Love and Murder: Heartbreak to Homicide

Rachel Barber thought she was leaving dance class to make some easy money. The person offering the job wasn’t a stranger; Caroline Robertson had once babysat Rachel and her younger sisters and had been trusted by the Barber family. But Caroline had secretly spent months studying Rachel’s looks, personality, family, boyfriend, and life. Then Rachel disappeared and Caroline started calling her famil...

In 1906, Grace Brown left home believing Chester Gillette was finally going to make a decision about their future. She packed her belongings, traveled through New York with him, and even mailed her mother a postcard saying she was having a lovely time. The next day, Grace was found at the bottom of Big Moose Lake. Chester said she had taken her own life, prosecutors said something different, and m...

Tommy Randolph called 911 claiming he had just walked into every husband's worst nightmare. He said he found his wife, Sharon, shot on the floor of their Las Vegas home, confronted the masked intruder responsible, and killed him in self-defense. But detectives quickly began questioning nearly every part of his story. In this episode, we examine the evidence that led two separate juries to convict...

When Walter Goodman III called 911 from his Oneida, Wisconsin, home, first responders found his 14-year-old daughter weighing just 35 pounds. As doctors fought to save her life, investigators began uncovering what had been happening inside the home she shared with Walter, Melissa Goodman, Savanna LeFever, and Kayla Stemler. Then police searched the house ... and Melissa’s phone. What they found wo...

Landon was adopted into a home that should have protected him. Five-year-old Landon Maloberti was carried into a Pennsylvania hospital unresponsive, with his adoptive parents claiming that he had recently fallen and had been unsteady after COVID. Doctors quickly realized that a simple fall couldn’t explain what they found. As investigators looked deeper, they uncovered allegations of isolation, be...

Lindsey Lee had rebuilt her life after separating from her husband. She was thriving, preparing to finalize her divorce, and looking toward a new future. Then she failed to show up for work. What investigators uncovered inside her home, and on her estranged husband's electronic devices, would become the foundation of a murder case built almost entirely on circumstantial evidence, forensic science,...

After ending her engagement, Samantha Mickleburgh thought she was doing one final act of kindness. She agreed to spend a birthday weekend with her ex-fiancé, James Cartwright, before moving on with her life. The next morning, Samantha was dead. What initially appeared to be a tragic and unexplained death inside a luxury hotel room quickly became a murder investigation. As detectives dug into the c...

In 1997, Yarmila Falater was found floating in her backyard pool after a brutal attack that left investigators searching for answers. The evidence quickly pointed to her husband, Scott Falater, a seemingly devoted husband, father, and churchgoing family man with no history of violence. But Scott's defense would turn the entire case upside down. He admitted he was responsible for Yarmila's death. H...

When Steven Beard woke up in the middle of the night, he thought his stomach had somehow burst open. Instead, investigators discovered he had been shot while sleeping in his own bed. What followed was an investigation involving a wealthy businessman, a much younger wife, Celese Beard, a secret relationship, allegations of manipulation, and claims of a murder-for-hire plot motivated by millions of...

Ana Walshe was a successful real estate executive, devoted mother of three, and someone whose future seemed bright. Then, on New Year's Day 2023, she vanished. Her husband, Brian Walshe, claimed she left home for a work emergency and headed to Washington, D.C. But investigators soon discovered that Ana never arrived. As detectives followed the evidence, they uncovered disturbing internet searches,...

Christine Belford thought the hardest part of her divorce was over. Instead, it marked the beginning of a years-long nightmare. After her ex-husband kidnapped their children and fled the country, Christine fought tirelessly to bring them home. But even after the girls were returned, the harassment didn't stop. This episode breaks down the international kidnapping, the custody battle, the courthous...

Jessie Blodgett was a 19-year-old college student, musician, and theater performer with her whole future ahead of her. On July 15, 2013, her mother found her dead in her bedroom. At first, investigators had very little to go on, but as they worked the case, they uncovered evidence connecting Jessie's murder to a separate violent attack that happened just days earlier. The investigation eventually...

Chintada Ravindra and Polipalli Mounika met through a dating app and maintained a relationship for years, even after Ravindra married someone else. In March 2026, Ravindra walked into a police station and confessed that Mounika was dead inside his apartment. What investigators found next shocked even experienced officers. This episode breaks down the relationship, the confession, the disturbing di...

When Eric Richins died in March 2022, his death initially appeared to be a tragic overdose. His wife, Kouri Richins, publicly portrayed herself as a grieving widow and even published a children's book about helping kids cope with losing a parent. But investigators soon uncovered evidence that led them in a very different direction. As they examined financial records, phone data, life insurance pol...

Brendan Banfield has officially been sentenced. After being convicted of murdering his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan, the former IRS agent appeared in court for what would become an emotional sentencing hearing. Family members of both victims spoke directly to the court about the devastating impact of the murders, sharing memories of the people they lost and the grief they continue to...

A jury already found Brendan Banfield guilty in the murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan after prosecutors presented weeks of testimony involving an affair, an au pair, and a FetLife setup that turned deadly. Now, just before sentencing, Brendan is trying to get the convictions overturned. His defense team claims prosecutors made multiple errors during trial, including question...

Beauty Couch, known online as Beauty Katera, was a college student, skating instructor, and social media influencer with more than 150,000 followers. In August 2023, her burned car was discovered in Austell, Georgia and this began an investigation that would lead to an "orgy of circumstantial evidence" pointing directly to Beauty's boyfriend, Eugene Jacques. Was he framed or did he do this crime?...

Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was murdered inside her home in Northern Ireland just days before Christmas. Her boyfriend, Stephen McCullagh, had an airtight alibi through a six-hour YouTube livestream that showed him at home the entire night. But as the investigation started, shocking information emerged that changed the trajectory of case. This episode breaks down the investigati...

In 2021, singer Jack Avery was reportedly warned by the FBI that someone was allegedly trying to have him killed. Now, TikTok influencer Gabriela “Gabbie” Gonzalez, her father Francisco Gonzalez, and her ex-boyfriend Kai Cordrey have been charged in what prosecutors describe as a murder-for-hire plot connected to a custody battle over Gabbie and Jack’s daughter. This episode breaks down the allega...

In 1984, 15-year-old Reesa Trexler was found brutally murdered inside her grandparents’ home in Salisbury, North Carolina. The case quickly went cold, and over the years, rumors and accusations started turning toward Reesa’s younger sister, Jodie Trexler Laird, despite there never being evidence tying her to the crime. Who actually did this to Reesa? This episode breaks down the original investiga...

A young girl walked into her Pontiac, Michigan home and found her stepmother, Latrece Harper, dead on the couch from a gunshot wound to the head. By the end of the night, five children had lost everything. This episode breaks down the timeline of what happened, the details released by investigators, and the larger conversation around domestic violence, warning signs, and the families left behind a...

Mishael “MJ” Auman was a firefighter, a father, and someone his community knew and respected. On June 25, 2022, his wife, Heather Hicks Auman, called 911 and said he had taken his own life after an argument. But what initially appeared to be a suicide quickly turned into a homicide investigation. This episode breaks down the timeline, the forensic evidence, and how the case shifted from a 911 call...

A Florida mother faces first-degree murder charges after admitting to drowning her infant.  Today's case raises difficult questions about intent and mental health. What happened inside that apartment is only part of the story. Because what led up to it may be just as important. Listen to the Florida Man case of Tierra Scott-Franklin right now on Love and Murder. ***********************************...

In 2014, Sheila von Wiese-Mack was killed inside a luxury resort in Bali. Her body was later found inside a suitcase after a taxi driver noticed blood and went to police, leading to the arrest of her daughter, Heather Mack, and Heather’s boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer. This is the update of that case. Heather’s case has already moved forward in the U.S., now, Tommy’s case is moving through the federal...

Courtney Clenney built a life online with millions of followers, millions of dollars, and a brand built on visibility. But behind the scenes, her relationship with Christian Obumseli was anything but picture perfect. On April 3, 2022, that relationship ended with a fatal stabbing inside their Miami apartment. Courtney called 911 crying and apologizing but later admitted she was the one who stabbed...