The McStay Family Murders: Vanished Without a Trace
In 2010, the McStay family seemed to vanish into thin air. Joseph, Summer, and their two young sons disappeared from their California home without warning. Their car was found near the Mexican border, triggering wild speculation, had they fled the country? Had they met with foul play? For years, no one knew the truth.Then, in 2013, a grim discovery in the Mojave Desert changed everything: the skeletal remains of all four family members, buried in shallow graves. The investigation took a shocking turn, exposing a disturbing betrayal and a motive rooted in jealousy and greed.In this episode of Crime at Bedtime, we peel back the layers of one of California’s most haunting modern mysteries. Through meticulous police work, courtroom drama, and chilling revelations, we trace the story from the family’s last known movements to the arrest and trial of a man they once called a friend. This is a story of trust broken, lives stolen, and a search for justice that spanned years.The One Minute Remaining LIVE show in Melbourne tix on sale NOWBecome a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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"I don't like Mondays" Inside the Mind of Brenda Ann Spencer
On a quiet Monday morning in January 1979, the peace outside Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego was shattered by gunfire. Sixteen-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, armed with a .22-calibre rifle her father had given her for Christmas, opened fire from the window of her home—just across the street from the school gates.In a shooting that stunned the nation, Spencer killed the principal and a custodian as they tried to protect children, and wounded eight students and a police officer. When asked why she did it, her response would become one of the most haunting quotes in American criminal history:“I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”In this episode we explore the disturbing life of Brenda Ann Spencer. From her neglected and troubled upbringing to the many red flags ignored by adults and authorities, we uncover the events that led up to that horrific day. We follow the chaos of the shooting, the chilling phone call to a journalist, and the police standoff that followed. We then trace her path through the justice system, where she was tried as an adult, and examine her life behind bars, parole hearings, and the claims of abuse that emerged years later.This is not just the story of a school shooting. It’s the story of a system that failed to see what was coming—and the lives that changed forever because of it.The One Minute Remaining LIVE show in Melbourne tix on sale NOWBecome a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Stanford Predator: John Getreu and the Cold Cases Solved by DNA
For nearly fifty years, two cold cases haunted the Stanford community.In 1973 and 1974, 21-year-olds Leslie Perlov and Janet Taylor were brutally murdered near the university campus. Both were strangled. Both cases went unsolved—until modern forensic genealogy exposed a killer hiding in plain sight.John Arthur Getreu seemed like an ordinary man. A community volunteer. A Scout leader. A father and husband. But beneath the surface, he was a serial predator with a dark history stretching back to 1963, when he raped and murdered a teenage girl in West Germany while still in high school.We unpack the chilling life of John Getreu—from his early crimes abroad to the murders he committed on American soil. We follow the women whose lives he stole, the families left searching for answers, and the decades-long silence shattered by a single strand of DNA.This is a story of justice delayed, but not denied. Of women remembered, and secrets finally brought to light.The One Minute Remaining LIVE show in Melbourne tix on sale NOWBecome a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Twist of DNA and the Twin: The Ronald Smith Conviction
On July 18, 2008, 40‑year‑old elementary school teacher and Navy reservist Genai Coleman was tragically shot and killed in her own car in a Gwinnett County, Georgia mall parking lot—an unthinkable crime of opportunity that shocked her community. A cigarette butt retrieved from her stolen Dodge Stratus matched DNA in the national database, pointing investigators to Donald Eugene Smith, a convicted felon.When Donald steadfastly denied involvement—claiming police should be targeting his identical twin, Ronald—the case took a dramatic turn. Unlike DNA, fingerprints don’t duplicate, and Ronald’s prints were found on the car, alongside cell‑tower records placing his phone near Genai’s stolen vehicle.Confronted with the mounting evidence, Ronald confessed—and claimed it was an accidental discharge while attempting to carjack Coleman. In October 2012, the jury convicted him of murder, carjacking, and weapon possession, sentencing him to life plus 25 years. Today, he remains incarcerated at Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo, GeorgiaThis case underscores a rare forensic challenge identical‑twin DNA ambiguity and the pivotal role of fingerprints in achieving justice. Genai Coleman’s family, who endured unbearable loss, found some solace in Ronald’s conviction, trusting that multiple investigative methods ensured truth prevailedThe One Minute Remaining LIVE show in Melbourne tix on sale NOWBecome a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Murder, Misery, and the Realtor Next Door: The Todd Kohlhepp Case
When Kala Brown was discovered chained inside a shipping container on a rural property in South Carolina in 2016, police had no idea they were about to uncover one of the most chilling serial killer cases in modern American history.Todd Kohlhepp, a respected real estate agent and seemingly successful businessman, had been hiding a dark and deadly double life. As investigators dug deeper, they found multiple graves on his property and a trail of cold-blooded murders stretching back more than a decade. He had been killing under everyone’s noses — maintaining a public life of property sales, smiling client photos, and local charm, all while burying his victims behind his house.In this deeply researched episode of Crime at Bedtime, we follow the entire timeline — beginning with the shocking discovery of Kala Brown, through Kohlhepp’s twisted childhood and early violent crimes, to the moment the full scale of his serial killing spree was revealed. We explore his manipulative nature, the calculated façade he maintained, and the psychological profile of a man who lived a lie so convincingly, no one saw the monster behind the smile.This is the story of how a predator hid in plain sight — and how one woman’s survival brought his empire of horror crashing down.The One Minute Remaining LIVE show in Melbourne tix on sale NOWBecome a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Crime at bedtime is a show dedicated to those who love all things crime stories, even as you drift off to sleep at night.So relax take a minute, unwind and let me tell you some fascinating stories.Crime at Bedtime is written and hosted by Jack Laurence.tickets to LIVE show here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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