This will be the Criminal Discourse Podcast’s final episode. It has been a journey and we want to thank everyone who took the time to listen in, give us feedback, and reach out with their connections to the stories we covered. Wendi and I’s focus has always been to bring our audience well-researched episodes that honor the victims and their familie…

Cara Rintala was a woman whose life seemed like any other, a devoted wife, loving mother, and respected paramedic. But behind closed doors, tensions simmered within her marriage to her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala. On the evening of March 29, 2010, police responded to a 911 call from a neighbor of the Rinatals, only to discover Annamarie's life…

Can secrets buried within a small town and the heart of a seemingly ordinary family lead to a haunting mystery that lingers for decades? Join us as we navigate the twisted tale of Kathy Heckel, a Pennsylvania mother whose 1991 disappearance from Lock Haven left a void in her family and perplexed investigators for years. This episode peels back the …

Could your trusted local minister harbor a secret life of malevolence? This episode peels back the veneer of piety surrounding Arthur Burton Schirmer, the "sinister minister," exposing a trail of untimely deaths including those of his two wives and a troubled congregant. As we share the heart-wrenching narratives of those affected by these tragedie…

The last years of Christina Sanoubane’s short life were filled with violence and ended in tragedy. She was brutally murdered just days after moving into a new apartment with her toddler-aged son, seeking a fresh start. In her final days, Christina encountered three men who shared a history of violence against women. One was convicted of her murder,…

Certain cases stand out for the way they impact those who knew the victim along with those investigating their demise. This case is no different. When a bright light is extinguished all too soon, all that is left are questions. The hope is that those questions can be answered quickly but when they are not, those answers and justice may seem out of …

As we piece together the life and untimely passing of Dr. Teleka Patrick, a story emerges that challenges our understanding of the intersection of mental health, online personas, and real-world consequences. The enigma of Teleka's existence, from a high-achieving psychiatrist to a woman ensnared by her own mind's illusions, casts a haunting light o…

In this episode, we will look into the twisted tale of a woman who got away with her first murder, almost got away with her second, and failed to complete her third. This woman from the outside looked like an unlucky mother of two whose two husbands died far too young and whose daughter tried to commit suicide. Betrayal, deception, and ultimately m…

DNA evidence can crack even the coldest, hardest-to-convict cases, including the 1998 murder of 13-year-old Christina Williams. Investigators suspected just one man from the beginning, but it wasn’t until 2017 that they finally had enough evidence – through a DNA match – to make an arrest. Charles Holifield is a repeat sex offender with links to mo…

In this episode, we will delve into a budding serial killer's dark and twisted world. We will unravel the sinister tale of Tim Boczkowski, a man whose charisma masked a malevolence that claimed the lives of not one, but two innocent victims. As we examine the evidence, motives, and the web of deceit meticulously woven by Tim Boczkowski, we confront…

We’ve made it to the third and final episode diving deep into toddler Corey Edkin’s disappearance and other related cases. People who have been interviewed in recent years about Corey’s case say they were also asked about individuals connected to the 1986 murder of Rickey Wolfe and the 1989 disappearance and presumed murder of Barbara Miller. Join …

Join us for part two as we bring our timeline to the present day, following the developments in Corey’s cold case and the suspicious coincidences and charges that continue to pile up around his family members. That will include the unsolved homicide of his mother’s future boyfriend and his grandmother’s conviction for poisoning her third husband. M…

Two-year-old Corey Edkin disappeared from his central Pennsylvania home in October 1986 and is still missing. His grandmother, Myrle Rovenolt, was accused of poisoning his grandfather two months later, and this past summer she was sentenced to life in prison for the poisoning death of her third husband. Corey and Myrle have connections to three oth…

Join us as we journey into the heart of Midwestern America, where the echoes of a chilling crime reverberated for decades. In this episode, we delve into the haunting mystery surrounding the life and tragic death of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko, a vibrant young woman whose promising future was brutally extinguished six days before Christmas in 197…

What would you do if your family member went missing and the police wouldn’t help you find them? Andre Daigle’s family reached out to a psychic medium for help, and her visions led them straight to Andre’s murderers. She even ended up testifying at trial, helping Andre’s family secure justice and preventing his killers from continuing their crimina…

Listen to part two of our Halloween month spotlight on The Toolbox Killers; Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris. One of their trials made true crime history in the state of California. Make sure to check it out.بقلم Criminal Discourse

In this installment, we delve into one of the most horrifying and infamous cases: the gruesome tale of the Toolbox Killers. Join us as we explore the harrowing story of Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, an evil duo whose reign of terror in the late 1970s sent shockwaves through Southern California and beyond. We will step back in time to explore th…

Laureen Rahn’s disappearance has puzzled anyone investigating it for more than four decades. With each new piece of information, there are only more questions. Did she run away? Was she abducted or trafficked? Is her case connected to other missing local women or her serial killer neighbor? In this episode, we’ll examine all the mysterious clues an…

In this episode, we turn our attention to the haunting case of the Newman family murders, a tragic event that rocked the city of Anchorage, Alaska in March 1987. Join us as we journey back to uncover the unsettling details surrounding this heinous crime. As we navigate through the evidence, witness testimonies, and tireless law enforcement efforts,…

In June 2009, Martinsburg, West Virginia lost a beloved resident to domestic violence, an all too common occurrence in the United States and abroad. And for an all too common reason: Donald Surber couldn’t accept that his girlfriend, Kathy Sharp, had ended their relationship. Today's episode examines Kathy’s case, how it impacted her community, how…

In this episode, we unravel the perplexing case of Ira Einhorn, better known as the "Unicorn Killer." Ira Einhorn was a charismatic and enigmatic figure, emerging as a countercultural icon during the 1960s and 1970s. Join us as we unravel the disturbing details of the tragic fate of his ex-girlfriend, Helen “Holly” Maddux. We examine the impact of …

In 2003, South Jersey became a serial predator’s hunting ground. Attempted assault escalated to murder when 24-year-old Krista DiFrancesco was discovered brutally raped and stabbed on her front lawn, just feet away from the home where her husband and baby were sleeping. It would take a year and two more assaults before police finally caught her kil…

In this episode, we delve into the chilling case of John Reginald Christie, a notorious serial killer whose heinous crimes shook London in the mid-20th century. Join us as we navigate the sinister world of the sex strangler of Notting Hill, a seemingly unassuming neighbor whose true nature proved to be far more sinister. Throughout his reign of ter…

Three to four million people hike part of the Appalachian Trail every year. Rebecca Wight was one of them, and in 1988, Stephen Carr immortalized her in another statistic: the dozen trail hikers who’ve been murdered. Her girlfriend, Claudia Brenner, survived the attack to share their story.بقلم Criminal Discourse

In May 1984, Murfreesboro, Tennessee was shaken by the brutal murder of Laura Salmon. At the time, Laura was an 18-year-old college student attending Middle Tennessee State University. Her murder shocked the community and left investigators with plenty of circumstantial evidence but not much hard proof. The case remained unsolved for over sixteen y…

Two couples were murdered four months apart in Washington state, the women were both sexually assaulted, with tube socks tied around their necks. Could it be a serial killer? Other cases in the area bearing similarities have since been closed, but these two remain connected and unsolved. Is the Tube Sock Killer already in prison? Is he dead? Or is …

In this episode, we delve into the chilling case of Helle Crafts, a wealthy Connecticut woman who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1986. Her husband, Richard Crafts, claimed that she had gone to visit her sick mother in Denmark. But as investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a twisted web of lies, deceit, and betrayal that would lead …

In 1998, Patricia Rorrer was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend’s new wife, Joann Katrniak, and her infant son, Alex, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The case against her was solid but also largely circumstantial. Today, Patricia and her advocates argue that the single piece of forensic evidence used against her was junk scienc…

In May 1996, two Navy petty officers were murdered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Investigators had to figure out if one of the murder victim's allegations against the Navy was the reason behind their murder or if there was something more nefarious going on. Was the murder scene staged? Was the intruder truly an intruder or were they invited in? List…

“Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle” refers to a geographic area surrounding Dublin, in eastern Ireland, where a number of women have been abducted, raped, and murdered. Many of these are missing person cases that remain unsolved thirty or so years later. Who are they, how are they connected, and who might be responsible?…

Listen to the story of La Pistolera Sharon Kinne who in December 1969, escaped a Mexican prison. How did she end up there? Not for the murder of her dead husband or the murder of her lover's wife. No, there was another victim who unfortunately ran into Kinne while she was out on bond having left the United States for Mexico with her newest male par…

When you think of a stereotypical school shooter, you probably don’t picture Dr. Amy Bishop, a middle-aged mother and biology professor. In 2010, she executed three of her colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), where she had recently been denied tenure. Initially, many thought Amy had just “snapped,” but investigators discover…

In October 1992, a young woman was in an examination room at Kipling Memorial Hospital. She is upset so the doctor suggests a sedative to help her calm down. The young woman agrees not knowing that for the next seven years, she will have to fight for authorities to not only believe her but to bring her perpetrator to justice. Will she succeed in ti…

We’ve covered many cases where prosecutors make a so-called “deal with the devil” – giving the accomplice to a crime a lighter charge in exchange for information against a “bigger fish.” Even though Mel Ignatow admitted to the sexual torture and murder of Brenda Schaefer, he never served a day in prison for it. This episode is about a case of getti…

In 1975, in the midlands of the United Kingdom, the elusive Black Panther struck again. Only this time it was a kidnapping of a young heiress. In this week's episode, we cover the crimes of Donald Neilson who went from a home invader to a kidnapper murderer in a short period of time.بقلم Criminal Discourse

After Robert Rowlingson discovered his teenage brother Anthony’s connections to the Ku Klux Klan, he threatened to report Anthony to the police. On July 15, 2007, Anthony executed his brother to protect his secret. His teacher, the Klan leader who mentored him, helped dispose of the body. This is the Queensland, Australia case of the Rowlingson bro…

Pets don't just make good companions they also can play a vital role in convicting killers. This episode highlights two such cases with a cat named Snowball and a dog named Chief who were the first to provide evidence in criminal cases in Canada and the United States.بقلم Criminal Discourse

On November 7, 2022, James Krauseneck Jr. was sentenced to 25 years to life for the second-degree murder of his wife, Cathleen Krauseneck, in 1982. James and Cathleen’s only child was just three years old and home with her mother when she was axed to death. But could a convicted rapist be the real murderer? In 2012, convicted rapist Ed Laraby confe…

You've heard of the Scream movies, but did you know that in 2006 two teenagers tried to emulate one of their favorite movies? Listen to the case of how two boys wanted to become more famous than the movies and killers they idolized and how one innocent victim paid the ultimate price.بقلم Criminal Discourse

You might not remember the name of serial killer Michael Gargiulo – also known as the ‘Hollywood Ripper,’ for his California knifings, ‘The Boy Next Door Killer,’ because he lived so close to his victims, and the ‘Chiller Killer,’ for using his job as an air conditioning repair man to gain his victims’ trust – but I bet you remember that case where…

On March 3, 1993, a sister would discover a horrible scene no family member should come upon. It would take two and a half years for Lawrence Horn and the hit man he hired to be brought to justice. During that time, investigators had to unravel a complicated trail of conspiracy and how one book aided the shooter in trying to get away with murder.…

When our listeners hear “August 1969,” they probably think of The Manson Family murders. Today we’ll examine another chilling crime spree from that era on the other side of the United States: the Dreamland Park murders. In August 1969, outlaw bikers murdered a young couple at their abandoned amusement park-turned-clubhouse, and those same bikers ma…

November 1992, an unsuspecting mother and her two small children return home late at night only to be met by an intruder with a gun. What did he want? Why was he there? Listen to the story of how greed and a thirst for power brought ruin and murder to one young family in Georgia.بقلم Criminal Discourse

What happens to victims who aren’t killed or visibly injured, but who are left in the wake of a crime to pick up the broken pieces and carry on with life? What happened to Columbine student and school shooting survivor Brandi Jo Malonson, who was last seen around Christmas 2006? Who killed her friends and classmates Nick Kunselman and Stephanie Har…

Listen to the story featured on the first episode of Snapped. Celeste Beard Johnson was tried for the murder of her husband in Texas. Did she do it or was she set up by her twin daughters and lover? Listen and decide for yourself.بقلم Criminal Discourse

Google “Dominique Dunne” and you’ll see references to the movie Poltergeist and her tragic death. Some results include her murder as evidence of a curse associated with the Poltergeist film series. Beneath this clickbait is an all too familiar story about domestic violence escalating to murder. As is also far too common in these cases, it doesn’t s…

Michelle Jones contacted her aunt and uncle as Hurricane Ivan was bearing down on Florida in September 2004. Since they lived in the Florida Keys Michelle invited them to stay with her in Orlando until the danger passed. Little did she know that she had just summoned pure evil into her home. Listen to the story of her uncle Charlie Brandt who autho…

In 2021, detectives in Florida announced that DNA connected Brazilian national Roberto Fernandes to the murders of three Miami-area sex workers in 2000 and 2001. During this investigation, authorities discovered Fernandes had also been charged with his wife’s 1996 murder and was suspected in numerous unsolved assault and homicide cases in both coun…

Two separate mysteries all tied to one man who went by many names. Listen to the story of serial killer Terry Rasmussen who died under the name Curtis Kimball. This is a twisted tale of false identities, a living Jane Doe and the Bear Brook Four with one victim yet to be identified and one still missing.…

Losing a child to murder is unthinkable – a parent’s worst nightmare. A child being murdered by their friends is even more shocking. Kimberly Dotts’s so-called friends ended her life on Mother’s Day 24 years ago, and while two of the people who were involved are behind bars, their community is still processing the tragedy and an important question:…