In this episode, Ally covers the murder of Helle Crafts, a Danish flight attendant and mother of three who disappeared from her Connecticut home in November 1986. As investigators searched for answers, a snowplow driver’s observation and evidence discovered near the Housatonic River helped uncover the truth behind one of the most infamous murder cases in American history.

Before we get into the case, we discuss dog birthdays and the importance of going on platonic dates with friends. Ally also gives a shoutout to Ever Andalo in Charlotte, where she had a great time and discovered an incredible Liguria extra virgin olive oil. You can also follow the restaurant on Instagram at ⁠@ever_andalo⁠.

Story starts: 7:05

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• Associated Press: Richard Crafts Dies Decades After His Conviction for Helle Crafts’ Murder
• HISTORY: Green Beret Indicted for Murder
• Reddit: The Disappearance of Helle Crafts
• People: The Murder of Flight Attendant Helle Crafts and the Wood Chipper Case
• The New York Times: 50-Year Sentence Imposed in Wood Chipper Murder

In this episode, Ally covers the case of Derrick Johnson, a non-speaking man with cerebral palsy whose family believed a Rutgers professor might be helping him communicate in a new way. What began as hope that Derrick had been underestimated became a disturbing case involving facilitated communication, consent, disability, race, power, and the question of who was really speaking for Derrick.

Before we get into the episode, we pose the question: if you could, would you want to hear how your boyfriend, girlfriend, or situationship talks about you when you’re not there? Of course we relate it back to Love Island because it is our current obsession. Then we discuss boy brains vs. girl brains when it comes to relationships.

Story starts: 7:01

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, support is available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at ⁠RAINN.org⁠ or by calling 800-656-HOPE.

Sources:

• Netflix Tudum: Tell Them You Love Me
• TIME: The Chilling Story Behind the Documentary Tell Them You Love Me
• People: Inside Anna Stubblefield’s Case Featured in Hit Netflix Documentary Tell Them You Love Me
• State v. Stubblefield: New Jersey Appellate Opinion
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Facilitated Communication Position Statement
• CDC: About Cerebral Palsy
• FacilitatedCommunication.org: Thoughts About Tell Them You Love Me, Anna Stubblefield, and FC/S2C/RPM
• Bioethics Today: Tell Them You Love Me is Shamefully Ableist
• The Guardian: Tell Them You Love Me Review

In this episode, Abby covers the victims of The Predator of Seville, the story of how dozens of women studying abroad in Spain uncovered a pattern of sexual violence connected to a charismatic tour guide known as "Manu White." As more survivors came forward, their stories revealed years of abuse and a determined fight to hold him accountable.

Before we get into the episode, we discuss Malcolm in the Middle, our favorite childhood TV shows, and why Frankie Muniz was basically the Timothée Chalamet of the early 2000s.

Story starts: 9:01

We also want to thank Gabrielle Vega for sharing her story and helping bring more awareness to this case. If you'd like to support her, you can also check out her incredible photography work on Instagram here: @gabriellevega.jpg.

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• Netflix: The Predator of Seville
• People: Where Is Manuel Blanco Vela Now?
• Cosmopolitan: Where Is Manuel Blanco Vela Now? Inside the True Story Behind The Predator of Seville

In this episode, Ally covers the cases of Cherie Bishop and Donna Bell, two women from Brockton, Massachusetts whose cases began years apart but would later become connected through DNA. What starts with Cherie’s 1991 murder and Donna’s 1993 attack becomes a story about cold case evidence, forensic genealogy, and what it means when answers come decades too late.

In the intro, we talk about how Abigail is not actually Abby’s real name, all things Love Island USA pre-Casa Amor, and weird allergies.

Story starts: 11:04

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• WCVB Channel 5 Boston: DNA helped link, solve Brockton murder, rape cases from 1990s
• Boston 25 News: Decades later, ancestry DNA sites play role in solving 1991 murder, 1993 rape cases in Brockton
• CBS News Boston: Families find relief after DNA testing helps solve 2 Brockton cold cases over 30 years old
• NBC Boston: DNA tracks down killer, rapist in 2 Brockton cold cases, DA says
• Othram / DNASolves: After 32 Years, Donna Bell’s 1993 Assault is Solved
• Forensic Magazine: DNA Ties Deceased Suspect to 2 Cold Case Rapes, Murder
• Massachusetts State Police News: Suspect Revealed Through DNA Breakthrough in 1991 Homicide and 1993 Sexual Assault
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: Jennifer Lynn Fay
• The Boston Globe / Newspapers.com, June 26, 1991: “Brockton woman is found dead”
• North Adams Transcript, June 26, 1991: “Woman’s body found near playground”

In May 1986, 22-year-old Roberta Walls was found murdered in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

She had last been seen the night before at the Bayside Public Library, just across the street from where her body would later be discovered. Her case stayed unsolved for nearly 40 years.

This week, we walk through who Roberta was, the night she disappeared, the discovery near the school and library, the early investigation, the long silence in her case, and the DNA breakthrough that led investigators to a man in Connecticut decades later.

This is a case about a young woman whose life was stolen, a family that waited almost 40 years for answers, and the way forensic genealogy is changing what is possible in cold case investigations.

Before the case starts, we spend the first 20 minutes talking about Euphoria, including the series as a whole, season 3 specifically, and (spoilers!) the series finale.

Story starts: 22:41

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• Virginia Beach Police Department / Virginia Attorney General: Cold Case Release
• Virginia State Police Cold Case Database: Roberta Walls
• Virginia State Police Cold Case Database: Main Site
• ABC News / Good Morning America
• Connecticut Insider: Arrest Coverage
• Connecticut Insider: Additional Coverage
• Connecticut Insider: Forensic Genealogy Details
• WYDaily: 2017 DNA Composite Sketches Released
• Reddit Discussion: Arrest Made in Murder of Roberta Walls
• FBI: CODIS and NDIS Fact Sheet
• Department of Justice: Sexual Assault Kit Initiative
• Ancestry: Law Enforcement Information
• FamilyTreeDNA: Law Enforcement and Investigative Genetic Genealogy
• National Institute of Justice: What Is Investigative Genetic Genealogy?

In December 2010, 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was found at the bottom of a garbage chute inside a luxury apartment building in Melbourne, Australia.

Her death was officially ruled a tragic accident, or death by misadventure. But from the beginning, Phoebe’s family believed the explanation did not match the evidence.

This week, we walk through who Phoebe was, her relationship with Antony Hampel, the discovery at the Balencea apartment building, the autopsy findings, the blood evidence, the questions around the investigation, and the later reenactment that made people question whether the official theory was physically possible.

This is a case about a young woman whose struggles were too often used to explain away the things that did not make sense. It is also a case about what happens when mental health, addiction, and victim credibility become part of the story before every question has been answered.

Story starts: 10:00

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• ABC News: Woman who fell down garbage chute was sleepwalking, coroner says
• ABC News: Coroner investigates whether drugs played role in garbage chute death
• 9News: The mystery death of Phoebe Handsjuk
• 9Now: Under Investigation, Phoebe Handsjuk episode
• Marie Claire Australia: Phoebe Handsjuk investigation
• SBS News: Coroner to examine garbage chute death
• Phoebe Handsjuk family website

To learn more about Phoebe’s case and her family’s fight for answers: ⁠Visit the Phoebe Handsjuk family website⁠

If you are in Australia and have information related to this case or any crime: contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1800 333 000 or submit a report online at ⁠Crime Stoppers Australia⁠. In an emergency, call 000.

In this episode, Abby tells the story of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian woman whose life was violently taken in Charlotte, North Carolina, the city we call home. Iryna survived war and displacement, came to the United States looking for safety and a fresh start, and was building a life filled with creativity, work, family, and hope when she was killed in a random attack on the Lynx Blue Line.

Before the case, we talk about Ally's dog Nemo potentially being racist, the shows we could rewatch every single day, and why The Vampire Diaries will always have a chokehold on us.

Story starts: 11:51

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• James Funeral Home obituary for Iryna Zarutska
• WCNC: Pizzeria honors Iryna Zarutska after Charlotte stabbing
• Queen City News: Autopsy reveals three stab wounds
• WBTV: Timeline of the Charlotte light rail stabbing case
• Daily Caller: Reporting on suspect statement after Charlotte train stabbing
• The Charlotte Observer: Local reporting on the case

This is a preview of our first Patreon-exclusive bonus episode.

In the full 55-minute episode, we’re talking about how Probation Behavior actually came together, from deciding we wanted to make a podcast, to choosing the name, figuring out the vibe, planning the launch, and everything we were doing behind the scenes before our first episode went live.

We also get into what we almost did differently, what surprised us, what stressed us out, and how this whole thing started to feel real.

This preview is available on our main feed, but the full episode is only available for Friends of the Pod on Patreon.

Listen to the full episode on Patreon: Join Friends of the Pod

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

In this episode, Ally covers the complicated life, legacy, and death of Michael Jackson, with a little extra atmosphere because we recorded during a full torrential downpour, so yes, that is real thunder you hear in the background. From his childhood in the Jackson family machine to his rise as one of the most influential performers in history, we look at the brilliance, pressure, public scrutiny, family dynamics, vitiligo, Neverland, relationships, fatherhood, and allegations that shaped the way the world saw him.

But this story starts and ends with the question that sparked the episode: what really happened when Michael Jackson died? His death was not just a vague celebrity overdose. It was ruled a homicide, and his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving him propofol, a surgical anesthetic, in a private bedroom.

We also discuss the 1993 allegations, the 2005 trial and acquittal, the posthumous allegations in Leaving Neverland, Michael’s children, the public divide over his legacy, and why his death raises bigger questions about fame, addiction, medical ethics, and who is responsible when the people around a vulnerable celebrity are supposed to protect them.

Story starts: 13:09

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, Michael Jackson Autopsy Report
• FBI Records: Michael Jackson
• People, “Michael Jackson Was Over $500 Million in Debt at Time of Death, New Court Documents Reveal”
• Associated Press reporting on Michael Jackson’s Pepsi commercial accident and burn injury
• Los Angeles Times reporting on Jermaine Jackson’s “Word to the Badd!!”
• Britannica, “Michael Jackson”
• Britannica, “Billie Jean”
• Time reporting on the Berlin balcony incident
• NME reporting on Paris Jackson’s comments about wearing masks as a child
• People reporting on Michael Jackson’s children
• People reporting on Neverland Ranch / Sycamore Valley Ranch
• People reporting on Michael Jackson’s exotic animals
• The Guardian reporting on Dr. Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter conviction
• CNN reporting on Dr. Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter conviction
• Reporting and court summaries on the 1993 Jordan Chandler allegations and settlement
• Reporting and court summaries on the 2005 Gavin Arvizo trial and Michael Jackson’s acquittal
• HBO’s Leaving Neverland and related reporting on Wade Robson and James Safechuck
• The Guardian reporting on Michael Jackson’s biopic and Paris Jackson’s criticism
• Variety reporting on Michael biopic reshoots and allegation-related material
• Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller
• Michael Jackson’s Thriller, directed by John Landis
• Living with Michael Jackson, Martin Bashir documentary
• Take Two: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See

In this episode, Abby covers the disappearance of Maura Murray, a 21-year-old nursing student who vanished after a car accident on a rural road in Haverhill, New Hampshire in February 2004. What begins as a timeline of a young woman’s final known movements quickly turns into one of the most debated missing person cases in modern true crime, with unanswered questions around the crash, the 911 calls, witness accounts, and what may have happened in the minutes before police arrived.

Story starts: 6:33

We also want to shout out Media Pressure, the podcast hosted by Maura’s sister, Julie Murray. You can listen and learn more here: https://www.mediapressure.com/

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• The Disappearance of Maura Murray
• 911 Calls PDF
• The 107 Degree Timeline
• Spotify Episode Source
• Spotify Show Source
• Maura Murray Missing
• Reddit: Revisiting 001 vs. Witness A
• Media Pressure