Judith Ann Neelley’s story is one of the darkest chapters in Southern criminal history. In 1982, at just eighteen, she and her husband Alvin carried out a series of kidnappings and assaults that escalated into the murder of Lisa Ann Millican—crimes so brutal investigators struggled to understand the violence behind them.

Join us for The Neelley Investigation. This episode traces Judith Neelley’s path to evil: her troubled early life, her volatile relationship with Alvin, the abduction that shocked everyone, and the investigation that finally exposed the couple’s crimes. We’ll look at the trial, the legal battles that followed, and how someone so young became central to a case that still unsettles those who study it.

Sources

Early Graves by Thomas H. Cook

Nightrider and Lady Sundown: The Bonnie and Clyde of Georgia by Katherine Ramsland, https://web.archive.org/web/20090602035208/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/neelley/5.html, retrieved 9/2/2026.

Wicked Attraction: Investigation Discovery, 2/22/2011, retrieved 9/2/2026.

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Michael Cochran’s murder shocked a quiet West Virginia community and exposed a web of deception that had been building for years. What looked like a medical emergency quickly led to a criminal investigation uncovering fraud, manipulation, and a deadly plan carried out by the one he trusted most.

Join us for The Ponzi Widow. We are following the evidence—from forged prescriptions to financial schemes to murder—to reveal how the truth finally emerged. Through case files and media reports, we are examining the choices that led to Michael’s death and the fight for justice that followed.

Sources

The Devil’s in the Details, Dateline NBC, 4/25/2025.

Natalie Cochran Case: Insulin Murder and $2.5M Fraud Scheme.” DocumentaryTube, 8/10/2026.

Raleigh County Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia, U.S. Department of Justice, 9/21/2020.

Raleigh County Pharmacist Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Fraud Scheme, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia, U.S. Department of Justice, 3/18/2021.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Natalie Cochran.” Wikipedia, 2026.

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There are some crimes that are just impossible to understand, not because the facts are unclear but because the darkness seems so out of place.

One December morning in 1991, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, eighteen-year-old Laurie Show never arrived at school. By the end of the day, a community that believed it knew its neighbors would be confronted with a crime so shocking, so deeply personal, that its effects have echoed for decades.

Let’s pour ourselves something dark and contemplative. You’ve entered True Crime Brewery and this is Cold Truth: The Murder of Laurie Show. What happened is not the story of a stranger lurking in the night. It is a story of jealousy, obsession, and a deadly chain of choices made by people who knew one another well. So tonight, as we settle in with a pint and pull back the curtain on one of Pennsylvania’s most haunting murder cases, we’ll explore the life of Laurie Show, the investigation that unraveled the truth, and the chilling question that lingers long after the verdicts were delivered: How does an ordinary young life become the center of such an extraordinary act of violence?

Sources

Overkill by Lyn Riddle

A Teenage Murder Mystery, American Justice, E109, 2016. Retrieved 8/3/2026.

Timeline: The murder of Laurie Show, trials and appeals of co-conspirators Lisa Michelle Lambert, Tabitha Buck, and Lawrence Yunkin, Fox43, Keith Schweigert, 12/4/2019. Retrieved 8/1/2026. 

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Please enjoy this premium episode from 2025!

Deep in the wilderness of Oregon, a crime story unfolded that would blur the line between victim and villain. A mother, a wife, and a woman with secrets, Liysa Northon claimed self-defense after she killed her husband Christopher. But the truth was far more tangled than anyone could imagine.

This is Truth, Lies, and Liysa—where every answer leads to another question. Was this killing a desperate act of survival or was it a calculated plan? Today we peel back the layers of lies, uncover her hidden motives, and explore this chilling case to determine if Liysa was a monster or just married to one.

Sources

Heart Full of Lies by Ann Rule

Liysa Northon, featured in Ann Rule’s ‘Heart Full of Lies,’ to get out of prison Tuesday,

The Oregonian. 10/8/2012. Woman who killed Hawaiian Airlines pilot leaving Oregon prison, Star Advertiser, 10/09/2012.

From the outside, James and Angela Craig appeared to have built a successful life together. He was a respected dentist, she was a devoted mother, and their family seemed to embody the picture of stability. But when Angela suddenly became seriously ill in the spring of 2023, a tragedy began to unfold that would shock their community and eventually make national headlines.

Join us for The Dentist, The Wife, and the Murder. In this episode, we examine the case that transformed a loving husband into a murder suspect and ultimately placed him at the center of one of Colorado’s most closely watched trials. As investigators followed the evidence, they uncovered a story of secrets, suspicion, and shocking betrayal.

Sources

Arapahoe County District Court Case File, People v. James Craig.

Aurora Police Department Arrest Affidavit / Probable Cause Affidavit, 3/20/2023.

Colorado Court Trial Transcripts and Exhibits

Colorado Dentist Found Guilty of Fatally Poisoning Wife, ABC News, Meredith Deliso, 7/30/2025.

How a Suspicious Package Delivered to a Colorado Dentist’s Office Sparked a Murder Investigation, CBS News, 48 Hours, Sarah Prior, 8/17/2025.

Inside the Final Days of Mother Angela Craig Who Was Allegedly Poisoned by Her Husband, CNN, 7/2025.

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Please enjoy this TCB Premium episode from 2022!   

Caroline Byrne was off to a good start in her life. She was a college graduate, she did some modeling, and she taught at a modeling school. Caroline had a large circle of friends and a handsome, athletic boyfriend. But Caroline was not happy. She was depressed.  In fact, she had previously been hospitalized for a drug overdose. Caroline was scheduled to be seen by a psychiatrist, but she wouldn’t keep that appointment.

Join us at the quiet end for Into the Gap. A contributor to Caroline’s depressed state of mind was her boyfriend, Gordon Wood. Caroline’s relationship with Wood was sometimes loving but oftentimes abusive. Caroline was ready to break things off with him when she suffered a fatal fall. But did she fall, or was she pushed to her death by the man who claimed to love her?

Sources:

The Killing of Caroline Byrne: A Journey to Justice by Robert Wainright

Wood v R |2012| New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal 21

Lexington County, South Carolina in the 1980s was a place where doors were left unlocked, neighbors knew one another, and high school graduation marked the beginning of summer and endless possibilities.

For eighteen-year-old Shari Smith, the future was wide open. Talented, outgoing, and days away from celebrating graduation, she was making plans for college, family vacations, and everything that comes with starting a new chapter.

Then she vanished.

Join us for When a Stranger Called. What happened to Shari would shatter a community and launch one of the most chilling criminal investigations in South Carolina history. Mysterious phone calls, a killer who seemed to relish control, and a family forced into an unimaginable nightmare.

But the terror didn’t end with Shari. Just weeks later, a young girl named Debra May Helmick disappeared. As investigators searched for answers, one haunting question emerged: Were these tragedies connected—and could the person responsible strike again?

In this episode, we unravel the story of two young women whose lives were stolen, the fear that gripped an entire state, and the hunt for a predator who hid in plain sight. This is the story of Shari Smith and Debra May Helmick. And this is a case South Carolina has never forgotten.

Sources

On the Case with Paula Zahn, S7, E10: One Month of Terror, HBO Max, 2/24/2013.

Shari Smith Death by Force, Murder or Homicide Case, Crime Solvers Central, 6/11/2026.

State v. Bell, 293 S.C. 391, 360 S.E.2d 706, South Carolina Supreme Court, South Carolina Supreme Court, 8/24/1987.

Suspected Serial Killer Executed Nearly 30 Years Ago Connected to Charlotte Cold Case, WCCB Charlotte, Jeff Monheit, 2/24/2025.

When a Killer Calls by John Douglas & Mark Olshaker

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Near Oregon’s southern coast, something unthinkable happened among family members—a crime so personal and so violent that it was hard for anyone to fully grasp. A mother and her partner were found dead, killed in an act of violence that did not point to a stranger, but to someone within the family. As investigators worked to understand what happened, one name kept coming up… and then he suddenly disappeared.

Join us for Fugitive with a Family in Tow. Gabriel Morris did not stay to answer questions. Instead, he went on the run, taking his wife and young child with him—leaving behind a trail of blood and a mystery that only deepened.

As sightings of Gabriel Morris surfaced and faded across the country, the search for him became a tense, fast-moving chase. In this episode, we explore the violence, the escape, and the moment everything finally caught up with him. Because fugitives run to escape—but they don’t always leave everyone behind.

Sources

Gabriel Morris and Family Apprehended, CBS News, Neil Katz, 2/24/2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gabriel-morris-and-family-apprehended-ex-cop-wanted-for-mothers-murder/

Kill the Ones You Love by Robert Scott

Wife facing new charge in murder case. Idaho State Journal, Debbie Bryce, 3/2/2010.

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Please enjoy this re-release of one of our favorite premium episodes from 2019!

Doc Waterman and his daughter Rachelle returned to their home in tiny Craig, Alaska on a cold night in November, 2004. They had been away for a Girl Scout Council meeting for Doc and a volleyball tournament for Rachelle. When they arrived at their home, Lauri Waterman, wife and mother, was nowhere to be found. Neither was her purple minivan.

The next day, a burned-out car and a charred, unrecognizable body were found several miles away. The car turned out to be Lauri’s minivan. The body was hers.

Police quickly focused on two young men as the perpetrators of this heinous crime. The men confessed, but in a surprise move, they implicated Rachelle in the plot. They said they carried out the abduction and murder at Rachelle’s request. According to them, Rachelle claimed she was abused by her mother and wanted her dead.

Join us at the quiet end today for A Daughter Accused, as we discuss whether Rachelle was a naïve, guileless young woman intimidated by police, or a cold-blooded killer who organized the brutal murder of her own mother.

On this episode of True Crime Brewery, we turn our attention to a case that shook a quiet community and left a trail of questions in its wake. In 2015, three people vanished without explanation, sparking concern, confusion, and a growing sense that something sinister had occurred. As investigators found clues and began piecing together the timeline, attention shifted toward someone who seemed unlikely to be at the center of this crime—Kit Martin, a neighbor, a commercial pilot, and a former military officer whose past stood in stark contrast to the accusations that would follow.

As we step through the details in this case, we will explore how a series of disappearances turned into a complex investigation uncovering hidden tensions, troubling relationships, and a web of secrets.

Join us for The House on Old Mill Road. Today we examine the evidence, the contradictions, and the events that brought this case into the spotlight—raising difficult questions about trust, reputation, and what people are truly capable of behind closed doors.

Sources

Christian Richard Martin v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, Appeal, Supreme Court of Kentucky, 10/26/2023.

I Will Ruin You by Emilio Corsetti III

KY v. Christian Martin: Pilot Triple Murder Trial, Court TV Archives, Retrieved 6/14/2026.

The Evil That Watches, Dateline, 9/24/2021.

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