Lucid Lab Podcast

Hey Lucid Lab Friends! Please listen to a special message from Jessica and Kendra. Stay Lucid! We love you!

---

Send your questions and episode suggestions to [email protected] 

Have a special experience or story you want to share? Send us anything! True crime, paranormal, alien encounters, spiritual experiences, dreams, etc. We might read it in our Lab Reports episode!

We are back this week with our 2nd Halloween True Crime Story rerun. Kendra brings us the tragic murder of Martha Moxley, still considered "unsolved" today. But everyone kind of knows who did it...

Greenwich, CT was the place you moved to keep your kids safe, especially if you could afford the elite Bell Haven neighborhood. But the illusion of safety was shattered for everyone in the community when the beautiful, young 15 year old Martha was found bludgeoned to death on Halloween...in her own backyard. How could something like this happen?? Police were not prepared to handle a homicide investigation and the case went cold for many years. 

20 years after her death, new information led to the conviction of someone that lived very close to Martha with ties to the Kennedy family.  He would be sentenced 20 years to life but would only serve 11 years before he was released on appeal. To this day, the Moxley family has no clear answers or closure for the senseless death of their beloved daughter. Let's discuss how money and influential family ties may have played into this miscarriage of justice. 

__________

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and anywhere else you listen to podcasts! Follow Lucid Lab Podcast on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube) @ lucidlabpodcast

Email us with any questions, suggestions or listener stories @ [email protected]

__________

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/05/nyregion/martha-moxley-murder-case.html#:~:text=The%20Moxley%20family%20lived%20in,out%20for%20the%20cheerleading%20squad.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2000/10/dominick-dunne-martha-moxley-murder-greenwich#:~:text=Trail%20Of%20Guilt,Kennedy%2C%20was%20indicted%20for%20murder.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-killed-martha-moxley/

Arpana was a beautiful, talented, wildly smart 24-year-old living her best life in Redmond, Washington, when her life was cut short. She held an apartment-wide Halloween party with other residents. This fun night ended in her brutal murder. The question remains today, 15 years later… Who did it? One person was charged with her death, but he was acquitted, and for good reason. But why is this case so hard to solve? The answer is multi-faceted - DNA, racism, and shoddy police work. You name it. There was a plethora of DNA with no strong matches, but we think we know who the culprit is. And we think you’ll agree! Join us as we go over all the possibilities.

---

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and anywhere else you listen to podcasts!! Follow Lucid Lab Podcast on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube) @lucidlabpodcast

Email us with any questions or suggestions @ [email protected]

***LAB REPORTS*** Don’t forget to email in your own stories! We’ll read a select few each month on our special Lab Report episode! An episode dedicated to our listeners and their crazy experiences!

---

Sources:

Whelan, M. (2020, July 5). Arpana Jinaga. Arpana Jinaga — Unresolved

Rasmussen, A. (n.d.). Woman Found Dead After Hosting Halloween Costume Party At Her Apartment. Woman Found Dead After Hosting Halloween Costume Party At Her Apartment | Murders and Homicides on Crimefeed | Investigation Discovery

Rasmussen, A. (n.d.). Man Accused of Killing Arpana Jinaga Freed After He’s Held 9 Years With No Conviction. Emanuel Fair Freed After He’s Held 9 Years With No Conviction | Seeking Justice | Investigation Discovery

Winter, H. (2022, April 1). He Spent Eight Years in Jail Without a Conviction. Now, He’s Suing Everyone Who Kept Him There. Rolling Stone. Eight Years in Jail With No Conviction: Emanuel Fair Files Lawsuit – Rolling Stone

Listen for a brief message about what's going on with us this week and we look forward to seeing you next Tuesday! In the meantime, Stay Lucid.

Send any listener stories, comments or episode suggestions to [email protected]

Please subscribe, like and leave nice comments if you are enjoying Lucid Lab Podcast on your favorite platform. 

Kendra covers one of the most haunting and heartbreaking  cases of recent years: the story of Chris Watts. In August 2018, the seemingly picture-perfect Watts family of Frederick, Colorado, was torn apart by an unthinkable crime. Shanann Watts, a devoted wife and mother, along with her two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, vanished without a trace. As friends and neighbors rallied to find them, Chris Watts appeared on camera pleading for their safe return. But behind his calm demeanor was a cold-blooded killer. 

In our 2nd episode of this 2 part series on the Watts family murders, we will discuss what happened after Shanann returned home from her trip on Aug 13, the grim discovery, Chris' confession and the aftermath from the murders of Shanann, Bella and Celeste. We will also discuss our take on what Chris Watts may have been thinking, what experts believe led up to his brutal actions and where everyone is at today. 

__________

Please rate and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform!

Send any suggestions, lab report stories or comments to us at [email protected]

_________

Sources:

Chris Watts says he's 'forgiven' by God for murdering wife, daughters

Glatt, John. The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts. July 2020. St Martin’s Press. 

Netflix. American Murder: The Family Next Door. Sept 2020. 

Derhally, Lena. My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts went from Family Man to Family Killer. Sept 2019. Self Published

On today's episode, Kendra covers one of the most haunting and heartbreaking  cases of recent years: the story of Chris Watts. In August 2018, the seemingly picture-perfect Watts family of Frederick, Colorado, was torn apart by an unthinkable crime. Shanann Watts, a devoted wife and mother, along with her two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, vanished without a trace. As friends and neighbors rallied to find them, Chris Watts appeared on camera pleading for their safe return. But behind his calm demeanor was a cold-blooded killer. 

In the first episode of our 2 part series on the Watts family murders, we will discuss background of Chris and Shanann, how they came to marry and have children together, what might have been going on in the household, Chris' affair with a co-worker and all the events that lead up to the fateful night of Aug 13, 2018. 

__________

Please rate and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform!

Send any suggestions, lab report stories or comments to us at [email protected]

_________

Sources:

Chris Watts says he's 'forgiven' by God for murdering wife, daughters

Glatt, John. The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts. July 2020. St Martin’s Press. 

Netflix. American Murder: The Family Next Door. Sept 2020. 

Derhally, Lena. My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts went from Family Man to Family Killer. Sept 2019. Self Published

Hey Lab Rats! We’re back just in time for Lab Reports! We share a listener's story of a haunted doll and a cautionary tale about stranger danger and escaping a potential serial killer.

For our first Mini-Episode, we discuss a 67-year-old mystery. On November 8, 1957, Pan Am Flight 7 departed San Francisco for Honolulu on what was supposed to be a routine trans-Pacific crossing. Instead, it vanished. Wreckage was later discovered scattered across the ocean, along with the bodies of some passengers, but no clear answers ever surfaced. Was it mechanical failure, sabotage, or something more sinister? 

For Jessica’s Mini-Episode, we cover a Colorado nightmare. In October 2023, authorities uncovered 191 decomposing bodies inside Colorado’s Return to Nature Funeral Home, exposing a web of fraud and betrayal by owners Jon and Carie Hallford. We unravel how their eco-friendly façade collapsed into one of the most disturbing scandals in U.S. funeral industry history, from the grisly discovery to the Hallfords’ charges, sentencing, and ongoing trials. And to top it off - yet another Colorado funeral home has been caught in August 2025 doing some very similar things - Davis Mortuary in Pueblo, CO.

---

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and anywhere else you listen to podcasts!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Follow Lucid Lab Podcast on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube) @lucidlabpodcast

Send your questions and episode suggestions to [email protected] 

Have a special experience or story you want to share? Send us anything! True crime, paranormal, alien encounters, spiritual experiences, dreams, etc. We might read it in our Lab Reports episode!

---

Sources:

Pan Am Flight 7 - Wikipedia

What Happened to Pan Am Flight 7?

The Mystery of the Lost Clipper

Aviation Mysteries: The Disappearance of Pan Am Flight 7 - Aviation Oil Outlet

Associated Press. (2024, August 5). Owners of Colorado funeral home where 190 bodies found ordered to pay $950m. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/05/colorado-funeral-home-ruling

Associated Press. (2024, October 24). Funeral home owner who sent families fake ashes pleads guilty to fraud. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/197c57fcec16b681ed0639e1f4389ab7

CBS News Colorado. (2024, November 1). Jon Hallford pleads guilty in Penrose funeral home case involving nearly 200 decomposing bodies. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/jon-hallford-penrose-colorado-funeral-home-bodies-discovered-sentenced-guilty-plea

Colorado Public Radio. (2025, August 22). Judge rejects plea deal for Return to Nature funeral director after emotional victim testimony. CPR News. https://www.cpr.org/2025/08/22/plea-deal-rejected-return-to-nature-funeral-director

Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Colorado. (2025, June 27). Colorado Springs funeral home operator sentenced in gruesome fraud scheme. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/colorado-springs-funeral-home-operator-sentenced-gruesome-fraud-scheme

Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Colorado. (2024, October 19). Return to Nature funeral home owners plead guilty in federal court. U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/return-nature-funeral-home-owners-plead-guilty-federal-court

KRDO. (2024, February 23). Who are Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of Penrose funeral home Return to Nature? KRDO. https://krdo.com/news/2024/02/23/who-are-jon-and-carie-hallford-owners-of-penrose-funeral-home-return-to-nature

We don't like it and neither do you, but sometimes one of us gets sick. Boo. We will be back next week! Love you guys!

In September 1972, a dog returned home carrying a decomposed human forearm, leading police to a steep cliff in Springfield, New Jersey, ominously known as “Devil’s Teeth.” There, they discovered the nearly skeletal remains of 16‑year‑old Jeannette DePalma, who had been missing for six weeks. What followed became one of New Jersey’s strangest unsolved cases—an investigation clouded by rumors of witchcraft, missing evidence, and conflicting theories that still divide the community today.

More than fifty years later, Jeannette’s death remains a mystery despite many theories and possible suspects. Was she the victim of occult violence, a local predator, a serial killer, or something else entirely? Join us as we dive deep into the facts, the folklore, and the frustrating gaps in this enduring cold case. We also discuss other victims possibly connected to Jeannette’s killer: Joan Kramer, Carol Ann Farino, Mary Ann Pryor, and Lorraine Marie Kelley.

---

Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and anywhere else you listen to podcasts!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Follow Lucid Lab Podcast on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube) @lucidlabpodcast

Send your questions and episode suggestions to [email protected] 

Have a special experience or story you want to share? Send us anything! True crime, paranormal, alien encounters, spiritual experiences, dreams, etc. We might read it in our Lab Reports episode!

---

Sources:

1974 Double Murder of North Bergen Teenagers Solved

Daughter of Jersey Executive Found Strangled

Death of Jeannette DePalma. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 2025, from Wikipedia entry summarizing the case details and developments.

Pollack, J. P. (2022). Death on the Devil’s Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey. The History Press.

Pollack, J. P., & Moran, M. (2015). Death on the Devil’s Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey. The History Press

‘Torso Killer’ Pleads Guilty in 1974 New Jersey Cold Case Murders

Weird NJ magazine issues. Coverage on DePalma’s case, including debunking of occult rumors.

We are covering 2 cases this week on our special Under the Microscope episode. First, Kendra brings us The Hello Kitty Murder case, a brutal killing of a poor woman in Hong Kong with a macabre twist that involves a Hello Kitty doll. Fan Man-Yee was subjected to the kinds of torture that no human being should ever have to face, with the only reason being that she stole $500 USD. 

Jessica covers the death of Francis Braum. What begins as a night of drinking between two longtime friends ends in one of the most horrifying and surreal tragedies you’ve likely never heard of. In 2004, 21-year-old John Hutcherson drove home with the headless body of his friend, Francis Brohm, still strapped into the passenger seat beside him — and claimed he didn’t remember anything. Listen and let us know your thoughts — Was it denial, dissociation…or something more?

Please subscribe and rate 5 stars wherever you listen to your podcasts as you continue to enjoy Lucid Lab Podcast. 

__________

Sources:

Inside The Hello Kitty Murder Case's Unimaginable Horrors

Hello Kitty murder case - Wikipedia

CBS News. (2004, August 30). DUI decapitation horror. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dui-decapitation-horror/

CBS News. (2004, September 7). Headless man's family offers mercy. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/headless-mans-family-offers-mercy/

AccessWDUN. (2004, August 30). Man decapitated in freak accident in Cobb County. https://accesswdun.com/article/2004/8/161932

Wired. (2004, August 30). Headless body in topless car. https://www.wired.com/2004/08/headless-body-in-topless-car/

WAVE 3 News. (2004, September 7). Louisville man decapitated in freak accident; charges filed. https://www.wave3.com/story/2240836/louisville-man-decapitated-in-freak-accident-charges-filed/

Reddit. (2023). I think I found the accident that inspired that scene in Hereditary [Online forum post]. r/horror. https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/1fy2ppe/i_think_i_found_the_accident_that_inspired_that/

Reddit. (2020). Hereditary death based in real life? [Online forum post]. r/horror. https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/gnspsf/hereditary_death_based_in_real_life/