Murder: True Crime Stories

Seventeen-year-old Missy Avila was popular, kind, and full of promise—but jealousy simmered beneath the surface of her closest friendships. As rumors, betrayal, and resentment escalated during high school, lines between loyalty and cruelty blurred. This episode explores Missy’s life, the toxic dynamics surrounding her, and the emotional tensions that built quietly for years. What seemed like ordinary teenage drama would soon spiral into something far darker. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1948, an unidentified man was found dead on an Australian beach with no wallet, no ID, and a cryptic message hidden in his clothing. Despite decades of investigation, his identity—and cause of death—remained a mystery. Was he a spy, a poisoned lover, or something else entirely? This episode unpacks one of the world’s most enduring cold cases, filled with coded messages, missing clues, and a relentless search for the truth that continues more than 70 years later. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the murders of Harold and Thelma Swain, investigators faced mounting pressure to deliver answers—but instead, the case spiraled into decades of missteps, false leads, and a wrongful conviction. In Part 2, Murder: True Crime Stories follows the long investigation that led to the arrest of Dennis Perry, the flaws in the evidence used to convict him, and the stunning DNA revelations that ultimately set him free after 20 years behind bars. As attention finally returns to the true suspect, this episode examines how race, politics, and systemic failure delayed justice—and why the Swains’ story is still unfolding 40 years later. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harold and Thelma Swain were pillars of the Black community in Waverly, Georgia, devoting their lives to service through Rising Daughter Baptist Church. But on the night of March 11, 1985, that sanctuary was shattered when a gunman walked into the church and murdered the beloved couple. In Part 1, Murder: True Crime Stories traces the Swains’ lives, their leadership during the Jim Crow era and Civil Rights Movement, and the shocking night that turned a place of worship into a crime scene. This episode sets the emotional and historical foundation for a case that would haunt the community for decades. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A brilliant intelligence analyst is found dead inside a locked sports bag in his London apartment—no signs of forced entry, no clear cause of death, and a trail of secrets left behind. Officially ruled an accident, the case quickly sparks global controversy. Was this a tragic mistake, a dangerous private life gone wrong, or an expertly executed assassination? This episode dives into one of the strangest deaths in modern history, exploring espionage, unexplained evidence, and the conspiracy theories that refuse to fade. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the aftermath of Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan, the U.S. military told a heroic story of enemy fire and battlefield bravery—but it wasn’t true. In Part 2, Murder: True Crime Stories unpacks how Pat was killed by friendly fire, how senior officials concealed that truth, and how his family spent years unraveling a web of misinformation, redactions, and institutional self-protection. Through congressional hearings, leaked memos, and relentless advocacy by Pat’s mother, this episode explores the cost of truth in wartime—and why the Tillman family refused to let their son’s death be rewritten. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pat Tillman was at the peak of his NFL career when he walked away from millions to enlist in the U.S. Army after 9/11. In Part 1, Murder: True Crime Stories traces Pat’s life—from his driven childhood and record-setting football career to the values that pushed him toward military service. As Pat deploys to Iraq and later Afghanistan, he begins questioning the war and the narratives surrounding it, even as the military and media shape him into a powerful symbol of sacrifice. This episode sets the stage for the tragic events that would transform Pat Tillman from a man into a myth. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A woman checks into a luxury hotel using a fake name—and is later found dead under suspicious circumstances. With labels removed from her clothes, no identification, and evidence suggesting the scene was staged, investigators are left with more questions than answers. This episode explores the haunting mystery of the Oslo Plaza Woman, a case filled with espionage theories, deliberate erasure, and unanswered questions about who she was—and why someone went to such lengths to make her disappear. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Travis Alexander was found brutally murdered in his Arizona home, investigators quickly realized this was no random attack. In Part 2, Murder: True Crime Stories follows the shocking discovery of Travis’s body, the damning digital evidence hidden inside a washing machine, and the unraveling lies of his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias. As her story shifted from denial to masked intruders to claims of self-defense, prosecutors built a devastating case fueled by forensic proof, explicit photographs, and her own contradictions. This episode examines the trial that transfixed the nation—and the final verdict that exposed obsession turned lethal. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before the headlines and the courtroom drama, Travis Alexander’s story began as a whirlwind romance. In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Murder: True Crime Stories traces Jodi Arias’s troubled past, her pattern of volatile relationships, and the intense bond she formed with charismatic motivational speaker Travis Alexander. As Jodi reshaped her identity to fit Travis’s world—converting to his faith, moving closer to him, and refusing to let go—their relationship spiraled into a toxic cycle of control, jealousy, and obsession. This episode sets the stage for a tragedy that was quietly building behind closed doors. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the winter of 1959, nine experienced Soviet hikers vanished in the Ural Mountains—and what rescuers later found defied logic. Their tent had been cut open from the inside, their bodies lay scattered barefoot across the snow, and several suffered catastrophic injuries with no clear cause. In this episode of Murder: True Crime Stories, Carter Roy explores the chilling discovery at Dyatlov Pass, the Soviet investigation that blamed an “insurmountable force of nature,” and the decades of theories that followed—from secret military tests and UFO sightings to avalanches and infrasound-induced panic. More than 60 years later, the question remains: what really drove these hikers into the frozen night? If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the aftermath of Tom Wales’s murder, investigators faced a troubling reality: the killing of a federal prosecutor just weeks after 9/11 risked being lost in the chaos of a nation at war. In Part 2, Murder: True Crime Stories follows the decades-long investigation marked by missed opportunities, unreliable informants, anonymous confessions, and a single suspect who remained just beyond the reach of prosecution. As the FBI pursues theories involving revenge, contract killers, and organized crime, this episode explores how Tom’s case became one of the most haunting unsolved murders in American legal history—and why justice remains elusive more than 20 years later. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Wales dedicated his life to public service, integrity, and the belief that the law should protect everyone equally. But in October 2001, his commitment to justice may have made him a target. In Part 1, Murder: True Crime Stories traces Tom’s journey from an ambitious law student to a respected federal prosecutor and outspoken gun-control advocate in Seattle. As his influence grew, so did the list of people who resented him. The episode walks through Tom’s final months, the cases and causes that put him in the spotlight, and the chilling night when a gunman fired through his basement window, changing everything. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the gripping conclusion of this two-part series, Murder: True Crime Stories follows the intense investigation that led authorities from scattered surveillance footage and a single DNA trace on a knife sheath to an unexpected suspect: criminology PhD student Bryan Kohberger. Carter Roy breaks down how digital forensics, cell-phone data, and genetic genealogy converged to identify the killer—and how families, investigators, and an entire community sought justice in the aftermath. Even with a guilty plea and multiple life sentences, unanswered questions remain about motive, intent, and the chilling months Kohberger spent stalking the victims. This episode examines the pursuit of closure when the truth may never fully come. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In November 2022, four University of Idaho students—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—returned home from a night out in their small college town, unaware that a killer was already watching. In this emotional first episode, Murder: True Crime Stories introduces the vibrant young lives at the heart of the tragedy and follows their final hours inside the now-infamous King Road house. Through detailed timelines, eyewitness accounts, and early clues—including a mysterious white Hyundai Elantra and chilling testimony from a surviving roommate—Carter Roy unpacks how a community built on trust and closeness was thrust into national horror overnight. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy New Year! This year across Crime House, we released over 600 episodes. While we are proud of all of them, one episode rose above the rest and was voted on as Crime House’s Best Episode of 2025. It’s the case of the missing Martin Family, from Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore.  This episode takes us back to December 1958. The Martin Family was as picture-perfect as they come during the holidays: Santa suits, candy canes, Christmas cards. And then… they vanished without a trace. In this story, Morgan and Kaelyn unravel a case full of bizarre leads: an abandoned car, shifting witness accounts, and a station wagon that seemed to disappear into thin air. If you want more Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore you can follow in your favorite podcast app here: https://play.megaphone.fm/qtjt1ensshm_toud4upqyg To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The investigation into the disappearance of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart intensifies in this second episode, following detectives as they seize on 26-year-old Scott Watson as their primary suspect despite mismatched witness descriptions, a missing boat, and no bodies ever found. Carter and Vanessa examine the controversial forensic hair evidence, disputed scratch marks, shifting witness identifications, jailhouse informants, and the prosecution’s improvised “two-trip theory,” all of which led to Watson’s conviction in one of New Zealand’s most divisive murder cases. As key witnesses later recant and public skepticism grows, the episode explores decades of appeals, wavering public opinion, and the families’ painful search for closure—raising the haunting question of whether the truth about what happened to Olivia and Ben has ever truly been uncovered. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first episode of this New Year’s two-part special, Murder: True Crime Stories retraces the final hours of 17-year-old Olivia Hope and 21-year-old Ben Smart, who rang in 1998 at a massive party at New Zealand’s Furneaux Lodge before mysteriously vanishing. Through eyewitness accounts, detailed timelines, and growing concerns from loved ones, Carter Roy and guest host Vanessa Richardson unravel the pair’s movements that night—from youthful excitement and romantic sparks to a fateful ride on a water taxi with a drunken stranger and a promise of a place to sleep. As police launch a massive search through the Marlborough Sounds and sift through conflicting descriptions, dozens of witnesses, and more than 150 boats, the disappearance quickly shifts from confusion… to fear that something far darker occurred on the water. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Merry Christmas! As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to bring you even more fascinating cases and gripping investigations. More importantly, we'd like to thank you for listening, and making 2025 an unforgettable year, your support and curiosity keep us coming back week after week. Please enjoy Carter's Best of 2025 selection, The Pickaxe Murders, and be sure to tune in next week for a special episode. When 27-year-old Jerry Dean and 32-year-old Deborah Thornton were found dead in Houston, Texas in 1983, police desperately searched for their killer. Eventually, they honed in on a suspect with a vendetta against Jerry: his ex-girlfriend’s best friend, 23-year-old Karla Faye Tucker. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Merry Christmas! As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to bring you even more fascinating cases and gripping investigations. More importantly, we'd like to thank you for listening, and making 2025 an unforgettable year, your support and curiosity keep us coming back week after week. Please enjoy Carter's Best of 2025 selection, The Pickaxe Murders, and be sure to tune in next week for a special episode. In 1983, 27-year-old Jerry Dean was newly single and looking for a little fun. When he met 32-year-old Deborah Thornton at a pool party that summer, she seemed to have the same idea. But what should’ve been a simple one-night stand ended in a brutal double murder. If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Killer Minds, Crime House Daily and Crimes and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices