MURDERISH

On May 11, 2016, the naked body of a man was discovered in a remote field in Sonoma County, California. Investigators immediately began working to find out who would have wanted the young father of two dead​. ​Join me as I walk you through a case involving murder victim, Keith Green, whose case drew national attention. Let’s get social: Follow MURDERISH on Instagram & TikTok @MurderishPodcast. We’...

In this episode of Serial Streamers, Jami walks listeners through the NXIVM cult and the Starz Original docuseries on the topic, Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. Unsuspecting members of NXIVM would eventually learn that the organization’s goal wasn’t to help people reach their full potential, it was to fulfill the sadistic desires of its leader Keith Rainere. The organization would eventually be ex...

Money can unify or divide society. To many of us, it might seem like the wealthy enjoy lifestyles that only exist in our wildest dreams. Ben Novack Jr. was the only child of Bernice and Ben Novack Sr, who owned and operated the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel. Being born into money granted Ben Jr. countless advantages, but it also put him and someone he loved in great peril.  Follow Jami...

On the afternoon of November 8, 2000, in Rancho Palos Verdes California, a 9-1-1 call would lead to a shocking scene. The details surrounding the victim’s death would take a while to unravel, but when they finally did, the truth would stun everyone. Join me as I walk you through the murder of Lauren Key.  Let’s get social: Follow MURDERISH on Instagram & TikTok @MurderishPodcast. We’re also on Fac...

On July 12, 2014 the body of 18-year-old Conrad Roy was discovered inside of his pickup truck. The teenager, who had a history of depression, died by suicide. At first, detectives had no reason to suspect foul play in Conrad's death, but they confiscated his cell phone anyway. After extracting data, detectives found thousands of text messages between Conrad and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Michelle...

When someone gets involved in the drug trade, violence usually isn’t far behind. It’s a dangerous path to tread where survival can hinge almost entirely upon alliances. If you piss off the wrong person, you might pay with your life. In the late 1980s, Missouri native Darrell Mease encountered an opportunity he couldn’t turn down. The 42-year-old carpenter was hired by Lloyd Lawrence, who happened...

This is an excerpt from Murder, She Told podcast’s “The Danielle Bertolini Story”, originally published in March of 2021. Murder, She Told is an award-winning true-crime podcast created by credentialed victim’s advocate, Kristen Seavey, that dives into the lesser-known cold cases and true crime stories from New England and beyond. Murder, She Told uses detailed and documentary style storytelling:...

The triple homicide, known as the “Halloween Massacre,” occurred in Pasadena, California in 1993. As rare as violent crimes are in Pasadena, the Halloween Massacre was the second triple homicide in the City in less than a three-year time span. On Friday, March 22, 1991, at about 2:30 in the morning, Pasadena police received a call asking them to do a welfare check at a posh home located on the 130...

In June of 1996, 34-year-old teacher, Mary Kay Letourneau, began a forbidden affair with her 12-year-old student, Vili Fualaau. A media firestorm began when the illegal affair was brought to law enforcement’s attention. Surprisingly, the illicit relationship between the much older teacher and her 6th grade student wasn’t the biggest bomb shell. In this episode, Jami walks you through the entire sc...

On a warm Southern California night in 2018, 23-year-old Vini Oliveira arrived home from working the late shift. He was greeted by two smiling faces - his roommate 26-year-old Chad O’melia and his new love interest, 27-year-old Bryn Spejcher. As Vini headed upstairs for bed, he left Chad and Bryn snuggling and laughing amongst themselves on the couch. After taking a shower and slipping into bed, V...

In November of 1983, a mother and her three children were found “hacked to death” in their Bloomington, Illinois family home. The prime suspect was the husband and father of the victims, David Hendricks. The prosecution would have you believe that David’s religion and desire to pursue other women were motives for the murders. The defense argued that the murders occurred as part of a robbery commit...

Best friends, Skylar Neese and Shelia Eddy, met in 2nd grade and were inseparable ever since. When a new friend entered the picture, the trio seemed to develop a special bond and naturally, they all trusted each other. It would come as a huge shock that Skylar Neese would lose her life at the hands of one of her closest friends ..and the true motive for the crime wouldn’t come to light until years...

In this episode of 'Best of Murderish,' Jami interviews Terra Newell, a woman who was brutally attacked by John Meehan, AKA “Dirty John.” Let’s get social: Follow MURDERISH on Instagram & TikTok @MurderishPodcast. We’re also on Facebook. Visit murderish.com to learn more about Jami and the podcast. You can also buy merch & sign up to become a MURDERISH | Behind the Mic Patreon member and get acces...

On March 8, 1992, 22-year-old Donnivan Schaeffer arrived for work at Dig ‘Em Donuts in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was shortly after 8:00 p.m. on a Sunday. As Schaeffer entered the back office, he suddenly realized ..he wasn’t alone. Schaeffer’s lifeless body would be discovered in the back of the donut shop, prompting a hunt for his killer. When law enforcement caught up with the perpetrator, th...

In the spring of 1985, 78-year-old grandmother and retired Bible study teacher Ruth Pelke was found brutally stabbed in her Gary, Indiana home. For years leading up to the tragedy, her family had tried to convince her to move out of a neighborhood that had grown increasingly unsafe. But this was her home. The elderly white woman, who chose to see the best in everyone, believed her religious faith...

When Daisy De La O was fatally stabbed in her own community, her friends and family quickly honed in on a fairly obvious suspect. Her case, however, garnered no leads or public attention ..until it was posted on TikTok. It was then that true crime social media jumped in to help. Thanks to the activity on social media about Daisy’s case, a suspect would eventually be identified but not before he sl...

When Serbian immigrant Ana Walshe visited her native country back in December 2022, no one in her family thought it would be the last time they’d ever see her. Just a few days into 2023, however, Massachusetts investigators scrambled for answers when Ana was reported missing. She had a beautiful family, a promising real estate career, and enough income to rent two lavish homes. Was Ana inclined to...

Danielle Drohan was in her early twenties when she married a man more than 20 years older. The age gap wasn't the unusual part, though. Her husband, Michael Redlick, had previously been her stepfather. Against all odds, their controversial and rocky marriage lasted nearly two decades. It would all come to a grinding halt on January 11, 2019. That night, after a vicious argument, Michael was found...

Check out TrendVETTERS, a podcast and YouTube series where I, Jami Rice, pull viral trends from TikTok and the internet, then go down the research rabbit hole so you don't have to. I spill the tea on all the latest beauty, health and fashion trends, share my experience with trends, and lay out all the details to help you decide whether you should hop on to these trends. From Hollywood’s latest ski...

Just after 4 AM on July 8, 2015, a call came into Hampton County emergency dispatch. A driver spotted a body in the center of a remote stretch of highway known as Sandy Run Road. The body belonged to 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a nursing student at nearby Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. There was nothing to suggest a vehicle had been involved in Stephen’s death, yet a hit and run would become...

Since the 1880s, immigrants from all over the globe have arrived in the United States hoping to attain a better quality of life, the American Dream. Like so many immigrants before them, Lily and Ben Chin wanted their son Vincent to have more opportunities than he may have had in their native China. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, tensions were high between Japanese and American automobile manufac...

While in her 20s and 30s, Cape Cod native Christa Worthington built a successful career in fashion journalism. She rubbed elbows with elite designers, wrote editorials for widely-respected publications like Cosmopolitan, and cycled through high fashion cities like Paris and London. Still, she felt a profound absence in her life that couldn’t be satisfied by any career advancement. As she turned 40...

When feelings for another person run deep, people are often inclined to see the best in that person. It’s not uncommon for unsettling behavior to be excused rather than seeing it as a warning sign and acting on it. But this idealism can put someone in harm’s way without them realizing it until it’s much too late. When Nicole Montalvo went missing in October 2019, investigators quickly learned that...

It was a Tuesday night at the Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado when Margaret Kohlberg, 50, Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O’Connor, also 17, and 20-year-old Bobby Stephens were working the late shift. They didn’t know it, but a man with a gun was hiding in the bathroom. When the mass shooting was over, four people lay dead and a fifth badly wounded. The shooter’s total haul was less...

On the morning of May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren was finishing breakfast with her son and his friends when she heard a knock on their front door. The 40-year-old mother of two wasn’t expecting anyone but answered the door anyway. She was greeted by someone wearing a clown costume and white face paint, clutching a flower arrangement and foil balloons. Marlene was delighted at the cheerful sight. Then...