Coffins & Confessions

In 1941, Soviet archaeologists opened the tomb of one of the most powerful conquerors in Central Asian history. His name was Timur, also known as Tamerlane. Buried inside the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Timur’s remains had rested undisturbed for centuries. But when Soviet researchers opened the tomb in June 1941, a warning was allegedly found telling those who disturbed his grave that they would unleash a great ruler who was even more terrifying than Timur himself. Two days later, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The timing helped create one of history’s most enduring legends: the Curse of Timur.

In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the life and legacy of Timur, the history of the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, and the 1941 Soviet excavation that sparked the story of the curse. We’ll also explore the account of Soviet filmmaker Malik Qayumov, who later claimed that three elders warned the excavation team not to disturb Timur’s tomb. But did opening the tomb really unleash a curse? We’ll separate the documented history from the legends, look at what actually happened during the excavation, and explore how the story of Timur’s curse grew into one of the most fascinating pieces of historical folklore surrounding an ancient tomb. Because sometimes history gives us a perfectly reasonable explanation, and sometimes it gives us a story involving a centuries-old tomb, ominous warnings, Soviet archaeologists, and a remarkably convenient timeline.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses death, burial practices, historical violence, and folklore surrounding the desecration of a tomb.

Sources

Uzbekistan Travel. “The Jade Gravestone of Amir Temur in Gur-Emir.”
https://uzbekistan.travel/en/o/gur-emir/

Encyclopaedia of Islam / TDV Islamic Encyclopedia. “Gûr-i Emîr.”
https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/gur-i-emir

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “Central Asia Report: March 2, 2004.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/1342158.html

Gur-Emir / Silk Road Information Resource. “Gur-Emir Mausoleum.”
https://silkadv.com/en/content/gur-emir-mausoleum

Gur-Emir Tomb of Tamerlan, Uzbekistan Cultural Resource.
https://api.ziyonet.uz/uploads/books/697320/5b30cdbe777bb.pdf

Advantour. “Gur-e-Amir Historical and Architectural Information.”
https://www.advantour.com/uzbekistan/legends/tamerlane-curse.htm

Hidden Compass. “The Curse of Timur.”
https://hiddencompass.net/story/the-curse-of-timur/

Wikipedia. “The Curse of Timur.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Timur

Wikipedia. “Timur.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur

Wikipedia. “Gur-e-Amir.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gur-e-Amir

Wikipedia. “Malik Qayumov.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malik_Qayumov

On a March night in 1990, a family home in rural Bacon County, Georgia, became the scene of a violent attack that would lead to a murder conviction, a death sentence, years of appeals, and ultimately an execution. William Sallie had separated from his wife, Robin, and was involved in a bitter divorce and custody dispute. In the early morning hours of March 29, Sallie entered the home where Robin and her family were staying. The attack left Robin’s father, John Moore, dead, her mother Linda wounded, and Robin and her teenage sister abducted.

In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the case of William Sallie, the events leading up to the attack, the investigation and evidence against him, and the complicated legal history that followed. We’ll explore his first conviction and death sentence, the legal issues that eventually led to a new trial, and the years of appeals that followed.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses murder, domestic violence, kidnapping, sexual violence, and other disturbing subject matter.

Sources

Bandura, Albert. Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves. Worth Publishers, 2016.
https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/product/Moral-Disengagement/p/1462543984

Bandura, Albert. “Moral Disengagement in the Perpetration of Inhumanities.” Personality and Social Psychology Review, vol. 3, no. 3, 1999, pp. 193–209.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15661671/

Campbell, Jacquelyn C., et al. “Assessing Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Homicide.” National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/assessing-risk-factors-intimate-partner-homicide

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Risk and Protective Factors.” Intimate Partner Violence Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/risk-factors/index.html

Federal Bureau of Investigation. Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators. U.S. Department of Justice.
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GOVPUB-J1_14-PURL-gpo38709

Georgia Department of Corrections. “Execution Date Set for Bacon County Murderer.” 17 Nov. 2016.
https://gdc.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-11-17/execution-date-set-bacon-county-murderer

Georgia Department of Corrections. “Sallie Execution Final Media Advisory.” 6 Dec. 2016.
https://gdc.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-12-06/sallie-execution-final-media-advisory

Georgia Office of the Attorney General. “Execution Date Set for William Sallie, Convicted of Murder.” 17 Nov. 2016.
https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-11-17/execution-date-set-william-sallie-convicted-murder

Georgia Office of the Attorney General.
https://law.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-12-06/william-sallie-executed-evening-murder

Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
https://pap.georgia.gov/press-releases/2016-12-05/clemency-request-william-sallie-has-been-denied

Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
https://pap.georgia.gov/document/document/here-26/download

Hare, Robert D. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us.
https://www.guilford.com/books/Without-Conscience/Robert-Hare/9781572304512

Ressler, Robert K., Ann W. Burgess, and John E. Douglas. Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives.
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/sexual-homicide-patterns-and-motives

Sallie v. State, 269 Ga. 446, 499 S.E.2d 897.
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/1998/s98p0013-1.html

Sallie v. State, 276 Ga. 506, 578 S.E.2d 444.
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/supreme-court/2003/s02p1702-1.html

United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Sallie v. Humphrey
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-gamd-5_11-cv-00075/pdf/USCOURTS-gamd-5_11-cv-00075-16.pdf

Death Penalty Information Center.
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/georgia-set-to-execute-man-despite-serious-juror-misconduct-that-no-court-has-ever-reviewed

In 1971, the Stanford Prison Experiment began as a two-week study designed to explore what happens when ordinary people are placed into the roles of prisoners and guards. Within just six days, the experiment was brought to an end. But the story of the Stanford Prison Experiment didn’t end when the participants left the basement of Stanford’s psychology building.

In Part 2 of our Stanford Prison Experiment series, Dae and Spencer continue digging into what happened after the experiment ended, how the study became one of the most famous experiments in psychology, and how its findings were interpreted and repeated for decades. We’ll take a closer look at the criticism surrounding the experiment, including questions about the researchers’ involvement, participant behavior, the conditions of the study, and whether the results actually supported the conclusions that made the experiment so famous. We’ll also talk about the researchers who revisited the original records and challenged the story that had become so widely accepted. From psychology textbooks to documentaries, movies, and classrooms, the Stanford Prison Experiment became a powerful example of how situations and authority can influence human behavior. But as more information came to light, that story became much more complicated.

In this episode, we’ll continue separating what actually happened from what we’ve been told happened, and look at why the Stanford Prison Experiment is still debated more than fifty years later. And because this is Coffins & Confessions, we’ll keep the conversation going along the way. Because sometimes the most interesting part of history is realizing that the version we’ve always heard isn’t necessarily the whole story.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses psychological distress, abuse, coercion, and unethical research practices.

Sources

APA Ethics Code
https://www.apa.org/ethics/code

Ben Blum, “The Stanford Prison Experiment Was Massively Influential. We Just Learned It Was a Fraud.”
https://medium.com/@benjaminblum/the-stanford-prison-experiment-was-massively-influential-we-just-learned-it-was-a-fraud-8c8c5e8c9e1

Carnahan, T., & McFarland, S. (2007), “Revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment: Could Participant Self-Selection Have Led to the Situational Effect?”
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167206292689

Haney, C., Banks, C., & Zimbardo, P. (1973), “Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison.”
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-21653-001

Haslam, S. A., & Reicher, S. D. (2006), “Rethinking the Psychology of Tyranny: The BBC Prison Study.”
https://doi.org/10.1080/13534650600689595

Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Birney, M. E. (2014), “Nothing by Mere Obedience: The Case of the Stanford Prison Experiment.”
https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430214558680

Le Texier, T. (2019), “Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment.”
https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X17713199

Stanford Prison Experiment Archives
https://exhibits.stanford.edu/spe

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Belmont Report
https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/index.html

Philip Zimbardo, The Lucifer Effect
https://www.lucifereffect.com/

In 1971, a psychology experiment at Stanford University set out to explore a simple but unsettling question: what happens when ordinary people are placed into the roles of prisoners and guards? What followed would become one of the most famous, and controversial, psychological experiments in history. The Stanford Prison Experiment was designed by psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his team to simulate life inside a prison. The experiment became famous for appearing to demonstrate how quickly people could adopt abusive behavior when placed in positions of authority. But decades later, researchers began taking a much closer look at what actually happened inside the experiment and whether the conclusions drawn from it were supported by the evidence.

In this Buried in History segment of Coffins & Confessions, we take a look at the Stanford Prison Experiment, how it was conducted, what happened to the participants, why the study was ended early, and how its legacy has changed over time. We’ll also dig into the ethical questions surrounding the experiment and the research that has challenged some of the original interpretations of what happened. Because this story isn’t just about what happened in a fake prison in the basement of Stanford’s psychology building. And, because this is Coffins & Confessions, we’ll be talking about some pretty serious psychology and research ethics, but we’ll still have our usual conversation along the way.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses psychological distress, abuse, coercion, and unethical research practices.

Sources

American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/ethics/code

Ben Blum — “The Lifespan of a Lie”
https://medium.com/@benblum/the-lifespan-of-a-lie-d8692120e0b5

Thomas Carnahan & Sam McFarland — “Revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment: Could Participant Self-Selection Have Led to the Cruelty?”
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167206292689

Craig Haney, Curtis Banks & Philip G. Zimbardo — “Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison”
International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 1973

S. Alexander Haslam & Stephen D. Reicher — “Beyond the Banality of Evil: Three Dynamics of an Interactionist Social Psychology of Tyranny”
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167206298570

S. Alexander Haslam, Stephen D. Reicher & Megan Birney — “Nothing by Mere Authority: Evidence That in an Experimental Group Tyranny Requires Identification Rather Than Blind Obedience”
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213519706

Thibault Le Texier — “Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment”
https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000401

Stephen D. Reicher & S. Alexander Haslam — “Rethinking the Psychology of Tyranny: The BBC Prison Study”
https://doi.org/10.1348/014466605X48998

Stanford Prison Experiment — “The Story”
https://www.prisonexp.org/the-story

Stanford Prison Experiment — “Setting Up”
https://www.prisonexp.org/setting-up

Stanford Prison Experiment — “Guards”
https://www.prisonexp.org/guards/

Stanford Prison Experiment — “More Information”
https://www.prisonexp.org/faq

Stanford Prison Experiment — “Conclusion”
https://www.prisonexp.org/conclusion

Stanford University Libraries — Stanford Prison Experiment Digital Archive
https://exhibits.stanford.edu/spe

United States Department of Health and Human Services — The Belmont Report
https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/read-the-belmont-report/index.html

United States Office of Naval Research — Historical Research Funding Records
https://www.onr.navy.mil/

Philip G. Zimbardo — “On the Ethics of Intervention in Human Psychological Research: With Special Reference to the Stanford Prison Experiment”
https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(72)90014-5

Philip G. Zimbardo — The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/176263/the-lucifer-effect-by-philip-zimbardo/

Philip G. Zimbardo — The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment
https://www.prisonexp.org/

On November 13, 2012, Cari Farver disappeared. At first, the case seemed to point in one direction. Cari’s phone and online accounts were still active, messages were still being sent, and people in her life continued receiving communication from her. But there was one problem: Cari herself was nowhere to be found. What followed was a bizarre and deeply disturbing story involving a love triangle, obsessive jealousy, fake identities, digital deception, and a trail of messages that would eventually help investigators uncover the truth.

In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the disappearance and murder of Cari Farver, the relationships surrounding her, and the increasingly elaborate web of lies that followed her disappearance. We’ll walk through the investigation, the strange messages and online activity attributed to Cari, how investigators began piecing together the digital evidence, and the eventual discovery of what had really happened to her. The case is a fascinating example of how technology can both obscure the truth and, eventually, help expose it. And while the story gets complicated, we’ll break it down and separate the documented facts from the theories and sensational details that have surrounded the case over the years.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses murder, stalking, domestic violence, obsessive behavior, and disturbing details surrounding a homicide.

Sources

A&E Crime + Investigation — The Mysterious Murder of Cari Farver and How Digital Evidence Helped Crack the Case
https://www.aetv.com/articles/cari-farver

ABC News — What Seemed Like a Horrific Stalking Case Was a Jealous Lover’s Cover for Murder
https://abcnews.com/US/horrific-stalking-case-jealous-lovers-cover-murder/story?id=74431142

Iowa Cold Cases — Cari Lea Farver
https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/cari-farver/

Iowa Cold Cases — Solved Cases
https://iowacoldcases.org/solved/

Crime + Investigation UK — What Happened to Cari Farver?
https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/what-happened-cari-farver

Netflix Tudum — Lover, Stalker, Killer: What Happened to Cari Farver?
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/lover-stalker-killer-release-date-news

TIME — The Deadly Love Triangle Behind Netflix True Crime Documentary Lover, Stalker, Killer
https://time.com/6692767/lover-stalker-killer-netflix-true-story/

People — Lover, Stalker, Killer: Where Are Dave Kroupa and Liz Golyar Now?
https://people.com/lover-stalker-killer-where-are-dave-kroupa-and-liz-golyar-now-8558923

People — Where Are Liz Golyar and Dave Kroupa Today?
https://people.com/where-are-liz-golyar-and-dave-kroupa-today-11848379

International Society of Security and Digital Forensics — Shot in the Dark: Cari Farver Cold Case Homicide Presentation
https://www.issda.org/assets/2024Temp-Folder/Shot%20in%20the%20Dark%20-%20Cari%20Farver%20Cold%20Case%20Homicide%20Presentation%202022-12-22.pdf

20/20 — Bad Romance: Tangled Web
https://podcasts.happyscribe.com/20-20/bad-romance-tangled-web

In 1932, Western Australia found itself facing a rather unusual enemy. Thousands of emus had moved into farming areas, damaging crops and threatening the livelihoods of farmers already struggling through the Great Depression. What started as a farming problem would eventually become a military operation involving Australian soldiers, machine guns, and an enemy that turned out to be surprisingly difficult to defeat.

In this Buried in History segment of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the bizarre story of the Great Emu War of 1932.

We’ll explore why so many emus moved into Western Australia’s wheat-growing regions, how the Australian government responded, and why soldiers armed with Lewis machine guns were sent out to deal with the problem. We’ll also separate the popular “Australia declared war on birds and lost” story from what actually happened during the operation. Because, yes, there really was a military operation against emus. And yes, it really did involve machine guns. But the story is a little more complicated (and a lot more interesting) than the internet memes would have you believe. We’ll dig into the historical circumstances surrounding the operation, the soldiers who participated, the challenges they faced, the numbers reported afterward, and how the so-called Emu War became one of the strangest episodes in Australian history.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses military operations, firearms, animal deaths, agricultural hardship, and the realities of the Great Depression.

Sources

• ​ Murray Johnson — “Feathered Foes: Soldier Settlers and Western Australia’s ‘Emu War’ of 1932.” Journal of Australian Studies, Volume 30, Issue 88, 2006, pp. 147–157.
• ​ State Library of Western Australia — Depression 1930shttps://slwa.wa.gov.au/
• ​ State Library of Western Australia — Channel 7 Historical News Collection: Western Australia Declares War on Emushttps://slwa.wa.gov.au/
• ​ Australian War Memorial — Lewis Mk I Machine Gunhttps://www.awm.gov.au/
• ​ Parliament of Australia — Hansardhttps://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard
• ​ MeatEater Conservation — “The Great Emu War of 1932”https://www.themeateater.com/conservation
• ​ Forces News — “The Great Emu War: How Australia Was Beaten by a Bird”https://www.forcesnews.com/
• ​ Wikipedia — Emu Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War
• ​ Melbourne Libraries / Victorian Collections — Emu War Historical Materialshttps://victoriancollections.net.au/
• ​ State Library of Western Australia — Land Clearing and Agriculturehttps://slwa.wa.gov.au/

In the early morning hours of April 12, 1981, a quiet cabin in the small California community of Keddie became the scene of a brutal and baffling crime. Inside Cabin 28, four people were discovered murdered. Three children were asleep in another room and somehow survived the night, while one young boy was missing from the cabin entirely. What followed was an investigation filled with unanswered questions, questionable evidence handling, conflicting theories, and a case that would remain unsolved for decades.

In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the Keddie Cabin Murders, walking through what happened that night, the victims, the investigation that followed, and the suspects and theories that have surrounded the case over the years. We’ll separate the documented facts from some of the more sensational theories, talk about the evidence investigators uncovered—or failed to uncover—and explore why Cabin 28 became one of California’s most infamous cold cases. And because this is Coffins & Confessions, we’re going to dig into the story without making it all doom and gloom. We’ll talk through the strange details, the unanswered questions, and the investigation that has kept people fascinated for more than four decades.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses multiple murders, including the deaths of children, and contains disturbing subject matter.

Sources

• ​ Wikipedia — Keddie Murdershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keddie_murders
• ​ ABC10 — “Murder in Cabin 28: A Look Back on the Keddie Murders”https://www.abc10.com/video/news/crime/true-crime/murder-in-cabin-28-a-look-back-on-the-keddie-murders-unsolved-california/103-625845d8-c535-4148-9582-a28766dfb9a5
• ​ ThoughtCo — “Cold Case: The Keddie Cabin Murders”https://www.thoughtco.com/cold-case-the-keddie-cabin-murders-4108811
• ​ ABC10 — “Murder in Cabin 28: Keddie Murders Remain Unsolved”https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/murder-in-cabin-28-keddie-murders-unsolved-california/103-1e3e7671-8c2c-4f4c-abb3-fae3ae07425e
• ​ People — Keddie Cabin 28 Murders and New Investigationhttps://people.com/crime/keddie-cabin-28-murders-new-investigation-sheriff-hagwood/
• ​ Reddit — r/UnresolvedMysteries: “The Keddie Cabin Murders Revisited”https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1m26wmp/the_keddie_cabin_murders_revisited/
• ​ YouTube — Keddie Murders Documentary/Case Coveragehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkVFVpa2NlU
• ​ Plumas Sun — “Keddie Case Focus of David Keller’s Book”https://plumassun.org/2025/01/31/keddie-case-focus-of-david-kellers-book/
• ​ YouTube — Keddie Murders Case Coveragehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx6iE331u1I
• ​ CBS News Sacramento — “35 Years Later, New Clues May Solve Keddie Murder Mystery”https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/35-years-later-new-clues-may-solve-keddie-murder-mystery/
• ​ Plumas News — “Keddie Murders Revisited”https://www.plumasnews.com/keddie-murders-revisited/
• ​ Plumas News — “Keddie Murders Revisited: Following the Clues”https://www.plumasnews.com/keddie-murders-revisited-following-the-clues/
• ​ Plumas News — “Keddie Murders Revisited, Part 3: Hypnosis, Counselors’ Revelations, Mob Connections”https://www.plumasnews.com/keddie-murders-revisited-part-3-hypnosis-counselors-revelations-mob-connections/
• ​ California News Publishers Association — California Journalism Awards: Feather River Bulletin Investigative Reportinghttps://cnpa.com/cja2018/print/2018_California_Journalism_Awards___Print_Division/General/03_In-Depth_Reporting_%28WD%29/First_Place_Feather_River_Bulletin_1/Attachment_02.pdf
• ​ California News Publishers Association — California Journalism Awards: Feather River Bulletin Investigative Reportinghttps://cnpa.com/cja2018/print/2018_California_Journalism_Awards___Print_Division/General/03_In-Depth_Reporting_%28WD%29/First_Place_Feather_River_Bulletin_1/Attachment_03.pdf

On the glittering surface of King Louis XIV’s court, wealth, power, and influence were everything. But beneath all that luxury, something much darker was happening. The Affair of the Poisons had already exposed a world of fortune tellers, alleged witches, secret rituals, and people willing to turn to poison in the pursuit of money, revenge, and power. But the investigation was about to get much closer to the king himself.

In this Buried in History segment of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer continue our journey into the Affair of the Poisons, picking up where Part 1 left off as investigators begin uncovering connections between the occult world and some of the most powerful people in France. We’ll explore the growing investigation, the allegations surrounding Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV’s most powerful mistress, and the increasingly disturbing accusations of poison, black magic, and secret rituals surrounding the royal court. As the investigation expands, the line between legitimate criminal investigation, superstition, political power, and religious persecution becomes increasingly difficult to separate. And, of course, because this is Coffins & Confessions, we’ll be digging into the strange, dramatic, and sometimes downright bizarre details that make the Affair of the Poisons one of the wildest scandals in French history.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses poisoning, alleged occult practices, executions, torture, and other disturbing historical events.

• Britannica Editors — “Affair of the Poisons.” Encyclopaedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/event/Affair-of-the-Poisons

• Britannica Editors — “Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan.” Encyclopaedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francoise-Athenais-de-Rochechouart-marquise-de-Montespan

• Butler, E. M. Ritual Magic. Cambridge University Press, 1949.

• Dolan, Michael — “The Affair of the Poisons: France’s Witch Hunt Against the Occult.” Atlas Obscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/affair-of-the-poisons-france-witch-hunt-occult

• Funck-Brentano, Frantz. Princes and Poisoners: Studies of the Court of Louis XIV. Translated by George Maidment, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1901.

• Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford University Press, 1999.

• Kors, Alan Charles, and Edward Peters, editors. Witchcraft in Europe, 400–1700: A Documentary History. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001.

• Lynn, John A. The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714. Longman, 1999.

• Miquel, Pierre. Louis XIV: The Sun King. Éditions Michel Lafon, 2001.

• Monter, E. William. Witchcraft in France and Switzerland: The Borderlands During the Reformation. Cornell University Press, 1976.

• Newman, William R. — “The Affair of the Poisons: Toxicology, Medicine, and Criminal Investigation in Seventeenth-Century France.” ScienceDirect / Elsevier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352007822001792

• Norton, Rictor — “The Affair of the Poisons.” Encyclopedia.com
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/poisons-affair

• Parker, Geoffrey. The Grand Strategy of Philip II. Yale University Press, 1998.

• Peabody, Sue. “The Affair of the Poisons and the Politics of Louis XIV’s Court.” French History, vol. 14, no. 3, 2000, pp. 285–302.

• Ranum, Orest. The Fronde: A French Revolution, 1648–1652. W. W. Norton & Company, 1993.

• Schenk, Jochen. “Poison, Power, and Politics in the Court of Louis XIV.” Historical Research, vol. 84, no. 225, 2011, pp. 465–482.

• Spang, Rebecca L. Stuff and Money in the Time of the French Revolution. Harvard University Press, 2015.

• Trevor-Roper, Hugh. The European Witch-Craze of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Harper & Row, 1969.

• Wolf, John B. Louis XIV. W. W. Norton & Company, 1968.

What happens when poison, black magic, murder, and the French royal court all end up in the same story? Well… things get complicated pretty quickly. In 17th-century France, rumors began spreading about a growing network of poisoners, fortune tellers, occult practitioners, and people looking for ways to get rid of their enemies. What started as a criminal investigation would eventually become one of the biggest scandals to ever shake the court of King Louis XIV.

In this Buried in History segment of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer dive into part one of the Affair of the Poisons, one of the strangest scandals of the reign of the Sun King. We’ll meet the people at the center of the scandal, explore the world of poison and occult practices in 17th-century France, and look at how investigators began uncovering a much larger network than anyone initially expected. And then things get even more interesting when the investigation begins reaching closer and closer to the royal court, including a connection to one of King Louis XIV’s most powerful mistresses. Who was really involved? How widespread was the use of poison and magic? And how did an investigation into mysterious deaths turn into a scandal that threatened to reach the very top of the French monarchy? This is only the beginning.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses poisoning, murder, occult practices, accusations of witchcraft, and historical criminal investigations.

• ​ Britannica Editors — Affair of the Poisonshttps://www.britannica.com/event/Affair-of-the-Poisons
• ​ Britannica Editors — Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespanhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Francoise-Athenais-de-Rochechouart-marquise-de-Montespan
• ​ Butler, E. M. — Ritual MagicCambridge University Press, 1949
• ​ Dolan, Michael — “The Affair of the Poisons: France’s Witch Hunt Against the Occult”https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/affair-of-the-poisons-france-witch-hunt-occult
• ​ Funck-Brentano, Frantz — Princes and Poisoners: Studies of the Court of Louis XIVTranslated by George Maidment, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1901
• ​ Hutton, Ronald — The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan WitchcraftOxford University Press, 1999
• ​ Kors, Alan Charles, and Edward Peters, editors — Witchcraft in Europe, 400–1700: A Documentary HistoryUniversity of Pennsylvania Press, 2001
• ​ Lynn, John A. — The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714Longman, 1999
• ​ Miquel, Pierre — Louis XIV: The Sun KingÉditions Michel Lafon, 2001
• ​ Monter, E. William — Witchcraft in France and Switzerland: The Borderlands During the ReformationCornell University Press, 1976
• ​ Newman, William R. — “The Affair of the Poisons: Toxicology, Medicine, and Criminal Investigation in Seventeenth-Century France”ScienceDirect, Elsevierhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352007822001792
• ​ Norton, Rictor — “The Affair of the Poisons”Encyclopedia.comhttps://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/poisons-affair
• ​ Parker, Geoffrey — The Grand Strategy of Philip IIYale University Press, 1998
• ​ Peabody, Sue — “The Affair of the Poisons and the Politics of Louis XIV’s Court”French History, vol. 14, no. 3, 2000, pp. 285–302
• ​ Ranum, Orest — The Fronde: A French Revolution, 1648–1652W. W. Norton & Company, 1993
• ​ Schenk, Jochen — “Poison, Power, and Politics in the Court of Louis XIV”Historical Research, vol. 84, no. 225, 2011, pp. 465–482
• ​ Spang, Rebecca L. — Stuff and Money in the Time of the French RevolutionHarvard University Press, 2015
• ​ Trevor-Roper, Hugh — The European Witch-Craze of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth CenturiesHarper & Row, 1969
• ​ Wolf, John B. — Louis XIVW. W. Norton & Company, 1968

On December 30, 2000, a quiet neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo, became the scene of one of Japan’s most disturbing unsolved murders. Inside their home, the Miyazawa family was found murdered. But what makes this case even more bizarre is what investigators believe happened after the killings. The person responsible didn’t simply leave the house and disappear. Investigators believe the killer stayed inside for hours, using the family’s computer, eating food, and leaving behind an unusual amount of evidence. And somehow, more than 25 years later, no one has been arrested.

In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the Setagaya Family Murders, from the timeline of that terrible night to the evidence left behind and the investigation that has continued for decades. We’ll talk about the clues investigators have uncovered, the evidence that has been analyzed over and over again, and the strange details that make this case so difficult to understand. Who entered the Miyazawa family home that night? Why did they leave behind so much evidence? And how can a case with this much evidence still have no identified killer more than two decades later? The Setagaya Family Murders remain one of Japan’s most infamous unsolved cases, and the person responsible is still out there somewhere.

Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses the murder of a family, including children, and contains disturbing subject matter.

• Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department — The Setagaya Family Murder Case
https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/safe_society/wanted/seijo.html

• The Japan Times — The Setagaya Family Murders: Japan’s Most Infamous Unsolved Case
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/30/japan/crime-legal/setagaya-murder-search/

• True Crime Discussion — Setagaya Family Murders
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/

• YouTube — The Setagaya Family Murders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbEH6SBRsjM

• Hirose, Kenji — “The Role of DNA Evidence in Japanese Cold Case Investigations”
Journal of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation