John Killick is one of Australia's most infamous criminals. Why? Because in 1999, he escaped from Sydney’s Silverwater Correctional Complex on a helicopter. 

Killick was on remand for armed robbery, and his girlfriend at the time, Lucy Dudko, hijacked a helicopter, landed it in the prison, and flew him out. 

In this episode, we speak with John Killick himself about his life of crimes, his days of reform now and that fateful day when he was broken out of prison on a helicopter. 

You can read The Last Escape by John Killick, here and Mark Dapin's book, Prison Break, here. 

CREDITS 

Guest: John Killick & Mark Dapin

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Jacob Round

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Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

On March 17, 2015, 17-year-old Masa Vukotic left her Doncaster home for an evening walk through her local park, a routine she had followed countless times.

That night, her boyfriend, Timothy Draper, did not receive a goodnight text from Masa. By morning, police were at his door with devastating news: Masa had been brutally stabbed 49 times in Koonung Creek Linear Reserve, her screams having been heard by neighbours who called emergency services.

The man responsible, Sean Price—a previous offender out on bail—would go on to continue a spree of violence before eventually surrendering to police.

You can listen to Michael's podcast with The Age, Diagnosing Murder, here.

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CREDITS 

Guest: Michael Bachelard

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Tina Matolov

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Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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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“Iron Mike” Malloy survived not one, not two, but more than nine attempts on his life before he finally met his end. Malloy became the target of a group of acquaintances later dubbed the “Murder Trust,” who conspired to kill him for insurance money. What followed remains one of the most astonishing strings of failed murder attempts in history.

The conspirators served him cocktails laced with poison, swapped in antifreeze, turpentine, and even rat poison—none of which seemed to affect him at all. When that failed, they tried abandoning him in a snowbank to freeze, and later even staged a taxi hit-and-run. Each time, Malloy recovered, defying their plans and cementing his status as a near-mythic figure in true-crime lore.

Writer Riley Knight has chronicled the story of Mike Malloy along with some of history’s other strangest deaths. Some true crime, others simply unbelievable.

You can read his book, History's Strangest Deaths, here and listen to his podcast, Half-Arsed History, here.

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CREDITS 

Guest: Riley Knight

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Tina Matalov

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

On July 15, 1976, a school bus carrying 26 children and their beloved driver, Ed Ray, left Chowchilla, California, after a hot day at summer school and never made it home.

Blocked by a mysterious white van, the bus was hijacked by armed, masked men and driven into a hidden slough, where the victims were transferred into dark, soundproofed vans. Over the next 16 hours, they would endure an ordeal that left lasting scars: being buried alive.

In this episode, we speak to Fox News Senior Correspondent Claudia Cowan, host of Nightmare in Chowchilla, to unpack the chilling ransom plot and its surprising perpetrators.

You can listen to the podcast Nightmare in Chowchilla: The School Bus Kidnapping here. 

SURVEY

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CREDITS 

Guest: Claudia Cowan

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Tina Matalov

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Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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

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If two teenage girls went missing today, would police just assume they’d run away from home? That assumption is why two Australian teenagers, Elaine Johnson and Kerry Anne Joel, have never been found.

Elaine was 16, Kerry was 17, living a carefree 80s life in The Shire, south of Sydney. The girls were seen hitchhiking on the Princes Highway, but by the weekend, they were gone. No calls. No sightings. Years later, the families uncovered police oversights, lost documents, and a cold case that never should’ve gone cold.

Journalist and podcast host Kate Kachor is retracing Elaine’s final days, hoping someone out there finally comes forward.

You can listen to Kate's podcast Out from the Cold: Searching for Elaine, here. 

SURVEY

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CREDITS 

Guest: Kate Kachor

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Tina Matalov

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

Sixteen-year-old Timothy “Jack” McCoy spent Christmas 1971 with his relatives in Michigan, leaving on January 2, 1972, to return home to Nebraska. After arriving in Chicago for a bus connection, he met a man who offered him food and a tour of the city. Timothy accepted, but he would never be seen alive again. Fourteen years later, his family learned he had been the first known victim of John Wayne Gacy, the infamous “Killer Clown.”

Through the accounts of survivors and families, The Devil in Disguise series uncovers Gacy’s horrifying legacy and the failures that allowed his killing spree to continue for years.

You can watch Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy here.

SURVEY

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CREDITS 

Guest: Patrick Macmanus 

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Tina Matalov

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

On the morning of August 3rd, 1998, Melbourne businessman John Furlan followed his usual routine: coffee, newspaper, and off to work at his Coburg auto salvage yard. But at 8:45 AM, his white Subaru Liberty exploded on Lorenson Street, a blast so powerful it was felt five kilometres away. Windows shattered, cars burned, yet Furlan was the only fatality.

Police soon confirmed it wasn’t a gas explosion... it was a car bomb. But who planted it, and why?

Crime journalist Adam Shand speaks about the unsolved car bombing of John Furlan, its links to Melbourne’s underworld, and whether his death foreshadowed the Gangland Wars that gripped Victoria for years to come.

You can watch The Hunters here and find Adam's podcast, Real Crime, here. 

SURVEY

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CREDITS 

Guest: Adam Shand

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

She was once called "Australia’s worst female serial killer." Kathleen Folbigg spent 20 years imprisoned for the deaths of her four children, convicted by a flawed system. In 2023, science proved she was innocent, leading to an immediate pardon and release.

In this deeply personal interview, Kathleen speaks about the trauma of her long ordeal and the bittersweet reality of her freedom. She reveals what it was like to be suddenly released, the pain of seeing her private diaries weaponised, and the enduring grief of belonging to the "unfortunate club of the childless mum."

This is a powerful, raw conversation about survival and the lifelong consequences of a devastating miscarriage of justice.

You can find out more about Kathleen and Tracy Chapman's book, Inside Out, here.

SURVEY

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CREDITS 

Guest: Kathleen Folbigg

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

On September 8, 1960, Psycho shocked cinema audiences with a level of psychological horror never seen before. But Psycho wasn’t pure fiction. It was inspired by the gruesome true story of Ed Gein, the real-life Butcher of Plainfield.

When police raided Gein’s Wisconsin farmhouse in 1957, they uncovered a macabre scene: human remains crafted into lampshades, furniture, and clothing. These discoveries stunned the nation and sparked a media frenzy that would influence generations of horror storytelling.

In this episode of True Crime Conversations, host Claire Murphy speaks with acclaimed true crime author Harold Schechter, whose book remains the definitive account of Ed Gein’s crimes. Following the Netflix release of Monsters: The Ed Gein Story from Ryan Murphy, Schechter reflects on how Gein’s legacy has been interpreted, and sometimes distorted, by Hollywood.

You can find out more about Harold's book Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, The Original Psycho here. 

CREDITS 

Guest: Harold Schechter

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Carl Step/Abe’s Audio

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.

On January 15, 1974, 15-year-old Charlie Otero and his siblings came home in Wichita, Kansas, to find their family murdered - the first known victims of the BTK killer: Bind, Torture, Kill.

Dennis Rader, a father, church leader, and city worker, hid in plain sight while terrorising a community for decades. After years of taunting the police, he was finally caught in 2005. His daughter, Kerri Rawson, later shared her story.

In the new Netflix documentary My Father the BTK Killer, director Skye Borgman explores Kerri’s journey. She also directed Unknown Number, about Kendra Licari — the mother who anonymously harassed her own daughter online for nearly a year. Skye joins us to talk about both disturbing true crime stories.

Watch My Father, the BTK Killer here and Unknown Number: The High School Catfish here. 

CREDITS 

Guest: Skye Borgman

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes. 

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note.

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.

We acknowledge 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.