True Crime Conversations

It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in Spring, 1930. Mena Griffiths is 12 years old and living with her family in suburban Melbourne. There’s a park she often visits with her friends and she asks her parents if she can go out and play. Her parents can’t know that there’s a man sitting at a local hotel bar. He’s about 30 years old. He is known to the community as a family man, with a wife named Bernice and a baby named Joan. At 18 he had been sent to a reformatory prison for theft. Shortly after his release, he was sent back to prison for armed robbery and wounding a station master.  They can’t know that his crimes are on the verge of becoming more extreme. And that as he watches the young girls play in the nearby park, he decides to finish his drink, and approach a little girl. They can’t know that what he does will only be the beginning. He will go on to commit a series of crimes so horrific, that he will be hanged at Pentridge Prison. CREDITS Guest: Katherine Kovacic Host: Jessie Stephens Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Gia Moylan CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1980s, a brochure was printed across the world, for an idyllic holiday resort called Arous. It was a diving resort on the Red Sea, in the Sudanese desert. The brochure featured pictures of chalets on a bright beach, the sea almost the same colour as the skyBut what guests of the resort didn’t know was that Arous wasn’t really a holiday resort. At least not primarily. And the staff weren’t really managers, or diving instructors, or waitresses. Once the sun went down, those who worked at the hotel were part of a top secret mission, that not even their own families were aware of. And if the Sudanese government found out, it would cost them their lives. Raffi Berg is the Middle East editor for BBC News Online. He has extensive experience reporting on Israel and the wider region. His book 'Red Sea Spies: The True Story Of Mossad’s Fake Diving Resort' was written in collaboration with secret agents involved in the operation and tells the complete story of the case for the first time. This episode was originally published on June 18th, and is part of our 2020 Best Of series. CREDITS: Guest: Raffi Berg Host: Jessie Stephens Producer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘Red Sea Spies: The True Story Of Mossad’s Fake Diving Resort’ by Raffi Berg https://bit.ly/redseaspies-book  ‘Red Sea Diving Resort: The holiday village run by spies’, Raffi Berg for BBC News, Tel Aviv https://bit.ly/redseaspies-bbc  ‘Saving The Forgotten Jews’ BBC News https://bit.ly/forgotten-jews-bbc-news ‘The Daring Rescue of Ethiopian Jews From Sudan’, Israel First TV https://bit.ly/30Q77lR  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]  Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. In 1988 the death of Mark Haines just outside of Tamworth in regional NSW was barely investigated by local police. The 17-year-old’s body was found on train tracks outside of town, but law enforcement treated his death as less than suspicious. You have only to pull on the threads of the case to find that the truth could be very far from that. Allan Clarke is a Muruwari man and an award winning investigative journalist, producer and presenter. Allan worked closely with Mark Haines’ family and friends for five years fighting for justice, and answers, culminating in the investigation of the case for the ABC podcast Unravel: Blood On The Tracks. Allan joins this episode to explore the case, the mis-steps by law enforcement, and the racial prejudices that hindered initial, and even ongoing, investigations. This episode was originally published on June 11th and is part of our 2020 Best Of series. CREDITS:Guest: Allan Clarke Host: Jessie StephensProducer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH Unravel: Blood On The Tracks, ABC Podcasts https://bit.ly/unravel-podcast  ‘Footsteps On The Tracks’ by Allan Clarke https://bit.ly/footsteps-allan-clarke  State Crime Command will investigate Mark Haines death  ‘Blood on the Tracks Pt 1: Murder or misadventure, who killed Mark Haines?’ Australian Story, ABC TV https://bit.ly/aus-story-part-1  'Blood on the Tracks Pt 2: Unraveling Tamworth's body on the train tracks mystery’ Australian Story, ABC TV https://bit.ly/aus-story-part-2  Mark Haines’ family 2017 petition for the state government to offer a reward for information relating to Mark Haines’ death https://bit.ly/markhaines-family-plea  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s July 2018 when Detective Gary Jubelin stands in front of microphones and news cameras and says the words: “I suggest you come to us before we come to you.”  He is addressing the person who knows what happened to three-year-old William Tyrrell on September 12, 2014. Little did Gary know that this case would be the one to cost him his job, but as he tells host Jessie Stephens on the latest episode of True Crime Conversations, he has no regrets.  Gary Jubelin is one of Australia’s most notable homicide detectives, known for leading the investigation into the deaths of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville, solving the murder case of Terry Falconer, recovering the body of Matthew Leveson and running the crime scene following the Lindt Cafe siege.  In his new book I Catch Killers: The Life and Many Deaths of a Homicide Detective, Gary shares the reality of working on investigations such as the disappearance of William Tyrrell and the toll his work has taken on his personal life. Throughout his career, Gary's focus has cost him friendships, relationships and, in the case of William Tyrrell, his job.  This episode was originally published on August 27th and is part of our 2020 Best Of series. CREDITSGuest: Gary JubelinHost: Jessie StephensProducer: Hannah Bowman  LINKS You can find Gary’s book HERE - https://bit.ly/2EEM4cA  RESEARCH The Bowraville Murders - 60 Minutes. https://bit.ly/3jdETXT   Mark Leveson speaks after Gary Jubelin's court appearance | 7NEWS. https://bit.ly/3hu3Yh5  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated.  Nicola is a successful defence barrister, best known for defending Melbourne’s most prolific organised crime figures, from Carl Williams to Tony Mokbel. But things have become very messy. She wants to get what she calls the ‘Mokbel monkey’ off her back. She’s become too involved in ways she says she never intended. She’ll later say she’s tired of being stood over by criminals who are manipulating the justice system. She’s scared and distressed, and close to breaking down.  When Nicola Gobbo arrives at the courthouse and finds two detectives standing outside, words spill out of her mouth and tears fall down her face. She tells them things she shouldn’t. The detectives see this as an opportunity, and suggest something that’s never been done before.  Her decision that day would affect thousands of people, and ultimately force her into hiding.  The most resounding question when it comes to Nicola’s behaviour is: why? This episode was originally published on October 22nd and is part of our 2020 Best Of series. CREDITS Guest: Rachael Brown Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson LINKS To listen to the podcast Trace, visit: abc.net.au/trace CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phillip Island lies just off Australia’s southern coast, about two hours from the city of Melbourne. In 1986, the Cameron family were well known on the island. Fergus Cameron was a founding shareholder of the Phillip Island Grand Prix, but day to day worked on the family farm. He was married to Vivienne Cameron, and the pair had two small children.  One night in September, the body of a 23-year-old woman was found inside her home in what has been described as one of the most horrific crime scenes. And then, another woman went missing. Immediately, police thought they knew what had happened.  But all these years later, there are still unanswered questions. A mysterious phone call. A handbag that was miraculously moved. And blood that revealed something no one was expecting... In 1993, crime writer Vikki Petraitis published her first book The Phillip Island Murder. Twenty-seven years later, she’s working on a podcast with Casefile about the case of Vivienne Cameron’s disappearance and is hoping to finally lay the mystery to rest.   CREDITS Guest: Vikki Petraitis  Host: Jessie Stephens Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Australia Day 1963, in the middle of a hot summer in Perth. A couple are sitting in a car, kissing and talking, in the beachside suburb of Cottesloe. They feel safe. It’s a safe neighbourhood in a safe city, and the night is still and empty. That is until the female notices, at around 2:40am, something outside the car window. It’s a man. Watching them. She alerts her male companion to the figure … who they realise is holding a rifle. They spring to action, trying to drive away as fast as they can. The man shoots at them, and she instinctively puts up her hand. She is injured, but the two escape alive. By the next morning, Perth wakes up to the news that five people have been shot, with three dead. It was a killing spree unlike anything Perth had ever seen. But that wouldn’t be the extent of Eric Edgar Cooke’s crimes. And while he killed innocent civilians, there were two men in prison, serving time for murders they had not committed.    CREDITS Guest: Tom Meadmore, Director of the Stan Original Documentary Series ‘After The Night’  Host: Jessie Stephens Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was 2018 when Saxon Mullins, now 23, came out and said the four words: “I am that girl.” People had heard what had happened to a young woman in a laneway behind the Soho nightclub in Sydney’s King’s Cross.  They heard what a man, Luke Lazarus, son of the nightclub owner, said to her.  The public was also aware of what happened next.  But it took five years for Saxon to say those words, “I am that girl”, and she said them to ABC journalist Louise Milligan.  Saxon did what she was meant to do. She reported alleged assault. She turned up to court. She sat in the witness box and she told her story.  But, Louise Milligan asks, at what cost? Louise Milligan is an investigative journalist, a reporter for the ABC’s Four Corners program, and Walkley Award winning author. Her most recent book is Witness: An investigation into the brutal cost of seeking justice in which she explores Australia's legal system and how it treats witnesses.  She gives us a glimpse into a world so many of us will never see, and explores the stories of various witnesses, including Saxon Mullins and Paris Street.  CREDITS Guest: Louise Milligan, Reporter for ABC Four Corners and author, Witness: An investigation into the brutal cost of seeking justice  Host: Jessie Stephens Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second part of a two part episode. If you haven't listened to part one, listen here now.Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities. Just south of the city centre stands Launceston General Hospital, one of the main public hospitals in the state of Tasmania. The hospital treats a quarter of a million patients every year, and over 150 years has built trust within the local community.  The children’s ward is known as Ward 4K - filled with doctors and nurses doing their best to make a child’s stay as comfortable as possible.  But for more than 20 years, one nurse - a grandfatherly figure to so many - allegedly preyed on sick children.  It wasn’t until May last year, when a young woman referred to as Alice walked into Launceston police station, that everything would begin to change.  Her story, police would discover, was only the beginning.  This story is told by investigative journalist Camille Bianchi, the creator, host and reporter behind The Nurse podcast. The Nurse is about a former Launceston nurse named James 'Jim' Geoffrey Griffin who lived in a quiet town in Tasmania, and spent his life working with children. He also hid a dark secret.  CREDITS Guest: Camille Bianchi, creator and host of The Nurse podcast   Host: Jessie Stephens Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities. Just south of the city centre stands Launceston General Hospital, one of the main public hospitals in the state of Tasmania. The hospital treats a quarter of a million patients every year, and over 150 years has built trust within the local community.  The children’s ward is known as Ward 4K - filled with doctors and nurses doing their best to make a child’s stay as comfortable as possible.  But for more than 20 years, one nurse - a grandfatherly figure to so many - allegedly preyed on sick children.  It wasn’t until May last year, when a young woman referred to as Alice walked into Launceston police station, that everything would begin to change.  Her story, police would discover, was only the beginning.  This story is told by investigative journalist Camille Bianchi, the creator, host and reporter behind The Nurse podcast. The Nurse is about a former Launceston nurse named James 'Jim' Geoffrey Griffin who lived in a quiet town in Tasmania, and spent his life working with children. He also hid a dark secret.  This is part one of a two part episode. CREDITS Guest: Camille Bianchi, creator and host of The Nurse podcast   Host: Jessie Stephens Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second half of a two-parter. If you haven't heard part one yet, listen here and then come back to listen to part two.  Chris Regan, a 53-year-old war veteran and father of two sons, hadn’t been seen since October 14, 2014. Weeks turned into months, and as the lakes of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula turned to ice, there was still no sign of him.  Inside Chris’ car, police had found one item of interest; a handwritten note that appeared to be directions. At first, it hadn’t made any sense. But once police looked more closely, it became clear they were directions to the home of Kelly Cochran, a colleague who Chris was having a relationship with.  According to Kelly, her husband Jason Cochran was aware of her affair with Chris. Her affairs were simply part of their marriage. She’d seen Chris a few days before he’d disappeared, but she didn’t know where he’d gone, or why he’d left.  But police knew this wasn’t true.  Kelly knew far more than she was letting on. And they were beginning to suspect so did her husband Jason.   CREDITS Guest: Laura Frizzo Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson Dead North is on Investigation Discovery - available to stream via Foxtel On Demand. CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iron River, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is known for its scenic lakes, hiking trails, exceptionally cold winters and dense forest. It’s sparsely populated, and many who do live there are blue collar workers. Laura Frizzo was the first female Police Chief in Upper Michigan and worked for the city of Iron River for almost 22 years. She knew what sorts of crimes to expect. And then came a woman named Terri O’Donnell. Towards the end of October, 2014, 50 year old Terri arrived at the police station and told authorities that her ex-partner, Chris Reagan, was missing.  What would unfold over the following months, and then years, is a story of extramarital affairs, drug abuse and serial murder. One woman would come to be known as the black widow - capable of crimes far worse than anyone could have imagined. This is part one of a two-part feature.   CREDITS Guest: Laura Frizzo Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia Audio producer: Ian Camilleri  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson LINKS The true story is dramatised in the new docu-series Dead North on Investigation Discovery - available to stream via Foxtel On Demand. CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was mid 2016, when 28-year-old Angela Jay downloaded Tinder. Angela had come out of a long term relationship and had decided it was time to start dating again.  That’s when she came across the profile of a man named Paul Lambert. He had used the ‘Super Like’ feature on her, which meant he was especially interested in striking up a conversation. He was conventionally attractive with dark hair, friendly eyes, and a wide, warm smile with dimples on either side. Angela decided to reply to the 36-year-old, and quickly learned they had a lot in common.  Their first date was everything she wanted it to be. He was kind and interested, unashamed about how much he liked her. She couldn’t have known at that point who he really was, and the behaviours that lay in his past.  Then came the gut feeling that something wasn’t right.  It would end with every woman’s worst nightmare - a story that made national news and an event that Angela will remember for the rest of her life.   CREDITS Guest: Dr Angela Jay Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson LINKS A link to the Ted X event in Sydney… https://tedxsydney.com/ CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated.  Nicola is a successful defence barrister, best known for defending Melbourne’s most prolific organised crime figures, from Carl Williams to Tony Mokbel. But things have become very messy. She wants to get what she calls the ‘Mokbel monkey’ off her back. She’s become too involved in ways she says she never intended. She’ll later say she’s tired of being stood over by criminals who are manipulating the justice system. She’s scared and distressed, and close to breaking down.  When Nicola Gobbo arrives at the courthouse and finds two detectives standing outside, words spill out of her mouth and tears fall down her face. She tells them things she shouldn’t. The detectives see this as an opportunity, and suggest something that’s never been done before.  Her decision that day would affect thousands of people, and ultimately force her into hiding.  The most resounding question when it comes to Nicola’s behaviour is: why? CREDITS Guest: Rachael Brown Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson LINKS To listen to the podcast Trace, visit: abc.net.au/trace CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a Thursday night in December, 2001, when a woman named Janine Vaughan attended a nightclub in Bathurst called the Metro Tavern. Janine had lived in the small town, with a population of about 27,000 for the last three years, working as a manager at a local menswear shop. Hers was a face many in the community knew, considered conventionally beautiful with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big smile.  In the early hours of that Friday morning, 31-year-old Janine walked out onto George Street, a few paces ahead of her friends. She was distressed, having lost her handbag somewhere in the nightclub. A few moments later, a red sedan pulled up. Her friends were unable to see the driver, but assumed it was someone Janine knew. She climbed into the passenger seat, and the car drove away. That was the last anyone has seen of Janine Vaughan - a woman known as fun loving and outgoing. Her mother, Jenny Vaughan, told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2012, “It was raining, she had no money, she had no phone, no key to get into her house. If it was just someone she knew from coming into the shop or who she knew from around town she would have got in. It wouldn’t have been someone she met that night.I think it’s someone that she knew and trusted them enough to get into the car.”  So, who was in the driver’s seat? And what did they do to Janine Vaughan? CREDITS Guest: Hedley Thomas Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  LINKS The Night Driver Podcast by The Australian… thenightdriver.com.au CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthieu Heimel grew up knowing nothing about his biological parents.  His life in Perth had been enough for him until his two children began asking unanswerable questions about where he came from.  So in late 2018, Mattieu embarked on a DNA search for his mother and father.  He found his father Jerry relatively easily. He was a US serviceman who had been stationed in the Philippines in 1978 when Matthieu had been conceived.  Finding his mother proved far more difficult.  Using social media, he connected with members of his mother’s family. He was told that Nenita, the woman who had given birth to him 42 years ago, was missing. As he asked more questions, he learned that she’d moved to Melbourne in 1985, and then a few years later, she’d vanished.  The closer he looked, the clearer it became that Nenita had likely been murdered.  CREDITSGuest: Simon Illingworth Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  LINKS The SBS on Demand series, Every Family Has a Secret… https://bit.ly/2SzrK0c Simon Illingowrth’s book, Filthy Rat… https://www.booktopia.com.au/filthy-rat-simon-illingworth/book/9780980417043.html CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a tropical night in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and 45-year-old Luis Navia’s 25-year stint as a narco (a drug trafficker) was coming to an end.  Ever since he’d first tried the stuff as a young man, Luis had dealt large quantities of cocaine.  It was the era of Pablo Escobar, of the Netflix series Narcos, of Miami Vice,  Scar Face and  American Made. So much has been written and explored about the cocaine market of the late 20th Century but until now, none of those stories properly included Luis Navia.  Pursued for more than 12 years, Luis’ time on the run was drawing to a close. Luis would walk out the front doors of Tamanaco InterContinental airport and wait for a taxi. He didn’t know that he was about to be captured by the National Guard of Venezuela. He’d be threatened with a scalpel.  Once arrested, Luis was sent back to Florida where he would finally face justice. It’s where he had studied at university and where his parents lived. He emerged from the airport in a white shirt, khaki pants and brown shoes, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. If he felt anything, it was relief.  His life for so many years had been one of secrets. He’d been held over a pit of crocodiles. He’d spent more money than anyone could ever dream of. No one, at that moment at least, knew his full story. Until it was told by Jesse Fink.  CREDITSGuest: Jesse Fink Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  LINKS The book Pure Narco by Jesse Fink and Luis Navia… https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51192383-pure-narco CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a summer night in 1986 when 26-year-old Anita Cobby met friends for dinner in Redfern.  Afterwards, the registered nurse caught the train from Central Station at 8:48pm, and arrived at Blacktown station just before 10pm.  Usually, Anita would call her father at the station and he would pick her up, but this night all the surrounding pay phones happened to be out of order. There were also no taxis available at the taxi rank. It was a beautiful, clear night and Anita decided to walk home. It was 10pm when a gang of five men pulled up beside Anita in a stolen car, grabbed her, and dragged her into the vehicle kicking and screaming. A number of witnesses on Newton Road in Blacktown heard the voice of a distressed young woman and called the police. It was the next day that the naked body of a young woman was found in a paddock at Prospect in Western Sydney. Police identified her as Anita Cobby.  One of the women working at Blacktown police station at the time was Deborah Wallace. She was around the same age as Anita, and similar in appearance. The lead detective would choose to do something unconventional in order to find who was responsible for one of the most horrific murders in NSW history. His approach would work, and ultimately it would change the course of Deborah’s career. CREDITS Guest: Deborah Wallace Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  LINKS The Book ‘A Woman of Force’... https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-woman-of-force-mark-morri/book/9781760787356.html CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s early 2016 when a description of American woman Amy Allwine is posted to the Dark Web: “She’s about five foot six, she looks about 200 pounds. She should be driving a dark green Toyota Sienna Minivan.This bitch has torn my family apart by sleeping with my husband (who then left me), and is stealing clients from my business. I want her dead.” This post was in fact a call-out for someone to murder Amy Allwine, and be paid 13 Bitcoin (approximately $190,000) in return. But Amy hadn’t slept with anyone’s husband. She wasn’t stealing anyone’s clients. She had no enemies. So who could want her dead?  The police would eventually discover who wanted Amy dead. But they were too late.   In today’s episode Jessie speaks with Eileen Ormsby. Eileen is a lawyer, author and freelance journalist based in Melbourne. Her book, The Darkest Web, attempts to uncover the web's dark underbelly: a place of hitmen for hire, red rooms, hurtcore sites and markets that will sell anything a person is willing to pay for - including another person’s life.  CREDITS Guest: Eileen Ormsby Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  LINKS Eileen Ormsby’s book, Silk Road… https://www.booktopia.com.au/silk-road-eileen-ormsby/ebook/9781743518113.html Eileen Ormsby’s book, Darkest Web… https://www.booktopia.com.au/darkest-web-eileen-ormsby/book/9781760297855.html CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s 1974 in the suburb of Hamilton, which is about four kilometres from the heart of Newcastle. The area is an idyllic backdrop for an Australian childhood, surrounded by incredible natural beauty, with lush bushland and sprawling beaches.   Many of the working class families in the suburbs of Newcastle are Catholic. Catholics belong to a parish, which has a church and a local priest. The Catholic schools in the area promise to propel students into the professional classes. Maybe they’d grow up and become a teacher or a nurse or a journalist or even a priest themselves. The three main schools in this particular diocese are Marist Brothers Hamilton, St Pius X in the nearby suburb of Adamstown and Marist Brothers Maitland. Two of these schools are, as their names suggest, run by Marist Brothers, who are an international religious community of men, dedicated to educating young people.  But on October 8, 1974, something unimaginable happened. A boy named Andrew Nash dies. It will take decades for his family to discover what happened to him.  In this episode, Jessie speaks with Suzanne Smith. Suzanne is a six-time Walkley Award winning investigative reporter, whose 27-year career in journalism has included senior editorial roles at the ABC, including on Foreign Correspondent, Background Briefing, Lateline and ABC News. During her time at the ABC she reported on the cover-up of clerical abuse, which helped to trigger the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia.  Suzanne’s new book, Altar Boys, is a powerful expose of widespread and organised clerical abuse of children in one Australian city, and how the cover-up in the Catholic Church extended from parish priests to every echelon of the organisation.  CREDITS Guest: Suzanne Smith Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia  LINKS A link to Suzanne Smith’s book, Altar Boys… https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/QmWv3 CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s 1978 in the Californian city of Stockton. Bob and Gay Hardwick, a couple in their twenties, are asleep in the early hours of the morning. Suddenly, they’re awoken by a bright light shining in their faces. A man is standing at the edge of their bed holding a gun, with a black ski mask covering his face. Over several hours, Gay Hardwick is sexually assaulted by the armed intruder, while Bob is tied up, unable to move. The man behind the mask would come to be known as the East Area Rapist, or the Golden State Killer, and for decades, he would evade police.  In today’s episode, Jessie speaks with Andrew Rule. Andrew’s written about some of the biggest Australian crimes of the last 30 years and is currently acolumnist for  the Herald Sun, as well as host of his own podcast Life and Crimes with Andrew Rule. Andrew’s particularly interested in DNA tracing, which later became one of the most valuable tools to finding the Golden State Killer.  CREDITS Guest: Andrew Rule Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia and Hannah Bowman  LINKS Watch ‘I’ll be Gone in the Dark’ on BINGE… https://binge.com.au/shows/show-i-ll-be-gone-in-the-dark!7063 Andrew Rule’s book, Cuckoo… https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3617067-cuckoo CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s July 2018 when Detective Gary Jubelin stands in front of microphones and news cameras and says the words: “I suggest you come to us before we come to you.”  He is addressing the person who knows what happened to three-year-old William Tyrrell on September 12, 2014. Little did Gary know that this case would be the one to cost him his job, but as he tells host Jessie Stephens on the latest episode of True Crime Conversations, he has no regrets.  Gary Jubelin is one of Australia’s most notable homicide detectives, known for leading the investigation into the deaths of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville, solving the murder case of Terry Falconer, recovering the body of Matthew Leveson and running the crime scene following the Lindt Cafe siege.  In his new book I Catch Killers: The Life and Many Deaths of a Homicide Detective, Gary shares the reality of working on investigations such as the disappearance of William Tyrrell and the toll his work has taken on his personal life. Throughout his career, Gary's focus has cost him friendships, relationships and, in the case of William Tyrrell, his job.  CREDITSGuest: Gary JubelinHost: Jessie StephensProducer: Hannah Bowman  LINKS You can find Gary’s book HERE - https://bit.ly/2EEM4cA  RESEARCH The Bowraville Murders - 60 Minutes. https://bit.ly/3jdETXT   Mark Leveson speaks after Gary Jubelin's court appearance | 7NEWS. https://bit.ly/3hu3Yh5  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to violent crime, can what happened to someone as a child, ever justify their actions as an adult? In today’s episode, Jessie is speaking with a journalist, screenwriter, and author Mark Dapin.  In his book, Public Enemies Mark explores the lives of armed robbers Russell 'Mad Dog' Cox and Ray Denning.  In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, armed robbers were the top of the criminal food chain. And Russell ‘Mad Dog’ Cox and Ray Denning were the best. Cox and Denning were once Australian Public Enemies Number One and Two. Both were handsome, charismatic bandits who refused to bow to authority. Their story as criminals is one of violence and crime, but it has a deeper meaning that may be traced to the horrors they faced as young boys... CREDITS Guest: Mark Dapin  Host: Jessie StephensProducer: Hannah Bowman    LINKS You can find Mark’s book HERE - https://bit.ly/324f5Xx     RESEARCH Tough Nuts | Ray Denning | The Runner. https://bit.ly/3hdbn41 Tough Nuts | Russell Cox | Australia's Most Wanted Man. https://bit.ly/34eYymm  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was Saturday morning, when a routine police patrol drove past a mostly empty car park in the remote Queensland town of Mount Isa. When police edged closer, they saw that it was the body of a young woman, who they’d later discovered was named Patricia Carlton. She’d been brutally beaten and sexually assaulted. The woman was rushed to hospital, but later that night Patricia would die of her injuries.  Following Patricia’s murder, the police made an arrest almost immediately. But what happens when the process lets us down and the wrong person ends up in jail?  In today’s episode, Jessie speaks with forensic anthropologist, criminologist and author, Dr. Xanthé Mallet.  In her new book, ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Xanthé explores some of Australia’s worst wrongful convictions - including that of Indigenous man Kelvin Condren who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1984. CREDITSGuest: Dr Xanthé Mallett Host: Jessie Stephens Producer: Hannah Bowman  LINKS You can purchase Xanthe’s book HERE - https://bit.ly/30LEc1E  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode of True Crime Conversations Jessie speaks with Julia Robson. Julia is a private investigator, who spent 7 years on the trail of a New Zealand con man, who goes by the name of ‘Charlie’, who was scamming women online, promising them a better life, coercing them into relationships and even having children with them.  In her seven-part podcast ‘Chasing Charlie’ Julia speaks with the women who have been psychologically and financially abused by this man, and explains the trap she managed to set to finally bring him to justice.  CREDITSGuest: Julia RobsonHost: Jessie StephensProducer: Hannah Bowman  LINKS You can find Julia’s podcast Chasing Charlie HERE - https://bit.ly/39VuVXX  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Jose Martinez’s sister was murdered, he got revenge by murdering her killers. This sparked what would end up being three dozen murders, he completed over more than three decades, many of them on behalf of drug cartels, as a hitman. Despite being a ruthless killer, Jose is described as a soft-spoken doting grandfather and complete family man. In today’s episode, Jessie speaks with Jessica Garrison. Jessica is a senior investigative editor for Buzzfeed News and spent more than a decade as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. In her book The Devil's Harvest - A Ruthless Killer, a Terrorized Community, and the Search for Justice in California's Central Valley, Jessica traces the life of Jose Martinez, the cops who were investigating him and the families of his victims.  Throughout her research, Jessica has studied decades of case files, Martinez’s handwritten journals, interrogation transcripts, and spoken to the people closest to this case to find the answer to one question. Why do some deaths, and some lives, matter more than others? CREDITSGuest: Jessica GarrisonHost: Jessie StephensExecutive Producer: Elise CooperProducer/Editor: Hannah Bowman  RESEARCH ‘I Killed 36 People’ - Buzzfeed News - https://bit.ly/2CNL7hT  LINKS You can find Jessica’s book HERE - https://bit.ly/305eyES   CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In December 2017, Larrimah local Paddy Moriarty left his favourite pub and embarked on the two minute ride home, with his kelpie Kellie sitting beside him on his quad bike. And then, he disappeared into thin air. Along with Kellie. Larrimah is a small town in the Northern Territory located 431 kilometers from Darwin and the nearest grocery store is 90 kilometres away. This tiny town only has a population of 10 people, so when Paddy disappeared it was big news.  In this episode Jessie speaks with journalist Kylie Stevenson. Kylie was the co-host of the Walkley award winning podcast Lost in Larrimah, alongside Caroline Graham. Ever since Paddy went missing, Kylie has had a personal and professional interest in the case, having met Paddy by chance a year earlier.  CREDITSGuest: Kylie StevensonHost: Jessie StephensExecutive Producer: Elise CooperProducer/Editor: Hannah Bowman  RESEARCH The Disappearance Of Paddy Moriarty - A Dog Act | ABC News - https://bit.ly/2ONn4Sl  Missing Man May Have Been Baked Into Pie | A Current Affair Australia - https://bit.ly/3eRkzt1  LINKS You can find Kylie’s podcast HERE - https://bit.ly/2OMfk3i  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Jessie speaks with one of Queensland’s most highly regarded police officers, Keith Banks, about his experiences as an undercover operative in the 1980’s. At 16 years old Keith traveled from Townsville to study at Brisbane’s Police Academy and by the time he was 21, the young, straight-laced country boy was risking his life to infiltrate some of Australia’s most dangerous drug syndicates.  To hide his identity Keith often became involved in the exact crimes he was hired to uncover. In his new book Drugs, Guns & Lies: My life as an undercover cop, Keith shares his incredible story in an era riddled with corruption.  CREDITSGuest: Keith Banks  Host: Jessie StephensExecutive Producer: Elise CooperProducer/Editor: Hannah Bowman  RESEARCH Fitzgerald Inquiry - The Corruption (Queensland State Archives) - https://bit.ly/3exKtlc  Retired QPS officer speaks out about Fitzgerald Inquiry. 7 News - https://bit.ly/32krdFs  LINKS You can find Keith’s book HERE - https://bit.ly/2OsmvgC  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Foster is one of Australia's most prolific career criminals. From diet products to sports betting companies, this con man stops at nothing. His crimes have found him with links to Muhammad Ali and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. And he also appeared on Andrew Denton’s Enough Rope.  In this episode Jessie speaks with Justin Armsden, an award-winning journalist with over 30 years of experience in print and broadcast. He has worked as an anchor for CNN and an investigative reporter for A Current Affair.  Justin has been on the tail of conman Peter Foster for the last 25 years, famously tracking him down in Byron Bay a few years ago when he was on the run. Justin has now teamed up with private investigator Ken Gamble for a new Audible Original podcast King Of Sting, which retraces Peter’s years of fraud and the devastation left in his path.  CREDITSGuest: Justin Armsden Host: Jessie StephensExecutive Producer: Elise CooperProducer/Editor: Hannah Bowman  RESEARCH 60 Minutes Australia - Peter Foster: Notorious Aussie Playboy and con man. 1988 investigative by Mike Munro. https://bit.ly/peter-foster-60-mins  60 Minutes Australia - Secret recordings expose Australia's most notorious con man Peter Foster. 2020 https://bit.ly/ken-gamble-foster  Today Tonight and the underweight jockey SensaSlim claim is no stunt. https://bit.ly/today-tonight-sensaslim  LINKS Justin Armsden’s podcast King Of Sting - https://adbl.co/3fgEAKy  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tara Costigan was a hard working mum, friend, close with her family and liked by those who she met. She was also killed by her partner one week after giving birth to their daughter. In this episode we speak with Heidi Lemon, that author of The First Time He Hit Her: the shocking true story of the murder of Tara Costigan, the woman next door. Heidi spent the past few years devoted to writing the book, and worked closely with the Costigan family during the project.  Tara’s story is devastating. It is also not an anomaly. Heidi has worked to share Tara’s story in the hopes that more public conversations will continue to be had about Australia’s problem with domestic violence.  CREDITS Guest: Heidi Lemon author of The First Time He Hit HerHost: Jessie StephensProducer: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘The First Time He Hit Her: the shocking true story of the murder of Tara Costigan, the woman next door’ book by Heidi Lemon https://bit.ly/tara-costigan-book  ‘Tara Costigan: The Life and Death of a Victim of Domestic Violence’, 7:30 Report, ABC TV https://bit.ly/tara-730-report ‘A man, who murdered his ex-girlfriend with an axe while she was cradling their baby daughter, has been sentenced to at least 26 years in jail.’ Nine News https://bit.ly/3ePTo2h  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 If any parts of this episode raise issues for you please seek help via the resources below Family Violence 1800 RESPECT - that’s 1800 737 732 Safe Steps in Victoria - 24 hour response line- safesteps.org.au National services https://www.dvrcv.org.au/support-services/national-services Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kathleen Folbigg is thought to be one of the most infamous serial killing women in Australia. She was found guilty of the murder of her three infant children, Patrick aged eight months, Sarah aged 10 months and Laura aged 19 months, between 1989 and 1999. She was also convicted of the manslaughter of her first child Caleb in 1989. The main evidence used against Kathleen were her personal diary entries, however there was very little physical forensic evidence to support the prosecution's case against her. Dr Xanthe Mallett is a trained forensic scientist and criminologist who has met Kathleen, and covered her case for her book Mothers Who Murder: And Infamous Miscarriages of Justice. Xanthe joins this episode to explore Kathleen’s upbringing, the death of her children, and the court cases and inquiry that followed. CREDITSGuest: Dr Xanthe Mallett https://bit.ly/motherswhomurder  Host: Jessie StephensProducer: Elise CooperRESEARCH ‘Mothers Who Murder: And Infamous Miscarriages of Justice‘ by Xanthe Mallett https://bit.ly/motherswhomurder  Justice NSW Kathleen Folbigg Report Published 2019 Media Release https://bit.ly/justice-nsw-folbigg  ‘Guilty Of Killing Her Own Children? Has Kathleen Folbigg Been Wrongly Convicted? Australian Story, ABC TV https://bit.ly/aus-story-kathleen-folbigg  LINKS The Tragic Story Of Dean Shillingsworth And Rachel Pfitzner https://bit.ly/dean-shillingsworth  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1980s, a brochure was printed across the world, for an idyllic holiday resort called Arous. It was a diving resort on the Red Sea, in the Sudanese desert. The brochure featured pictures of chalets on a bright beach, the sea almost the same colour as the skyBut what guests of the resort didn’t know was that Arous wasn’t really a holiday resort. At least not primarily. And the staff weren’t really managers, or diving instructors, or waitresses. Once the sun went down, those who worked at the hotel were part of a top secret mission, that not even their own families were aware of. And if the Sudanese government found out, it would cost them their lives. Raffi Berg is the Middle East editor for BBC News Online. He has extensive experience reporting on Israel and the wider region. His book 'Red Sea Spies: The True Story Of Mossad’s Fake Diving Resort' was written in collaboration with secret agents involved in the operation and tells the complete story of the case for the first time. CREDITS: Guest: Raffi Berg Host: Jessie Stephens Producer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘Red Sea Spies: The True Story Of Mossad’s Fake Diving Resort’ by Raffi Berg https://bit.ly/redseaspies-book  ‘Red Sea Diving Resort: The holiday village run by spies’, Raffi Berg for BBC News, Tel Aviv https://bit.ly/redseaspies-bbc  ‘Saving The Forgotten Jews’ BBC News https://bit.ly/forgotten-jews-bbc-news ‘The Daring Rescue of Ethiopian Jews From Sudan’, Israel First TV https://bit.ly/30Q77lR  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]  Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. In 1988 the death of Mark Haines just outside of Tamworth in regional NSW was barely investigated by local police. The 17-year-old’s body was found on train tracks outside of town, but law enforcement treated his death as less than suspicious. You have only to pull on the threads of the case to find that the truth could be very far from that. Allan Clarke is a Muruwari man and an award winning investigative journalist, producer and presenter. Allan worked closely with Mark Haines’ family and friends for five years fighting for justice, and answers, culminating in the investigation of the case for the ABC podcast Unravel: Blood On The Tracks. Allan joins this episode to explore the case, the mis-steps by law enforcement, and the racial prejudices that hindered initial, and even ongoing, investigations. CREDITS:Guest: Allan Clarke Host: Jessie StephensProducer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH Unravel: Blood On The Tracks, ABC Podcasts https://bit.ly/unravel-podcast  ‘Footsteps On The Tracks’ by Allan Clarke https://bit.ly/footsteps-allan-clarke  State Crime Command will investigate Mark Haines death  ‘Blood on the Tracks Pt 1: Murder or misadventure, who killed Mark Haines?’ Australian Story, ABC TV https://bit.ly/aus-story-part-1  'Blood on the Tracks Pt 2: Unraveling Tamworth's body on the train tracks mystery’ Australian Story, ABC TV https://bit.ly/aus-story-part-2  Mark Haines’ family 2017 petition for the state government to offer a reward for information relating to Mark Haines’ death https://bit.ly/markhaines-family-plea  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeffrey Epstein was a financier of global influence and moved in powerful social circles. He was also an alleged child sex trafficker, a convicted criminal who served time for soliciting a prostitute; an underage child in 2008. Epstein was arrested again in July of 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. While he awaited trial he was found dead in his jail cell on August 10th 2019.  Diane Dimond is an award winning investigative journalist, author and syndicated columnist who writes about the ever-evolving and fascinating world of crime and justice. She speaks to us about the case of Epstein and her work for the Investigation Discovery documentary examining the crimes and suspicious death of Epstein. CREDITSGuest: Diane DimondHost: Jessie StephensProducer: Elise Cooper The following episode includes discussion of child sex trafficking, sexual assault, and alleged suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 RESEARCH ‘Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein’, Investigation Discovery, FOXTEL Australia FBI opens investigation into Epstein's long-time friend | Nine News Australia https://bit.ly/ghislaine-maxwell  Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview - BBC News https://bit.ly/princeandrew-bbc  Special Report: Jeffrey Epstein Found Dead In Jail Cell | NBC News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DiXSAPFbHE ‘How Miami Herald's investigation & Jeffrey Epstein survivors helped blow up a sweetheart deal’ Miami Herald, https://bit.ly/miamiherald-epstein  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5PBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Jones was a charismatic pastor, preaching of salvation and a bountiful life for all those who followed him. He also was the man responsible for one of the largest incidences of loss of human life in modern American history. Author and podcaster Jo Thornely has researched Jim Jones and his cult of followers for her book Zealot. She joins us for this episode to explain Jones’ psychology, the power of his charisma, and the terrible chain of events that lead to the deaths of more than 900 people. This episode contains discussion of suicide. Please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 if the contents of this episode raises any issues for you. CREDITS   Guest: Jo Thornely, author of ‘Zealot’Host: Jessie StephensExecutive Producer and Editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘Zealot: A Book About Cults’ by Jo Thornely https://bit.ly/zealot-jo-thornely  Jo Thornely’s interview about Anne Hamilton Byrne and the cult The Family, https://bit.ly/thefamily-jothornely  ‘Guyana/USA: Jonestown Massacre 20 Years On’, AP Archive https://bit.ly/ap-jonestown  ‘The Jonestown Massacre: Paradise Lost’, Real Stories https://bit.ly/paradiselost-jonestown  ‘Escaping Jonestown’, CNN https://bit.ly/cnn-jonestown ‘Return To Jonestown’, Sunday Night, Channel 7 Network https://bit.ly/sundaynight-onestown Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second episode of our two part series on the life and crimes of serial killers David and Catherine Birnie, we examine the crimes the pair carried out. Journalist and author Andrew Byrne explores further the motivations and machinations of the Birnie’s utterly maniacal and evil crimes. As Andrew is still working on his book he asks that if you or anyone you know has any information on the Birnies to contact him via his LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkbyrne/  You can hear episode one here https://bit.ly/tcc-part-one  CREDITS Guest: Andrew Bryne Host: Jessie StephensTechnical Producer: Luca LavigneExecutive Producer and Editor: Elise Cooper CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In November 1986, police visited a quiet residence on a suburban Perth street. The occupants of that house, lifelong lovers David and Catherine Birnie were arrested soon after. That house will be forever synonymous with five unimaginable crimes, known to history as the Moorhouse Murders. Catherine will never be released from jail. She is only the third woman in Australian history to be given this sentence Andrew Byrne is an acclaimed journalist and author. He reported on the Birnies for a television documentary series, and is currently working on a book about the serial killing husband and wife. In this episode we delve deep into the upbringings of David and Catherine; how their traumatic and violent childhoods could have led to their depraved actions in adulthood. As Andrew is still working on his book he asks that if you or anyone you know has any information on the Birnies to contact him via his LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkbyrne/  CREDITS Guest: Andrew Bryne Host: Jessie StephensTechnical Producer: Luca LavigneExecutive Producer and Editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘Beyond The Darklands’, Episode 1 Seven Network ‘The Moorhouse Horrors’, Crime Investigation Australia, Season 1 Episode 6, Seven Network CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636  Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Henry Howard Holmes was America’s first serial killer. The charismatic criminal lured his victims to his hotel dubbed “the murder castle” during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The building was riddled with trap doors and booby traps, a crematorium and gas chambers. The rumours of his depravity were far reaching and propelled H. H. Holmes to infamy. However the man dubbed America’s first serial killer may not have been responsible for the murders of as many people as he claimed. As director and author John Borowski explains,  Holmes derived pleasure from the planning of his crimes, not necessarily carrying them out. Borowski has written a book about Holmes, and directed a true crime documentary following his life and crimes. Once arrested, Holmes was prolific in claiming murders to have been by his hand, though some alleged victims came forward to attest that they were very much alive and unharmed.  Fuelled by desire for fame, or bloodlust, the case of H. H. Holmes and the murder hotel has as many twists and turns as the hotel in which they were carried out. CREDITS Guest: John Borowski http://johnborowski.com/  Host: Jessie Stephens Technical Producer: Luca Lavigne Executive Producer and Editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH Borowski, John (November 2005). Estrada, Dimas (ed.). The Strange Case of Dr. H. H. Holmes. West Hollywood, California: Waterfront Productions https://bit.ly/hhholmesdoco  ‘Holmes Cool To The End; Under the Noose He Says He Only Killed Two Women. New York Times Archive https://bit.ly/hhholmes  ‘Murders By Doctors; The Great Tragedies of the Century Have Medical Men as Their Central Figure.’  The Anaconda standard. May 01, 1896, p. 12. via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. https://bit.ly/murderbydoctors  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kirra McLoughlin died on a property on Beenham Valley Road near Gympie, Queensland, law enforcement and medical examiners were baffled. Kirra’s former partner would claim she went to sleep after a fight and simply didn’t wake up. Family said there had been a party at the property the night before, but neighbours disputed that. Kirra’s body had 105 signs of bruising, and there was a 12 hour period where emergency services weren’t contacted about her rapidly declining state. Former police officer Jamie Pultz met Kirra McLoughlin before her death. His podcast Beenham Valley Road investigates the case, talking to Kirra’s friends and family, and looking into the events leading up to and following her death. CREDITSGuest: Jamie PultzHost: Jessie StephensTechnical Producer: Luca LavigneExecutive Producer and Editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH Beenham Valley Road: The Kirra McLoughlin Story podcast https://www.six10mediagroup.com/beenhamvalleyroad  ‘Kirra McLoughlin, 27, may have lain up to 12 hours in house after being critically injured in fight’ Courier Mail ‘Young mum allegedly died after hitting her head, so why was she covered in bruises?’ Courier Mail  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]. Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 17 April 2005, nine young Australians were arrested in Bali on charges of drug trafficking. Known as the 'Bali 9', some members received the death penalty for their crimes, while others are serving lengthy jail sentences.  It seemed like a case burnt into the Australian consciousness. However, more than 15 years later the same crimes are being carried out, with just as devastating effects. Journalists Cindy Wockner and Madonna King were present at the trials and sentencing of The Bali 9. They used their investigative skills to piece together the whole story, from arrest to jail to the harrowing final journey for their book, Bali 9: The Untold Story. Madonna King joins Jessie Stephens to take us through the case of the Bali 9, the lives of those involved, why they took on such a huge risk, and the now controversial role of the Australian Federal Police. CREDITS Guest: Madonna King, co-author of ‘Bali 9: The Untold Story’ http://bit.ly/bali-nine Host: Jessie StephensTechnical Producer: Luca LavigneExecutive Producer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘Nine Australians arrested in Bali on suspicion of smuggling heroin’ AP ARCHIVE  https://bit.ly/aparchivebali9  ‘AFP Unapologetic Over Bali Nine’ Studio 10, Channel 10 https://bit.ly/studio10bali9  ‘Final appeal for Chan and Sukumaran’ ABC News Australia , ABC 2010 https://bit.ly/2XQ9hjW  ‘Renae Lawrence pleads for reduced sentences for remaining Bali 9 prisoners’ 7:30 ABC News Australia, https://bit.ly/abcnews-renae ‘Final goodbye for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran’ Nine News Perth, Nine Nework, https://bit.ly/finalgoodbye-ninenews CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]. Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The rise and fall of Keith Raniere and the now defunct NXIVM cult is one of the most disturbing scandals of our age. What began as a purported self-help group spiralled into a dark, secretive world of illicit sex, money laundering, and exploitation, all at the hands of founder Keith Raniere and his accomplices. Additionally, several women involved with the NXIVM founder died or disappeared under suspicious circumstances. A former NXIVM publicist turned investigative journalist Frank Parlato explores the case in this episode. Frank’s documentary The Lost Women Of NXIVM, takes a deep dive to answer the questions surrounding the tragic deaths and mysterious disappearances of four women who all had connections to NXIVM and its founder Keith Raniere. CREDITSGuest: Frank ParlatoHost: Jessie StephensTechnical Producer: Luca LavigneExecutive Producer and Editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH The Lost Women Of NXIVM, Frank Parlato, Investigation Discovery, FOXTEL https://bit.ly/lostwomen  Allison Mack Pleads Guilty In Alleged NXIVM 'Sex Cult' Case, CBS New York https://bit.ly/2Vagt8x NXIVM Sex Cult Conviction News Conference, CBS New York https://bit.ly/lostwomen2 CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]. Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When 26-year-old school teacher Stephanie Scott disappeared days before her wedding, her fiance immediately knew something was wrong. She wasn’t the type of person to vanish without a trace, or get cold feet. An immense manhunt was swiftly organised with locals of the small town of Leeton, where Stephanie lived. It would be a devastating four days until Stephanie’s fiance and family were given the worst possible news. In this episode, we speak with Leeton local Monique Patterson who was one of the journalists who covered Stephanie’s disappearance.  She has since written a book on the case of Stephanie Scott, titled; ‘United In Grief: The Tragic Story of Stephanie Scott's Murder and the Effect it had on the Small Town of Leeton NSW’.  CREDITS Guest: Monique Patterson, author of United In Grief Host: Jessie Stephens Producer and editor: Elise CooperRESEARCH United In Grief: The Tragic Story of Stephanie Scott's Murder and the Effect it had on the Small Town of Leeton NSW, book by Monique Patterson, https://bit.ly/34klKNJ  Stephanie Scott Missing, 7 News Sydney https://bit.ly/2VaEbjN  Man charged with murder of missing NSW teacher, SBS world News, https://bit.ly/2XjFkZi  Stephanie Scott Murder Arrest, 9 News Adelaide  https://bit.ly/3e5Rgna Stephanie Scott Murder timeline, SBS News https://bit.ly/3e3PDGy CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]. Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P If any of the contents in this episode have cause distress know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was November 1994 and Jan Balmain was confused. She was waiting for her 22-year-old daughter Revelle to get off the train from Sydney to Newcastle. Revelle was supposed to be visiting before heading off to Japan for a career changing modelling gig.  But Revelle never got off the train. Instead, hours earlier Revelle, who was working as a sex worker as well as a model, allegedly finished her shift at a client’s house, was dropped at a nearby bar, and was never heard from again. Her possessions littered the streets of Bellevue Hill where she lived.  In this episode we speak with award winning journalist and author Caroline Overington.  Caroline investigated the disappearance of Revelle in the late 1990s for the Good Weekend Magazine. She has also covered high profile missing person’s cases such as the disappearance of William Tyrell for The Australian podcast ‘Nowhere Child’. Her work as a journalist has made her a revered fixture in the Australian media landscape. CREDITS Guests: Caroline Overington https://www.carolineoverington.com/  Host: Jessie Stephens Producer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘The Secret Life Of Revelle Balmain’ Caroline Overington for Good Weekend Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1999 https://www.carolineoverington.com/revelle-balmain ‘Revelle Balmain murder: The night the 22-year-old model went missing’ Mamamia https://www.mamamia.com.au/revelle-balmain-murder/ ‘A double bombshell’: Final hours of missing Sydney model Revelle Balmain’, Daniela Elsa for News.com.au https://bit.ly/2WZM9ig  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] or on the PodPhone 02 8999 9386.  Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5PBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the afternoon of April 15, 2003, when residents of Lorne, a seaside town on the shoreline of the Great Ocean Road, noticed something they’d never seen before.  It was a cargo ship. Of course, they saw big ships everyday but this was something different. The 106 metre long vessel came to within 500 metres of the rocks scattered along the coastline. What no one knew at the time, was that the ship knew precisely where it was going. And that the following day, a search of the beach at Boggaley Creek would show up the lifeless body of a man, alongside a small dinghy. Who was he? And where had he come from?  The Australian Federal Police already had an idea. But they could not have known how far, and how deep, this case was about to run.  Richard Baker is a journalist and host of the podcast The Last Voyage of Pong Su. He joins this episode to take us through the case of the Pong Su, after exploring it for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.  CREDITS Guests: Richard Baker, host of The Last Voyage Of Pong Su Host: Jessie Stephens Producer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH The Last Voyage of the Pong Su https://www.theage.com.au/pong-su Forensic Investigators: Operation Sorbet https://bit.ly/2wA3zY5  ‘Heroin Trail Leads to North Korea’. Washington Post https://wapo.st/2xqki0c  ‘That pong in the bay is from a ship under a cloud’ - The Sydney Morning Herald https://bit.ly/2UhN2RN  ‘Korean freighter Pong Su to be scuttled’ - The Sydney Morning Herald https://bit.ly/3blPnAL  ‘Pong Su crew members deported’- The Age https://bit.ly/3atOeqw Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a shark vomited up a tattooed arm in the Coogee Aquarium in 1935, onlookers were horrified. This arm would be the catalyst for exposing the seedy underbelly of Sydney’s grimy and cut throat crime scene. Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher sit down with Jessie Stephens to explore the shark arm case. Together, the former high school history and english teachers collaborated on the book Shark Arm; A Shark, A Tattooed Arm, and Two Unsolved Murders, exposing one of the most baffling and fascinating cases in the history of Australia’s early 20th century crimes.  CREDITS Guests: Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher, authors of Shark Arm; A Shark, A Tattooed Arm, and Two Unsolved Murders https://bit.ly/39XvgIN  Host: Jessie Stephens Producer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH ‘Shark Arm’ book by Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher https://bit.ly/2UjhJ7J  Shark Arm murders: Jimmy Smith death a Sydney mystery, News.com.au  Shark Arm murder 1935   - Dictionary Of Sydney photo archives https://bit.ly/33u1iJW  The ‘shark arm murder’ mystery that shocked Australia Dolly Stolze and Strange Remains  https://bit.ly/3de4uxG  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] or on the PodPhone 02 8999 9386.   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5PBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qandeel Baloch was dubbed Pakistan’s answer to Kim Kardashian but her story is very different. Her older brother murdered her for bringing dishonour to her family. Journalist and author Sanam Maher pieced together Qandeel’s life from her birth in rural Pakistan to her incarnation as a social media sensation; and she documents the public response to Qandeel’s shocking death, for her book, A Woman Like Her. In her research she spoke to Qandeel’s parents, family, friends and work colleagues.  Sanam takes us through Qandeel’s life, her rise to fame, and the impact her murder had on Pakistan and the global community more broadly. CREDITS Guest: Sanam Maher, author of A Woman Like Her, The Short Life of Qandeel BalochHost: Jessie StephensProducer and editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH A Woman Like Her; The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch by Sanam Maher https://bit.ly/3cL3xg6  Qandeel Baloch: Pakistan's social media celebrity - BBC News https://bit.ly/39PpkkQ  ‘She feared no one': the life and death of Qandeel Baloch, The Guardian https://bit.ly/3aSBdXJ  Qandeel Baloch’s Murder: One Year On, BBC Stories https://bit.ly/2xk4pYU  Qandeel Baloch: Brother of murdered social media star jailed BBC  Brother of Qandeel Baloch, Pakistani Internet Star, Gets Life Term for Her Murder The New York Times Pakistan: Brother sentenced to life for Qandeel Baloch's killing Al Jazeera Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Van Breda family appeared to be the perfect picture of success. So how did three of the five family members end up murdered in their family home on the De Zalze estate in South Africa?  Martin Van Breda was an entrepreneurial, hardworking and kind man. His wife Teresa was a loving mother, heavily invested in the lives of her three children; Marli, Henri and Rudi.   In 2014, the family sold their home in Buderim, on the Australian Sunshine Coast, for 2.5 million dollars and returned to their native South Africa, where they moved into a home in a gated community.  The golf estate in Stellenbosch where they resided, was said to be one of the safest places in the country.  But one night in January 2015, everything went terribly wrong.  Paramedics would respond to an emergency call in the early hours of January 27 to find a crime scene they would describe as the worst of their careers.  Three people were dead. One was clutching to life. And another had sustained serious injuries.  The emergency operator was told there had been a home invasion but there was so much more to this story. In this episode we speak to South African journalist and author Julian Jansen, about the case that has become known as the De Zalze, Van Breda Murders.  Julian has written about the attack in his book The De Zalze Murders, The Story Behind The Brutal Axe Attack, and covered the case as it was unfolding in South Africa’s high courts. CREDITSGuest: Julian Jansen author of The De Zalze Murders, The Story Behind The Brutal Axe AttackHost: Jessie StephensExecutive Producer and editor: Elise CooperRESEARCH Unpacking The de Zalze Murders by Julian Jansen SABC Digital News https://bit.ly/2TzRyt8  Who is the real Henri van Breda: baby-faced innocent or monster? - Sunday Times by Julian Jansen  https://bit.ly/2TDpq8t  Western Cape: Judge Desai says Van Breda case is of 'innate cruelty' - SABC Digital News  https://bit.ly/3cC3YJV  'It was a cold blooded murder': Watch the moment Henri van Breda is sentenced - NEWS 24 https://bit.ly/2ImUHHD  Henri Van Breda murder judgment - Interview with Julian Jansen, SABC Digital News https://bit.ly/2vExopY  Why did Henri van Breda murder his family? | 60 Minutes Australia  - 60 Minutes Australia, https://bit.ly/3czgqK4    LISTEN: Van Breda's chilling emergency call, Times LIVE https://bit.ly/2POiAfh  Blood spatter expert gives evidence in South Africa axe murder trial AP Archive https://bit.ly/2PLEcsC  'It was a cold blooded murder': Watch the moment Henri van Breda is sentenced, News 24 https://bit.ly/2VKNyIR  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] or on the PodPhone 02 8999 9386.   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5PBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was February 2016, dry and uncomfortably warm, when 23-year-old Brazilian backpacker Beatriz meets a German backpacker of the same age named Lena. The two travellers strike up a friendship and decide to head to Melbourne from Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road.  They put an ad on Gumtree asking for a lift and 59-year-old Roman Heinze replied. Little did the women know they had just accepted a lift with a man who was planning a vile and terrifying attack. Jessie speaks with Sean Fewster, chief court reporter for the Adelaide Advertiser and best selling author of City Of Evil. Sean covered the case of the Salt Creek attacks at the time the case was brought before the South Australian courts.  CREDITS Guest: Sean Fewster @seanfewster, Chief Court Reporter for The Adelaide Advertiser and best selling author of City Of Evil Host: Jessie StephensProducer and Editor: Elise Cooper RESEARCH “Salt Creek monster: Lifting the veil off the secret life of Roman Heinze” Sean Fewster for The Adelaide Advertiser https://bit.ly/3a6HP4k  “Salt Creek kidnapper sentencing: Roman Heinze jailed for 22 years” Sean Fewster for The Adelaide Advertiser https://bit.ly/2PqlUNm  “Family of Salt Creek kidnapper Roman Heinze say he is harassing them from prison to raise money for new High Court appeal” Sean Fewster for The Adelaide Advertiser https://bit.ly/2HXYs5X  A Current Affair Australia’s Real Life Wolf Creek Horror Story, Channel 9, https://bit.ly/2TeWgwn  9 News Adelaide: Salt Creek Update, Channel 9, https://bit.ly/2VysAgz  7NEWS Melbourne: Salt Creek Attacker Identity Revealed, Channel 7 https://bit.ly/2TsY8Sn  CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] or on the PodPhone 02 8999 9386.   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erie, Pennsylvania is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie, halfway between New York and Ohio. It was August the 28th, 2003, when a man named Brian Welles arrived at a local pizzeria where he worked as a pizza delivery driver. For 10 years he had been one of their most loyal employees, only ever missing one day of work, following the death of his beloved cat. But this day, an order placed from a payphone to 8631 Peach Street, only a few kilometres from the pizzeria, would change the course of multiple lives.  Once he arrived at the address, a collar bomb would be placed around his neck, fitted with a timer. He would also be handed a seven page letter, outlining a bizarre scavenger hunt he was ordered to complete. The words, “Act now, think later or you will die” were scrawled at the bottom of the instructions.  Was the collar bomb even real? How did it end up around Brian Welles’ neck? And what was this really all about? What took place over the next few hours has been described by CNN as the only crime of its kind, and "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI". We speak to investigative reporter Rich Schapiro, author of a long form piece on the Collar Bomb Heist for WIRED and researched the case extensively in the process. He is also an investigative journalist for NBC news in the United States. CREDITS Guest: Rich Schapiro @richschapiro Host: Jessie Stephens Producer/Editor: Elise Cooper CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] or on the PodPhone 02 8999 9386.  Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P  RESEARCH The Incredible True Story of the Collar Bomb Heist by Rich Schapiro https://www.wired.com/2010/12/ff-collarbomb/  Unsolved Crimes USA - The Exploding Pizzaman https://bit.ly/2SULcnQ  ‘Pizza Bomber’ Case Is Subject Of New Netflix Docuseries ‘Evil Genius’ | Megyn Kelly TODAY https://bit.ly/2vK5I2L  Sentencing Day in Bizarre Bank Robbery Case, Fox News Insider https://bit.ly/39Mlk4d Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In December 1932, a woman named Iris Marriott prepared dinner in a small flat in Sydney’s East.  It was the peak of the Great Depression and the Australian economy had collapsed. The unemployment rate had hit an unbearable 32 per cent.  While she cooked a lamb shank and vegetables, her partner sat at the kitchen table, looking through job ads.  It was Iris who financially supported them both. And so, she applied her make up with a firm powder puff and after sitting down for dinner, she threw on a forest green dress and pinned back her hair. Just after 9pm, she said goodbye and left for work.  The 33-year-old walked out her front door on Renny Street in Paddington, and headed towards Oxford Street. That would be the last time her partner would ever see her alive.  Less than 12 hours later, her body would be found within view of a row of houses, in Queens Park, Sydney. A popular park with families, Iris had somehow been murdered without anyone noticing.  But Iris wasn’t the first body to be found in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. And she wouldn’t be the last. Before long, Sydney’s serial killer would be on the front pages of newspapers all over the state.  We speak to Dr Tanya Bretherton author of The Killing Streets; Uncovering Australia’s First Serial Murderer about a series of crimes that plagued Sydney for decades. CREDITS Guest: Tanya Bretherton author of The Killing Streets; Uncovering Australia’s First Serial Murderer Host: Jessie Stephens Producer/Editor: Elise Cooper CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected] or on the PodPhone 02 8999 9386.  Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/3982S5P  RESEARCH The Killing Streets: Uncovering Australia’s First Serial Murderer by Tanya Bretherton https://bit.ly/2HkqhoU  Shocking Murder in Sydney, The Recorder, Port Pirie Newspaper, Mon 12th December 1932 https://bit.ly/31OOkFO  Eric Craig Third Trial on Murder Charge, The Sydney Morning Herald, Wed 7th June 1933 https://bit.ly/2uwXtXC Eric Craig taken to Bathurst Gaol, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sat 20th January 1934 https://bit.ly/2tTEx4X Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.