripted

Aug 18, 2026 59 min

Billings, Montana, November 1973. Cliff and Linda Bernhardt set their dinner table for three and welcomed a guest they trusted. By the next morning, the young couple were dead, and the killer had staged the scene in a way so strange it would puzzle investigators for the next 45 years. Cliff had survived the jungles of Vietnam. He didn't survive dinner at his own table. Melissa covers Week 3 of Killer Connections: a bizarre 1973 cold case, decades of dead ends, and the genetic genealogy breakthrough that finally gave the Bernhardt family a name. Ep. 117 | Killer Connections | Murder Unscripted | August 2026 Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | A Darkcast Network Production Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:116 | The Murder of Leslie Preer | A Killer Hidden in Her Daughter’s Past | Murder Unscripted

Aug 11, 2026 1 hr 35 min

On the morning of May 2, 2001, Leslie Preer -- a warm, generous 48-year-old woman who her family said saw the world through rose-colored glasses -- didn't show up to work in Washington DC. Her boss drove to the family home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Her husband Sandy met him there. When police arrived, they found Leslie on the bathroom floor, under the running shower, having suffered a brutal attack. From the beginning, investigators focused on Sandy. He failed a polygraph. His behavior seemed odd. The couple had debt, arguments, a history of tension. But the male DNA found at the scene and under Leslie's fingernails was never his. Sandy was never charged. He was also never cleared. In 2017, sixteen years after Leslie's murder, Sandy Preer died -- still, in the eyes of many in his community and even Leslie's own family, a suspect. In 2022, two female cold case detectives picked up the file with fresh eyes, refused to accept Sandy's guilt, and campaigned to get the case approved for forensic genetic genealogy through Othram, a Texas lab specializing in advanced DNA sequencing. The results pointed to a surname: Gligor. A Romanian family with deep roots in Chevy Chase -- and a connection to Lauren, Leslie's daughter, that nobody had looked at closely enough. Getting the suspect's DNA without alerting him required ingenuity. When he landed at Dulles Airport in June 2024, detectives had bottles of water waiting. He drank. He left. They collected the bottle. The DNA matched the evidence from Leslie's home, definitively and completely. Melissa covers the full story: Leslie's life and family, the decades of wrongful suspicion, the two detectives who cracked it open, and the interrogation scene that has to be heard to be believed. Sandy didn't live to see his name cleared. Lauren did. And she had 23 years worth of things to say at sentencing. Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey | A Darkcast Network Production Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/...

Ep:115 | The Murder of Roxanne Wood | 35-year-old Cold Case Solved with Genetic Genealogy | Murder Unscripted

Aug 4, 2026 1 hr 10 min

35 years cold. 6 cells worth of DNA. One pink-haired genealogist. ⬇️ Roxanne Wood was murdered in her home in Niles, Michigan in February 1987. Her husband Terry was never charged, but he was never cleared either. For 35 years, a small town called him "Slash" to his face. The real killer was a stranger who lived a few miles away and had never been in the case file. The case was cracked by genetic genealogy using a DNA sample so degraded that experts called it unsolvable, and a genealogist named Gabriella Vargas who disagreed. She built a family tree back to the 1820s and came up with a name in four days. An undercover trooper bummed a cigarette off the suspect outside a laundromat to get the confirmation sample. The match was one in billions. Ed covers the full story... Roxanne's victimology, the cold case, the genealogy work, the exoneration, and an ending that will stay with you. The perfect first episode to kick off August's Killer Connections block. LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted If this one moved you, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. #MurderUnscripted #RoxanneWood #GeneticGenealogy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:114 | A Conversation with Celeste Walsen, DVM | Courthouse Dogs Foundation | Murder Unscripted

Jul 28, 2026 58 min

She brought dogs into the courtroom! Listen to find out how. Most true crime content is about catching the bad guy. This episode covers what happens afterwards - specifically, the moment a child has to walk into a room full of strangers and say out loud what happened to them. Courthouse facility dogs sit with victims and witnesses (many of them children) during forensic interviews, depositions, and testimony. They reduce cortisol. They increase accuracy. They make the impossible feel possible. And in most courtrooms, the jury never even knows they're there. To close out the Dog Days of Summer block, Ed and Melissa sit down with Dr. Celeste Walsen - co-founder and Executive Director of the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, the organization that coined the term, built the field, and has been MU's charity partner from the beginning. Watch til the end to see Celeste take part in a round of "Paw & Order." It gets good! Learn more and donate: https://www.courthousedogs.org LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes directly to Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted If this one moved you, please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. #MurderUnscripted #CourthouseDogs #TrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:113 | The Murder of Frances Fitts | Dog Finds Evidence of Murder and Changes Texas Law | Murder Unscripted

Jul 21, 2026 1 hr 1 min

Frances Fritts was murdered in a house fire in Brenham, Texas in 1994. Her husband Charles walked out without a scratch. He had $800,000 in insurance lined up, a girlfriend abroad, and a Mercedes ad running in the local paper. Investigators had plenty of motive. What they needed was proof the fire was set deliberately. That proof came from two dogs named Samantha and Jager - hydrocarbon-sniffing K-9s who alerted to accelerant in the ruins of the Fritts home and helped put Charles away for life. And when the defense challenged their evidence in court, the Texas Court of Appeals made history. Fitts versus State, decided in 1998, became the case that put arson dogs in Texas courtrooms permanently. Melissa covers Frances's case and the remarkable legal legacy it left behind - including a note from the heart about a victim she couldn't find enough about, and the reason she still needed to say her name. LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted If you knew Frances Fritts, please reach out to murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com. We would love to tell her story properly. If this one moved you, please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. #MurderUnscripted #FrancesFritts #TrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:112 | The Murder of Carlos Maldonado | Kevin Lychwick Kills Neighbor As Part of 'Operation Slop Shop' | Murder Unscripted

Jul 14, 2026 1 hr 18 min

He named his murder plan "Operation Slop Shop" and his neighbor was first on the list. Carlos Maldonado was a 55-year-old dad rebuilding his life - starting a window tinting business and rekindling a relationship with his daughter Talisa. On April 14th, 2024, he vanished without a trace. His body wasn't found until October 30th - wrapped in tarp and garbage bags, tied with rope, hidden on a wooded hill less than 200 feet from his own front door. A trail camera in a tenant's garden captured Maldonado's 63-year-old neighbor, Kevin Lychwick, making trips to the hillside at 12:41am. His explanation: he feeds the rabbits at night. But his apartment told a different story. In the living room, police find a stack of handwritten documents. One was labeled 'Operation Slop Shop.' It named his neighbor Carlos Maldonado as a threat. It was stamped November 2023...six months before Maldonado's murder. Lychwick represented himself during a shocking and entertaining trial, and was eventually found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide. Sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2026. Subscribe so you don't miss the update. LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted If this one resonated with you, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. #MurderUnscripted #OperationSlopShop #TrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:111 | The Murder of the Caneiro Family | Man Kills and Burns His Brother's Entire Family | Murder Unscripted

Jul 7, 2026 1 hr 12 min

Two fires. One night. Four bodies. His own brother was behind everything. In the early hours of November 20th, 2018, a 911 call came in reporting a house fire in Ocean Township, New Jersey. Within hours, a second 911 call came in from a neighborhood fifteen miles away in Colts Neck. A man had gone outside to check on his generator after a mysterious power failure. He never came back in. His wife and two children were still inside when the house was set on fire. The victims were Keith Caniero, 50. His wife Jennifer, 45. Their son Jesse, 11. And their daughter Sophia, 8. The man who set the first fire at his own home, as a decoy) was Paul Caniero...Keith's older brother. The man who had been secretly embezzling from Keith's life insurance trust for years, spending the money on a lavish lifestyle and a mistress, and who faced financial ruin the moment Keith discovered the truth. If not for a New Jersey State Police K-9 named Creed, he might've gotten away with it. LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to Courthouse Dogs Foundation 🐾 CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted #MurderUnscripted #CanieroFamily #TrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:110 | A Conversation with Steve & Kristi Goncalves (Parents of Kaylee Goncalves) | Never-before-heard Stories about Kaylee | Murder Unscripted

Jun 30, 2026 1 hr 27 min

Kaylee's parents sit down to address the recently released autopsy details, the relentless online conspiracies, and share never-before-heard stories about their daughter Kaylee. The media dubbed them "The Idaho Four." But behind that moniker were four individuals with four families and four futures. One of them was Kaylee Goncalves...a bright, bubbly 21-year-old who had the world by a string. And while everyone knows the story of what happened to her few know the REAL Kaylee. Like how fiercely independent she was from the time she was small...the kind of kid who didn't ask for help and didn't need to be told twice. Like the prankster who liked throwing cell phones in the toilet and once told her dad she saw a cougar, only to show him a photo of an African leopard. That was Kaylee. In this powerful conversation, Steve and Kristi Goncalves also address the relentless media scrutiny, the release of case details not meant for the public, and the hateful online conspiracies that keep them up at night. They also speak to the work of the Murder Has a Name Foundation, which they founded in Kaylee's memory to advocate for victims' families navigating the criminal justice system. This is an interview that personifies Murder Unscripted, and it's one of the most important conversations we've ever had. To learn more about the Kaylee Goncalves Foundation: "Murder Has a Name" visit: www.murderhasaname.com LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to Courthouse Dogs Foundation CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted If this one moved you, please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. #MurderUnscripted #KayleeGoncalves #SteveGoncalves Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Ep:109 | The Murder of Katherine Foster | Her Best Friend Wanted Her Man, So She Killed Her | Murder Unscripted

Jun 23, 2026 1 hr 21 min

They were the 3 musketeers. One of them was a killer. In February 1980, 18-year-old University of South Alabama freshman Katherine Foster was supposed to meet her two best friends for a trip to the mall. She never showed up. Days later, a search party found her body in the woods just a few hundred yards from campus -- laying flat on her back, fully clothed, makeup intact, looking for all the world like she had simply laid down to take a nap. She had been shot twice in the head. Investigators were baffled. There was no struggle, no drag marks, no sign of sexual assault. Whoever did this, Katherine had trusted enough to walk into the woods with. Police chased every lead they had, but Katherine's case went cold for more than 22 years. Until a single phone call from an AA sponsor changed everything. Ed and Melissa cover the full case: the friend group at the center of it, the disturbing items found in a dead security guard's garage, the forensic science breakthrough at the University of Tennessee's Body Farm that rewrote the entire timeline, and the obsession that drove Jamie Kellam Letson to kill the friend who stood between her and a boyfriend who barely knew she existed. Content warning: murder, stalking, obsessive behavior. LISTEN ON AUDIO: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH SUPPORT THE SHOW: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 20% of every membership goes to Courthouse Dogs Foundation CONNECT WITH US: Email: murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com Socials: @murderunscripted If this one got you, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. #MurderUnscripted #KatherineFoster #TrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:108 | The Murder of Jeanne Clery | Co-Ed's Brutal Death Changes Campus Safety Laws Across the Country | Murder Unscripted

Jun 16, 2026 1 hr 22 min

On April 5th, 1986, Howard and Connie Clery returned home from a vacation in Bermuda to find a police car waiting in their driveway. Their 19-year-old daughter Jeanne had been found murdered in her dorm room at Lehigh University. What the Clerys discovered in the aftermath was as infuriating as it was devastating. In the three years before Jeanne's murder, there had been 38 violent crimes at Lehigh including rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults. Campus security had received over 2,000 reports of propped-open dorm doors in the year she was killed. 188 of those came from her building. None of this information had been available to them when they chose the school. Nobody was required to share it. The man who killed Jeanne - fellow student, Josoph Henry - had walked through a propped door and found her room unlocked because her roommate didn't have her key. He was convicted of first-degree murder. But Howard and Connie Clery were not finished. In 1990, the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act was signed into law -- later renamed the Jeanne Clery Act. It requires every college and university receiving federal funding to publicly disclose campus crimes, issue timely warnings, and give students and families the safety information they need before choosing a school. Four decades later, it is still one of the most important pieces of campus safety legislation in the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep: 107 | The Murder of Sophie Sergie | Genetic Genealogy Solves 28-year-old Alaskan Cold Case | Murder Unscripted

Jun 9, 2026 1 hr 6 min

Alaskan Sophie Sergie came from a remote Yupik village of 70 people. She was going to be the first in her family to graduate college. The last thing she told her family was a promise to bring her little brother a brand new kite. She never came home. On April 25th, 1993, Sophie Sergie was found violently murdered in a University of Alaska Fairbanks dorm bathroom. Her case went cold, and it stayed that way for more than a quarter century, until a woman uploaded her DNA to an ancestry site and unknowingly pointed investigators straight at her nephew, Steven Downs, who had been quietly living as a nurse in Maine the entire time. Ed covers Sophie's emotional story, the 28-year cold case, and the genetic genealogy breakthrough that finally brought justice. Ep. 107 | Collegiate Crimes Block | Murder Unscripted | June 2026 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:106 | The Murder of Yeardley Love | The Obsessive Ex-Boyfriend and the Missed Warning Signs | Murder Unscripted

Jun 2, 2026 1 hr 9 min

Yeardley Love was 22 years old and ten weeks from graduating from the University of Virginia. She was a D1 lacrosse player, a political science major with plans for law school in New York, and by every account, the kind of person who made every room warmer just by being in it. She was also in an abusive relationship with a men's lacrosse player, George Huguely V, that had been escalating for years. Obsessive contact. Jealousy. Physical violence. In February 2010, just weeks before her death, he had her pinned to a bed with his hands around her throat. Witnesses pulled him off. Yeardley told her mother. She even wrote a letter ending the relationship. Yeardley locked her door...but he kicked it in. In the early hours of May 3rd, 2010, Yeardley's roommate came home to find her unresponsive on her bed. She was gone. That's when police find an email from George in her inbox that read: 'I should have killed you.' In this episode, Melissa walks through the full story of Yeardley's life and death, including: the escalation pattern that followed every textbook sign of a dangerous relationship, the trial that convicted George Huguely of second-degree murder and sentenced him to 23 years, the 2022 civil verdict of $15 million in damages, and the most important thing to come out of all of it: the One Love Foundation, built by Yeardley's mother Sharon and sister Lexie, dedicated to teaching young people to recognize the warning signs of unhealthy relationships before they become fatal. This one is heavy, but it matters. If this episode makes you think of someone in your life, please take that seriously. One Love Foundation: https://www.joinonelove.org Written by Sue Grice | Hosted by Melissa Spivey Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about...

Ep:105 | A Conversation with Dr. Mildred Muhammad | Ex-wife of the DC Sniper | Murder Unscripted

May 26, 2026 1 hr 27 min

If you haven't listened to our DC Sniper episode yet (E104), start there first. This is the conversation that follows it. Dr. Mildred Muhammad was married to John Allen Muhammad for 12 years. She knew him as a soldier, a father, a man she loved. What she didn't know was that after their separation, he had begun stalking her, that he had kidnapped their three children and taken them to Antigua for 18 months using forged documents, that she had been living under a restraining order that still permitted visitation, and that during October of 2002...while the DC metropolitan area was being terrorized by a sniper...she was living in that same region with no idea the man behind it was her ex-husband. And then she found out she was allegedly the intended target all along. In this episode, Dr. Muhammad walks us through her entire story. Growing up in Baton Rouge. Meeting John. What the marriage looked like from the inside. The kidnapping of her children and the 18 months she spent fighting to bring them home. The moment she learned his name. The aftermath. Being treated as a potential accessory. The court refusing to allow domestic violence evidence at trial. And what she has built since as an author, advocate, speaker, podcaster, and appointed member of the Maryland State Board of Victim Services. Oh and listen until the end. We play a fun little game at the end testing Mildred's knowledge of all things Louisiana. She's from Baton Rouge. Melissa is not. It went about as well as you'd expect. 😂 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH 💛 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 📬 murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:104 | The DC Sniper | 10 People Killed at Random in Bizarre Murder Plot | Murder Unscripted

May 19, 2026 1 hr 16 min

In October 2002, the Washington DC area woke up to something it had never felt before. People were being shot at gas stations, in parking lots, at bus stops, at a school...apparently at random, by someone nobody could see, in a car nobody could find. Police were sprinting between active scenes. Schools canceled outdoor activities. People crouched at gas pumps trying to make themselves smaller targets. Senators got police escorts to the Capitol. Ten people would be killed in three weeks. Three more wounded. And almost none of it was random. In today's spine-chilling episode, Ed walks through the case of the DC Sniper, including: the months of seemingly disconnected shootings across six states before the DC attacks began, the investigation that kept missing the blue Caprice that was hiding in plain sight, the tarot card left at a middle school, and the motive reveal that reframes everything. Ed also shares something personal: in October 2002, he was a first-day intern at Forensic Files... and the DC Sniper case was his very first assignment. He watched it unfold, frame by frame, on two hours of raw news tape. It's what drew him into the true crime industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:103 | The Siberian Werewolf | Cop Turned Serial Killer Claims More Than 80 Victims | Murder Unscripted

May 12, 2026 1 hr 4 min

In post-Soviet Siberia, women were disappearing from the streets of Angarsk. Their bodies turned up in forests and industrial wastelands, mutilated beyond recognition. The weapons changed every time, but the tire tracks at the scenes were always from the same vehicle: a Lada Niva, the standard-issue Soviet police truck. The man driving it was Mikhail Popkov: junior police lieutenant, champion biathlete, beloved neighbor, husband and father. His wife Elena, a fellow officer in the same department, called him a 'perfect husband and father.' His colleagues said he was the soul of every party. When women were attacked on his city's streets, he was often first on scene. Because he was the one who had attacked them. Popkov used his badge, his uniform, and the trust people place in law enforcement to lure women into his patrol vehicle on freezing Siberian nights. He killed them with weapons stolen from his own department's evidence room, varying the method each time to prevent investigators from finding a pattern. He then returned to work, attended briefings on his own murders, and offered his observations to his colleagues. When a 15-year-old survivor picked him out of a photo lineup, his wife gave him an alibi. When biological evidence linked him to a victim, his wife gave him an alibi again. Investigators shelved the case. Popkov kept killing. By the time a 3,500-officer DNA sweep finally caught him in 2012, Popkov had confessed to 87 murders, making him the most prolific serial killer in Russian recorded history. Some investigators believe the true number may be closer to 200. When a judge asked how many total murders he had committed, Popkov shrugged and said: 'I can't say exactly. I didn't write them down.' Ed walks through the full story for the Who the Bleep Did I Marry block: the victims, the system failures, the jaw-dropping confession, and the impossible question Popkov's own daughter asked aloud while pregnant: would her child grow up to be a monster like...

Ep:102 | Herb Baumeister | The Serial Killer You've Never Heard About | 10,000 Bones in Backyard | Murder Unscripted

May 5, 2026 1 hr 8 min

His 13-year-old son found a skull in the backyard. Herb Baumeister said it was from his father's medical collection. His wife believed him. Over ten thousand human bone fragments were eventually recovered from Fox Hollow Farm — the 18-acre Indiana estate where Herb hosted family pool parties, ran a thrift store empire, and murdered at least eleven men, possibly twenty-five, while his wife and kids had no idea. Melissa walks through one of the most disturbing cases in our "Who the Bleep Did I Marry?" block cases MU has ever covered — including the I-70 Strangler theory, the missing tapes, and the DNA work that is still identifying victims in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:101 | The Murder of Justyn Rosen | Seductress Guns Down Elderly Boy Toy | Murder Unscripted

Apr 28, 2026 1 hr 33 min

⚠️ Content warning: domestic violence, child abandonment, shooting. She was abandoned by both parents before she was 17. She spent her life searching for a man who would finally take care of her. She found a 73-year-old millionaire who led her on for seven years — and then tried to walk away with a restraining order. He didn't make it out of the parking lot. Episode 101 is the finale of MU's "Rules of Murder" block — and one of the most psychologically complex cases Melissa has ever covered. Based on Ann Rule's "Old Man's Darling" from Crime Files Vol. 10: "Worth More Dead." Ep. 101 | Rules of Murder Block Finale | Murder Unscripted | April 2026 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:100 | A Conversation with Leslie Rule (Author, Daughter of Ann Rule) | Murder Unscripted

Apr 21, 2026 1 hr 15 min

At age 14, her mother introduced her to Ted Bundy, and by 17, she was photographing killers in courtrooms. For our special 100th episode, Murder Unscripted welcomes the incredible Leslie Rule - author, paranormal investigator, and daughter of true crime legend, Ann Rule! In a wide-ranging conversation, Leslie takes us inside her extraordinary childhood living in a haunted house, her decades of ghost hunting, and what she thought of America's most notorious serial killer. We talk about what it was like to grow up in Ann Rule's shadow, and how Leslie has carried the torch with her book: A Tangled Web, which details the murder of Nebraska mother Cari Farver. Milestone episode. Legendary guest. Don't miss it! 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH ❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 📧 murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted #MurderUnscripted #LeslieRule #AnnRule Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus Episode : The Murder of Cari Farver

Apr 21, 2026 28 min

In this Murder Unscripted bonus episode, Ed and Melissa take you through a brief but essential overview of the murder of Cari Farver—a case that spirals far beyond a simple missing persons story. What begins as a sudden disappearance quickly unravels into a disturbing web of obsession, manipulation, and deception that went on for years before the truth came to light. This case is the subject of Leslie Rule’s book, A Tangled Web, and we highly recommend listening to this episode before diving into our upcoming interview with Leslie for the full experience. Consider this your primer… because once you hear what really happened, everything changes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:99 | The Murder of Sheila Bellush, Pt.2 | "If she leaves me, I'll kill her!" | Murder Unscripted

Apr 14, 2026 58 min

⚠️ Content warning: domestic violence, murder, child endangerment. If you haven't listened to Part 1 (Ep. 98) yet — start there. This is the conclusion of one of the most devastating cases MU has ever covered. Sheila Bellush had done everything right. She got out of the marriage, fled across the country in the middle of the night, and built a new life in Sarasota, Florida with her husband Jamie and six children - including the quadruplets who made her a local celebrity known as "The Quad Mom." She was safe,,..or so she thought. Allen Blackthorne had spent years manipulating a golf buddy named Danny Rocha.... feeding him lies about Sheila being an abusive mother, escalating his rage, and eventually putting a $50,000 contract on her life. The man who took the job, Joey Del Torro, drove from Texas to Florida and hid inside Sheila's home while she played with her babies and did laundry, completely unaware. In Part 2, Ed walks through the murder, the investigation that unraveled the conspiracy piece by piece, and the trial that finally brought Allen Blackthorne to justice — two life sentences without the possibility of parole. And the aftermath: what happened to Jamie, to Stevie, to Daryl, to the quads, and to Sheila's heartbroken mother Jean, who lost her third child in the month of November. Based on Ann Rule's "Every Breath You Take" (2001) | Researched & written by Sue Grice | Hosted by Ed Hydock | A Money Beet Media Production, in association with The Darkcast Network 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-unscripted/id1750146409 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AUGh12ei1wk8x7CvcX9qH 💛 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MurderUnscriptedPod/membership 📬 murderunscriptedpod@gmail.com | @murderunscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:98 | The Murder of Sheila Bellush, Pt. 1 | How A Conman Became A Killer | Murder Unscripted

Apr 7, 2026 1 hr 5 min

⚠️ Content warning: domestic violence, sexual assault, animal abuse On November 7th, 1997, Sheila Bellush was murdered inside her own home in Sarasota, Florida. It was a murder-for-hire... planned at a distance, carried out by strangers. And it would never have happened if the man she'd married had faced even one consequence for any of the things he had done before. This is Part 1 of MU's two-part deep dive into one of Ann Rule's most chilling books — "Every Breath You Take." But before we get to the crime, Ed takes us inside the mind and the history of the man behind it: Allen Blackthorne. Allen was a liar, a manipulator, a predator, and a con artist from childhood. He destroyed two marriages before Sheila, drove his in-laws into bankruptcy, killed two people on a highway and walked free, and told his sister-in-law, point blank, that if Sheila ever left him, he would kill her. Part 1 is the origin story. The red flags nobody acted on. The system that failed at every turn. And the moment the crow should have been cued...long before it was. Part 2 drops next week. Subscribe and don't miss it. Based on Ann Rule's "Every Breath You Take" (2001) | Researched & written by Sue Grice | Hosted by Ed Hydock | A Money Beet Media Production in association with the Darkcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:97 | A Conversation with Anthony Vogel (Crime Scene Cleaner) | Murder Unscripted

Mar 31, 2026 57 min

Crime scene cleaner Anthony Vogel has walked into homicides, suicides, and unattended deaths. He's found things nobody expected and carried the weight of other people's worst days home with him. In the finale of our 2026 Spring Cleaning block, Ed and Melissa sit down with Anthony for one of the most fascinating conversations we've ever had — covering the training, the tools, the humor, the haunting scenes, and what crime TV gets completely wrong about his job. This is the side of true crime nobody talks about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:96 | The Murder of Irene Izak | Trooper Prime Suspect After 58 Years? | Murder Unscripted

Mar 24, 2026 1 hr 26 min

The night before Irene Izak left Cleveland, she woke up screaming. She had dreamed of a faceless figure beating her over the head with rocks. Her family calmed her down. It was just a dream. Two nights later, on June 10th, 1968, Irene's body was found at the bottom of a wooded ravine on Wellesley Island, New York — just one mile from the Canadian border. She had been bludgeoned with rocks. Killed exactly as she had dreamed. Irene Juliana Izak was 25 years old. A child of Ukrainian war refugees, she had survived bombings, displacement, and poverty to become a beloved French teacher fluent in six languages — a woman who radiated warmth, chased adventure, and trusted the goodness in people. She was on her way to a job interview in Quebec City but never made it. The only real suspect was the state trooper who pulled her over that night — and then, just 30 minutes later, found her body. He had blood on his uniform. He gave three different stories for how it got there. He refused to meet with Irene's heartbroken father. He lawyered up mid-interview and was never questioned again. He died in 2009, taking any secrets to his grave. No one has ever been arrested. No one has ever been charged. Ed and Melissa bring you this episode with a heavy heart, and with personal connection. This case is dedicated MU listener and longtime friend of the pod, Cassandra, whose family has spent decades seeking justice for her great-aunt Irene. Cassandra's mother, Lisa, shares her family's story in her own words throughout this episode. If you have any information about the murder of Irene Izak, please contact the New York State Police Cold Case Unit. This case remains open. This one is for Irene. 🖤 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:95 | Lucy Letby Killer Nurse? | Murder Unscripted

Mar 17, 2026 56 min

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode covers the deaths of infants. Ed and Melissa handle it with care, but please listen accordingly. In 2015 and 2016, the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in the UK recorded a disturbing spike in unexplained infant deaths. The investigation — codenamed Operation Hummingbird — eventually zeroed in on one suspect: a quiet, introverted nurse named Lucy Letby. After a 10-month trial, Lucy was convicted of murdering 7 babies and attempting to murder 6 more. She received 15 whole life terms — the longest sentence possible in the UK. The case rocked Britain. But not everyone is convinced justice was served. A panel of 14 elite international neonatal physicians — assembled voluntarily by the Canadian doctor whose research was used to convict her — reviewed all 17 cases and unanimously concluded: no crimes were committed. The medical evidence, they say, was misunderstood. Add to that: a lead prosecution expert witness with a documented pattern of tailoring testimony to whichever side hires him. A defense team that called zero medical experts. And a handwritten note that reads 'I AM EVIL, I DID THIS' — which prosecutors called a confession and the defense called the journal of a gaslit, scapegoated nurse. Ed and Melissa break down every angle of one of the UK's most divisive cases, from Lucy's unusually quiet childhood and rocky nursing school days, to the questionable testimony, the missing evidence, and the international doctors who may have just blown the case wide open. This one will make you question everything. 🖤 Submitted by listener Kate M. | Written by Sue Grice | Hosted by Ed Hydock & Melissa Spivey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:94 | The Murder of Kelsey Berreth | Murder Unscripted

Mar 10, 2026 1 hr 10 min

On Thanksgiving Day 2018, 29-year-old flight instructor and mother Kelsey Berreth vanished from her Woodland Park, Colorado condo. She'd been at the grocery store that morning. She'd texted her mom about Thanksgiving dinner recipes. She'd left cinnamon rolls on the stove for her baby daughter. Then she was gone. What followed was one of the most gripping murder investigations in Colorado history... a missing person case that turned into a homicide investigation when a single blood smear on a toilet changed everything. And a critical break that came not from physical evidence, but from a nurse in Idaho with a secret she could no longer keep. In this episode, Ed covers the full Kelsey Berreth case, including: How Patrick Frazee (her fiancé and the father of her daughter) planned and carried out a premeditated murder. How he enlisted his secret girlfriend Krystal Lee Kenney to clean up the evidence and help disappear Kelsey's body. How an extraordinary web of phone records, surveillance footage, and one woman's devastating testimony put a killer in prison for the rest of his life. This is a case about domestic violence, manipulation, and coercive control. It is also a case about a woman who deserved better, and a little girl growing up knowing who her mother really was. Case suggested by listener Tiange678. Thank you!!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:93 | The Murder of Ashley Kline | Burned Alive by Friends | Murder Unscripted

Mar 3, 2026 1 hr 25 min

On New Year's Eve 2013, 23-year-old Ashley Kline left her Robesonia, PA home to meet a friend — and never came home. While her best friend waited at a party and her father held onto hope, Ashley had vanished without a trace. What followed was a chilling investigation: scattered belongings in a snow-covered field, a Tinkerbell keychain pulled from a drained water tank, and a body found burned in a wildlife preserve 16 miles away. Ed and Melissa walk through every haunting detail... from the obsessive prison pen pal writing letters from behind bars, to the surveillance footage that cracked the case wide open. This case was submitted by listener Amy F., who grew up near Robesonia. Thank you, Amy. ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of murder, sexual assault, and violence. Subscribe, rate & review — and join us on Patreon for behind-the-scenes content and bonus episodes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:92 | A Conversation with Andy Kahan, Houston Crimestoppers - Director of Victim's Services & Advocacy | Murder Unscripted

Feb 24, 2026 1 hr 21 min

30 Years Fighting for Murder Victims: An Interview with Andy Kahan Andy Kahan has dedicated over three decades to victims' advocacy at Crime Stoppers Houston. He's the expert families call when they need someone to fight for them, whether it's navigating the parole system, keeping cold cases in the public eye, or understanding why the justice system doesn't always deliver what they expect. He leads meetings for Parents of Murdered Children that can draw 30-40 attendees, and he's personally helped keep serial killers behind bars through publicity campaigns he calls the 'horsefly effect.' In this interview, Ed and Melissa sit down with Andy to discuss his work with grieving families, the Texas mandatory release law that has allowed violent offenders to walk free, the Coral Eugene Watts and Genene Anne Jones cases where last-minute interventions changed everything, and what meaningful criminal justice reform could look like. Plus, a special mini-game that tests Andy's encyclopedic knowledge of the cases that have shaped victims' rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:91 | The Murder of Aimee Willard | Murder Unscripted

Feb 17, 2026 1 hr 11 min

In June 1996, twenty-two-year-old Aimee Willard — a two-sport All-American athlete at George Mason University and a beloved daughter of the Philadelphia suburbs — vanished on her drive home from a night out with friends. Her car was found running on an Interstate 476 off-ramp in the early morning hours, door open, radio still playing. She was nowhere. What followed was a sprawling, shocking investigation: a police impersonator who showed up at the crime scene, an off-duty state trooper with a suspicious story, an actual officer who lied to investigators, and ultimately, a convicted murderer who never should have been free. In this episode, Ed and Melissa walk through the case that haunted a region, examine the catastrophic failures of the interstate parole system, and reveal how Aimee's mother, Gail Willard, channeled unimaginable grief into action — fighting all the way to Washington D.C. for a federal law that now carries her daughter's name. Aimee's Law, signed by President Clinton in 2000, allows states to be financially penalized when they release violent offenders who go on to commit the same crimes elsewhere. It was born from one community's worst nightmare and one mother's refusal to let her daughter's story end with tragedy. This episode is part of Murder Unscripted's February theme: Short Sentences — stories about violent offenders released early, and the devastating consequences that followed. ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains detailed descriptions of violence, sexual assault, and homicide. Listener discretion is advised. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:90 | The Murder of Yleen and Lillie Kennedy | Murder Unscripted

Feb 10, 2026 1 hr 8 min

On March 5, 1984, a Houston father discovered both of his daughters murdered in their Heights-area home. Yleen Kennedy, 33, had been sexually assaulted, stabbed four times in the throat, and shot. Her younger sister Lillie, 23, was executed with a single bullet to the back of the head. A neighbor spoke directly to the killer that morning, and police released a composite sketch within 48 hours. Tips flooded in by the hundreds. But one by one, every suspect was eliminated, and the case went ice cold. For over 30 years, the girls' mother Rose called the Houston media every year on the anniversary of their deaths, begging them to remember her daughters. Then DNA technology caught up, and an informant's tip from Indiana changed everything. In this episode, Ed and Melissa explore the brutal crime, the decades of dead ends, the DNA breakthrough that identified the killer, and the Texas sentencing law that delivered a bitter lesson in imperfect justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:89 | The Life & Crimes of Nikko Jenkins - When the System Ignores Every Warning | Murder Unscripted

Feb 3, 2026 1 hr 17 min

He begged prison officials not to release him. He told them he would kill. They let him out anyway. Nineteen days later, four people were dead in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the story of Nikko Jenkins—a man failed by every system designed to help him, who then committed one of the most preventable killing sprees in recent memory. It's also the story of four victims: Juan Uribe-Pena, Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz, Curtis Bradford, and Andrea Kruger. Some made headlines. Others were barely mentioned. All deserved justice from the start. In this episode, Ed and Melissa examine the catastrophic failures that led to tragedy—from a childhood marked by documented mental illness and abuse, to a prison system that ignored years of warnings, to a media landscape that only paid attention when the "right" victim was killed. This is Block 21: Sentencing Failures. Because sometimes the scariest part of true crime isn't the killer—it's the system that could have stopped them and didn't. Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of violence, mental illness, childhood abuse, and systemic failures in the criminal justice system. In This Episode: The August 2013 Omaha killing spree How media coverage differs based on who the victim is The documented history of mental illness that was repeatedly ignored Why Nikko Jenkins was released directly from solitary confinement with zero supervision The families who are still seeking answers Support the Show: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, screenshot it, and send it to us for a free Murder Unscripted sticker! Connect With Us: Patreon | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Reddit: r/MurderUnscripted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:88 | A Conversation with Ray Krone - Wrongfully convicted and sent to death row | Murder Unscripted

Jan 27, 2026 1 hr 23 min

He was called "The Snaggletooth Killer." His crooked teeth sentenced him to death row. But Ray Krone was innocent. In 1991, bartender Kim Ancona was brutally murdered at the CBS Lounge in Phoenix, Arizona. Police arrested Ray Krone—a mail carrier with no criminal record—based primarily on bite mark evidence that a forensic expert claimed was "100% certain, better than a fingerprint." Ray was convicted. Twice. He was sentenced to death. He spent over 10 years in prison, including time on Arizona's death row, before DNA evidence proved his innocence and identified the REAL killer: Kenneth Phillips, who had been living just 600 yards from the crime scene the entire time. This case is personal for Ed—he was the associate producer on the original Forensic Files episode "Once Bitten" back in 2003. It was his very first case in the true crime industry. In this episode, we break down: The brutal murder of Kim Ancona at the CBS Lounge How flawed bite mark evidence led to a wrongful conviction The "nationally known expert" who got it completely wrong Ray's battle through two trials and two convictions Life on Arizona's death row The DNA breakthrough that changed everything Kenneth Phillips: the real killer who walked free for over a decade The emotional moment Kim's mother apologized to the man she'd twice asked to execute This case changed forensic science in America and exposed the dangerous flaws in bite mark analysis. It's a story of injustice, perseverance, and the power of DNA to set the innocent free. Stay tuned—Ray Krone himself joins us as a guest in an upcoming episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:87 | The Murder of Kim Ancona & Wrongful Conviction of Ray Krone | Murder Unscripted

Jan 20, 2026 1 hr 14 min

In this episode of Murder Unscripted, we dive deep into one of the most shocking wrongful conviction cases in American history. In 1991, bartender Kim Ancona was brutally murdered at the CBS Lounge in Phoenix, Arizona. Police arrested Ray Krone, a mail carrier with no criminal record, based primarily on bite mark evidence that a forensic expert claimed was “better than a fingerprint.” Ray was convicted TWICE and sentenced to death. He spent over 10 years in prison - including time on Arizona’s death row - before DNA evidence proved his innocence and identified the REAL killer, Kenneth Phillips, who had been living just 600 yards from the crime scene the entire time. This case changed forensic science in America and exposed the dangerous flaws in bite mark analysis. It’s a story of injustice, perseverance, and the power of DNA to set the innocent free. 👉 FOLLOW for more true crime content every week! 📚 SOURCES: The Arizona Republic newspaper archives (1991-2006) Forensic Files - “Once Bitten” (Season 8, Episode 7) National Registry of Exonerations Innocence Project case files 🔗 RESOURCES: - Innocence Project: https://innocenceproject.org - National Registry of Exonerations: https://law.umich.edu/special/exoneration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:86 | The Murder of Oswaldo "Ozzy" Conde & Exoneration of Kimberly Long | Murder Unscripted

Jan 13, 2026 50 min

In October 2003, Kimberly Long’s life was permanently altered when she discovered her boyfriend, Oswaldo “Ozzy” Conde, murdered in their home. What followed was not justice — but a catastrophic failure of it. In this gripping episode of Murder Unscripted, hosts Ed Hydock and Melissa Spivey examine how Kimberly was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder despite a lack of physical evidence, ignored forensic indicators, and alternate suspects who were never fully investigated. Through flawed testimony, untested DNA, and a rushed legal process, Kimberly was sentenced to 15 years to life — even as the trial judge openly stated he believed she was innocent. Years later, the California Innocence Project uncovered critical evidence that should have been presented from the start, leading to her conviction being vacated. This episode explores the emotional, legal, and human toll of wrongful convictions — and asks the question: how many others are still waiting for justice? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:85 | The Murder of Carol Armstrong | Exoneration of Randy Arledge | Murder Unscripted

Jan 6, 2026 1 hr 11 min

An innocent man lost 30 years to prison. The real killer? He stabbed another woman 90+ times and walked free. This case will ENRAGE you. 🔍⚖️ In this episode of Murder Unscripted, we dive deep into one of Texas' most heartbreaking wrongful conviction cases. In 1981, Carol Elaine Armstrong was found murdered on a rural dirt road in Navarro County, Texas,,,stabbed 45 times and left to die. The investigation led nowhere until two jailhouse informants pointed the finger at Randolph Arledge. But here's what the jury never knew: those informants LIED for plea deals. There was NO physical evidence. And while Randolph sat behind bars for three decades, the alleged REAL killer, David Sims, was out there, free to attack again. 📚 SOURCES: - National Registry of Exonerations - Innocence Project of Texas - Corsicana Daily Sun Archives (1981-1984) - Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Records - CBS News Investigation (2013) #TrueCrime #WrongfulConviction #MurderMystery #ColdCase #InnocenceProject #Texas #Documentary #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderUnscripted #Justice #Exoneration #CriminalJustice #Investigation #UnsolvdMurder #CarolArmstrong #NavarroCounty #Corsicana #JailhouseInformant #DNAEvidence #TrueCrimeDocumentary #TrueCrimeCommunity #CrimePodcast #MurderPodcast #JusticeSystem #WrongfullyConvicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:84 | A Conversation with Sgt. Christopher Kringle | The North Pole's Darkest Secret | Murder Unscripted Holiday Special

Dec 30, 2025 31 min

Before the red suit and the reindeer, Sgt. Christopher Kringle spent three centuries solving murders at the North Pole. Now, for the first time ever, he's breaking his silence on the case that nearly destroyed Christmas. 🦌 THE CASE: On December 22nd, just days before Christmas Eve, Blitzen was found dead in his stable...an antler removed at the base. What looked like an accident quickly became the most explosive investigation in North Pole history. 🔍 THE INVESTIGATION: Rival reindeer with motive. An elf with secrets. A 156-million-toy embezzlement scheme. And evidence hidden in the most unexpected place. 📺 SUBSCRIBE for weekly true crime deep dives: https://www.youtube.com/@MurderUnscriptedPod 🎧 LISTEN on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts: [LINK] Spotify: [LINK] Website: https://murderunscriptedpod.com 👥 ABOUT MURDER UNSCRIPTED: Join veteran true crime producer Ed Hydock (Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, City Confidential) and true crime super-fan Melissa Spivey as they break down the barrier between true crime fan and true crime creator. New episodes every Tuesday! 📱 FOLLOW US: • Instagram: @MurderUnscripted • TikTok: @MurderUnscripted 💬 Join the Crime Crew! Drop your theories in the comments below. Or start a conversation on Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/murderunscripted #truecrimecommunity #MurderUnscripted #ChristmasSpecial #ColdCase #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderMystery #CrimePodcast #TrueCrimeCommunity #Detective #Homicide #Christmas #Holiday #SantaClaus #Reindeer #NorthPole #CrimeStory #Investigation #ForensicFiles #ColdCaseFiles #TrueCrimeAddicts #CrimeCommunity #PodcastEpisode #NewEpisode #ChristmasContent #HolidaySpecial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:83 | The Crime of the Century | Richard Speck Pt. 2 | Murder Unscripted

Dec 23, 2025 1 hr 18 min

In Part Two of our coverage of Richard Speck, Murder Unscripted details the night of terror inside the Chicago townhouse where eight student nurses were attacked and murdered. We walk through the crime scene, honor each victim’s story, and explain how Speck was identified, arrested, and ultimately convicted. This episode also examines his time in prison and his death — closing the chapter on one of the most infamous crimes in American history. This is a victim-focused conclusion to a case that continues to haunt generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:82 | The Early Life of Richard Speck, Pt. 1 | Murder Unscripted

Dec 16, 2025 1 hr 10 min

Before Richard Speck murdered eight student nurses in Chicago, there were years of warning signs no one stopped. In Part One of our coverage, Murder Unscripted explores Speck’s childhood, his deeply troubled relationships, and the violent misogyny that fueled his crimes. We examine his belief that “all women are whores,” the rage that defined his interactions, and his first known murder — Mary Pierce in Illinois — a chilling precursor to what was to come. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding how Richard Speck became one of America’s most notorious killers — and why the system failed to intervene. Part Two continues with the night that shocked the nation. #TrueCrime#TrueCrimePodcast#MurderUnscripted#TrueCrimeCommunity#CrimePodcast #RichardSpeck #SpeckMurders #ChicagoCrimes #NursesMurders #MaryPierce #TrueCrimeYouTube #TrueCrimeSeries #CrimeDocumentary #UnsolvedHistory #AmericanCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep:81 | The Tourniquet Killer, Pt. 2 | Murder Unscripted

Dec 9, 2025 1 hr 18 min

Cold cases spanning years suddenly collided when a long-overdue DNA match pointed straight to Shore. In Part Two of our investigation into Anthony Allen Shore, we uncover the forensic break that finally exposed the man responsible for some of Houston’s most haunting murders. As Shore’s violence escalated, investigators struggled to connect the cases — until one pivotal DNA match changed everything. This episode brings together the threads that detectives spent years chasing, and shows how close Shore came to continuing his cycle of violence. #TourniquetKiller #AnthonyAllenShore #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderUnscripted #DNAColdCase #ForensicFiles #HoustonCrime #SerialKillerCaseFiles #TrueCrimeCommunity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices