This podcast episode explores the tragic true story of Nick Markowitz, a 15-year-old boy whose life was taken after being used as leverage in a reckless dispute that spiraled out of control.

When a conflict involving his older half-brother and a local drug dealer escalates, Nick is pulled into a situation he had no part in creating. What starts as a misguided attempt to intimidate someone quickly becomes a tragedy driven by fear, ego, and the inability of the adults involved to stop what they started.

The episode also examines how this case entered popular culture through the 2006 film Alpha Dog. While the movie brought national attention to the crime, it also raised difficult questions about storytelling, responsibility, and whose perspective gets remembered. We compare the film’s portrayal of events with the real case, including criticism from Nick’s mother, Susan Markowitz, who later wrote My Stolen Son to reclaim her child’s story from sensationalized narratives.

Sources:

My Stolen Son: The Nick Markowitz Story by Susan Markowitz w/ Jenna Glatzer 

https://allthatsinteresting.com/nicholas-markowitz

Alpha Dog 

https://allthatsinteresting.com/jesse-james-hollywood

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Dog

https://www.independent.com/2009/06/21/witness-rundown-hollywood-trial/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-01-me-64254-story.html

https://www.independent.com/2009/06/10/ben-markowitz-on-stand/

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In this episode, we explore the real-life case of Susan Wright, a Texas woman whose story captured national attention and later inspired the Lifetime made-for-TV movie Blue-Eyed Butcher. We walk through Susan’s background, her marriage to Jeff Wright, and how a seemingly ordinary suburban life became the center of a high-profile criminal case.

Sources:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/susan-wright-193/

Snapped season 1, Episode 9 

https://abc13.com/post/susan-wright-murder-trial-jeff-stabbed-husband-193-times/9184616/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Wright_(murderer)

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/trending/blue-eyed-butcher-texas-woman-who-stabbed-husband-193-times-2003-released-parole/GMR2DZYQLVEIBCYYT7DPOB6IW4/

https://6abc.com/archive/7736279/

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I Am Zozo is a horror film that follows a group of friends who decide to use a Ouija board out of curiosity. During their sessions, the board begins responding aggressively and identifies itself as “Zozo.” As the group continues to engage with it, the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense and unsettling, suggesting that whatever they’ve contacted grows stronger the more attention it receives. The film leaves it ambiguous whether Zozo is a real entity or a manifestation of fear, making the experience feel disturbingly realistic.

In real life, Zozo is a modern paranormal legend that gained popularity through internet forums in the early 2000s. Despite claims that it’s an ancient demon, there’s no historical evidence to support that. Many experts point to the ideomotor effect, where subconscious movements cause the planchette to move without the user realizing it. Over time, repeated stories and media portrayals turned Zozo into a widely feared figure, showing how belief and suggestion can transform an online myth into something that feels terrifyingly real.

Sources:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/science-mysteries/zozo-the-ouija-board-demon.html

https://allthatsinteresting.com/zozo-demon

https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2016/05/zozo_phenomenon_documented_in_new_book_paranormal_corner.html

https://darrenevansparanormal.blogspot.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Zozo

https://www.prweb.com/releases/live_extreme_halloween_paranormal_broadcast_set_for_zozo_ouija_demon_house_in_oklahoma_city_ok/prweb13767920.htm

https://blogcritics.org/exclusive-interview-tim-wood-darren-evans-on-upcoming-live-stream-of-zozo-paranormal-investigation

https://www.ranker.com/list/ouija-board-conversations-with-zozo/lowe-saddler

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This episode explores the true story behind Lifetime’s Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story. From adoption and reunification to manipulation, abuse, and murder.

We examine the escalation of violence, the deaths of Katie, her adoptive father, and her infant son Bennett, and how systemic failures allowed danger to go unchecked. We also separate fact from dramatization in the Lifetime movie, highlighting the real people behind the headlines.

Warning: Discussion of incest, domestic abuse, and multiple deaths, including an infant.

Sources:

https://www.mylifetime.com/movies/husband-father-killer-the-alyssa-pladl-story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bH9b8zLQF0

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2018/04/13/911-call-reveals-new-details-in-triple-murder--suicide

https://abc11.com/post/classmate-of-man-who-killed-wife-infant-in-incest-case-recalls-unusual-behavior/3338606/?userab=abc_web_player-460*variant_b_abc_dmp-1901%2Cotv_web_player-461*variant_b_otv_dmp-1903%2Cotv_web_content_rec-445*variant_b_less_popular_bias-1850%2Chp_banner-426*variant_e__tall_white-1781

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43747225

https://www.aetv.com/articles/steven-pladl-murders

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In 1976, a chilling horror film hit theaters, introducing the world to Damien, the Antichrist child. But while audiences were terrified on screen, strange and deadly events were unfolding behind the scenes. The Omen didn’t just scare moviegoers, it seemed to haunt its cast and crew in real life.

Was it coincidence? Or did the dark subject matter of Satan, prophecy, and the Antichrist bring real-world consequences? In this episode, we’ll explore the chilling events, behind-the-scenes horror, and the enduring legend of The Omen curse.

Sources:

Cursed Films: The Omen 

The Omen

https://www.cineworld.ie/static/en/ie/blog/the-curse-of-the-omen-facts-the-first-omen

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/omen-movie-curse-42514085

https://screenrant.com/omen-1976-cursed-set-scarier-than-movie/

https://eosty.medium.com/the-curse-of-the-omen-real-story-1964c1c355d4

https://www.ripleys.com/stories/the-omen

https://fiveable.me/key-terms/cognitive-psychology/invisible-gorilla-experiment

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In this episode, we take a closer look at the tragic abduction of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman—an event that would go on to reshape the way communities respond to missing-child emergencies. We explore the circumstances surrounding Amber’s disappearance in 1996, the investigation that gripped the nation, and how her legacy inspired the creation of the AMBER Alert system used across the United States today.

We also discuss the 2006 made-for-TV film Amber’s Story, examining how one heartbreaking case sparked a nationwide movement to protect children and mobilize communities.

Sources:

Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert 

https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2021/still-searching-for-ambers-killer

https://people.com/who-killed-amber-hagerman-8752172

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In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary story of actress Theresa Saldana. A rising Hollywood star whose life was nearly cut short by a brutal attack in 1982. From her disciplined childhood in Brooklyn to her breakout roles in Raging Bull and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Theresa seemed destined for fame.

But one terrifying encounter with a delusional stalker changed everything. We explore the stabbing that almost ended her life, the bravery of the stranger who intervened, and her grueling journey through physical and emotional recovery.

Theresa’s story was so compelling it inspired the 1984 TV movie Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story, in which she bravely played herself reliving her attack and survival for the world to see. Hear how she transformed trauma into advocacy, founding Victims for Victims and becoming a pioneering voice for victims’ rights.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdGGHTjKIRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFIctvhD-0Q

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/arts/television/theresa-saldana-actress-and-attack-survivor-dies-at-61.html

https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/3d/152/961.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-05-me-5386-story.html

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In July of 1993, a group of Florida teenagers committed one of the most shocking and senseless murders in modern true crime history. The crime, later dramatized in the 2001 film Bully, was not the work of hardened criminals or masterminds, but of suburban kids. At the center of the story were two childhood friends: Marty Puccio, quiet and impressionable, and Bobby Kent, a young man many described as charismatic but deeply controlling. Those closest to them claimed Bobby bullied, manipulated, and terrorized Marty for years. Marty’s friends convinced themselves the only way to escape Bobby’s influence was to kill him.

What followed was a clumsy, chaotic, and brutally violent attack carried out in a remote swampy area of Broward County. Their plan unraveled almost immediately, leading to multiple arrests, wildly different prison sentences, and decades of debate about what was true, what was exaggerated, and what was simply self-serving testimony. Was Bobby Kent truly the monster the killers claimed he was? Or did a group of teenagers justify murder by rewriting the story after the fact?

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbtfrPpqoqI

Bully 

Bully:The True Story of High School Revenge  by Jim Schutz 

https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/lisa-connelly/

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In this episode, we uncover the terrifying true story behind Taken In Broad Daylight, the Lifetime movie based on the abduction of 17-year-old Anne Sluti. In April 2001, Anne was kidnapped in broad daylight from a Nebraska shopping mall by convicted felon Anthony Steven Wright. What followed was a harrowing six-day ordeal that stretched across multiple states and showcased Anne’s remarkable courage, intelligence, and determination to survive.

We’ll break down how the real-life events unfolded, explore how accurately the film portrayed her experience, and discuss the psychological strength that helped Anne turn from victim to survivor.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mSZZCNFjSs

https://nebraska.tv/archive/what-ever-happened-to-anne-sluti

Deadly Demands Season 1, Episode 6 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/abducted-girl-returns-home

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/340/724/588043/

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In this episode, we start with Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie a gripping Lifetime film that dives into the disappearance of a young woman at a historically Black college. When a student suddenly vanishes, her counselor refuses to look the other way, uncovering a system that too often dismisses missing Black women and girls. The story is fictional, but its message hits painfully close to home.

The film shines a light on how the media and institutions frequently overlook these disappearances. How urgency fades, headlines never come, and families are left to fight alone for attention and answers.

From there, we turn to the real-life disappearance of 18-year-old Cleashindra Hall, a decades-long missing person case that deserves to be remembered.

Cleashindra, or “Clea,” as her family calls her, was an honors student from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with dreams of becoming a pediatrician. On the evening of May 9, 1994, she finished her shift working for a local business and called her mother to say she’d be home soon. But Cleashindra never made that second call, and she was never seen again.

Over the years, her family has searched tirelessly for answers. There were searches, interviews, and countless leads — yet no arrests have ever been made, and no trace of Cleashindra has been found. Despite the time that’s passed, her loved ones have never given up.

Like the story told in Abducted at an HBCU, Cleashindra’s case reflects a painful reality: when young Black women go missing, the attention they receive rarely matches the depth of the loss. This episode is about remembering her, and about refusing to let these stories fade into silence.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3odKv1Fin0

https://www.the-sun.com/news/11962351/lifetime-abducted-hbcu-black-girl-missing/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Cleashindra_Hall

Black Girl Gone: The Disappearance of Cleashindra Hall 

https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/family-of-cleashindra-hall-still-hopes-for-answers-nearly-30-years-after-her-disappearance/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Z4loP9G5g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63MC4OwNYmE

https://news.morehouse.edu/professor-avery-o.-williams-86-writes-screenplay-for-lifetime-original-abducted-at-an-hbcu-a-black-girl-missing-movie

https://www.fox16.com/news/only-on-fox16-transcribed-interviews-from-larry-amos-following-teenagers-disappearance/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/family-cleashindra-hall-still-hopes-221635171.html

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