This week on Crafting the Case, Ashley takes us through the mysterious 2014 disappearance of Marty Leger, a 30-year-old cyclist who set out for a ride near Spider Lake in Nova Scotia and never returned. Despite one of the largest search efforts in the province’s history, Marty has never been found — a case that still leaves behind heartbreak and unanswered questions.

Meanwhile, Tara and I break out the paints for some dot art on rocks, a calming craft to balance out the heaviness of the story. We also taste-test some incredible cookies from Phat Cookies (spoiler: 10/10 would recommend 🍪). And as a lighthearted twist, we show off our own DIY “merch” — hats with our tagline — not for sale (yet).

Grab your paints, grab a snack, and join us for Episode 16: Rocks and Ride.

We're back! This week on Crafting the Case, we dive into the chilling story of Allan Legere — the “Monster of the Miramichi” — whose 201-day reign of terror in 1989 shook an entire community and changed Canadian criminal law forever. From his violent escape to the groundbreaking trial that introduced DNA evidence into Canadian courts, we unravel the case step by step with compassion and care for the victims.

And because no Crafting the Case episode is complete without a little creativity, we’re working with polymer clay earrings. Swirling colors, rolling clay, and making something beautiful — even while we talk about something dark.

Grab your clay, your coffee, and join us for true crime with a crafty twist. And don't forget your favorite part, the After Show!

This week on Crafting the Case, things get twisted… in more ways than one. While Ashley and Sandi channel their inner candle queens with paint markers and citronella flames, Tara takes us deep into the chilling case of Mark Twitchell—a Canadian "filmmaker" turned real-life Dexter, who blurred the line between fiction and fatal obsession. She shares the survival story of Gilles Tetreault.

As the candles burn, we unpack Twitchell’s bizarre double life, his obsession with the hit show Dexter, and the horrifying crime that stunned Edmonton, but also the resilience of the survivor, and the lasting impact this crime has had on him and his healing journey. Join us for a wild blend of true crime, crafting chaos, and of course, a few laughs along the way.

✨ Grab your paint pens, light a candle (or maybe don’t...), and let’s craft our way through this creepy case.

🕯️Craft: Paint-marked citronella candles

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This week on Crafting the Case, we welcome back our favorite legal lawyer, and friend of the pod, Devin — but this time, he's swapping legal briefs for a story that shook the world of professional hockey. Devin takes us through the heartbreaking crash of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the Russian hockey team whose plane went down on September 7, 2011, claiming the lives of 44 people, nearly the entire team.

As always, Ashley and I keep our hands moving while we listen — this time with alcohol markers and cozy coloring pages.

Devin, who also hosts Recliner Sports on YouTube and socials, brings compassion, insight, and a fan’s heart to this tragic tale. Whether you're here for the sports, the stories, or the soothing sounds of markers on paper — you're in good company. 💔🖊️🏒

🔗 Follow Devin / Recliner Sports

IG/TikTok: @ReclinerSports @hali.tiki

www.halitiki.com

🎨 Want to color along with us? We’re sharing a few snapshots of our pages over on Instagram!

🎧 Available wherever you listen to podcasts

#CraftingTheCase #LokomotivYaroslavl #ReclinerSports #TrueStory #SportsHistory #MarkerArt #CozyCrafting #ColoringAndCrime #PodcastVibes #TragicTales #HockeyHistory #PlaneCrashHistory

This week on Crafting the Case, we welcome a VERY special guest—Ashley’s daughter, the one and only Freya (12 years old and already too cool for us). While we decorate some adorable bookcase vases and catch up on life, Ashley walks us through the tragic and terrifying reality of crowd crush disasters throughout history.

We cover five major incidents:

As always, we balance heavy storytelling with light-hearted crafting, and this time Freya keeps us smiling with her hot takes on her Ontario trip and what makes her cringe.

Crafts, chaos, and crowd crushes—Episode 12 is heartfelt, funny, and unforgettable.

Set sail with us for a very special episode of Crafting the Case! This week, we welcome guest host Victoria, sister of Tara and total shipbuilding aficionado, as we explore the infamous mystery of the Mary Celeste—the ship found adrift, abandoned, and shrouded in questions. While we use paint markers to decorate wooden pieces, we unravel theories and spooky details that have haunted maritime history for over a century. Grab your brushes and your best ghost-detecting hat—it’s time for “Markers and Masts.”

In this week’s episode of Crafting the Case, we take you back to Sydney, Nova Scotia, during a blizzard in 1992—a night that would leave a lasting scar on the community. We unravel the tragic murder of Marie Dupe at Big Ben’s convenience store, a case that remained cold for nearly a decade before a controversial undercover operation changed everything.

While piecing together this chilling case, we soothe our nerves with a little self-care—DIY facial masks, because hey, true crime and skincare can go hand-in-hand, right?

Join us for a powerful story of persistence, loss, and justice... and a little exfoliation.

This week on Crafting the Case, we take a poignant turn toward home as we revisit the 1917 coal mining explosion in New Waterford, Nova Scotia — a tragedy that claimed lives, shook our community, and shaped local history. As we carefully craft the details of this historic event, we also reach the final brushstrokes of our third paint-by-numbers piece, finding quiet moments of reflection in every color.

Join us as we balance soot with strokes — weaving memory, mourning, and maybe a little mischief into a hometown case that’s close to our hearts.

In this episode of Crafting the Case, we paint by numbers while exploring the haunting and heartbreaking disappearance of Emma Fillipoff, a 26-year-old woman last seen barefoot and disoriented outside the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC, in 2012.

We trace the strange and chilling events leading up to her vanishing — including unusual phone calls, sudden changes in behavior, and the eerie final sightings — all while chatting and crafting in our usual cozy true crime style.

If you or someone you know has any information about Emma Fillipoff’s case, please contact:

🎨 Craft along with us and let us know your theories, thoughts, or what your paint-by-numbers masterpiece looked like!

What do you get when you mix fine art, espionage, Russian business deals, and one very charismatic con man from Nova Scotia?

In this episode of Crafting the Case, we dive deep into the unbelievable true story of John Mark Tillmann — the antique thief who stole over 10,000 artifacts from museums, universities, and private collections, all while hiding them in plain sight in his suburban home. 

But beneath the stolen letters from George Washington and priceless first editions was something darker: political extremism, manipulation, and a life built on illusion.

Join us as we trace Tillmann’s life from Fall River to Moscow, and ultimately, to the unraveling of one of Canada’s most prolific art theft operations.

🎨 While we tell this wild tale, we’re crafting something inspired by forgery, museum aesthetics, and a little paint-by-numbers fun!