True Crime Conversations
Episodes
Anita Cobby: The Full Story
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This month we’re foc...
Coming Soon: Australia's Most Notorious Crimes
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This March we’re foc...
The Night Stalker
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s May 30, 1985, in Burbank, California. Spring is turning to summer, and the wide streets in the San Fernando Valley are lined with their sig...
The Edward Street Baby Farm
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s February 5, 1907, and a short, dark haired man in his late thirties named Corporal O’Halloran is on the doorstep of a house on Edward...
The Execution of Melbourne's Vampire Gigolo
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s August 16, 2002, when a man named Shane Chartres-Abbott meets a client at South Yarra’s Hotel Saville. The 27-year-old is a male pros...
Sydney’s Infamous 'Granny Killer'
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the first day of Autumn, 1989, in an affluent Sydney suburb. Mosman is on the lower north shore and known for being comfortable and safe, a...
The Abduction of Wendy Pfeiffer
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The small town of Mylor, buried in the Adelaide Hills, has a population of just over one thousand people. Properties sit on sprawling bushland, betwee...
The Melbourne Schoolgirl Strangler
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in Spring, 1930. Mena Griffiths is 12 years old and living with her family in suburban Melbourne. There’s ...
BEST OF 2020: The Fake Diving Resort
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1980s, a brochure was printed across the world, for an idyllic holiday resort called Arous. It was a diving resort on the Red Sea, in the Sudan...
BEST OF 2020: Blood On The Tracks: What Happened To Mark Haines
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. In 1988 the death o...
BEST OF 2020: Gary Jubelin & The Case That Cost Him His Job
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s July 2018 when Detective Gary Jubelin stands in front of microphones and news cameras and says the words: “I suggest you come to us b...
BEST OF 2020: How Nicola Gobbo Became Lawyer X
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated. Nicola is a successful defence barri...
The Vanishing Of Vivienne Cameron
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Phillip Island lies just off Australia’s southern coast, about two hours from the city of Melbourne. In 1986, the Cameron family were well known...
After The Night: How The Night Caller Terrorised Perth
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Australia Day 1963, in the middle of a hot summer in Perth. A couple are sitting in a car, kissing and talking, in the beachside suburb of ...
The Cost Saxon Mullins Paid For Being A ‘Witness’
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was 2018 when Saxon Mullins, now 23, came out and said the four words: “I am that girl.” People had heard what had happened to a young ...
Decades Of Abuse: The Case Of The Tasmanian Nurse - Part Two
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second part of a two part episode. If you haven't listened to part one, listen here now.Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest citi...
Decades Of Abuse: The Case Of The Tasmanian Nurse - Part One
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities. Just south of the city centre stands Launceston General Hospital, one of the main public ho...
How Laura Frizzo Caught The Black Widow: Part Two
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second half of a two-parter. If you haven't heard part one yet, listen here and then come back to listen to part two. Chris Regan, a...
How Laura Frizzo Caught The Black Widow: Part One
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Iron River, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is known for its scenic lakes, hiking trails, exceptionally cold winters and dense forest. It’s...
How Angela Jay Survived Her Tinder Stalker
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was mid 2016, when 28-year-old Angela Jay downloaded Tinder. Angela had come out of a long term relationship and had decided it was time to start d...
How Nicola Gobbo Became Lawyer X
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated. Nicola is a successful defence barri...
Janine Vaughan: The Woman Who Disappeared Into The Night
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was a Thursday night in December, 2001, when a woman named Janine Vaughan attended a nightclub in Bathurst called the Metro Tavern. Janine had live...
The Secret Hidden In Matthieu Heimel's Family
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Matthieu Heimel grew up knowing nothing about his biological parents. His life in Perth had been enough for him until his two children began ask...
The Real Life Narco
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was a tropical night in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and 45-year-old Luis Navia’s 25-year stint as a narco (a drug trafficker) was comi...
The Woman Who Dressed As Anita Cobby
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was a summer night in 1986 when 26-year-old Anita Cobby met friends for dinner in Redfern. Afterwards, the registered nurse caught the train ...
A Web Of Lies: The Murder of Amy Allwine
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s early 2016 when a description of American woman Amy Allwine is posted to the Dark Web: “She’s about five foot six, she looks ab...
Newcastle’s Grooming Of The Altar Boys
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1974 in the suburb of Hamilton, which is about four kilometres from the heart of Newcastle. The area is an idyllic backdrop for an Australi...
How Police Caught The Golden State Killer
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1978 in the Californian city of Stockton. Bob and Gay Hardwick, a couple in their twenties, are asleep in the early hours of the morning. S...
Gary Jubelin & The Case That Cost Him His Job
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s July 2018 when Detective Gary Jubelin stands in front of microphones and news cameras and says the words: “I suggest you come to us b...
Two Of The Most Wanted Men In Australia
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to violent crime, can what happened to someone as a child, ever justify their actions as an adult? In today’s episode, Jessie is s...
‘Nightmare Of Errors’: The Case Of Kelvin Condren
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was Saturday morning, when a routine police patrol drove past a mostly empty car park in the remote Queensland town of Mount Isa. When police edged...
How An Internet Date Led To 7 Years Of Chasing Charlie
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode of True Crime Conversations Jessie speaks with Julia Robson. Julia is a private investigator, who spent 7 years on the trail ...
Jose Martinez: A Killer Hiding In Plain Sight
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Jose Martinez’s sister was murdered, he got revenge by murdering her killers. This sparked what would end up being three dozen murders, he ...
Lost in Larrimah: The Disappearance of Paddy Moriarty
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In December 2017, Larrimah local Paddy Moriarty left his favourite pub and embarked on the two minute ride home, with his kelpie Kellie sitting beside...
The Life Of A 21 Year Old Undercover Cop
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Jessie speaks with one of Queensland’s most highly regarded police officers, Keith Banks, about his experiences as an undercove...
Australia's Most Notorious Con Man
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Foster is one of Australia's most prolific career criminals. From diet products to sports betting companies, this con man stops at nothing. His ...
The First Time He Hit Her: The Murder Of Tara Costigan
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tara Costigan was a hard working mum, friend, close with her family and liked by those who she met. She was also killed by her partner one week after ...
Four Children, Three Murders: Kathleen Folbigg’s Story
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kathleen Folbigg is thought to be one of the most infamous serial killing women in Australia. She was found guilty of the murder of her three infant c...
The Fake Diving Resort
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1980s, a brochure was printed across the world, for an idyllic holiday resort called Arous. It was a diving resort on the Red Sea, in the Sudan...
Blood On The Tracks: What Happened To Mark Haines
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. In 1988 the death o...
Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier of global influence and moved in powerful social circles. He was also an alleged child sex trafficker, a convicted cri...
Salvation, Miracles And 900 Dead: Inside The Jonestown Massacre
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Jones was a charismatic pastor, preaching of salvation and a bountiful life for all those who followed him. He also was the man responsible for on...
The Husband And Wife Serial Killers: Part Two
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of our two part series on the life and crimes of serial killers David and Catherine Birnie, we examine the crimes the pair carri...
The Husband And Wife Serial Killers: Part One
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In November 1986, police visited a quiet residence on a suburban Perth street. The occupants of that house, lifelong lovers David and Catherine Birnie...
"Born With The Devil In Me": America's First Serial Killer
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Henry Howard Holmes was America’s first serial killer. The charismatic criminal lured his victims to his hotel dubbed “the murder castl...
The Mystery Of Beenham Valley Road
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Kirra McLoughlin died on a property on Beenham Valley Road near Gympie, Queensland, law enforcement and medical examiners were baffled. Kirra&rsq...
The Untold Story Of The Bali Nine
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 17 April 2005, nine young Australians were arrested in Bali on charges of drug trafficking. Known as the 'Bali 9', some members received the death ...
Sex Slaves, Rituals, And Blackmail: The Lost Women Of NXIVM
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The rise and fall of Keith Raniere and the now defunct NXIVM cult is one of the most disturbing scandals of our age. What began as a purported self-he...
Stephanie Scott: The Case That Shook A Small Town
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When 26-year-old school teacher Stephanie Scott disappeared days before her wedding, her fiance immediately knew something was wrong. She wasn’t...
The Disappearance Of Sydney Model Revelle Balmain
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was November 1994 and Jan Balmain was confused. She was waiting for her 22-year-old daughter Revelle to get off the train from Sydney to Newcastle....
Drugs, Dictators, A Diabolical Plot: The Last Voyage Of The Pong Su
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was the afternoon of April 15, 2003, when residents of Lorne, a seaside town on the shoreline of the Great Ocean Road, noticed something they&rsquo...
A Shark, A Tattooed Arm, And A Baffling Murder Mystery
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When a shark vomited up a tattooed arm in the Coogee Aquarium in 1935, onlookers were horrified. This arm would be the catalyst for exposing the seedy...
Qandeel Baloch Was Murdered For What She Posted Online
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Qandeel Baloch was dubbed Pakistan’s answer to Kim Kardashian but her story is very different. Her older brother murdered her for bringing disho...
Inside The Twisted Van Breda Family Murder
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Van Breda family appeared to be the perfect picture of success. So how did three of the five family members end up murdered in their family home o...
"I Was In A Horror Film”: Surviving The Salt Creek Attacks
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was February 2016, dry and uncomfortably warm, when 23-year-old Brazilian backpacker Beatriz meets a German backpacker of the same age named Lena. ...
Diabolical And Detonated; The Collar Bomb Heist
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Erie, Pennsylvania is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie, halfway between New York and Ohio. It was August the 28th, 2003, when a man named Brian ...
The Eastern Suburbs Killer
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1932, a woman named Iris Marriott prepared dinner in a small flat in Sydney’s East. It was the peak of the Great Depression an...
Perfect Murder Or Tragic Accident: What Happened To Rebecca Zahau
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rebecca Zahau was in the bathroom when she heard a bang. It was July 11, 2011, and the 32-year-old was caring for six-year-old Max Shacknai, the...
Katherine Knight: The Abattoir Murderer Of Aberdeen
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was 6am on March 1, 2000, when John Price’s neighbour noticed his car was still in the driveway. It struck him as unusual. John’s...
The Claremont Serial Killer
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Claremont was a buzzing, wealthy suburb, about 20 minutes from Perth, Western Australia. With pubs and bars along wide, safe streets. It was kno...
Best Of 2019: The Case Of Balcony Murderer Simon Gittany
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of True Crime Conversations is part of our 2019/2020 Holiday series. We've handpicked episodes from throughout the year that we though de...
Best Of 2019: The Bowraville Murders
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of True Crime Conversations is part of our 2019/2020 Holiday series. We've handpicked episodes from throughout the year that we though de...
Best Of 2019: The Beauty Queen Killer
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of True Crime Conversations is part of our 2019 Holiday series. We've handpicked episodes from throughout the year that we though deserve...
The Sydney Siege: Part Two
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
15 hostages remain. For some, 10 hours of terror still awaits them. On the afternoon of December 15, 2014, offices were evacuated and rumours sp...
The Sydney Siege: Part One
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It was looking to be a warm, busy day when Tori Johnson arrived at work just after 6am on a Monday morning in December 2014. The 34-year-old was in ch...
John Edwards And The Family Murder That Shook Australia
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On a winter evening in July, 2018, West Pennant Hills sounded different. Usually quiet, the Thursday evening was polluted by blasting police sirens, a...
It Took 30 Years To Solve The Mystery Of What Happened To Ursula Barwick
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In late Spring, 1987, 17-year-old Ursula Barwick, stepped off the platform, and boarded a train from Tuggerah on the Central Coast, bound for Sydney. ...
The Easey Street Murders And The Mystery That Followed
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It was mid-October, 1976, when Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28 moved in to number 147, Easey St. The three-bedroom house was perfect for...
Anne Hamilton-Byrne And The Children Who Were Never Hers
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Hamilton-Byrne is a name that Australians won’t soon forget. What started out as a series of yoga teachings by the woman who believed she w...
BONUS: Murder In The Bayou
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It was May 20, 2005, when a retiree named Jerry Jackson cast his fishing line from a bridge over the Grand Marais Canal, located on the fringe of Jenn...
Killed By The Man Next Door: The Murder Of Tosha Thakkar
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday March 9, 2011, a suitcase was found in a canal next to Meadowbank Park, located about 30 minutes from Sydney’s central business distri...
What Happened To Gerard Ross: The Boy In The Blue Cap
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
11-year-old Gerard Ross went missing in October 1997 while on a family holiday in the WA town of Rockingham. Two weeks later a horse trainer was out e...
A Terrifying Monster: The True Story Of Leonard Fraser
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Leonard Fraser was the very embodiment of a monster. He was sentenced to life on the 7th of September 2000 for the abduction rape and murder of 9-year...
A Suitcase Floating In A Lake: The Tragic Story Of Rachel Pfitzner And Dean Shillingsworth
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It was a warm spring day when two young boys were playing at Mandurama reserve in the Sydney suburb of Ambarvale. It was a place where families and fr...
The Somerton Man: One Of The World’s Most Baffling Mysteries
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The case of the Somerton Man is one of the most baffling cases in modern criminal history. In 1948 the body of a man was found on Somerton Park Beach ...
The Bus Stop Killer
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Levi Bellfield has been charged and found guilty of the murder of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell, Amelie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate S...
The Man Who "Knows What Happened" To The Beaumont Children
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest running cases in the na...
What Really Happened To Azaria Chamberlain?
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the sun set over Uluru on August 17th, 1980, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain put their two month old baby Azaria to bed. What happened next is ...
Ivan Milat: What You Haven't Been Told About Australia's Best Known Serial Killer
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is speculated that Ivan Milat's days are numbered. Australia’s most notorious serial killer is. Milat is serving 7 concurrent life sentences ...
The Fall: The Case Of Balcony Murderer Simon Gittany
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2014 Simon Gittany was found guilty of throwing his 30 year old fiancé Lisa Harnum from the balcony of their shared 15th floor apartment. Si...
Samantha Knight: The Bondi School Girl Who Never Came Home
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
UPDATE: Since recording this episode, murderer and serial paedophile, Michael Guider, the man responsible for Samantha's death, has been release...
Granny Evil: Australia's Most Infamous Matriarch
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kathleen Pettingill had ten children. All of them are either incarcerated, in witness protection, or dead. So, how did Kathleen become the head o...
The Beauty Queen Killer
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Wilder is the Australian serial killer responsible for the biggest man hunt in US history. Wilder lured his victims by posing as a talent ...
A Killer Cop: Roger Rogerson Was More Than A Murderer
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Roger Rogerson is one of the only Australian killers with a badge. A fraudster, drug dealer, and killer, he was finally stopped in a murder plot now k...
A Mother And Daughter Went Missing And Nobody Noticed
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When two-year old Khandalyce Pearce went missing police couldn’t understand why her mother wasn’t looking for her. But Khandalyce’s ...
The Serial Killer Who Inspired A Horror Film
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Danny Rolling would become one of the most violent serial killers in modern America’s history. His crimes, spree-like in nature, inspired the 19...
The Lady Vanishes: What Happened To Marion Barter
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did Marion Barter’s overseas holiday in 1997 become her last? Reporter Bryan Seymour, host of The Lady Vanishes podcast, takes Jessie throug...
The Case Of The Bowraville Murders
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be advised that this episode contains the naming of deceased people, and the recounting of the ...
Angel of Death: The Curse Of Dulcie Markham
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dulcie Markham, better known as The Angel Of Death, has been called Australia’s most beautiful bad woman. A key figure in the underworld gangs o...
No Footprints: The Mysterious Disappearance Of Maura Murray
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday 9th February 2004 Maura Murray vanished. She had crashed her car on a winding stretch of road in Woodsville New Hampshire USA. A local man n...
"I've Been Kidnapped" The Case Of Belgian Backpacker Davine Arckens
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When 24-year-old Belgian backpacker Davine Arckens reached out to a man on Gumtree about working on his farm she was excited. The 88 days of lab...