Forensic Tales

#249 - On September 24, 2024, Marcellus Williams was executed by lethal injection in Missouri after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay despite prosecutors and the victim’s family asking that he be spared. Marcellus Williams was charged and convicted of murdering a St. Louis woman inside her home in August 1998 despite zero forensic evidence linking him to the brutal murder. His execution just ov...

#248 - In 2017, a bright and fun 21-year-old Libby was found dead in a motel room in Independence, Missouri, with her boyfriend’s belt tied around her neck. Her death was ruled a tragic suicide, but her family disagrees and is seeking answers to the many unanswered questions surrounding her death. Was this actually a case of a young woman who took her own life? Or was this the outcome of an abusiv...

#247 - Part 2. If you haven't listened to Part 1, please do so before listening to this one. In 2011, fictional romance author Nancy Brophy wrote a book called “How to Murder Your Huband.” She seemed to have a knack for writing about these things: murder and criminal investigations. But seven years later, in 2022, she found herself being accused of the very things she wrote about in her novels: Pr...

#246 - Part 1. In 2011, fictional romance author Nancy Brophy wrote a book called “How to Murder Your Huband.” She seemed to have a knack for writing about these things: murder and criminal investigations. But seven years later, in 2022, she found herself being accused of the very things she wrote about in her novels: Prosecutors put her on trial for killing her own husband of over 25 years. Suppo...

#245 - Rebecca Zahau was found dead, hanging naked, bound, and gagged, in the courtyard of her billionaire boyfriend's Coronado mansion on July 13, 2011, just two days after his six-year-old son suffered a fatal accident while under her care. Her mysterious death was ultimately ruled a suicide, but her family doesn’t believe that’s possible. In this episode, we revisit all the key forensic evidenc...

#244 - It’s a story that’s been called by the media: “The Black Swan Murder.” In September 2020, Ashley Benefield, a former ballerina and swimsuit model, walked to her neighbor's house in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and said she shot her husband, Doug Benefield, in self-defense. But prosecutors disagreed, and four years later, she was put on trial for his murder. What does the forensic evidence say a...

#243 - It was just after 3:00 a.m. in the middle of nowhere when Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffrey Mitchell came across a white Chevy van with no plates. He called dispatch, saying he was about to initiate a traffic stop, and it seemed everything was “OK.” But just seven minutes later, the dispatcher heard Mitchell’s radio clicking, signaling something was really wrong. When backup office...

#242 - For three years in the early 1980s, the Minnesota police were confronted with a strange case. Three women had been murdered, and another brutally attacked. After each incident, an anonymous caller, soon dubbed “The Weepy-Voiced Killer,” would call the police to confess to the crimes.   Sponsors: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get 15% off with promo code COURTNEY at LumeD...

#241 - On the afternoon of July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler sped the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway and crashed into another car, killing eight people. The toxicology report showed she consumed a large amount of alcohol prior to the accident, but her family insists something else was the cause.   Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/TAL...

#240 - 26-year-old Marshal Iwaasa from Alberta, Canada, was just a typical guy who loved fitness and bodybuilding and had a passion for the outdoors. But on November 17, 2019, he mysteriously vanished after stopping by his storage locker. Today, his disappearance has left behind very few clues and many unanswered questions.   Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a...

#239 - After failing to find a ride home from summer school, 11-year-old Linda O’Keefe decided to walk home—but she never made it back to her parents' house. The next day, her body was found along a popular running and cycling trail in Newport Beach, California. How can new DNA technology catch her killer?   Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp...

#238 - In January 2022, a Boston police officer was found dead, and his girlfriend, Karen Read, was accused of killing him by backing her Lexus SUV into him and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm. But Karen Read’s supporters allege that she is the victim of an elaborate cover-up by the police.   Support If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating...

#237 - Actress and model Felicia Tang was found dead inside her Monrovia, California, apartment in September 2009. Not long after that, the police arrested a former reality TV contestant and pastor for the crime. But when the case went to trial, the prosecution and defense couldn't agree on what the forensic evidence meant or what caused Felicia's death.   Support If you love the show, the easiest...

#236 - When Tracy Kroh left her Enterline Township, Pennsylvania home on Saturday, August 5, 1989, she didn’t expect to be gone long. She planned to drive to her sister’s home to return a barbeque grill she had borrowed and drop off some coupons she had clipped. But her sister wasn’t home when Tracy got there, so she left the items on her front porch and returned to her car. After that, Tracy was...

#235 - Roxanne Wood was murdered inside her Berrien County home on February 19, 1987. Her throat had been cut. Her husband found her dead after the couple had driven separately to go bowling, and Roxanne returned home first. The case went cold, and although Michigan State Police reopened it in 2001 and again in 2020, it remained unsolved. That is until students in Western Michigan University’s col...

#234 - On June 28, 2014, in the small town of Cottonport, Louisiana., 29-year-old Megan Parra was discovered in her home by her parents with a gunshot wound to her head. Megan’s husband, Dustin Parra, showed up minutes later and tried to save her, but it was too late. She was taken off life support the next day. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her parents are convinced there was foul play.   Su...

#233 - In October 1981, three young boys in Newburgh Heights, Ohio, made a frightening discovery in a ravine: a dead body. Other than some scratches and bruises, the body showed no obvious sign of injury. One tennis shoe was found in a nearby pile of rocks. The other shoe was missing. It was the body of 12-year-old Kurt Sova. An autopsy revealed that Kurt had died about a day before he was found,...

#232 - Blair Adams from Canada was just 31 years old when his body was found in the parking lot of a Knoxville, Tennessee hotel in July 1996. Scattered around his body was $4,000 worth of mixed Canadian, American, and German currency. His death was later discovered to be caused by a blow to the stomach - but what exactly happened to Blair remains a mystery.   Support My Work If you love the show,...

#231 - On a summer night in 2015, New Jersey Transit train 4693 struck and killed an 18-year-old named Tiffany Valiante. Her death was ruled a suicide. But her family insists that the recent high school graduate and star athlete was actually murdered.   Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell you...

#230 - A woman is arrested for poisoning six members of her family with cyanide between 2002 and 2016. She is accused of murdering them to inherit the family property and to marry her lover, who was her husband’s cousin.   Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Fore...

#229 - St. John’s University student Joshua Guimond left a party on Nov. 9, 2002, and was never seen again. Although more than two decades have passed, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation into his disappearance remains active. What happened to Joshua all those years ago? And is too late for forensic science to help answer some of the many unanswered questions about his myste...

#228 - In 2014, a prominent couple from New Jersey was found brutally killed inside their home. They each suffered multiple stab wounds, and the house had been almost burned down to the ground. But after the police wrapped up the investigation, they believed the couple died in a murder-suicide plot. However, those close to the Sheridans disagree they would have done something like this. What does...

#227 - 21-year-old college student Chris Jenkins mysteriously vanished on Halloween Night 2002 after spending the night out with friends. Four months later, his body was found in the Mississippi River, but things aren't always as they initially appear. What happened to Chris Jenkins after spending a fun night out at the bar with friends, and can forensic science help give us some answers?   Suppor...

#226 - In 2016, 27-year-old Mirna Salihin met up with a group of friends to grab some coffee - but less than 30 minutes later, she ended up dead after taking a few sips of her drink. No one had any idea what could have happened to her at the coffee shop - until forensic evidence raised some serious and deadly suspicions.   Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support...

#225 - A man’s empty boat is found miles away from his home. And when his body surfaces over a week later, the authorities and his family are left with more questions than answers. Did Patrick Mullins, a beloved librarian and high school teacher, take his own life in 2013? Or does the forensic evidence point to something far more sinister?   Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to...