324. Fall of a Kingdom: Coweta County Murder

The internet often feels like a harmless escape. A place where Facebook shows you picture-perfect families, where influencers promise miracles in a bottle, where friendships are born from nothing more than a shared “like.” But behind the glow of the monitor, reality can warp into something darker, something far more dangerous than anyone imagines. In one quiet town, a single online connection spiraled into lies, obsession, and betrayal, trapping people in a digital web they never saw coming until it was too late. Because online, anyone can be anything. And for one young man, that illusion would prove deadly. Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Love, Lies and the Internet: The Murder of Brian Barrett.’ Listener discretion by Edward @OctoberpodVHS Music by our editor/ep @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180168/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDjNvcrAA0A https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/nyregion/07triangle.html https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/courts-montgomery-gets-20-years-in-internet-love-triangle-killing/article_d124d951-07a1-5d2e-bdae-b15098085262.html https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/24-5637/24-5637-2025-06-09.html https://www.officer.com/investigations/article/55293384/how-to-catch-a-criminal-liar-liar https://www.cbsnews.com/news/internet-love-triangle-comes-to-deadly-end/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/web-user-sentenced-for-killing-online-rival-1.636158 https://abcnews.go.com/US/online-love-triangle-deception-end-murder/story?id=14371076 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Altona, Manitoba, is a small town sitting in the middle of a windswept prairie about a fifteen-minute drive north of North Dakota. In the winter, the days are short, the snow falls frequently, and there’s very little to do except play hockey or other indoor activities. The town was founded by Mennonites, who, like the Amish, are known for their pacifist and peaceful ways. However, that did not mean the town was exempt from its fair share of tragedies.  However, nothing would stun the Altona residents more than what happened on a November night in 1990. What started as a typical evening for two teenage boys ended in a horrific home invasion that left one dead and the other critically injured. The attack was violent and merciless, shaking the entire community to its core. Join Jen and Cam as they discuss "Out of the Fire: Murder in Altona." Thank you to our team Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠ Sources: https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008967/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/948646262/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008599/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008599/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/735474324/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/735472254/?match=1 https://www.iaedjournal.org/the-road-of-resilience https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/altona-manitoba-documentary-world-premiere-1.7049171 https://www.steinbachonline.com/articles/documentary-altona-uses-30-year-old-crime-to-explore-forgiveness https://www.firefightingincanada.com/a-story-of-resilience-26441/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008967/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/1011921809/?match=1&clipping_id=178356248 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altona_murder#:~:text=The%20Altona%20murder%20occurred%20in,bodily%20injuries%20and%20alerted%20authorities.&text=Giesbrecht%20was%20arrested%20shortly%20after%2C%20and%20confessed%20to%20the%20murder. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2010/06/18/killer-to-get-taste-of-freedom https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.5551761 (this interview with Klassen's dad is just pitiful) https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/43-survivors-tyler-pelke-and-the-nova-scotia-boy/id1483801903?i=1000516794821 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altona_murder https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.5553431 https://www.brandonsun.com/local/2013/06/18/bible-belts-bogeyman-still-haunts-town https://winnipegsun.com/2014/03/02/rising-out-of-the-fire https://www.newspapers.com/image/734980397/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/734980254/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/735009940/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/735843197/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/1022422054/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22 I survived Season 7 episode 10, A&E Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you want to know what it is like to be one of  'Our True Crime Podcast' Patreons?  Here is a sneak peek. This episode was released in January on our Patreon platform. Due to circumstances, we were unable to produce an episode this week, so we thought it was a perfect time to revisit an episode that originally aired on Patreon. Join us! The Petit family lived in an idyllic, quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of Cheshire, Connecticut. Dr. William Petit, a respected endocrinologist, his wife Jennifer, a beloved nurse, and their two daughters—17-year-old Hayley, a bright and driven high school senior, and 11-year-old Michaela, a sweet and creative child—made their home at 300 Sorghum Mill Drive. By all accounts, the Petits were a picture of suburban success. But on the evening of July 22, 2007, an unassuming trip to the local Stop & Shop set in motion a chain of events that would shatter their world. Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled “The Cheshire Murders: The Petit Family.” LD by @octoberpodVHS Music by @theinkypawprint Sources: http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/27/justice/connecticut-home-invasion-sentencing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 https://abcnews.go.com/US/petit-trial-coroner-describes-teen-daughters-death/story?id=14607151 https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/local/charges-against-steven-hayes/2059089/?amp=1 https://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Komisarjevsky-complete-list-of-charges-12058464.php The Cheshire Murders (Television production). HBO https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/connecticuts-top-court-overturns-death-penalty-state-n409256 https://web.archive.org/web/20190910201036/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20706697/ns/dateline_nbc-crime_reports/t/desperate-hours#.Xo9cXYhKiUk https://medium.com/the-true-crime-times/the-cheshire-murders-innocence-lost-1e4bec712e09 https://web.archive.org/web/20100926195121/http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/twisted_texts_of_killer_G8iLnVxkF0WgpcTcOeC4QM https://www.cbsnews.com/news/petit-family-murder-trial-new-evidence-testimony-paints-graphic-picture-of-conn-home-invasion/ https://archive.today/20120723165500/http://www.courant.com/community/cheshire/cheshire-home-invasion/hc-komisarjevsky-fair-trial-1110-20101109,0,2009741.story https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/17/cheshire-connecticut-home-invasion-murders-10-years-later/483863001/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to Amy M for requesting this episode! A rich and powerful man who thought he was above the law and a brave sheriff who refused to back down. This is the story of how one murder brought a corrupt "king" and his reign of terror crashing down. Join Jen & Cam as we explore the 1948 case that made history in the American South, "Fall of a Kingdom: Coweta County Murder" Thank you to our team Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠ Please go to www.ourtruecrimepodcast.com for a complete list of sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was the evening of July 6, 2007, when the call came in to the Russell County Sheriff’s Department. A truck driver had spotted what he believed to be a body lying along a lonely stretch of road outside Phenix City, Alabama. At first, the deputies dismissed it as unlikely. This was a tight-knit community, a place where neighbors grew up together and tragedies of that magnitude felt unthinkable. But on that humid Southern night, something unspeakable had happened. Lieutenant Heath Taylor and Sergeant Grover Goodrich were dispatched to the scene. The road was rural, unlit, and shrouded in silence, save for the hum of insects. Their flashlights cut through the dark landing on what could no longer be mistaken: the body of a young woman, late teens or early twenties, crumpled in the gravel. Who would kill this young woman and why? Both answers would be shocking. Join Cam and Jen of Our True Crime Podcast as we discuss ‘The Killer Next to Her: Stephanie ‘Shea’ Graham.’ Listener discretion if from @octoberpodVHS Music is by our editor @theinkypawprint Hey! You want to go to Italy with us in June 2026, make sure to check out the details on our webpage. ourtruecrimepodcast.com or reach out and email [email protected]. Sources: https://www.alabamaag.gov/attorney-general-steve-marshall-announces-court-of-criminal-appeals-upholds-capital-murder-conviction-in-russell-county/ https://www.wtvm.com/2019/07/20/capital-murder-conviction-upheld-phenix-city-woman-accused-contract-killing-her-daughter/ https://ftp.analyticowl.com/trendzone/stephanie-graham-murder-where-are-lisa-graham-and-kenneth-walton%C2%A0now https://www.cbs42.com/news/crime/the-5-women-on-alabamas-death-row/ https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-8782/150960/20200821153708727_BIO.pdf https://www.wtvm.com/story/28220610/fmr-investigator-testifies-in-day-3-of-lisa-graham-retrial/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/193bl0u/was_death_row_inmate_lisa_grahams_husband_kevin_a/ https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/season-20/lisa-graham https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/2008870.html https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28668824/ https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/crime/article29403523.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big Thank You to Belinda for requesting this episode! On a remote stretch of highway in the Australian Outback, a young couple's road trip turned into a nightmare. Peter Falconio, a British backpacker, vanished without a trace, and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, was found battered and distraught, having escaped a terrifying ordeal. But as police began to unravel the events of that night, people started to doubt Joanne's story. Was she a brave survivor, or was she hiding a dark secret? Join Jen & Cam as they discuss 'Into the Never-Never: Peter Falconio & Joanne Lees' Come to Italy with us in 2026! Call to speak to an agent ⁠1-800-438-7672 ⁠ ⁠https://groups.goaheadtours.com/tours/zvrg-true-crime⁠ If you have any questions, RSVP with the link below for our Zoom meeting on August 19th at 6 PM CST. Can't wait to meet you! https://tinyurl.com/3sbzz7cz Thank you to our team Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠ Sources: https://youtu.be/1ecev-s1S3Y?si=RzWiYo9FiD7XzqcH https://youtu.be/EOI6HiMayK4?si=ip07xi1aaONpVjoK https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Territory https://www.newspapers.com/image/259639810/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/727358980/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/720094814/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/752702312/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/121437746/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/121591385/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/257729313/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/1052210791/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/1140309498/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/1179747398/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/1049290141/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/752436797/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/726001238/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/752434849/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://www.newspapers.com/image/753330238/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/723422920/?match=1&terms=Joanne%20Lees https://time.com/archive/6952425/terror-australis/ https://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/the-unanswered-questions-about-peter-falconios-murder-as-outback-killer-dies-aged-67/news-story/9e85d77b4d33e26fbceb00d7b22defe0 https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/outback-murder-mystery-of-peter-falconio-remains/news-story/c24596ba385b0b0751e616cf75235139  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Peter_Falconio https://www.theage.com.au/national/doubt-over-dna-test-in-falconio-case-20071224-ge6ji5.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/nov/02/australia.uk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-Y3vw0WDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihObH8e3jvQ&t=1128s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ov-S8ZoLgE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

***Make sure to listen for a special announcement about an informational meeting we will be having on August 19 to discuss our trip to Italy. Go to ⁠ourtruecrimepodcast.com⁠ to register for the zoom meeting.*** Thirteen-year-old Danny Joe Eberle didn’t want to get up that morning. It was far too early, and like any kid his age, he just wanted to stay curled beneath the covers. But duty called—just as it had every morning before. It was 5:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 18, 1983, when Danny Joe dragged himself out of bed, dressed quietly, and slipped out the door. Alongside his older brother, he delivered newspapers. He pedaled into the gray morning light and made his usual stop at the corner convenience store to pick up the day’s bundle of Omaha World-Herald newspapers. Like he always did, Danny sat in the parking lot, rolling each newspaper tightly and stuffing it into his canvas bag. What Danny Joe didn’t know was that someone was watching. Danny Joe made three stops, three familiar porches in a neighborhood he knew like the back of his hand. And then, the deliveries stopped. So did Danny Joe. Join Jen and Cam of Our True  Crime Podcast as we discuss ‘From Boy Scout to Serial Killer: John Joubert.’ Listener Discretion is by @octoberpodVHS All music is by our EP @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/serial-killer-john-joubert-days-slaying-kids-article-1.3501029 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/12/06/Kidnapped-childs-body-found/7156439534800/ http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-13-year-olds-dead-body-turns-up Pettit, Mark (1990). A Need to Kill. New York City: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-0785-3. https://web.archive.org/web/20110811001915/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/john_joubert/index.html Ressler, Robert K.; Shachtman, Tom (1992). "Death of a Newsboy". Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Hunting Serial Killers for the FBI. New York City: St. Martin's Press. pp. 93–112. ISBN 0312078838. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/boys-murdered-in-1983-to-be-memorialized-by-new-crime-victims-monument-in-sarpy-county/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0645494/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/john-joubert https://law.justia.com/cases/maine/supreme-court/1992/603-a-2d-861-0.html https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5dA8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Jy4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3678,1755520 https://books.google.com/books?id=gngG9zPmNKMC&pg=PA64 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/07/17/Child-killer-executed-in-Nebraska/9576837576000/ https://www.ketv.com/article/john-joubert-full-documentary/44390709 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In December 2005, a beautiful young woman named Nona Dirksmeyer was brutally murdered in her Arkansas apartment. Her death was a shock, starting a mystery that still isn't solved. The hunt for Nona's killer was messy. Police botched the investigation, and there were multiple trials, but no one was ever found guilty. Nona's killer is still free, walking among us. Join Jen and Cam as they discuss "Unpunished Predator: The Murder of Nona Dirksmeyer." Come to Italy with us in 2026! Email us at [email protected] or call to speak to an agent 1-800-438-7672 https://groups.goaheadtours.com/tours/zvrg-true-crime Thank you to our team Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠ Sources: For a complete list of sources, go to www.ourtruecrimepodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How hard is it to disappear after killing someone? But what if the victims were your own family? The idea of vanishing after such a crime seems unfathomable—yet some manage it, at least for a while. Few cases illustrate this more chillingly than those of John List and Robert Fisher, two men accused of murdering their families and slipping into the shadows. So it has happened before and will undoubtedly happen again, which takes us to today’s case.  It was a quiet Monday morning in Washington, D.C., on March 1, 1976, when William Bradford Bishop Jr.—a rising foreign service officer at the State Department—received the news that would, according to investigators, set a horrific plan in motion. He’d been passed over for a promotion. By mid-afternoon, Bishop told his secretary he was feeling unwell. Colleagues noted that he seemed agitated. One of them, Roy Harrell Jr., would later become the last confirmed person to see him. Bishop left the Foggy Bottom building and disappeared. What followed was a meticulously planned crime. Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast as we discuss ‘From Diplomat to FBI’s Most Wanted: William Bradford Bishop.’ Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS Music is by our EP @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030102328_4.html https://people.com/william-bradford-bishop-people-magazine-investigates-murder-family-fbi-wanted-8763135 http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/series/brad-bishop/The-Hunt-for-William-Bradford-Bishop-254259061.html http://www.nbcwashington.com/video/#!/news/local/William-Braford-Bishop-Added-to-FBI-s-Ten-Most-Wanted-List/254741211 https://web.archive.org/web/20130407061938/http://www.amw.com/pdf/brad-bishop-letter-from-bankston.pdf http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-us-diplomat-murder-suspect-added-to-fbis-most-wanted/ http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/series/brad-bishop/Inside-the-Evidence-Room-in-the-Hunt-for-William-Bradford-Bishop-254602021.html https://archive.org/details/anatomyofmotivef00doug http://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/14FA438034ACC1A8 https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/brad-bishop/fbi-confirms-nc-woman-is-accused-killer-william-bradford-bishops-daughter/2807832/ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74885288/bishop-wanted/ https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/2014/04/11/the-bradford-bishop-mystery/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140416143734/http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/april/william-bradford-bishop-added-to-fbi-top-ten-list/william-bradford-bishop-added-to-fbi-top-ten-list/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030102328_4.html https://people.com/william-bradford-bishop-people-magazine-investigates-murder-family-fbi-wanted-8763135 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a quiet, long weekend in May of 2011, 20-year-old Maddy Scott set out for a camping trip with friends at Hogsback Lake near Vanderhoof, British Columbia. The next morning, her truck and tent were found, but Maddy was nowhere to be seen. There were no signs of struggle or clues pointing to where she had gone, only questions. Join Jen and Cam as they discuss "Maddy Scott: The Girl Who Never Came Home." If you have any information about the disappearance and subsequent death of Maddy Scott, please call the Vanderhoof RCMP at 250-567-2222, or you can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You can also visit the website madisonscott.ca for updates on this case. However, please refrain from leaving tips on social media websites, as they are considered hearsay. They must be reported directly to the RCMP, Crime Stoppers, or other law enforcement agencies.  Thank you to our team Listener Discretion by ⁠Edward October ⁠ Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint ⁠https://theinkypawprint.com Sources: http://madisonscott.ca/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Madison_Scott https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/80 https://www.facebook.com/groups/205731539463196/  (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hogsback+Lake,+Vanderhoof,+BC,+Canada/Southslope+Rd,+Vanderhoof,+BC+V0J+3A1,+Canada/@53.9552327,-123.9995468,852m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x53884203fba01529:0xffa55c3ea22eb136!2m2!1d-123.8311179!2d53.843609!1m5!1m1!1s0x538845dfa2a27c53:0x208dc705a7d60596!2m2!1d-123.9962453!2d53.9528396!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYxNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D https://ckpgtoday.ca/2023/05/29/remains-of-madison-scott-discovered-at-vanderhoof-property/ https://ckpgtoday.ca/2023/05/29/remains-of-madison-scott-discovered-at-vanderhoof-property/ https://websleuths.com/threads/canada-madison-scott-20-vanderhoof-bc-27-may-2011.138458/page-5 https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/vanishing/ https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/highway-of-tears https://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/news/news/Provincial/Investigation_into_disappearance_and_death_of_Madison_Scott_still_ongoing_13_years/ 48 Hours Episode https://www.google.com/maps/@53.9620214,-123.9724543,3a,75y,174.73h,100.71t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sfTAQJy02KPL71BmmZUqn_Q!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-10.710068350507001%26panoid%3DfTAQJy02KPL71BmmZUqn_Q%26yaw%3D174.73041652252357!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYxNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D https://www.newspapers.com/image/509848251/?match=1&terms=%22Madison%20Scott%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/507425551/?match=1&terms=%22Madison%20Scott%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/507417508/?match=1&terms=%22Madison%20Scott%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/506378439/?match=1&terms=%22Madison%20Scott%22 https://youtu.be/ou3wt_ImUcA?si=I22hNtnbbUph0OgL https://youtu.be/cxaHb5s6eU4?si=NKeX_7wAKmHZgDW4 https://youtu.be/Xn0ROcjh7ys?si=m4ddjrUDJy3_fc9c https://www.newspapers.com/image/497717358/?match=1&terms=%22Madison%20Scott%22 https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/murder-victim-suffered-gruesome-death-court-hears-3725783 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices