Love and Murder: Heartbreak to Homicide

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...

The Steven Pladl case is one of those stories that people hear once and never forget. It started when an adopted daughter reconnected with her biological parents at 18. What should have been a reunion quickly crossed into something else, leading to a relationship between father and daughter, a pregnancy, and criminal charges. This update episode focuses on what happened after those initial charges...

What started as a reality show love story quickly turned into a criminal case. Emily Ceco and Santiago Martínez met on Love Is Blind: Argentina, built a relationship without seeing each other, and got married on the show. To the public, they looked like one of the success stories. But by early 2025, Emily was reporting him to police, saying that she had to run to survive. At trial, the case came d...

A domestic argument inside a quiet family home in upstate New York ended with a father dead and his own son charged with murder. Police say 63-year-old Philip Knickerbocker was arguing with his wife, Jacqueline, when things turned violent. After allegedly pouring hot coffee over her head and trying to hit her, their son, Hans Knickerbocker, stepped in. What happened next ended with Philip dead on...

A whispered 911 call from a terrified 9-year-old boy, Andrew Hockensmith, led police to one of Kentucky’s most disturbing triple murder cases. He hid after watching a man he trusted murder his parents, Michael and Angela Hockensmith. That man was Kenneth “Alan” Keith, a local pastor, family friend, and someone the Hockensmith family never saw as a threat. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovere...

A 911 call in Tulsa, Oklahoma came in as a possible suicide, but what first responders found told a very different story. Joshua “Josh” Hilberling had fallen 17 stories from a high-rise apartment, and inside that apartment was his wife, Amber Hilberling, who was heard saying, “I pushed him.” What happened between Amber and Josh in those final moments became the center of a case that quickly split...

A 13-year-old boy in Foley, Alabama was handed a phone and told to call the police while his mother was being attacked inside their home. The man she was calling about? Daniel Hernandez-Lopez. What started as an argument quickly escalated into violence, forcing that child into a situation no kid should ever have to face. And what happened next is why this case is getting so much attention. *******...

William Bryan went in for what should have been a routine surgery. Instead, he died on the operating table after the wrong organ was removed. At first, it looked like medical malpractice, but as investigators started digging, a different picture began to form - one involving prior surgical errors, questionable decisions in the operating room, and allegations that what happened didn’t stop when the...

A 4-year-old child asks his stepmom, Miranda Casavez, for something simple, something basic, something he should have never had to beg for ... Food. After he died, investigators found an unspeakable story, with evidence, that would haunt them for a long time. After show: A Texas man, Brandon Dickerson, admitted that he shot the mother of his child 15 times in a jealous rage in front of their toddl...