Crimes of Passion

A Minnesota mom vanished without a trace just moments after leaving her two children at a Winona daycare. That same morning, her sister grew alarmed when their normally active text thread went silent in the middle of a conversation. By the following day, police had launched a full search for the 26-year-old mother. What they uncovered would turn a missing-persons case into a chilling mystery. Law&Crime's Sierra Gillespie dives deep into the case of Madeline Kingsbury on this episode of Crimes of Passion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 65-second gap on a recorded 911 line is all it took to change two lives forever. It began with a frantic plea from Heidi Firkus, reporting a home intruder, before the line erupted in gunfire. When the phone was picked up again, it was her husband, Nick Firkus, claiming they had both been shot. While Heidi didn't survive the encounter, Nick walked away with a wound and a description of a mystery assailant for the Minnesota police. For years, the case sat stagnant, gathering dust as a "cold case"—until a surprise witness stepped out of the shadows with a revelation that flipped the entire narrative on its head. What really happened inside the Firkus home that night? Join Law&Crime's Sierra Gillespie in this episode of Crimes of Passion as she peels back the layers of a story built on desperation, hidden truths, and the ultimate betrayal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 20-year-old Michigan woman and her boyfriend crashed into a sign outside the Golden Corral after they were ambushed by gunfire. Investigators said Alicia Jackson-Skaggs was shot in the head, and her boyfriend, the driver, crashed when trying to flee to safety. Detectives quickly uncovered the story after discovering that Alicia's ex-boyfriend, Deondre McLilly, had an obsessive pattern of stalking her leading up to her murder. Get the full story on this episode of Crimes of Passion with Sierra Gillespie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the small town of Pittsfield, Wisconsin, Victoria Prokopovitz vanished without a trace one April night in 2013, leaving behind her personal belongings and a family desperate for answers. As the missing persons case grew cold, investigators began to piece together a narrative of domestic tension and a "no-body" homicide that would eventually lead to a high-stakes courtroom battle. On this episode of Crimes of Passion, Law&Crime's Sierra Gillespie delves into the shadow of doubt surrounding her final hours, exploring the circumstantial evidence and the conflicting theories that still leave many wondering what truly happened to Victoria. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emma Walker was a vibrant and kind-hearted teenager from Knoxville, Tennessee, known for her bright personality and dedication to her school and community. A student at Central High School, she was an active cheerleader who loved spending time with friends, supporting her team, and making people laugh. On a cold November night, gunshots barreled through the walls of Walker’s room while she laid in bed, one bullet striking her. Find out what happened next on this episode of Crimes of Passion with Sierra Gillespie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professional cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson was staying at a friend’s Texas apartment before a race in May 2022. After going swimming and to dinner with fellow cyclist Colin Strickland, he dropped her off—minutes before she was found fatally shot later that night. What really happened to Mo Wilson on that tragic night? Watch free, only on Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In August 2011, 21-year-old Katelyn Markham vanished just days before her birthday. Her fiancé, John Carter, called 911 to report her missing less than 24 hours after she was last seen. Instead of preparing for a celebration, Markham’s loved ones launched an urgent search—but found no trace of her. Over the next decade, investigators repeatedly questioned Carter, scrutinizing inconsistencies in his account as they worked to uncover the truth. This episode of Crimes of Passion, Sierra Gillespie takes a closer look at the evidence, the interviews, and the long road to answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Florida man frantically called 911 after his neighbor rushed to his home on a late Sunday night. Ashley Benefield told him she shot her husband, Doug Benefield, during an argument while they were packing her things to move to Maryland. Doug had recently filed for divorce after a four-year marriage seemingly crumbled. Weeks after the shooting, Ashley was charged with Doug's murder but claimed self-defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Florida teen vanished in October 2021 shortly after he began talking to a girl from his high school in Miramar. Eighteen-year-old Dwight "DJ" Grant never came home after he went to hang out with one of his classmates Christie Parisien. Two days later investigators found the body of Grant in the bushes behind an apartment complex. Police soon set their sights on Parisien and two of Grant's other classmates Andre Clements and Jaslyn Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our final episode, we take a look back at the trial against Scott Peterson, the moment Amber Frey took the stand, and what’s happened in the case in the two decades since Laci Peterson and her unborn son Conner first went missing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Christmas Eve twenty years ago, a pregnant woman vanished from her Modesto, California, neighborhood. Relentless media coverage pulled at every thread in her case — most notably, her husband’s strange behavior. Decades since her body, and the body of her unborn son, were found in the San Francisco Bay, we’re still asking: Did Scott Peterson kill his wife? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By September 2015, Brenda has masterminded a murder. She secures multiple accomplices and a solid alibi. But Brenda’s plan isn’t as airtight as she thinks. As investigators close in, a murder-for-hire leads to an international manhunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the man of her dreams broke up with her — twice — Brenda Delgado turned to cyberstalking and staging “chance” run-ins to keep him in her life. But she couldn’t stop him from moving on. When Ricky Paniagua started dating another woman, Brenda began plotting a murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifteen-year-old Kirsten Costas was popular, athletic, and a cheerleader. She was everything fellow classmate Bernadette Protti wanted to be. And when Bernadette couldn’t get the attention she wanted from Kirsten, she killed her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, assassination-aiding King of Poisons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When they met in 1911, she was a teenage beauty from a wealthy Chilean family, and he was an American businessman twice her age who dazzled her. But while Blanca Errázuriz was known as “the flower of the Andes,” Jack de Saulles had a more sordid reputation — and it would wind up costing him everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Tommy Gilbert Jr. felt like his friends, his parents, and even his doctors were conspiring against him. So in the spring of 2014, he illegally obtained a gun. And months later, he would use it when he went to his parents house for a final discussion about his finances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Gilbert Jr was a young socialite who was used to getting what he wanted. But somewhere along the way, his mind began to betray him. All of his personal and professional failures weighed on him. Somebody would have to pay the price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between the relentless accusations and physical assaults, the early 2000s were a dangerous time to be living in the Polk household. No one knew that more than their three kids, all caught in the middle of their parents’ tempest. On October 13th 2002, it all came to a head. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1990s, the Polk marriage descended into a slow-motion implosion. Susan’s resentment of her husband was growing, and it only intensified after he introduced her to a new therapeutic technique: RMT, or recovered memory therapy. Now, she had access to memories she’d never confronted before. And she didn’t like what she was seeing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Polk decides once and for all how far he’ll go to manipulate Susan into staying with him. They marry in the winter of 1981. As the decade progresses, their joy over the birth of their first son, Adam, turns to dread as they’re swept into the hysteria of Satanic Panic. But in that dread, Susan finds her purpose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty years ago, a heinous crime unfolded in a California pool house. The seeds of it were planted in the 1970s, when the Bay Area’s rising star in adolescent therapy, Dr. Felix Polk, met a new patient: 15-year-old Susan Bolling. They took a shine to each other almost immediately. But as he blurred the boundaries of their doctor-patient relationship, both their lives would be thrown into chaos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, detectives were unable to solve the murder of Rozanne Gailiunas. Then police were given a tip that the murderer was her lover’s ex-wife. After a thorough investigation, Joy Aylor was arrested. But days before her trial, she skipped bail — giving authorities a whole new set of problems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Dr. Peter Gailiunas met his future wife, Rozanne, it was love at first sight. But after their marriage, things started to unravel. Another lover entered the mix, and then somebody wound up dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a royal to a humanitarian to a victim, Princess Diana significantly impacted the world during her short time here. Her recent portrayals in TV and film prove that although her passing happened twenty-five years ago, her story still lives on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world mourns, speculation runs wild. How could this have happened? Who was to blame? British paparazzi, who hounded the vehicle into its passengers’ final moments, are an easy target. But rumors arise that lay the fault at the feet of the royal family — a possibility that Diana herself had predicted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty-five years ago, the British monarchy was forever changed upon the death of the “People’s Princess.” Today, we’re revisiting her story, looking back on a moment that impacted not only the royal family, but the world. We jump back to the 1980s, when Diana Spencer is ushered into a fairy tale. But from the beginning, it eats away at her — until she’s left simultaneously isolated and dangerously exposed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Smith had performance issues in the bedroom. He was desperate to somehow make it up to his fiancée Tonya Bundick. So when she asked him to burn down an abandoned building, Charlie said yes. And it led to an arson spree that terrorized Accomack County, Virginia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Smith was an unassuming man from rural Virginia with a prison record and a substance problem. Tonya Bundick was a respectable nurse and mother, who could also be the life of the party. He wanted to stay clean for her. But then she asked him to do the unthinkable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an extended break-up, Elaine O'Hara agreed to meet with Graham Dwyer, assuming he'd changed. He had changed, but unfortunately, for the worse. When they resumed their relationship, Graham got even more violent. One day she went deep into the forest to meet him, and she never came out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elaine O'Hara wanted to explore the world of BDSM. Graham Dwyer was willing to help her. She explained her fantasies, and they established a master-slave relationship. But what she didn't realize was that he also had fantasies. Ones that put her in terrible danger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christa Pike still wasn't over Colleen Slemmer sleeping with her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp. She was going to make Colleen pay. What started out as a simple fight quickly escalated into murder. Was that their plan all along? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a childhood full of abuse, 18-year-old Christa Pike decided to turn her life around. She enrolled at Job Corps, a place meant to provide job training for at-risk youth. That's where she met Tadaryl Shipp. The two became a couple and were inseparable — until Colleen Slemmer arrived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When she realized that her husband was having an affair with his boss, Jennair Gerardot talked him into going to couple's therapy. But when he filed for divorce anyway, she decided that if she couldn't be happy, neither could he. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was love at first sight. But it wasn't always easy for Mark and Jennair Gerardot. So when Mark fell in love with his boss, Jennair knew she had to do something. And when she promised "till death do us part" all those years ago, she meant it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the middle of the night, David Brown woke up his 14-year-old daughter Cinnamon and told her it was time to go through with the plan. Still half-asleep, she swallowed a bunch of pills, took a gun, and killed her stepmother Linda. Years would go by before the truth behind that day would be revealed. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the time David Brown was 30 years old, he had a 20-year-old wife, a teenage daughter, and a secret lover — his wife’s younger sister. When word got out that his wife was plotting to kill him, David turned to the other women in his life with a plea: Would they do whatever it took to keep him safe? Countdown to the CULTS book release! Parcast’s first book hits shelves July 12th. It’s an unflinching exploration of shame, secrecy, power, exploitation, and destruction. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While searching for Tina Biggar, her boyfriend Todd and her father Bill found only one lead. It was Ken Tranchida, a mysterious man who said he'd loan Tina nearly $20,000 to buy a car. Once they found him, he was happy to talk. Only nothing he said was truthful. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more and grab your copy at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tina Biggar was a bright and ambitious college student studying psychology. When she didn’t come home one night, her boyfriend of three years knew something was wrong. After searching their apartment for clues, he discovered that Tina was leading a secret life he could never have imagined. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Granby, Colorado, a petty feud with neighbors and the town council left Marvin Heemeyer feeling backed into a corner. Little did they know that in his mind, God had given him instructions to deliver divine justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elderly millionaire Anna Mae Branson was a bit of a local legend in Madisonville, Kentucky. So when she died a brutally gruesome death, detectives were puzzled. But a tip from an unlikely source led authorities to her nephew Russell Winstead, a desperate man with mountains of debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chuck Riley did a bump of cocaine and half a tab of acid in the morning, so his memory of what happened that day is a little hazy. He thinks he remembers shooting Marlene's father, but he couldn't be sure how the hammer claw got lodged in the skull of Marlene's mother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1975, the bodies of Naomi and Jim Olive were found in a barbecue pit in Marin County, California. Their murder was the tragic culmination of a fraught relationship with their adopted daughter Marlene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It wasn't part of the plan. Two people were dead instead of just one. Adriana Vasco and Dennis Godley would part ways and never discuss the details of that night. But authorities knew Adriana could be bullied, and they would do everything it took to break her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adriana Vasco had a history of being in abusive relationships. Still, none was as terrifying as the one with Dennis Earl Godley. When they met, he was already wanted on one felony charge. By the time their relationship ended, they'd both be wanted for another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wanting fame and fortune as a dancer, Melissa James took Craig up on his offer to introduce her to his A-list friends and moved in with him and Kelly. But the growing conflict between the two women became strained — and turned deadly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices