True Crime Conversations

In December 2010, the body of 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was discovered at the bottom of a garbage chute in her Melbourne apartment building.

She had fallen 12 stories into a wheelie bin, where she ultimately succumbed to the injuries she sustained alone in the darkness of the rubbish room.

In 2013, a coroner ruled Phoebe’s death as accidental, a finding her family doesn't accept.

Investigative journalist Richard Baker, host of the podcast Phoebe's Fall, believes there’s more to the story. Was Phoebe’s death truly a tragic accident, or was she the victim of foul play?

You can listen to Richard's podcast with The Age 'Phoebe's Fall' here. 

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CREDITS

Guest: Richard Baker

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a serial killer on the loose in Byron Bay... allegedly.

People are starting to connect the dots between multiple cases of women going missing or being murdered in the Byron and New South Wales coastal areas, including women with their own first-hand encounters.

So how likely is it all these cases and run ins are linked? And what's the underlying lesson we can all take away from these experiences? 

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CREDITS

Host: Claire Murphy

With thanks to:

Laura Clare, Byron Bay local

Gemma Bath, Mamamia's News Editor & Host of True Crime Conversations

Executive Producer: Taylah Strano 

Audio Producer: Tegan Sadler 

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In 2001, Marcellus Williams was sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of reporter Felecia Gayle. After over two decades on Missouri’s death row, he was executed by lethal injection on September 24, 2024.

As time passed, doubts about his guilt grew. Marcellus’s defence team, the victim’s family, and even some jurors questioned his conviction. Despite this, the governor denied clemency, and the Supreme Court did not intervene.

One of the few people to interview Marcellus during his time on death row was Jack Laurence, a producer and podcast host, who believes the case against him was flawed. Laurence, like many others, feels the decision to execute Marcellus was a tragic mistake.

You can listen to Jack's interview with Marcellus Williams on his podcast One Minute Remaining here.

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CREDITS

Guest: Jack Laurence

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Foley’s death was unimaginable. He was a journalist held hostage by ISIS for two years in Syria and killed in 2014 as a threat to America. Footage of him wearing an orange jumpsuit, and forcibly reading a message before being beheaded was posted to Twitter. The media coverage of the event had the second most recognition in recent American history after 9/11. That was 10 years ago now. 

His mother Diane Foley’s determination to understand her son’s fate led her to meeting with one of the men responsible.

This episode is about the profound impact of James’ life, he saw light in everything and everyone. His mother has been through the complexities of grace and empathy in the face of an unthinkable loss.

American Mother by Colum McCan with Diane Foley is available here. 

Watch the documentary Jim: The James Foley Story on Amazon Prime or Apple TV. 

You can donate to the James Foley Legacy Foundation here.

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CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman

You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

Producers: Gia Moylan & Kimberley Braddish 

Audio Producer: Leah Porges

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1984, the body of six-year-old Kylie Maybury was found in a gutter in the early hours of the morning following Melbourne Cup Day.

So why did it take 32 years after her death for police to finally find her killer — a man with previous convictions for sexual assault and violence, who lived just around the corner?

Former Herald Sun journalist and true crime author Keith Moor has covered the case since the day Kylie's body was found. He has interviewed her grieving mother many times and considered her a friend. For the 40th anniversary of Kylie's death, Keith details this case.

You can read more about Keith and his work here.

This episode details the case of a child who was sexually assaulted and murdered. Please take that into consideration and listen with care. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

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CREDITS

Guest: Keith Moor

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s August 1989, and a 911 call comes through from a Beverly Hills mansion on Elm Drive just before midnight. The call is from a hysterical Lyle Menendez, and you can hear his brother Erik crying in the background. The brother's parents, Jose and Kitty, are dead, shot a combined 16 times at close range while in their TV room. The crime scene is horrific.

At first, police suspect a Mafia or mob hit. But seven months later, it’s the brothers who are arrested for murder in a case that catapults them into worldwide infamy. Even 35 years later, we’re still discussing the Menendez brothers, asking why they killed their parents.

Robert Rand is an award-winning journalist who has been covering the Menendez brother's case since the day after the murders on August 21, 1989. He has a personal relationship with the brothers, speaking with them regularly. He helps us tell this story.

You can read his book The Menendez Murders here. You can watch The Menendez Brothers documentary on Netflix here.

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Find out more about Mamamia's charity partner RizeUp Australia here.

CREDITS

Guest: Robert Rand

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

True crime documentaries have always been a cornerstone of the pop culture world and with recent releases such as The Menendez Brothers documentary dropping on Netflix our appetite for these stories is at an all-time high.

So, we’ve brought in an expert whose job is hooked on watching every true crime documentary ever released and we’ve rounded up the best offerings out there, with true stories that will literally make your jaw drop.

And we haven’t forgotten about Weekend Watch! Today we have a new blockbuster with a sexy leading man to recommend to you, along with a new thriller you’ll want to binge this weekend.

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CREDITS

Hosts: Laura Brodnik & Em Vernem

Executive Producer: Kimberley Braddish 

Audio Producer: Scott Stronach

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. 

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It's October 2013, and two police officers in Dublin spot a distressed young girl outside the General Post Office. She’s crying and unable to speak, using her fingers to show she’s 14 years old. They take her to a nearby children’s hospital while trying to figure out who she is. Local media starts speculating about possible sex trafficking as interest in her case grows.

As a month goes by, police decide to release her photo to the public and are quickly flooded with calls from Australia. It turns out this isn’t a vulnerable 14-year-old girl in distress; the woman in the Dublin hospital bed is actually 25-year-old Samantha Azzopardi, a serial con artist. And as the years go by, this wouldn’t be the first alias she’s used to trick her victims.

Paula Bycroft from CJZ Productions is the Executive Producer of the Australian documentary series Con Girl, which details the life and crimes of Samantha Azzopardi. She helps us to tell this story.

You can watch Con Girl here. There’s also a Con Girl podcast series you can listen to here.

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Listen to the episode of No Filter about Samantha Azzopardi here. 

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CREDITS

Guest: Paula Bycroft

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At around 5pm on a hot August afternoon in 2015, a 911 call comes in about a fire at a service station in Columbus, Ohio. A man has poured two jerry cans of fuel over his partner, 31-year-old Judy Malinowski, and is watching as flames engulf her.

Judy is rushed to the hospital with 90 per cent of her body burned. Doctors warn her family that her chances of survival are slim, but against all odds, Judy survives. She endures severe ongoing pain and dozens of surgeries in the years that follow, dying two years after being set on fire. After she dies, she becomes the first person in history to testify at her own murder trial.

Director Patricia Gillespie seeks to honour Judy’s remarkable strength and raise awareness about domestic violence in her documentary, The Fire That Took Her. You can watch it here.

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And if this episode has brought up anything for you or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

CREDITS

Guest: Patricia Gillespie

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Scott Stronach

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early hours of May 1, 2010, Shannan Gilbert called 911 from a Long Island house after working as an escort with a client she met on Craigslist. After seeking help from neighbours, she disappeared from the street before the police arrived.

Months later, extensive searches turned up no trace of the 23-year-old, but authorities discovered the bodies of four other young women, later known as “The Gilgo Four,” all escorts who found clients online.

Rex Heurmann has been charged with their murders, along with two others.

There are four more bodies found nearby, that detectives are still investigating. Shannan was also eventually found, but is her death linked?

True crime producer and investigative journalist Alexis Linkletter has extensively covered the case. You can listen to her podcast, Unravelled, here.

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CREDITS

Guest: Alexis Linkletter

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Scott Stronach

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.