Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast

Part 1: White Bear Lake, a picturesque American town where kids freely ride bikes, play two-square and parents throw neighborhood BBQs—and where 3 ½ year old Dennis Jurgens died on Palm Sunday 1965. WHAT happened?  Family members immediately begin whispering "she killed him", referring to his adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens.  Others ask how Lois and Harold Jurgens were ever allowed to adopt a child,...

Part 4: In 2012, serial killer Israel Keyes confessed to investigators he'd disposed of a body in a frozen Lake in Alaska, a dangerous recovery.  FBI Agent Bobby Chacon and the underwater forensics team he founded were notified. On the case, Bobby now shares the behind-the-scenes story with Jill of how this occurred, plus insight into the investigation, and much more. Listen in to get the details...

Part 3: 1996, Colville, Washington, 12 yrs. old Julie Harris went missing, and then, the following year, 12 yrs. old Cassie Emerson--with 18 yrs. old Israel Keyes living nearby. The investigation expands overseas as the police and FBI interview those who knew Keyes. But did anyone know Keyes, who was determined to maintain control over these proceeding, using any and all methods, no matter what th...

A killer in custody toys with law enforcement, who are desperate to locate missing Samantha Koenig, taking them into unchartered waters. As they begin to unravel the 'who is' Israel Keyes, his childhood rearing takes center stage, as the teenage Izy begins to understand, he isn't like everyone else.  Keeping Keyes's transitory cooperation in finding other victims, scattered across the United State...

Part I: February 2012 in Anchorage, Alaska, a mystery unfolds as a young barista goes missing.  Where was Samantha Koenig?  The search for the truth takes us to Lufkin, Texas, where an enigmatic suspect, Israel Keyes, begins telling a horrendous tale of violence, rape, and murder at a level never seen before by the FBI profilers.    Sources, notes, photographs, links are found on Jill's blog- www....

UPDATE #2- Ep 21-23- A Wilderness of Errors:  On New Years Day 2008, Amina and Sarah Said were gunned down in the their father's taxi, Sarah calling 911 and saying "My father shot me!".  Twelve years later, we have a verdict in his trial. Don't miss the update on this tragic example of a family annihilator, and the fight for justice. From The Wilderness of Error by Errol Morris trilogy, episodes 2...

Ep 45: Jill and special guest, one of our own Murder Bookies, Rebecca Rae Catalfu, reflect on Bone Deep and our favorite true crime podcast- the Murder Shelf Book Club!   Articulate, insightful, Rebecca and Jill do not hold back as they discuss the case, delve into past book episodes, and what the future holds for Jill's podcast! Fun, pithy, and something not to be missed! ENJOY!  All sources, pho...

Part 5: Recorded at CrimeCon 2022, Jill chats with Russ Faria, fiancée Carol McAfee, and cousin, Mary Anderson, who detail what went on in the background after Betsy Faria's murder, and how wrongful arrest and conviction impacts a family. Open, honest, passionate, holding nothing back, the conversation just ROLLS! WHAT can you do to help? Russ, Carol and Mary make some excellent suggestions!   Sou...

Part 4: A free man, Russ Faria moves on with his life, as suspicion is thrown in Pam Hupp's direction. A twisted plan is unleashed, attempting to prove Russ Faria is a danger to society and certainly to Pam Hupp.  Deadly consequences follow, as Louis Gumperberger is killed. Who is Louis and how did he get thrust into Pam Hupp's orbit?  What consequences follow? Will a new Prosecutor see the eviden...

In Part 3- The Defense presents its case on why it was impossible for Russ to have murdered Betsy, as the Prosecution presents more and more outrageous theories. A painful, wrongful conviction would trigger appeals, with Russ granted a new trial. Defense attorneys, Joel Schwartz and Nate Swanson remain optimistic that without the evidence prohibitions of the first trial, they would prove Russ did...

Part 2: With all the details you never knew…The State presents its case against Russell Faria, for the murder of his wife, Betsy.  As tension mounts, an inexperienced Judge prohibits the Defense from presenting alternative theories on the killer. Would the airtight alibi hold up?  Leading to more questions than answers; what would the Prosecution's star witness, Pam Hupp say next? Source material,...

Part 1: On Dec 27th, 2011, the nightmare began for Russell Faria on returning to his Troy, Missouri home after his weekly game night with friends, finding an unthinkable, grisly scene: His wife, Betsy, lay dead, a knife still lodged in her neck. His horror would only intensify when Russ was arrested for Betsy Faria's murder. Defense attorney, Joel Schwartz would begin the fight of his life to see...

Part 4: From CrimeCon 2022 Las Vegas, Jill sits down with investigative journalist and author of featured book, Unsolved: The JonBenet Ramsey Case 25 Years later, Paula Woodward, to discuss the myths and misinformation about the murder of JonBenét Ramsey Dec 26, 1996. The women examine the facts that counter the myths, the role Boulder PD played in spreading information, and how to raise our voice...

In Pt 3, Paula Woodward's continues to shatter the myths that have grown up around the JonBenét Ramsey case, exposing the truth.  New interviews with John Andrew Ramsey, half-brother of JonBenét, provide us with an update on where the case stands 25 years later. Jill presents her profile of the killer, while delving into another Crime of the Century, the Lindbergh Kidnapping of 1932.  The comparis...

Part 2: Continuing the deep dive into the Ramsey case evidence, taken from police reports and consultations with experts, Jill tells Paula Woodward's story of the serious divisions between the investigators, and where the –actual-- evidence leads when misinformation leaked by law enforcement is removed from the equation. The staggering truth is revealed and will alter everything you thought you kn...

Part 1: Everything we think we know about this case is wrong! Not just another podcast on the JonBenét Ramsey's murder, award winning journalist Paula Woodward has compared never seen before law enforcement records with the news report of the day—to a devastating conclusion. Starting on Dec 25, 1996, in Boulder, CO, Paula reveals the horrifying truth, from the botched police investigation to the r...

In Pt 3-The rapist turned serial killer was back, leaving a path of death and devastation.  The Bike Path Killer Task Force focuses on a suspect, local metal worker, Altemio Sanchez. Gathering enough evidence to successfully prosecute remains elusive, however.   Investigators wrack their brains leaving no stone unturned in their quest for more evidence linking Sanchez to the crimes. Would it be en...

In Pt. 2, the rapist turned serial killer was back, leaving a path of death, grief and devastation.  The Bike Path Killer Task Force Investigators would pool their resources, reinterview survivors, and dig through the massive number of tips coming in. They only need "the" one to break the case. Could they find the killer? Would they?   Source material, photographs, show notes and food and drink re...

Part 1: This true crime book begins with the 2006 brutal murder of Joan Diver of Clarence, N.Y., and escalates at a frightening pace.  The complex investigation meanders but it soon becomes apparent that the 12-year hiatus of the Bike Path Rapist turned killer is over- he's back. Join Jill as she tells the tale of a serial rapist turned serial killer who haunted the Buffalo, NY area for three deca...

For 3 decades, the Buffalo, NY area was terrorized by a serial rapist, leaving a trail of victims, and then- bodies. A serial killer was living among them, but where? Who was he? Could he be caught? Coming soon!   ANNOUNCEMENT- JAN 2025:  My new Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast MERCH SHOP has launched!  Please go explore! I appreciate you supporting my true crime book club podcast! Share your though...

Part 4: Bringing her theories to the table, Jill sits down with author, Gary Sosniecki, and probes the investigation into his great-grandmother, Cecilia Ludwig's, murder, asking the hard questions, while digging into the whys of the case.  Source material for The Potato Masher Murder series is found at www.murdershelfbookclub.com, Dec. 2021.   ANNOUNCEMENT- JAN 2025:  My new Murder Shelf Book Club...

See Part 1, Part 2, and Jill's exclusive interview with the author, Ep 30, 31 and 33! January 2021.   In Part 3, 2ndCast: Cecilia's Curse, Jill wonders if Cecilia Ludwig cursed Mishawaka, Indiana with her dying breath.  Explore the bizarre and twisted legacy of Cecilia Ludwig's murder by husband, Albin Ludwig, the prosecutor, Joseph Talbot and his family, neighbors and friends alike, following the...

Part 2: In this second installment of The Potato Masher Murder, the 1906 murder of Cecilia Ludwig saw the arrest and trial of her husband, Albin Ludwig. The Defense presented a scenario sharply countered by the Prosecution. But would it be enough to convict Albin? Death penalty on the table, jurors would hear the shocking story of suspicion, obsession, a deteriorating marriage, conflict, and abuse...

Part 1: September 25, 1906, Mishawaka, Indiana, brought a shocking truth; horrified family and neighbors learned that 30-year-old Cecilia Ludwig had been murdered by her husband, Albin Ludwig, and in the most gruesome manner. Who was Cecilia? What drove Albin? How had the marriage deteriorated? Who played a role? Would the prosecution find evidence enough to convict him with early 20th century tec...

In the Lost Girls trilogy, we learned how the Suffolk County police department on Long Island struggled to investigate the Long Island serial killer case, falling victim to internal scandal and administrative hijinks by the top echelon of law enforcement.  Arrests, prosecutions, and convictions of the former police chief, district attorney, and anti-corruption bureau chief (seriously, I KNOW) in 2...