MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
The Good Neighbors (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
Mon, 14 Apr 2025
It was a frigid December day in a small logging town in Maine, roughly an hour’s drive from the US-Canadian border. And despite the falling snow, Christmas shoppers were out in full force. While most of the shoppers hurried from store to store, a small crowd had gathered in front of the police station. The shoppers watched as an officer stapled a poster to a telephone pole. Then, when he was done, they shuffled closer for a better view. The poster contained a forensic artist’s sketch of a middle-aged woman. She had a narrow face, thin nose, glasses, and bangs. And according to the text above the image, the police were looking for this woman in connection with a recent double homicide. The murders were shocking, but they were also the most exciting thing to happen in this part of rural Maine for as long as anyone could remember. So despite the cold, the shoppers stood there studying the sketch and discussing whether it looked like anyone they knew. They were so caught up in their conversation, no one noticed a bundled-up figure hurrying past on the sidewalk. This figure slowed just long enough to glance at the poster and recognize the face in the sketch, which bore a striking resemblance to their own. Then, before anyone could notice them, the figure turned and hurried off into the falling snow. For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What happened on the cold December day in the small town of Maine?
Hey Prime members, you can binge eight new episodes of the Mr. Ballin Podcast one month early and all episodes ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. It was a frigid December day in a small logging town in Maine, roughly an hour's drive from the US-Canadian border. But despite the falling snow, Christmas shoppers were out in full force.
While most of the shoppers hurried from store to store, a small crowd had gathered in front of the police station. The shoppers watched as an officer stapled a poster to a telephone pole. Then, when he was done and stepped aside, they all shuffled closer for a better view. The poster was a sketch of a middle-aged woman. She had a narrow face, thin nose, glasses, and bangs.
And according to the text above the image, the police were looking for this woman in connection with a recent double homicide. The murders were horrible, but they were also the most exciting thing to happen in this part of rural Maine for as long as anyone could remember.
So despite the cold and the need to go buy Christmas gifts, these shoppers all stood there studying the sketch and discussing whether it looked like anyone they knew. And these shoppers were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice a bundled up figure hurrying past them on the sidewalk.
And this figure slowed down just long enough to glance at the poster and recognize the face in the sketch, which bore a striking resemblance to their own face. Then, before anyone could notice them, the figure turned and hurried off into the falling snow.
But before we get into that story, if you're a fan of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast because that's all we do and we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday. So if that's of interest to you, please give the follow button's phone number to as many telemarketers as you can. Okay, let's get into today's story.
When a young woman named Desiree vanishes without a trace, the trail leads to Cat Torres, a charismatic influencer with millions of followers. But behind the glamorous posts and inspirational quotes, a sinister truth unravels. Binge all episodes of Don't Cross Cat early and ad-free on Wondery+.
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Chapter 2: Who were Big Mike and Val, and what was their life like?
On the evening of November 27th, 2009, Michael Miller, or Big Mike as pretty much everyone knew him, was stomping around his property in Webster Plantation, Maine, studying his double-wide trailer and thinking through the new addition he was planning.
Like his nickname suggested, 47-year-old Big Mike was a huge man, and he had a big bushy beard, and he looked right at home in this desolate rural setting. The trailer stood at the center of a snowy clearing along the edge of dark woods. There were no other buildings in sight since Big Mike's closest neighbor lived almost 20 miles away.
His hometown of Webster Plantation wasn't really a town at all. It had a population of 85 people, a one-room town hall, two roads, and no streetlights. There had never really been much to do there, aside from, you know, creek fishing and taking in the nature, and for a lot of people, working at the local lumber mill.
Big Mike had been a seasonal employee there for 29 years, but just one week ago, he'd been laid off. The loss of his job had stung, but he wasn't too worried. He and his wife Val lived frugally, and so they had enough cash stowed away to get by until he found another job. Big Mike was just about to head back inside when he heard a vehicle approaching.
He turned to see a pair of headlights sweep through the trees. Then a familiar white Ford Explorer came into view and pulled up to his mobile home. It was his two sons, 27-year-old Mike Jr. and 26-year-old Matt. Mike Jr., the oldest son, was like a smaller, clean-shaven version of Big Mike. But Matt was a lot different. He was skinny and pale, with a buzz cut and tattoos along his neck.
Matt also had heavy shadows under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping well. Big Mike had not expected to see his kids tonight, but was happy for the visit. So he walked up and gave them each a big hug and invited them inside. Then he called out to Val that the boys had stopped by for a visit, and within seconds, his wife appeared from the kitchen with a tin of her famous coffee cakes in hand.
At 47 years old, Val was a very energetic and petite woman who looked even smaller standing next to her hulking husband. The family snacked and caught up, and then Val reminded everyone that they had a birthday tomorrow. Matt's baby daughter was turning one. However, Matt still had not told anyone what the party plans were.
Matt said they weren't really planning on doing anything, which Val immediately insisted was ridiculous. She said if Matt didn't want to plan something, well, she and Big Mike would be more than happy to host the party at their place. Matt tried to dissuade her, but finally just caved and agreed to let her host the party, as long as it was small.
Just immediate family, along with Mike Jr., Matt's girlfriend, as well as Mike Jr. 's best friend, Nate. The three of them were practically family anyway. Then Matt excused himself and asked if Big Mike could step outside for a moment. Big Mike's jaw instantly tensed. He could guess where this was heading.
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Chapter 3: What led to the discovery of the Millers’ double homicide?
But before they could figure it out, there was a commotion outside. The detectives went back to the living room and looked out the window at a young man in his late 20s flailing his arms in frustration while a sheriff's deputy blocked him from entering the front door. The man kept repeating that he needed to see his mother and father. Until finally, the deputy just said, I'm sorry, Mike.
They're gone. At that point, the young man began to sob. Then he stumbled back to his truck, which was parked alongside all the other law enforcement vehicles. Hey, listeners, big news for true crime lovers. You can now enjoy this podcast ad free on Amazon Music with your Prime membership.
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In this free weekly show, we explore bizarre unheard of diseases, strange medical mishaps, unexplainable deaths, and everything in between. Each story is totally true and totally terrifying. Go follow Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries wherever you get your podcasts, and if you're a Prime member, you can listen early and ad-free on Amazon Music.
By the time the detectives reached the man, he was sitting in the driver's seat with the door open, repeatedly trying to call someone on his cell phone. Strout and Peary introduced themselves to the young man, who replied that he was Mike Jr., the Miller's oldest son.
They asked him why he had come to his parents' place, and he explained that he'd just heard from a friend that there was some kind of an accident at his mom and dad's place. And so he had brushed over as fast as he could, but he'd never expected to learn that both of his parents were dead. Mike Jr. said he had spent the last few minutes desperately trying to call his younger brother, Matt.
Mike wanted to be the one to break the news before Matt heard it from someone else. But unfortunately, Matt wasn't picking up. Now, Mike Jr. set his phone aside and turned to Stroughton Peary. He had the look of a man who was in shock. But he said he wanted to help and then offered to tell them anything they wanted to know.
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Chapter 4: What did the detectives find at the crime scene?
And so Peary was thinking more than ever that robbery had to be the motive for the murders when his partner, Detective Strout, came in to join him. Strout said he had just spoken to the office who had given him an address for Clayton Gidden, Mike Jr. 's cousin. He was located in the nearby tiny town of Springfield.
Strout told his partner that Clayton was apparently an avid hunter, which meant he very likely owned a lot of guns. Now, both detectives were even more eager to talk to him. Later that afternoon, when Strout and Peary knocked on Clayton's door, a young girl answered. She ran to get her father and returned moments later with a man in his mid-30s.
Clayton was clearly shaken up, as though he'd already heard the news about his aunt and uncle's deaths. However, when the detectives told him that Big Mike and Val were murdered, Clayton seemed startled. And then he became even more distraught when he realized he was a potential suspect. But Detective Peary promised Clayton they were only there to talk.
So Clayton took a few calming breaths, then he invited them into the living room. Clayton told the detectives that he'd driven out to have coffee with his aunt and uncle that morning, and he'd taken his nine-year-old daughter with him. When they arrived at their mobile home around 10 a.m., Big Mike and Val were at ease and looking forward to the birthday party later that day.
There was no sign of any trouble, and the couple did not seem like they were in danger. Detective Strout listened patiently while at the same time studying the man for any sign that he might be lying. But Clayton seemed genuinely shocked. And if his daughter really had been there that morning, Strout had a hard time believing that Clayton was the killer.
After all, who could commit murder in front of their own child? But suddenly, Clayton said something that made both detectives lean forward in their seats. He told them that he and his daughter were not the only ones at the Miller's place that morning. When they arrived, Big Mike and Val were already chatting with a young man named Nate Nightingale.
Clayton didn't know exactly why Nate was there or what he was doing, but he said he didn't find it that unusual. Nate was Mike Jr. 's best friend, and he hung around the Miller's place all the time. But Clayton said the detectives should still talk to him, because when Clayton left the trailer at 10.30am, Nate was still there.
Hearing this, Strout and Peary could both feel the case starting to pick up speed. The Millers had been dead for only a matter of hours, but already the detectives had a potential witness who might have been in the room when the murders happened. When the detectives met at the state police office the following day, November 29th, they found new information waiting for them.
The autopsy results had come in, and they confirmed that Big Mike and Val were killed with a .22 caliber pistol. This cemented the detectives' suspicions that they'd both been shot at close range, likely right there in their kitchen. The office had also pulled Big Mike's phone records, showing that he'd called a friend at 10.40 a.m.
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Chapter 5: What was revealed about Big Mike’s secret business?
Big Mike had apparently turned him down, most likely because he knew Matt would simply blow the money on drugs. But the most damning tip of all didn't have anything to do with Matt's addiction or his criminal past. A local resident told the detectives they'd seen Matt's white Ford Explorer in the vicinity of his parents' house on the morning of the murders.
This was something Matt had never disclosed to the police, and it potentially put him at the scene during the two-hour window when Big Mike and Val were murdered. At this point, Stroud and Peary knew it was time to talk to Matt again. They were not quite ready to charge him with his parents' murders, but the facts were quickly stacking up against him.
So on December 3rd, five days after the murders, they arrested Matt on that outstanding bounced check charge and brought him in for questioning. Once they put him in a room, they pushed him hard, telling him they knew he killed his parents. And Matt just denied everything, while at the same time becoming increasingly emotional.
But after hours of intense interrogation, Matt stuck to a story that he never would hurt his parents. And even the detectives started to wonder if they had it wrong. So they ultimately sent Matt back to a holding cell and then stepped out of the interview room to regroup. And that's when they got a tip that reassured them they were on the right track.
A local man called to say that on the evening before Big Mike and Val were killed, Matt had called him up looking to buy a gun. He even specified he wanted a .22 caliber pistol, which according to the autopsy, was the type of gun used to commit the murders.
The man said the firearm sale had not gone through, but the detectives figured Matt still could have kept on looking and eventually gotten his hands on a .22. With this new tip, the detectives marched back into the holding cell where Matt sat on his bed and told him what they'd learned. Matt immediately insisted that the tip was false, saying he never tried to buy a gun that night.
But the stress of the interrogation was clearly wearing on him, and finally he broke down and confessed. Not to murdering his parents, but to lying about his alibi. He said that on the morning of the murders, he was meeting with a drug dealer not far from his parents' place. He bought some pills and then went into the woods to take them.
He later lied about it because he didn't want to incriminate himself and because he was ashamed that he was off getting high while he was supposed to be getting ready for his daughter's first birthday party. Strout and Peary were skeptical of Matt's tearful confession, especially after all the lies, but they agreed to check out his new alibi and see if there was any truth to it.
The detectives began by pulling security camera footage from businesses along the route Matt said he took. It was a very tedious process that took two full days, as the detective scrubbed hours of footage looking for Matt's white Ford Explorer. Strout's eyes were starting to glaze over when Peary suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pointed at the screen.
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Chapter 6: Who is Clayton Gidden and what was his connection to the Millers?
They pulled the object from the drawer, and they felt a rush of exhilaration as they stared down at the .22 caliber pistol in their hand. It wasn't what they'd initially planned to sell, but this gun could get them all the cash they needed. A few hours later, the killer was standing in the Miller's mobile home, talking to Big Mike in the kitchen.
After their desperate morning search, the killer finally felt calm. Finally, the conversation with Big Mike moved past chit-chat to business. The killer pulled the pistol from their jacket and held it out, asking how much Big Mike could offer for it. The killer wasn't here to shoot Big Mike. They had come to pawn the gun. Big Mike looked the weapon over thoughtfully, then gave his answer.
The killer blinked, then shrugged and nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. It was less than they had hoped for, but probably a fair offer for the tiny pistol. Big Mike handed the gun back over and said he would need to grab his business ledger from the storage room, and then he turned, but before Mike took a single step, the killer's finger brushed against the trigger.
The hammer was still cocked from Big Mike's examination, and the gun went off. The killer jumped from surprise as Big Mike collapsed, his enormous body slumping to the floor of the kitchen. Val screamed and rushed into the room, instantly dropping to her husband's side. In an instant, the killer realized what they'd just done. They had shot Big Mike in the head.
Maybe Val would believe this was an accident. Maybe she wouldn't. But right now, all the killer wanted was for her screaming to stop. Without really understanding why, the killer raised the gun and fired, this time on purpose. Val's scream was cut short as a bullet hit her in the head and she collapsed onto her husband.
The killer just stared down at the crumpled bodies, horrified by what they'd just done. The situation felt so unreal, but as the seconds ticked by and Big Mike and Val didn't move, the killer knew they were dead. Then the killer realized that if they didn't want to spend the rest of their life in prison, they would need to get out of the mobile home right now.
And they were about to flee when a thought suddenly struck them. They came here for money, and Big Mike would not be needing money anymore. Besides, it might be good for the killer if the police thought the shooting was part of a robbery. So the killer ran for the storage room. They threw the door open and stood there for a moment, taking stock of the guns and electronics.
The killer knew they couldn't carry very much, so they decided to take the safe. Before leaving, the killer stopped to consider Big Mike's business ledgers. They knew these books would include the sizable loans the killer had taken out from him in the past. This made the killer nervous.
So, the killer quickly flipped through the pages of the ledger books until they found one containing their own name. They tucked that ledger under their arm, picked up the small but heavy safe, and left the storage room. They avoided looking at the bodies on the kitchen floor as they shuffled past, and they just continued to drag the safe out of the mobile home back to their car.
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Chapter 7: What were the initial investigative steps taken by the detectives?
Chapter 8: How did the family members react to the tragedy?
The man said the firearm sale had not gone through, but the detectives figured Matt still could have kept on looking and eventually gotten his hands on a .22. With this new tip, the detectives marched back into the holding cell where Matt sat on his bed and told him what they'd learned. Matt immediately insisted that the tip was false, saying he never tried to buy a gun that night.
But the stress of the interrogation was clearly wearing on him, and finally he broke down and confessed. Not to murdering his parents, but to lying about his alibi. He said that on the morning of the murders, he was meeting with a drug dealer not far from his parents' place. He bought some pills and then went into the woods to take them.
He later lied about it because he didn't want to incriminate himself and because he was ashamed that he was off getting high while he was supposed to be getting ready for his daughter's first birthday party. Strout and Peary were skeptical of Matt's tearful confession, especially after all the lies, but they agreed to check out his new alibi and see if there was any truth to it.
The detectives began by pulling security camera footage from businesses along the route Matt said he took. It was a very tedious process that took two full days, as the detective scrubbed hours of footage looking for Matt's white Ford Explorer. Strout's eyes were starting to glaze over when Peary suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pointed at the screen.
The footage showed a familiar car traveling away from the Miller's place at 11.25 a.m. on November 28th, the morning of the murders. The detectives stared at the grainy footage, slowly realizing what this meant. The footage conclusively showed that the car's driver had lied about their alibi and had been close to the trailer around the time the crime was committed.
Strout and Peary leapt into action. They sent officers out to bring that driver in for questioning. But before the arrest warrant could ever be drawn up, Peary's phone rang. He answered it, and there was a woman on the line. Peary did not recognize her voice, but she told him she had vital information about the Miller's case. For a moment, Peary was ready to write this off as just another bad tip.
He and Stroud had been fielding calls all week from people who claimed to recognize the mystery woman from the forensic sketch, and every one of those calls had been a dead end. But this one was different. the caller didn't mention the mystery woman at all. Instead, she said she actually knew who killed Big Mike and Val.
And as the detectives listened to her story, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. Based on the evidence collected at the crime scene, security camera footage, and interviews conducted throughout the investigation, the following is a reconstruction of what police believe happened to Michael and Valerie Miller on the morning of November 28, 2009.
Early that morning, the killer was home in their apartment, rifling through drawers in search of something, anything that they could quickly turn into cash. They'd already pawned or sold their video game console, DVD player, and sound system, along with pretty much everything else of value. Now they were broke again, and getting desperate. Suddenly, their hand closed around a metal grip.
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