MFM Minisode 261

[0] This is exactly right.

[1] Hello.

[2] And welcome to my favorite murder.

[3] The mini -sode that's also video -sowed.

[4] That's right.

[5] We're videoing this.

[6] You can see Karen's beautiful branch art and my red sweater.

[7] I mean, I say so myself.

[8] The visuals of this mini -sode are unprecedented.

[9] Never before have you seen a branch or a sweater.

[10] Fan cult, you're going to see it.

[11] You're going to feel it.

[12] Yeah, join the fan cult if you want to walk.

[13] much.

[14] But you may not want to.

[15] You're like, I'm only audio, and it's like, that's fine to live it.

[16] That's fine.

[17] And there's other perks.

[18] Anyways, let's not sell ourselves.

[19] Oh, there's no. No. Let's, uh, let's not sell ourselves.

[20] Let's do our job.

[21] That's right.

[22] Uh, you want to go first?

[23] Do you want to go first?

[24] Do you want to go first?

[25] Go ahead.

[26] Sure.

[27] Why not?

[28] Okay.

[29] This is called treating Google like a friend pays off to Karen, Georgia, Stephen, Jay, Haley, Hannah, and the animal crew.

[30] She gave everyone a shout out.

[31] Amazing.

[32] I'm emailing from Melbourne, Australia.

[33] Thank you all so much for creating a podcast that brings so many of us so much joy.

[34] We bloody love you down here.

[35] This story is from my parents' hometown of Tangambalinga.

[36] And then it says, you're welcome, because they wrote it out.

[37] Phonetically.

[38] Tan gamabangala.

[39] You're welcome, which is about three and a half hours northeast of Melbourne.

[40] Think a population of 500 -ish, beautiful rolling hills.

[41] and beef and dairy cattle a plenty.

[42] For as long as I can remember, every member of my extended family would go weirdly quiet and awkward when the name of a local family was mentioned.

[43] I'm not going to say the name of the family.

[44] Years ago, the family lived close to my grandparents' farm before the family moved interstate.

[45] It wasn't until my own interest in true crime started to escalate that I decided to Google the family and the town.

[46] What can I say?

[47] I'm a nosy millennial.

[48] I treat Google like a friend.

[49] I ask it everything.

[50] Anywho, it turns out that Ashley, one of the sons in the family, abducted two young teachers from the local primary school as a 14 -year -old.

[51] This was in the early 1970s, and it was normal back then for the rural primary schools to have young teachers live right by the school.

[52] Ashley calculated how to abduct them, hijack their car, and demand them to drive to Sydney about seven hours away.

[53] He went to the their house armed with a 22 handgun.

[54] When they stopped for petrol, these two managed to be freaking awesome and raised the alarm, and he was sent to Melbourne to the equivalent of a juvenile detention center.

[55] He was released shortly after, and that's when his family moved to interstate.

[56] Obviously, I went to my mom, and she confirmed the lot.

[57] She said it was an awful time for everyone in town, and as a 14 -year -old herself, at the time, she was in his class.

[58] She remembers it super clearly.

[59] Mom said that he had always been a scary sort of kid, quite a loner, but of course nobody thought it would escalate to this sort of degree.

[60] As we all know, the 70s really weren't the era to focus on genuine rehabilitation or providing support to incredibly troubled kids.

[61] You would think that literally abducting your teachers at gunpoint would set off alarm bells all around for the entirety of this kid's life.

[62] Unfortunately, Ashley grew up and got much worse.

[63] In the mid -1980s, he responded to an advertisement from two university students for a roommate.

[64] This was in Burwood in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

[65] It was awfully calculated.

[66] He bound them along with one of their brother -in -laws who was visiting at the time and killed them all in cold blood.

[67] Oh, my God.

[68] After about a month on the run, he was eventually captured while trying to abduct a couple at gunpoint in broad daylight near the National Gallery of Victoria.

[69] During his entire trial, Ashley exercised his right to remain silent.

[70] He was ultimately sentenced to three life sentences in prison.

[71] He's still alive and serving time at a maximum security prison just outside of Melbourne.

[72] Stay sexy and Google that Suss family.

[73] Nobody wants to talk about.

[74] Wow.

[75] I know.

[76] Also, it's kind of like an ongoing story.

[77] It's just like it starts bad and gets horrible.

[78] Totally.

[79] And the mom was in class with him.

[80] It's so terrifying and sad.

[81] Yeah.

[82] I've got more of the same.

[83] Ready?

[84] Yep.

[85] The subject line of this email is in the church with the candlestick.

[86] Good day, fellow little sisters.

[87] My hometown murder comes from Bristol, Connecticut, home of ESPN.

[88] It's hilarious.

[89] Wow.

[90] I didn't know I had a home.

[91] Yeah, it does.

[92] And it's in Connecticut.

[93] Bristol, in fact.

[94] I now reside in Melbourne, Australia.

[95] No way.

[96] Uh -huh.

[97] And then it says, please come back.

[98] So many good stories.

[99] Yes, we know.

[100] Uh -huh.

[101] It was late 1999 when I was nine years old that my love of true crime got started.

[102] Growing up, my family and I went to church every Sunday.

[103] I didn't particularly enjoy this experience, but I did love one of the priests.

[104] Father Lish was a kind, warm -hearted man who made going to church enjoyable and always gave a sermon that wasn't too preachy or made you feel like a terrible person.

[105] That's a rare gift.

[106] something hard to do for the Catholic Church.

[107] Sorry, I had to get my commentary in that.

[108] Story goes that the parishioners came in for a 7 .30 a .m. Mass, and Father Lish didn't show up.

[109] Figuring he had just overslept, the lay minister led the prayers, read the gospel, and even gave Eucharist.

[110] While departing, a few people stumbled upon wrapped up linen that was shoved under a pew.

[111] Upon further inspection, they sadly discovered it was the badly beaten Father Lish.

[112] Police were called and the cause of death turned out to be blunt traumatic head injury caused by a four -foot -tall brass candlestand.

[113] The person responsible was Matthew Wiette, a 32 -year -old ex -Marine who had severe mental illness.

[114] He was caught because he was wearing fatherlish's clothes and was using his credit cards, which he had stolen from the rectory after the fact.

[115] He was also seen fleeing the scene in a white hooded robe as if he was dressed like a priest.

[116] To make things worse on the day Father Lish's body was found, the obituary page of the Bristol press carried a small unsigned advertisement with a prayer to the Blessed Virgin, asking her to, quote, secure me in my necessity.

[117] The newspaper said the $80 ad was bought by Michael Wiette, who insisted it run on that Friday.

[118] He ended up getting 60 years in prison and hopefully some much needed help.

[119] Yes, I also went through all my schooling with Aaron Hernandez, former pro footballer and murderer.

[120] I worked at a haunted house theme park, which had four deaths, and a coworker of mine was murdered in Boston, which had been linked to the Smiley Murders.

[121] So maybe the Smiley Face murders?

[122] I think so, yeah.

[123] Is that Boston?

[124] I don't know.

[125] It's safe to say my interest in true crime grew as I did.

[126] Love what you do.

[127] Stay sexy and don't go to church.

[128] See.

[129] That's the lesson we learned.

[130] see and see has she her pronouns that is yeah that's what you end up at at the end of that story that's awful that's so sad i it's so rare to find like a really solid you know and i feel like in any religion someone who makes it fun for children and like to lose that is gets it right yeah yeah yeah and then also that it's like a murder that happens in the church totally oh my god Horrible.

[131] Okay, this one's called No One Does Murder Panic like a mom.

[132] This starts, hi, gorgeouses.

[133] Oh, no, hi gorgeous.

[134] But it should be gorgeouses, I think.

[135] I was listening to an old minisote about a woman who nearly called the police after she found a baggie with her own hair extensions behind a plank of wood in the closet.

[136] It inspired me to write in with the following tale of the time I was nearly a murder victim, but not really at all.

[137] Here we go.

[138] The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I was staying on my mom's couch while working at a downtown coffee shop.

[139] One evening after working a closing shift, I arrived home at about 10 .30 to an extremely distraught mom who shouted, oh, thank God, and pulled me into a hug the moment I walked through the door and then proceeded to yell, where have you been?

[140] I've been so worried.

[141] Confused and startled, I said meekly at work.

[142] I was at work.

[143] Mom then shouts, why did you call to say you'd be home hours ago?

[144] I've been so worried.

[145] Let's back up.

[146] it's earlier that evening mom arrives home from her office job to an empty house the voicemail light is blinking on the phone so this is pre -cell phones mom listens to the voicemail she hears my voice saying hi it's me i'm leaving work at five today so i'll be home in time for dinner mom checks the time it's 530 so i should be home any minute she starts dinner pretty soon at 6 then at 630 i'm still not home mom listens to the voicemail again i definitely say leaving work at 5 i should have been home at least an hour ago.

[147] Okay, so maybe I took a detour on my way home for some reason.

[148] No need to panic.

[149] Fast forward two hours to 1030.

[150] I'm still not home.

[151] Let the mom panic commence.

[152] As I said, this is pre -cell phone, so she couldn't call or text to find out where I was, but she could have called the coffee shop where I worked to ask what time I left or to find out if I was still there.

[153] I was.

[154] No, instead, I always expect the worst mama has my mild -mannered stepfather drive her around town to, and I quote, check the gutters for my body.

[155] Which they do for another hour, finding the gutters to be bodyless, they head back home at about 9 .30.

[156] Clearly, my mom says it's time to call the police.

[157] Stepfather somehow manages to talk her down from that ledge, maybe by telling her they probably won't be able to do much as I've only been a missing person for a few hours.

[158] I don't know what the next hour was like for them, but let's just say my stepfather is a very patient man. Now our timelines meet.

[159] It's 10 .30 and I walk through the door, very much alive and unharmed.

[160] Cue the hysterics, cue confusion, cue the voicemail.

[161] I listen to it, but I cannot for the life of me remember leaving it.

[162] I wouldn't have left it.

[163] My shift ended at 10 that night.

[164] It makes no sense.

[165] Maybe the voicemail went haywire and dug up an old message and presented it as a new one.

[166] Stuff like that happens, right?

[167] Ghost in the machine and all that.

[168] Let's be grateful I'm home safe and sound and not a body in a gutter and move on.

[169] The next day my sister is home.

[170] We tell her the whole story.

[171] She asks to listen to the voicemail.

[172] We play it for her.

[173] She says, wow, Naomi, your voice really sounds like moms.

[174] Mom's eyes go wide as saucers.

[175] Her jaw drops, hand flies to her mouth.

[176] Oh, my God, she whispers.

[177] That's right.

[178] Mom left the message herself.

[179] Promptly forgot, arrived home, listened to the voicemail, and well, you know the rest.

[180] As soon as my sister said that our voices sound alike, which in my mom's defense, they definitely do, she immediately remembered leaving the message.

[181] The three of us laughed until our sides hurt.

[182] But now that I think of it, I don't recall my stepfather joining in on the laughter so much.

[183] No way.

[184] I have to say that I've inherited my mother's inclination to panic first and ask questions later.

[185] But maybe because of this experience, I've developed a pretty good inner voice that can talk to the panic rationally, which gives me a measure of self -control.

[186] But as any murderina well knows, scary shit really does happen all of the names.

[187] time.

[188] So really the only same thing to do is panic sometimes.

[189] Anyway, stay sexy and definitely search for your daughter dead in a ditch if you haven't heard from her in a few hours, Naomi.

[190] I'm sorry Naomi's mom, but there was one step that was skipped that is kind of crucial.

[191] Why didn't you just call her at work?

[192] Totally.

[193] Totally.

[194] Just one phone call to be like, did she leave?

[195] Yeah.

[196] But yeah.

[197] But it's almost.

[198] like she was set for it.

[199] That's amazing.

[200] I would have laughed.

[201] I would have never stopped laughing.

[202] Yeah.

[203] If that was me. Definitely.

[204] Okay.

[205] It's called police car placement.

[206] Hello, my badass BFFs, two and four -legged.

[207] Your minis sold last week about the girl and mom who were put in the police car front seat reminded me that I need to tell you about this.

[208] It's a little long part of a sermon I gave at our UU congregation on December 26th.

[209] A couple of months ago, my youngest daughter, Sarah, and her youngest daughter, Maya, and a friend of Maya's all got parts in an interactive play in Utah.

[210] They drove there and the play was a success and a good time was had by all.

[211] On the way back, passing through Montana, the friend was driving and went over the speed limit.

[212] They were stopped by a police officer who told the driver to get out of the car and come with him.

[213] He put her in the front passenger seat beside himself with no barrier between them.

[214] Now, in our experience, when an officer puts you in the patrol car, he puts you in the back seat, where there are partitions between the front and the back left and right.

[215] My daughters and I follow true crime religiously, and instances like this often do not end well for the young woman, even if the man is a genuine police officer.

[216] It's called a red flag.

[217] Sarah and Maya both got highly suspicious and called 911 first to make sure this officer was legitimate.

[218] They were told that he was, concerned for the young woman's safety.

[219] They got out of the car, standing next to it with their arms crossed.

[220] The officer ordered them back in the car.

[221] They said no. He asked what they were doing, and Maya said, we're watching you.

[222] He ordered them back into the car under the threat of arrest.

[223] Sarah told Maya to get back in the car while Sarah stood her ground.

[224] After a few more tries on his part to get Sarah back in the car, he wrote the driver a ticket, he let her go, and he brought Sarah to his patrol car, putting her in the back seat.

[225] He handcuffed and arrested her and took her to jail.

[226] There she was photographed for her mug shop processed and assigned a cell where she would spend the weekend since it was a Friday night and no one was there to set her bail.

[227] She asked the attendant about the questionable practice and the attendant hesitantly and unconvincingly said, uh yeah, that's our standard operating procedure.

[228] On Monday, she appeared before a female judge who seemed to be quite empathetic to Sarah, find her then forgave the fine and let her go.

[229] side note at sarah's job sarah was worried she might be fired for being a jailbird when she went to work back to work that tuesday she told them about the incident and her bosses basically said we won't fire you we're glad you did that needless to say i'm very proud of sarah and maya for being there for their friend to the point of being arrested all of the women i brought into this world directly or indirectly are fierce warriors and will risk anything to come to the aid of friends family strangers or animals In joy and in concern, our presence is the most valuable.

[230] The greatest gift is for a person to give up their life for another, one minute, one day, one weekend at a time.

[231] Your presence is as much a miracle as any birth.

[232] It is the greatest gift.

[233] That's part of the sermon, I think.

[234] P .S. I got Sarah a fuck politeness t -shirt for Christmas.

[235] Yeah, you fucking did.

[236] Got to get one for Maya too.

[237] Much love, respect, and gratitude.

[238] Stay sexy and keep watching, Janet.

[239] Oh my God.

[240] Janet.

[241] Holy shit.

[242] Hell yeah.

[243] Why are they in the front seat?

[244] Yeah.

[245] If she hadn't gotten arrested because she insisted on standing there, who knows what would happen?

[246] Like it's worth getting arrested to protect your friends.

[247] That's fucking bananas.

[248] Well, and also it's almost, I mean, it is, she really did make a sacrifice because it's like you're going to have a record or something, but why is it so important that he not be watched and that she be in the first?

[249] front seat.

[250] Right.

[251] It's like double double suspicious that he didn't acknowledge that it was weird.

[252] Yeah, or that, oh, if that is making all three women uncomfortable, then fine, sit in the back seat, or then fine, stand outside and I'll write you this ticket because you're getting the ticket either way.

[253] Is the point that he has control over their body?

[254] No, it's not.

[255] It's that they were speeding and they're getting a ticket.

[256] Right.

[257] And who gives a shit if she stands there and keeps watch?

[258] Who cares if she's standing there?

[259] It's important.

[260] It's good.

[261] Yeah.

[262] Oh my God.

[263] That is so badass.

[264] I can't even fucking handle it.

[265] I know, right?

[266] Karen, you know I'm all about vintage shopping.

[267] Absolutely.

[268] And when you say vintage, you mean when you physically drive to a store and actually purchase something with cash.

[269] Exactly.

[270] And if you're a small business owner, you might know Shopify is great for online sales.

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[272] That's right.

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[279] Connect with customers inline and online.

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[281] Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify .com slash murder.

[282] Important note, that promo code is all lowercase.

[283] Go to Shopify .com slash murder to take your retail business to the next level today.

[284] That's Shopify .com slash murder.

[285] Goodbye.

[286] Okay.

[287] This one's called a New Year's Surprise, lighthearted treasure.

[288] Oh.

[289] Hey, MFM crew.

[290] Happy 2022.

[291] Let's get to it.

[292] I woke up on New Year's Day to the news that our planned bathroom renovation was starting today because our tub was leaking.

[293] Not the best start to the near, but the old bathroom was 80s ugly, so good riddance.

[294] Hey, hey.

[295] I like the 80s.

[296] In the afternoon, I came back from walking one of our dogs, Silas.

[297] When my partner called out from the bathroom, I think I just found $1 ,000.

[298] While tearing apart the bathroom, he found the money in a Ziploc bag clearly stashed with an easy reach of a hole in the floor.

[299] that had since been covered by a previous owner.

[300] Oh, she's so old money.

[301] Yeah.

[302] Yes.

[303] My first thought after he told me was that I finally had a hometown to submit.

[304] We found treasure.

[305] Trazier.

[306] Stay sexy and don't forget to take your hidden cash when you move out, Beth.

[307] Okay, Beth.

[308] Could you please check the year on those bills and then circle back with what year were they from?

[309] Yeah.

[310] What was the final year of all of them?

[311] Yeah.

[312] Right.

[313] Was this treasure from 1940 or 1999?

[314] Well, if it was an 80s bath and bathroom, that means they remodeled probably in the 80s, so it's probably around then.

[315] I like it.

[316] I like your deduction.

[317] Do you like that?

[318] I did.

[319] It helped me. I helped me visualize.

[320] I watch a lot of remodeling shows, a lot.

[321] I mean, better $1 ,000 than asbestos, which is what they usually find.

[322] Yeah.

[323] Yeah.

[324] Also, is it spendable money?

[325] Did you just get a thousand dollars?

[326] Like, I think so.

[327] Do you now get like one of those faucets that you just wave your hand on like a public bathroom and it goes on by itself?

[328] Yeah, it has to go back in the bathroom.

[329] It has to go in the bathroom.

[330] Yeah.

[331] What if it's the previous owner was like, please make this bathroom look better.

[332] Yeah.

[333] We know we kind of bucked up in the 80s.

[334] Here's some laundered money.

[335] Could you please?

[336] Okay, here's my last one.

[337] It's also lighthearted.

[338] Subject is bad launch vibes.

[339] Hello, all.

[340] First, let me say I've been listening to MFM since episode 10.

[341] Ooh.

[342] Wow.

[343] Hi.

[344] Thank you.

[345] And I'm so proud of how hard you've worked and how far you, your company, and our community have come.

[346] Aw.

[347] Wonderful.

[348] Anyways, I recently moved to a small town in Northern California, and then in parentheses, it says very Karen of me. And I started a new office job.

[349] Being in one spot for eight hours a day was starting to drive me up the fucking wall.

[350] so I decided to use my lunch hour to drive around the town to get my bearings.

[351] Well, I ended up finding this cute little pull -off on a back road.

[352] It's not very heavily trafficked, and it's next to a huge solar panel field, which are generally pretty hopeful places.

[353] So my daily lunch drive started ending up on this pull -off, where I'd listen to your podcast, and eat a turkey sandwich, and generally zone out until I had to return to work.

[354] A few nights ago, I was Googling local serial killers and true crime stories.

[355] as you do when you move to a new area, and all caps.

[356] Guess where I've been eating lunch?

[357] Oh, God.

[358] The fucking Lake Herman Zodiac site, aka the site of the first known zodiac killings.

[359] That's right.

[360] Your girl has been inviting bad vibes into her sandwiches.

[361] Luckily, my cooking definitely isn't good enough to attract any ghosts.

[362] There were no signs, memorials, or plaques.

[363] And if I hadn't absent -mindedly Googled the area, I would have never known.

[364] So now I'm working on finding a new place to skulk off to during lunch after weeks of sitting at a historic murder site just like chilling.

[365] No one else in my life was impressed.

[366] So I hope you guys got the same little shock I did.

[367] Stay sexy and find normal places to hide from work, Madeline.

[368] Wow, Madeline.

[369] She was so funny.

[370] She went right to that.

[371] It's one of the scary.

[372] scenes in the Zodiac movie.

[373] It's where the guy survives, right?

[374] And he's like, buy his car.

[375] They just, a guy with a bag on his head steps out from behind a tree.

[376] It's like in the movie.

[377] Quietly walks over to them.

[378] Oh.

[379] It's so scary.

[380] Go somewhere with a little more public, please, too, because that secluded scares me a little bit.

[381] Yeah.

[382] A nice public park or something.

[383] Yes, perfect.

[384] Not that bad things don't happen.

[385] too.

[386] Yeah.

[387] You know, you don't have to seclude yourself.

[388] At least there's witnesses.

[389] Yeah.

[390] Let's get some, yeah.

[391] Let's get some watching going like the email before.

[392] Let's get some witnesses.

[393] Again, if you want to watch us on video, go to fan cult and we do one extra story, each of the fan cult.

[394] So check that out if you want.

[395] If not, that's fine too.

[396] Do you like exclusive content?

[397] Well, then the fan cult's the place to be.

[398] Yeah.

[399] Do you not?

[400] Fine.

[401] Fine, and then stay sexy.

[402] And don't get murdered.

[403] Goodbye.

[404] Elvis, do you want a cookie?

[405] This has been an exactly right production.

[406] Our producer is Hannah Kyle Crichton.

[407] Associate producer Alejandra Keck.

[408] Engineer and mixer.

[409] Stephen.

[410] Ray Moran.

[411] Researchers, Jay Elias and Haley Gray.

[412] Send us your hometowns and your fucking hoorays at my favorite murder at gmail .com.

[413] And follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at my favorite murder and Twitter at my fave murder.

[414] And for more information about this podcast, live shows, merch, or to join the fan cult, go to my favoritemerder .com.

[415] Rate review and subscribe!