Sword and Scale

In 2008, University of Wisconsin–Madison student Brittany Zimmermann was murdered in her apartment in the middle of the day, and then the trail went cold. An unlikely informant leads the police to search for two mystery men, a theory that would steer the investigation for years. As time passed and leads fell apart, the case slowly faded from view. Twelve years later, detectives discovered the trut...

When Virgil and Shirley Best were found dead in their home, investigators expected a familiar explanation. What followed instead was an investigation defined by uncertainty and a motive that challenged the idea that violence always comes from clear intent. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

In 2022, when 57-year-old Harold Allen was found dead in his Indiana home, the case was ruled natural. Nearly a year later, a brazen burglary and a string of buried messages bring detectives back to the same address and to Marsha Allen, the woman who said she loved him. What starts as a property crime becomes a chilling reexamination of Harold’s final days, as small-town routines, late-night deliv...

Beloved father and prominent attorney, Gary Farris, should have been safe on his own land. But in July 2018, he vanished from his family’s rural dream property, and a smoldering burn pile would unravel everything they thought they knew about their home, their marriage, and each other. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

In 2016, 22-year-old Cati Blauvelt was found stabbed to death in the basement of an abandoned house. The search for her killer would uncover a story of control, deception, and betrayal — and reveal how one man turned trust into a weapon. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

When 43-year-old Diane Holik was found dead inside her Austin home, homicide investigators were left with more questions than answers. Diane had no enemies. There was no apparent reason for anyone to want her dead. But as detectives dug deeper, they uncovered a web of obsession, deceit, and darkness that defied understanding and revealed a killer hiding in plain sight. Get instant access to all ep...

In March 2015, ninety-four-year-old Marie Belcastro was found brutally murdered in her home on Cherry Street in Niles, Ohio. Adored by her family and neighbors, she was known for her humor, generosity, and the simple kindness she extended to those around her. But the violence that ended her life came from closer to home than anyone imagined, leaving her family and the community to wrestle with uns...

Seventeen-year-old Collin Griffith called 911 in a panic, begging for help. Minutes later, deputies arrived to find his mother bleeding in the kitchen and Collin calm, almost detached. His story of self-defense unraveled quickly, leading investigators back to Oklahoma and exposing dark family secrets and a shocking history of violence. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleas...

On a cold March evening in 2023, police in Englewood, Colorado responded to a 911 call from 81-year-old Reginald Maclaren. Inside his upscale apartment, they uncovered a scene so brutal, it would briefly dominate headlines before vanishing just as quickly. The victims were Reginald’s wife and daughter. They were two women who lived quietly, knew no one, and left behind almost nothing. It was their...

In a quiet Ohio suburb where families mow their lawns and kids ride bikes on the sidewalks, police uncover a bloody scene: two decomposing bodies, Regina Capobianco and her friend John Mann, buried beneath trash inside a modest home. As investigators peel back the layers, they don’t just find evidence of murder; they find broken families, desperate choices, and a trail of secrets that stretches fr...

When Sean Lannon arrived at his uncle Mike’s house in March 2021, it appeared to be the start of a family tragedy. But, as investigators investigated further, a much darker story started to come to light - one that spanned across states and years, prompting everyone to question how well they truly knew him. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free...

In the quiet backroads of Dallas County, Missouri, investigators uncovered a nightmare hidden in plain sight. Cassidy Rainwater, a young woman whose search for stability led her to a remote cabin. What seemed at first like an isolated disappearance soon unraveled into something far darker. Disturbing digital evidence, cryptic messages, and chilling interviews revealed just how calculated and sinis...

In East Cleveland, Ohio, Diane Madison - a mother and grandmother - was also a woman remembered fondly by her neighbors. In 2019, she woke to a knife at her throat, and the assailant was her very own grandson, Jalen Plummer. Years earlier, another tragedy had unfolded just steps from her home involving a man who killed three women, ranging in age from 18 to 38. Get instant access to all episodes,...

Rebekah Gould was young, beautiful, and murdered in a quiet Arkansas town. Her case haunted the internet for years—until a confession surfaced. But instead of answers, it raised a far darker question: what if the truth is still being hidden? Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

A young couple seemed to be building a quiet life together in a small Texas town. But everything changed when 21-year-old Anggy Diaz was found brutally murdered. What followed was a maze of grief, confusion, and unanswered questions, leaving two families searching for answers. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

When 46-year-old Victoria Schafer was killed by a falling log at a popular Ohio state park, it first appeared to be a tragic accident — until investigators uncovered the truth. What followed was a tangled web of lies, teenage recklessness, and a crime that never made any sense. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

In August 2000, eighteen-year-old Jessica Currin was found burned behind a middle school in Mayfield, Kentucky. The case went cold until a determined homemaker named Susan Galbreath decided she could solve it herself. Against all odds, she did what police couldn’t: she found witnesses, uncovered leads, and helped to deliver a conviction. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unrele...

When 65-year-old Kenneth Reece returned to his quiet farmhouse, he found a nightmare waiting: a decapitated body in his living room and his estranged son, Kenny McBride, claiming ignorance. But once detectives uncovered the victim’s head, the gruesome truth and deep family scars started to surface. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at sworda...

In October 2016, a teenage girl was found brutally murdered along a jogging trail in St. Joseph, Missouri. She was naked, stabbed repeatedly, and her throat was slashed. As investigators dug into the case, they uncovered a disturbing web of delusion, detachment, and darkness. What began as a baffling mystery ultimately led to a chilling discovery. This murder had been carried out as part of a plan...

In a quiet Ohio town shaped by coal and tradition, Brad McGarry is found dead in his basement. At first, it looks like a break-in. But as detectives dig deeper, they uncover a complex friendship, a hidden relationship, and a web of lies that unravels in the interrogation room. This is a story of secrets, pressure, and the cost of keeping them buried. Get instant access to all episodes, including p...

When Kajavia Globe disappeared, her family’s worst fears came true in a city hardened by loss. As frustration with police mounted, the community - neighbors, a sanitation worker, a mother who refused to give up - kept pushing forward. In the end, justice came not from the system, but from those who refused to stay silent. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, c...

A night of celebration at a remote cabin takes a horrifying turn when a fight breaks out and a young father steps in to calm things down. Within moments, the party descends into chaos, and a single act of violence changes lives forever. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

17-year-old Halia Culbertson and 18-year-old Bryanna Baronzinni went from friends to enemies over the course of a few months. Then, it all ended in a single, fatal fight. But did the person who set this tragic murder in motion walk away unscathed? Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

In the mountain valley town of Questa, New Mexico, a group of teenagers spent a summer afternoon the way so many do: unsupervised, a little bored, and pushing boundaries. But by nightfall, 13-year-old Amber Archuleta was dead. What followed was a tangle of grief, blame, and questions about the adults who were supposed to be keeping them safe. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium u...

It was a quiet July day in Bellevue, Washington, until a hail of gunfire shattered the calm. Outside an apartment complex, 48-year-old Baron Li lay on the pavement, riddled with nine bullets. As the shooter vanished, an investigation started - one that would unearth a harrowing tale of survival, betrayal, and pure evil. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, com...