Grave Behaviour

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You asked for the Jackal. You may wish you’d been more specific.

Following overwhelming listener demand, Lorena Bennett and Bryony Marsh open The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli and investigate a man whose talents apparently include private detection, brain surgery, international espionage, and being irresistible to almost every woman he encounters. Lorena narrated the audiobook in 2021. She has questions.

From booby-trapped tunnels beneath Port Charles to a cassette delivered inside a wheel of brie, the pair follow Spinelli’s extraordinary claims, separate publicly documented bravery from self-reported brilliance, and take serious issue with how the women in his stories are treated. Along the way: Diane Miller’s increasingly flexible standards of evidence, some deeply upsetting sandwiches, and a Toyota experiencing an identity crisis.

The evidence is in the cheese. Whether it proves anything is another matter.

Content note: Strong language; discussion of suicide, stalking, sexual coercion, threats against children, violence, and misogynistic and racist language.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

What happens when a community decides that obedience is a virtue, silence is sacred, and questioning authority is the first step toward damnation?

Welcome to Grave Behaviour, a true-crime podcast hosted by Lorena Bennett and Bryony Marsh, where disturbing cases meet dark humour, uncomfortable questions, and absolutely no promise of good behaviour.

In our debut episode, we're digging into the Assembly, an insular religious movement whose beliefs, rules, and methods of control raise some deeply unsettling questions. At the centre of the story is Twyla, a woman whose experiences expose what happens behind closed doors when faith becomes a weapon.

Who holds the power? Why do people stay? And what happens when someone finally challenges the rules?

Expect strong language, irreverent commentary, disturbing revelations, and two women with plenty to say.

Content advisory: Religious coercion, psychological abuse, manipulation, and disturbing subject matter. Listener discretion is advised.

Sources and further reading

• The Quiet Rule by Twyla Noll, published by Ganet Hill Books.
• Assembly archival material and public records.
• Additional background and investigative resources discussed during the episode.

Resources

• Assembly Archive: https://assemblyarchive.org
• The Quiet Rule Case Files: https://quietrulefiles.org

Grave Behaviour — Bad people. Worse secrets. Absolutely no reverence.