On 4th March 1989, Shirley Gibbs Russell went missing from her officers’ quarters in Quantico, Virginia. She was a Captain in the US Marine Corps. She has never been seen since. A 26 step plan to commit the perfect murder would point officers in the direction of Shirley’s killer. This would be the first case in US history where a person was convicted in a federal court of first-degree murder without a body, a crime scene or a weapon. Website:...

Maria de los Angeles Veron was a 23 year old woman living in the Tucuman Province in the northwest of Argentina. On the 3rd April 2002 she left her mother’s home to attend a hospital appointment when, according to witnesses, she was kidnapped by a group of people who dragged her into a red car. Evidence would later suggest these were human traffickers whose aim was to force her into a life of prostitution. In today’s episode we will look at one mother’s crusade to save her daughter....

Mother of two, Larissa Schuster, was going through a bitter divorce from her husband, Timothy Schuster. She’d told friends that she wanted her soon to be ex-husband dead and that she could do it and get away with it. So when Timothy went missing without a trace, Larissa quickly became the prime suspect in his disappearance. When police questioned one of Larissa’s co-worker’s the truth began to spill out and officials were shocked and horrified. The media would go on to call her The Acid Lady....

In February 2006, 8 men applied to take part in a three day clinical trial for a new experimental drug, called TGN1412. It was hoped that this drug would revolutionise the treatment of Leukaemia and some autoimmune diseases. The drug had passed the animal trials and so next was the first human trial. One volunteer later recalled how the doctor “activated the needle - injected me - then I began to feel cold” and this was just the start. Doctors would later describe what followed as “a...

Asha Jaquilla Degree went missing from the home she shared with her parents and her brother when she was just 9 years old. Witnesses reported seeing the little girl walking along the highway in the rain. Without realising at the time, these witnesses were the last people to see Asha. 2020 marks 20 years since Asha’s disappearance, her family still believe that their little girl is out there, somewhere. If you have any information in the case of Asha Degree please contact the FBI Charlotte...

Content Warning/Trigger Warning: Graphic descriptions of violence and torture 70 year old Edna Phillips lived a quiet and secluded life with her white terrier Chum on the Penywaun estate in South Wales. Unfortunately, this estate had become increasingly dangerous as unemployment rates rose leading to higher levels of crime. Miss Phillips herself became the target of abuse after she complained about a family on the estate. She was verbally abused, rubbish was dumped in her garden, she had...

Peter Moore was a British serial killer who managed cinemas in Wales by day and became a terrifying monster by night. In this episode I’ll be speaking to Peter Moore’s defence solicitor, Dylan Rhys Jones, about what it’s like representing a man accused of murdering 4 men and committing sex attacks on 39 other men over a 20 year period. Website: https://thestudentsverdict.wixsite.com/mysite Email: [email protected] All Links: https://linktr.ee/thestudentverdict Merchandise:...

TW/CW This episode is very graphic and deals with sexual assault, rape, torture, suicide and murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. This Halloween, I'll be covering the case of The Toolbox Killers. These two American serial killers raped, tortured and killed 5 teenage girls in Southern California in 1979. One of the killers was described by former FBI Agent John E Douglas as the "most disturbing individual" for whom he had ever created a criminal profile. This is one of the most...

On the 24th May 2008, 18 year old Rob Knox was out celebrating. He had not long finished filming for ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ where he played the role of ‘Marcus Belby’. Landing that role was a huge break for Rob who was clearly destined for great things including appearing in the future Harry Potter film ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. Unfortunately, the defendant was also out that night. After Jamie, Rob’s brother, was threatened with a knife by the defendant, Rob...

On the 24th May 2008, 18 year old Rob Knox was out celebrating. He had not long finished filming for ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ where he played the role of ‘Marcus Belby’. Landing that role was a huge break for Rob who was clearly destined for great things including appearing in the future Harry Potter film ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. Unfortunately, the defendant was also out that night. After Jamie, Rob’s brother, was threatened with a knife by the defendant, Rob...

Mum of 4, Sandra Phillips, took a job as a sex shop manager to support her family. On the 14th June 1985, the area manager attended the shop at 2pm and was surprised to find it closed. When he opened the door of the shop, his surprise turned to horror as the body of Sandra Phillips laid there surrounded by magazines and videos. She had been sexually assaulted and then strangled. Two brothers would be arrested and one would confess but not everything is as it seems. Website:...

Kelly was working the night shift alone at the Imperial Gas Station on South Main Street, Route 11, in Harrisonburg. On the 18th June 1982, it wasn't a normal shift for Kelly as she made 3 increasingly urgent phone calls to police during her shift. She phoned them to complain of a man who was harassing her. The third phone call she made ended abruptly and when police attended the gas station they couldn’t find Kelly. That was 38 years ago and her family still has no answers. During this...

At 1:30pm on the 17th August 2014, a body was found in the Red River in Canada. The body was wrapped in plastic and a duvet and it was weighed down with rocks. The body would be identified as that of 15 year old Tina Fontaine. A 56 year old man would stand trial for her death but with no DNA evidence, no cause of death and no witnesses, the Crown had a struggle on their hands. Join me as we delve into the case and discuss the shocking statistics around missing and murdered indigenous women in...

Guest starring my mum, Emma, we discuss the case of Angel Bumpass and the Role of Duct Tape. Angel Bumpass was 25 years old when she was accused of the 2009 killing of a 68 year old man, Franklin Bonner. Bonner’s body had been discovered by his wife, Linda, when she returned home from work. Her husband’s arms and legs were bound to a chair and his face was covered with duct tape which caused him to suffocate. Two fingerprints would be identified in this case which would lead cold case...

Between 1964 and 1965, the bodies of six young women were found in or near the River Thames. Local people and news reporters dubbed the killer Jack the Stripper because of the similarities to the original Jack the Ripper case from 1888. It’s suggested that there were two earlier murders between 1959 and 1963 which may have been committed by the same perpetrator but, like the mysterious Jack the Ripper of old, this illusive killer was never caught.Ad Dark Matter Podcast:...

Content Warning/Trigger Warning: Child Sexual Abuse. Listener discretion is advised.On the 12th May 1983 Judy Johnson dropped her 2.5 year old son Billy for his first day at the highly-regarded McMartin Preschool. Exactly 3 months later, the mother would make a call to police to report that her son had been molested by a member of staff at the school, 25 year old Ray Buckey. At one point in the case, it was announced the seven teachers at McMartin had committed 397 sexual crimes, which was in...

Where is Ashley Morin? Hear the story from the family that is actively looking for her, the struggle to get help from their local police, and what you can do to help bring Ashley Morin Home. $20,000 Dollar Reward to Help bring her homehttps://www.facebook.com/bringashleymorinhome/Tipline Email: shorturl.at/pHKMXSaskatchewan Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477 and https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=206#Tiki Laverdiere :...

Content Warning: Child Sexual AbuseIn this episode we're looking at cases of vigilantes. We’ll look at a mother, grateful that her son’s abuser was shot and killed by a vigilante, two men who targeted their neighbour accused of watching child pornography and parents who murdered their daughter’s pimp. Does any vigilante deserve to act as judge, jury and executioner?Music is Drumming in the Rain Instrumental by Chad...

Content Warning: Child Abuse and MurderWhat would you do if you discovered that your spouse was sexually abusing your child? For married mother of two, Marlene Oakes, this was her horrific reality. She couldn't stay with a man like that so demanded a divorce from her husband of 9 years, William Major. She threatened to reveal his secret if he refused. But she didn't have the chance to escape with children before she mysteriously disappeared.Website:...

On the 18th August 1987, 15 year old Sean Lamont Rowe and 13 year old Ronald Lee Sanford hoped they could do some yard work in return for money for the Indiana State Fair. They ended up at the house of two sisters, Anna Louise Harris and Julie Bellmar. Rowe and Sanford suspected that the sisters had money. The teens would end up forcing their way into the home and would later leave the property with $5 for the fair. The bodies of the two sisters would later be found in the basement, the...

On the 11th January 2013, Kendrick Johnson's body was found inside a rolled-up gym mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School where he was a student. The first autopsy ruled his death as an accident, but the following two autopsies would suggest something far more sinister. If you would like to sign the petition to reopen Kendrick's case: https://www.change.org/p/united-states-supreme-court-justice-for-kendrick-johnson?signed=trueOrganisations:...

On the 8th Sept 2017, 19 year old Kenneka Jenkins attended a party at a hotel. 21 hours after she was last seen on the hotel's CCTV footage stumbling through the kitchen, Kenneka's body was found in the hotel's freezer. Her death was ruled an accident, but many argue that there are too many unanswered questions....

When Elsie and Clive Ralph left their children in the care of their lodger/babysitter David McGreavy on Friday 13th, they could not have imagined that their three children; Samantha, Dawn and Paul would end up murdered and their bodies presented to the world in the most brutal and sadistic way. In this episode, Emily explores the case which left one man branded 'The Monster of Worcester'.Resources in this episode are:Youtube 'Friday the 13th Killer- David McGreavy' -...

Infanticide, the murder of a child by his or her parent or parents. Perhaps the most heinous of crimes. But what drives an individual to commit such an act? In this episode we explore the historical case of the Myring family, a mother reports that her son has slipped in the bath but when emergency services get to the address her son and daughter are both unresponsive. They were rushed to hospital but it was too late. What really happened at number 8 Rough Heys Lane?Resources for this episode...