Mayberry is the name of a real community in Patrick County, Virginia; located 22 miles northeast of Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. It’s also the name Kentucky Fried Homicide decided to give to the hometown crimes that end our podcast each and every week. In honor of 2021, here are twenty-one of our favorites. This is: The Best of The Mayberry Crime of the Week.

It would take decades for the man who murdered Anita Andrews, Michele Wallace, Paula Klumpp, and Charlotte Sauerwin to be brought to justice. And it would take a dedicated homicide detective and the work of a tireless group of forensic scientists to finally produce the evidence needed to put serial killer and rapist Roy Allan Melanson behind bars for good. This is Roy Melanson. Smooth Operator.

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Thanksgiving 1991, Costa Mesa California. Newlyweds Omaima and Bill Nelson spend their first holiday together after being married just three weeks before. Bill’s bride, 33 years his junior, cooks a lovely Thanksgiving dinner for the two of them, but sometime between Thursday night and Saturday morning things turned deadly. Omaima would murder, dismember, cook, eat and try to dispose of her new husband Bill. When it was over, Omaima told police the spirits of ancient Egyptians had told her to do it. This is the Thanksgiving Murder of Bill Nelson by his wife, Omaima. Nothing’s as sweet as my husband.

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Brenda Sue Schaefer was described as a kind, pretty, and smart young woman. Her biggest flaw was falling in love with the wrong men. She would meet one such man, Melvin Ignatow, on a blind date set by her best friend. And when he gave her the attention she craved, she was hooked. But things would begin to crumble when Mel became controlling and abusive. Eventually, Brenda broke up with Mel. And then, on September 23, 1988, in Louisville, Kentucky, Brenda Sue Schaefer disappeared. And while everyone—and I mean everyone—knew who killed Brenda, no one would ever be convicted for her murder. This is the story of Melvin Ignatow. Double Jeopardy.

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In the years, 1954 and 1955, a killer was on the loose in rural southwest Indiana and Kentucky.  A maniac who killed and robbed. A man no one could seem to catch–until they did. The public outrage in small-town America was loud and clear. They wanted him dead. This is a story of robbery, senseless murder and the first murder conviction to be overturned by the United States Supreme Court due to prejudicial media attention. This is the story of Leslie "Mad Dog" Irvin.

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Candace Hiltz was passionate about justice and the law, so much so that at 17 years old, she’d already been accepted to Stanford Law School. But on August 15, 2006, Candace Hiltz was brutally murdered while at home caring for her 11-month-old baby. She was shot seven times with three different guns. Investigators believe one man committed the crime, but due to lack of evidence that man is never charged. Candace’s family have another theory. And if that theory is true? Justice was most certainly never served. This is Candace Hiltz. Justice Denied.

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On October 24th, 1911, Dr. Helena Knabe was brutally murdered in her home in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was a pioneer for women in Medicine. She was a pioneer of rabies research and prevention. A feminist, her work in sex education, hygiene and sanitation practices traversed all ethnic groups and communities. So who would want to see her dead? Her peers? Her lover? The patriarchy? This murder and unsolved case happened 110 years ago this week. And today with help from psychic medium, Kathryn Kauffman, we’re going to try to answer some of these questions. This is the Life and Unsolved Murder of Dr. Helena Knabe.

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October 31, 1974 – Halloween night – Ronald Clark O’Bryan, took his son, Timothy and daughter, Elizabeth, trick-or-treating with two of their friends. Afterward, the children wished to enjoy some candy from their night of fun. And an hour later, 8-year-old Timothy O’Bryan was dead. Poisoned by a Pixy Stix. This is the Candyman, the Man who Killed Halloween.

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In the wee hours of October 31, 2012, 55-year-old Pastor John Douglas White murdered the beautiful and vibrant 24-year-old, single mother, Rebekah Gay. He wanted to have sex with her lifeless body. But how does a man of God murder? He’d done it before. And attempted it even years before that. This is a story of courtroom blunders, plea deals, outdated laws and murder. This is the story of Pastor John Douglas White. The Devil in Disguise. 

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December 7, 1971. Teachers and neighbors are concerned with the whereabouts of the List family. John, his wife Helen, their three children, and his mother, all lived together at Breeze Knoll, a turn of the century Victorian home in Westfield, NJ. But when police arrive at the home to check out the house, they discover five bodies—all dead from a gunshot wound to the head. One important person is missing. The father––John List. For eighteen years this case will go unsolved, until a television show pulled it all together, and forced John List to crawl out of the woodwork. This is John List. The Man who Murdered his Family to Save Them.

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