As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kaysi McLeod, LeAnn Emry, Jennifer Marcum, and Terry Kimball with me today.
In the early 2000s, convicted con-man Scott Kimball reinvented himself as a federal informant and used that identity to hide something far darker. After meeting Lori McLeod, he quickly married her, gaining access to her life… and to her 19-year-old daughter, Kaysi McLeod.
Not long after the marriage, Kaysi vanished. Kimball claimed she had run away but investigators would later uncover that he had lured her away and murdered her. Over time, more disappearances emerged around him: Jennifer Marcum, LeAnn Emry, and Tamara Polson all connected to Kimball, all missing.
For years, Kimball fooled law enforcement, family members, and even the FBI, who believed he was assisting them while he continued to kill. It wasn’t until patterns of lies, financial fraud, and forensic evidence began to surface that the truth finally unraveled.
In 2009, Scott Kimball pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and was sentenced to 70 years in prison. The case remains one of the most disturbing examples of manipulation, a predator who used trust, marriage, and authority as weapons.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Bjork with me today.
In 1996, Icelandic singer Björk became the target of an obsessive and dangerous stalker: Ricardo López, a 21-year-old fan living in Florida. Over the course of months, López isolated himself and recorded hundreds of disturbing video diaries, documenting his fixation on the singer and his growing resentment when he learned she was in a relationship.
The obsession eventually escalated into a violent plan directed at Björk. Before law enforcement could intervene, López took his own life and the recordings he left behind revealed the full extent of his delusions, anger, and fixation. Fortunately, Björk was not harmed.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Susan Lee Hutson with me today.
Rachel Hutson was just 19 years old when she carried out a shocking and calculated crime. Armed with a handgun she had taken from her father’s safe, Rachel shot and killed her mother, Susan Lee Hutson, inside the family home. Moments later, she took a photograph of Susan’s body and sent it to her father as a message.
Investigators said the killing was motivated by anger and resentment, and that Rachel showed little emotion in the hours that followed. She later confessed to the murder, and in court, prosecutors described the act as deliberate and cold-blooded. Rachel Hutson was ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison for her mother’s murder.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Linda, Steve, Brittany, and Mary with me today.
On New Year’s Eve 2017, what should have been a quiet family celebration in Long Branch, New Jersey, turned into a tragedy. Just before midnight, 16-year-old Scott Kologi opened fire inside his family home, killing his parents, his sister, and a family friend while relatives and neighbors gathered nearby to ring in the new year.
Investigators later revealed that the crime was carried out with a rifle kept legally in the home. There had been no prior warning or argument, the attack unfolded without explanation, leaving an entire community stunned and grieving.
At trial, the defense argued that Kologi suffered from severe mental illness, but a jury ultimately rejected those claims. In 2023, he was found guilty of four counts of murder and sentenced to 160 years in prison.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Mary-Jo and Blake Hadley with me today.
In July 2011, 17-year-old Tyler Hadley shocked the quiet community of Port St. Lucie, Florida, when he murdered his parents, Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley, inside their home and then hosted a house party while their bodies remained hidden in a bedroom.
For hours, dozens of teens drank, played music, and partied as rumors spread that Tyler had done “something terrible.” One friend eventually alerted police, leading to Tyler’s arrest. Investigators later revealed that Tyler had planned the murders in advance and carried them out to ensure he could throw the party without interference.
At trial, prosecutors described the crime as cold and deliberate. Tyler pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life in prison, though his sentence was later reviewed due to juvenile sentencing laws. In 2018, the court re-affirmed a life sentence, citing the extreme nature of the crime.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kaye Tiede and Beth Potts with me today.
In December 1990, a quiet Christmas gathering turned into a nightmare at a remote family cabin in Oakley, Utah. Kaye Tiede and her close friend Beth Potts were brutally murdered inside the cabin by two men who had been invited into the home.
Kaye’s husband, Rolf Tiede, was also shot multiple times and left for dead. The attackers doused him with gasoline, set the cabin on fire, and fled the scene with two hostages: Kaye’s 20-year-old daughter Linae Tiede and her 16-year-old sister, Tricia. Against all odds, Rolf survived and was able to provide crucial information to investigators.
The manhunt that followed ended with the arrest of the two perpetrators. Both were convicted of multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and arson, and were sentenced to life in prison, ensuring they would never be released.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Annabelle Richardson with me today.
In May 2017, 18-year-old high school senior Brooke Skylar Richardson secretly gave birth in the bathroom of her family home in Carlisle, Ohio. Hours later, the remains of her newborn daughte, whom she named Annabell, were found buried in the backyard.
The discovery triggered national headlines and a highly emotional legal battle. Prosecutors accused Richardson of murdering her newborn and hiding the evidence to protect her reputation and relationship. The defense argued that the baby was stillborn, and that Brooke, who struggled with eating disorders and intense family pressure, panicked and made a terrible but non-criminal decision.
After a high-profile trial in 2019, Richardson was acquitted of aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter. She was convicted only of abuse of a corpse and received a suspended sentence.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Denise Hallowell with me today.
In July 2019, 57-year-old schoolteacher Denise Hallowell was found dead in her home near Inverness, Florida. She had been struck repeatedly in the back of the head with an axe as she sat in her bedroom.
Investigators initially searched for signs of a break-in, but the focus soon shifted to someone much closer, Denise’s 17-year-old adopted son, Carlos. Detectives uncovered a history of escalating tension between them, rooted in strict household rules, arguments over school performance, and fears that Denise planned to send him away.
Within days, Carlos admitted to killing her, claiming years of emotional strain and anger. At trial, prosecutors described the murder as a deliberate ambush, fueled by resentment. In 2022, Carlos was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Charles Taylor with me today.
On April 4, 2015, 59-year-old Charles Taylor was brutally murdered in his home in California by his daughter-in-law, 24-year-old Amanda Taylor, and her friend Michelle Dondelinger.
Investigators revealed that the women attacked Charles with a knife and blunt force, killing him inside his own house. After the murder, they attempted to cover up the crime by stealing his car and belongings but their actions quickly drew suspicion.
The case took a disturbing turn when police uncovered selfies and text messages taken after the killing, showing Amanda smiling and posing, seemingly unfazed by what she had just done. The images would later earn her the nickname “the selfie killer.”
At trial, prosecutors described the murder as cold and calculated. Amanda Taylor was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her accomplice also received a lengthy prison sentence.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Cassie Jo Stoddart, Elyse Pahler, Janett Christman, and Payton Leutner with me today.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Venus Rose Stewart with me today.
In April 2009, 34-year-old Venus Rose Stewart vanished from her home in Colorado Springs, just weeks after filing for divorce from her husband, Glen Stewart, a U.S. Air Force master sergeant. She left behind her two young daughters and a trail of red flags that quickly pointed to someone close to her.
Investigators discovered that Glen had a history of control and violence. After Venus disappeared, he fled the state with their children, triggering a nationwide search. Evidence later revealed that he had murdered Venus, concealed her body, and carefully planned his escape.
Glen Stewart was eventually arrested, convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Venus’s remains were recovered years later, finally allowing her family a measure of closure.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Jennifer Paulson with me today.
On February 26, 2010, 30-year-old special-education teacher Jennifer Paulson was fatally shot in the parking lot of the school where she worked in Tacoma, Washington. Her killer was 33-year-old Tyler Peterson, a former classmate who had been stalking her for months after she repeatedly rejected his advances.
Jennifer had reported Peterson to authorities and obtained a restraining order, but despite multiple warnings, he continued to follow and harass her. On the morning of the shooting, he waited for her outside the school, shot her several times, and then fled before taking his own life.
The case became a tragic example of how stalking can escalate into lethal violence and a reminder of how restraining orders alone don’t always protect victims from determined offenders.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Betty Jeanne Torrey Solomon with me today.
In January 1989, 40-year-old Betty Jeanne Solomon was found shot to death in her home in Greenburgh, New York. Her husband was initially questioned, but investigators soon uncovered a hidden affair, between Betty Jeanne’s husband and a young elementary school teacher named Carolyn Warmus.
Prosecutors argued that Warmus, jealous and obsessed, carried out a calculated plan to eliminate the wife of the man she was having an affair with. Evidence showed she had purchased a gun shortly before the killing, and investigators linked that weapon to the murder.
Her first trial in 1991 ended in a hung jury, but a second trial a year later found her guilty of second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Warmus was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and became widely known as the woman behind what the media called “the Fatal Attraction murder.”
After serving 27 years, Carolyn Warmus was paroled in 2019.
This case became one of the most sensational love-triangle murders of the late 1980s, a story of obsession, jealousy, and a deadly desire to replace someone at any cost.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Marvin Gaye with me today.
On April 1, 1984, legendary soul singer Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father, Marvin Gay Sr., during a violent argument inside the family’s Los Angeles home. Marvin, who had moved back in to help care for his parents, had become increasingly volatile in the months leading up to the shooting. After a heated confrontation, his father retrieved a gun Marvin had previously given him as a gift and fired twice at close range.
The killing devastated the music world. Marvin Gaye, only 44 years old, had produced some of the most influential soul and R&B music of the century, including What’s Going On and Sexual Healing.
Marvin Gay Sr. pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a suspended sentence with five years of probation, citing his age and health.
This case remains one of the most tragic examples of domestic conflict turning deadly, ending the life of an artist whose influence still echoes across generations.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Matt Cecchi with me today.
In August 1996, 9-year-old Matt Cecchi was on a family vacation at a campground in El Dorado County, California, when he walked into a public restroom and never came back out alive. Moments later, his sister discovered him fatally stabbed, a random, senseless attack that shocked the community.
The killer was 36-year-old Levi Chavez, a drifter with a violent history who had been roaming the campground. Prosecutors described the murder as a spontaneous and motiveless act, committed against a child who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Chavez was arrested shortly after the killing and later convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Anna, Gracie, Shanann, Bella, Celeste, Ronald, Louise, Dawn, Allison, John, Marc, Helen, Patricia, John, Jr., Frederick, and Alma with me today. Family annihilators are some of the most chilling figures in true crime history. These individuals, usually men, murder their entire families, driven by motives like financial collapse, loss of control, or resentment. Cases like John Miles Sharpe, who brutally killed his wife and baby daughter with a spear gun in 2004, and Chris Watts, who murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters in 2018 to pursue an affair, showcase the cold-blooded planning behind these crimes. Similarly, Ronald DeFeo Jr. wiped out his entire family in their Amityville home in 1974, claiming demonic voices drove him to commit the murders. And in 1971, John List methodically executed his family due to financial failure and left behind a chilling confession letter. These infamous family annihilator cases reveal the dark psychology behind these killers and the horrifying betrayal of trust within what should be the safest place: home.
True crime fans searching for family murder cases, shocking murder stories, or famous family annihilators will find these cases especially haunting.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Anthony Riggs with me today.
In March 1991, 22-year-old Army Specialist Anthony Riggs returned home to Detroit after serving in the Persian Gulf, only to be brutally murdered less than a week later. As he loaded belongings into a van to help move his wife and stepdaughter, shots rang out, and Anthony collapsed, fatally wounded.
What first looked like a random act of urban violence quickly unraveled into a chilling betrayal. Police soon arrested his wife, Toni Riggs, and her brother, Michael Cato, accusing them of orchestrating the killing in a plot to collect his substantial life-insurance payout.
At trial, Michael Cato was convicted of first-degree murder and received a life sentence without parole.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Lawrence King / Latisha King with me today.
On February 12, 2008, 15-year-old Larry King was shot twice in the back of the head in his classroom at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California, by a fellow student, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney. The shooting happened after repeated harassment and bullying, reportedly driven by hatred toward Larry’s gender identity and expression.
Larry was kept on life support for two days, donating organs before he died on February 14, 2008, Valentine’s Day.
The crime sent shockwaves across the United States, bringing renewed focus on school bullying, homophobia, and hate crimes against LGBTQ youth.
McInerney was tried as an adult. After a first trial ended in a hung jury, he eventually pleaded guilty in 2011 to second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Bruce Miller with me today.
On November 8, 1999, 46-year-old Bruce Miller was found dead at his junkyard in Flint, Michigan, the victim of a shotgun blast. His wife, Sharee Miller, had conspired online with an internet lover to lure him into a deadly trap. She misled her lover by claiming abuse, a fake pregnancy and the need to escape, all to manipulate him into pulling the trigger.
At trial, prosecutors described how Sharee’s elaborate digital double-life built the perfect cover while the real motive was money and manipulation. She was convicted of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, receiving life in prison.
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering John Stevens and Michelle Mishcon Stevens with me today.
In August 2016, 19-year-old college student Austin Harrouff violently attacked and killed John Stevens III and Michelle Mishcon outside their Florida home. Police arrived to find Harrouff on top of Stevens, biting his face and exhibiting extreme strength. Toxicology reports showed no signs of common drugs.
Later diagnosed with acute psychosis, Harrouff claimed he believed he was “half-man, half-dog” at the time of the attack. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder for injuring a neighbor who tried to intervene.
In 2022, a judge accepted an insanity defense, and Harrouff was found not guilty by reason of insanity, ordered to be held indefinitely in a secure psychiatric facility.
The case became widely known as the “face-eating murder” and sparked nationwide conversation about psychosis, substance use, and criminal responsibility.