True Crime News

What would you do if your partner's violence pushed you beyond your limits? A woman who suffered years of physical and psychological abuse finally took the law into her own hands, shooting her lover dead in front of an off-duty police officer. The shocking crime led to the last public hanging of a woman in Britain.
This episode explores the case of Ruth Ellis, who was executed in 1955 for the murder of her lover, David Blakley. After years of abuse and a violent miscarriage, Ellis shot him outside a north London pub and calmly told a witness to call the police [citation:2]. Her trial was brief, and she was sentenced to death, a punishment that sparked widespread public outrage and is believed to have contributed to the eventual abolition of the death penalty in the UK [citation:4]. Decades later, her sister is still fighting to have her conviction reduced to manslaughter [citation:4].

A beautiful young woman thought she met the man of her dreams. Instead, she ended up dead on the side of a Minnesota highway, her body wiped out next to her motorcycle in what looked like a tragic accident. But the scene didn't add up—and soon, investigators realized that her Prince Charming was hiding a much darker secret.
In this episode, we examine the disturbing case of Natasha "Tasha" Waalen, a young mother whose 2008 death was staged to look like a motorcycle accident. Her boyfriend, Ryan Boland, was later accused of her murder after investigators found inconsistencies in the crash scene [citation:1]. We explore the chilling pattern of staged accident homicides, from a South African mother who covered her husband's face with his shirt before fleeing with her lover [citation:5], to a Telangana woman who murdered her husband for insurance money and falsely claimed an animal caused his crash [citation:2]. These are the stories of killers who tried to make murder look like an accident—and the investigators who saw through their lies.

A viral body positivity community that drew nearly 250,000 TikTok followers and welcomed plus-size women to a Las Vegas mansion is now at the center of a disturbing scandal. Former members have come forward with allegations of manipulation, coercion, and unwanted sexual conduct against its founder, Stefan Wilhelmy [citation:1][citation:2].
What was marketed as a "safe space" for plus-size women to find acceptance and sisterhood has been accused of being a grooming ground for an alleged predator [citation:3]. The allegations, which include claims of sexual assault and fetishization, have sparked a yearslong legal battle and are now the subject of Investigation Discovery's new three-part documentary, "Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise" [citation:1][citation:6].
The women claim Wilhelmy created a highly sexualized environment, fetishized them, and pressured them to gain weight [citation:2][citation:6]. One former member alleged in a sworn declaration that Wilhelmy pressured her into a sexual encounter during an emotional breakdown, describing the interaction as "predatory" [citation:1]. Another woman claimed that having sex with Wilhelmy "wasn't required" but it "felt like an unspoken rule" [citation:9].
Wilhelmy has denied all allegations of predatory behavior, inappropriate touching, and coercive control [citation:6]. He previously sued several women for defamation after they publicly described him as a predator, but a Clark County judge dismissed his lawsuit under Nevada's Anti-SLAPP law, ruling the women had established their statements involved a matter of public concern [citation:1]. The documentary also explores the death of a member named Kass Parades, which shattered the community [citation:5]. Subscribe and hit the bell for more true crime stories and documentaries!

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.