On July 18, 2014, 41-year-old law professor Dan Markel dropped off his two young sons at preschool, worked out at the gym, and returned home to his quiet Tallahassee, Florida home. It was a Friday and Dan was looking forward to a relaxing weekend. But as soon as he pulled into his garage, someone shot him at point-blank range.

Join us at the quiet end for Conspiracy: The Murder-for-Hire of Dan Markel. This is a story of a divorce and custody battle spun out of control and a family hell-bent on revenge. The investigation into Dan’s murder went on for two years before two career criminals were arrested for driving 10 hours from Miami to stalk and kill Dan. They had no known connection to Dan, but Dan’s ex-wife had family in the Miami area. The family hated Dan, who was getting in the way of Wendi and her children moving closer to them. It was difficult to believe that the Adelsons were behind a murder-for-hire plot, but no one else had a motive to want Dan dead.

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Sources

20/20, Over My Dead Body, S42, E3

Dateline, Cold-Blooded, 2020

Extreme Punishment by Steven B. Epstein

Katherine Magbanua v. State of Florida, Petition for Writ of Certiorari, First District Court of Appeal, 5/31/2019

Magbanua, Garcia, and Charles Adelson Court Appearance Video Footage, Law & Crime Network, 2016-2023

Probable Cause First Degree Murder, Charlie Adelson, 9/9/2016

State of Florida v. Charles “Charlie” Adelson, Written Plea of Not Guilty and Demand for Discovery, 4/26/2022

The Unveiling: A Mother’s Reflection on Murder, Grief, and Trial Life by Ruth Markel

Jana and Bruce Koklich were the ideal couple in many ways. Jana was a smart and attractive woman whose father had been an influential California state senator. Bruce was her dedicated, hard-working, and charming husband. Together, they ran a successful California real estate business and owned several valuable properties. But after going to an Eric Clapton concert with a friend in August of 2001, Jana disappeared.

Join us at the quiet end for Never Seen Again. Bruce Koklich, as Jana’s concerned husband, appeared on the news and pleaded for her to return home safely. But some friends and family members felt like something was off. Bruce’s business and personal choices were scrutinized, leading some to suspect that he was involved in his wife’s disappearance. But Jana had not been with Bruce on the night she disappeared, so was it possible that she had left her husband to start a new life or had she been a target of foul play?

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Sources

The Charley Project, Jana Carpenter Koklich, https://charleyproject.org/case/jana-carpenter-koklich

Los Angeles Times Archives 2002-2008

Monstrous Arrogance, University at Albany Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, Cynthia Lewis, 2008

People v. Koklich, California Court of Appeal, 5/1/2006

Vanished by Carlton Smith

Back on July 2, 1970, tourists visiting Loch Ard Gorge, Australia, found a crashed car teetering on the edge of an oceanside cliff. It looked like the car could plunge into the water at any moment. After investigators were called to the scene, the mystery grew deeper. The car’s license plate was traced to a family living over 100 miles away.

Once the car was towed from the cliff’s edge, the inside was inspected. Investigators were horrified to find four dead bodies, including three young children. The back seat of the car had been removed and someone had attached a hose leading from the tailpipe to the front window, suggesting suicide. This find sent waves of grief and confusion throughout Australia. There were so many questions and very few answers.

Join us at the quiet end for Fugitive Father, a dialogue about a terrible crime which has become an enduring mystery. The victims in the car were identified as members of the Crawford family from 136 Cardinal Road, but the father was missing. It seemed possible that Elmer Crawford had been thrown from the vehicle, until witnesses came forward to say that they had seen Elmer after the car was found.

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Sources

Almost Perfect: The True Story of the Brutal, Unsolved Crawford Family Murders, Greg Fogarty, 2010

Crawford Executed, Bashed Family, Heraldsun.com.au, 2/10/2008

The Crawford Family, Felon S1 E1, 3/10/2020

Killer Crawford Still Haunts Ex-Cop, The Standard (Warrnambool), 7/13/2010

Precise Detailed Detection of Faces and Facial Features, IEEE Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, Ding, L., Martinez, A. 2008

The Crawford Children: Katherine, James, & Karen

After 18-year-old Kaitlyn Arquette was murdered in 1989, the Albuquerque police department believed it was a random act of violence. But as details were released, possible motives for her murder came to light.

Join us at the quiet end for Who Killed Kaitlyn?  Kaitlyn had argued with her boyfriend on the night she was killed. She also had knowledge of a gang-related insurance scheme.  But despite her family’s efforts and an extensive police investigation, Kaitlyn’s case went cold. Until early last year, when a suspect was indicted.

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Sources

Albuquerque Journal Archives 1988-2022

Kaitlyn Arquette Website https://kaitarquette.arquettes.com/

One to the Wolves by Lois Duncan

Paul Apodaca indicted for high profile murder of Kaitlyn Arquette, KOAT7, Laflin, Nancy, 2/23/2022

Who Killed My Daughter? by Lois Duncan

The Arquette family: Kerry and Brett (back row), Don with Donnie, and Lois with Kaitlyn and Robin (front row).

Registered Nurse Julie Keown had goals for her life: start a family, purchase a home, advance in her career.  She just needed to stay the course while her husband completed his MBA at Harvard and they would be all set. But sadly, Julie’s life was cruelly cut short and she didn’t live to see the future which she had worked and planned for all her life.

Join us at the quiet end for Sweet Talker. Julie and her husband James moved from Missouri to Massachusetts after James was accepted into Harvard Business School’s MBA program. Julie was able to work from home setting up hospitals with medical software and she believed that their finances were on the upswing. But James had secrets.  He was fired from his job for lying, he had racked up thousands in credit card debt, his car was repossessed, and there were issues with his education. From all angles, James’ life was falling apart. We’ll never know how much Julie knew about James’ lies, but we do know how far he was willing to go to save himself from financial and social ruin.

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Sources

Commonwealth v. James Keown, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 10/23/2017

Death by Deception, Dateline, 1/9/2009

Lie After Lie by Lara Bricker, 2010

Man Guilty of Killing Wife with Antifreeze, CBS News, 7/2/2008

Julie & James

McKay Everett was the adored only child of Paulette and Carl Everett. The tight-knit family of three lived a comfortable life in an upscale subdivision in Conroe, Texas, a town just a few miles north of Houston. Crime was uncommon in the Everett’s neighborhood, but they still took precautions, including the installation of a home security system.

Join us at the quiet end for A Killer at the Door: The Abduction and Murder of McKay Everett. At 12-years-old, McKay knew all about stranger danger. But kidnapping by a complete stranger is rare. And one of the rarest murders of all is a murder committed in the course of a kidnapping. In this case, McKay had been taken from his home by someone he knew, someone who had lured McKay’s parents out of their home to get them out of the way. So, how did McKay know his killer and what was the motive behind this inconceivable betrayal?

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Sources

Deadly Betrayal: The Kidnapping and Murder of McKay Everett by Paulette Everett-Norman, J.M. Marquart, and J.L. Mullings, Texas Review Press, 2007

Execution Report Hilton Crawford, Texas Execution Information Center

Hilton Crawford Executed for 1995 killing of Montgomery County Boy, The Huntsville Item, B. Lacy, 7/2/2003

Houston Chronicle Archives, 1995-2003

The Samuel McKay Everett Foundation Website, https://www.protectingchildren.com/

‘Uncle Hilty’ Returns to Huntsville, The Huntsville Item, B. Lacy, 6/30/2003

Heather Rich was only 16-years-old when she was brutally victimized by people she knew and trusted.  A petite and pretty girl with translucent gray-blue eyes, Heather liked to laugh and she enjoyed the attention of her peers.  But adolescence is not everything that they make it out to be in the movies.  As a cheerleader and a nominee for homecoming queen, Heather was also a troubled girl who was testing her own limits.

Join us at the quiet end for The Body in Belknap Creek. It’s true that Heather made a poor decision when she snuck out of her home on October 3, 1996, but the decisions made by her killers were careless, cruel, and just plain evil.  When Heather was reported missing, the police dismissed her as a runaway who would return home in a day or two.  But her parents knew better.  The search for Heather would last one week, but it took much longer for investigators to reveal the shocking truth of what happened to her on the night of October 3rd.

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Sources

A Bend in the River, Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff, 7/2002

Killer Homecoming King’s Parole, Dallas Morning News, Darrell Franklin, 11/20/2014

Monsters Among Friends, Shadow of Doubt, S1 E1, Discovery +

A Murder Before Homecoming, American Justice, S12 E6, A&E

The Oklahoman Archives, 1996-2002

A Question of Mercy, Texas Monthly, Pamela Colloff, 3/2014

Tangle of Guilt and Repentance Follows Slaying of Cheerleader, Los Angeles Times, Mike Cochran, 5/31/1998

The disappearance of Scottish mother-of-two Arlene Fraser in April of 1998 alarmed her loved ones and set off rumors and theories throughout her community.  After all, she’d waved goodbye to her children as they went off to school one morning and was never seen again. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. But, of course, she hadn’t.

Join us at the quiet end for From Missing to Murdered: Arlene Fraser.  When Arlene didn’t return home, her husband Nat told everyone that she had been drinking to excess, using drugs, and sleeping around.  Therefore, she must have run off with one of her lovers.  Some believed him, but those familiar with Arlene and her husband’s relationship didn’t.  Then things became complicated. It came to light that Arlene had recently visited a solicitor about divorcing her husband. But Nat had an ironclad alibi.  Had Arlene been unhappy enough to leave behind her children and start over somewhere else or had Nat hired someone to make her disappear? Let’s discuss!

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Sources

BBC News Archives 1998-2013

Death in a Cold Town by Steve MacGregor

Meet, Marry, Murder, FilmRise Television, S1 E17

Murdered or Missing, The Arlene Fraser Case: Riddle of the Rings, Daily Record, Glasgow, Scotland 4/25/2005

The Murder Trial, Channel 4 UK, Documentary, 7/2013