Love Marry Kill

On paper, they looked like the perfect couple — a Harvard-educated law professor and a passionate immigration attorney, both brilliant, driven, and devoted to their two little boys. But behind closed doors, their differences were driving them apart. Throw in a mother-in-law who needed to control everything, and a protective older brother with a tough-guy image, and it was a recipe for things to get very ugly. Eventually, it would end with murder. But would there ever be justice?

Today’s snack: Assorted Taiwanese snacks (thanks Grace!)

Join us on Patreon to hear parts 2 and 3 today!

Sources:

• Alas, J. "Donna Adelson Convicted of Murder: What Did She Do and What Was the Sentence?" International Business Times UK, 5 Sept. 2025, https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/donna-addelson-convicted-murder-what-did-she-do-what-was-sentence-1743191.
• "Can Wendi Adelson's Limited Immunity In The Dan Markel Case Be Broken?" Audioboom, True Crime Today, 6 June 2026, https://audioboom.com/posts/8912858-can-wendi-adelson-s-limited-immunity-in-the-dan-markel-case-be-broken.
• CBS News / AP. "Donna Adelson Sentenced to Life in Prison for Orchestrating 2014 Murder of Ex-Son-In-Law, FSU Professor Daniel Markel." CBS News, 14 Oct. 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/donna-adelson-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-in-2014-murder-for-hire-of-ex-son-in-law-fsu-professor-daniel-markel/.
• "Charlie Adelson Prosecutor Delivers Intense Closing Argument in Hitman Conspiracy Murder Trial." YouTube, uploaded by Law&Crime Trials, Nov. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wQeZF4lnpA.
• "Charlie Adelson Tells His Story of Dan Markel's Murder." YouTube, uploaded by Court TV, Nov. 2023.
• Dan Markel Case Archive — Trial Transcripts. Leon County Circuit Court, Court Daemon, https://markel.courtdaemon.com/.
• "Dan Markel's Divorce Attorney, Stephen Webster, Reveals Motive for Why Adelsons Planned Dan's Murder." YouTube, uploaded by Surviving The Survivor, 2023.
• "Dolce Vita Recording Exposed: Charlie Adelson's Panic After FBI Contact." YouTube, uploaded by Justice Is A Process!!!!, 2024.
• "Donna Adelson Sentencing Dramatic, Defiant, Remorseless: Body Language Analysis." YouTube, uploaded by Dr. G Explains, Oct. 2025.
• Epstein, Steven. Extreme Punishment: The Chilling True Story of Acclaimed Law Professor Dan Markel's Murder. Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
• "FL v. Donna Adelson | Trial Day 2 - Wendi and Rob Adelson Testify." YouTube, uploaded by Emily D. Baker, Aug. 2025.
• Laidlaw, Katherine. "Murder-in-Law: The Twisted Story of a Domestic Contract Killing." Toronto Life, 14 Sept. 2026.
• Lat, David. "The Dan Markel Case: Charlie Adelson, Convicted." Original Jurisdiction, Substack, 7 Nov. 2023, https://davidlat.substack.com/p/the-dan-markel-case-charlie-adelson-95d.
• Lat, David. "The Dan Markel Case: Wendi Adelson Finds A New Job." Above the Law, 21 July 2017, https://abovethelaw.com/2017/07/the-dan-markel-case-wendi-adelson-finds-a-new-job/.
• Lat, David. "The Murder Of Dan Markel: Wendi Adelson Speaks (Part 3)." Above the Law, 9 June 2016, https://abovethelaw.com/2016/06/the-murder-of-dan-markel-wendi-adelson-speaks-part-3/.
• Schorsch, Peter. "Charlie Adelson Trial Day 3 Part 1: Accomplices Tell the Truth." Florida Politics, 30 Oct. 2023, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/641942-charlie-adelson-trial-day-3-part-1-accomplices-tell-the-truth/.
• Schorsch, Peter. "Dan Markel Trial: Katherine Magbanua Gets Life + 60 Years; Charlie Adelson Trial Early 2023; Tara Kawass Opens Up." Florida Politics, 29 July 2022, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/542700-dan-markel-trial-katherine-magbanua-gets-life-60-years-charlie-adelson-trial-early-2023-tara-kawass-opens-up/.
• State of Florida. Summary of Offense and Probable Cause Affidavit: Donna Sue Adelson (Case No. 2023CF3226A). Leon County Circuit Court, 13 Nov. 2023.
• The ABA Journal. "'Bump' Operation Led to Phone Calls, Restaurant Meeting, Jurors Told in Trial for Murder of Law Prof Markel." ABA Journal, American Bar Association, 1 Nov. 2023.
• The ABA Journal. "Prosecutors' Pursuit: A Timeline of the Dan Markel Murder Trials and Convictions." ABA Journal, American Bar Association, Aug. 2025.
• "The 8-Minute Call That Proves Donna Adelson's Guilt | Wire Evidence." YouTube, uploaded by Justice Is A Process!!!!, 2024.
• "The 'UNREDACTED' Interview of Jeffrey Lacasse." YouTube, uploaded by True Crime Metrix, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab_9BORwlJc.
• "Top Five Reasons Wendi Adelson Could Be Charged Next." Apple Podcasts, Hidden Killers / True Crime Today, 8 Oct. 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-five-reasons-wendi-adelson-could-be-charged-next/id1724041714.
• "Undercover Agent Reveals THE BUMP That Ended Donna Adelson." YouTube, uploaded by Justice Is A Process!!!!, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io1AvDVXwjE. 
• "UNEDITED & UNINTERRUPTED: Wendi Adelson's Full Police Interview Hours After Dan Markel's Murder." YouTube, uploaded by Surviving The Survivor, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7n8CkJfUMA.
• Wikipedia Contributors. "Dan Markel." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Markel.

In August 1995, Mark Winger called 911 from his Springfield, Illinois home. His wife, Donnah, had been brutally attacked by an intruder brandishing a hammer. Mark intervened, shooting the man dead. Police ruled the shooting a justifiable homicide. The case was closed, and Mark was labeled a hero. There was little reason to question what had happened inside that house. But years later, the thoroughness and credibility of that investigation would be called into question.

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Today's snack: Oreo brownies

In August 1995, Mark Winger called 911 from his Springfield, Illinois home. His wife, Donnah, had been brutally attacked by an intruder brandishing a hammer. Mark intervened, shooting the man dead. Police ruled the shooting a justifiable homicide. The case was closed, and Mark was labeled a hero. There was little reason to question what had happened inside that house. But years later, the thoroughness and credibility of that investigation would be called into question.

Listen to Part 2 today on Patreon

Today's snack: Horseshoe sandwich

Sources:

• https://widbroward.org/donate/donnahs-fund/ Donate to Donnah’s Fund
• Zimmerman, Gail Abbott. (2008). Invitation to a Murder: A 48 Hours Mystery. Pocket Books. 
• https://www.disneyplus.com/play/6e97ad69-2376-4080-b67d-d3a5f4b62bc8 20/20
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v36N6KzSTlQ 48 Hours
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1320398215/?match=5&terms=Mark%20Winger%20Donnah&search-id=64058766-15f5-4a37-a8cc-f9ee0b8bdcbe&search-rank=1
• https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/realestate/article/FDRs-grandparents-home-for-sale-in-Newburgh-16792142.php Sara Jane’s old home
• https://patents.justia.com/inventor/robert-saul-brown
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167032390/donnah_ellen-winger/photo#view-photo=143000701
• https://medium.com/@grantbjork92/mark-winger-imitation-hero-a2cd12c079a2
• https://abc7.com/post/mark-winger-case-abc-2020-the-perfect-lie-rebecca-simic/10522876/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1321518778/?match=14&terms=Mark%20Winger&search-id=c605f23f-5100-45d4-9e65-35edcc85afca&search-rank=1
• https://www.alexander-levittfunerals.com/obituaries/ira-drescher/obituary
• https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/Resources/e703b7f7-994b-456b-96f2-6c90d09bd3ca/4131113_R23.pdf

In February 2007, NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak made headlines around the world after driving nearly 900 miles from Houston, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, to confront another woman, allegedly wearing a diaper so she wouldn’t have to stop along the way. Until that pivotal point, Lisa had been known for her remarkable accomplishments. She was a Naval Academy graduate, a decorated naval officer, test pilot, mother of three, and an astronaut who had traveled more than five million miles aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. But just months after returning from space, Lisa was arrested at Orlando International Airport for stalking and attempted kidnapping.

How did one of NASA’s most accomplished astronauts end up there?

Today's snack: Tang and astronaut ice cream

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Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA2Ha7xuJSE Colleen Shipman’s victim impact statement
• Fanning, Diane. (2007). Out There: The In-Depth Story of the Astronaut Love Triangle Case. St. Martin’s Press. 
• Moore, Kimberly. (2020). Star Crossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak. University Press of Florida. 
• https://adventurewrite.com/blog1/about/?v=7af787d2dafc Colleen and Bill’s website. 
• https://people.com/crime/astronaut-love-triangle-lisa-nowak-15-years-attempted-murder-ex-boyfriend-girlfriend/ 
• https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-tackles-drunk-astronauts

In December 2025, police were called to do a welfare check at the home of Charity Powell Beallis when she didn’t show up to sign her divorce decree. The responding officers found her dead along with her six-year-old twins. Charity’s death was soon ruled a suicide and the children’s deaths homicides. Charity’s estranged husband, Randall, a local physician, had been arrested earlier that year for assaulting her and was under investigation for allegations that he had abused their children. Police did not publicly name Randall as a suspect, but Charity’s loved ones came to a very different conclusion.

Today's snack: Oreos - Deep Fried, Chicken & Waffles, and Banana Pudding flavors

Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/lovemarrykill

Sources:

• https://www.sebastiancountyar.gov/Sheriff  
• https://www.sebastiancountyar.gov/Courts/Prosecuting-Attorney
• https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-hell-and-gone-29974699/episode/hell-and-gone-murder-line-charity-beallis-pt-1-313464284?viewTranscription=true Hell and Gone Podcast
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tsp-141-charity-beallis-best-friend-speaks-out-weldon/id1573560247?i=1000756123360 True Sunlight Podcast
• https://www.nwahomepage.com/knwa/family-speaks-out-after-death-of-charity-powell-children/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1235577975/?match=1&terms=charity%20powell&search-id=96cb7a93-cc9a-4eb2-aafe-991b778a9887&search-rank=1
• https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/sebastian-county-sheriffs-office-provides-update-on-bonanza-death-investigation/
• https://www.nwahomepage.com/river-valley-news/new-questions-raised-in-powell-beallis-case/
• https://www.nwahomepage.com/river-valley-news/court-rules-on-release-of-charity-beallis-twins-remains/
• https://people.com/arkansas-mom-final-divorce-hearing-husband-next-day-dead-11864062
• https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/sheriffs-office-update-deaths-charity-beallis-twins/527-fa325c8c-bfde-49a9-a265-064d5fc9ffd2
• https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/dr-randall-beallis-medical-board-records/527-7caff2e1-1303-439d-b084-17487c7ec42e
• https://www.rivervalleydemocratgazette.com/news/2026/jan/31/fort-smith-physician-randy-beallis-appeals/
• https://caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad/case/66GDR-25-40?utm_source=chatgpt.com court records 
• https://www.evansandmillerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/print?o_id=8274581
• https://www.rivervalleydemocratgazette.com/news/2025/dec/17/father-of-randall-beallis-third-wife-said-she/
• https://www.facebook.com/DougWarner.Journalist/videos/beallis-case-on-banfield/2877590629299261/
• https://www.rivervalleydemocratgazette.com/news/2026/mar/04/charity-beallis-died-of-suicide-sebastian-county/
• https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15414455/arkansas-doctor-wife-children-killed-mansion.html
• https://armedicalboard.adh.arkansas.gov/Public/verify/results.aspx?strPHIDNO=ASMB203309
• https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/crime/court-custody-bodies-charity-powell-beallis-twin-children/527-6f90f830-11da-4c15-9cde-6885fabc78f7
• https://www.dailypress.net/life/features/2023/03/if-a-partner-has-ever-strangled-you-they-will-likely-kill-you/

This week marks 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks struck the United States. Today, we honor the 2,977 people who lost their lives. But among the chaos of September 11, 2001, 31-year-old physician Sneha Anne Philip disappeared from Lower Manhattan. She was eventually officially recognized as one of those victims, but nearly 25 years later, no one knows for certain what actually happened to her.

Today's snack: NY style pizza from Joe's

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Sources:

• https://coffeehousewriters.com/getting-away-with-murder/
• https://charleyproject.org/case/sneha-ann-philip
• https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/9-11-anniversary/still-missing-unidentified-remains-leave-lingering-void-9-11-families-n642076
• https://nymag.com/news/features/17336/
• https://abcnews.com/US/911-victim-identified-kind-genetic-genealogy-technique/story?id=135887895
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/21/911-dust-lady-marcy-borders-depression-rehab-back-from-the-brink-then-a-final-bombshell 

Just before dawn on January 26th, 2023, a passing volunteer firefighter spotted a car engulfed in flames at the bottom of an embankment outside Collingwood, Ontario. Inside, firefighters found a body burned beyond recognition in the passenger seat — but no driver anywhere to be found. The car belonged to Ashley Schwalm, a devoted mother of two, and her husband, fire captain James Schwalm, said she'd left home that snowy morning for an early hike while he walked the dog. On the surface, it looked like a tragic accident on an icy road, but missing skid marks, a body on the wrong side of the car, and a husband's story that didn't quite hold up soon pointed investigators somewhere much darker. What followed was a meticulous investigation into a secretly unraveling marriage, an elaborate cover-up staged by a man trained to fight fires, not set them, and the digital trail that finally exposed the truth.

Support us: https://patreon.com/lovemarrykill

Today’s snack: Pimento cheese sandwich and chess pie

Sources:

• Dateline, S34 E8, “Running Man.”
• ABC 20/20, S48 E16, “Footprints in the Snow.”
• Bogdan, Sawyer, and Catherine McDonald. “Ex-Ontario Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Wife’s Murder After Body Found in Flaming Car.” Global News, 20 June 2024.
• D'Andrea, Aaron, and Catherine McDonald. “‘Cold, Callous’: Ex-Ontario Fire Captain Who Murdered Wife Handed Life Sentence.” Global News, 10 Feb. 2025.
• McDonald, Catherine. “Ex-Ontario Fire Captain Who Murdered Wife ‘a Monster,’ Judge Told at Sentencing Hearing.” Global News, 25 Nov. 2024.
• New Jersey Domestic Violence Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board. “NJ Domestic Violence Fatality / Near Fatality Review Board 2021 Annual Report.” State of New Jersey, 2021.
• Ontario Superior Court of Justice. R. v. Schwalm, 2025 ONSC 864. CanLII / minicounsel, heard by Justice Michelle Fuerst, 10 Feb. 2025.
• Phillips, Kim. “Dateline NBC Spotlights Murder of Collingwood’s Ashley Schwalm in Two-Hour Special.” CTV News Barrie, 14 Nov. 2025.
• Singh, Arvind. “Ashley Schwalm Case on Dateline - A Complete Timeline of Events.” Sportskeeda, 15 Nov. 2025.

In 2023, when Kristil Krug began receiving harassing messages from an apparent stalker, her world was turned upside down. As the messages became more threatening and personal, she went to police for help, but tracking down her stalker proved challenging. On December 14 Kristil’s husband, Dan, contacted police to perform a welfare check at their home when he couldn’t reach her. Kristil’s worst fears had come true, but the person who had been terrorizing her was much closer to home than anyone realized.

Today's snack: Peanut butter cookie sandwiches

Support us on Patreon

Sources:

• https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-krug-family 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgV-7qRdKvA Dan’s police interview
• Halvern, Judd. (2025). Inside the House: The Murder of Kristil Krug. Thomas Loyd Publishers (Kindle edition)
• https://www.wespoke.org/motherslost/kristil-krug
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1187577249/?match=1&terms=%22Kristil%20Krug%22&search-id=de176e1b-2e3b-4ee0-b259-964fe78b8b0a&search-rank=1
• https://adamsbroomfieldda.org/blog/15067/Update-Broomfield-Defendant-Sentenced-to-Life-in-Prison-Without-Parole-Following-Conviction-for-Murdering-Stalking-Wife-After-Multi-Week-Trial
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQA1OCty9wg 48 Hours
• https://www.hulu.com/watch/87ffc3db-4c82-443e-92d1-112ea5281f95 20/20
• https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/playback/vod/GMO_00000001008027_01/ef4254f0-10fb-3a02-9fef-a4a30ac32442 Dateline
• https://www.horancares.com/obituaries/kristil-grimsrud-krug
• https://www.broomfield.org/DocumentCenter/View/44083/Press-Release-December-18-2023---Promontory-Loop-Homicide-Arrest?bidId=
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/281796442/kristil-krug
• https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/in-the-news/dateline-full-episode-the-phantom-rcna234785
• https://people.com/where-is-daniel-krug-now-11817939
• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/companies-must-now-quickly-respond-stalking-warrants-oregon-new-law-ta-rcna342379\
• https://5280.com/why-wasnt-kristil-krugs-murderer-caught/

On the afternoon of July 5th, 2012, New Springville schoolteacher Simeonette Mapes-Crupi was found stabbed to death inside her own Staten Island home, just two days before what would have been her fifth wedding anniversary. Her husband, fellow teacher Jonathan Crupi, told police he'd come home to find the house ransacked. On the surface, it looked like a burglary gone wrong, but the deeper investigators looked, the more the "robbery" theory started to fall apart. What followed was a years-long investigation full of dead ends, a scoured crime scene, and a trail of digital evidence that would eventually crack the case wide open.

Today's snack: Peanut Butter Passport (thanks Carla!)

Support us on Patreon

Sources:

• "NYC School Teacher Simonette Mapes-Crupi Found Brutally Stabbed To Death." CBS New York, 5 July 2012, www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-school-teacher-found-fatally-stabbed-inside-staten-island-apartment/ 
• "Family Of Slain NYC Schoolteacher Honoring Their Daughter With Charity Work." CBS New York, 17 Sept. 2012, www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/family-of-slain-nyc-schoolteacher-honoring-their-daughter-with-charity-work/ 
• Mehrotra, Kriti. "Where is Jonathan Crupi Now? Update on Simeonette Mapes' Husband and Killer." Moviedelic, 4 May 2025, moviedelic.com/jonathan-crupi/ 
• New York Times. "Brooklyn Teacher Is Fatally Stabbed." The New York Times, 5 July 2012.
• Dateline, S33 E27, “Secrets of the Sliding Door.”
• Rizzi, Nicholas. "Staten Island Man Sentenced to 25 to Life for Murdering Wife." DNAinfo, 23 Sept. 2015, www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150923/new-springville/staten-island-man-sentenced-25-life-for-murdering-wife-da-says 
• Shortland, Gail. "Cheating Husband Killed His Wife to Stop Her Finding Out About His Secret Sex Sessions with Prostitutes." Mirror, 25 Oct. 2015, www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/cheating-husband-killed-wife-stop-6692290 
• "Simeonette 'Sissy' Mapes Crupi (1982–2012)." Find a Grave, Memorial ID 100688377, www.findagrave.com/memorial/100688377/simeonette-crupi 
• New York City Council. "A Local Law in Relation to the Naming of 63 Thoroughfares and Public Places." The New York City Council, Law No. 2014/034, enacted 9 July 2014, legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1819346&GUID=DC534F75-60A2-4136-AA22-4D335C4F06E3 
• Annese, John. "Teacher Found Brutally Slain in Her Home." Staten Island Advance, 6 July 2012, p. A10.
• "Slain Woman’s Kin Want Justice." Staten Island Advance, 13 July 2012, p. A12.
• Annese, John. "Cold in Her Grave – And the Killer’s at Large." Staten Island Advance, 2 Aug. 2012, p. A7.
• Annese, John. "Accused Wife Killer Hears Slurs in Court." Staten Island Advance, 15 Nov. 2012, p. A3.
• Donnelly, Frank. "Warrants Valid in Search of Alleged Wife-Killer's Home." Staten Island Advance, 14 Apr. 2015, p. A5.
• Donnelly, Frank. "Crupi Gets 25 to Life in Wife's Slaying." Staten Island Advance, 24 Sept. 2015, p. A14.
• Staten Island Advance. "Family of Simeonette Mapes React after Jonathan Crupi Found Guilty." YouTube, July 2015.

In 1980, Betty and Allan Gore and Candy and Pat Montgomery seemed to have much in common. They were raising young families, active in the same small Methodist church, and navigating the pressures of marriage, careers, and parenthood in the growing suburbs north of Dallas. This three-part series follows the relationships that developed between the two couples, the affair that changed all of their lives, and the investigation and trial that became one of the most talked-about murder cases in Texas history.

Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/lovemarrykill

Today's snack: Texas sheet cake