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31-year-old Ashley Young never returned from meeting up with an old friend. Days later, her torso was discovered in a basement.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

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Episode Source List:
https://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2021/351400.html 

Court TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj-WsPxzRpc 

“Can’t Find Her.” A Body in the Basement. Season 2, Episode 6. 2025. 

https://midmichigannow.com/news/state/chance-sentenced-to-100-to-200-years-for-second-degree-murder 

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/grieving-mother-screams-at-daughter-s-killer-i-want-to-rip-you-limb-from-limb/29438153 

https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/trial-continues-for-father-of-convicted-killer/ 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/01/father-of-slaying-mutilation-suspect-tried-to-help-son-avoid-arrest-prosecutor-says.html 

https://wwmt.com/news/local/brother-of-jared-chance-testifies-during-murder-trial 

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/murder-dismemberment-trial-goes-to-jury/

https://wwmt.com/news/local/neighbor-testifies-that-jared-chance-bragged-of-knowing-how-to-get-away-with-murder 

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/community/ashley-young-vigil-death-anniversary/69-ee1118c5-e340-4f09-ab48-497a2f1c0115 

https://wwmt.com/news/local/mother-of-slain-kalamazoo-woman-testifies-about-her-daughters-giving-character 

https://wwmt.com/news/local/jared-chance-trial-testimony-crime-scene-technicians-describe-finding-body-parts-in-bags

https://wwmt.com/news/local/jury-finds-jared-chance-guilty-of-four-counts-including-2nd-degree-murder

https://wwmt.com/news/local/ashley-youngs-family-demands-location-of-missing-remains-be-revealed 

https://www.woodtv.com/news/ottawa-county/police-reports-history-of-bizarre-behavior-at-chance-home/

https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Mom-pleads-no-contest-to-helping-son-in-body-parts-case-566752541.html 

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/deliberations-resume-in-trial-of-convicted-killers-dad/ 

https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Articles?DataId=1488868 

https://people.com/crime/man-allegedly-murdered-woman-found-dismembered-basement-neighbor-noticed-strange-smell/ 

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In October 2023, Richard “Scott” MacFarland invited a friend of his to live with him. Meghan Macklin had fallen on hard times, and she needed a place to crash. Scott was a widower who liked to help people, but he should never have trusted Meghan Macklin. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4 

Episode Source List:
https://www.buckscounty.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/1560 

The Criminal Complaint: https://crimewatch.net/sites/default/files/29567/post/2024/03/meghan_macklin_criminal_complaint.pdf 

https://crimewatch.net/us/pa/bucks/da/29567/post/woman-ordered-stand-trial-murder-wrightstown-man 

https://crimewatch.net/us/pa/bucks/da/29567/post/woman-charged-killing-wrightstown-township-man-october 

https://crimewatch.net/us/pa/bucks/da/29567/post/district-attorney-jennifer-schorn-concludes-26-years-service-will-lead-statewide-cold 

https://www.buckscountyherald.com/news/police/woman-gets-up-to-50-years-for-2023-murder-of-wrightstown-man/article_26c8dc94-b49c-4c69-bef7-81eaaaa39e84.html 

https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/news/crime/2026/06/24/richard-macfarland-meghan-macklin-wrightstown-murder-bucks-county-sentencing-stabbing/89749560007/ 

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/woman-charged-in-slaying-bucks-man/3795475/ 

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In 2024, Nadia Vitels was finally getting a chance to focus on herself after years of caregiving. She planned to move into a luxury NYC apartment she inherited from her mother. Unbeknownst to her, two squatters were already living in the apartment, and they had no intention of leaving peacefully. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod 

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ 

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Episode Source List:
https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-sentencings-in-the-murder-of-nadia-vitels/

https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-indictments-in-the-murder-of-nadia-vitels/ 

https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/us-marshals-service-fugitive-task-force-arrests-manhattan-murder-suspects-york 

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/man-convicted-murder-stuffing-body-duffel-bag-nyc-apartment-sentencing/ 

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/murder-stuffing-body-duffel-bag-nyc-apartment-sentencing/ 

https://local21news.com/news/local/squatters-halley-tejada-kensly-alston-nadia-vitels-new-york-city-apartment-spain-duffel-bag-murder-lawsuit-broken-elevator-cameras-floor-key-manhattan-york-city-county-pennsylvania 

https://abc7ny.com/post/womans-body-found-manhattan-apartment-in-duffel-bag-nyc-crime/14530334/ 

https://people.com/squatter-who-murdered-robbed-woman-sentenced-20-to-life-11950086 

https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/06/26/second-squatter-killed-woman-stuffed-duffel-bag-sentenced/ 

https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/us-news/devastated-son-blasts-animal-squatter-who-stomped-nyc-mom-to-death-as-she-planned-fresh-start/ 

https://people.com/motorcycle-killed-kite-string-glue-12011318 

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In 1974, 26-year-old Margaret Sweeney was expecting her fourth baby. When she met Winifred Ransom, she thought she’d made a new friend. But Ransom was a devil in disguise, whose unbelievable crime shocked everyone. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad: Thick Thighs and Creepy Vibes — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086 

Episode Source List:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34739916/ 

https://journals.healio.com/doi/10.3928/02793695-20161024-07 

https://dl.astm.org/jofs/article-abstract/47/4/1/24030/Newborn-Kidnapping-by-Cesarean-Section?redirectedFrom=fulltext 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/202101/the-fetal-snatcher-desperate-to-be-a-mom 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news-winifred-ransommargaret/128923114/?locale=en-US 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-winifred-ranso/166304936/ 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/public-opinion-winifred-ransommargaret/166293614/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-danville-news-winifred-ransommargar/166292580/?locale=en-US 

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-winifred-ranso/166304753/ 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/191307822/margaret_a-sweeney#view-photo=319920047 

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/fetal-abduction-maternal-instinct-1235580383/ 

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In 2008, firefighters responded to a fire at the Bolduc home to find three family members murdered, including parents, Carol and Christopher Bolduc, and son, Josh Bolduc. When police tracked down elder son Matthew Cushing, investigators immediately noticed a bunch of red flags. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad: The ODDentity Podcast – https://linktr.ee/oddentitypod 

Episode Source List:
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/state/2008/02/26/man-makes-court-appearance-on/52596065007/ 

https://lcnme.com/currentnews/cushing-pleads-guilty-to-murder-and-arson/

https://lcnme.com/currentnews/breaking-news-cushing-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/ 

https://lcnme.com/currentnews/family-members-gather-to-dedicate-monument-to-murder-victims

/  

https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2009/03/26/maine-man-who-killed-family/52051108007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116130e002900v116130d--61--b--61--&gca-ft=160&gca-ds=sophi 

https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/york-star/2009/03/26/maine-man-who-killed-family/52051006007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116813e002300v116813d--76--b--76--&gca-ft=278&gca-ds=sophi 

“Urge to Kill.” Mind of a Murderer. Season 2, Episode 1. 17 October 2016.

https://www.pomc.org/murder-wall/christopher-scott-bolduc-42-years-old/ 

https://www.pomc.org/murder-wall/joshua-richard-bolduc-joshie-15-years-old/ 

https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2008/11/05/suspect-in-old-orchard-beach/52206790007/ 

https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/cushing-matthew.htm 

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31-year-old Mel Cotton helped her friend escape a violent relationship. About two weeks later, her sister arrived to babysit Mel’s son to find the boy injured and Mel dead. Her murder was an escalation that anyone could see coming, and her attacker shouldn’t have been free to kill her.   

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy — https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4 

Episode Source List:
https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/ap-76-345.html 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-6139.html 

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/tx-court-of-appeals/1104863.html 

https://tcadp.org/2010/03/12/travis-county-sentences-man-to-death/

https://www.txcourts.gov/All_Archived_Documents/JudicialInformation/oca/pdf/jchgs/Travis031010JChg.pdf 

https://abc7chicago.com/archive/7341178/

https://archive.gosanangelo.com/news/one-final-outburst-former-abilenian-to-die-for-murder-ep-440943875-357343071.html 

https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/gobertmilton.html 

https://www.owensandbrumley.com/obituary/5042637 

https://www.safeaustin.org/the-violent-reality-of-strangulation/ 

“Blind Rage.” The Mind of a Murderer. Season Two, Episode 3. 24 October 2016.

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Unlike most female serial killers, 20-year-old Piroska Jancsó-Ladányi was a lust killer who targeted young girls. She committed five murders before anyone suspected her because no one thinks the bogey man is going to be a small young woman with a Mona Lisa smile. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad:  Rowan & Pine — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rowan-pine-a-feminist-folklore-mythology-podcast/id1632401774 

Episode Source List:
https://ujkor.hu/content/anyam-mondta-hogy-oljelek-meg-jancso-ladanyi-piroska-gyilkossagsorozata

https://www.kolisrael.hu/horror-es-vervad-torokszentmikloson/

https://egyperceskrimi.blog.hu/2015/11/14/ot_holttest_a_kutban_jancso_ladanyi_piroska_remtortenete

https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/hatvan-eve-akasztottak-fel-jancso-piroskat 

https://www.szoljon.hu/kozelet-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/hatvan-eve-akasztottak-fel-jancso-piroskat-4-resz 

https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/rettenetes-es-megbotrankoztato-titkok-derultek-ki 

https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/egy-kislany-eltunesevel-indult-a-verfurdo 

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(Audio is pretty good!) In February 2025, 32-year-old Margaux Whittemore traveled to Maine with her husband, Samuel, to visit her mother-in-law. She wouldn’t make it back home. Investigators soon learned that Samuel Whittemore was having a strange conversation with an AI chatbot, which led him to attack his wife and mother. 

Episode Source List:
https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/taxonomy/term/1549

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12805049/

https://nam.edu/news-and-insights/what-is-ai-psychosis/

https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2025.10.10.5

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.09339 

https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/17/central-maine/central-maine-police-courts/readfield-maine-giles-road-homicide-samuel-whittemore-not-criminally-responsible-chat-gpt-delusions/ 

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/02/21/central-maine/belfast-man-led-globe-trotting-life-with-wife-he-allegedly-killed/ 

https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-man-accused-of-using-fire-poker-in-fatal-attack-on-wife-maine-giles-road-family-parents-mother-samuel-whittemore 

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/family-mourns-margaux-whittemore-plans-bring-her-home-france/97-91cf1f40-102d-4f4d-baf5-7a06ddd5ed3c 

https://abc13.com/post/margaux-whittemore-death-french-woman-houston-ties-allegedly-murdered-husband-belfast-maine/15961607/ 

https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-man-not-criminally-responsible-killing-wife-trying-kill-mother/69071795 

https://www.thinkbrg.com/insights/publications/nervous-system-eliza-effect/ 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260505-how-to-use-ai-without-turning-your-brain-to-mush 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/09/would-you-entrust-a-childs-life-to-a-chatbot-thats-what-happens-every-day-that-we-fail-to-regulate-ai 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4ml2xwyMko 

https://www.instagram.com/margauxn/ 

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This week, we talk about the true story of Tony & Frances Toto, whose story hit the big screen in 1990 after Frances tried to murder Tony 5 times with the help of a few hitmen, all of whom were very bad at murder. The dark comedy based on their “rough patch” is called I Love You to Death. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy — https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4 

Episode Source List:
https://time.com/archive/6697647/family-man/ 

https://www.mcall.com/1984/01/17/wife-bruno-plead-guilty-in-toto-case/ 

https://www.mcall.com/1984/03/07/totos-wife-bruno-sentenced-in-murder-try/ 

https://www.mcall.com/1984/04/07/2-toto-children-meet-different-fates-at-hearing/ 

https://www.mcall.com/1991/10/25/barlip-out-of-prison-back-in-jail-same-day/ 

https://www.mcall.com/1986/11/03/a-tangled-web-behind-the-headlines-of-the-tony-toto-murder-attempt-lies-a-complex-tale-of-conspiracy-and-innuendo-a-story-of-jumbled-lives-bound-by-fate-and-tragedy/ 

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-05-ca-1192-story.html 

https://www.mcall.com/1986/11/03/a-tangled-web-behind-the-headlines-of-the-tony-toto-murder-attempt-lies-a-complex-tale-of-conspiracy-and-innuendo-a-story-of-jumbled-lives-bound-by-fate-and-tragedy/ 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/04/24/the-people-who-lived-i-love-you-to-death/ 

https://local12.com/news/offbeat/couple-together-57-years-survives-infidelity-murder-plot-prison-sentence-tony-frances-toto-i-love-you-to-death-movie-hollywood-film-tristar-pictures-homicide-kill-attempts-teenage-hit-men-affair-jail-relationship-allentown-pennsylvania 

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/lehigh-county/allentown-area/love-conquers-all-how-5-murder-attempts-4-years-in-prison-led-to-60-years/article_ad10d32a-aa56-4574-9b4a-5defeb91c22d.html 

https://www.wsaz.com/2023/02/17/couple-celebrates-57-years-married-despite-multiple-murder-attempts/ 

https://www.deseret.com/1990/4/8/18855377/i-don-t-love-it-at-all-says-hitman-portrayed-in-film/ 

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Over an 8-day period in April 2002, 28-year-old Ray McArthur Freeney preyed on sex workers on Houston, TX’s infamous Bissonnet Strip. He murdered 15-year-old Kirshalynne Jones and 36-year-old Vicky Dean, but they weren’t his only victims. In fact, police caught their killer as he was negotiating prices with his next would-be victim. 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod

PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/

Ad: Getting Down & Wordy Podcast — https://linktr.ee/gettingdownandwordy 

Episode Source List:
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-5th-circuit/1948025.html 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/68106/20181026102251252_App%20A%20-%20Freeney%20v%20Davis%20737%20F%20Appx%20198.pdf 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/96557/20190415171947971_Freeney%20br%20oppn%20FINAL.pdf 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/80178/20190110191635076_Appendices%20-%20Combined.pdf   

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/80178/20190110191619655_2019-01-10%20SCOTUS%20Cert%20Petition%20-%20RF%20-%20FINAL.pdf 

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txsd-4_14-cv-00373/pdf/USCOURTS-txsd-4_14-cv-00373-0.pdf 

https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/freeneyray.html 

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/murder-suspect-is-arrested-in-stabbing-of-teen-2092120.php 

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-death-row-inmate-convicted-of-stabbing-2-12751312.php 

https://defendernetwork.com/news/local-state/houston-death-row-inmate-convicted-stabbing-2-women-loses-federal-appeal/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/05/pimps-use-instagram-to-glorify-sexual-violence-and-abuse-investigation-finds

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/kristen-galvan-texas-missing-murdered