In 1991, a suburban Texas mother was arrested for allegedly trying to hire a hitman over a middle school cheerleading competition.

This week on When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom examines the shocking case of Wanda Holloway, better known as the "Texas Cheerleader Mom." What began as a disappointing cheerleading tryout in Channelview, Texas spiraled into one of the most bizarre murder-for-hire plots in American true crime history.

Through recorded wiretap conversations, courtroom drama, media obsession, and the lasting impact on the children caught in the middle, we explore how parental ambition, social status, and vicarious living transformed a school rivalry into a national scandal.

Was this ever really about cheerleading? Or was it a cautionary tale about what happens when a parent's identity becomes intertwined with a child's success?

Join us as we uncover the story behind the Texas Cheerleader Murder Plot, the infamous "Cheerleader Mom" case, and the psychological dangers of living through someone else's dreams.

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: @caughtpodcast on TikTok 📸 Instagram: @whenkillersgetcaught on Instagram 🛒 Merch: https://caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to [email protected] and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

Intro Music: Tensions Run High by Soundridemusic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly9H63SLJJo 

End credit music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu.https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF?utm_source=chatgpt.com

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected].

In 1971, a quiet suburban home in Westfield became the center of one of the most chilling family annihilation cases in American history.

This is the story of John List, a deeply religious, seemingly respectable accountant, husband, and father who methodically murdered his entire family inside their mansion, then disappeared without a trace.

For nearly 18 years, he lived under a new identity while authorities had no clear idea what he looked like, where he went, or how he managed to evade capture for so long.

This episode explores:

• The financial collapse that triggered the unraveling of the List household

• The psychological and religious justification behind the murders

• The calculated, step-by-step execution of the crime

• How List successfully erased himself from his own identity

• The breakthrough involving forensic sculptor Frank Bender and America's Most Wanted •

The final capture and conviction after nearly two decades on the run

This case isn’t just about murder it’s about shame, control, identity, and how outward respectability can conceal unimaginable violence.

Because sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones no one ever suspects.

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok: @caughtpodcast on TikTok

📸 Instagram: @whenkillersgetcaught on Instagram

🛒 Merch: Caught Podcast Shop

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to [email protected] and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

Opening music featured in this episode: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major by Alexander Borodin.

This recording is used under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal (CC PDM 1.0). This work has been identified as free of known copyright restrictions, including all related and neighboring rights.

End credit music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. Myuu on Spotify

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected].

In May 2005, eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished during a graduation trip to Aruba , a disappearance that would become one of the most infamous true crime cases in modern history.

What began as a carefree senior trip quickly spiraled into an international media frenzy involving shifting stories, failed investigations, public obsession, and nearly two decades of unanswered questions surrounding Joran van der Sloot.

But beneath the headlines and speculation was a real young woman whose life had barely begun.

In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom examines the investigation, the media pressure that shaped the case, the emotional devastation of ambiguous loss, and the 2023 confession that finally changed everything. More importantly, this episode restores focus to Natalee herself , the daughter, friend, student, and teenager at the center of a story the world too often turned into mythology.

This episode discusses:

• ​The Aruba disappearance timeline
• ​The initial investigation and arrests
• ​Media frenzy and “missing white woman syndrome”
• ​Years of false confessions and dead ends
• ​The federal extortion case
• ​Beth Holloway’s fight for answers
• ​Natalee Holloway’s lasting legacy

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🛒 Merch: caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

• ​Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF
• ​For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected]

In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom revisits one of the most infamous figures in New Orleans history Delphine LaLaurie, also known as The Beast of Royal Street.

Long before the fire that exposed her mansion in 1834, Madame LaLaurie was a wealthy Creole socialite living at the center of elite New Orleans society. But behind the elegance, dinner parties, and political connections, neighbors whispered about missing servants, unexplained injuries, and a house that felt increasingly disturbing to those around it.

This episode breaks down the full timeline of the LaLaurie case from her rise in high society and powerful marriages, to the growing allegations of abuse inside her Royal Street mansion, and ultimately the night everything changed.

We cover:

• Her elite Creole upbringing and powerful family connections in New Orleans

• The three marriages that expanded her wealth and influence

• Early red flags reported by neighbors and enslaved workers

• The 1834 Royal Street fire and what was discovered inside the attic

• The violent public response and her escape from New Orleans

• What is fact, what is legend, and how her story became mythologized over time

We also examine how the LaLaurie case reflects broader systems of power, slavery, and legal protection in 19th-century Louisiana and why her story continues to be retold nearly 200 years later.

Some say she was a monster. Others say she was a product of her time. But the truth, as always, is more complicated  and far more unsettling than fiction.

Because in cases like this… the truth always leaves a trail.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🛒 Merch: caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

• Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

• For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected]

In this landmark 100th episode of When Killers Get Caught, we step beyond the moment of arrest and into something deeper: a reckoning.

The case of Gisèle Pelicot shocked the world. For nearly a decade, her husband, Dominique Pelicot, drugged her into unconsciousness and invited dozens of men into their home meticulously documenting the abuse along the way. What began as a seemingly minor incident in a French supermarket unraveled into one of the most disturbing cases of systemic betrayal in recent history.

But this story is not about him.

It is about Gisèle, who refused to remain anonymous and who made one thing clear: Shame must change sides.

In this milestone episode, we examine:

• The Pelicot Timeline: From the first red flags to the historic trial in Avignon.

• The Digital Blueprint: How forensic evidence exposed a hidden, global network of “everyday” perpetrators.

• The Lived Aftermath: Firsthand insights into the experiences of survivors like Zoe Watts, Amanda Stanhope, and Valentina.

• The "Pelicot Effect": How this case is fundamentally reshaping the legal definition of consent.

This episode is dedicated to the survivors, to those who have had to reclaim their bodies, their autonomy, and their stories from the shadows.

Content Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of sexual assault and drug-facilitated abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🛒 Merch: caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

• Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://youtu.be/2qqTU7zc1As?si=sK2n6FnKLc1mtQwN https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

• For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected]

In 1981, a man was shot in broad daylight on Main Street in Skidmore, Missouri in front of dozens of witnesses.

Yet, no one was ever arrested.

This is the story of Ken Rex McElroy, a man accused of violence, intimidation, and terrorizing a small town for years… and the moment that town stopped waiting for the system to act.

This episode of When Killers Get Caught explores what happens when justice fails, fear takes over, and silence becomes a community decision.

When everyone knows what happened… and no one speaks up, is it still murder?

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📱 TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠

📸 Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠

Have a case suggestion or question?📩 Case submissions: [email protected]

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF⁠

Business inquiries / sponsorships:📧 [email protected] (Brittany Ransom)

In 2006, Susan Kuhnhausen came home after a long shift as an emergency room nurse and walked straight into a violent ambush inside her own home.

A man was waiting for her with a hammer. He had a job to do and she was the target.

What he didn’t know was that Susan wasn’t just a victim. She was a veteran ER nurse trained to assess crisis in seconds, make decisions under pressure, and survive moments most people never prepare for.

By the end of the night, the intruder, Ed Haffey, was dead.

And what initially looked like a random home invasion quickly unraveled into something far more disturbing: a murder-for-hire plot allegedly tied to Susan’s husband, Mike Kuhnhausen.

This episode of When Killers Get Caught breaks down:

• The brutal home invasion and fight for survival

• The forensic investigation that revealed intent, not randomness

• The financial and personal paper trail behind the attack

• And the rare true crime outcome where the intended victim survived and fought back

This is not just a story about violence.

It’s a story about instinct, survival, and what happens when a carefully planned murder collapses in real time.

Because sometimes the person chosen to die… refuses.

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📱 TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠

📸 Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠

Have a case suggestion or question?📩 Case submissions: [email protected]

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF⁠

Business inquiries / sponsorships:📧 [email protected] (Brittany Ransom)

She was married to one of America’s most feared mob bosses, Vito Genovese, but Anna Genovese lived by her own rules inside the heart of the New York Mafia.

Anna built a parallel world in Greenwich Village, creating safe havens for a queer community the city tried to erase, all while navigating a violent marriage inside the Genovese crime family. When she finally broke the Mafia’s code of silence, she didn’t just risk her life, she reshaped the power structure around her.

Anna Genovese broke omertà, lived openly as a bisexual woman in an era that criminalized it, and survived the fallout of exposing one of the most powerful mob figures in American history.

If this episode leaves you wanting more, we highly recommend Mob Queens (2019), hosted by Jessica Bendinger and Michael Seligman. The series was built from newly uncovered letters about Anna and remains the most comprehensive exploration of Anna’s life. A television adaptation is currently in development.

Primary sources for this episode include Five Families by Selwyn Raab, The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas, and King of Crime by Dom Frasca.

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught

Have a case suggestion or question?📩 Case submissions: [email protected]

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

Business inquiries / sponsorships:📧 [email protected] (Brittany Ransom)

In 2014, the quiet suburb of Waukesha, Wisconsin, was shattered by a crime that defied logic. Two 12-year-old girls lured their best friend into the woods for a birthday game of hide-and-seek only to leave her for dead as a "sacrifice" to a fictional internet character known as Slender Man.

In Episode 96, Brittany Ransom dives deep into the haunting psychology behind Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier. We trace the trail from the dark corners of Creepypasta forums to the chilling police interrogation rooms where the truth finally caught up.

In this episode, Brittany examines:

• The "Folie à Deux": How a shared delusion turned two vulnerable children into attempted killers.

• The Architecture of a Myth: Why the Slender Man resonated so deeply with a generation raised online.

• The Miracle of Resilience: The incredible survival and recovery of Payton "Bella" Leutner, who crawled out of the woods to tell her story.

• Justice vs. Treatment: The controversial legal battle over early-onset Schizophrenia and the girls' journey through the mental health system.

Was this tragedy preventable, or was it a "perfect storm" of mental illness and digital isolation?

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📸 Instagram:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Submit your questions to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be part of the discussion.

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Dennis Rader looked like the last person you would ever suspect. A church leader. A husband. A father. A man trusted by his community. But behind that ordinary life was something far more calculated.

Known as BTK, Bind, Torture, Kill, Rader terrorized Wichita, Kansas in the 1970s before disappearing for decades. He didn’t get caught because he slipped up during a crime. He got caught because he needed to be seen.

In this episode, Brittany Ransom breaks down the psychology behind one of America’s most infamous serial killers. From the early fantasies that shaped him, to the methodical murders that built his identity, to the ego-driven mistake that finally exposed him.

This isn’t just a story about violence.

It’s about control. About duality.  And about how someone can live an ordinary life while hiding something unthinkable.

Because Dennis Rader didn’t stand out. He blended in.

And that’s exactly what made him so dangerous.

Follow and join the conversation:

TikTok:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

nstagram:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Now Active: Subscription-Only Content on Patreon. Have a case, story, or idea you’d like us to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be part of the discussion.

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at ⁠⁠[email protected]