Hit Me Baby One More Crime

In the finale of our second season, Cherlyne narrates the story of Colonel Russell Williams, a commander in the Canadian Air Force. Driven by sexual fantasies, he broke into dozens of women’s homes to steal their underwear, but escalated to rape and eventually murdered two women - including a corporal from his squadron. Cherlyne details her dashed childhood dreams of becoming a military officer and how this case inspired her career in forensic psychology.

Jialu tells the story of Katherine Knight, an Australian woman who left a trail of violence and abuse in all her romantic relationships. Her violent track record came to a halt when she violently murdered her boyfriend John Price, skinned and butchered him, serving him up as a stew. Cherlyne and Jialu talk about her traumatic childhood, the men she hurt, and her abandoned children.

Jiawen tells the story of the Halifax Mass Shooting Plot. Originally inspired by the Columbine massacre, one conspirator committed suicide while another was sentenced to life in prison. Cherlyne and Jiawen discuss punishment for intended crimes compared with committed crimes, domestic terrorism, and how our communities shape our beliefs.

Cherlyne describes the story of Mohammed Shamji, a highly respected neurosurgeon, who beat his wife, Elana Fric, to death. Elana was a beloved family doctor and they portrayed themselves as a smart, loving, power couple on social media. Behind closed doors, he controlled her every move and beat her. When he murdered her, the medical community was shocked, but the signs of abuse had been present for years. Cherlyne and Jialu discuss the cycle of domestic abuse and how class, race, and status factored into Elana’s untimely death.

During one of our recording sessions, Cherlyne briefly left the room and Jiawen was left alone. Jiawen picked up a guitar and decided to improvise a song. She got so into the song that she didn't notice Cherlyne was locked out of the recording studio and had been banging on the glass for several minutes. So here it is: Jiawen's song.

For the finale of our first season, we decided to finish the same way we started - with a story that really hits home. Cherlyne recounts the haunting tale of Bruce McArthur, the serial killer of Toronto’s Gay Village. McArthur was a landscaper who spent decades in the closet, harboring bitterness and resentment. He targeted gay immigrant men - with wives and children - who would secretly meet men on dating apps. Cherlyne details her own experiences growing up as a gay woman in a religious, immigrant family and gives her own perspective of leading a double life.

Jiawen tells the story of the death of 18 month old Ezekiel Stephan. His parents, David and Collet Stephan, were distrustful of Western medicine and tried to treat his meningitis with home remedies. Their conviction caused fear in their community that the government would start arresting any parents who didn’t fall in line. Cherlyne recounts her own childhood illnesses and her experiences with Chinese traditional medicine and we discuss the anti-vaccine movement and fears of Big Pharma.

Jialu tells the story of Lisa Montgomery, a woman who was “baby crazy” and faked multiple pregnancies after being sterilized. She met a pregnant woman on an internet forum, murdered her and kidnapped her unborn baby. She pled not guilty by reason of insanity but has become the 3rd woman to be sentenced to death in the USA. Cherlyne and Jialu discuss the use of the insanity plea and the ethics of the death penalty.

Cherlyne tells the story of Nelson Hart, a man with epilepsy accused of drowning his two daughters in a lake. When the police cannot arrest him on evidence alone, they ensnare him using the controversial Mr. Big technique in which they recruit him into a fake criminal organization and pressure him to confess to the mob boss. Cherlyne and Jiawen debate his innocence and the ethics of the Mr. Big technique.

In this episode, Cherlyne tells the story of 14 year old Ana Kriegel, a Russian orphan adopted by Irish parents. One day she was tricked by two boys into going to an abandoned farmhouse where they sexually assaulted and murdered her. At 13 years old, the two boys are only known as Boy A and Boy B. They are the youngest to ever be convicted of murder in Ireland, where the charge carries an automatic life sentence. Cherlyne and Jialu discuss the culture of “boys will be boys” and the treatment of children in the justice system.

For our third episode, Jialu covers last year’s van attack in Toronto by 25-year-old Alek Minassian. A computer science student turned incel (involuntary celibate), Minassian had autism and struggled socially his entire life. A failed stint in the army and several job rejections later, he found a sense of belonging in the echo chambers of online incel forums. Jiawen and Jialu discuss their own struggles as nerds with no social skills and we discuss our own lack of employment prospects.

In this episode, Jiawen presents the brutal murders of Cody Legebokoff, who targeted marginalized women in British Columbia a decade ago. Known as one of Canada’s youngest serial killers at 20 years old, this shaggy-haired piece-of-shit lied, lied again, and then lied some more, all while trying to maintain his boy-next-door appearance. Cherlyne makes some math puns and Jialu discusses the housing crisis in BC.

In the first episode of Hit Me Baby One More Crime (Another True Crime Podcast), Cherlyne details the gruesome, but unfortunately relatable story of Jennifer Pan; a Vietnamese-Canadian York region local who was found guilty of attempted murder of her "tiger dad" and first degree murder of her negligent mother in 2010. As three Chinese-Canadians who constantly question their existence, buckling under parental pressure is one all Asian-Canadians - or just kids of immigrants - can relate to. Jiawen brags about her grades, and Jialu bashes Ryerson. All credit for the information used in this episode goes to Karen K Ho from Toronto Life.