January 13, 2012. The Costa Concordia departed Civitavecchia with 4,229 people on board. Traveling on this luxury cruise ship was more than a vacation, it was an experience.

But just before 9:45pm that night, the Costa Concordia struck a reef off the coast of Giglio Island.

With an electrical blackout, compartments flooding, and passengers in a panic, everyone wanted to know: where the hell was the captain?

Art
"Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
"Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “Costa Concordia disaster” by Amy Tikkanen, Encyclopedia Britannica.
2. “The Costa Concordia Disaster: How Human Error Made It Worse” by Becky Little, history.com.
3. “Ten years on, Costa Concordia shipwreck still haunts survivors, islanders” by Gabriele Pileri and Philip Pullella, Reuters.
4. “10 years later, Costa Concordia survivors share their stories from doomed cruise ship” by Scott Stump, TODAY.
5. “Another Night to Remember” by Bryan Burrough and Josephine McKenna, Vanity Fair.

May 31, 2009. Gunfire in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church resulted in the murder of an usher: Dr. George Tiller.

Who wanted the doctor dead, and why?

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. Dr. George Tiller Memorial Fund (https://abortionfunds.org/donate-tiller-fund-2/)
2. “Remembering a murdered doctor who performed abortions despite threats to his life” by Aisha Turner, NPR.
3. “What to know about George Tiller, a Kansas abortion provider assassinated by anti-abortion extremist” by Tim Hrenchir, The Topeka-Capital Journal. 
4. “‘Wake Up, America’: Remembering Dr. George Tiller, Assassinated Abortion Practitioner” by Dr. Warren Hern, Ms. 
5. “Remembering Dr. George Tiller, the Man Whose Motto Was 'Trust Women'” by Miriam Berg, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
6. “Ten years after abortion doctor's murder, one woman carries the fight for reproductive rights” by Ed Pilkington, The Guardian.
7. “The complex life of George Tiller” by Judy L. Thomas and David Klepper, The Kansas City Star.
8. “Man who killed late-term abortion doctor gets lighter sentence” by CBS News.
9. “George Tiller funeral draws protests but ends peacefully” by Suzanne Perez Tobias and Joe Rodriguez, The Wichita Eagle.
10. “George Richard Tiller (1941-2009)” by Mark Zhang, Embryo Project Encyclopedia.
11. “Family of suspect in Tiller death had noticed a change in behavior” by Laura Bauer and David Klepper, The Wichita Eagle.
12. “Scott Roeder convicted of murder in shooting of abortion provider George Tiller” by Robin Abcarian, The Los Angeles Times.
13. Statements from Dr. Tiller’s Patients” by Center for Reproductive Rights (https://reproductiverights.org)

February 24, 1976. A rancher in South Dakota discovered the body of a Jane Doe at the bottom of a ravine. The victim was later identified as Anna Mae Aquash, a Mi’kmaq activist, an educator, and a mother of two.

The coroner declared exposure as the cause of her death. Unhappy with this ruling, the family obtained a court order for a second autopsy.

This second examination revealed the horrible truth: Anna Mae Aquash had been murdered.

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. North American Indian Center of Boston (naicob.org)
2. The Murder of Anna Mae Aquash by Ruth Kanton (2021)
3. “Murder of Anna Mae still leaves open questions” by Richie Richards, Native Sun News.
4. “Anna Mae Aquash” by Yvette Nolan, The Beaver.
5. “Who Killed Anna Mae?” by Eric Konigsberg, The New York Times Magazine.
6. Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes (1990)

February 9, 2014. The disappearance of twenty-seven-year-old Charli Scott quickly alarmed her family. Charli was five months pregnant with her first child, a boy she already named Joshua.

Steven Capobianco, Charli's ex-boyfriend and the father of her child, was the last person to see her alive.

What happened to Charli and Joshua?

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “Murder conviction affirmed in case of pregnant Maui woman” by The Associated Press.
2. “6 years after Charli Scott’s murder, her parents are still waiting to receive her remains” by Lisa Kubota, Hawaii News Now.
3. “Charli Scott Was Murdered Six Years Ago in Maui - Police Won't Let her Family Bury her Remains” by crimescoop.org.
4. “Capobianco appeals, Scott family to see remains for the first time since Carly “Charli” Scott’s disappearance” by Sam Spangler, KHON2.
5. “Allow proper burial for few remains of murder victim, Charli Scott. It's been six years” by Kimberlyn Scott, change.org.
6. “Grisly Clues Found In Woods After Disappearance of 5-Months Pregnant Single Mom” by Daniel Egitto, Oxygen.
7. “Capobianco gets 50-year minimum prison term” by Lila Fujimoto and Chris Sugidono, The Maui News.
8. “Man gets life in prison for murder of pregnant ex-girlfriend, who disappeared in Hawaii” by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Associated Press.
9. “Connecting the dots in the case against Capobianco” by Lila Fujimoto, The Maui News.
10. “Capobianco Murder Trial: Man Who Found Charli’s Dog Testifies” by Maui Now.
11. “‘Charli’s’ Mom Testifies: Capobianco’s ‘Tone was Out of Context” by Maui Now.
12. “Prosecutor describes remains of missing pregnant Maui woman” by The Associated Press.

June 8, 2011. It was a quiet night on Colbert Street. Bill and Lorraine Currier had already gone to bed. Good, hard-working, and honest Vermonters, Bill and Lorraine were statistically unlikely to be the victims of violent crime.

But that night, the Curriers were unlucky. 

Join us in the Cabin as we unravel the many evildoings of Israel Keyes.

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “10 years since Vermont couple kidnapped, murdered by serial killer” by WCAX.
2. “FBI reveals new evidence in hopes of identifying unknown victims of serial killer” by Peter Van Sant, CBS News.
3. Devil in the Darkness: The True Story of Serial Killer Israel Keyes by J.T. Hunter (2020) 
4. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan (2019)
5. “Vermont Couple Was Asleep In Bed When A Serial Killer Shattered Their Quiet Life” by Jill Sederstrom, Oxygen.
6. “Vt. Investigators: ‘Pure Evil' Killed Married Couple” by Jack Thurston, NECN.
7. “U.S. Attorney Coffin: Currier Couple ‘Fought to the End’ Against ‘a Force of Pure Evil’” by Ken Picard, Seven Days.
8. “In Memory of Bill and Lorraine Currier” by The Burlington Free Press.
9. “Lorraine Simonne Currier." The Charley Project.
10. “William Scott Currier." The Charley Project.

May 4, 1970. It was the fourth day of anti-war demonstrations at Kent State University. Students and faculty had gathered to protest President Richard Nixon's invasion of Cambodia. This unpopular decision had come at a time when the United States had been in the process of withdrawing its forces.

At 12:24 pm, as the Ohio National Guard reached the top of Blanket Hill, 28 Guardsmen turned and fired into the crowd. By the end of the day, 4 students lay dead and 9 more were wounded.

This is the Kent State Massacre.

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “History of the Selective Service System” by Selective Service System (www.sss.gov)
2. “The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy” by Jerry M. Lewis and Thomas R. Hensley, Kent State University.
3. “Kent State Shooting” by history.com.
4. “Kent State Shootings: A Timeline of the Tragedy” by Sarah Pruitt, history.com.
5. “51 Years Later, Brother Of Kent State Victim Reflects On Iconic Photo — And One That Just Emerged” by Robin Young and Serena McMahon, WBUR.
6. “Four Students Were Killed in Ohio. America Was Never the Same” by Richard M. Perloff, The New York Times.
7. “Looking Back On Kent State University Shooting 5 Decades Ago” by Jeff St. Clair, NPR.
8. Kent State: Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties by Thomas M. Grace (2016)
9. “Naval Air War: The Rolling Thunder Campaign” by Norman Polmar and Edward J. Marolda, Naval History & Heritage Command.
10. “Personal Remembrances of the Kent State Shootings, 43 Years Later” by Daniel Rosenberg, Slate.
11. “Photographer John Filo discusses his famous Kent State photograph and the events of May 4, 1970” by CNN.
12. “The Guardsmen's View Of the Tragedy At Kent State” by William Barry Furlong, The New York Times.

May 1, 1990. The murder of a twenty-four-year-old insurance salesman sent shockwaves through Derry, New Hampshire. Though investigators were puzzled, it was clear this crime wasn't at all what it seemed.

It is now known as one of the most notorious in the state of New Hampshire.

Join us in the Cabin as we discuss the murder of Gregory Smart.

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “Court rejects sentence reduction for Pamela Smart, serving life in prison for plotting with teen lover to have her husband killed” by CBS News.
2. “Gregg Smart Was Killed by His Wife’s Teen Lover & His Friends” by Caroline Warnock, heavy.com.
3. “The Murder for Hire of Gregg Smart” by Lori Johnston, Medium.
4. Pamela Smart: An American Murder Mystery (dir. Rex Short), Investigation Discovery (2018)
5. Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (dir. Jeremiah Zagar), HBO (2014)
6. Deadly Lessons by Ken Englade (1991)

May 9, 2009. Eighteen-year-old Kelsey Emily Collins stepped out of her home on 100th Street. She had plans to take public transportation to Seattle and meet up with her new boyfriend.

Kelsey was the star witness against her pimp in an upcoming trial. That is, until she disappeared.

Kelsey has never been seen again.

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “Emily’s Song” by Sarah Collins.
2. “Hirschsprung’s disease” by Boston Children’s Hospital.
3. “Kelsey Collins Missing After Testifying Against Pimp: What Happened?” by Meena Sivarajan, The Republic Monitor.
4. “Mother Searching For Daughter Who Vanished The Day Before Mother's Day” by The Vivid Faces of the Vanished.
5. “Inmate Death at USP Coleman I” by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice.
6. “Teen Vanishes After Testifying Against Her Pimp” by Cat Leigh, Medium.
7. “Detectives search Beacon Hill for clues in Everett woman's disappearance” by KIRO7 News.
8. “Teen missing after testimony against pimp” by Susan Kelleher, The Seattle Times.
9. “Kelsey Emily Collins.” The Charley Project.

July 7, 2013. It was a midsummer day in northwestern Montana. Newlyweds Cody Johnson and Jordan Graham drove to Glacier National Park to hike along the cliffside and spend time together. 

Two people went up the mountain; only one came down alive.

Join us in the Cabin as we discuss the murder of Cody Johnson.

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “Why Montana Bride Jordan Graham Shoved Her Husband Off A Cliff Eight Days Into Their Marriage” by Amber Breese, allthatsinteresting.com.
2. “Bride Shoves Her Husband off a Cliff Just Eight Days After Their Wedding” by Sean Kernan, Medium.
3. “Friends and Family Celebrate the Life of Cody Lee Johnson” by The Flathead Beacon.
4. “Death at The Loop: bride Jordan Graham gets 30 years for pushing husband of eight days off cliff” by Donald Molloy, The Sydney Morning Herald.
5. “Montana newlywed Jordan Linn Graham gets 30 years in husband’s murder” by Jack Hannah, CNN.
6. “Jordan Graham Trial: Did Her Wedding Blues Lead to Murder?” by Howard Breuer, People.
7. “Newlywed Cliff Death: Victim's Friend Was Suspicious of Jordan Linn Graham” by Ryan Owens, ABC News.
8. “What Happened to Cody?” by The Flathead Beacon.
9. “In Memory of Cody Lee Johnson.” Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home (2013)

December 20, 2020. An attaché to the FBI took custody of a package that had been sent to a foreign government. This mailing contained restricted documents belonging to the United States Navy.

The unidentified sender of these documents had two goals: the first was to establish a covert relationship with this foreign government. The second was to sell classified information regarding nuclear-powered submarines.

What sounds like the beginning of a spy movie was in reality much more mundane: a very smart couple doing very stupid things. 

Art
 "Brown Wooden House" by Johannes Plenio

Music
 "Tumbleweed Texas" by Chris Haugen

Sources

1. “How a Mom & Dad Nuclear Spy Couple Used Sock Codes & Peanut Butter ‘Dead Drops’” by Caroline Byrne, spyscape.com.
2. “Diana Toebbe: Harsher sentence for wife of spy convicted in US” by BBC News.
3. “Maryland Nuclear Engineer and Wife Sentenced for Espionage-Related Offenses” by the Department of Justice (justice.gov)
4. “Judge Gives Long Sentence to Couple Who Tried to Sell Submarine Secrets” by Julian E. Barnes, The New York Times.
5. “Wife of Navy nuclear engineer in spy case pleads guilty” by Caitlin Yilek and Robert Legare, CBS News.
6. “The FBI is still looking for a trove of nuclear sub secrets in an espionage case” by Ryan Lucas, KUOW.
7. “U.S. naval engineer charged with submarine espionage to remain in jail” by Jan Wolfe, Reuters.
8. “Couple accused in submarine espionage case indicted” by The Associated Press.
9. “The Pathetic Details at the Heart of the Suburban Couple Spy Case” by Fred Kaplan, Slate. 
10. “Spies next door? The suburban US couple accused of espionage” by Edward Helmore, The Guardian. 
11. “Diana Toebbe & Jonathan Toebbe: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know” by Tom Cleary, heavy.com.
12. “United States of America v. Jonathan Toebbe and Diana Toebbe” by the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (justice.gov)