MFM Minisode 435

This week’s hometowns include a Cara Knott legacy story and a real estate meeting with Robert Durst. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3UFCn1g. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:06Georgia Hardstark?

  In New Orleans, truckers kept getting sideswiped the exact same way.

• 0:09Karen Kilgariff?

  When a man is found murdered under questionable circumstances related to these accidents, that's when the rubber hits the road.

• 0:16Georgia Hardstark?

  And what the feds uncover is a complex scheme of staged wrecks, financial fraud, and a pair of conspiring lovers behind it.

• 0:23Karen Kilgariff?

  This is a story about fake accidents that led to real consequences.

• 0:27Georgia Hardstark?

  Listen to Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe wherever you get your podcasts.

• 0:31Karen Kilgariff?

  Audible subscribers can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now.

• 0:35Georgia Hardstark?

  Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Goodbye.

• 0:41Speaker 02

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• 1:28Georgia Hardstark?

  Hello.

• 1:29Karen Kilgariff?

  And welcome.

• 1:30Georgia Hardstark?

  To my favorite murder.

• 1:31Karen Kilgariff?

  The mini-soad.

• 1:32Georgia Hardstark?

  We read you any kind of story you send us.

• 1:35Karen Kilgariff?

  You should see the shit we're looking at.

• 1:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh my God. You should see the shit we don't use.

• 1:39Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, you should see the stories that go on for four pages about your grandma's clam chowder.

• 1:45Georgia Hardstark?

  Make it three pages and we'll read it. That's all we ask. Yes. You want to go first? Sure. Okay, this one's called "My Kara Not Legacy Story." Ahoy, hoy to the lovely people of the Fuck Word Murder Mystery Show.

• 1:58Karen Kilgariff?

  Hey.

• 1:59Georgia Hardstark?

  Longtime listener, longtime writer. Eventually, one of these will make it onto the show. Could this be the one? Let's find out.

• 2:06Karen Kilgariff?

  It's happening.

• 2:07Georgia Hardstark?

  What? When I was listening to episode 474, "It Cleans Ducks", I was so struck by Georgia's telling of the story of the tragic murder of Cara Knott and the lasting legacy her family worked to protect. Then I realized that her lasting legacy goes far beyond the memorial garden her father put so much work into. Remember the story where she was parked at the, it was the cop?

• 2:27Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, in San Diego?

• 2:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 2:29Karen Kilgariff?

  El Cajon?

• 2:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. I'm a local prosecutor, and despite gains made by women in the legal field, it's still a bit of a good old boys' club.

• 2:37Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 2:37Georgia Hardstark?

  I mean, that's

• 2:38Karen Kilgariff?

  We know.

• 2:39Georgia Hardstark?

  That's everywhere.

• 2:40Karen Kilgariff?

  It's getting worse.

• 2:42Georgia Hardstark?

  I cannot tell you how many cases I've been assigned to either file or prosecute that are sent in by male officers or filed by male colleagues where a woman is charged with resisting law enforcement in a vehicle, which is a felony here. The facts are always somewhat similar. Late at night, a solo female driver driving a little bit extra after the lights and sirens are activated to get to a gas station or other well-lit place.

• 3:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 3:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Then a completely compliant woman. And yet, that extra 10th of a mile means this goes from a ticket for a broken taillight to a felony case.

• 3:15Karen Kilgariff?

  Shit.

• 3:15Georgia Hardstark?

  Every time one of these cases hits my desk, I have the same reaction: dismissal. When I finally dismissed, quote, "too many" of these cases, my supervisor and a very angry male cop sat me down and asked why I kept doing this. I explained that as women learning how to drive, we are frequently taught never to pull over on a dark road when we are alone. They scoffed and said that was preposterous. Women were safe to pull over anywhere.

• 3:44Karen Kilgariff?

  Would you like to listen to our podcast? Or any of the other millions of true crime podcasts?

• 3:49Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 3:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Filled with stories?

• 3:51Georgia Hardstark?

  Women are safe nowhere to do nothing.

• 3:54Karen Kilgariff?

  It is a fantasy men have that women live the same lives as men.

• 3:59Georgia Hardstark?

  Right. And that just because they're not that kind of guy, there aren't any of that kind of guys.

• 4:03Karen Kilgariff?

  Sir.

• 4:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Sir.

• 4:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Sir, sit down.

• 4:05Georgia Hardstark?

  I recounted the story of Cara Knott and how her murderer was, in fact, a cop. You could tell it was a story they had never heard of before and was something that surprised them. I told them I had zero plans of changing my approach to these cases, but maybe they should change theirs. Then I got up and walked out.

• 4:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Good.

• 4:22Georgia Hardstark?

  I've seen very few cases like this since, and I'd like to think I taught that smug cop a lesson. Stay sexy and don't pull over until you are in a well-lit place, but maybe put your hazards on. Hannah, she/her.

• 4:35Karen Kilgariff?

  So, the idea that it's a felony is very good information.

• 4:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 4:40Karen Kilgariff?

  Because that's like the time I told the story of like, the cops tried to pull me over when I was trying to get my drunk

• 4:45Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 4:45Karen Kilgariff?

  friend from a wedding. And it was like, the hotel was right there. And I'm like, I'm, I just gotta get her to the front door.

• 4:51Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 4:52Karen Kilgariff?

  And they lost their minds. But I mean, the idea that we don't know that we're playing with fire to keep ourselves safe.

• 5:00Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 5:01Karen Kilgariff?

  Or to keep somebody else safe. Where it's like, why in God's name would that be a felony?

• 5:05Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 5:06Karen Kilgariff?

  What's the problem?

• 5:07Georgia Hardstark?

  They pulled over at the next exit. That's what you're supposed to do. That's what we were all taught to do.

• 5:12Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. But also, why wouldn't cops get trained that like, if it's a woman driving, pull her over at a gas station? Like, escort her to the place

• 5:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 5:21Karen Kilgariff?

  where there are people and lights. What's the problem with that?

• 5:23Georgia Hardstark?

  Well, that's what Hannah is trying to fucking teach everyone, and she's doing the Lord's work.

• 5:28Karen Kilgariff?

  Good job, Hannah.

• 5:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 5:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Well, interestingly, my first email is from a story I covered.

• 5:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh.

• 5:34Karen Kilgariff?

  And the subject line is, "I worked with Bruce MacArthur from episode 475. Hi, Georgia, Karen, and everyone else. I am from a suburb of Toronto, Scarborough.

• 5:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Hmm.

• 5:45Karen Kilgariff?

  And I've had my fair share of, oh, Paul Bernardo lived in my parents' neighborhood, or my sister was friends with the Happy Face Killer's son, stories. And then in parentheses, both true. But when I saw what Karen covered in episode 475, I knew exactly what I needed to write in. When I was a pre-teen, I was offered a job that paid cash and that allowed me to bring a friend to work with me. It was a no-brainer. My friend and I took this job as Santa's elves for one of those pictures with Santa's setups in a mall." It was one of those malls that was one step ahead of a strip mall, but one step below a cool mall hangout spot. I'm talking a Walmart, a cellphone prom dress store. Oh, God, that's the Burbank mall. Yes, it is.

• 6:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Yep, where there's like, I've never heard of that chain of stores before. Totally. Where's that from? Wow, those are shiny shoes. The country of Georgia? Okay, that's cool. Nail salon, bunch of places with for rent signs up. This Santa photo area was also less than ideal. We took the pictures with a disposable camera. And yes, I, a 13 year old, took the pics. Oh, God. This is very low rent. Yeah. And we took the film to develop at Walmart's one hour photo lab. Oh, my God, BRB, I'm gonna go develop these pics. Now I kind of love the hustle of this. We're just like, ugh, by any means necessary.

• 7:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Every day we would go up to the mall management office to get into our elf clothes, and Santa would be sitting there waiting for showtime in his white tank top and Santa pants. Super gross, bad Santa vibes. He was a nice enough guy, but after a few weeks of working with him, I could not shake the creepy feeling. It got to the point that I didn't come in to pick up my last paycheck at the end of Christmas season. That's huge for a kid. Yes, it is. Fast forward to 2017, I'm watching the news with my parents, and I hear that finally someone was arrested in relation to the missing persons that Toronto Police completely gaslit the city about, but that's another story, in the Village. Imagine my heart dropping and the blood draining from my face when the face of Bruce MacArthur is plastered across the TV screen. Jesus.

• 7:49Karen Kilgariff?

  All I could say was, holy shit, Santa. Oh, God, that's so chilling. I had no idea that my gut all those years before had been right, and this POS was a serial killer. I want to acknowledge that while I use this story as my what was your worst job icebreaker answer, Yeah. innocent and beautiful lives were lost. Skanda Navaratnam, Bazeer Faze, Majid Kayan, Sarushma Moody, Krishna Kumar, Kana Garatnam, Dean Lissowick, Saleem Essen, and Andrew Kinsman. Thank you both for all you do for allyship, mental health, and generally making my commutes more enjoyable.

• 8:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Stay sexy and don't take a job as an elf when you are far too young to get paid legally. Haley, she/her.

• 8:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow.

• 8:41Karen Kilgariff?

  She worked with a serial killer.

• 8:42Georgia Hardstark?

  That is wild.

• 8:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Also, that thing of like, I think the reason I enjoy stories like that of like, and then we, I saw a face, is because it proves your gut is right.

• 8:51Georgia Hardstark?

  Absolutely.

• 8:52Karen Kilgariff?

  If you get a weird, bad feeling, go get some frozen yogurt. Get out of the place you're in, like.

• 8:59Georgia Hardstark?

  Don't you just wonder, though, how many of those there are that you never find out that your gut was right? You know what I mean?

• 9:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 9:04Georgia Hardstark?

  They either never got caught, or you just missed the story, or they just, they don't do anything that's like, newsworthy, but you're totally right.

• 9:13Karen Kilgariff?

  Or you get gaslit and a bunch of people tell you you're just a bitch.

• 9:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 9:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Where it's just like, well, okay, then I guess I have to be okay with that.

• 9:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 9:21Karen Kilgariff?

  Because, because I gotta go.

• 9:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, because this isn't right.

• 9:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 9:27Georgia Hardstark?

  The holidays are coming, which means we'll all be spending more time away from home.

• 9:31Karen Kilgariff?

  Whether you're visiting family or doing something actually fun, you want to know your home is protected while you're away.

• 9:36Georgia Hardstark?

  That's why now is a good time to think about home security with SimpliSafe.

• 9:40Karen Kilgariff?

  Unlike traditional security systems that alert you after a break-in starts, SimpliSafe is designed to help stop intruders before they get inside. These days, you're worried about your house, you're out of town, and then something comes up and you get to look on your phone, and SimpliSafe is going to show you not only the video of like, it's a raccoon at your front door, but also that they have staff that's sitting there, they already know, and if it was something different or worse, they would have already been on it.

• 10:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, I really think that's invaluable peace of mind, that just like relying on your neighbors, paying attention is not going to give you. We've partnered with SimpliSafe to offer our listeners their biggest savings of the year, 70% off your new system with professional monitoring, when you visit simplisafe.com/mfm.

• 10:23Karen Kilgariff?

  That's simplisafe.com/mfm, and when you order, write in MFM at checkout, and it tells them we sent you, and it really helps the show.

• 10:31Georgia Hardstark?

  SimpliSafe, ahead of crime, in real time.

• 10:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Turning something you love into a career is exciting. Then come the invoices. Lucky for you, Squarespace can handle the business stuff so you can focus on your business. From consultations to events and experiences, you can showcase your skills with a customizable website designed to attract clients and grow your business. With Squarespace's collection of cutting-edge design tools, anyone can build a beautiful, professional, online presence that perfectly fits their brand or business. Get paid on time with professional invoices and online payments. Plus, streamline your workflow with built-in appointment scheduling and email marketing tools. Head to Squarespace.com/murder for a free trial.

• 11:16Karen Kilgariff?

  And when you're ready to launch, use offer code MURDER to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Goodbye.

• 11:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, I'm not going to read you the title of this one.

• 11:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay.

• 11:26Georgia Hardstark?

  It's about her third grade pool party.

• 11:28Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay.

• 11:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Hi, here goes. In third grade, I celebrated my birthday with a pool party at my childhood home in southwest Florida. Included on my exclusive list of invitees was my elementary school, quote, "boyfriend", Austin, and his best friend, Justin. It was kind of an early crush where I basically did not speak to Austin and instead got my friends to tell him that I liked him. And so, obviously, we were dating.

• 11:53Karen Kilgariff?

  You mean the way all first boyfriends are gotten?

• 11:56Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally. After an afternoon of playing Sharks and Minnows in the pool, we towelled off for presents, birthday cake. My grandma had made one of those Barbie doll cakes where the cake was her dress.

• 12:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh.

• 12:07Georgia Hardstark?

  Classic. And ginger ale punch, the kind with an entire block of sherbet ice cream floating in the punch bowl.

• 12:13Karen Kilgariff?

  This is a very late 70s, early 80s party.

• 12:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 12:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 12:17Georgia Hardstark?

  I recall opening Austin's present, and it was a set of sequined earrings from Claire's, that's the boyfriend, one pair for each day of the week. I had never received jewelry from a, and then it says like, "man," squiggly man, before, and I was delighted, albeit embarrassed, at such an obvious display of love. I then opened Justin's present, that's the best friend.

• 12:38Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 12:39Georgia Hardstark?

  And he gave me, all caps, "A DIAMOND GOLD NECKLESS."

• 12:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Wait, what grade?

• 12:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Third grade. They're little babies.

• 12:47Karen Kilgariff?

  Uh-oh.

• 12:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, it was probably not real gold, and it was definitely cubic zirconia, but still, I was newly nine years old and completely abashed that my list of suitors had doubled in a single humid afternoon.

• 13:00Georgia Hardstark?

  According to my mom's memory, Austin was mortified and upset and Justin was pretty smug. The fallout was what you'd expect. Austin broke up with me via a pass note shortly after my birthday party. I think it was a combination of his gift being upstaged and the fact that I literally didn't talk to him.

• 13:18Georgia Hardstark?

  My first boyfriend, Ego, we never spoke. We kissed once at a Truth or Dare.

• 13:22Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. What are you supposed to talk about?

• 13:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Never. And that the school year was almost over and he wanted to be, another squiggly mark, single for the summer.

• 13:30Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. That summer of third grade that really changes your life.

• 13:33Georgia Hardstark?

  You know what? I gotta get myself back out there and be single. Austin also stopped being friends with Justin. The rumor mill in the cafeteria confirmed that it was like the second time that school year that Justin tried to steal Austin's girlfriend.

• 13:46Karen Kilgariff?

  Ew.

• 13:47Georgia Hardstark?

  The third grade is just an episode of Love Island, apparently. I wasn't too heartbroken. Another friend at my party had gifted me a CD with Ciara and Missy Elliott's song, "One To Step." So I was busy choreographing a dance in my free time. We all eventually went to separate schools and I hadn't thought about Justin until my sophomore year of high school when the local news reported on his arrest.

• 14:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh.

• 14:09Georgia Hardstark?

  That's the best friend. At the age of 17, Justin was arrested and convicted of a double homicide and armed robbery.

• 14:16Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, no.

• 14:17Georgia Hardstark?

  Justin broke into the house of a fellow classmate where he shot and killed him and his mother. Justin stole a safe containing cash and a gun from the house. After selling the gun and pocketing the cash, he made a whopping $370.

• 14:33Karen Kilgariff?

  God.

• 14:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Absolutely disgusting. And it gets worse. A month or so prior to the murders, the mother and son had allowed Justin to stay with them for a couple of days when Justin was kicked out of his house by his own mother. Following the murders, Justin then expressed his condolences for them on a Facebook page memorializing their lives. Must be before he got caught.

• 14:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 14:51Georgia Hardstark?

  Absolutely disgusting, but Justin is serving life in prison. Fuck him. Stay sexy. And sometimes men display red flag behavior even in the third grade.

• 15:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Kelsey. Ooh, Kelsey. A Kelsey. God, that is a...

• 15:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 15:06Karen Kilgariff?

  The idea, I mean, it's the thing I always say, just for a little bit of money. From the quote from Fargo, where just like, what the fuck are you doing?

• 15:15Georgia Hardstark?

  Heartbreaking.

• 15:15Karen Kilgariff?

  I'm out of comments about literally people just murdering other people kind of for no reason.

• 15:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, we've said it all in the past nine years.

• 15:24Karen Kilgariff?

  It's true. Well, let's keep going.

• 15:26Georgia Hardstark?

  Let's do it anyway.

• 15:27Karen Kilgariff?

  Let's power through it. Not going to read you the subject line of this because they tell me not to. It says "Hide Title" in all caps. Okay. And it just starts, "I hope everyone is doing well. I've been a murderino all my life. I wrote my high school research paper on..." You're reading this so intensely. What if they don't mean it that intensely? Okay. I bet they do though. "I hope everyone's doing well. I've been a murderino all my life. I wrote my high school research paper on serial killers in 1995. It was my only A that semester in English." Wait, this is from Karen Kilgariff? That's crazy. Remember in school when you hated everything but what you were interested in? And they never realized that maybe it was just that you were bored? Yeah. You know?

• 16:10Karen Kilgariff?

  I actually told the story in the kitchen the other day that my favorite thing in school was reading aloud. Yeah. And every time we do our podcast, I'm like... That's your job. It's happening. It's happening. You did it. All that practice. Yeah. And then it just says, "Okay, I'll get started. Thank you. Back in 2010, I was a new real estate agent living in Houston, Texas. My broker sent me to show a potential buyer one of her condo listings. It's a very nice building in central Houston, so he typically wouldn't show the unit unless the buyer was pre-qualified. This individual claimed he would be paying cash, so she made an exception. However, she sent me because she didn't believe him."

• 16:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Lady. "Ma'am, I arrived at the condo and met a normal-looking man who was probably in his late 60s or so. I showed him the amenities and the unit. He was an odd guy, but I got a kick out of his quirkiness and even made him laugh once or twice." That's the goal. "The showing went well, and I went back to the office to find my broker looking at Google Images of a man in a courtroom. She asked me if it was him, and I said, 'Yes, what is this?'" Well, it was Robert Durst.

• 17:20Karen Kilgariff?

  Holy...

• 17:22Georgia Hardstark?

  Well.

• 17:24Karen Kilgariff?

  It was Robert Durst.

• 17:25Georgia Hardstark?

  It was Robert Durst.

• 17:26Karen Kilgariff?

  The scariest man on the face of the planet.

• 17:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Truly. Okay. Oh, my God.

• 17:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Black Iris, Robert Durst.

• 17:34Georgia Hardstark?

  Killing in cold blood.

• 17:36Karen Kilgariff?

  The next line is, "I didn't recognize him because the jinx hadn't come out and I'm not from Houston, so I didn't know the Morris Black case. I was shocked. I had just watched All Good Things, which is the scripted movie about that relationship that he had. So I knew who he was, but not what he looked like. Fast forward to 2015 when the jinx comes out. I've watched it several times since then, and I remember the first time I saw the detectives interview his wife, Debbie Chertan, because that was the voice on his outgoing voicemail. My broker had me call him several times after the showing to see if he was interested in making an offer."

• 18:12Georgia Hardstark?

  Even though it was still Robert Durst and they knew it?

• 18:15Karen Kilgariff?

  They're like, "Come on."

• 18:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Money's green.

• 18:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Give him that money.

• 18:18Georgia Hardstark?

  And a little bit red with blood, okay?

• 18:21Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean.

• 18:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Don't I know. That's, they're in the wrong.

• 18:23Karen Kilgariff?

  Don't you know that a serial killer is gonna do some complaining and maybe some dishonest shit?

• 18:28Georgia Hardstark?

  A hundred percent.

• 18:29Karen Kilgariff?

  His garbage disposal was not broken?

• 18:31Georgia Hardstark?

  Right. You pay with cash, you're gonna pay the rest of some day? No, you're not.

• 18:35Karen Kilgariff?

  You're gonna bury bodies in the walls is what you're gonna do. That's all conjecture and allegations.

• 18:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Good.

• 18:40Karen Kilgariff?

  "I can't believe I was all alone with him and shook his hand. It's unbelievable how we cross paths with some people in life."

• 18:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 18:47Karen Kilgariff?

  And then it just says, "Yuck." "Karen, I love your Live at the Bootleg album."

• 18:52Georgia Hardstark?

  Aww.

• 18:53Karen Kilgariff?

  "My dad wants to listen to the album on repeat every road trip we take." And then it says, "Rex says hi."

• 18:59Georgia Hardstark?

  Aww, Rex.

• 19:00Karen Kilgariff?

  "Hi Rex, that's so nice. Georgia, I think you're the coolest. I still smile and laugh every time you ask Elvis if he wants a cookie. It's the sweetest, most funny thing. I wish Elvis could have met Cookie. Thank you both for everything. You know the list. You guys really do add so much joy. All the best, Erica."

• 19:18Georgia Hardstark?

  Erica, thank you.

• 19:20Karen Kilgariff?

  Erica, you brought a Robert Durst personal story.

• 19:24Georgia Hardstark?

  You made Robert Durst laugh. That's what I would start with at parties.

• 19:27Karen Kilgariff?

  For real?

• 19:28Georgia Hardstark?

  Hey, who's the craziest person you ever made laugh? Robert Durst.

• 19:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Is it two truths and a lie? Two lies and a truth?

• 19:35Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 19:36Karen Kilgariff?

  You would kill that game.

• 19:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Absolutely.

• 19:38Karen Kilgariff?

  You made, maybe more than a sociopath, maybe a psychopath laugh.

• 19:43Georgia Hardstark?

  A serial killer, maybe?

• 19:45Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 19:47Georgia Hardstark?

  The holidays are coming, which means we'll all be spending more time away from home.

• 19:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Whether you're visiting family or doing something actually fun, you want to know your home is protected while you're away.

• 19:56Georgia Hardstark?

  That's why now is a good time to think about home security with SimpliSafe.

• 19:59Karen Kilgariff?

  Unlike traditional security systems that alert you after a break-in starts, SimpliSafe is designed to help stop intruders before they get inside. These days, you're worried about your house, you're out of town, and then something comes up and you get to look on your phone and SimpliSafe is going to show you not only the video of like, it's a raccoon at your front door, but also that they have staff that's sitting there, they already know. And if it was something different or worse, they would have already been on it.

• 20:25Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, I really think that's invaluable peace of mind that just like relying on your neighbors, paying attention is not going to give you. We've partnered with SimpliSafe to offer our listeners their biggest savings of the year, 70% off your new system with professional monitoring when you visit simplisafe.com/mfm.

• 20:43Karen Kilgariff?

  That's simplisafe.com/mfm. And when you order, write in MFM at checkout and it tells them we sent you and it really helps the show.

• 20:50Georgia Hardstark?

  SimpliSafe, ahead of crime in real time. Goodbye.

• 20:54Karen Kilgariff?

  We've all had moments where dealing with healthcare or insurance feels completely overwhelming.

• 20:59Georgia Hardstark?

  You're sick, worried about someone you love, trying to understand what comes next, and suddenly you're spending hours on hold, filling out paperwork and trying to figure out who to call.

• 21:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Research shows patients spend the equivalent of an eight-hour workday every month coordinating their own care.

• 21:13Georgia Hardstark?

  Nobody hands you a roadmap when you're dealing with a diagnosis or ongoing health issues.

• 21:18Karen Kilgariff?

  That's why there's Solace Health.

• 21:19Georgia Hardstark?

  Solace provides personal healthcare advocates who average 16 years of healthcare experience and can help you get answers fast.

• 21:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Think of them as someone in your corner who understands the healthcare system and can handle the logistics while you focus on your health.

• 21:31Georgia Hardstark?

  They can help with appointments, insurance denials, medical bills, treatment options, and understanding doctor recommendations.

• 21:37Karen Kilgariff?

  Research shows 92% of patients report a positive impact on their care from working with an advocate.

• 21:43Georgia Hardstark?

  Advocacy improves outcomes and Solace advocates are covered by insurance nationwide.

• 21:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Eligibility varies by insurance plan.

• 21:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Advocates do not provide medical or legal advice or services, must be 18 years or older.

• 21:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Go to solacehealth.com/murder to see if you qualify.

• 21:58Georgia Hardstark?

  It takes about two minutes and it's covered by insurance.

• 22:00Karen Kilgariff?

  That's S-O-L-A-C-E health.com/murder.

• 22:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 22:07Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay, here's my last one. I'm not going to read you the title.

• 22:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Oui!

• 22:10Georgia Hardstark?

  Hola!

• 22:11Karen Kilgariff?

  Kaital.

• 22:12Georgia Hardstark?

  I've been listening to your podcast for years and always wanted to write in. I'm from Spain, and here, we don't get many murders.

• 22:18Karen Kilgariff?

  Spain? Um, you're wrong. You're wrong.

• 22:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Have you heard of the Inquisition?

• 22:22Karen Kilgariff?

  No.

• 22:24Georgia Hardstark?

  And the ones we get are not Minnesota appropriate. They're convoluted and very dark.

• 22:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, I see.

• 22:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Spain.

• 22:31Karen Kilgariff?

  Like the Inquisition.

• 22:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Like the Inquisition.

• 22:33Karen Kilgariff?

  I love that you pulled out the Inquisition.

• 22:35Georgia Hardstark?

  When I heard this story, I knew my chance had finally come. In April 2020, a brown bear named Caixo, C-A-H-O-U, Caixo.

• 22:44Karen Kilgariff?

  Caixo?

• 22:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Caixo, was found dead at the bottom of a ravine in the Pyrenees in northeastern Spain. Pyrenees? Yeah, Pyrenees, like the dog.

• 22:52Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 22:54Georgia Hardstark?

  It was first assumed that the bear had died fighting another animal, but soon the cause of death was revealed to be antifreeze poisoning.

• 23:01Karen Kilgariff?

  Is this an RFK story?

• 23:02Georgia Hardstark?

  No.

• 23:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Did you ever hear that story about RFK finding a bear carcass and then taking it home for the meat?

• 23:10Georgia Hardstark?

  This is not that.

• 23:11Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay.

• 23:12Georgia Hardstark?

  Because bears are protected species here, who knew they had bears in Spain? I wouldn't have guessed that.

• 23:16Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 23:17Georgia Hardstark?

  The police quickly opened an investigation on Caixo's death. A judge allowed suspects' phones to be wiretapped for a dead bear.

• 23:24Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 23:25Georgia Hardstark?

  And in the process of finding the bear's killers, the police stumbled upon a drug trafficking ring. It says, "Yup, they were smuggling cocaine paste from Colombia and were finding it at a lab in a nearby town." Ten people have been arrested so far, including the mayor of a village in the region.

• 23:42Karen Kilgariff?

  Jesus.

• 23:43Georgia Hardstark?

  As for Caixo, a forest ranger and former local government official were arrested for his murder back in November. Some people are saying that, to thank investigators for their work in bringing him justice, Caixo led them to this major drug bust.

• 23:56Karen Kilgariff?

  Holy shit.

• 23:57Georgia Hardstark?

  I like to imagine him with little guardian angel wings. A guardian cocaine bear angel.

• 24:03Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 24:03Georgia Hardstark?

  I don't know, like, they don't say exactly how it happened, but bear obviously was like hanging out at a fucking meth lab or something.

• 24:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Caught in the crossfire. I mean, he could have been the Spanish version of our cocaine bear.

• 24:13Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, but the antifreeze is like part of making, cutting the cocaine, probably, right?

• 24:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, is it?

• 24:18Georgia Hardstark?

  It's gotta be.

• 24:18Karen Kilgariff?

  It's what makes cocaine so good.

• 24:20Georgia Hardstark?

  It gives it those effervescent bubbles.

• 24:23Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 24:25Georgia Hardstark?

  Keeps it its effervescence.

• 24:26Karen Kilgariff?

  You just love it so much.

• 24:27Georgia Hardstark?

  Got in baby aspirin. I hope you enjoyed the story. I love your podcast. My friend Katie introduced me when we first met three years ago, and it's only one of the many things she's done to keep me sane since. She's a badass murderino who makes me proud to be her friend every single day. I hope to one day travel to the US so that we can go to an MFM live show together. Maybe we'll come there and we'll cover the Inquisition.

• 24:49Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, my God. We just like entire Inquisition. I think it was

• 24:52Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay.

• 24:53Karen Kilgariff?

  Couple hundred years, four hundred?

• 24:55Georgia Hardstark?

  We're starting here. Karen in Georgia, you're the best company and anxious insomnia could ever hope for. Thank you for everything you do. SSGM, Anna.

• 25:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Anna, gracias, Anna.

• 25:06Georgia Hardstark?

  Gracias.

• 25:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Lo siento. I don't speak Spanish. But man.

• 25:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Cocaine bear.

• 25:12Karen Kilgariff?

  International cocaine. If you've got a cocaine bear story from York City. Or country. Okay, well, we're just gonna keep the hits coming.

• 25:20Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay.

• 25:20Karen Kilgariff?

  I'm not gonna read you the subject line. Karen, Georgia, and the beloved MFM crew. Truly beloved. Longtime listener here. I've been plotting to write in some of my Santa Cruz murder lore for ages. But after listening to episode 475, I had to pause everything and tell Karen, colon. Yes, I did see Steve-O at the Burbank airport.

• 25:44Georgia Hardstark?

  We got a Steve-O story. Steve-O.

• 25:49Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay. It was 2019. I had just made it through TSA and was heading toward my gate when here comes Steve-O, casually walking through the terminal with his dog Wendy.

• 25:59Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, come on.

• 26:00Karen Kilgariff?

  That's the cutest. Karen, he was wearing a hat. But it was more of a dad trucker hat than a classic skater hat, just to set the record straight. Thank you. Although I don't know if I want to get that into like, I'm not gonna keep my eye out for Steve-O at all times.

• 26:14Georgia Hardstark?

  No. Someday I'll just be sat on a plane next to him and then, for real, though.

• 26:18Karen Kilgariff?

  It's like the kind of thing where you like, I didn't realize that I loved pistachios so much.

• 26:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 26:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Until I was served up a big thing of pistachio gelato. And I'm like, this is my favorite flavor. That's my Steve-O sitting next to me.

• 26:32Georgia Hardstark?

  I get it. I get it.

• 26:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay. Because I'm starting to feel like an absolute third grader about talking about it this much. But then I'm also love it.

• 26:39Georgia Hardstark?

  This is literally the second time you've talked about it. So I think we're good.

• 26:42Karen Kilgariff?

  I'm just saying, don't call him, don't call him and tell him. Okay. It says, and yes, it was Wendy, the sweet, adorable street dog he rescued from Peru in 2018 while filming a web series.

• 26:53Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right.

• 26:54Karen Kilgariff?

  He found her living on the streets, completely alone, and the two instantly bonded. He flew her back to the US, gave her the dream dog life, and even got her a pet passport. And then in parentheses, it says, "Which is kind of the cutest sentence ever." In 2019, they were traveling everywhere together for his bucket list tour. She went onstage with him at comedy shows and was basically his VIP co-star. Did you know that?

• 27:16Georgia Hardstark?

  No, I saw something about him finding the dog, but not all of that.

• 27:20Karen Kilgariff?

  Very sweet. He looked so happy and healthy, and it genuinely warmed my heart. I grew up on Jackass, and seeing him with this sweet pup, clearly thriving after everything he's been through, was honestly kind of beautiful. It is. Anyway, this memory, this memory has been living rent-free in my brain, and I knew y'all would appreciate the Steve-O Dog Dad content. Stay sexy and always fly out of Burbank. Exo Sadie. Perfection, Sadie.

• 27:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Sadie, good one.

• 27:48Karen Kilgariff?

  Girl. Thank you.

• 27:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Guys, those were a great batch. Thank you so much.

• 27:53Karen Kilgariff?

  So fun.

• 27:54Georgia Hardstark?

  Send your story, whatever it is, to myfavoritemurder@gmail.

• 27:57Karen Kilgariff?

  Also, if you have a celebrity sighting you would like to tell us about that we've not talked about, we love it, we don't care.

• 28:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, there was a stretch of celebrity sighting stories that were really good.

• 28:07Karen Kilgariff?

  I think it's because it was Colin Farrell-based, and then it kind of went out from there. But I think it's important to tell people, it can be your favorite celebrity. We will like how much you like it.

• 28:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally. Yeah, that's all it is, and like how nervous you were, or like how embarrassing it was. And then we need a photo, if you have one, too.

• 28:23Karen Kilgariff?

  All those things.

• 28:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 28:24Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay, stay sexy.

• 28:25Georgia Hardstark?

  And don't get murdered.

• 28:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 28:28Georgia Hardstark?

  Elvis, do you want a cookie?

• 28:36Karen Kilgariff?

  This has been an Exactly Right production.

• 28:38Georgia Hardstark?

  Our senior producers are Alejandra Keck and Molly Smith.

• 28:41Karen Kilgariff?

  Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

• 28:43Georgia Hardstark?

  This episode was mixed by Leona Scolacci.

• 28:45Karen Kilgariff?

  Email your hometowns to [email protected].

• 28:48Georgia Hardstark?

  And follow the show on Instagram at MyFavoriteMurder.

• 28:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 28:55Georgia Hardstark?

  And now you can watch us on Exactly Right's YouTube page, and while you're there, please like and subscribe.

• 29:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 29:08Speaker 03

  She's been thinking about this sleepover all week, but I think about her food allergies all the time. Fortunately, her doctor prescribed Zolair, omalizumab. It's proven to significantly reduce allergic reactions if a food allergy accident happens.

• 29:21Speaker 04

  Zolair 150mg is a prescription medication used to treat food allergy in people one year of age and older to reduce allergic reactions due to accidental exposure to one or more foods. While taking Zolair, you should continue to avoid all foods to which you are allergic. Don't use if you are allergic to Zolair. Zolair may cause a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Tell your doctor if you ever had anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing or if you have swelling of your throat or tongue. Zolair should not be used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Zolair is for maintenance use to reduce allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, while avoiding food allergens. Serious side effects such as cancer, fever, muscle aches and rash, parasitic infection, or heart and circulation problems have been reported. Please see zolair.com for full prescribing information. Ask an allergist about Zolair. This is an advertisement for Zolair,

• 30:05Speaker 04

  paid for by Genentech and Novartis.

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• 30:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Calling all amateur detectives and podcast obsessives.

• 30:39Georgia Hardstark?

  Virgin Voyages' second True Crime Voyage sets sail March 20, 2027, for a five-night escape to Grand Turk and the Beach Club at Bimini.

• 30:47Karen Kilgariff?

  As part of the On Air at Sea collection, this immersive sailing brings together fan favorite podcasts, including Disgrace Land, Buried Bones, and Wise Crack, for live recordings, behind-the-scenes access, exclusive meet-and-greets, and crime-themed programming that you won't find anywhere else.

• 31:04Georgia Hardstark?

  All aboard our award-winning, kid-free ships.

• 31:06Karen Kilgariff?

  Head over to virginvoyages.com/truecrime to secure your spot. Goodbye.