Koltergeist: True Crime Stories

Some of the most devastating intersections of mental illness and violence occur in cases that are unthinkable-when parents killed their children while experiencing episodes of  active acute psychosis . In this episode of Koltergeist, we discuss just 3 of the many stories of fractured reality—where delusions overrode instinc...

Episode Description: In May 2010, the University of Virginia was shaken to its core when star lacrosse player Yeardley Love was found dead in her off-campus apartment—her bright future cut short by someone she once trusted. In this episode, Koltergeist unravels the volatile relationship between Yeardley and her ex-boyfriend, George Huguely V, tracing the warning signs, the privilege, and the explo...

Episode Description: On Christmas Eve, 1985, the frozen body of a young boy clad only in blue pajamas was found abandoned in a snowswept ditch along a stretch of rural Nebraska highway. With no clues to his identity, he became known among the locals as “little boy blue”. Nearly 2 years later, authorities found his family and uncovered a trail of dead bodies and sordid tale of secrets and lies that...

Episode Description: On Christmas Eve 2008, a man dressed as Santa Claus rang the doorbell of a family home in Covina, California. Minutes later, the house was engulfed in flames, and a holiday gathering turned into one of the most horrifying massacres in modern true crime history. In this episode, Koltergeist unpacks the deception, the rage, and the chilling premeditation behind Bruce Pardo’s vio...

Episode Description: New Year’s Eve is supposed to be one of the most electric nights of the year—champagne, countdowns, and the glittering promise of a clean slate. But for Ana Walshe, a striking, ambitious mother of three with a successful real estate career, it was the last night anyone would ever see her alive. Her husband, Brian Walshe, carried a past stitched together with lies, fraud, and t...

Episode Description: For years, a quiet house in France hid a truth no one dared to imagine. Behind its neat shutters and well-tended garden lived a family that seemed unremarkable — polite, private, ordinary. But then one day there was a discovery so disturbing, it would force an entire community to confront the darkness lurking just beneath the surface. In this episode of Koltergeist , we explor...

Episode Description: Joseph Shymanski was a photographer known for capturing beauty through his lens — fine art, celebrity portraits, and important events. But behind the camera, his own life had fallen out of focus. After surviving a contentious divorce and fierce custody battle, his life was taken on a quiet afternoon by someone he never saw coming. He was shot, dismembered, and burned. Thi...

Episode Description: It was supposed to be a normal family holiday — a long weekend filled with turkey, laughter, and the promise of new beginnings. But when relatives couldn’t reach Joel and Lisa Guy after Thanksgiving dinner, police arrived at their Knoxville home to find something out of a nightmare. The house was warm — too warm — and what they discovered inside would haunt investigators forev...

Episode Description Robert Roberson has been condemned on death row for over two decades—convicted of the unthinkable crime of murdering of his own daughter. The case seemed clear. The timeline, the testimony, the science—at first it all seemed to point in one direction. But what if it was wrong? Recently, new medical evidence has surfaced. Evidence that challenges the very foundation of the prose...

In Boston, 1989, a young couple’s late-night drive ended in a shocking act of violence that left the city gripped with fear. A brutal attack, a frantic call for help, and a story that seemed too horrific to question. But as investigators dug deeper, cracks began to form in the tale that had captured the nation’s attention. Was this truly the work of a faceless predator lurking in the sha...

It was June 1962, the last day of school in Pittsburgh—a day buzzing with summertime excitement. But the celebration was short-lived when 10-year-old Mary Ann Verdecchia vanished without a trace. Her disappearance shattered the neighborhood’s sense of safety and still stands as one of America’s oldest unsolved missing-child cases. Sources: On Purpose | Pitt Magazine | Universit...

On this haunted night, we open the door to some of the darkest Halloween tales ever told. From Daniel LaPlante, whose twisted crimes blurred the line between horror and reality, to the so-called “Candyman Killer,” whose name still sends shivers down parents’ spines, we unravel stories where trick-or-treating turned into terror. Alongside them, other eerie Halloween horrors remind us that sometimes...

Scranton mechanic Frank Osellanie had a dark and predatory past that culminated with the brutal assault and murder of 9-year-old Renee Waddle. But can investigators tie him to other unsolved cases? In this episode we delve into four other unsolved cases of the Electric City-the murder of Laureen Finn and the disappearances of Michell...

In this episode, we explore the terrifying night when Ashley Reeves became the target of a shocking attack. The details of the assault are chilling, the investigation is relentless, and the community is left reeling. Through interviews, court records, and a careful reconstruction of events, we unravel the story of a young woman caught in a nightmare—without revealing until the very end what happen...

Haunted attraction profit on fear. But sometimes the most chilling horrors don’t come with actors or props—they come from the truth-which can be far darker than anything scripted. In this episode of Koltergeist, we reveal the horrifying truth behind Pennhurst Asylum-a place where disabled people were stripped of their dignity, dehumanized, and endured unimaginable horrors.  References: Oct 23...

In this episode, we dive into the twisted case of Ari Squire, a man whose actions left investigators scrambling for answers. From mysterious disappearances to shocking clues that emerged in unexpected places, we follow the investigation as it unravels a story of deception, obsession, and danger. With cryptic messages, failed schemes, and a chilling web of manipulation, this episode explores a case...

When a young mother is killed in what looks like a hit-and-run, it seems at first like a tragic accident. Over the next three decades, the horrifying crimes of a monster are revealed. And at the center of it all is a story that proves some spirits refuse to be broken. References: Jun 22, 1990, page 1 - Tulsa World at Newspapers.com Oct 12, 1997, page 16 - The Daily Oklahoman at Newspapers.com Nov...

**This is a re-released episode from January 6, 2025 Episode Summary The Powell podcast episode of Koltergeist dives into the tragic and mysterious disappearance of Susan Powell, a devoted mother of two, and the disturbing revelations about her husband, Josh Powell. We explore Susan's struggle in an allegedly controlling relationship, her fears for her safety, and her efforts to seek help, includi...

*This is a re-released episode from January 2nd, 2025 Episode Summary 11-year-old Terrence Bowers Jr's family continues to seek justice for his 1970 murder. What began as an exciting camping weekend for the scouts of troop 275 ended in tragedy when an unknown coward took Terry's life in the middle of the night. Several theories emerged, but no one paid the price for taking this young boy...

Dr. Mark Weinberger was known as a rising star in the world of sinus surgery—handsome, wealthy, and wildly successful. But when he vanished from a luxury yacht in Greece during his wife’s birthday trip, the mystery quickly unraveled into something far more sinister. Behind the designer suits and glossy reputation was a trail of ruined lives, misdiagnoses, and insurance fraud. As investigators clos...

When a woman was found brutally murdered in England, investigators quickly found a prime suspect in her ex-boyfriend. But questions remain if a second look at old evidence might point to a different killer and perhaps expose a grave miscarriage of justice -or if they had the right guy from the start. References: Kevin Nunn has spent 20 years in prison for a horrifying murder. Was he wrongly convic...

When a young mother is found murdered in her home, her grieving husband tells police he acted in self-defense—killing a strange man who had been bothering his wife just days earlier. At first, it seems like a tragic case of a hero protecting his family. But as the years go by, disturbing questions begin to surface. What really happened that afternoon in Springfield, Illinois? And was this home inv...

In the chaos of war-torn Iraq, a young American soldier was found dead under suspicious circumstances—and her family refuses to believe the army’s explanation- alleging that the truth has been buried under red tape, silence, and fear. This case doesn’t just tell LaVena’s story—it screams the truth about the silent, brutal struggles of women in uniform. This episode is dedicated to Private First Cl...

When Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos vanished in 2019, suspicion quickly turned to her estranged husband, Fotis. This episode unpacks the twisted web of privilege, betrayal, and a bitter custody battle that ended in tragedy. Based on Rich Cohen’s gripping book, we explore the mystery behind Jennifer’s disappearance—and the secrets that came to light after she was gone. ABC News Source: https://w...

In 1989, the sudden death of an infant left investigators pointing the finger at the one person meant to protect him—his mother. Nearly three decades later, in 2018, a healthy young mom is found dead. Each case tells a very different story—and while they both looked like open-and-shut cases… both unraveled into things far more complex. References: Husband poisoned wife, tainted daughter's drink: P...