Skip straight to the crime talk at 13:03

On September 14th 2019 33 year old much loved teacher Jonelle Melton failed to show up to teach her class at the local school. Concerned colleagues ask her estranged husband Micheal to drive over  to hers & check on her. When he does he is greeted by a grisly & bloody discovery. Jonelle had been tortured & murdered in her Neptune City apartment, New Jersey.

Jonelles violent death shocked the community & very soon suspicion from all angles fell on the one closest to her, Micheal . 

But no arrest was ever made for Jonelles murder, as months turned into years, as time passed by her case gets colder. And Michael's life continues to unravel under the constant cloak of suspicion.

Until finally a new detective gets a lead that helps to break this ice cold case wide open, exposing three heartless career criminals as the real killers. 

This is a truly tragic story involving a tangled web of deadly misidentification, greed, a botched burglary, heartless criminals & a man whose life was nearly destroyed by wrongful accusations.

Most importantly at the heart of it all one innocent woman Jonelle had her life senselessly taken in such a brutal way.....

This is episode 129

Mistaken : The Murder Of Jonelle Melton 

Sources:

Wikipedia / Ebony.com/. Eu.app.com- asbury park press/ 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's episode we welcome back a special guest, forensic death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan. 

You may recognise Joseph as the host of hugely successful podcast Body Bags, he is also a Professor at Jackson State University & is considered one of the leading experts on the Coroner System in the United States.

Joseph recently appeared on the tv chart topping Peacock documentary 'The Idaho Student Murders'. 

We discuss with him the horrific & unprecedented quadruple murders of four bright young students Madison 'Maddie' Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle & Ethan Chapin that took place on November 13th 2022 in Moscow, Idaho. 

It was a brutal massacre that shocked the residents of the safe city it took place in as well as millions of people around the world.

28 year old criminology student Bryan Kohberger has just been sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for their murders & 10 years for felony burglary. 

Joseph has spoken on many true crime tv shows & tv news segments about this case, some of which it was recently revealed the killer had been watching before he was ultimately arrested for his crimes. 

We discuss different aspects of the Idaho Four murders today & Joseph shares his fascinating insight & knowledge of the case, as well as similar violent crime scenes he attended during his career & more ....... 

This is episode 128

Host Of 'Body Bags' Joseph Scott Morgan On The Idaho Four murders 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp-12:07

It was October 13th 1995 in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada as two young girls were walking home from a house party. They hear a rustling in the bushes & suddenly a man leaps out of the darkness brandishing a weapon. 

From there the terrified friends were subjected to a brutal attack in which they were beaten & sexually assaulted by a sick, perverted & dangerous man who had been hiding in wait ready to ambush a victim.

16 year old Tanya Smith was unable to escape & tragically lost her life in the attack. But miraculously somehow her friend 16 year old Misty Cockerill only just about escaped with her life.

Thanks to fast acting doctors who performed life saving surgery Misty somehow pulled through despite the nightmarish ordeal she had endured.

But it was down to her stoicism, bravery & unwavering courage that she was able to begin her recovery journey & remain strong whilst police hunted for the dangerous man who murdered Tanya. 

The unknown killer begins to taunt the police & Misty with threats & phone calls, engaging them in a brazen game of cat & mouse, killer versus cops. This unhinged behaviour earned him the moniker the Abbotsford killer, an illusive bogeyman that left the residents of Abbotsford terrified he would kill again .

But Misty was still determined that one day she would see justice for her & her friend.

This is not just a story about Terry Driver the married father of two, a sexually sadistic killer who believed he was smarter than law enforcement. 

But it's a story about how one young girl managed to beat her attacker not only by recovering from severe injuries against all odds. Incredibly she went on to use her own experience & ordeal to help other victims & she has now become a recognised & eloquent voice for other survivors of crime.

This is a case that shows even when faced with the darkest of evil one girls strength & courage made her the ultimate survivor...

This is episode 127: Misty Cockerill, Surviving the Abbotsford Killer

Sources 

Spokesman .com / tampabay.com article May 5th 1995 / timeschronicle.ca/ https://fbi.gov / Fraser valley today/ the Abbotsford news/ City News Vancouver/ The Globe And Mail/ Unsolved Mysteries Wiki / linc society bcca/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp-13:45

On March 14th 1989 Mark Kilroy, a 21 year old University of Texas at Austin student, suddenly went missing when he was separated from friends after leaving a bar. He had been having a great time letting his hair down whilst enjoying his spring break holiday in Matamoros, Mexico. Just like thousands of other tourists do each year.

Mexican & US law enforcement were quickly worried that Mark's unusual disappearance was suspicious & could be down to foul play. 

But this suspicion didn't even scratch the surface of the truth that was to come or what fate really had befallen Mark.

As they actually had no idea what nightmarish horrors their investigations were just about to expose.... 

Because yes Mark had indeed met with foul play, he had unknowingly crossed paths with some incredibly dangerous members of a violent drug trafficking operation. 

 However it was much worse than that. These men were also members of 'Los Narcosatánicos' a terrifying & deadly cult that involved drug trafficking whilst at the same time practised rituals of black magic & human sacrifice inspired by 'Palo Mayombe'.

As police search an isolated Mexican ranch what they discover there was just so terrifying, so unbelievable, & so gruesome that it shocked & sickened even the most seasoned of investigators. 

Whilst searching for one victim they end up finding the dismembered remains of at least 16 people. All of whom had been tortured & murdered as human sacrifices in these black magic rituals. 

Todays case shows that no matter how many other tourists are around or how busy the fun bars you visit are, hidden amongst the party goers real danger could be watching & lurking.

Sadly this was the case for Mark Kilroy as his night on vacation led to him being kidnapped by a deadly cult & taken to their leader Adolfo Constanzo aka 'The Godfather' or 'The Devil Of Mexico'. 

A man as charming & charismatic as he was dangerous & evil....

This is episode 126: The Murder Of Mark Kilroy  

Sources: Wikipedia / Texas archive.org/ Texas monthly.com / worlds deadliest killers YouTube / Sacrifice by Jim Kilroy and Bob Stewart / MarkKilroyfoundation.org / www.independent.co. Uk / www.fox7austin.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp-15:58 minutes

After a fun night of socialising with friends & having a letting your hair down many people have at some point ended the night by ordering a cab to take us safely home.

Or nowadays with the convenience of very accessible phone apps it is much easier to just order a ride-share, like for example an uber. 

But what if the car that pulls up next to you as you're waiting for the uber you booked was not really a legitimate uber. And instead inside the vehicle waits a dangerous predator who has been circling around looking for an innocent victim? Sadly this is exactly what happened to bright, intelligent & popular 21 year old Samantha Josephson in South Carolina as she left a busy bar in 2019.

She accidentally mistook a car that pulled up right next to her as her uber driver.

Tragically by the time she realised it was actually a complete strangers car she was in it was already too late. Samantha was stuck inside, totally helpless with no way to escape as she was driven further & further from safety. Because her kidnapper had quickly activated the child locks so she was completely trapped...

In today's case we look at what safety precautions need to be taken to keep ride share users safe. It also leaves us asking the question how well vetted are ride share drivers? And just how many deadly sadistic predators are there hunting around in their vehicles masquerading as a cab & waiting for an innocent person to attack who was just needing a lift safely home ... 

This is episode 125 

The Uber Killer: 

The murder of Samantha Josephson 

Sources: Crime&investigation.com/ Wikipedia / people.com / the guardian.co.uk/ the independent.co.uk/ Reddit/ fox Carolina/ ABC Columbia /NBC10 Philadelphia/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp: 14:45 minutes in

How well do we know someone that we would call a friend  ? 

How well would you need to know someone before allowing them to stay on your property so they're living amongst your most precious things?And nothing is more precious than a child family member, right ?

Well sadly this is how the family of little 11 year old Audri Cunningham said they had unwittingly allowed a monster into their home in Livingston Texas back in 2024 . 

A friend they said needed help to get  back on his feet ...

But instead this registered child sex offender had other ideas . He used the opportunity to kidnap Audri as she made her way to school . The nation searched as Amber alerts went out and her disappearance gained huge media attention ...

But tragically Don Steven Mcdougal had already committed the most deplorable sickening acts before killing her & disposing of her body . 

In todays case we look at how much you can really trust a person you have not known for long , and how maybe  if convicted sex offenders are more closely monitored or have more severe sentences then it could be easier to prevent harm coming to other innocent children  just like Audri ......

This is episode 124 

The Murder Of Audri Cunningham 

Sources : Fox 26/ ABC13/ Houston Public Media / Wikipedia / bbc.co.uk/ edition.cnn.com / 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp 9:23 minutes.

It was the morning of June 3rd 2011 as local part time DJ Bobby Ryan also known as 'Mr Moonlight' said goodbye to his girlfriend & walked out the door of her farm in County Tipperary, Ireland. 

Sadly little did Mary Lowry know it would be the last time she or anyone, besides his killer, would ever see him alive again. 

Because after that 52 year old father of two Bobby simply vanished....

And it would take 22 long months until his loved ones would finally learn the awful truth of what had become of the beloved DJ.

As the gardai receive a shocking phone call about the discovery of remains in an underground septic tank on Mary Lowry's farm, they soon begin to unravel the mystery of what had happened to Bobby. 

It would soon become clear who would have wanted this popular local family man dead, & why his killer had killed him in such a vicious & violent manner. 

What follows is a shocking but true case involving secret affairs between in-laws, wild jealousy, a man craving control & ultimately a brutal murder.

As married farmer Pat Quirke who was also Mary Lowrys brother in law stood before the court for Ireland's longest running murder trial, 15 weeks to be precise, the whole sordid and twisted truth came out . 

But what seemed to get lost along the way was that at the centre of the salacious headlines that had dominated Irish media was still an innocent man who had had his life cruelly stolen in a horrendous way.

As Pat Quirke remains in jail for life for his sickening crimes, Bobby's family especially his children who had to sit through gruelling details in court will remember him for the amazing & loving father he was. 

This is episode 123

The Murder Of 'Mr Moonlight' Bobby Ryan

Sources: Theguardian.com/  www.rte.ienews.com/  bbc.co.uk/ Irish times.com/ www.irishexaminer.com/ www.sundayworld.com/ www.journal.ie/ www.iradio.ie/ tippfm.com 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp: 16:40 minutes

In the concluding part to our deep dive on serial killer Christopher Wilder, we see how he lures more young women into his car with the promise of a photo shoot or even by force.

His deadly spree continues to pick up pace as the FBI are trying to track this deadly predator knowing the longer he is at large the more innocent lives he is destroying along the way.

But as we see here when he slips up by allowing one of his young victims to go free his reign of terror that he spread across the United States will soon come to a bloody end.

But it doesn't end there.

Because we look into how deadly killer Wilder is actually strongly suspected of committing many other rapes & murders.

His suspected crimes even include that of a long unsolved, infamous double murder that took place on a Sydney beach in Australia many years before when a young Wilder happened to be living very nearby.....

This is episode 122: Christopher Wilder 'The Beauty Queen Killer' part 2

Sources: The A-Z Serial Killers book/ abc news.go.com/ The Beauty Queen Killer documentary Hulu/ www.findagrave.com/ criminalmindsfandom.com/ www.palmbeachpost.com/ wwwcrimelibrary.org/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp: 11:08

Just imagine what you would do if you were a young girl shopping in a busy mall, it's broad daylight & an attractive normal looking man approaches you.

He tells you that you are pretty, & that you've got what it takes to be a model...

That if he can just take you to a better location to snap some professional photos of you for his agency this will be your ticket to a successful modelling career...

Nowadays we have the benefit of world wide news reaching us in within minutes.

We have the benefit of breaking news stories that spread across world wide media at a rapid pace, & this gives us the benefit of a much higher awareness of all of the dangerous people that are out there, & that are sometimes walking among us..

Thus we are automatically more aware of the dangers that a charming stranger can pose to us.

We have heard of true crime cases & now our knowledge of serial killers may be heightened, & almost unavoidable.

However tragically back in February 1984 innocent young women in 8 different American states did not have the benefit of hindsight.

They were totally unaware that a truly dangerous predator was prowling & hunting for his next victim..

And unfortunately for 12 young women

Christopher Wilder used his convincing ploy to lure, torture, sexually assault & kill his victims.

Thus earning him the moniker 'The Beauty Queen Killer'.

As police searched for Wilder in connection with the disappearances of two young women he went on a six week murder rampage, leaving many women dead in his wake. However he happened to kidnap the wrong girl, 16 year old Tina Risico.

Thanks to Tina's strength & will to survive, she miraculously manages to trick Wilder...

A move that ultimately proved to be this erratic & deadly killers undoing....

This is episode 121

The Beauty Queen Killer: Christopher Wilder Part 1

Sources:

ABC News/ The Federal Bureau Investigation (,gov)/ www.palmbeachpost.com/ The A-Z of Serial Killers/ www.history.com/ Wikipedia/ www.minerals.com / www.fox13news/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crime talk timestamp: 9:02 minutes

It was the 29th of September in 1978, when 15 year old Mary Vincent who had run away from home was trying to hitchhike to Los Angeles, California.

A seemingly friendly looking man eventually pulls up & happily offers her a ride in his van.

As a tired Mary climbs into the passenger seat she has no idea her life was about to change forever.

Or that her story would become an incredible tale of survival against all the odds.

What follows is a truly harrowing, barbaric case of sexual assault & brutal violence, & the nightmarish ordeal she was subjected to leaves young Mary badly maimed for life .

But thanks to her incredible strength, resilience & unwavering will to live she turns her ordeal into a lesson that has since helped so many others.

This case also shines a light on some important questions that are still so relevant today.

Why do authorities believe it is safe to release a dangerous, violent predator from prison after serving a few years because they showed 'good behaviour' whilst incarcerated?

How can offenders that commit such sadistic crimes ever really be properly vetted upon release or prevented from re-offending ?

Sadly, in this case an innocent woman will end up losing her life because an incredibly dangerous killer like Lawrence Singleton was deemed safe enough to walk freely on our streets once again . Despite the huge outrage & uproar from the people of America.

Admirably Mary Vincent has continued to use her own personal experience & how she survived her ordeal to help fight for other victims rights.

She has made a huge difference in campaigning for new laws to keep women safer.

What Mary has managed to achieve in helping victims is a true testament to her unbreakable strength, courage & resilience . For that reason she is still to this day a true hero, & a true inspiration to so many who have heard her story....

This is episode 120

Mary Vincent: Surviving The Mad Chopper

Sources : Thatslife.com/ Wikipedia / I Survived/ fsu.ed/ blurredbylines.com /allthatsinteresting.com / Reddit / law.justia.com/

Www.sfgate.com /

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.