Heinous – An Asian True Crime Podcast

In October 2006, a 28-year-old Mongolian woman vanished without a trace in Malaysia. It took weeks and persistent questioning before investigators would make a horrifying discovery in a secluded forest; fragments of her remains, scattered after her body had apparently been blown apart with explosives. Her name was Altantuya Shaariibuu, and her murder would unravel a scandal that reached the highes...

It's a quiet morning in the Wisconsin woods in November 2004.  A group of hunters head out for what should have been an ordinary day during deer season. But before noon, a confrontation over a hunting stand would leave six people dead and two others critically wounded.   At the centre of it all was Chai Soua Vang, an Hmong immigrant and experienced hunter who claimed that what happened i...

It's a quiet morning in the Wisconsin woods in November 2004.  A group of hunters head out for what should have been an ordinary day during deer season. But before noon, a confrontation over a hunting stand would leave six people dead and two others critically wounded. At the centre of it all was Chai Soua Vang, an Hmong immigrant and experienced hunter who claimed that what happened in those...

On April 13, 2017, a rumor moved faster than the truth ever could. Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old journalism student at a university in northern Pakistan, had spent months asking the questions no one wanted answered; about tuition hikes, about a vice-chancellor who was rarely seen on campus, about where the money was going. He wrote about it. He talked about it. And on a campus already uneasy with his...

On April 13, 2017, a rumor moved faster than the truth ever could. Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old journalism student at a university in northern Pakistan, had spent months asking the questions no one wanted answered; about tuition hikes, about a vice-chancellor who was rarely seen on campus, about where the money was going. He wrote about it. He talked about it. And on a campus already uneasy with his...

It's just after 7am at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a dormitory residence at the campus of Virginia Tech in the United States. A resident advisor hears strange noises in the room next to his and goes to investigate. Shortly after, police arrive on the scene, and two students are found dead in the same room that the RA went to. They proceed with their investigation and close off the dorms. They thoug...

In September of 2014, the bodies of two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, were discovered on the shores of Sairee Beach in Koh Tao, Thailand. At that point, Koh Tao was mostly known to the outside world as a destination island for divers, with plenty of dive schools and bars lining the beachfront. This incident however, threatened to tarnish the island's reputation, and s...

In September of 2014, the bodies of two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, were discovered on the shores of Sairee Beach in Koh Tao, Thailand. At that point, Koh Tao was mostly known to the outside world as a destination island for divers, with plenty of dive schools and bars lining the beachfront. This incident however, threatened to tarnish the island's reputation, and s...

“Don’t worry, we will send your sons back soon. We are taking them for a meeting.” On the afternoon of September 1, 2017, ten hungry Rohingya men and boys walked out of the smoke-filled hills onto a beach in the fishing village of Inn Din, Myanmar. They hadn't eaten in five days, and the sea was the only place left to look. But instead of food, they found soldiers. What followed...

In 1999, Jessica Lall was shot twice at a crowded party in Delhi, in front of dozens of witnesses, at point-blank range, over the simple fact that the bar was closed and she wouldn't serve him anymore drinks.   On its surface, this should have been one of the most straightforward murder cases in Indian legal history. But what transpired would bewilder and enrage an entire nation; because the...

In 1999, Jessica Lall was shot twice at a crowded party in Delhi, in front of dozens of witnesses, at point-blank range, over the simple fact that the bar was closed and she wouldn't serve him anymore drinks.   On its surface, this should have been one of the most straightforward murder cases in Indian legal history. But what transpired would bewilder and enrage an entire nation; because the...

The officer who arrested him warned everyone that there would be more victims, but no one bothered to listen. In 2005, Somkid Pumpuang was taken in as the main suspect behind 5 murders. But when faced with the charges, he did not resist, and even outright confessed to the crimes, which led him to receive a life sentence instead of death.   However, what happened inside prison would be even mo...

In October 2016, a South Korean businessman named Jee Ick-Joo was forcefully taken from his home in Angeles City, only for him to never be seen again. From the outside, this seemed like a brutal case of kidnapping, or maybe even a targeted attack from business rivals.    But what made this murder more chilling wasn't how Jee was abducted or killed, but the fact that it took place within...

In October 2016, a South Korean businessman named Jee Ick-Joo was forcefully taken from his home in Angeles City, only for him to never be seen again. From the outside, this seemed like a brutal case of kidnapping, or maybe even a targeted attack from business rivals.    But what made this murder more chilling wasn't how Jee was abducted or killed, but the fact that it took place within...

Beneath the noise of Jakarta's terminals and back alleys, a street vendor named Baekuni built a reputation for kindness; offering food, shelter, and quiet protection to the city's most invisible children. And for nearly seventeen years, that reputation served as the perfect disguise... until his true horrors were brought to the surface. The country was shocked when the mutilated remains of a young...

Beneath the noise of Jakarta's terminals and back alleys, a street vendor named Baekuni built a reputation for kindness; offering food, shelter, and quiet protection to the city's most invisible children. And for nearly seventeen years, that reputation served as the perfect disguise... until his true horrors were brought to the surface. The country was shocked when the mutilated remains of a young...

It was already morning when neighbors in Bắc Giang province noticed something wrong. The shutters to the local family owned gold shop hadn't gone up. No one had seen the owner make his usual rounds. And when someone finally forced their way in, they found a scene that would haunt the nation for years: a husband, a wife, and even their infant daughter, all slaughtered.   And in another room, a...

It was already morning when neighbors in Bắc Giang province noticed something wrong. The shutters to the local family owned gold shop hadn't gone up. No one had seen the owner make his usual rounds. And when someone finally forced their way in, they found a scene that would haunt the nation for years: a husband, a wife, and even their infant daughter, all slaughtered.   And in another room, a...

When Japan surrendered on the 15th of August, 1945, the world called an end to its most brutal chapter in history. Flags were lowered. Peace treaties were signed. Everyone just wanted to move on.   But nobody told the comfort women .   For years during the war, while men braved the frontlines, hundreds of thousands of women were abducted from their homes and their villages; enslaved into...

It was 4:25pm on a Wednesday afternoon in Taipei. Commuters, students, strangers were on board a train on the Bannan line heading west to Jiangzicui from Longshan Temple; the longest gap between any two stations on the entire Taipei Metro network. To anyone else, this detail wouldn't mean much, but Cheng Chieh had pondered over this for years. Later, he even revealed to investigators that he chose...

It was 4:25pm on a Wednesday afternoon in Taipei. Commuters, students, strangers were on board a train on the Bannan line heading west to Jiangzicui from Longshan Temple; the longest gap between any two stations on the entire Taipei Metro network. To anyone else, this detail wouldn't mean much, but Cheng Chieh had pondered over this for years. Later, he even revealed to investigators that he chose...

On the morning of November 23, 2009, a convoy of vehicles wound through the highways of Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines. Inside were lawyers, political supporters, journalists, and the wife and family members of a man who simply wanted to run for governor. They had no reason to believe they wouldn't make it home by nightfall. But they never did. Armed men blocked the convoy on the...

On the surface, Nancy Kissel had the life people dreamed about. A luxury apartment in a posh Hong Kong neighbourhood. A high-flying husband who works in banking. Three beautiful kids. A postcard existence, by any measure. So why, on the night of November 2nd, did she hand her husband a strawberry milkshake laced with enough sedatives to drop a man twice his size? And why, hours later, was Rob...

On the surface, Nancy Kissel had the life people dreamed about. A luxury apartment in a posh Hong Kong neighbourhood. A high-flying husband who works in banking. Three beautiful kids. A postcard existence, by any measure. So why, on the night of November 2nd, did she hand her husband a strawberry milkshake laced with enough sedatives to drop a man twice his size? And why, hours later, was Rob...

It was February of 1942. Singapore has just fallen to the Japanese.  But for its residents, the surrender wasn't the end of the terror, it was the beginning of something far worse. Within days, the Japanese Imperial Army rounded men up at screening centres set up across the island. Some were released, while others were loaded onto trucks. The trucks drove to Changi Beach, to Punggol, to Sento...