Have you ever known a family who was super close? So often when we hear of horrific familial tragedies, it’s the same story: we saw it coming, they were fighting all the time, they were being cut off from their extended family and friends. But every so often, we hear of another kind of family: an idyllic family, gone in a flash, and no one saw it coming.

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Sources: 

'I'm shooting people': Man who allegedly shot family calls 911 [Audio] 

Texts Show Texas Christmas Day Shooting Timeline 

Christmas Massacre Was Premeditated: Police 

Gunman in Christmas Massacre on 911 Call: ‘Shooting People' 

Estranged Husband Dressed As Santa Blamed For Christmas Day Massacre 

Family Speaks Out Over Christmas Day Shootings 

Documents bring glimpse of troubled life of Grapevine mass shooter 

Texas gunman Aziz Yazdanpanah was angry with wife's success, friends say 

Father dressed as Santa gunned down entire family on Christmas Day because 'he was upset his estranged wife was doing well on her own' 

List of rampage killers (familicides in the United States)

Here’s a Timeline of the Major Gun Control Laws in America 

Why are most mass murderers men? 

A country-fried massacre? Say it ain’t so. 

For the full episode transcript, click here. 

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Have a suggestion for a case? Email me at [email protected]. 

Sources: 

Murder of the Lawson family 

Why people never smiled in old photographs 

The Meaning of Our Tears by Trudy J. Smith 

White Christmas, Bloody Christmas by Trudy J. Smith 

Dreams in the Witch House (Lovecraftian Dark Ambient Hour) 

Sound Effect Horror Intro | No Copyright - Vol.1 

Another not-so-merry murder. Today we’re discussing one of the most infamous Christmas murders on the west coast.  

Where to Donate for BLM 

For the full episode transcript, click here. 

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Follow Boo and me on Instagram (not in real life) @jenkilzum.

Have a suggestion for a case? Email me at [email protected]. 

Sources: 

A solitary man with murder in his heart 

Go Lake Havasu 

Find A Grave - Bruce Jeffrey Pardo 

Santa shooter carried secret guilt, attorney says 

Pardo was high on Coke during massacre 

Murderpedia - Bruce Pardo

A look at the nine Christmas Eve shooting victims 

Survivor of Covina Christmas massacre to join protesting students in Pasadena  

More grim details of Christmas Eve shooting rampage in Covina emerge 

Police: Santa shooter planned to fly to Canada after killings but badly burned himself 

Music provided by RFM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beRziLOoA54 

Copyright Free Background Music For Your YouTube Ambient Dark By MMZEE Royalty Free Music

Sinister Dark Ambient Background Music - Dark Rage

The holidays can be a stressful time, to say the least, and this can lead to some fights between couples. Was Dustin Klopp's violent attack out of nowhere, or something you could've seen coming from a mile away? 

Follow me on Instagram @jenkilzum. Email me with case suggestions at [email protected]. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline here. Si usted o alguien que conoce es víctima de abuso, comuníquese con el National Domestic Violence Hotline aquí.

Patreon, Ko-Fi, and more! 

Full transcript for this episode.  

Source:

Men Who Murder Their Families: What the Research Tells Us 

Paradise Township man charged with cutting, axing wife to death 

Inmate accused of killing wife with ax is brain dead after suicide attempt: Reports 

Accused Ax Murderer Dustin Lee Klopp Confessed To Killing Wife On Christmas Eve, DA Says 

Neighbors shaken by Paradise Township homicide; one says accused killer Dustin Klopp 'seemed paranoid' 

Stephanie Kilhefner Klopp Mem. Fund - GoFundMe 

Man charged in wife's ax killing also sexually assaulted her, police say 

16 Lancaster County Prison inmates lost to suicide since 1998 

2 Lancaster prison guards fired weeks after inmate suicide 

Family Files Suit Over Prison Suicide 

Domestic abuse: Killers 'follow eight-stage pattern', study says 

Domestic violence in the United States - Wikipedia 

Quote - Ojingiri Hannah 

Music Used: 

Broken Soul 

"Horror Theme" originally composed and produced by "Vivek Abhishek" : https://youtu.be/LwjzmdiRFpc 

Space Organ Ambient Music - Unfa

Ambient Background Music - Cicada 3301 

SURPRISE! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Today we're discussing a shorter case, as well as sitting down for a drink and a casual Q+A with Boo and me. Enjoy! Follow me on Instagram @jenkilzum, or email me at [email protected] with case suggestions. 

Patreon, Ko-Fi, and more! 

Full transcript for this episode.  

Sources: 

Murderpedia - Patty White 

Woman sentenced to 45 years for Dec. 2011 murder of 67-year-old Jacksonville friend 

Jacksonville woman killed at Southside gated community 

Michele O'Dowd - Obituary 

Music Used in Q&A

Music Used in Main Episode

Today’s holiday-themed case is quite the throwback. Now, this is a story I haven’t seen covered a lot, but from what I read, it seems like many consider it to be a pretty notorious case! It happened back in 1881, almost 140 years ago.

This is the story of The Ashland Tragedy.

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Click here for full transcript of this episode. 

Sources: 

The Ashland Tragedy Proves Evil is Nothing New 

The Ashland Tragedy: Murder, a Mob and a Militia in Kentucky (True Crime) - Pre-order 

The Ashland Tragedy - Wikipedia  

The Clio - The Ashland Tragedy 

Sword and Scale - The Ashland Tragedy 

When An Architectural Survey Reveals A Dark Past 

Appalachian History - The Ashland Tragedy 

The Ashland Tragedy (I)

The Ashland Tragedy (II)

https://theashlandtragedy.com 

’Twas The Night Before Christmas

Wind Sound Effect

Fire alarm call box 

Reporter's Guide: The consequences of fire 

CPI Inflation Calculator 

Oxford Language 

Within every family, there’s usually one black sheep, one person who doesn’t quite fit in with everyone else. But what if that family member was harboring a deep-seated hatred, an urge to take all that you love away?

This is the story of the Merhige Thanksgiving Massacre.

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Support the show on Ko-Fi or Patreon! 

Click here for full transcript of this episode. 

Sources: 

Murderpedia - Paul Merhige Photos  

Murderpedia - Paul Merhige 

Thanksgiving Day murder suspect Paul Merhige busted in Florida by 'America's Most Wanted' tip 

Appeals court rejects suit against Paul Merhige’s parents in Thanksgiving killings 

WFLX Archived 

CBS Miami - Archives 

Man admits murdering 4 relatives on Thanksgiving, gets life in prison 

Merhige sentenced to 7 consecutive sentences of life in prison   

FindLaw 

Public Police Record - Paul Merhige 

Thanksgiving Killings Suspect Nabbed at Fla. Hotel 

A taxonomy of male British family annihilators, 1980-2013 

Characteristics of family killers revealed: The male dominated crime most common in August 

Anomic - Definition 

Anomie - Definition 

NAMI - Ativan 

Cooling Off Period - Psychology Today 

Mass murder - Wikipedia 

Homicide - Definition 

Parricide - Definition 

Serial killer - Wikipedia 

Spree killer - Wikipedia 

‘You’ll never see the light of day’: Thanksgiving Day killer who murdered four relatives is handed seven life sentences by sickened judge 

Dark Ambient Music 

Hello everyone! Welcome to my favorite time of the year. Did you know that robbery and personal larceny increase by approximately 20 percent in December? However, more violent crimes like murder typically do not increase during this time. That being said, there’s something about a murder committed during the holidays that stings just a little more than one carried out on a mild-August afternoon. 

This holiday season, we’re diving in to the real holiday horrors that left some families with an empty chair at the dinner table. So grab your wassail! Spooky Juice is about to get festive and the first on our list: The Gattis Thanksgiving Triple Murder.

For the full transcript of this episode, click here. 

Follow Me on Instagram: @jenkilzum 

Sources: 

When A Pastor Lost Patience – Three Dead At Thanksgiving 

Southern Fried True Crime: Episode 78 THANKSGIVING TRIPLE HOMICIDE: YOUTH MINISTER & MURDERER: CHRISTOPHER GATTIS 

"I will go out. I will leave": Wife, stepdaughter and her boyfriend pleaded for their lives before ex-pastor killed them 

Ex-youth ministry director to serve 58 years for Thanksgiving triple killing; cellphone footage of murders shown in court 

Prosecutors: Christopher Gattis sent bizarre text messages to his victims prior to killing them 

‘They’re probably all dead’: Court docs reveal chilling details of Chesterfield triple murder  

Understanding the Reality of Holiday-Related Crimes 

Everipedia 

FindLaw, State v. Gattis 

Video evidence introduced in triple homicide case  

Christopher Gattis: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know 

The Biltmore 

Candice Kunze's Obituary 

'She was such a warm person': Friends emphasize positivity of Candice Kunze  

In Memory of Candy Kunze 

Andrew Buthorn's Obituary I 

Andrew Buthorn's Obituary II 

Thanksgiving triple-murder suspect was charged with assault in 2012 

What Is Public Intoxication? 

Ex-Virginia youth pastor gets 58 years in triple slaying 

Youth pastor accused of killing family on Thanksgiving denied bond 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea-wlBSqx1c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKdjSUEHaJ0

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, Y'ALL! 

Y’all already know I would not end this spooky season without doing another case inspired by my favorite movie! As some of you already know, this is the final episode in a Halloween spooky series dedicated to true crime events that went on to inspire scary movies, as well as true crime events that unintentionally were inspired by movies — and this time, we’re doing the former. (Eep!)

For the full transcript of this episode, click here. 

Instagram: @jenkilzum 

TikTok: @themotherofbabes

Email: [email protected]

Sources: 

Scream 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_v._Florida  

Hey y'all! This week we're continuing our month-long spooky series in preparation for Halloween with a look into an unsolved murder mystery that's cast a shadow on the quaint town of Texarkana for the past 74 years: The Phantom Killer. Enjoy! 

For the full transcript of this episode, click here. 

Instagram: @jenkilzum 

TikTok: @themotherofbabes

Email: [email protected]

Sources: 

Morbid: A True Crime Podcast, Episode 159:  Virtual Live Show! Texarkana Moonlight Murders & The New Orleans Trunk Murders

Murder In The Moonlight 

The Town That Dreaded Sundown 1976 

The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014

Texarkana Gazette 

Texarkana Daily News

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Town_That_Dreaded_Sundown_(2014_film)