He called 911 to report his wife's suicide. But when doctors found injuries inconsistent with her story, he was charged with murder. Now, he's sitting in an Italian jail, refusing to come back to Texas unless he gets a promise he won't be executed.
Lee Gilley, a 39-year-old from Houston, is charged with capital murder for allegedly strangling his pregnant wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, on October 7, 2024 [citation:2][citation:10]. He has pleaded not guilty and claims she died from a pre-existing medical condition, but the Harris County coroner ruled her death a homicide caused by neck compression [citation:2][citation:8]. Instead of facing trial, Gilley cut off his ankle monitor in May 2026, used a forged Belgian passport, and flew to Milan [citation:2][citation:9][citation:15]. He was arrested at the airport and is now seeking asylum, telling an Italian judge he chose Italy for its due process and public opposition to the death penalty [citation:2][citation:9].
Now, an Italian appeals court has temporarily blocked his extradition [citation:10]. Italy abolished the death penalty in 1994, and its constitution prohibits extradition for crimes punishable by it [citation:2][citation:3]. The Italian judges are demanding formal assurances from U.S. officials that Gilley will not face the death penalty or life without parole—sentences Italian law deems unacceptable [citation:2][citation:5][citation:14]. The district attorney's office has said it is not seeking the death penalty, but has refused to put that in writing [citation:5]. The court has given the U.S. until August 31, 2026 to respond, with a hearing set for September 7 [citation:2][citation:5][citation:13].

A husband who refuses to cooperate with police, visible bruises the victim tried to hide, and journals filled with dark writings about death and control. This is the pattern that has haunted the family of Amy Bechtel for decades. Meanwhile, a 90s television star is now the prime suspect in a missing persons case, the latest in a long line of family annihilators who tried to hide their crimes behind a smile.
In this episode, we examine two chilling cases of suspected familicide. We investigate the disappearance of Amy Bechtel, a mother whose husband's lack of cooperation and disturbing writings have made him the only person of interest for over 25 years. We also explore the case of a beloved 90s actor whose public charm may have been a mask for a dark secret. But while his case is new, the fear is the same—the terrifying reality that the people we trust most are often the ones who destroy us.

This story is about a horrifying act of calculated cruelty, centered on a man named Joel Jones. His crime was not just an assault, but a deliberate plan to use violence as a tool to systematically destroy a woman's faith.🚨 The Crime and the PerpetratorJoel Jones was a firefighter, a person whose job was to save lives. However, he used his position and resources to orchestrate a brutal attack. His goal was to "violently obliterate a woman's faith". The assault was carried out by an accomplice, Tobasia Griffiths, who was described as an unwitting participant in Jones's plan. For his crimes, Jones was sentenced to life in prison.🔍 The Weaponization of FaithWhat makes this case particularly disturbing is the targeting of the victim's faith as the ultimate form of control. This is a pattern seen in other cases of abuse, where a perpetrator uses a victim's religion as a tool of manipulation and coercion. This is sometimes called spiritual abuse—using faith as a weapon to cause harm.

• The Abuse of "Forgiveness": In one documented case, a perpetrator told his victim to forgive his abuse because "God has forgiven me". He also stated that forgiveness was "the Christian thing to do," using her faith to manipulate her into staying and accepting further mistreatment.
• Erosion of Identity: Spiritual abuse often works by "slowly but surely" eroding a person's faith and sense of self through controlling behavior. It often starts subtly, not with a loud confrontation, but in a way that can "creep up on you," making it difficult to recognize until the victim is deeply entangled.

The Joel Jones case serves as a stark reminder of how evil can hide behind a trusted facade, and how even the most personal aspect of a person's life—their faith—can be targeted as a weapon to control and destroy them.
This response is AI-generated, for reference only.

A seven-year-old boy's desperate warnings were ignored by the very system meant to protect him. Nathaniel Burton told his grandmother, "Mama is going to kill me," and even warned a DCFS investigator, "You can't do anything because my mother is going to kill me." Despite his pleas and multiple visits from child protective services, his mother, Sarah Safranek, suffocated him to death. Investigators later uncovered her chilling Google searches: "What is it called when a parent is obsessed with the thought of killing their child?"
Nathaniel's nightmare began long before his death on February 18, 2021. Court records show he told both of his grandmothers that his mother had attempted to suffocate him before, placing a pillow over his head while he slept and trying to drown him in a bathtub. His paternal grandmother, who reported the abuse, was told that Nathaniel had pleaded, "I can't breathe grandma, she won't let me breathe." Despite his grandmother's attempts to get help, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) visited the home approximately twelve times over two years, each time closing the case with no findings of wrongdoing. On the day of the murder, Safranek searched online for the cost of child cremation and how long a death investigation would take. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

A seven-year-old boy, Nathaniel Burton, spent his final months living in terror and desperately trying to warn his family. "Mama is going to kill me," he told his grandmother. Despite his pleas and multiple visits from child protective services, his mother, Sarah Safranek, suffocated him to death. Investigators later uncovered her chilling Google searches, including "What is it called when a parent is obsessed with the thought of killing their child?" [citation:1][citation:3][citation:4]
Nathaniel's nightmare began long before his death on February 18, 2021. Court records show he told both of his grandmothers that his mother had attempted to suffocate him before, placing a pillow over his head while he slept and even trying to drown him in a bathtub. His paternal grandmother, who reported the abuse, was told that Nathaniel had pleaded, "I can't breathe grandma, she won't let me breathe." [citation:1][citation:3][citation:4]
Despite his grandmother's attempts to get help, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) visited the home approximately twelve times over two years, each time closing the case with no findings of wrongdoing [citation:1][citation:3][citation:4]. On the day of the murder, Safranek searched online for the cost of child cremation and how long a death investigation would take [citation:1][citation:3][citation:4]. Her journal reflected that she "hurts her kids" [citation:1][citation:3][citation:4]. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison [citation:1][citation:3][citation:4].

A bride-to-be was found beaten to death in her car on a rural South Carolina road, just months before her wedding day. More than a decade later, her case remains unsolved. Meanwhile, a mother of two from New Jersey was sentenced to life in prison after a passerby discovered her husband's dismembered remains stuffed into three suitcases. 
This episode covers two distinct true crime stories: the unsolved murder of Amber Berbiglia, a young woman whose life was cut short on the brink of a new beginning [citation:1], and the conviction of Melanie McGuire, the "Suitcase Killer," who was found guilty of murdering her husband and stuffing his remains into suitcases that were dumped into the Chesapeake Bay [citation:2].

A bodyguard for a famous televangelist, a new mom who tried to leave her controlling boyfriend, and a devastating family annihilation that left a community in shock. This full episode dives into a week of crime, from a killer who left chilling messages to a missing person case with a tragic outcome.
In this episode, we examine the Chris Coleman case: a man who seemed to have it all—a job protecting a well-known televangelist—but was hiding a dark secret. He murdered his entire family and left behind gruesome, Manson-style messages, attempting to mislead investigators. We also cover the story of a new mother who was reported missing and is presumed dead after she attempted to escape her controlling boyfriend.

A man who spent decades on death row for a murder he claims he didn't commit is fighting to stay free after a brief taste of freedom. At the same time, a mother is still searching for answers 14 years after her three young sons vanished without a trace. These are two stories of families caught in the nightmare of the unknown.
Crosley Green was convicted and sent to death row in 1990 for the 1989 kidnapping and murder of 20-year-old Charles "Chip" Flynn in Florida. His conviction was based largely on the testimony of three witnesses—his sister and two friends—who claimed he confessed to the crime, but all three later recanted, stating prosecutors pressured them to testify in exchange for leniency in their own drug cases. Green's sister Sheila even said she was threatened with the loss of her children if she did not cooperate. After years of legal battles, a 2018 federal ruling found prosecutors had withheld critical evidence, including notes from responding officers who doubted the victim's ex-girlfriend's story. Green was released in April 2021, but a federal appeals court later overturned that ruling, and in 2022 his quest for freedom was denied again. He may be forced to return to prison.
Meanwhile, the mother of three brothers who disappeared on November 26, 2010, continues to seek closure. Alexander, Andrew, and Tanner Skelton were last seen with their father, who remains a suspect in their disappearance. Tanya Zuvers has not seen her sons in 14 years.

The "pork" that flew off the shelves in Münsterberg was the biggest lie ever told. Karl Denke was a beloved pillar of his community—a pious churchgoer who carried the cross at funerals and gave charity to the poor. But behind his kind "Papa" persona, he was a monster who murdered dozens of homeless men and women and pickled their flesh to sell to unsuspecting neighbors.
In this episode, we uncover the horrifying story of Karl Denke, the "Cannibal of Münsterberg," who killed at least 31 victims between 1903 and 1924, possibly as many as 42 or more. The details are almost beyond belief: he bludgeoned or strangled vagrants he lured into his home with promises of food or shelter, dismembered their bodies, and sold the "boneless pickled pork" at the local market. His gruesome trove of evidence included over 300 human teeth, jars of pickled flesh, and a ledger documenting his victims' names and "slaughter weights." It was only when a victim escaped with an axe wound to his head that Denke's reign of terror finally came to light.

A routine stop turns into a nightmare when a teen is found dead, and the officer's story unravels in the most disturbing way. When a teenager disappears and is later found stuffed inside a suitcase, the investigation takes a dark turn. Discover how a community's search for answers collided with a shocking confession, betrayal, and the ultimate abuse of power. From the initial traffic stop to the disposal of a young life, every detail reveals a system in crisis. This is a tragic case of authority gone wrong, a cover-up exposed, and a family's fight for truth.