MFM Minisode 476

This week’s hometowns include a wild bank heist and a BTK encounter. For our sources, please visit https://www.myfavoritemurder.com/episodes. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3UFCn1g. Head to social media to share your favorite moments from this episode. Instagram: instagram.com/myfavoritemurder http://instagram.com/myfavoritemurder Facebook: facebook.com/myfavoritemurder http://facebook.com/myfavoritemurder TikTok: tiktok.com/@my_favorite_murder http://tiktok.com/@my_favorite_murder Send your hometown stories to [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. Join the Fan Cult to access ad-free episodes of My Favorite Murder. Members also receive merch store discounts, exclusive audio and video content and more! Visit www.fancult.supercast.com http://www.fancult.supercast.com/ to join. Shop for My Favorite Murder and other Exactly Right merchandise here: www.exactlyrightstore.com https://www.exactlyrightstore.com. Rate, review and follow My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you like to listen. 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.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This is exactly right.

• 0:06Speaker 01

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• 0:34Georgia Hardstark?

  Everyone loves the idea of spending an afternoon curled up with a good book.

• 0:37Karen Kilgariff?

  Well, grow up, because it's almost impossible.

• 0:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Luckily, you can take your next great story with you on Audible.

• 0:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Audible has a massive selection of titles to choose from, including This American Life, new books by Michael Connelly, along with classics from Maggot the Christie, and so much more.

• 0:52Georgia Hardstark?

  Whether you want a mystery, a true crime story, or something completely different, there's always something new to listen to.

• 0:57Karen Kilgariff?

  New members can start listening with a 30-day free trial at audible.com/mfm.

• 1:02Georgia Hardstark?

  Audible, stories that speak to you.

• 1:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 1:22Karen Kilgariff?

  Hello and welcome.

• 1:24Georgia Hardstark?

  It's my favorite murder.

• 1:26Karen Kilgariff?

  The minisode.

• 1:28Georgia Hardstark?

  I saw your brains, your eyes. Search your brain real quick.

• 1:32Karen Kilgariff?

  Hey, is anyone in there? I asked, and it echoed and echoed.

• 1:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Hey, it's Monday.

• 1:38Karen Kilgariff?

  It's Monday, and we're recording some minisodes just for you.

• 1:41Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right.

• 1:41Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay, my first email, the subject line is "The Drunkest, Dumbest Bank Heist in Nova Scotia History."

• 1:47Georgia Hardstark?

  I love it.

• 1:49Karen Kilgariff?

  And then in parentheses, it says, "Featuring my great uncle Freckles."

• 1:53Georgia Hardstark?

  Fucking amazing already.

• 1:55Karen Kilgariff?

  Are you ready?

• 1:55Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 1:56Karen Kilgariff?

  Hi Karen, Georgia, and the entire Exactly Right universe. I always appreciate hearing Canadian tales on MFM. And since Karen actually knows Nova Scotia exists and shared the tale of the explosion, I have a lesser known piece of crime lore from my home province. It's 1932, oh my god.

• 2:13Georgia Hardstark?

  What?

• 2:14Karen Kilgariff?

  The name of this town is out of control, but then they gave the phonetic.

• 2:18Georgia Hardstark?

  It scared the shit out of me.

• 2:19Karen Kilgariff?

  I'm really sorry. It scared the shit out of me, too. It's 1932 in Shubenacadi.

• 2:26Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow.

• 2:27Karen Kilgariff?

  In Shubenacadi, Nova Scotia.

• 2:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Shubenacadi.

• 2:30Karen Kilgariff?

  Shubenacadi, Nova Scotia.

• 2:32Georgia Hardstark?

  No, they made that up, just to get you to say that.

• 2:36Karen Kilgariff?

  In Shubenacadi, Nova Scotia. Do you want to go to Shubenactony to go to the Dairy Queen?

• 2:42Georgia Hardstark?

  I can't tonight, I have to go to Shubenactony.

• 2:44Karen Kilgariff?

  I, because the Tim Hortons in Shubenactony, it is, this is my favorite Tim Hortons. Okay, so it says it's 1932 in Shubenactony, Nova Scotia, which is honestly the most intimidating part of this story, which is the pronunciation. My great uncle Gerald Freckleton is this whole thing.

• 3:03Georgia Hardstark?

  It's made up.

• 3:03Karen Kilgariff?

  A scam.

• 3:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 3:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Known to friends and apparently the police, as Freckles, decides to rob a bank. Why? Because his brother-in-law Sidney Refuse got fired from the Royal Bank of Canada for financial irregularities. Instead of reflecting on his poor decisions, he says, "Let's rob the bank that fired me." And Freckles says, "Sure, why not? I mean, we're here in Shubenactony."

• 3:25Georgia Hardstark?

  There's nothing else to do.

• 3:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Kickin' it. They recruit a getaway driver named Edson Boutelier, a small-time crook on parole. So, an unsuccessful small-time crook. This was their plan, in parentheses, it says, "I'm being generous." Refuse would pretend to sell insurance, stay in the bank after closing, forcing the manager to unlock the door to let him out. Except, Freckles and Edson would rush in, tie everyone up, and grab the cash and the bank's ledgers to, quote, "negotiate a pardon." Freckles and Edson would escape and burn the getaway car. "Don't worry, it's insured." And because this plan wasn't unhinged enough to escape, they would change into women's clothing to throw off the police. And then in parentheses, it says, "Because of course,

• 4:10Karen Kilgariff?

  law enforcement would see two drunk, soot-covered men in dresses and crooked wigs and say, 'Ah, yes, two completely unrelated women who definitely did not set a car on fire.'" Shockingly, this plan falls apart even before it starts. After initially agreeing to the crime, Edson panics about going back to prison and decides to tell the Halifax police everything.

• 4:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, come on, just leave. You don't have to be a snitch.

• 4:33Karen Kilgariff?

  You don't have to snitch, but he was panicking. The police say, great, go through with it anyway. They give him a car and an unloaded gun. In parentheses, "safety first." And they tell him they will stop them in the car on the way to the robbery, find the weapon, and arrest them on criminal intent. The police, however, do not do that. Freckles and Edson travel together, drinking on the way, so Sidney could go alone and fill his role of victim. As they are busy drinking and driving and not being stopped by the police, Edson tries to avoid committing the crime by driving into a ditch.

• 5:05Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God.

• 5:06Karen Kilgariff?

  So they're going along, he's pretending he's gonna go.

• 5:09Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 5:09Karen Kilgariff?

  But no one's stopping them, so he's panicking.

• 5:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 5:12Karen Kilgariff?

  So he drives into another ditch. Another farmer pulls them out. In doing a good deed, the farmers of Nova Scotia are unwittingly helping these criminal masterminds reach their destination. However, the Halifax police, now accompanied by the RCMP, weren't trying to stop the robbery. They want the publicity of catching the robbers in the act. They are hiding inside the bank. Five grown men in a broom closet, waiting.

• 5:37Georgia Hardstark?

  Waiting for a long time.

• 5:38Karen Kilgariff?

  All in that one broom closet. Finally, Freckles and Edson stumble into the bank, drunk enough to miss the entire village on their first pass, and the police immediately open fire.

• 5:50Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh.

• 5:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Freckles is killed instantly.

• 5:53Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God.

• 5:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Jesus, turned quickly.

• 5:55Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 5:55Karen Kilgariff?

  Edson is shot in the shoulder, but manages to stagger outside yelling, "You double-crossed me!" Like he fell straight out of a soap opera. A nearby doctor stops a police officer from finishing him off and later points out that the bullet holes in the bank don't match the police story that Freckles fired first. The police say shh, the newspapers say shh, the death certificate says shock from gunshot wounds inflicted by police, justifiable homicide.

• 6:22Georgia Hardstark?

  Holy shit.

• 6:23Karen Kilgariff?

  Edson survives, heals up, and tells the press everything. He's never charged, refused, goes to jail for criminal intent, the five police officers involved are demoted or transferred, none of them lost their jobs. And in the most poetic twist of all, the victims of this crime, the bank manager and staff, are later fired for financial irregularities. So in the end, literally everyone involved was terrible at their jobs, except the farmers.

• 6:49Georgia Hardstark?

  Holy shit.

• 6:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Stay sexy, vet your criminal accomplices, and avoid financial irregularities, Kelly.

• 6:56Georgia Hardstark?

  Wow. That was an epic jail.

• 6:59Karen Kilgariff?

  Isn't that so good?

• 7:00Georgia Hardstark?

  Why isn't that a movie?

• 7:01Karen Kilgariff?

  It should go much slower, and that, that actual drive time to the bank is your, your act one.

• 7:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Is the whole thing. And I want to see, you know who I want to see in it is, I'm not going to remember his name.

• 7:14Karen Kilgariff?

  Is it a Canadian?

• 7:16Georgia Hardstark?

  No, that, yeah, I guess it has to be Canadian, huh?

• 7:18Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, you don't have to, but be nice.

• 7:21Georgia Hardstark?

  What the fuck is his name?

• 7:23Karen Kilgariff?

  Brendan Fraser.

• 7:24Georgia Hardstark?

  No, from Fargo.

• 7:25Karen Kilgariff?

  I guess I'm- Martin Freeman?

• 7:27Georgia Hardstark?

  No, but I'm picturing Fargo in a lot of ways, in the same kind of vein.

• 7:31Karen Kilgariff?

  William?

• 7:32Georgia Hardstark?

  No. Steve Buscemi.

• 7:34Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh. He would be great in this.

• 7:38Georgia Hardstark?

  Right?

• 7:39Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 7:40Georgia Hardstark?

  I think Freckles.

• 7:41Karen Kilgariff?

  Freckles, for sure, although he dies at the end.

• 7:43Georgia Hardstark?

  That's true.

• 7:44Karen Kilgariff?

  Nobody wants to see Steve Buscemi die at the end. They learned that in The Big Lebowski.

• 7:48Georgia Hardstark?

  Right. Oh, okay. My heart's still broken, okay. Hi, ladies, I love you, and you both rock. I honestly don't know if this is considered a long one or not, but hopefully it's worth it. I've written in a few stories about my mom, and I have another for you, the time her dream prevented us from being robbed. One night, my mom had a super vivid dream that our house was on fire. So she gets up to check that everything is all right. She searches every room of our three-story house for hot outlets, campbells left burning, curtains too close to the heater, everything, and didn't find anything that was out of place. A little uneasy, but convinced the house wasn't gonna burn down, she goes back upstairs and lays down to go back to sleep. As she's laying down, she hears the signature creak of the bottommost stair.

• 8:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh.

• 8:34Georgia Hardstark?

  You know, you know your house so well that you're like, that's the sound that it shouldn't be making right now.

• 8:39Karen Kilgariff?

  That's absolutely something.

• 8:40Georgia Hardstark?

  I love knowing a house that well.

• 8:42Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah, that's a fun feeling.

• 8:43Georgia Hardstark?

  And then they say, like, if you think there's someone in your house that shouldn't be there, don't turn the lights on, because you know the fucking house from the plan, corporate plan, better than they do.

• 8:51Karen Kilgariff?

  They're the ones having to sneak around.

• 8:53Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 8:53Karen Kilgariff?

  That's a good idea.

• 8:54Georgia Hardstark?

  Walk into their fucking couch and shit.

• 8:56Karen Kilgariff?

  You get up there and you pull a Home Alone, you start rolling out those marbles.

• 8:59Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right, grab your tarantula.

• 9:02Karen Kilgariff?

  Get it going.

• 9:03Georgia Hardstark?

  You know that tarantula you love. Okay, she bolts down the hall to the stairs and sees a man in all black walking down them. She screams for my dad and says that the guy didn't even look at her, just calmly walked out the sliding back door.

• 9:17Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 9:17Georgia Hardstark?

  My dad comes running out in his underwear with the baseball bat that they keep next to their bed. It's the middle of winter in Minnesota, so he didn't chase the man outside, but we promptly called the police, who showed up with search dogs. They followed his scent to the neighborhood over, but never ended up finding him. It's terrifying to think about my mom alone, in the dark, walking through the house while this man was there. She's a badass and has no fear when it comes to protecting her family. The next night, she reclaimed her safety by sitting in the kitchen all night with the doors unlocked and the lights on, saying, "Come get us, motherfucker."

• 9:51Karen Kilgariff?

  Nice.

• 9:52Georgia Hardstark?

  She's like, "I'm ready for you this time."

• 9:53Karen Kilgariff?

  She's like, "I'm not gonna be held captive by nighttime,"

• 9:56Georgia Hardstark?

  Right.

• 9:57Karen Kilgariff?

  "or like the similar circumstances, I'm gonna like empower myself in it."

• 10:01Georgia Hardstark?

  The baseball bat. Stay sexy and listen to your dreams, Leah.

• 10:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Wow. Yeah, that's intense. I think that would be a great thing. If you have a story about a person in your house, please write in and tell us, because I had my old friend Mileva.

• 10:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Someone being in your house when they're not supposed to be?

• 10:18Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah. I think I've told you this story probably four to five times over the last 10 years.

• 10:22Georgia Hardstark?

  I have a bad memory. I'm in perimenopause.

• 10:24Karen Kilgariff?

  My old, it's all new. My old college roommate Mileva had a friend, because they lived out in Roseville, which is like the country up above Sacramento. And her friend was in her house one night by herself and went to walk down the hallway. And there was a man at the other end of the hallway. And she just, like, something came over her because she was like, I'm not gonna be able to fight this man, whatever. So she just started making the weirdest noise she could, and like, super loud and super weird, and like, squatted down. And the man like, ran out of the house. Because essentially, she's like, the odds that this person might be on drugs are pretty good. So now I'm just gonna fuck with his head.

• 11:01Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 11:02Karen Kilgariff?

  And scare him, instead of him scaring me.

• 11:04Georgia Hardstark?

  It's a fucking choice, and it's not a bad one.

• 11:07Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, she kicked ass.

• 11:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. Wow, that's, that's, I can't even imagine what I would do. Like, that's just so scary.

• 11:12Karen Kilgariff?

  I know, it's so.

• 11:13Georgia Hardstark?

  I hate it. I hate it.

• 11:15Speaker 01

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• 11:45Georgia Hardstark?

  The Hulu original series Phony is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

• 11:50Karen Kilgariff?

  Sonny's life is pretty great, until he wakes up from a car accident to a world that looks exactly like his, with one exception: his mom.

• 11:58Georgia Hardstark?

  To everyone else, she's the same Ellen they've known their whole lives, but for Sonny, he knows something is off.

• 12:03Karen Kilgariff?

  As his relationship with his mother begins to crack in unsettling ways, he's forced to question what happens when the perfect mom becomes a perfect stranger.

• 12:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Is this all in his head, or is there really an imposter in his house?

• 12:14Karen Kilgariff?

  Starring five-time Emmy nominee. Connie Britton and Sam Navola. This small town is hiding the mother of all mysteries just beneath the surface.

• 12:22Georgia Hardstark?

  Watch the Hulu original series, Phony.

• 12:24Karen Kilgariff?

  Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.

• 12:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 12:30Speaker 04

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• 13:01Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay, okay. Well, this is good news because the subject line of this email is Denver Night Two Meet and Greet. KNG asked me to write this in.

• 13:09Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, yay.

• 13:10Karen Kilgariff?

  So when we are on the road and we meet people backstage and people have stories for us, we always are like, just write it in because we're going to want, we want to hear this.

• 13:19Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 13:20Karen Kilgariff?

  So I'm not going to read the rest. It says, "Hi Karen in Georgia and MFMERM team. I was so overwhelmed and nervous at the meet and greet. I was barely able to talk to you, but knew I had to give you a little tidbit about my hometown. Sorry to hit and run. Here's the full story." So this was someone who started this story and then basically we were like, wait, what? And they walked away.

• 13:39Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay.

• 13:39Karen Kilgariff?

  My favorite type of person. "I lived in a small suburban town in Kansas with my single mother around 2003, 2004. As we lived somewhat near my elementary school, my mom and I would walk there together most mornings. Almost every time we walked by this particular house, a man would stand on his porch and wave as we passed by. On a few occasions, he and my mom stopped to chat for a while as I waited impatiently at her side. Even at only nine or 10, I always thought he was a creep and hated getting stuck there while they talked. As I said, it was a small town, so it didn't seem strange when we started running into him multiple times a week. We'd see him at the park while he was working. He had a city job, at the grocery store, at church events. He became friendlier with my mom at each meeting, and although I never felt any concern

• 14:22Karen Kilgariff?

  for her during these encounters, she told me privately, after a particularly strange run in near our home, to never go anywhere near him ever."

• 14:31Georgia Hardstark?

  Cool.

• 14:34Karen Kilgariff?

  So mom, you and I are picking up the same thing this guy's putting down.

• 14:37Georgia Hardstark?

  I've got the baby bad vibes and you've got some mommy bad vibes.

• 14:40Karen Kilgariff?

  The fully developed ones to affirm those. We eventually moved 30 minutes away and they didn't keep in touch, but it wasn't long before we saw him again, because not a year or two later, he was plastered all over the news. Our neighbor Dennis Rader.

• 14:55Georgia Hardstark?

  No.

• 14:57Karen Kilgariff?

  The infamous serial killer BTK had been arrested for his slew of murders in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991.

• 15:07Georgia Hardstark?

  It was Dennis fucking Rader?

• 15:10Karen Kilgariff?

  She was getting eight-year-old bad vibes from BTK.

• 15:13Georgia Hardstark?

  Which is so creepy too, because like, he did look like your normal neighbor. He didn't look creepy at all. I know that he was weird, but like, yeah, you're just walking by and there's a guy in his front yard.

• 15:23Karen Kilgariff?

  That guy, the dog catcher who also goes to our church.

• 15:26Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, but don't ever talk to him.

• 15:28Karen Kilgariff?

  Go nowhere near him.

• 15:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh my god, okay.

• 15:31Karen Kilgariff?

  It's just that thing of, it's almost like a scary roller coaster or whatever, where it's like, could you, what would it feel like to have the hairs go up on the back of your neck for somebody to that level of danger?

• 15:42Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 15:43Karen Kilgariff?

  Cause that's a full psychopath.

• 15:44Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 15:45Karen Kilgariff?

  What would that experience be like?

• 15:47Georgia Hardstark?

  I don't know, I have chills.

• 15:49Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay. As most of us murderinos know, his dumb ass was caught after sending letters in a floppy disk directly to the police. And then it just says, "I roll." As an adult, I had friends who worked at the prison in El Dorado. They said he was overall a decent inmate, but smug and annoying as fuck if you let him open his mouth long enough. Stay sexy and don't accidentally befriend a serial killer, Morgan.

• 16:12Georgia Hardstark?

  I want to hear from the mom.

• 16:13Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 16:14Georgia Hardstark?

  Like, what did they talk about? What the, what, what was it the first time where she was just like, chills?

• 16:21Karen Kilgariff?

  That man was so craven and horrifying.

• 16:24Georgia Hardstark?

  Evil.

• 16:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 16:25Georgia Hardstark?

  His daughter's book is really good, if you.

• 16:28Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh yeah, do we know the name?

• 16:29Georgia Hardstark?

  Um, my father's a serial killer, probably not that.

• 16:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Georgia's at a serial killer.

• 16:35Georgia Hardstark?

  Killer's daughter.

• 16:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 16:36Georgia Hardstark?

  Serial killer's daughter. Thank you, Molly.

• 16:39Karen Kilgariff?

  Nice.

• 16:39Georgia Hardstark?

  All right, here we go. I'm not going to read to the subject line. Y'all, hello, everyone. Love you all. I started listening sometime in fall of 2016, and at the time, I thought I was late to the game, lol.

• 16:52Georgia Hardstark?

  I grew up in Texas, and my mom is totally the reason I'm a murderino. Throughout my childhood, she would watch Forensic Files to help her fall asleep because she found it soothing.

• 17:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Mm-hmm.

• 17:01Georgia Hardstark?

  Hi.

• 17:01Karen Kilgariff?

  It is.

• 17:02Georgia Hardstark?

  Nowadays, she uses the news, and my dad, siblings, and I all agree that Forensic Files was the healthier choice.

• 17:08Karen Kilgariff?

  For real.

• 17:09Georgia Hardstark?

  Although we're glad it's CNN and not Fox News. My mom sent me a Fox News article today.

• 17:14Karen Kilgariff?

  Of course.

• 17:15Georgia Hardstark?

  And I'm like, I don't open these links, Mom. Why are you spamming me? Okay. I squealed and called my sister as soon as Georgia announced she was covering the Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial, because my parents now live in Park City, Utah, and my mom and her friends were sitting in court throughout most of the trial.

• 17:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, my God.

• 17:35Georgia Hardstark?

  I was at home with a three-month-old glued to the TV, pointing to the screen and showing my daughter, "Look, there's honey." She's three now, and it would have been way more fun if she'd been old enough to know what on earth I was talking about. I got several texts from people who recognized my mom in the background of the trial, and it was entertaining to find out who else was tuned in. My mom even made T-shirts with Gwyneth's picture that said, #Gwynnacent.

• 18:00Karen Kilgariff?

  Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

• 18:04Georgia Hardstark?

  G-W-Y-N-N-O-C-E-N-T.

• 18:07Karen Kilgariff?

  How did she know?

• 18:09Georgia Hardstark?

  I don't know, but it's too good not to do it.

• 18:12Karen Kilgariff?

  I mean, it's really good plan words, but also very strong stance.

• 18:15Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah. "To wear while the verdict was read." My favorite part of the whole ordeal was that she made it into the background of the photos of Gwyneth padding Terry Sanderson on the back and saying, "I wish you well."

• 18:26Karen Kilgariff?

  Yes.

• 18:27Georgia Hardstark?

  She's in the photos.

• 18:28Karen Kilgariff?

  She's the Zelig of this case.

• 18:30Georgia Hardstark?

  If you look for her, she has dark hair pulled back and is wearing a black T-shirt, coat, and glasses.

• 18:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Amazing.

• 18:36Georgia Hardstark?

  You have to find her. "I got such a kick out of the whole thing. My mom is so crazy, but in a fun way." This was the perfect entertainment at three months postpartum. Thanks for everything you do. I can't even begin to describe what this podcast has meant for me over the past 10, or technically, like, 9.5 years, or to list all of the major life events that y'all have experienced with me. But just know, we all love and appreciate you, too, and everyone at ERM. XOXO, Izzy, she/her.

• 19:03Karen Kilgariff?

  Thanks, Izzy.

• 19:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Izzy.

• 19:05Karen Kilgariff?

  Also, that is a real fun mom where it's like, well, it's happening in our town. Let's go down there and see what's going on.

• 19:11Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah, like, I don't mind my own business. I want to fucking hear everything about it. And I'm gonna wear a shirt about it.

• 19:16Karen Kilgariff?

  It's low stakes, true crime. Let's get into it.

• 19:20Speaker 01

  Cash Flow Crunch on Deck's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds, up to $200,000, right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat. With flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment, get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at ondeck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

• 19:50Georgia Hardstark?

  The Hulu original series Phony is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

• 19:55Karen Kilgariff?

  Sonny's life is pretty great, until he wakes up from a car accident to a world that looks exactly like his, with one exception: his mom.

• 20:02Georgia Hardstark?

  To everyone else, she's the same Ellen they've known their whole lives. But for Sonny, he knows something is off.

• 20:08Karen Kilgariff?

  As his relationship with his mother begins to crack in unsettling ways, he's forced to question what happens when the perfect mom becomes a perfect stranger.

• 20:16Georgia Hardstark?

  Is this all in his head or is there really an imposter in his house?

• 20:19Karen Kilgariff?

  Starring five-time Emmy nominee Connie Britton and Sam Nivola, this small town is hiding the mother of all mysteries just beneath the surface.

• 20:26Georgia Hardstark?

  Watch the Hulu original series, Phony.

• 20:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.

• 20:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 20:35Speaker 04

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• 21:06Karen Kilgariff?

  Okay, here's my last one.

• 21:07Georgia Hardstark?

  Okay.

• 21:08Karen Kilgariff?

  It says, "Thank you from the Twin Cities," in the subject line. "Hi Karen and Georgia, I started listening when you only had about five episodes out, and I never stopped. There are lots of things I would thank you for, but today I felt compelled to write, and thank you for talking about the situation here in Minnesota. When you first started to talk about everything, I considered skipping ahead for once because I didn't want to hear yet more people talking about how awful things are here. Thankfully, I didn't. It is extremely stressful here every single day. I work at a swim school with kids who are primarily 3 to 10 years old. Here in St. Paul, we have a large Somali, Latina, and Mong populations that we work with every day. These lessons are only a half an hour once a week, but the relationships we build with our swimmers can be extremely strong.

• 21:52Karen Kilgariff?

  I've worked here for almost five years, and in that time, I've had the privilege of watching so many kids grow from literal babies who can't talk to elementary schoolers who are learning to do the butterfly. I love my state and living in the Twin Cities, but these last few months have been absolutely devastating. Every day, a new family calls to drop their swim lessons for the rest of the quarter because they're too scared to leave their house. Anytime a family doesn't come to class, we worry until we hear from them again. We try so hard to keep a sense of normalcy for the kids and pretend everything is fine, but even they are feeling the stress and noticing what's happening around them. The other day, a four-year-old noticed the whistles on the adults around him and asked his mom, 'Are we safe?'"

• 22:34Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God.

• 22:36Karen Kilgariff?

  "Another student's school currently has an attendance rate of 30% because the rest of his classmates are too scared to leave their homes. We have a website saved on our phones that notifies us of ICE sightings nearby. Every large window tinted vehicle is a potential threat. My friend hasn't been sleeping at their house for days because a man was shot by ICE right outside, and they don't feel safe anymore. A coworker has witnessed someone being detained three different times on his way to work. The government tries to tell us that they are doing this for our own good and to prevent crime while targeting nurses, teachers, and families. If you asked anyone who actually lives here, they would tell you that these people make our cities more vibrant and..." Stronger. They are some of the strongest, bravest, funniest people you will ever meet.

• 23:20Karen Kilgariff?

  It is absolutely heartbreaking and rage inducing to watch them be targeted so aggressively just for trying to live their lives. Being in the middle of it all, it's hard to know how the rest of the country views what's happening here. Although our sense of community is strong, it feels like we're screaming into the void all alone. Normally, we're quick to offer aid and advice to those new to the cold. We're usually even willing to offer a ride to people we don't like that much, just to keep them from being out in the cold. But right now, one of the few things we take comfort in is watching ice agents slip on ice or get stuck in the snow. It might seem small and silly, but choosing not to help is an act of resistance against these outside forces invading our lives. So I wanted to thank you for recognizing our strength and kindness during these extremely

• 24:03Karen Kilgariff?

  traumatic times. Minnesota is not perfect, and sometimes Minnesota nice is actually just being passive aggressive. But every day.

• 24:12Georgia Hardstark?

  I love it. I love Minnesota nice.

• 24:13Karen Kilgariff?

  Incredible self-awareness in the midst of this very powerful email.

• 24:19Karen Kilgariff?

  But every day, we strive for Minnesota nice to mean being kind, resilient, and optimistic in the face of minus 17 degree weather that feels like minus 43 degree weather. And then in parentheses, the actual conditions outside as I write this.

• 24:33Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God.

• 24:34Karen Kilgariff?

  Minus 43. Thank you for everything. They want us to feel helpless and scared, but even your little shout out helps keep me from giving in to the grief that threatens me daily. Thank you for reminding me that we aren't alone here and that what we say and do really matters. Thank you for seeing us. SSDGM. Kat.

• 24:53Georgia Hardstark?

  Oh, my God. That means so much to me. Yeah, everyone, Twin Cities should know that us coastal elites out here in California are fucking cheering you on and are so impressed.

• 25:02Karen Kilgariff?

  And watching it, the way that, like, especially for me as being a TikTok addict, the way that people on TikTok are reporting the actions in the news and the way those communities are organizing at a level that, like, needs to be studied.

• 25:16Georgia Hardstark?

  And it's getting other communities here and all over the country. It's giving them, it's showing us how to do it here, too. So we're like taking their direct experience and using it. Like, in my neighborhood, there's apps, and then there's like the text threads and stuff like that. And yeah, just.

• 25:33Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 25:33Georgia Hardstark?

  What the fuck? What the fuck is this country?

• 25:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Well, that's just it. I think we're starting to see what this country is. And the majority of this country are people who are like, hey, how about you go fuck yourself if you think you're gonna come here and snatch people off the street?

• 25:46Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally, totally.

• 25:47Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 25:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Well, I have a total fucking 180. I'm not telling you the title. Hey, starting off with compliments, I am a huge fan of you both and have been listening from the start. This podcast has been a center point through high school graduation, two engineering degrees, and the transition into full-time work and adulthood. It's crazy how much has changed in 10 years, but you guys have always been a constant. Now on to the story. A few years ago, I matched with a guy on Hinge and we immediately hit it off. He invited me out on a date to a local brewery where we met up and talked for hours about everything from loathing unnecessary road trip breaks to our love of animals. Unnecessary road trip breaks.

• 26:27Karen Kilgariff?

  That's actually a perfect match. If you're trying to really align with someone.

• 26:31Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 26:31Karen Kilgariff?

  It's like, are you gonna be driven crazy by a person who's like, oh, wait, I need to get a coke?

• 26:36Georgia Hardstark?

  My dad wants to stop every like half an hour to stretch his legs. And you're just like, no!

• 26:39Karen Kilgariff?

  We have to get there.

• 26:40Georgia Hardstark?

  Like, get me my Lunchables and then let's fucking go.

• 26:42Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 26:43Georgia Hardstark?

  I told him all about my dogs, then began rambling about my childhood cat, Harry. A stray cat had kittens in our neighbor's garage, so my parents let my siblings pick one to rescue, who was later named Harry because of One Direction.

• 26:58Georgia Hardstark?

  He didn't adapt well to being stuck in the house, so he became our happy little indoor-outdoor cat. Harry is infamous on the local Facebook pages and is well-known in the neighborhood for soliciting belly rubs and begging for treats. It's like the neighborhood's cat, I love that. When Harry was 12, he started having trouble moving and he was diagnosed with diabetes. Our neighbors regularly feeding him treats probably did not help. Now he has to have insulin injections twice a day, but is healthy enough to patrol the neighborhood again. My date gave me a weird look once I finished explaining, and I immediately regretted getting on the diabetic cat topic. On your first date.

• 27:34Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 27:34Georgia Hardstark?

  He could sense my embarrassment and then smiled at me, asking what my last name was. I hesitated when saying my last name because you can't trust anyone these days, SSDGM. Before he even reacted to my last name, I said, all caps, "Oh, my god, are you Harry's pharmacist?"

• 27:51Karen Kilgariff?

  What?

• 27:52Georgia Hardstark?

  I knew he was a pharmacist at a local pharmacy, but I hadn't put two and two together. We'd started dying laughing and he told me that he had most definitely met my dad. Cause that's where you get your animals medications from.

• 28:04Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 28:04Georgia Hardstark?

  Pharmacy. I talked to my parents later on and my dad knew exactly who he was and only had great things to say. We started dating and a few months in, my dad started telling people, "My daughter's sleeping with our cat's pharmacist."

• 28:18Karen Kilgariff?

  Dad, knock it off.

• 28:21Georgia Hardstark?

  I was mortified, but my then boyfriend thought it was hilarious. My dad didn't realize how weird it sounded and proceeded to keep telling people that throughout our relationship. We are now very happily married with our first baby on the way. They have to name it Harry.

• 28:35Karen Kilgariff?

  Harry Jr.

• 28:36Georgia Hardstark?

  It's a girl. On the way, just hoping he will stop telling people I'm sleeping with our cat's pharmacist. The evidence is pretty damning now, though.

• 28:44Karen Kilgariff?

  Yeah.

• 28:44Georgia Hardstark?

  I hope you enjoyed this story now that I can laugh about it instead of dying of embarrassment. If you read this, I will be playing this in the car to see how long it takes for him to realize it's our story.

• 28:53Karen Kilgariff?

  Aww.

• 28:54Georgia Hardstark?

  You two truly are the best and have made such an impact on my sanity. Stay sexy and sleep with your child and cat's pharmacist. See.

• 29:04Karen Kilgariff?

  See.

• 29:05Georgia Hardstark?

  How cute is that?

• 29:07Karen Kilgariff?

  It's so cute.

• 29:08Georgia Hardstark?

  Gives you hope.

• 29:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Well, yes, because in that moment where you're on a date, and this is very corny, but who fucking cares at this point in the world?

• 29:16Georgia Hardstark?

  No.

• 29:16Karen Kilgariff?

  The thing that makes you go, oh no, I just ruined it. I just said the thing that ruined everything.

• 29:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Cat's diabetes? What are you fucking talking about?

• 29:24Karen Kilgariff?

  Right. And it's like, sure, maybe in the past, like maybe that's happened to you before.

• 29:28Georgia Hardstark?

  Totally.

• 29:28Karen Kilgariff?

  But then here's the person that's supposed to hear it.

• 29:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Yeah.

• 29:31Karen Kilgariff?

  It's beautiful.

• 29:32Georgia Hardstark?

  I love it.

• 29:32Karen Kilgariff?

  It's a Sandra Bullock movie.

• 29:34Georgia Hardstark?

  We're wishing them well. I wish we had his name.

• 29:36Karen Kilgariff?

  I'm sleeping with my cat's pharmacist, the new vehicle for Sandra Bullock. Get her in there.

• 29:42Georgia Hardstark?

  Steve Buscemi co-stars as the cat.

• 29:44Karen Kilgariff?

  He's the cat. He dies at the end. Well, everybody.

• 29:48Georgia Hardstark?

  Well, thanks.

• 29:49Karen Kilgariff?

  That's a mini-soad.

• 29:50Georgia Hardstark?

  That's how it's done.

• 29:51Karen Kilgariff?

  We, all the feelings are here.

• 29:53Georgia Hardstark?

  All the like, yeah, peaks and valleys. We've got Gwyneth Paltrow. We've got fucking ICE. Fuck ICE. We've got fucking Fox News. Like, it's just everything you could want.

• 30:03Karen Kilgariff?

  BTK. All the different things and we're here for you.

• 30:06Georgia Hardstark?

  That's right.

• 30:07Karen Kilgariff?

  Stay sexy.

• 30:07Georgia Hardstark?

  And don't get murdered.

• 30:09Karen Kilgariff?

  Goodbye.

• 30:10Speaker 05

  Elvis, do you want a cookie?

• 30:19Karen Kilgariff?

  This has been an Exactly Right production.

• 30:21Georgia Hardstark?

  Our senior producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer is Tessa Hughes.

• 30:25Karen Kilgariff?

  Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

• 30:27Georgia Hardstark?

  This episode was mixed by Liana Scolacci.

• 30:29Karen Kilgariff?

  Email your hometowns to [email protected].

• 30:32Georgia Hardstark?

  Follow the show on Instagram at MyFavoriteMurder.

• 30:34Karen Kilgariff?

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

• 30:39Georgia Hardstark?

  And now you can watch My Favorite Murder on Netflix.

• 30:41Karen Kilgariff?

  And when you're there, hit the double thumbs up and the remind me buttons. That's the best way you can support our show.

• 30:47Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 30:54Karen Kilgariff?

  Calling all amateur detectives and podcast obsessives.

• 30:58Georgia Hardstark?

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

• 31:06Karen 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.

• 31:23Georgia Hardstark?

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

• 31:26Karen Kilgariff?

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

• 31:30Georgia Hardstark?

  Goodbye.

• 31:31Speaker 00

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• 32:15Speaker 00

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• 32:24Speaker 06

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