True Crime Conversations

UPDATE:  Since recording this episode, murderer and serial paedophile, Michael Guider, the man responsible for Samantha's death, has been released from jail. When Tess Knight got home on a winter’s night in August of 1986 her nine-year-old daughter Samantha was nowhere to be found.  It wasn’t until 14 years later in February 2001 that a man named Michael Guider pleaded guilty...

Kathleen Pettingill had ten children. All of them are either incarcerated, in witness protection, or dead. So, how did Kathleen become the head of one of the most prolific and violent crime families in modern Australian history? Jessie speaks with author Adrian Tame about the life and crimes of Kathleen Pettingill - a woman who throughout his years profiling her he has come to count as a frie...

Christopher Wilder is the Australian serial killer responsible for the biggest man hunt in US history. Wilder lured his victims by posing as a talent agent and model scout and beauty pageants across America. His modus operandi of kidnapping, torture, sexual assault and ultimately murder, spoke so deeply of his utter hatred of women. In recent years it’s been speculated that Wilder is also re...

Roger Rogerson is one of the only Australian killers with a badge. A fraudster, drug dealer, and killer, he was finally stopped in a murder plot now known as one of the most recorded murder cases in Australian history. How did a celebrated detective not check where CCTV cameras were before murdering Jamie Gao? Why did those who stood in his way start to “disappear”? Duncan McNab is a f...

When two-year old Khandalyce Pearce went missing police couldn’t understand why her mother wasn’t looking for her. But Khandalyce’s mother Karlie would never know her daughter was missing; Karlie's body was found in Belanglo State Forest eight years before her daughter’s name made national headlines. Author Ava Benny Morrison joins Jessie to step through the case of Karlie...

Danny Rolling would become one of the most violent serial killers in modern America’s history. His crimes, spree-like in nature, inspired the 1996 horror film Scream . Rolling’s hatred of women, violent and abusive upbringing, and idolatry of Ted Bundy were all just elements that would contribute to his horrific crimes. Author and pop-culture journalist Maria Lewis takes us through the...

How did Marion Barter’s overseas holiday in 1997 become her last? Reporter Bryan Seymour, host of The Lady Vanishes podcast, takes Jessie through the case of missing person, Marion Barter. A beloved teacher and mum, Marion was living a happy and fulfilling life before she disappeared.  So why did she sell her house and change her name before travelling overseas? And why did she return t...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be advised that this episode contains the naming of deceased people, and the recounting of the circumstances leading to their deaths. Colleen Walker, Evelyn Greenup and Clinton Speedy-Duroux. These are the names of three children from the town of Bowraville who were murdered over five months across 1990 and 1991. There has only ever been one s...

Dulcie Markham, better known as The Angel Of Death, has been called Australia’s most beautiful bad woman. A key figure in the underworld gangs of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Dulcie used her Hollywood good looks, rosy pink lips and whip smart mind to manipulate the most evil of mobsters. Author and historian Leigh Straw joins Jessie for this episode where she takes us through the life of...

On Monday 9th February 2004 Maura Murray vanished. She had crashed her car on a winding stretch of road in Woodsville New Hampshire USA. A local man named Butch Atwood witnessed the crash and called out to Maura asking if she needed him to call the police. She told him she’d already called car towing services and not to worry about it. But the problem was there was no phone service. Maura ha...

When 24-year-old Belgian backpacker Davine Arckens reached out to a man on Gumtree about working on his farm she was excited.  The 88 days of labour would mean she could stay in Australia on a tourist visa for an extra year. She couldn’t wait to spend more time in a country she thought was safe and full of nice people. When Davine met the man it didn’t take long for her to realise...