The Grim Curriculum

Grab your tinfoil hat and strap it on tight because we are heading down to Texas (figuratively speaking) to examine one of the most compelling modern UFO cases in recent memory. In January 2008, residents of Stephenville reported seeing strange lights and massive objects moving silently across the night sky. What began as a handful of eyewitness accounts quickly became a national story, drawing at...

This week on Extra Credit, we have an update on Rex Heuermann as sentencing finally arrives. Dina also brings a story that is guaranteed to leave your jaw on the floor and a shudder up your spine, along with a few others, beginning with an incident at an Oklahoma Arby's that proves truth really is stranger than fiction. Meanwhile, Charlotte heads into science corner with news that the Large Ha...

In 1872, the Mary Celeste was discovered drifting alone in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was seaworthy, its cargo was largely untouched, and the crew's personal belongings remained on board. Yet every person aboard had vanished without a trace. More than 150 years later, the fate of Captain Benjamin Briggs, his family, and the crew remains one of history's greatest maritime mysteries. Was i...

This week on Grim Curriculum, we conclude our longest series to date with Part Six of our deep dive into Richard Ramirez, the monster known to the world as the Night Stalker. After months of terror, countless victims, the hunt for Richard Ramirez finally reaches its dramatic conclusion. The poetic justice of the community he terrorized coming together to bring his reign of terror to an end is bitt...

This week on Grim Curriculum: Extra Credit, we're checking in on a couple of familiar faces and, unsurprisingly, they're still making headlines. First, we have updates on cases we've covered previously, including Nick Reiner, who remains determined to fight for his trust fund despite finding himself in increasingly hot water. We also revisit the case of an 87-year-old man recently sent...

This week on Grim Curriculum, we're taking a brief break from our Night Stalker series for another installment of Grim Encounters. These episodes are some of our favourites because the stories come directly from you. From unexplained experiences and strange coincidences to encounters that still leave people questioning what they witnessed, today's episode is filled with tales that are eeri...

The walls are starting to close in on Richard in episode 5. As Ramirez continues his reign of terror across Los Angeles, the evidence against him continues to grow, and the mistakes he leaves behind become harder and harder to ignore. Feeling the pressure from the increasing attention surrounding his crimes, Richard briefly leaves Los Angeles for what could be described as a "vacation" i...

This week on Grim Curriculum: Extra Credit, Dina is doing most of the heavy lifting while Charlotte recovers from her trip to Vancouver (she sunburned her forehead), but don't worry, we've still got a wonderfully strange collection of stories for you. First up is a tale involving Tom Selleck... kind of. Not really. What starts out sounding amusing quickly becomes something much more tragic...

Picking up where we left off, the city of Los Angeles remains gripped by fear as Ramirez continues his campaign of terror. Despite the growing media attention and mounting pressure from law enforcement, he has no intention of stopping. If anything, he is becoming more brazen, more violent, and more determined to escalate. But while Richard Ramirez may have viewed himself as untouchable, in his min...

This week, we continue our deep dive into Richard Ramirez with Part Three of our Night Stalker series, which may be one of the longest series we’ve ever covered on the podcast. There’s so much history, psychology, investigative work, and social context wrapped up in the Night Stalker case that we felt rushing it would almost do it a disservice. As Ramirez continues his violent rampage through Los...

This week on Extra Credit, Dina brings a pile of updates, including the latest frustrating developments in the Alex Murdaugh case. We also talk about convicted family annihilator Scott Peterson and why the Innocence Project wasn't able to free him from prison. We wrap things up as per usual with a truly unfortunate case of “F around and find out” involving wildlife, specifically one extremely...

We continue our series on Richard Ramirez with Part Two, the chapter where Richard Ramirez fully evolves into the man who would become known as the “Night Stalker.” Now in Los Angeles, Ramirez descends further into addiction, violence, and chaos. His drug use spirals out of control, burglaries become routine, and he discovers what he views as the ultimate thrill, murder. As the attacks escalate in...

This week on Grim Curriculum, we begin our 200th episode series on one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, Richard Ramirez, better known as the “Night Stalker.” In Part One, we trace Ramirez’s early life, his family history, and the deeply disturbing environment that shaped his formative years before his move to Los Angeles at just 18 years old. Even at this stage of the story...

This week on Extra Credit, we’ve got a lineup of cases that just so happen to share one common thread, women, for better or for worse. Dina brings three shorter stories to the table, while Charlotte delivers a longer history lesson, each case offering its own mix of chaos and consequences. Totally unplanned, but somehow perfectly aligned. And don’t worry, Dina didn’t forget to include a Florida Wo...

This week we are stepping inside some of the most notorious asylums of the past, places where those deemed “unwell” were hidden away, often forgotten, and too often mistreated. Institutions like Philadelphia State Hospital, Danvers State Hospital, and Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum were meant to provide care, but behind their walls, overcrowding, neglect, and harmful “treatments” became the realit...

This week on The Grim Curriculum, we step into one of the internet age’s most bizarre and unsettling fringe groups: the Love Has Won cult, led by Amy Carlson. What began as a spiritual movement quickly spiralled into something far stranger, blending New Age beliefs, online devotion, and increasingly extreme behaviour. Followers believed Carlson to be a divine being, a figure they called “Mother Go...

Charlotte starts us off with an update in the Gerhardt Konig case, while Dina brings the latest from the Long Island Serial Killer investigation. Charlotte then shares some shocking old news from 2011 involving the actor behind McGruff the Crime Dog, proving that even the voices behind familiar faces can have a darker side. Dina follows with a truly horrifying home invasion story that feels like s...

Known for a trail of deception, violence, and suspicion that followed her across multiple states, Halliday was married multiple times, with several of her husbands dying under suspicious circumstances. At a time when female offenders were often underestimated or overlooked, her case stood out in a way few others did. She was a woman often described as one of the most dangerous in American history,...

This week on Extra Credit we’re covering a mix of long awaited updates, ongoing trials, and stories that are as bizarre as they are unsettling. Dina starts us off with an update on a long unsolved case linked to Ted Bundy. While we never enjoy talking about him, we are glad to share that another victim’s family has finally received some long overdue closure. Charlotte follows up with a recent case...

This week on The Grim Curriculum, we step away from the history books and into something a little more immediate, and a lot more unsettling. Drawing from Reddit’s “Let’s Not Meet” community, we explore a collection of real-life encounters that came far too close for comfort. These are moments where ordinary people found themselves face to face with something deeply wrong, situations that could hav...

After escaping from custody, Legere unleashed a wave of violence that sent shockwaves through Miramichi and surrounding communities. Fear took hold quickly. Residents locked their doors, routines changed overnight, and at the height of the panic, Halloween celebrations were even cancelled as the community grappled with the very real threat he posed. Despite being physically strong, Legere repeated...

Dina kicks things off with a case out of Utah involving Kouri Richins, who has now been sentenced. While the list of charges is extensive, we can’t help but feel like audacity should be included as well. Charlotte then takes us into conspiracy territory with the Phantom Time Conspiracy, a theory that raises eyebrows, asks questions, and ultimately makes very little sense, but still manages to make...

This week on Grim Curriculum, we are beginning our deep dive into the life and crimes of Canadian serial killer Allan Legere, the man known as the “Monster of the Miramichi.” In Part One, we start at the beginning, tracing Legere’s early life in Miramichi, where the warning signs were already present. What unfolds is a story that grows darker with time, as troubling behaviour escalates quickly int...

On the morning of December 6, 1917, a collision in the harbour of Halifax triggered a chain of events that would end in catastrophe. When the munitions ship SS Mont-Blanc exploded, the blast devastated the city and created one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. In this episode, we unpack the moments leading up to the disaster, the shocking aftermath, and the incredible acts of br...

Dina starts things off with a quick update on the case of the eleven year old boy who recently shot his father following an argument about a Nintendo Switch. She then follows it up with another tragic story out of Tipp City, Ohio, where a former worship leader and previous American Idol hopeful has been charged in the murder of his wife. To break up the heavier stories, Charlotte brings a few true...