Murderess Podcast

Sidney Smith
  • 4.9 (54)
  • Comedy
  • Updated Weekly

Women kill for many of the same reasons men do: love, money, jealousy, rage, control, fear, survival, and sometimes reasons that are much harder to explain.  Murderess asks what happened, why it happened, and what the evidence actually tells us. Murderess Podcast is an immersive true-crime series hosted by comedian and storyteller Sidney Smith, examining the stories of women who kill. Every case is presented to the Quiet Jury, the listeners. From infamous murders to cases that received far less attention, each episode takes the Quiet Jury through the people, evidence, motives, contradictions, forensic details, courtroom battles, and choices behind the crime, while never losing sight of the lives taken along the way. The goal is not simply to tell you what happened. It is to give the Quiet Jury enough of the story to wrestle with the harder questions. What do we actually know? What can we prove? What does not fit? And how did she get there? With deeply researched storytelling, psychological complexity, and Sidney’s distinctive perspective, Murderess asks you to listen closely, question easy answers, and make up your own mind. The case is presented. The evidence is on the table. The Quiet Jury decides what stays with them. 🎧 New episodes every Thursday. Murderess Podcast is a production of Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network.

  1. 2d ago

    #113 Christa Pike (Update!) - “One Hour From Death"

    📚 SHOW NOTES 🎙 Episode 113: Christa Pike — “One Hour From Death” A Murderess Podcast investigation September 30, 2026. Nashville, Tennessee. By nine o’clock Wednesday morning, Christa Pike was supposed to have about one hour left to live. The governor had denied clemency. The U.S. Supreme Court had refused to stop her execution. Tennessee was preparing to execute its first woman in more than 200 years. Then the reporters arriving at Riverbend started getting turned away. 📍 Location: Tennessee death row → Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville, Tennessee → U.S. Supreme Court → U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 📅 Key Dates: January 12, 1995 Colleen Slemmer is murdered → March 1996 Christa is convicted and sentenced to death → September 2, 2026 attorneys seek clemency → September 28 Governor Bill Lee declines to intervene → September 29 U.S. Supreme Court denies Christa’s stay application and certiorari petition → September 30 Tennessee prepares for a 10 a.m. execution → roughly one hour before the scheduled execution, the Sixth Circuit issues a stay “until further order of this court.” Death Penalty Information Center 👥 Central Figures: Christa Pike, Colleen Slemmer, Colleen’s mother May Martinez, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Rev. Mikey Noechel, Christa’s attorneys, and the federal and state courts considering her final appeals 🧠 Themes: finality, capital punishment, clemency, childhood trauma, mitigation, PTSD, federal habeas review, execution protocols, victim-family grief, last-minute appeals, justice, punishment, and what happens when an execution expected to be final suddenly stops 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Sidney: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit — September 30, 2026 stay order: last-minute order staying Christa’s execution “until further order of this court” while the court considers litigation involving her attempt to reopen prior federal habeas proceedings. – U.S. Supreme Court — Christa Gail Pike v. Tennessee, Nos. 26-5696 / 26A414, September 29, 2026: denial of Christa’s application for a stay of execution and denial of her petition for writ of certiorari. Supreme Court – Tennessee Department of Correction — 2026 execution advisories: scheduled 10:00 a.m. CDT execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, media procedures, witnesses, and preparations for September 30. Home Building – Governor Bill Lee / Death Penalty Information Center — September 28–29, 2026: Lee’s decision not to grant clemency and to allow Tennessee’s death sentence to stand. Death Penalty Information Center – Christa Pike clemency petition — September 2026: request for commutation to life without parole; Christa’s age at the crime; childhood sexual abuse and neglect; later mental-health diagnoses; neurological evidence; and mitigation arguments. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #113 Christa Pike (Update!) - “One Hour From Death"

  2. Sep 24

    #112 Christa Pike - “It's Harder To Hurt Somebody When They're Talking To You"

    📚 SHOW NOTES 🎙 Episode 112: Christa Pike — “It’s Harder to Hurt Somebody When They’re Talking to You” A Murderess Podcast investigation Nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer left Job Corps with Christa Pike and two other students. She never came back. Christa told police it was “harder to hurt somebody when they’re talking to you.” 📍 Location: Knoxville Job Corps Center → University of Tennessee agricultural campus → Knox County Criminal Court → Tennessee prison system 📅 Key Dates: January 11, 1995 Christa tells Kim Iloilo she intends to kill Colleen → January 12, 1995 Colleen is murdered → January 13 her body is discovered → January 14 Christa confesses → March 1996 Christa is convicted and sentenced to death → 2001 prison attack on Patricia Jones → 2002 execution date is set, then halted as appeals resume → 2012 escape plot uncovered → September 30, 2025 Tennessee Supreme Court sets a new execution date → September 30, 2026 scheduled execution 👥 Central Figures: Christa Pike, Colleen Slemmer, Tadaryl Shipp, Shadolla Peterson, Kim Iloilo, Stephanie Wilson, Dr. Sandra Elkins, Dr. Murray Marks, Dr. Eric Engum, Dr. William Bernet, and Governor Bill Lee 🧠 Themes: jealousy, premeditation, torture, victim resistance, dehumanization, confession, forensic evidence, mental illness, childhood trauma, prison violence, capital punishment, clemency, and how later evidence can change the picture surrounding an established crime 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – Tennessee Supreme Court, State v. Christa Gail Pike (1998): primary account of the murder, Christa’s confession, Colleen’s escape attempts, forensic evidence, psychological testimony, conviction, aggravating circumstances, and death sentence. – Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Christa Gail Pike v. State (2011): later post-conviction litigation and expert testimony concerning bipolar disorder, childhood trauma, neurological evidence, and alleged brain impairment. – Tennessee Supreme Court, Christa Gail Pike v. State (2005): Christa’s effort to abandon her appeals, the 2002 execution date, her subsequent change of mind, and reinstatement of post-conviction proceedings. – Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Christa Gail Pike v. State (2013): Christa’s attempted first-degree murder conviction for the prison attack on Patricia Jones. – Tennessee Bureau of Investigation / Department of Correction, March 2012: official account of the disrupted prison escape plot involving Christa, former correctional officer Justin Heflin, and Donald Kohut. – Knoxville News Sentinel trial archives, March 1996: contemporaneous coverage of Christa’s conviction, sentencing, courtroom proceedings, and death sentence. – Tennessee Supreme Court, September 30, 2025 execution order: official order scheduling Christa’s execution for September 30, 2026 unless another court or appropriate authority intervenes. – Tennessee Department of Correction, 2026 execution advisories: official information concerning the scheduled execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. – Christa Pike clemency petition, filed September 2026: childhood sexual abuse, trauma history, later diagnoses, neurological evidence, age at the offense, co-defendant sentencing differences, and request for commutation to life without parole. – Death Penalty Information Center, 2026 Christa Pike coverage: reporting on the clemency petition, trauma-expert filings, lethal-injection litigation, sentencing history, and the historical significance of Tennessee’s scheduled execution of a woman for the first time in more than 200 years. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #112 Christa Pike - “It's Harder To Hurt Somebody When They're Talking To You"

  3. Sep 17

    #111 Susan Wright - “I Couldn’t Stop”

    📚 SHOW NOTES 🎙 Episode 111: Susan Wright - “I Couldn’t Stop” A Murderess Podcast investigation January 13, 2003. Northwest Harris County, Texas. Susan Wright stabbed her husband 193 times. She never denied it. She said years of abuse ended in a desperate fight for her life. Prosecutors said the truth was much darker, and the evidence inside the Wright bedroom told a very different story. 📍 Location: Northwest Harris County, Texas  📅 Key Dates: January 13, 2003 Susan kills Jeff Wright inside their northwest Harris County home → January 18, 2003 attorney Neal Davis alerts prosecutors to a body at the Wright residence and investigators recover Jeff from the backyard → January 24, 2003 Susan turns herself in → March 3, 2004 jury finds Susan guilty of murder → March 2004 Susan receives a 25-year prison sentence → November 17, 2005 Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals affirms the conviction → October 28, 2009 Texas Court of Criminal Appeals finds ineffective assistance during the punishment phase and grants a new punishment trial → November 2, 2010 new jury sentences Susan to 20 years → July 2020 Susan is approved for parole → December 30, 2020 Susan is released after serving more than sixteen years.  👥 Central Figures: Susan Wright, Jeffrey “Jeff” Wright, Bradley Wright, Kailey Wright, prosecutor Kelly Siegler, defense attorney Neal Davis, homicide detective Mark Reynolds, medical examiner Dr. Dwayne Wolf, Susan’s mother Sue Wyche, Susan’s sister Cindy Stewart, friend Jamie Darr-Hall, Jeff’s mother Kay Wright, Jeff’s brother Ron Wright Jr., former fiancée Misty McMichael, prosecutor Paul Doyle, Jeff’s coworker Kevin Conboy, and toxicologist Dr. Ashraf Mozayani 🧠 Themes: intimate-partner violence, self-defense, battered-woman dynamics, fear and rage, extreme violence, overkill, restraint evidence, forensic interpretation, cocaine and toxicology, psychological dissociation, post-crime behavior, concealment, credibility, life-insurance motive, courtroom theatrics, competing narratives, ineffective assistance of counsel, sudden passion, punishment, parole, and how the same physical evidence can tell two radically different stories 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Sidney: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals — Wright v. State**, No. 14-04-00244-CR, opinion issued November 17, 2005:** authoritative appellate account of the crime scene; Jeff Wright’s wound distribution; ligatures; candle wax; bloodstained mattress; Susan’s self-defense account; the State’s seduction-and-restraint theory; the prosecution’s courtroom demonstration using the Wrights’ actual bed; trial objections; guilty verdict; 25-year sentence; and the appellate court’s decision upholding the conviction and finding the demonstration sufficiently grounded in the evidence.  – Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — Ex parte Susan Lucille Wright**, No. AP-76,245, opinion issued October 28, 2009:** Susan’s post-conviction ineffective-assistance claim; the court’s finding that her attorneys rendered ineffective assistance during the punishment phase; preservation of the murder conviction; and the order granting Susan a new punishment trial.  – CBS News / 48 Hours — “Right or Wrong?” 2004–2005 coverage: Susan’s account of meeting Jeff and their early marriage; her allegations of escalating control, physical abuse and forced sex; statements from Susan’s family, friends and Jeff’s family; Jeff’s drug use; the events Susan said preceded the stabbing; Bradley knocking on the bedroom door during the attack; Susan returning to continue stabbing; her claimed psychological state afterward; the backyard burial; the bloody-bed demonstration; Susan’s testimony; Kelly Siegler’s cross-examination; the guilty verdict; and the original 25-year sentence.  – KTRK / ABC13 Houston — 2010 Susan Wright resentencing archive: extensive contemporaneous coverage of the new punishment trial; testimony concerning Susan’s abuse allegations; photographs of her injuries; Jeff’s drug history; the $200,000 life-insurance policy; Kevin Conboy’s testimony about Susan questioning Jeff over the insurance paperwork; prosecution and defense interpretations of Susan’s behavior after the killing; and the legal argument over sudden passion.  – KTRK / ABC13 Houston — October 2010 toxicology testimony: cocaine and alcohol detected in Jeff’s body; 33 milligrams of GHB; Chief Toxicologist Dr. Ashraf Mozayani’s testimony that GHB can also occur naturally during decomposition; and her assessment that the evidence left roughly a 50-50 possibility between ingestion and postmortem production, preventing the toxicology from definitively establishing that Jeff had been drugged before the killing.  – KTRK / ABC13 Houston — Misty McMichael resentencing testimony, October 25, 2010: testimony from Jeff’s former fiancée describing physical and emotional violence during her own relationship with him; the role her evidence played in Susan’s post-conviction litigation; and the prosecution’s challenge to her credibility during the new punishment proceeding.  – KTRK / ABC13 Houston — Susan Wright’s mother and domestic-abuse testimony, October 26, 2010: Sue Wyche’s description of Susan living “on eggshells”; bruises she said she observed during the marriage; fear of Jeff’s temper; and the defense effort to provide the second jury with a fuller account of the alleged abuse than the original punishment jury received.  – Houston Chronicle — November 2–3, 2010 resentencing coverage: the second jury’s punishment deliberations; rejection of Susan’s sudden-passion claim; prosecution request for 45 years; defense request for probation; reduction of Susan’s sentence from 25 years to 20 years; credit for time already served; Susan’s apology to Jeff’s family; and victim-impact statements from the Wright family.  – KTRK / ABC13 Houston — Wright family reaction to resentencing: Jeff’s family’s response to the 20-year sentence; their account of the impact of having to relive the case; Susan’s first courtroom apology during the resentencing proceeding; and the family’s continuing rejection of Susan’s portrayal of Jeff.  – KTRK / ABC13 Houston — December 30–31, 2020 release coverage: Susan’s July 2020 parole approval; her December 30 release from the Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville after more than sixteen years in prison; parole conditions; the fact that Bradley and Kailey had been raised by Jeff’s family; and Susan’s request for privacy upon returning to the Houston area.  – Houston Chronicle — December 30, 2020: Susan’s release on parole after more than sixteen years; retrospective reporting on the March 2004 conviction and 25-year sentence; the jury’s rejection of self-defense; the later reduction to a 20-year sentence; and the case’s continuing notoriety in Houston.  – Court TV trial coverage and archived case reporting: the prosecution and defense presentations during the 2004 trial; descriptions of Jeff and Susan’s marriage; physical evidence surrounding the restraints and wound pattern; Susan’s testimony; Kelly Siegler’s courtroom reconstruction; cross-examination surrounding the 193 wounds; and the competing prosecution and self-defense theories that defined the trial. The research record also documents that the nationally televised proceeding became one of the most widely recognized Houston murder trials of its era.  Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #111 Susan Wright - “I Couldn’t Stop”

  4. Sep 10

    #110 Taylor Parker - “She Needed A Baby” | Part 2

    📚 SHOW NOTES🎙 Episode 110: Taylor Parker, Part Two — “She Needed a Baby” A Murderess Podcast investigation October 9, 2020. New Boston, Texas. Taylor Parker’s impossible pregnancy has finally reached the day it is supposed to become real. For nearly ten months, every contradiction had been answered with another lie. On October 9, Taylor reached the one problem a lie could no longer solve. 📍 Location: New Boston and De Kalb, Bowie County, Texas → McCurtain Memorial Hospital, Idabel, Oklahoma → Bowie County court proceedings, Texas 📅 Key Dates: October 9, 2020 Taylor Parker arrives at Reagan Hancock’s home, Reagan is murdered, Braxlynn is traumatically extracted, Taylor is stopped near De Kalb and taken to an Oklahoma hospital → October 16, 2020 Taylor returned to Texas and booked into Bi-State Detention Center → December 11, 2020 Bowie County grand jury indicts Taylor for capital murder and kidnapping → September 12, 2022 capital-murder trial begins → October 3, 2022 guilty verdict → November 9, 2022 death sentence → November 6, 2025 Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirms conviction and sentence → May 18, 2026 U.S. Supreme Court declines review 👥 Central Figures: Taylor Rene Parker, Reagan Simmons-Hancock, Braxlynn Sage Hancock, Kynlee Hancock, Homer Hancock, Jessica Brookes, Wade Griffin, Dr. Melinda Flores, Dr. Stephen Hastings, Dr. Christopher Mason, Idabel Police Detective Johnny Voss, flight paramedic Elton Crossland, prosecutors Kelley Crisp and Lauren Richards, Judge John Tidwell 🧠 Themes: escalating deception, premeditation, fetal abduction, motherhood and performance, reality versus narrative, extreme violence, forensic evidence, maternal resistance, identity theft through motherhood, medical truth, criminal intent, capital murder, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping, born-alive law, punishment, mitigation, death penalty, victim loss, and what happens when a lie finally requires something real 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Sidney: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — Parker v. State, No. AP-77,110, opinion issued November 6, 2025:authoritative appellate chronology; evidence surrounding the October 9 attack and extraction; Taylor’s fake pregnancy and motive evidence; traffic-stop and medical testimony; definition of kidnapping under Texas law; Braxlynn’s born-alive status; the alternative attempted-kidnapping theory; change-of-venue and pretrial-publicity claims; Taylor’s twenty-five appellate points; and the court’s decision affirming the capital-murder conviction and death sentence. – Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Taylor Rene Parker Death Row Inmate Information: Parker’s official identification, Bowie County conviction, capital-murder offense information, date received on death row, sentence status and current Texas death-row record. – United States Supreme Court — Parker v. Texas, Supreme Court docket No. 25-7025: Taylor Parker’s petition seeking federal review and the Supreme Court’s May 18, 2026 denial of certiorari, leaving the Texas conviction and death sentence intact. – KTAL/KMSS “Taylor Parker Trial” archive — September–November 2022: extensive contemporaneous courtroom coverage of the guilt and punishment phases; Reagan Hancock’s autopsy; the 113 sharp-force and 39 blunt-force injuries; testimony concerning the violent extraction; evidence involving Reagan’s uterus and placenta; Braxlynn’s condition; testimony from medical professionals, investigators, jail employees, Taylor’s former family members and defense witnesses; victim-impact testimony; and the November 2022 death sentence.  – KTAL/KMSS — “Taylor Parker trial testimony reveals cruel details in baby’s death,” October 27, 2022: Dr. Stephen Hastings’ testimony concerning trauma to Braxlynn’s scalp and umbilical cord; violent removal of the placenta; Reagan’s purple-glitter fingernail fragments embedded inside the placenta; the medical interpretation that Reagan was alive and attempting to protect herself and Braxlynn during the extraction; Braxlynn’s heartbeat, measurements and cause and manner of death.  – KTAL/KMSS — testimony from Dr. Christopher Mason and Idabel Police Detective Johnny Voss: medical explanation of the difference between a legitimate C-section and the traumatic extraction performed on Reagan; condition of Reagan’s uterus; the animal tranquilizer recovered from Taylor’s purse; Braxlynn’s approximately thirty-five-week gestational age; testimony that she could ordinarily have been born healthy; faint cardiac activity at McCurtain Memorial Hospital; and the nurse who remained with Braxlynn until her death.  – KTAL/KMSS — punishment-phase reporting concerning Taylor Parker’s medical history and jail conduct:testimony involving Taylor’s efforts to obtain an MS diagnosis, prosecution and defense interpretations of her medical history, repeated jail medical complaints, corrections testimony, unauthorized items and privileges, Taylor watching television coverage of her own trial, and witness descriptions concerning her interest in media attention.  – USA TODAY / Associated Press, November 2022: conviction and sentencing coverage; Reagan’s age and pregnancy; Taylor’s traffic stop with Braxlynn; prosecution and defense arguments surrounding whether Braxlynn had been born alive; medical testimony concerning cardiac activity; kidnapping as the aggravating felony supporting capital murder; and Jessica Brookes’ victim-impact statement. – KSLA, October 27, 2022: testimony concerning Braxlynn’s cardiac activity; medical efforts to stabilize her; autopsy findings; traumatic extraction; physical evidence indicating Reagan was alive during the extraction; and the significance of Reagan’s fingernail fragments recovered from the placenta. – KTAL/KMSS appellate reporting, November 2025: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decision; Taylor’s challenge to the kidnapping conviction and born-alive evidence; the court’s finding that jurors could reasonably conclude Braxlynn was alive; the alternative attempted-kidnapping holding; and rejection of venue and fair-trial challenges. – Biography.com, June 2026 — Reagan Simmons-Hancock profile: Reagan’s birth and family background; her personality; work and church life; first pregnancy and daughter Kynlee; marriage to Homer Hancock; pregnancy with Braxlynn; Taylor entering Reagan’s life through engagement and wedding photography; Jessica Brookes’ discovery of the crime scene; Kynlee’s survival; and the Hancock family’s efforts to preserve Reagan’s memory. – The Guardian, June 7, 2026: broader case chronology; Reagan and Taylor’s connection; the October 9 attack and fetal abduction; Kynlee being found unharmed; traffic stop; hospital discovery that Taylor had not given birth; capital-murder case; defense neurological evidence; appellate arguments; Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decision; Supreme Court proceedings; and Taylor’s death-row status. – Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct (2026), directed by Jessica Dimmock, and accompanying Netflix/Tudum materials: interviews with people connected to Taylor Parker and Reagan Hancock; visual and social context surrounding the fake pregnancy and murder; Wade Griffin’s perspective; investigators’ reconstruction of the crime; family reaction; and the case’s continuing impact. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #110 Taylor Parker - “She Needed A Baby” | Part 2

  5. Sep 3

    #109 Taylor Parker - “The Pregnancy That Never Existed” | Part 1

    📚 SHOW NOTES🎙 Episode 109: Taylor Parker, Part One — “The Pregnancy That Never Existed” A Murderess Podcast investigation October 9, 2020. New Boston, Texas. East Texas. Taylor Parker tells Wade Griffin she is pregnant, even though a hysterectomy has made that impossible. Instead of backing away from the lie, Taylor builds an entire world around it: a prosthetic belly, a gender reveal, promises of land and millions of dollars and more. 📍 Location: Northeast Texas — primarily Bowie County, New Boston, Simms, Mount Pleasant, and the planned hospital destination of Idabel, Oklahoma 📅 Key Dates: 2019 Taylor Parker meets Wade Griffin → January 2020 Taylor tells Wade she is pregnant → March 2020 Shona Prior learns of the public pregnancy/gender reveal despite knowing Taylor had undergone a hysterectomy → late September 2020 Taylor's supposed due date passes → October 5, 2020 planned induction/C-section at Titus Regional Medical Center, Wade's house fire, and hospital bomb threat → October 9, 2020 Taylor claims she will deliver in Idabel, sends Wade to deliver hogs, and arrives at Reagan Hancock's home at approximately 7:30 a.m. 👥 Central Figures: Taylor Rene Parker, Wade Griffin, Shona Prior, Tommy Wacasey, Connie Griffin, Reagan Simmons-Hancock, Kynlee Hancock, Braxlynn Sage Hancock, real-estate broker Rusty Lowe, Texas DPS Special Agent Dustin Estes 🧠 Themes: deception and self-invention, fake pregnancy, financial fantasy, attachment and control, incentives to believe, denial and passivity, family knowledge, warning signs, manufactured crisis, reality versus narrative, escalating lies, approaching deadlines, premeditation, and the question of how an impossible story survives when multiple people know or suspect the truth 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Sidney: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — Parker v. State, No. AP-77,110, opinion issued November 6, 2025: Taylor Parker's reproductive and relationship history; hysterectomy; prior efforts to find surrogates; relationship with Wade Griffin; prosecution evidence concerning her efforts to keep Wade in the relationship; silicone pregnancy belly; customized ultrasound; nursery; maternity photographs; gender reveal; late-September due date; October 5 planned delivery; Wade Griffin's house fire; Titus Regional Medical Center bomb threat; change to an Idabel, Oklahoma hospital; October 9 hog-delivery plan; Taylor's approximately 7:30 a.m. arrival at Reagan Hancock's home; and the factual record underlying Parker's conviction. – Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Taylor Rene Parker Death Row Inmate Information: Parker's official TDCJ identification, Bowie County case information, date received onto death row, prior prison record, and the department's official summary of the killing of a 21-year-old pregnant woman in order to take her unborn child. – KTAL/KMSS “Taylor Parker Trial” archive and contemporaneous 2022 courtroom reporting: testimony from Taylor's former husband and other family members; attempts to warn Wade Griffin that Taylor was not pregnant; allegations concerning Taylor's history of lying and manipulation; testimony concerning medical claims and attempts to obtain an MS diagnosis; financial problems; parenting testimony; and prosecution arguments concerning the broader pattern of deception presented during the guilt and punishment phases. – Netflix / Tudum — Maternal Instinct official case materials and documentary reporting: Wade Griffin's account of meeting Taylor and the future she presented to him; oil and inheritance claims; expensive purchases and ranch ambitions; friends' and relatives' growing doubts; efforts by Connie Griffin and others to verify the pregnancy; the prosthetic-belly deception; Taylor's expired September due date; and publicly reported examples of her pregnancy-related internet searches. – Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct (2026), directed by Jessica Dimmock: interviews with Wade Griffin, people from Taylor's former social circles, members of Reagan Simmons-Hancock's family, investigators and others connected to the case; social context surrounding Taylor's arrival in the community; the fake pregnancy; financial promises; warning signs; and the collapse of Taylor's constructed life as the due date approached. – People, 2026 — reporting on Shona Prior's trial testimony and the Parker family: Shona's knowledge of Taylor's hysterectomy; her discovery of the gender-reveal announcement; her testimony that she knew Taylor could not be pregnant; her belief that Wade and others would eventually discover the truth; Taylor's family relationships; and testimony concerning the deception leading up to October 2020. – CBS News / Associated Press trial coverage, September–November 2022: prosecution theory that the false pregnancy was intended to prevent Taylor from losing Wade Griffin; fake ultrasounds and pregnancy presentation; testimony from Texas DPS Special Agent Dustin Estes concerning extensive pregnancy and newborn research; and Taylor's viewing of material concerning an infant delivered prematurely at thirty-five weeks on the day Reagan was killed. – Biography.com, June 2026 — Wade Griffin and Reagan Simmons-Hancock profiles: Wade's work and background; Taylor's financial promises and real-estate schemes; Wade's reliance on Taylor's claimed wealth; the progression of their relationship; and Reagan's connection to Taylor through her engagement and wedding photography. – The Guardian, June 7, 2026: Taylor Parker's background; relationship with Wade Griffin; claims of inherited wealth; attempted multimillion-dollar real-estate purchase; employment history; fake pregnancy; and broader context surrounding the deception that preceded Reagan Simmons-Hancock's murder. – Contemporaneous and later publicly reported portions of Wade Griffin's 2022 trial testimony: Taylor's homemaking role in their relationship; promises of land and financial security; oil-and-gas and inheritance claims; expensive purchases and debt incurred in expectation of Taylor's money; his belief in the pregnancy; growing doubts; and the events Taylor told him to carry out on October 9, 2020, while she was supposedly preparing to give birth in Oklahoma. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #109 Taylor Parker - “The Pregnancy That Never Existed” | Part 1

  6. Aug 27

    #108 Bernadette Protti - "The Fear of Being Weird"

    📚 SHOW NOTES 🎙 Episode 108: Bernadette Protti — “The Fear of Being Weird” A Murderess Podcast investigation June 23, 1984. Orinda, California. A fifteen-year-old kills another fifteen-year-old because she’s terrified people will think she’s weird, then goes back to school and lives among everyone searching for the killer. When a fake invitation, a Ford Pinto and five stab wounds finally lead investigators back to Bernadette, the question becomes bigger than who killed Kirsten. 📍 Location: Orinda and Moraga, Contra Costa County, California 📅 Key Dates: June 21, 1984 fake Bob-o-Links invitation → June 23, 1984 Kirsten Costas murdered → summer–fall 1984 six-month investigation and false suspicion of another student → December 1984 Bernadette’s confession and arrest → March 13, 1985 second-degree murder conviction → April 1, 1985 commitment to California Youth Authority → June 10, 1992 parole at age 23 👥 Central Figures: Bernadette Protti, Kirsten Marina Costas, Arthur “Art” Costas, Berit Costas, Raymond Protti, Elaine Protti, Alexander and Mary Jane Arnold, FBI investigators, prosecutor John Oda, defense attorney Charles James, Judge Edward L. Merrill 🧠 Themes: rage and humiliation, adolescent status, envy, fear of rejection, popularity and self-worth, social conformity, false accusation, premeditation vs impulse, public shame, juvenile justice, victim loss, the difference between belonging and believing you belong 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Sidney: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – Los Angeles Times archives, March 1985: trial coverage, Bernadette Protti’s taped confession, second-degree murder verdict, jealousy and humiliation evidence, and Judge Edward Merrill’s rejection of first-degree murder – San Francisco Chronicle archives, March 1985: detailed trial reporting, prosecution and defense arguments, courtroom atmosphere, Bernadette’s confession, Kirsten Costas’ family statements, and community reaction – San Francisco Chronicle, June 26, 1992: Bernadette Protti’s parole, California Youth Authority record, parole-board majority and dissenting opinions, and Arthur and Berit Costas’ opposition to her release – New York Times / Associated Press archives, December 1984: Bernadette’s arrest, juvenile-court proceedings, early descriptions of both girls, Miramonte High School, and the possible rivalry motive – TIME magazine archives, December 1984: investigation chronology, FBI behavioral-profile involvement, Bernadette’s arrest, and contemporary reporting on the social dynamics surrounding the case – United Press International archives, March 1985: second-degree murder verdict, portions of Bernadette’s confession, testimony from Elaine and Raymond Protti, and evidence concerning cheerleading, wealth, jealousy, and social rejection – Contemporary long-form reporting by Carol Pogash: Kirsten Costas’ family life and personality, Orinda and Miramonte social culture, the Bob-o-Links, cheerleading, Bernadette’s friendships and insecurities, the false suspicion of another student, the private investigation, confession, trial, and aftermath – Publicly reported portions of Bernadette Protti’s recorded confession: statements concerning cheerleading, yearbook, clubs, looks, money, popularity, Kirsten’s ski comment, fear of being called “weird,” the false invitation, pursuit of Kirsten, and Bernadette’s description of the stabbing as an act of anger – Publicly reported excerpts from Bernadette Protti’s written confession to her parents: acknowledgment that investigators suspected her, admission that they were correct, expressions of shame and fear, and her request that her parents continue to love her – California Youth Authority / Youthful Offender Parole Board findings as reported contemporaneously by the San Francisco Chronicle: Bernadette’s educational progress while confined, 1992 parole decision, concerns regarding anger and impulse control, and release at age 23. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #108 Bernadette Protti - "The Fear of Being Weird"

  7. Aug 19

    Murderess Podcast Is Back | New Episodes, New Cases, Same Quiet Jury

    Murderess Podcast is back. I’m Sidney Smith, and the Quiet Jury is officially back in session. The relaunch begins with four episodes covering Kouri Richins, Bernadette Protti, and a two-part investigation into Taylor Parker, a woman who spent nearly ten months faking a pregnancy before the lie demanded something real. This next chapter of Murderess Podcast goes deeper into the people, the evidence, the contradictions, the psychology, and the choices behind women who kill. New episodes every Thursday. 🎧 Follow Murderess Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. 🔗 Find episodes, Cre8tiv+, tour dates and more at sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 📱 @sidneysmithcre8tiv Stay curious. Stay cautious. Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    Murderess Podcast Is Back | New Episodes, New Cases, Same Quiet Jury

  8. Aug 19

    #107 Kouri Richins - “Are You With Me?”

    📚 SHOW NOTES 🎙 Episode 107: Kouri Richins - “Are You With Me?” A Murderess Podcast investigation March 4, 2022. Kamas, Utah. When 39-year-old Eric Richins is found dead in his bedroom, his wife Kouri says they had spent the night celebrating a major real-estate closing. She made him a drink, he went to bed, and hours later she found him cold and unresponsive. An autopsy reveals fentanyl intoxication, but no fentanyl is found in the home, there is no eyewitness to a poisoning, and the medical examiner cannot determine whether Eric knowingly took the drug or was secretly given it. Then investigators begin looking at the marriage. More than a million dollars in debt. Life-insurance policies Eric may not have known about. Allegedly forged documents. Money moved without permission. An affair. And messages imagining a future without him. Prosecutors say Kouri obtained illicit pain pills and had already tried to poison Eric weeks earlier. The defense argues the state turned financial misconduct, an affair, unreliable witnesses, and ambiguous evidence into a murder narrative the science could not prove. While investigators build their case, Kouri publicly becomes the grieving widow, even publishing a children’s book about helping her three sons cope with their father’s death. Weeks later, she is arrested for his murder. In this episode, the Quiet Jury examines the evidence, the contradictions, and the unanswered question at the center of the case: Who put the fentanyl inside Eric Richins? 📍 Location: Kamas, Summit County, Utah 📅 Key Dates: 2013 marriage → 2019 real-estate business begins expanding → Sept 2020 Eric discovers disputed financial activity → Feb 14, 2022 alleged first poisoning attempt → Mar 4, 2022 Eric’s death → spring 2023 grief-book promotion → May 8, 2023 arrest → Feb–Mar 2026 trial → Mar 16, 2026 conviction → May 13, 2026 life-without-parole sentence 👥 Central Figures: Kouri Richins, Eric Eugene Richins, their three sons, Carmen Lauber, Robert Crozier, Robert Joshua Grossmann, Todd Gabler, Dr. Pamela Ulmer, Dr. Eric Christensen 🧠 Themes: grief and image management, financial desperation, circumstantial evidence, accident vs homicide, compromised witnesses, confirmation bias, infidelity, public identity vs private conduct, victim impact, the stories people construct when direct evidence is missing 🎧 Murderess Podcast is written and hosted by Sidney Smith 🎙 Produced in partnership with Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network 📅 New episodes every Thursday 🔗 Find past episodes, merch, and tour dates: https://www.sidneysmithcre8tiv.com 🎧 Listen on your favorite platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Sidney: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter → @sidneysmithcre8tiv Official Sources Used: – State of Utah court filings: detention briefs, charging documents, financial allegations, digital evidence summaries, witness statements, and procedural history – Utah trial testimony: Dr. Pamela Ulmer, Dr. Eric Christensen, Carmen Lauber, Robert Joshua Grossmann, Todd Gabler, and additional prosecution witnesses – Prosecution and defense closing arguments: competing interpretations of the toxicology, drug transactions, phone evidence, financial records, affair, and investigation – Utah Office of the Medical Examiner: autopsy findings, toxicology results, cause of death, and undetermined manner-of-death classification – Utah Supreme Court records and appellate filings: pretrial litigation and procedural rulings – Summit County investigative records: search-warrant affidavits, phone analysis, location data, interviews, and evidence recovered during the investigation – NPR reporting: trial, verdict, sentencing, legal arguments, and case chronology – CBS News reporting: conviction, victim-impact statements, and life-without-parole sentence – KPCW reporting: trial updates, witness testimony, drug-supplier evidence, judicial-bias litigation, and sentencing proceedings – ABC4 Utah reporting: Eric Richins’ life, family, business, and role as a father – Eric Eugene Richins’ obituary: family history, education, missionary service, masonry business, personality, outdoor interests, and relationship with his sons – Kouri Richins’ published and handwritten accounts: her description of her childhood, marriage, ambitions, grief, and the creation of Are You With Me? – Contemporary reporting and public interviews concerning Are You With Me?, its promotion, and Kouri’s presentation as a grieving widow – Victim-impact statements submitted by Eric and Kouri’s three sons and read during the May 13, 2026 sentencing hearing Tell me what stayed with you—I read every message. Your thoughts might even shape what the Quiet Jury hears next. Support the show

    #107 Kouri Richins - “Are You With Me?”
See All (138)

Trailers

4.9
out of 5
54 Ratings

About

Women kill for many of the same reasons men do: love, money, jealousy, rage, control, fear, survival, and sometimes reasons that are much harder to explain.  Murderess asks what happened, why it happened, and what the evidence actually tells us. Murderess Podcast is an immersive true-crime series hosted by comedian and storyteller Sidney Smith, examining the stories of women who kill. Every case is presented to the Quiet Jury, the listeners. From infamous murders to cases that received far less attention, each episode takes the Quiet Jury through the people, evidence, motives, contradictions, forensic details, courtroom battles, and choices behind the crime, while never losing sight of the lives taken along the way. The goal is not simply to tell you what happened. It is to give the Quiet Jury enough of the story to wrestle with the harder questions. What do we actually know? What can we prove? What does not fit? And how did she get there? With deeply researched storytelling, psychological complexity, and Sidney’s distinctive perspective, Murderess asks you to listen closely, question easy answers, and make up your own mind. The case is presented. The evidence is on the table. The Quiet Jury decides what stays with them. 🎧 New episodes every Thursday. Murderess Podcast is a production of Sidney Smith Cre8tiv, LLC and the You Hear Good Things podcast network.

Information

  • Creator
    Sidney Smith
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    138
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sidney Smith Cre8tiv
  • Show Website
    Murderess Podcast

You Might Also Like