Unmasking a Murderer

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we look at the Kissel brothers, two smart and successful brothers who started out with every advantage, took very different twists and turns, and wound up with similar fates.

Evil comes in many shape and forms and can sneak in when we least expect it.  In this episode, meet Ben Field, a young man who appeared to be everything his victims wanted while he plotted to take away everything they had.

In this episode, we explore the lethal bond between a mother and daughter and how it led them to kill off other family members.

John Leonard Orr was a respected fire captain and local hero.  However, he was also an arsonist whose fire-setting cost his colleagues thousands of wasted hours and at least two people lost their lives. Here's what drove him and how he got caught.

When most people think of workplace violence, they think of someone sneaking a gun into work and shooting fellow employees. But there are sneakier ways to get revenge on the people you work with. 

Martha Wood appeared to be a dutiful military wife who followed her husband to various military bases.  But where she went, children died - her own as well as parents who trusted her.  Here's what she did between 1946 to 1969, long before what she was doing even had a name. 

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we look at a tragic case of fetal abduction.  Savannah Greywind was an aspiring nurse and expectant mom who suddenly disappeared after visiting an upstairs neighbor who was determined to hold on to her man at any cost.

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we explore what can happen when a psychopathic psychiatrist manages to fool everyone around him until someone turns up dead.

Do people who predict the future for a living ever get a glimpse of their own fate?  On this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we look at the revenge murder committed by Tanya Nelson, a woman so angry over her psychic's inaccurate predictions that she decided to take her life.

On this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we explore a tale of a narcissistic and abusive woman who hid her true self behind religion - and a brave daughter who finally brought her to justice.

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we explore the case of a Canadian serial murderer who set two records - as Canada's youngest pilot as as the person receiving Canada's longest prison sentence.  Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Dellen Millard's solution for boredom becomes increasingly dark - and deadly.

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we explore the deadly case of a woman who claimed her plastic surgeon ruined her life.  In return, she was determined to end his.

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we take a look at a fascinating case that took place in Denmark in the 1950s.  After killing two people during a bank robbery, Palle Hardrup claimed that he was hypnotized by his former cellmate into committing the crime.  

In this episode of Unmasking a Murderer, we untangle the case of Pamela Moss, a woman who claimed her Dissociative Identity Disorder (commonly known as multiple personality disorder)  contributed to two murders years apart.  

How could a loving grandmother from a small town in Minnesota spark a nationwide manhunt?  Dubbed the "killer grandmother," follow the case of Lois Riess as she leaves a trail of murder from her hometown to the beaches of Florida and Texas.

After months of waiting, murder charges have finally arrived for Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell.   But so have new questions about Lori' Vallow's mental state.  Her attorney, and a recent evaluation by a psychologist, say that she is incompetent to stand trial; the prosecutor initially challenged this claim but recently did an about-face.  What happens next and what  does this mean for this case going forward? 

In our third episode of this series covering  the Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case, we take a look at what has unfolded since the bodies of J.J. Vallow and Tylee Ryan were discovered, including possible explanations for why it happened, why mental illness may have nothing to do with it, and how the children's deaths have touched so many of us.

In part 2, we explore the ever-evolving Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case. I'll take a look at how often other "cult" members have pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and explore how the insanity defense might - or might not- be applicable in this case.

Part 1 of a 4-part series, this episode takes a look at the Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case, and the couple's alleged religious beliefs that have emerged since this case began.  Did these beliefs have anything to do with what has happened and, if so, are they a result of extreme beliefs or mental illness?

This is an introduction to the Unmasking a Murderer podcast, hosted by Dr. Joni Johnston, a forensic psychologist, private investigator and crime writer.