Outline of A Murder

Recently, Sherri was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting when. s he found out that one of the employees had lunch with a killer. Her ears immediately perked up. She asked for an interview, and Nick graciously agreed to tell the story. it's a great example of being smart, being rude, and lessons learned for all of us!

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders, also known as the "Phantom Killer" case, is one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in American history. The murders took place in 1946 in the border town of Texarkana, which straddles the state lines of Texas and Arkansas. Over the course of three months, a serial killer attacked eight people - five of whom were killed - under the cover of darkness, earning him his nickname. Despite an intense manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies and a number of suspects over the years, the identity of the killer has never been definitively determined or has it? The case has since become a popular subject for true crime enthusiasts and inspired numerous books, movies and TV shows.

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders, also known as the "Phantom Killer" case, is one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in American history. The murders took place in 1946 in the border town of Texarkana, which straddles the state lines of Texas and Arkansas. Over the course of three months, a serial killer attacked eight people - five of whom were killed - under the cover of darkness, earning him his nickname. Despite an intense manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies and a number of suspects over the years, the identity of the killer has never been definitively determined or has it? The case has since become a popular subject for true crime enthusiasts and inspired numerous books, movies and TV shows.

This case is located in Elephant Butte, a small town of 1300 a few miles from Truth or Consequences, NM, a town I go to for ministry events at least once a year. My father-in-law is the one that discovered the case and asked me if I had heard of it. It's the case of the Toybox Killer, David Parker Ray. Ironically, Ray was never convicted of murder, which we'll get into.

This case takes us to Peartree Apartments in Arlington, Texas. It was September 17 1996 and Thang Khuu remembers the morning well. His long-time girlfriend, Christine Vu, age 25, got ready that mourning for her teaching position at a local elementary school. He listened to her moving around their apartment, cooing at their dog, Caramel, making a bagel, and then she came into the bedroom and whispered goodbye to him. He smiled but didn't open his eyes. Thang left after Christine and came home around 5:30 PM but found the front door bolted. He thought that she might be in the bathroom so he smoked a cigarette and then went back and tried again. The door was still locked. He banged on the door and still no answer. He walked to a payphone and called two times. Nothing. He walked back to the apartment and tried the door again. This time it was unlocked. He didn't see Christine so walked to the bathroom and found her nude beaten and bruised body submerged in a partially filled bathtub. Her lips were covered with duct tape and her hands and feet tied with it. She had been raped and strangled. In shock, he picked her up and carried her to the living room. It hit him along with the guilt at the sudden realization that his beautiful girlfriend was murdered while he was outside the apartment!

A young widow with two daughters moves in across the street from Darrell and Debbie. They take her and her daughters under their wing. Their two daughters shared the same first name and become close almost like sisters. Over time, Darrell and the young window start an affair and the young widow becomes pregnant. Darrell moves in with her and her two daughters. The two Ariels are excited about it because NOW they will be REAL sisters. But things are not a “happily ever after.” Darrell has a criminal history and spends time in prison more than at home. He also has a drug problem. The young widow had enough and breaks up with Darrell but this decision would shatter her life and the two Ariel's lives in ways no one saw. But that's not all there is to this story. Listen to the end for the twist!

A happily married man with a beautiful, loving wife and three beautiful children with a fourth on the way. A great career. A large home. Friends and family. Everything seemed perfect on the outside. A young single mother working a waitressing job to fund her way through school. Not a native to Clovis, NM, she was deciding whether to make the move back home to San Diego but a divorce and child custody made that complicated until she was found dead. Did the husband do it? Did the canceled date that night do it? There were many red herrings but the elite major crimes unit put in the work and solved the case quick to get a potential serial killer off the streets.

While cleaning out her grandparent's home, Sherri came across an 1990 newspaper clipping in her grandma's stuff about a missing NY teenager, Kari Lynn Nixon written by Lane Willard. This sparked her curiosity on this case that uncovered a deeply disturbing and sad abduction and murder of a beautiful 19 year old, a New Kids on the Block connection, two Unsolved Mysteries episodes, and once again proof that evil lives everywhere even small, close-knit communities where doors are not locked and kids play after dark.

Tommy Sells was a serial killer that I had no interest ever outlining until a mother false accused and convicted on junk science for murdering her 10-year-old little boy captured my attention. Was she actually innocent? If so, who exactly killed her son? A true crime author and a serial killer helped exonerate this mother—one who cared deeply for her and the other who hated everyone.

Tommy Sells was a serial killer that I had no interest ever outlining until a mother false accused and convicted on junk science for murdering her 10-year-old little boy captured my attention. Was she actually innocent? If so, who exactly killed her son? A true crime author and a serial killer helped exonerate this mother—one who cared deeply for her and the other who hated everyone.

This case is one of the most disturbing, sad, and infuriating of the season so far. A man with a known history of violence toward women brutally murdered a mother of three and her daughter. The two boys survived thanks to the youngest. And to this day, Gary Green blames the victim. It is one of the best examples of this podcast's purpose—educated others so they are smart, rude, and not a victim.

Traci McBride was at a military base in Texas for two short weeks. One night talking to her friend on a payphone she is snatched off a military base, brutally raped, and murdered. Misplaced anger made her a stranger-on-stranger victim. Did the killer do it from Gulf War Syndrome or just the usual poopbird monster?

This is one of the weirdest cases we've done and also the saddest. You have a young man deeply loved by both parents and brother. However, his life begins to spiral while his brother's is going as planned. Depressed and unemployed, he begins building an online business. Or was he? No one would know what was really going on until everyone was dead.

Donald Rolle was a monster full of rage. It was just a matter of time before his explosive anger led to murder. A desperate 911 call and search wasn't enough to save the victim. In this case, we not only outline the murder but we also dive into the legal ramifications of past bad acts.

A wealthy plastic surgeon wooed his prey using romantic airplane flights. One fell hard both in love with the wealthy, accomplished doctor and to her death. His genius almost helped him commit the perfect crime but a determined sister and detectives dogged him until he was finally caught.

Gabby Petito, the infamous case. We deep dive into this case starting with a break down of some red flags that no one saw but that were indicative of Gabby's future with Brian Laundrie. We then break down the timeline and whether we buy Laundrie's reason for killing Gabby. We also go deep in reviewing the infamous body cam footage from Utah. And it is our hope that our listeners gain valuable information from us outlining this murder to protect themselves from hidden monsters like Laundrie.

Gabby Petito, the infamous case. We deep dive into this case starting with a break down of some red flags that no one saw but that were indicative of Gabby's future with Brian Laundrie. We then break down the timeline and whether we buy Laundrie's reason for killing Gabby. We also go deep in reviewing the infamous body cam footage from Utah. And it is our hope that our listeners gain valuable information from us outlining this murder to protect themselves from hidden monsters like Laundrie.

Gabby Petito, the infamous case. We deep dive into this case starting with a break down of some red flags that no one saw but that were indicative of Gabby's future with Brian Laundrie. We then break down the timeline and whether we buy Laundrie's reason for killing Gabby. We also go deep in reviewing the infamous body cam footage from Utah. And it is our hope that our listeners gain valuable information from us outlining this murder to protect themselves from hidden monsters like Laundrie.

This case was recommended by one our listeners, Peggy. it's the story of a seemingly happy family that ends with gun shots, the family home burned down, and survivors who are now orphans. What happened? And why? And how can you protect yourself from this ever happening?

Clara and David Harris were successful and happy. Clara was a successful dentist living her childhood dreams from Colombia—a Mercedes, a happy family, and wealth. David was a successful orthodontist. Everything seemed great until David had an affair with his secretary. This case has more twists and turns than any case we've done so far!

Danielle Thomas was a beautiful soul. She was successful. She had a close-knit family and her beloved dog. She had just met the love of her life. They had so much in common. Florida Gators. Adventurous. Ambitious. And big dreams. But Danielle didn't know that she was in mortal danger by the one she loved. She believed that her faith in God compelled her to help him. It was a big mistake.

Danielle Thomas was a beautiful soul. She was successful. She had a close-knit family and her beloved dog. She had just met the love of her life. They had so much in common. Florida Gators. Adventurous. Ambitious. And big dreams. But Danielle didn't know that she was in mortal danger by the one she loved. She believed that her faith in God compelled her to help him. It was a big mistake.

This is our first ever bonus series, and we decided to kick it off with a case that polarized the country and still polarizes today—the case of Betty Broderick, a socialite housewife who shot her ex-husband and his new wife in their bed while sleeping. Some sympathized with Betty because she sacrificed her early years in life so Dan, her husband, could attend medical school and law school in order to become a malpractice attorney. Both were ambitious and willing to make sacrifices for the future. It worked. Dan became a very successful lawyer and at the height of that success when Betty could finally enjoy the fruits of their partnership, he dumped her for a young twenty-something. But was it as cut and dry? I (Sherri) don't think so. We dive into this case in-depth and cover some things you might not know!

This is our first ever bonus series, and we decided to kick it off with a case that polarized the country and still polarizes today—the case of Betty Broderick, a socialite housewife who shot her ex-husband and his new wife in their bed while sleeping. Some sympathized with Betty because she sacrificed her early years in life so Dan, her husband, could attend medical school and law school in order to become a malpractice attorney. Both were ambitious and willing to make sacrifices for the future. It worked. Dan became a very successful lawyer and at the height of that success when Betty could finally enjoy the fruits of their partnership, he dumped her for a young twenty-something. But was it as cut and dry? I (Sherri) don't think so. We dive into this case in-depth and cover some things you might not know!

This is our first ever bonus series, and we decided to kick it off with a case that polarized the country and still polarizes today—the case of Betty Broderick, a socialite housewife who shot her ex-husband and his new wife in their bed while sleeping. Some sympathized with Betty because she sacrificed her early years in life so Dan, her husband, could attend medical school and law school in order to become a malpractice attorney. Both were ambitious and willing to make sacrifices for the future. It worked. Dan became a very successful lawyer and at the height of that success when Betty could finally enjoy the fruits of their partnership, he dumped her for a young twenty-something. But was it as cut and dry? I (Sherri) don't think so. We dive into this case in-depth and cover some things you might not know!

The year is 1560. Elizabeth of Bathory was born August 7th on the family estate in the Kingdom of Hungary to Baron George VI Bathory and Baroness Anna Bathory. She ran around Eased Castle as a young child. Her family included one cardinal and sever bishops, judges, governors, sheriffs, two princes of Transylvania and one king of Poland. Her family also included an uncle “addicted to rituals and worship in honor of Satan, and aunt who enjoyed torturing her servants, and a brother who was a drunkard. Madness and other psychological disturbances plagued her family. Her case is reminiscent of Vlad the Impaler, the source of the famous Count Dracula stories. Six hundred victims, bathing in the blood of virgins, and other atrocities make Elizabeth of Bathory the most prolific serial killer in history. But was she really? Was this a political move to solve a debt problem, to take her estate, and shame her family? You decide.

The Hammersmith Killer. The London Nude killer. Jack the Stripper. Although his work hasn't been the subject of endless books, podcasts, and television, he killed more victims than his close namesake, Jack the Ripper. Bodies of sex workers started showing up around the Thames in London in 1964, nude, strangled or drowned, and missing teeth that has been removed by the killer. None were sexually assaulted (at least that's what police say). Was the killer a washed out boxer? A caretaker? A security guard? A policeman? Or could it be a quote “dangerous psychopath” convicted of savagely killing two little girls when he was 15 years old? He lived and worked in the area. This case has never been solved. It's time that it gets the attention the victims deserve. And their families need justice.

Herman Webster Mudget of Gilmanton, NH was born May 16, 1861, the third of 5 kids. His parents were devout methodists. He was intelligent and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy at the age of 16. He married well. Had a son. And in his spare time robbed graves to supply cadavers to medical professors and to commit insurance fraud. A polygamist, a conman, and America's first serial killer, who built a home designed specifically to kill most efficiently in the middle of Chicago, IL. Did he killed 5 or 60 or several hundred? We might never know. But what we do know is that he killed men, women, and children. And he liked it.

Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper, one of the oldest unsolved cases in history. There are even Ripperologists that spend all of their spare time studying the case of the murders of disenfranchised women trying to secure a bit of food, a cot to sleep on, and feed their addiction to alcohol through sex work. But the case can't be reduced to what we think we know about the victims. Many of them were occasional sex workers. Others came from good families and even married well and had kids. None of them deserved what happened to them. Throats slit, disemboweled, and faces ruined. Polly Nichols. Annie Chapman. Elizabeth Stride. Catherine Eddowes. Mary Kelly who was so destroyed by the Ripper's work that her remains didn't seem human. And then as suddenly as the killings started, they stopped. Was the murders the work of a devoted and sophisticated killer or a crazed mental patient?

Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper, one of the oldest unsolved cases in history. There are even Ripperologists that spend all of their spare time studying the case of the murders of disenfranchised women trying to secure a bit of food, a cot to sleep on, and feed their addiction to alcohol through sex work. But the case can't be reduced to what we think we know about the victims. Many of them were occasional sex workers. Others came from good families and even married well and had kids. None of them deserved what happened to them. Throats slit, disemboweled, and faces ruined. Polly Nichols. Annie Chapman. Elizabeth Stride. Catherine Eddowes. Mary Kelly who was so destroyed by the Ripper's work that her remains didn't seem human. And then as suddenly as the killings started, they stopped. Was the murders the work of a devoted and sophisticated killer or a crazed mental patient?

Sam Sheppard came from a long line of doctors in Cleveland, OH. Born December 29th, 1923, he attended Cleveland Heights High School and was an excellent student and athlete. He was class president for 3 years and met his future wife, Marilyn Reese in High School. He finished college and his medical education before completing a residency in neurosurgery at LA County General Hospital. He and Marilyn, now married, returned to Ohio and he joined his father's practice at Bay View Hospital. Life couldn't have been better. A lakefront home in Bay Village. A young son. A picture perfect family until Sunday morning, July 4th, 1954 when Marilyn's badly beaten body was discovered in her bed. The police and coroner immediately suspected the husband in spite of his injuries fighting the attacker. An affair, a hostile coroner, and a media-driven narrative inspired the TV series, The Fugitive, and a movie by the same name. But did Sam Sheppard kill his wife?

The year is 1945, the same year the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending WW2. The horrors of the Nazi Holocaust were uncovered. Rita Hayworth and Lauren Bacall were icons. It was a time of intense paradox—the horrors of war in Europe and the innocence of kids playing outside unsupervised and doors left unlocked. In Chicago two women were brutally murdered—both stabbed in the neck, bodies washed, wounds taped shut, and heads covered. Early January 1946, a six year old is missing in a wealthy neighborhood on the Northside. Her severed head with her blue ribbons still in her hair was found floating in a sewer catch basin and her legs and torso discovered in separate sewer locations nearby. A massive manhunt for the killer was launched. The city was paralyzed with fear. Kids no longer felt safe until the killer was caught. But was he really the killer? Did an innocent man serve a life sentence and the real killer got away with it? Were there actually two killers?

Elizabeth Short, born July 29, 1924, in Hyde Park in Boston was the middle child of 5 daughters born to Cleo and Phoebe Mae. Her father's car was found abandoned on the Charlestown Bridge. Everyone thought he committed suicide leaving Phoebe to raise her 5 daughters alone until Elizabeth and her mother saw her father on a street in Medford, MA. After the shock of seeing a dad that was supposed to be dead, she later wrote him requesting to live with him in California. She wanted to take care of him. That decision would trigger a chain of events that ended up with her dead. Her body cut in half and posed provocatively in a field down the street from a middle class neighborhood. Her beauty, the mystery surrounding her, the media frenzy, and the brutality captured the attention of America and still has our attention over 50 years later. Her case is still unsolved.

Elizabeth Short, born July 29, 1924, in Hyde Park in Boston was the middle child of 5 daughters born to Cleo and Phoebe Mae. Her father's car was found abandoned on the Charlestown Bridge. Everyone thought he committed suicide leaving Phoebe to raise her 5 daughters alone until Elizabeth and her mother saw her father on a street in Medford, MA. After the shock of seeing a dad that was supposed to be dead, she later wrote him requesting to live with him in California. She wanted to take care of him. That decision would trigger a chain of events that ended up with her dead. Her body cut in half and posed provocatively in a field down the street from a middle class neighborhood. Her beauty, the mystery surrounding her, the media frenzy, and the brutality captured the attention of America and still has our attention over 50 years later. Her case is still unsolved.

Elizabeth Short, born July 29, 1924, in Hyde Park in Boston was the middle child of 5 daughters born to Cleo and Phoebe Mae. Her father's car was found abandoned on the Charlestown Bridge. Everyone thought he committed suicide leaving Phoebe to raise her 5 daughters alone until Elizabeth and her mother saw her father on a street in Medford, MA. After the shock of seeing a dad that was supposed to be dead, she later wrote him requesting to live with him in California. She wanted to take care of him. That decision would trigger a chain of events that ended up with her dead. Her body cut in half and posed provocatively in a field down the street from a middle class neighborhood. Her beauty, the mystery surrounding her, the media frenzy, and the brutality captured the attention of America and still has our attention over 50 years later. Her case is still unsolved.

BTK—Bind, Torture, Kill. Every season, we end it with the scariest cases of all, the cases that could not be stopped no matter what you did. BTK, Dennis Rader, forever hanged how profilers and experts view serial killers. Before Rader, serial killers stuck to type, couldn't quit, and eventually devolved getting caught. Not Rader. He was a family man, active church member, former soldier, married over 30 years, and a hard worker. He was the guy that you'd have over for beers and barbecue. Yet behind the scenes, Factor X (his name for his perverse desires and activities) drove him to sexual sadism. This case might keep you up at night.

BTK—Bind, Torture, Kill. Every season, we end it with the scariest cases of all, the cases that could not be stopped no matter what you did. BTK, Dennis Rader, forever hanged how profilers and experts view serial killers. Before Rader, serial killers stuck to type, couldn't quit, and eventually devolved getting caught. Not Rader. He was a family man, active church member, former soldier, married over 30 years, and a hard worker. He was the guy that you'd have over for beers and barbecue. Yet behind the scenes, Factor X (his name for his perverse desires and activities) drove him to sexual sadism. This case might keep you up at night.

This case is unbelievable and still unsolved! It's the case of Susan Powell, a young mother who disappeared and still has never been found. It's the story of a pervert father-in-law, a poop bird husband, and two young boys who did not have to die. Warning: this case is disturbing. It will make you mad. And there are more twists and turns in it than any case we've done so far. We've extracted lots of red flags and clues that will hopefully help others if they ever find themselves in a dangerous relationship.

This case is unbelievable and still unsolved! It's the case of Susan Powell, a young mother who disappeared and still has never been found. It's the story of a pervert father-in-law, a poop bird husband, and two young boys who did not have to die. Warning: this case is disturbing. It will make you mad. And there are more twists and turns in it than any case we've done so far. We've extracted lots of red flags and clues that will hopefully help others if they ever find themselves in a dangerous relationship.

Pamela Fayed was smart. Her killers were not. They were just lucky. This is a case of the dumb leading the dumber. Greed. Anger. And a marriage that started off so well ending in death and destruction. It's a story of how life circumstances can change others into monsters. We'll give you the red flags. We'll give you the clues. And use them. Trust your gut. Be the squeaky wheel. It could save your life.

Ten years. Ten years of obsession ended up with a mother of two daughter and toddler quadruplets dead in the kitchen floor with her babies walking, crying, and playing in her blood. Her death was brutal. Shot in the face, throat slits, and stabbed. She crawled 15 feet after all of that to get to the phone when she died, a mother's herculean effort to protect her babies. Her 13-year-old discovered her body after school. What kind of monster did this? Unfortunately, there are many monsters but only one mastermind. This mother and wife did everything right and was still hunted down.

Some spaces and places should be off limits—churches, hospitals, schools. This case reveals that that there are NO safe spaces or places. A beloved but old school nun, Sister Margaret, is found brutally murdered and posted with Satanic overtones in the sacristy of a hospital! Was she the victim of a serial killer at the time or someone you would never expect?

Is there ever a time when being nice is too nice, a kindness that puts you in danger? Yes! The murder of Megan Brown, her parents, and her new boyfriend are stunning evidence that being too nice is not always good. For those of you that are super kind, this case will serve as a reminder that there are evil people out there. People so evil that your kindness means nothings and will be used to destroy you if you're not careful

Frank Spencer was an all-around great guy! A hard-working man. A family man. A good friend. Everybody liked him except one person, Maria Spencer. For years, Frank told everyone how he would die and who would do it because he was told how and who as well as stalked, his house burned down, and his girlfriend's house burnt down. And the cops did nothing until he was dead. This is one of the most frustrating cases we've done because it could have been prevented.

Every season, we extract red flags, clues, and cues in the hope to educate our listeners on what to look for in relationships and personal safety. But there are some cases where there are no discernible signs. Kelley Clayton's case is one of those. A beautiful mother of two beaten viciously in front of her daughter as she drew the killer away from her kids.

Bonnie Haim loved her son, Aaron, more than anyone or anything else in life. Or at least her family thought until she disappeared one day. Her own parents thought she abandoned her family. Others weren't so sure. There was no way Bonnie would leave Aaron. And it would be Aaron that would prove it many, many years later.

In this After Show Convo, we have a special guest that shares her memories of living in Anchorage at the time of Samantha Koenig's kidnapping and murder plus we dive into the question of why we are so fascinated with true crime and serial killers?

In this After Show Convo, we have a special guest that shares her memories of living in Anchorage at the time of Samantha Koenig's kidnapping and murder plus we dive into the question of why we are so fascinated with true crime and serial killers?

In this final Bundy After Show Convo, we dive into his childhood. Bundy tried to convince us that his childhood was normal. It was anything but. And it gives us clues into what fed into his psychopathy while not excusing his extreme evil. You'll learn of his early violent behavior and sexual deviance as a teenager, why he engaged in necrophilia, and other weird things like his fetish and a haunted house.

Many of us true crime buffs as well as some experts don't believe that Bundy first started killing in 1974. In fact, the disappearance of eight-year-old Ann Burr in the early morning hours of August 31, 1961 is possibly the first murder committed by a then 14-year-old Ted. The intriguing connection and his confession of a “hypothetical first murder” makes him look good for this one. We also dive into the most mysterious of Bundy's murders—Caryn Campbell at the Wildwood Inn. Oh and don't forget the knives little toddler Teddy put around his aunt while she napped.

Molly has a story to share, too, about good ole Ted. And it is a miracle that he didn't molest her or kill her and her mother. In this After Show Convo, Molly shares her story of the time she saw “something dangerous” in Ted's eyes. You'll also learn what was in the last letter from Ted to her mother (that she burned).