In 1983, Katherine Mordick was found brutally murdered in her own home, and the case went cold for over two decades. Her husband, William, thought he had gotten away with it—until science caught up. This is the story of how modern DNA technology turned a 25-year-old blood smear into a conviction. Join us as we unpack this one.

In the late 1950s, Vancouver was a city in transition, shifting from a post-war provincial center into a burgeoning metropolis. It was an era characterized by a "small town" mentality where residents frequently left their doors unlocked and children wandered the streets freely. However, this perceived innocence was shattered on June 10, 1958, by the brutal massacre of the Pauls family—Vancouver’s first triple homicide.

The waters at the border of South Carolina and North Carolina are unpredictable at the best of times. But on the afternoon of January 26, 2023, they were downright hostile. A small-craft advisory was in full effect over the Little River jetties. The air was a biting 39 degrees, the ocean a frigid 50, and northwest winds were howling at 15 to 30 knots, churning the sea into a chaotic frenzy.

It was the kind of day most experienced mariners would spend safely on dry land. Yet, out in the rough surf was a small, 16-foot flat-bottom jon boat—a vessel designed for shallow, calm water, not the open ocean. Aboard were 22-year-old Tyler Doyle and a close friend, determined to go duck hunting despite the warning signs.

You know the drill, let’s unpack the facts.

In August 2020, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, civil unrest and destruction engulfed the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Amidst the chaos of arson and protests, a 17-year-old named Kyle Rittenhouse arrived armed with an AR-15 style rifle, claiming he was there to protect local businesses and provide medical aid. By the end of the night, he had shot three men—fatally wounding Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and severely injuring Gaige Grosskreutz.

Was Rittenhouse a reckless vigilante who provoked a deadly confrontation, or a teenager forced to make split-second, life-or-death decisions in self-defense? Let’s unpack it.

In 2018, the media declared a massive victory when Bill Cosby was sentenced to prison. But what did the headlines leave out?

In this episode of Dismantle the Media, we bypass the media circus and open the actual case file. We break down the timeline, the 2005 non-prosecution agreement with District Attorney Bruce Castor, and the blatant violation of Cosby’s 5th Amendment rights that ultimately forced the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to vacate his conviction in 2021. Why did the press ignore the glaring procedural and constitutional violations in favor of sensationalism?

Join us as we examine the facts, the courtroom reality, and the dangerous precedent of trial by media.

In 2011, 27-year-old Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg was found dead in her apartment with 23 stab wounds. The door was reportedly locked from the inside. Initially, it was a clear-cut homicide. But then, in a move that baffled her family and the public, the medical examiner officially changed the ruling to a suicide.

In this episode, we unpack the deeply flawed initial police investigation and the glaring inconsistencies in her fiancé’s 911 call. We also dive into the bombshell expert testimony—including neuropathological evidence suggesting several of Ellen’s wounds were inflicted after her heart had already stopped beating. How does someone stab themselves 23 times? Join us as we follow her parents’ relentless, decade-long legal battle against the city of Philadelphia to uncover what really happened behind that locked door.

On the morning of December 26, 1996, six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found brutally murdered in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colorado home. Almost immediately, the tragedy was hijacked by the 24-hour news cycle. Tabloids purchased stolen crime-scene photos, and police intentionally leaked misleading information to reporters to pressure the parents. The press almost immediately convicted the family in the court of public opinion, painting a sensationalized picture of a guilty, dysfunctional household.

In this episode, we strip away decades of tabloid conditioning to look at the objective evidence left behind at the crime scene.

In 2017, Russian authorities arrested Dmitry and Natalia Baksheev after road workers discovered a lost mobile phone containing graphic photos of human remains. The couple, residents of a military aviation academy dormitory in Krasnodar, was subsequently linked to the murder and dismemberment of a local woman following an alcohol-fueled dispute. While sensational media reports and leaked photos fueled international rumors of serial cannibalisminvolving dozens of victims, investigators formally charged the pair with only a single killing. Natalia was convicted of incitement to murder, while Dmitry received a sentence for the killing and the desecration of a corpse. Dmitry died in prison from chronic illnesses in 2020, leading to a later legal ruling that awarded Natalia financial compensation for his negligent medical care. Collectively, these sources provide a comprehensive look at the forensic evidence, the judicial outcomes, and the enduring urban legends surrounding the case.

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