In June of 1959, just two months before her thirteenth birthday, Lynne Harper was found dead in a wooded grove near a Clinton, Ontario, Air Force base. Lynne was small for her age, the middle child between two brothers. She was described as bossy and a “live wire.” She had her whole life ahead of her.

Join us at the quiet end for Two Innocents. The last person seen with Lynne on the day she disappeared was 14-year-old classmate Steven Truscott. Despite a lack of any physical evidence and witness accounts which gave Steven a clear alibi, he was arrested for Lynne’s murder just days after her body was found. Then, Steven was found guilty and sentenced to hang. This is the story of Lynne’s murder, Steven’s unjust conviction, the people who worked to free him and exonerate him of his murder conviction, and the continuing mystery of who was really responsible for this terrible crime.

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Sources

Can Science Clear Truscott? thestar.com. 1/29/2007, retrieved 11/20/2023.

Steven Truscott Case, The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/steven-truscott-case, retrieved 11/25/2023.

Steven Truscott: His Word Against History, The Fifth Estate, 2015, retrieved 11/25/2023.

Steven Truscott, Innocence Canada, Sarah Harland-Logan, 2023.

Until You Are Dead: Steven Truscott’s Long Ride into History by Julian Sher, 2001, 2023.

Victim’s Family stunned by Truscott Compensation, CBS News, 7/8/2008, retrieved 11/14/2023

 Youngest Canadian Sentenced to Death is Cleared in 1959 Case, The Seattle Times, 8/29/2007, retrieved 11/14/2023.

Jayne Leebrick met David Miller on January 1, 1991 on a cross country flight from Florida to Los Angeles.  He was in the seat next to her and seemed like the perfect man. Handsome, wealthy, and a brave cancer survivor, David won her over. If David seemed too good to be true, that’s because he was.

Join us at the quiet end for Love Bomber: The Seduction and Murder of Jayne Miller. David swept Jayne off her feet, giving her expensive gifts and portraying himself as an important and powerful man. Within six weeks, the two were married.  But from early on, Jayne’s friends and family noticed that something wasn’t right with David Miller. Jayne’s dream man quickly turned into a nightmare, leaving Jayne in financial peril and afraid for her life.

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Sources

Deadly Pretender: The Double Life of David Miller by Karen Kingsbury

Mr. Right Is Deadly Wrong, A Lie To Die For, S1E8, Oxygen Network

On the morning of January 21, 1998, 12-year-old Stephanie Ann Crowe was found dead on her bedroom floor. She had been brutally stabbed to death as her family slept soundly in their bedrooms down the hall.

Stephanie’s parents desperately called 911 for help. After police officers arrived at the scene, a cursory search of the Crowe home found no signs of forced entry. There was an unlocked sliding glass door in the parents’ room, but it was covered by aluminum vertical blinds. They would have made too much noise for someone to enter undetected, officers decided.

Join us at the quiet end for Confessions of Youth, the story of the murder of Stephanie Crowe and the false confessions that followed. On the morning when Stephanie’s body was found, detectives came to an early conclusion that her murder was an inside job. From that day forward, they worked to make the evidence fit their theory instead of letting the evidence develop their theory. This method of investigation, wrong for many good reasons, sent the Crowe family and two other families into a prolonged state of victimhood.

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Sources

Crowe v. County of San Diego, Order RE: Summary Judgment Motions, San Diego California, 2/17/2004

Haunting Questions: The Stephanie crowe Murder Case, San Diego Union Tribune, John Wilkens & Mark Sauer, 5/12/1999). 

The Interrogation of Michael Crowe, 2002 movie

Juvenile Interrogations Reform Bill Signed by Governor Newsom, Makes California the Fourth State to Adopt Anti-Deceptive-Interrogation Reforms, California Innocence Coalition, 9/15/2022

The People of the State of California v. Michael Steven Crowe, Joshua David Treadway, & Aaron Paul Houser, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of San Diego, 5/22/1998

The Reid Technique Controversies, Criticisms, and Evolving Interrogation Practices, Francesco Galvano, 6/2023

The Right to Remain a Child, New York University Law Review, Ariel Spierer, 11/2017

She’s So Cold: A Defense Attorney’s Inside Story by Donald E. McInnis

“Disney” Dad Anthony Todt and his wife Megan seemed to be living an ideal, enviable life together. High school sweethearts, they married, had three children, and owned a busy Physical Therapy practice in Connecticut. But that life blew up in December of 2019.

Join us at the quiet end for Destroyer of Worlds. How did Anthony Todt end up in a rented Celebration, Florida, home, living alongside the decomposing corpses of his murdered family members and their beloved dog? We’re following this case from the family’s early years, to the time when Anthony Todt became a family annihilator, to his taking the stand in his own murder trial. It’s a sad story with a lot to talk about.

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Sources

Anthony Todt Full Confession: Detective Interrogates Physical Therapist About Family Murders, Law & Crime Network, 4/13/2022

Anthony Todt Murder Trial, Law & Crime Network, 4/11/2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bxaLPPexPc&list=PLoW1SIeAWaWbYx1Y8zzwDKtoOcY1tpe2O

Looking for the Todt Family podcast, https://www.theday.com/todt/, retrieved 10/1/2023

Prosecutor: In Idyllic Celebration, Florida, a Father Killed His Family to Prepare for the ‘Apocalypse,’ Rollingstone.com, Andrea Marks, 4/11/2022

State of Connecticut Affidavit, Case 3:20-mj-00019-RAR, United States District Court, District of Connecticut, 1/15/2020

Perhaps no case more than that of 22-year-old Gabby Petito demonstrates that the images we see on social media do not accurately show us the reality of a person’s life. On July 2, 2021, Gabby enthusiastically set out on a “van life” journey with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. The two had quit their jobs and renovated a van, planning a four-month trip across the country.  Along the way, Gabby documented their adventures on social media. But behind the scenes, Brian was abusive and manipulative, controlling Gabby.

Join us at the quiet end for The Case of Gabby Petito. During her travels, the couple was seen arguing, with Gabby crying and Brian yelling at her and even slapping her.  One witness report led the police in Utah to pull over the couple, but no arrest was made and the incident was identified as a mental health crisis rather than a domestic violence incident.

Gabby’s mother Nichole last spoke to Gabby on August 25th. Then, on September 1st, Brian returned to his parents’ home without Gabby. What followed was one of the most public and emotional crime solving efforts in recent history.

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Sources

Family travel vloggers share video they believe shows Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie’s van around time of her disappearance, Connor Perrett, 9/19/2021, Click to watch Bethune YouTube Video

Full Video: Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie Police Stop, Inside Edition, Click to watch

Gabby Petito Case: Timeline of travel blogger’s disappearance, ABC News, Haley Yamada, 10/21/2021

Gabby Petito’s family awarded $3 million in wrongful death lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s estate, CNN.com, 11/17/2022

Gabby Petito Search: Remains Found in Wyoming Match Description of Missing Woman Gabrielle Petito, The New York Times, 10/20/2021

The Gabby Petito Story: An American Tragedy, 60 Minutes Australia, 11/16/2021

Gabby Petito: The Untold Story, 48 Hours, S35, E1, 9/25/2021

The Murder of Gabby Petito: A Look at the Police Response and Intimate Partner Violence Among Young People, A&Etv.com, Elena Ferrarin, 6/23/2022

Petito-Laundrie trial moved to 2024, hearing set for Roberta’s ‘burn after reading’ letter, thehill.com, J.B. Biunno, 03/16/23

Who is Gabrielle Petito? The New York Times, Ethan Hauser, Maria Cramer, & Michael Levenson, 9/19/2021 

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence or feels trapped in a toxic relationship, call the national domestic violence hotline at:

1-800-799-SAFE

Or text START to 88788

You can donate to the hotline by going to https://www.thehotline.org/hopecantwait/

Confident and carefree, Icelandic woman Birna Brjánsdóttir was just 20-years-old when she disappeared in 2017. Birna grew up in the nearby suburbs, but she was very comfortable in the city of Reykjavik. It’s known as a safe place to be, even for a young woman in the dark of night. The main street was busy and well-lit, with bright storefront windows and lampposts on every corner.

Join us at the quiet end for The Disappearance of Birna Brjánsdóttir. After finishing work on Friday, January 13, 2017, Birna played cards with friends in a pub.  At midnight, when the parties were getting started, they went dancing at a popular club. But when Birna’s friends decided to go home at 2am, Birna stayed behind.  When she didn’t show up for work on Saturday and her phone was off, Birna’s mother and friends knew immediately that something was terribly wrong.

CCTV footage

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Sources

I Am Birna: Iceland Mourns Murdered Woman, CNN.com, Fréttatíminn, Iceland, Thora Tomasdottir, 2/3/2017

Key Witness Tells a Very Different Story in Birna Murder Trial, Iceland Monitor, 8/21/2017

A Murder Shocks Iceland and Dents Women’s Sense of Safety, BBC News, Anna Margret Bjornsson. 1/28/2017

The Murder of Birna Brjánsdóttir: The Case that gripped Iceland and the World, The Reykjavik Grapevine, Paul Fontaine, 2/7/2017

The Murder That Shook Iceland-Birna Brjánsdóttir, The Guardian, Xan Rice, 4/12/2018

Rare Icelandic Murder of Young Woman Leaves Country Devastated, The Independent, May Bulman, 2/7/2017

Young Local Woman Missing Since Saturday: Have You Seen her? Iceland Magazine, 1/16/2017

This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind!

This episode is sponsored by Factor!

Rachel Hatfield was in a 14-year relationship with a struggling artist named Tim when she met her future husband, Todd Winkler.  Todd couldn’t be much more different than Tim. He was a former F-16 fighter pilot with a big corporate job, a house, and even his own plane. When Tim heard about Todd, he hurried to propose to Rachel.  But it was too late. Rachel had made up her mind to marry Todd within weeks of meeting him. She would be his third wife and the second one to suffer a violent and sudden death.

Join us at the quiet end for Out of Wedlock. Rachel had high hopes for a happy marriage and a family of her own. But after having three children together, the Winkler’s’ marriage was in trouble. Rachel fell in love with another man and asked Todd for a divorce. But Todd was having none of it. Then, on February 27, 2012, a neighbor received a call from Todd explaining that there had been a domestic violence incident at his house. And Rachel was dead.

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Sources

Deadly Twist, Dateline NBC, E23 S31, 3/20/2015

Edge of Reason, American Monster, S4 E9, 10/27/2019

The People v. Todd Alan Winkler, In the Court of Appeal of the State of California Third Appellate Disctrict, 11/20/2020

Prosecutor points to gruesome evidence as Winkler murder case goes to jury, The Sacramento Bee, Peter Hecht, 3/21/2015

The Two Faces of Todd Winkler, 48 Hours, CBS, S28 E11, 12/13/2014