Crime&Stuff

Mary Theresa Simpson was 12 when she disappeared while walking home in Elmira, New York, on March 15, 1964. When her body was found four days later, buried under heavy rocks, no one could predict that it would take more than six decades before there were answers to that city’s only unsolved murder. Rebecca presents. Also, Maureen gives an NNW review to the documentary “Earnhardt.” To check out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

It’s March. It’s cold [where we live], it’s ugly. We’re tired of it. So, to lighten the mood a little before we get back to our usual content, we have a cabin fever reliever! Updates on the Maine woman who buried her friend in the backyard and is now facing charges, Maine man Michael Colin Patrick Kelley finally arrested on charges her murdered Irish farmer Michael Gaine, Maine man Eliot Cutler who can’t stop porning despite the break he gets on the consequences, and Massachusetts man Brian Walshe convicted in the 2023 murder of his wife, Ana. We also have a Maine mini on the murder of Maine philanthropist Robert Fuller at his Maryland nursing home, a nice batch of “Am I the Asshole,” and a Negative Nelly Watching reviews on Netflix series “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,” and Oxygen series “Buried in the Backyard.” A little something for everyone! To check out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

Maine had 21 homicides in 2025, and we take a look at them. Guns and domestic violence continue to be the dominant themes, with mental health issues also a troubling contributing factor. From people who know each other all too well, to the bizarre seemingly random shooting of a guy on his motorcycle, there are 21 stories of lives lost that may resonate with you, no matter where you live. We also take a quick look at Maine’s biennial domestic violence homicide report, and what it says about how the public, police and the media perceive domestic homicide, and how that adds to the problem. To check out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

We wrap up our three-episode look at the Maine State Police Unsolved Homicide list, diving into the 1990s and beyond, looking at the cases of Lorna Brackett and Vincent White, Susan Hannah, Joseph Savitch and Louis Alexander, and Neil Salisbury, the most recent unsolved homicide on the list. We also look at the introduction of DNA as an investigative tool, how the Maine Unsolved Homicide List was created and some stuff about the state’s cold case squad. Even if you don’t live in, or care about, Maine, the issues related to unsolved homicides and how they were investigated are universal. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

We continue our look at Maine’s cold cases with a dive into the 1980s: Beverly Polchies, Theresa Duran, Vincent LaVopa, Brian Kowalczyk and Alice Hawkes. Would they have been solved if they happened today? Should they have been solved four decades ago? We discuss. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

While we wait for the state of Maine to release the 2025 homicide list, we’re taking a look at another list: Maine’s Unsolved Homicides. In this first part of a three-part series, we dive into the Maine cold cases of the 1970s (and one from the 1960s), and discuss the still-unsolved cases of Effie MacDonald, Mary Olenchuk, Judith Hand, Joyce Tannarillo, Robert McKee, Ellen Choate, and James Cassidy. Would they have been solved if they’d happened today? Would they have even happened today? If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Darrel Parker starts serving a life sentence. Wesley Peery is incarcerated in Ohio, doing “30 to 75 years,” which we know means he’ll be out soon. And Wesley’s gonna be Wesley. As Nebraska officials pull out all the stops across decades to keep an innocent man in prison for the rest of his life, Peery is free once again, with no one fighting against it, and does exactly what he’s done every single time he’s been let out of prison since the 1940s. When Darrel Parker was convicted in 1956, it set John Reid’s star on a trajectory that did change criminal investigation in the U.S. forever. What happened over the next 50 years, including a stunning twist, shouldn’ve altered that course. The fact it didn’t is the biggest crime of all. Maureen wraps up the three-part Darrel Parker saga. Rebecca gives an NNW review to one of her all-time favorite TV shows.

It’s April 1956, and Darrel Parker is going to trial on first-degree murder charges in the murder of his wife, Nancy. The evidence? A confession wrung out of him by soon-to-be famous crimimologist John Reid, with the help of a lie detector and some very willing Lincoln, Nebraska, cops and county attorney Meanwhile, career criminal Wesley Peery continues to wreak havoc in Lincoln and the surrounding area. He can’t have killed Nancy, of course, though he’s showing himself to be a violent rapist. He passed a lie detector test, so he’s been cleared. Part 2 of our look at how the Reid technique and lie detectors and the false confession they elicited launched John Reid to national fame and influenced criminal investigations in the U.S., an influence that continues to this day. Maureen presents. Rebecca gives an NNW review to the Netflix doc series “Missing: Dead or Alive?” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Sit back and rip the wrapping and bows off our annual holiday special. With special holiday “Am I the Asshole?” And two special holiday Negative Nellies Reviews! Enjoy! And Merry Whatever Holiday You Celebrate! If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

In case you missed it, from January 2023: Brian Walshe’s many victims. Brian Walshe was found guilty on Dec. 15, 2025, of murdering his wife, Ana Walshe, and dismemembering her body. As promised, we’ll have an episode on it in January. But if you want the full background on Brian Walshe, check out this episode from January 2023 that looks at his long history of fraud, including ripping off his father — twice! It’s not just about the Warhols. We also have a special holiday issue coming later this week, and Part 2 of The Case That Changed Crime Investigation History coming up in the next couple of weeks. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

Lie detectors. The Reid Technique. You’ve been listening to us rant about them for nine years. One case, in 1955, was not only the perfect storm of both, but also launched John Reid’s interrogation method into national use, changing criminal justice methods throughout the U.S. into what is now the norm. But the funny thing about the investigation of Nancy Parker’s 1955 murder and the conviction of her husband, Darrel, is that it’s a huge honking cautionary tale of what can go wrong in an investigation. Maureen presents. Rebecca gives the Netflix documentary “Sunday Best,” an NNW review. So, on our ninth anniversary [!!!] check out a really good shooooeeee… [That’s an Ed Sullivan reference, kids, not misplaced ego]. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye made beautiful music, but what most people didn’t know until his tragic death at his father’s hand was that his life growing up with Marvin Gaye Sr. had been anything but. What led up to the Gaye’s April 1, 1984, shooting death? Rebecca tells the story. Maureen takes on iconic true crime series “Dateline” in our Negative Nellies Watching review. We also have updates on the Cocoanut Grove fire, one of the stranger cases from our 2023 Maine Homicide List and the ongoing Brian Walshe murder trial. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

The cold case of an arson fire that killed one Portland, Maine, resident in 1994 and injured seven others has finally been solved. The disappearance of a New Sweden, Maine, 13-year-old a year ago hasn’t, despite many red flags. We take a look at these two Maine minis, as well as update what happened to James Dailey, who was scheduled to be executed in Florida when we last talked about him in October 2021, the latest on the Bear Brook cold case (Episode 11), a new look at one of the victims of the Connecticut Valley Serial Killer (Episode 31), and some other recent news on old episode. We also have two NNW reviews! Maureen on the Oxygen series “Accident, Suicide, or Murder,” and Rebecca on the Netflix series, “Dead to Me.” Light the fire and fill up the coffee mug and settle in for cozy night of murder and mayhem. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Philip Willoughby goes on trial for the Dec. 3, 1983, Maine murder of Paula Roberts, but it doesn’t go smoothly. Not at all. Prosecutors never really let go of Trial 1, and justice takes a hit. But does anyone care? Maureen wraps up the Paula Roberts series. Rebecca does an NNW review of the Netflix doc “The Perfect Neighbor.” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

When David Willoughby is arrested and charged with the abduction and murder of Paula Roberts, it seemed like the beginning of the end of the case of the 21-year-old store clerk who was taken and killed during an Augusta, Maine, robbery in December 1983. But it was just the beginning. The tangled tale of the pursuit for justice in the Paula Roberts case goes from complicated to impossibly complicated in Part 2 of our three-part series. Maureen presents. Rebecca also gives a Negative Nellies Watching review of the Netflix doc “Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey.” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

December 3, 1983, was just a normal night in Paula Roberts’ busy life — she was working the evening shift at Summer Haven Ice Cream shop in Augusta, Maine, one of three jobs she worked to help pay her way through college. But that changed fast when two men burst into the shop, hit a customer over the head with a heavy weapon, stole money, lottery tickets and food stamps. When they left minutes later, they took Paula with them. Part 1 of Paula Roberts covers that month between Dec. 3, 1983, when she was abducted, and the shocking events of a month later, followed by an arrest. But that’s only the beginning of the story. Rebecca does a Negative Nellies Watching review of the Netflix series “Adolescence.” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

Tamla Horsford was a little nervous about going to the “girls night” birthday of a friend in Cumming, Georgia, in November 2018. She didn’t know many of the other women, she had a husband and five sons at home to take care of, and on top of it, she was a Black woman in a lily-white town that had a long history of racism. But she was also a fun, friendly person looking for friends. And the party was fun. Until it wasn’t. No one could explain why, the next morning, Tamla was found dead in the back yard. Police quickly determined it was an accident. But a lot of things don’t add up… Rebecca presents. Maureen also gives a Negative Nellies Watching review to the Hulu documentary “Ruby Red-Handed.” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

Michael Gaine was well-known and well-loved in his town of Kenmare, as well as around County Kerry in Ireland. So when the 56-year-old farmer disappeared in the middle of a routine morning in March, the alarm was immediately raised. It wasn’t long before everyone realized it was foul play. Even before the horrific details of what happened to him were learned. What does the American drifter from Maine with the hinky story have to do with it all? Maureen presents. Rebecca also gives a Negative Nellies review of the new Netlfix doc “Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser.”  

We wrap up our summer vacation series with some more of our ever-popular Am I The Asshole advice discussion, as well as Negative Nellies Watching reviews of “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage and Reckoning” streaming on HBO/MAX and “Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil,” streaming on Hulu. We’ll be back next week with a regular episode! If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the award-winning (seriously!) Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

We have a Maine mini on the murder of Sunshine Stewart, who was paddleboarding on a lake in Maine July 2 when she was killed. We have all the up-to-date information! Since it’s July, hot, and busy, who has time for a full-blown story? So we’re also talking about Jaws, 50 years after we saw it in the theater. To cap it off we have an NNW that we’re not revealing the topic of. It’s a surprise! And we also talk about the Netflix doc “Amy Bradley is Missing.” So! A lot of stuff in this episode. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

Fourth of July party poopers, bridesmaids who “ruin” the wedding, unruly kids at the pool and at home, vacation home SNAFUs — and more! Who really IS the asshole? As the weather heats up, so do the offenses. We take you on a a wild ride through our special summer edition of advice, judgment and outrage. Maureen also updates the father-daughter deaths on Katahdin from last episode, which was an update to Episode 125. We also discuss the two competing Titan submersible docs – Netflix’s “Titan: The Oceangate Disaster” and the Discovery+ (also found on Max) “Implosion: The Titan Disaster,” as well as the new Netflix doc “Trainwreck: The Poop Cruise.” Enjoy! If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

We pick up the Danny Wood Jr. murder with his parents taking polygraphs, and 1954 creeping toward 1955 with no more progress on figuring out who killed the Gray, Maine, 12-year-old. Not that there weren’t plenty of suspects. What’s happened in the 71 years since Danny was killed and will his case ever be solved? Rebecca presents. Maureen has an update for Episode 125, “Katahdin Kills and Doesn’t Care,” and also gives the NNW review treatment to the Discovery documentary “Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster.” [Not to be confused with the Netflix doc “Titan: The Ocean Gate Disaster.”] If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

In July 1954, 12-year-old Danny Wood Jr. told his mom in Gray, Maine, that he was going fishing with a friend. Ten minutes later, he called her from a payphone three miles away, in town, telling her he was going to help a door-to-door salesman. She told him not to go with the guy, but Danny was never seen again. This is Part 1 of what’s often called “Maine’s coldest case.” Though it really isn’t. Rebecca presents. Maureen gives the Hulu doc series “Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam” the NNW review treatment. We also update Episodes 77 and 95 (the Police War on Black Women and Johnetta Carr), Episode 144 (James Cameron the Worst Kind of Criminal), Episode 152 (Maine’s 2023 homicide list) and Episode 174 (Kathleen McLean murder). If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

In Episode 85 we brought you the story of Kathleen McLean, killed in her Dover, Mass., home in May 2020 by her husband, Ingolf Tuerk, a doctor. This episode we bring you the rest of the story, after Tuerk finally goes to trial. Maureen presents. Rebecca also does an NNW review of the Hulu doc series “Scamanda.” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Our sister Liz, the history professor, joins us from the Pacific Northwest with another tale of of (possible) murder from that dark corner of the country. The Martin family — Mom, Dad, and three daughters — left their Portland, Oregon, home for a drive up the Columbia River gorge December 7, 1958. They never came home. Was it a tragic accident, or was there more involved? As Liz was preparing her presentation, there was a big break in the case. But maybe not big enough? We also do an NNW review of the Netflix documentary Con Mum, and Liz also has some recommendations.

What does the Karen Read case have to do with Brian Walshe (Episode 136) and Ingolf Tuerk (Episode 85)? Our update explains it all. We also bring back fan favorite Am I the Asshole? To cap it off, Maureen does an NNW review of the movie “American Fiction.” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Emma Cline should’ve been thrilled — at 25, she’d achieved every writer’s dream. But her $2 million book deal for her bestselling debut novel “The Girls” was too much for her ex, who slut-shamed her, threw false plagiarism and cyber-spying charges at her, and dragged in friends in a years-long campaign to bring her down. The media focus was on the plagiarism and the sex stuff, but the real issue was coercive control and male privilege, and how he was allowed to get away with it for years. Rebecca also reviews the Sly Stone documentary “Sly Live.”

The state of Maine recorded 35 homicides in 2024, a pretty high number, though the rate has been steadily going up in recent years. Ages of victims ranged from 22 months to 90 years. We’ll take a look at some of their stories. Rebecca gives NNW treatment to the classic movie 12 Angry Men.

A decade after he was acquitted — twice — of charges related to Jon Pownall’s murder, Truman Dongo finds himself at the wrong end of a gun. Dongo disappeared from his apartment in Falmouth, Maine, on Sept. 21, 1983. His body was found nearly a month later, in the woods of Stowe, Maine, nearly 60 miles away, dead from multiple gunshots. The twisted tale of bizarre criminality that began with the fatal shooting of film director Pownall in Portland in 1973, comes to an end in this third and final episode. Rebecca tells the story. Maureen also gives NNW treatment to the documentary “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.    

Like the Little Drummer Boy, we bring to you what we can — a holiday gift that includes a JonBenet mea culpa, some very special holiday Am I the Asshole discussions, some recommendations, some gripes, and lots of fun! Happy Holidays and here’s to a great 2025! If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

The Jon Pownall murder case didn’t end with the trial of Herb Schwartz and Truman Dongo. There was so much more… particularly with the prosecution’s star witness, who couldn’t stay out of trouble after he moved back to his native New Jersey. Rebecca continues to report. Maureen gives the NNW treatment to the Netflix doc series Manhattan Alien Abduction. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

All Jon Pownall wanted was to make his own movies after two decades of filming marketing spots and commercials. It looked like it was all coming together, too, as production began on his film “The Salem Six.” It all ended, though, on August 30, 1973, when he was found shot to death in the Portland, Maine, office of his film company. Rebecca presents. Also, Maureen gives the NNW treatment to Peacock documentary “Banished: Prince Andrew” If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.  

We take a look at the official report on the Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 24, 2023, shooting, that killed 18 people, and injured many more. The report, released on Aug. 20 by a governor’s commission set up to look at the shooting spent nine months investigating, and it goes step by step through the months that led up to the tragedy, and the many missed opportunities for law enforcement and the U.S. Army Reserve to possibility stop it from happening. Rebecca gives NNW treatment to the Netflix series LA Homicide.

Back by popular demand! Am I the asshole? Asks the guy who’s pissed because his wife wrote a “secret book” that netted a book deal. The woman who yelled at her boyfriend because he thought that it was emasculating to him that she talks to her cat. The guy who’s divorcing his wife because her psychic friend told her that he was having an affair, which he wasn’t, but she believed the psychic. And more! You can’t make this up (or maybe you can) — we take a look at the questions people have no shame about going online and asking. Also, Rebecca does an NNW review of Dirty Pop, the Netflix doc about Backstreet Boys and NSYNC creator Lou Pearlman. Enjoy! Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here.

Rebecca picks up the story with Sabato Raia’s trial. Will his self-defense strategy for shooting Nick Patenaude, Dana Matthews and Kevin Pinette pass jury scrutiny? Maureen gives NNW treatment to the Amazon Prime doc series “Debi Marshal Investigates: Frozen Lies.” Also, Maureen gives the NNW treatment to the Netflix doc How to Rob a Bank. Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here.

On a hot June night in 1997, a dispute between Portland, Maine, bar owner Sabato Raia and three acquaintances – Nick Patenaude, Dana Matthews and Kevin Pinette – ended with the three men lying dead in the street in front of Raia’s apartment house. They’d all been shot in the head. Self-defense? Or just a pissed off guy with a gun? In Part 1, Rebecca takes us through what happened and what people in Portland were saying as the case went to trial. It may be Maine’s largest city, but it’s still a small town where everyone knows everyone else, and that plays a part. Maureen gives NNW treatment to the Hulu doc series “Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer.”

How did a simmering lead-up to war between England and Spain, a 16th-century government coverup, fake news about piracy, a likely hoax by a college professor, dismissal of indigenous culture, early American white Christian nationalism and misogyny (of course) influence California history and short- change Oregon? Our sister Liz, the college professor, guest-hosts to discuss the mystery behind Francis Drake’s 1579 visit to the West Coast. More than 350 years later, the questions about the location of Drake’s “fair and pleasant harbor” are still stirring the pot. Liz also gives the NNW treatment to the Max documentary Six Schizophrenic Brothers

When Everett Savage staggered out of the woods of Fairfield, Maine, on a June day in 1958, the Augusta businessman had been missing for two days and had quite a story to tell. But it took a while for him to get to the lead – that mother of five Patricia Wing, who’d also been missing for two days, from her Oakland home, was dead in the backseat of his car. What really happened? We’ll tell you. Also, Rebecca gives NNW treatment to the Hulu documentary Brats.

In the early morning hours of Easter in 2006, Joseph Gray was shot through the window of his living room in Milo, Maine. Several hours later, William Elliott was shot when he answered the door of his home in Corinth, Maine. What drove Stephen Marshall to kill two men he never met? The question spurred much bigger questions in Maine and beyond about the sex offender registry and more. Rebecca presents. Also, Maureen gives the NNW treatment to the Netflix doc How to Rob a Bank. Also, looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here. [You can also ask your local book store or library to order them if that’s your preference – they’re available through Ingram as well].

Many members of Lori Jane Kearsey’s family didn’t consider her lost, even though they hadn’t heard from her since November 1983. But the 21-year-old left behind a daughter when she “joined the witness protection program” eight months after marrying into the powerful Massachusetts Angiulo crime family. It turns out that there was much more to her going away than anyone realized. We discuss. Also, Rebecca gives the NNW treatment to the movie Poor Things. Also, looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here. [You can also ask your local book store or library to order them if that’s your preference – they’re available through Ingram as well].

There’s no doubt that Kenneth Eugene Smith, along with another man, killed Elizabeth Sennett in Alabama in 1988, a murder paid for by her husband, Charles Sennett. But the long road to Smith’s execution, which took place in January 2024 by a new method, nitrogen hypoxia, raises troubling questions about the death penalty, how it’s administered and what justice actually is. We discuss. Maureen does an NNW review of the book “Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System,” by M. Christopher Fabricant. Also, looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here. If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here. [You can also ask your local book store or library to order them if that’s your preference – they’re available through Ingram as well].

We explore the age-old question, “Am I the asshole?” with situations curated by Rebecca from the sub-Reddit world. Maureen also does an NNW on the Max docuseries Onision In Real Life. Enjoy!

Charles Terry wasn’t a good guy, especially when it came to women. He liked to beat, rape and strangle them. He was convicted for several attacks and just out of prison in 1951 when Shirley Coolen, a Brunswick, Maine, single mother was found dead, strangled in a yard on the town’s fancy Park Row. But did he do it? And how about the Boston Strangler murders? He was a suspect in those, too. We discuss. Rebecca gives the NNW treatment to the Kristin Hannah book “The Women.”

In our third episode looking at the “justified” killings of Maine citizens by the state’s law enforcement agencies, we go back to one that spurred a lot of changes over the past decade, but also — spoiler! — not some of the things that really matter. Katherine Hegarty, shot in her remote Maine cabin by three officers from two different agencies on May 15, 1992. We’ll tell you what happened. Also, Rebecca gives an NNW review to the HBO series “True Detectives: Night Country.”

Ambroshia Fagre was just 18 and likely an innocent bystander when she was killed by police in Maine in February 2017, along with Kadhar Bailey, 25, who police suspected of an armed home invasion. The two were among 13 people shot by police in Maine that year, nine of whom died. Maine police have shot to death nearly 200 people since 1990. Like all those before, and all those after — every police shooting in Maine since 1990 — the officers who shot Ambroshia and Kadhar were found to be justified by the state’s attorney general’s office. We take a look at what happened that day and Maine’s narrow review system that has yet to find a law enforcement officer unjustified in a fatal shooting. Maureen presents. Rebecca also has an NNW review of The Running Grave, the latest Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) CB Strike mystery novel.  

One of Maine’s 2022 homicides was Drew McKenna, 24, accidentally shot by his older brother Shay. In 2023, the McKenna family suffered a second tragedy when the lost Shay, who was shot by police. We also update the 2023 homicide list — it’s up to 54 now, and talk about the texts dismissed by police that warned police that Robert Card was going to do a mass shooting.

We bring you our annual Maine homicide list with 2023’s 51 homicides, a record year and more than twice the average annual number. Even without the Lewiston shootings that killed 18, it was the worst year for homicide in Maine in decades. The list wasn’t yet available from the Maine Department of Public Safety, but that wasn’t going to stop use. We compiled it ourself and got all 51, with some others still pending information from investigators. Guns tell the tale this year, with 39 homicides by gun, including two mass shootings that accounted for 22 gun victims. Nine of the state’s 15 domestic homicides were also by gun, five of which were murder-suicides with the woman killed by a male partner or former partner (the suicide end is not counted in the overall tally). Once again, the facts show the narrative of out-of-state drug dealers coming in and causing trouble is simply not true. Homicide in Maine is a Maine-grown problem.

Enjoy the figgy pudding, fireworks, airing of grievances, or however else you celebrate! Here are some recommendations on what to watch to get you through until our next episode in two weeks. Happy holidays!