Confident and carefree, Icelandic woman Birna Brjánsdóttir was just 20-years-old when she disappeared in 2017. Birna grew up in the nearby suburbs, but she was very comfortable in the city of Reykjavik. It’s known as a safe place to be, even for a young woman in the dark of night. The main street was busy and well-lit, with bright storefront windows and lampposts on every corner.Join us at the quiet end for The Disappearance of Birna Brjánsdóttir. After finishing work on Friday, January 13, 2017, Birna played cards with friends in a pub. At midnight, when the parties were getting started, they went dancing at a popular club. But when Birna’s friends decided to go home at 2am, Birna stayed behind. When she didn’t show up for work on Saturday and her phone was off, Birna’s mother and friends knew immediately that something was terribly wrong.SourcesI Am Birna: Iceland Mourns Murdered Woman, CNN.com, Fréttatíminn, Iceland, Thora Tomasdottir, 2/3/2017Key Witness Tells a Very Different Story in Birna Murder Trial, Iceland Monitor, 8/21/2017A Murder Shocks Iceland and Dents Women’s Sense of Safety, BBC News, Anna Margret Bjornsson. 1/28/2017The Murder of Birna Brjánsdóttir: The Case that gripped Iceland and the World, The Reykjavik Grapevine, Paul Fontaine, 2/7/2017The Murder That Shook Iceland-Birna Brjánsdóttir, The Guardian, Xan Rice, 4/12/2018Rare Icelandic Murder of Young Woman Leaves Country Devastated, The Independent, May Bulman, 2/7/2017Young Local Woman Missing Since Saturday: Have You Seen her? Iceland Magazine, 1/16/2017This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

The Disappearance of Birna Brjánsdóttir

For fifteen years you could call a private number in Manhattan and anonymously apologize for anything. It was called The Apology Line. This is the story of the phone line and the man at the other end who became consumed by his own creation. He was known as “Mr. Apology.”As thousands of callers flooded the line, confessing to everything from shoplifting to adultery, drug dealing, to murder, Mr. Apology realized he couldn’t just listen. He had to do something, even if it meant risking everything.Prime Members, you can binge all seven episodes of The Apology line exclusively on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today: www.amazon.com/AL_TCBThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Listen Now: The Apology Line

Rachel Hatfield was in a 14-year relationship with a struggling artist named Tim when she met her future husband, Todd Winkler. Todd couldn’t be much more different than Tim. He was a former F-16 fighter pilot with a big corporate job, a house, and even his own plane. When Tim heard about Todd, he hurried to propose to Rachel. But it was too late. Rachel had made up her mind to marry Todd within weeks of meeting him. She would be his third wife and the second one to suffer a violent and sudden death.Join us at the quiet end for Out of Wedlock. Rachel had high hopes for a happy marriage and a family of her own. But after having three children together, the Winkler’s’ marriage was in trouble. Rachel fell in love with another man and asked Todd for a divorce. But Todd was having none of it. Then, on February 27, 2012, a neighbor received a call from Todd explaining that there had been a domestic violence incident at his house. And Rachel was dead.Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!Record a voicemail for a future showContact UsShop TCB MerchJoin our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion GroupSourcesDeadly Twist, Dateline NBC, E23 S31, 3/20/2015Edge of Reason, American Monster, S4 E9, 10/27/2019The People v. Todd Alan Winkler, In the Court of Appeal of the State of California Third Appellate Disctrict, 11/20/2020Prosecutor points to gruesome evidence as Winkler murder case goes to jury, The Sacramento Bee, Peter Hecht, 3/21/2015The Two Faces of Todd Winkler, 48 Hours, CBS, S28 E11, 12/13/2014 This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Out of Wedlock

29-year-old attorney Anna-Jane Cheney was looking forward to her wedding in March of 1994. But just a few weeks before she was to walk down the aisle, she was found dead in her Adelaide home.Join us at the quiet end for 4 Bruises. At around 7:30pm on March 18, Anna went to the home of her best friend and sister-in-law, Susan, to walk their dogs together. Although she had been drinking earlier that evening, she did not appear to Susan to be intoxicated. But just two hours later, Anna’s fiancé, Henry, called an ambulance to their home. Henry told first responders that he had found Anna unconscious in the bathtub. Crying over the body of his beautiful bride-to-be, his story was believed. Until it wasn’t.SourcesHorrifying scandal of forensic doctor never qualified to be one, Under Investigation with Liz Hayes, 60 Minutes Australia, 2/22/2023How to fix Australia’s biggest legal scandal, Wrongful Convictions Report, 7/29/2020, https://wrongfulconvictionsreport.org/2023/02/02/malpractice-incompetence-and-lies-the-manock-curse-part-1/Reasonable Doubt, 60 Minutes Australia, 2011Unmaking a Murder by Graham Archer, 2017A Witness of Fact by Drew Rooke, 2022Unmaking a Murder by Graham Archer, 2017A Witness of Fact by Drew Rooke, 2022 This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Four Bruises

When Mike Williams vanishes on a hunting trip, the authorities suspect he was eaten by alligators but the true predators who took Mike may lurk much closer to home. The mystery of Mike’s disappearance might have faded from memory, if it wasn’t for one woman’s tireless crusade. From Wondery, comes a new season of Over My Dead Body; a story about an obsessive love affair, a scandalous secret and a mother’s battle for the truth.Follow Over My Dead Body: Gone Hunting on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Listen to Over My Dead Body: wondery.fm/OMDB4_TCBThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Listen Now - Over My Dead Body: Gone Hunting

Jeff Wright was always looking for a good time. When he met his future wife, Susan, he thought she would be a good time. But then things between the two became something more than just fun. Susan became pregnant, they married, and they moved into a house in the suburbs of Houston. But it was not happily ever after—not even close.Join us at the quiet end for The Last Seduction. After stabbing her husband to death in 2003, Susan Wright claimed that she had acted in self-defense after years of abuse. But prosecutors argued that Susan had never reported any abuse to the police and that she had plotted and carried out Jeff’s murder in cold blood. At Susan’s trial, prosecutor Kelly Siegler described Susan as a calculating wife who seduced her husband into bed, tied him up, stabbed him 193 times, and buried his mutilated body in their backyard to collect on his life insurance. Susan’s only chance at convincing the jury of her innocence was for her to testify in her own defense. But was her testimony enough to overcome the brutal details of what she had done?Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!Record a voicemail for a future showContact UsShop TCB MerchJoin our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion GroupSources193, Texas Monthly, Skip Hollandsworth, 2/2010A Wife's Revenge by Eric Francis, 2005Betting Her Life, 48 Hours Mystery, 5/15/2010The Blue-Eyed Butcher TV Movie, Lifetime.com, 2012Blue-eyed Butcher’: Texas woman who stabbed husband 193 times in 2003 released on parole, Crystal Bonvillian, Fox13 Houston, 1/5/2021Susan Wright released from prison after serving 16 years for stabbing husband 193 times, ABC13 Houston, Jessica Willey, 12/31/2020This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

The Last Seduction

27-year-old music teacher Stephanie Kupchynsky disappeared from a Rochester, New York, suburb in 1991. Stephanie grew up in New Jersey and had taught on Martha's Vineyard. She was scheduled to attend a music conference in New Jersey that was organized by her father, also a music teacher, when she disappeared. Soon afterwards, her car was found abandoned at the airport.Join us at the quiet end for The Disappearance of Stephanie Kupchynsky. Stephanie was an energetic, joyful person who was working to move forward from a life complicated by abuse and depression. She had recently escaped an abusive relationship and she was in love with a new boyfriend. She was looking forward to the future more than she had in a long time. But Stephanie didn’t show up for the music conference and she wasn’t answering her boyfriend’s calls. She was gone, seemingly without a trace.Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!Record a voicemail for a future showContact UsShop TCB MerchJoin our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion GroupSourcesCatch the Sparrow by Rachael RearConfessed killer Ed Laraby dies in prison, Gary Craig, 5/5/2014The Disappearance of Stephanie Kupchynsky, Dateline Digital, 1/20/2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/the-disappearance-of-stephanie-kupchynsky-160292421640METRO NEWS BRIEFS: NEW YORK; Woman Who Vanished In 1991 Is Found Dead, New York Times, The Associated Press, 4/17/1998New York inmate admits murder of former Martha’s Vineyard teacher, MVTimes, Janet Hefler, 7/25/2012This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

The Disappearance of Stephanie Kupchynsky

Leon Benson spent 24 years in an Indiana state prison for the 1998 murder of a young man named Kasey Schoen. His conviction hinged on the testimony of two eyewitnesses – but what if their memories turned out to be wrong? And what if the people who knew what really happened had never been allowed to speak? Suspect Season 3: Five Shots in the Dark is the story of two victims: one murdered, one sentenced to life. Follow host Matt Shaer and attorney Lara Bazelon as they investigate how the justice system failed both Leon and Kasey, and who the real killer might be. Join this unprecedented look inside the attempt to overturn a wrongful conviction and find out if justice will finally be served.Listen to Suspect wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge Suspect ad-free on Wondery Plus.Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts:http://wondery.fm/SuspectS3_TCBListen NowThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Listen Now: Suspect "Five Shots in the Dark"

After Jimmy Don Beets’ fishing boat was found abandoned in Lake Athens, Texas, the locals speculated that he had accidentally drowned. But two years later, his body was found buried in a wishing well on his own property. And, shockingly, another missing man was discovered entombed on the same property. These two men had one thing in common---Betty Lou Beets.Join us at the quiet end for Down the Wishing Well. The story of the life of Betty Lou Beets has a continuous thread of hardship and dysfunction running through it that most of us cannot imagine. But does a difficult past excuse dishonest, cruel, and violent behavior? Even Betty’s children, who survived years with her, would be shocked by her hard-heartedness.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Down the Wishing Well

In its immediate aftermath, the 1984 murder of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter had their community asking “why?” But once the investigation was under way, law enforcement began to look closely at the family Brenda Lafferty had married into. Brenda was a devout Mormon, but she disagreed with the extreme religious beliefs of her brothers-in-law, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who had embraced fundamentalist views and were excommunicated from the LDS church.Join us at the quiet end for Blood Atonement. Brenda has been described as a young woman who was dedicated to her husband Allen, her daughter, and the church. But Brenda had been raised in a much more liberal Mormon family and she wasn’t afraid to openly disagree with her in-law’s fundamentalist views, which included polygamy. Following their excommunication, Dan and Ron Lafferty had become more and more fanatical in their beliefs. And they blamed Brenda when Allen refused to join them.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Blood Atonement

The ostensibly charmed marriage of Kelley and Jim Cannon became something like a bad lifetime movie after years of drug addiction and domestic disturbances. Judging from outward appearances, the two were a successful and happy couple raising a young family. Jim was a law school graduate and a well-liked businessman. Kelley was a housewife and mother of three, remembered by her old classmates as a good student and a popular cheerleader. But then, one night in 2008, Jim’s dead body was found inside of a bedroom closet in their Nashville home.Join us at the quiet end for A Body in the Closet. When Jim was found dead, his three children were missing. Police found Kelley Cannon in a nearby condo with the children. She explained that Jim had called her, acting crazy, and asked her to take care of the kids. But an injunction had prevented Kelley from entering the family’s home, so was she telling the truth or was Kelley somehow responsible for her estranged husband’s death?SourcesGreen Hills Mom Who Strangled Husband in 2008 Asks for New Trial, WKRN.com, Sarah Denson, 3/30/2015House of Lies by Linda RosencranceKelley Elizabeth Cannon v. State of Tennessee, Criminal Court for Davidson County, 3/21/2017State of Tennessee v. Kelley Elizabeth Cannon, Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee at Nashville, 10/18/2011Who Killed Jim Cannon? Nashville Scene, Elizabeth Ulrich, 7/3/2008The Widow Speaks, Nashville Scene, Elizabeth Ulrich, 7/10/2008This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

A Body in the Closet

Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero were hitchhiking on their way to the Rainbow Family Gathering in June, 1980, when they disappeared. This was an annual gathering of hippies and free-thinking people where they would celebrate harmony, peace, and freedom at Monongahela National Forest. But after the two young women accepted a ride from a quiet young man driving a Chevy Nova, they were never seen alive again.Join us at the quiet end for The Rainbow Girls Murders. Someone murdered Nancy and Vicki in cold blood, leaving their bodies to be found on a remote mountainside. But twelve years into the investigation, an innocent man was charged and convicted of their killings. This man would spend years in prison before the real killer could be brought to justice. Today, we’ll talk about this fascinating case and discuss why the wrong man was sent to prison and a cold-blooded killer was left free to kill again.SourcesMan who confessed to 'Rainbow Murders' is executed, The Associated Press, 11/19/2013Life Without Mercy by Ralph Kennedy EcholsThe Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley EisenbergThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

The Rainbow Girls Murders

It’s all a lighthearted nightmare on the MORBID podcast. Hosted by Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley, Morbid is a full dose of true crime with a splash of comedy. Join us all month long as we celebrate 5 years of MORBID with a special anniversary series, a festive edition of listener tales, and more surprises to come.Listen to Morbid wherever you get your podcasts: wondery.fm/MBD_TCBHey Prime Members you can listen to Morbid early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Introducing: Morbid

Neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch had little in his background to predict the trail of surgical atrocities he would commit in his short-lived career. Before he was finally stopped, Duntsch had caused serious neurological injuries to most of his patients and killed two of them. In fact, of the 38 surgeries he performed, 33 were catastrophic.Join us at the quiet end for Dissecting Dr. Death. After his residency in Tennessee, Christopher Duntsch moved to Dallas to start his neurosurgery practice. Despite rumors that he had been using cocaine, LSD, and prescription opiates while in training, he had excellent references. But once he began performing surgeries in Dallas, Duntsch was immediately recognized as incompetent by other surgeons and OR staff. And, with no indication that he would stop or seek out additional training, it became obvious that he was intentionally harming his patients. But the big question is why?This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Dissecting Dr. Death

After a 911 call came in late at night on August 2, 2006, paramedics were dispatched to a high-end Washington D.C. townhouse. Inside, the home was very neat with expensive electronics and other valuables in plain sight. On the second floor, 32-year-old attorney Robert Wone was found lying flat on his back in a t-shirt and gym shorts. He had three stab wounds to his torso. Mr. Wone was a houseguest that night and the three permanent residents claimed to have no idea who had stabbed him. But the home had absolutely no signs of forced entry or a burglary.Join us at the quiet end for Murder Mystery on Swann Street. From the time they arrived, police officers and paramedics were struck by the incongruous scene. All three residents of the home were together in the living room, freshly showered and wearing crisp, white robes. The bed where Mr. Wone was found appeared strikingly undisturbed. And, despite having suffered three deep knife wounds, there was very little blood on Mr. Wone or the bedding. The lack of an intruder, the physical evidence, and the bizarre behavior of home’s residents has created an extraordinary mystery surrounding Robert Wone’s death—a mystery that still endures today.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Murder Mystery on Swann Street

As far back as Brian Stidham could remember, he wanted to be a doctor and work with children. As an exceptional student, he graduated from Harvard Medical School. Then he began his residency in pediatric ophthalmology. Eventually, Brian married, had two children, and moved to Tucson, Arizona. As one of very few specialists in the area, he was in high demand. But as Brian’s star was rising, his life would be taken by a man whose own life was crashing and burning.Join us at the quiet end for Eye to Eye: The Murder of Dr. Brian Stidham. While working at a practice with ophthalmologist Bradley Schwartz, Brian noticed that the doctor was behaving erratically. After Schwartz was indicted on drug charges, Brian made plans to open his own practice. But Schwartz was infuriated when his patients went to Brian. And Brad Schwartz was not the forgiving type.SourcesAn Eye for an Eye, 48 Hours, 7/8/2008Office Visit, Forensic Files, 5/17/2018Murder Conspiracy Case Grabs Media Glare, American Medical News, 7/10/2006Tucson Citizen Archives, 2005-2014Tucson Weekly Archives, 2005-2006Toxic Rage by AJ FlickThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Eye to Eye: The Murder of Dr. Brian Stidham

The Murder of Diane PikulDiane Whitmore grew up in the Midwest. She was a smart girl and, as she matured, she was looking forward to an exciting life as an independent, sophisticated woman. But when it came to men, Diane had a bad picker. Diane married Joe Pikul after meeting him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He was exciting to her: wealthy and outgoing but emotionally unstable with a terrible temper. By the time the couple had children, they were fighting regularly. Joe’s behavior had progressed from emotionally to physically abusive.Join us at the quiet end for One Last Family Weekend. Diane’s friends feared for her safety, so they were all relieved when she finally decided to leave Joe. But, at the same time, they worried about Diane taking unnecessary risks. Her brave exterior could no longer cover up how frightened she had become of her husband. Joe asked Diane to meet him at their vacation home in the Hamptons for one last family weekend. She knew this was a bad idea, but she felt obligated to go for the sake of her children. This was a decision she wouldn’t live long enough to regret.Sources4 Years After His Death, Pikul Poses Problems for Offspring, New York Times, Joan Ullman, 9/19/1993Marrying the Hangman by Sheila WellerMatter of Pikul, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 8/5/1993Mystery in the Hamptons, Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, & Justice, S1 E6Wife Killer Dies While He Waits for Prison Term, New York Times, James Feron, 6/23/1989Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at https://www.stamps.com/XXXX.Thanks to Stamps.com for sponsoring the show!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

One Last Family Weekend

The Murder-for-Hire of Dan MarkelOn July 18, 2014, 41-year-old law professor Dan Markel dropped off his two young sons at preschool, worked out at the gym, and returned home to his quiet Tallahassee, Florida home. It was a Friday and Dan was looking forward to a relaxing weekend. But as soon as he pulled into his garage, someone shot him at point-blank range.Join us at the quiet end for Conspiracy: The Murder-for-Hire of Dan Markel. This is a story of a divorce and custody battle spun out of control and a family hell-bent on revenge. The investigation into Dan’s murder went on for two years before two career criminals were arrested for driving 10 hours from Miami to stalk and kill Dan. They had no known connection to Dan, but Dan’s ex-wife had family in the Miami area. The family hated Dan, who was getting in the way of Wendi and her children moving closer to them. It was difficult to believe that the Adelsons were behind a murder-for-hire plot, but no one else had a motive to want Dan dead.Sources20/20, Over My Dead Body, S42, E3Dateline, Cold-Blooded, 2020Extreme Punishment by Steven B. EpsteinKatherine Magbanua v. State of Florida, Petition for Writ of Certiorari, First District Court of Appeal, 5/31/2019Magbanua, Garcia, and Charles Adelson Court Appearance Video Footage, Law & Crime Network, 2016-2023Probable Cause First Degree Murder, Charlie Adelson, 9/9/2016State of Florida v. Charles "Charlie" Adelson, Written Plea of Not Guilty and Demand for Discovery, 4/26/2022The Unveiling: A Mother's Reflection on Murder, Grief, and Trial Life by Ruth MarkelThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Conspiracy

Jana and Bruce Koklich were the ideal couple in many ways. Jana was a smart and attractive woman whose father had been an influential California state senator. Bruce was her dedicated, hard-working, and charming husband. Together, they ran a successful California real estate business and owned several valuable properties. But after going to an Eric Clapton concert with a friend in August of 2001, Jana disappeared.Join us at the quiet end for Never Seen Again. Bruce Koklich, as Jana’s concerned husband, appeared on the news and pleaded for her to return home safely. But some friends and family members felt like something was off. Bruce’s business and personal choices were scrutinized, leading some to suspect that he was involved in his wife’s disappearance. But Jana had not been with Bruce on the night she disappeared, so was it possible that she had left her husband to start a new life or had she been a target of foul play?This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

Never Seen Again: Jana Carpenter Koklich

Sheree Warren left her job in Salt Lake City on a mild October evening in 1985. She told a coworker she was headed to meet her estranged husband, Charles Warren, at a car dealership. But she never made it, Sheree vanished. When her car mysteriously surfaced weeks later, hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas, no one could say how it got there.When a young mother disappears under unexplained circumstances, police always turn suspicious eyes towards the husband. And although there was distrust around Charles Warren, he wasn’t the only suspect when Sheree went missing. She also had a boyfriend, a former cop named Cary Hartmann, who lived a sinister double life.Season three follows two suspects– men who both raised suspicion for investigators. But with two strong persons of interest with competing facts and evidence, it muddied the murder investigation. This season, host Dave Cawley, digs into the lives of these two men, the details of the case and examines the intersections between domestic abuse and sexual violence. The COLD team seeks to answer the question: what really happened to Sheree Warren?Hey Prime Members, you can binge all 10 episodes of COLD: The Search for Sheree ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today: wondery.fm/TCB_ColdS3This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4126935/advertisement

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