And That's Why We Drink – Episode 471: “Crop Top Capes and a Beatles Ghost” (Feb 22, 2026)

Podcast Hosts: Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz
Main Theme: The strange intersection of murder and the paranormal—this episode journeys through a chilling true haunting story intertwined with family secrets, generational trauma, and classic “hope in a hellscape” humor. Christine delivers the harrowing conclusion of the Tote Family Murders, while Em recounts the compelling Barini Haunting, starring ghost children and a menacing, caped entity.

OVERVIEW

This episode balances the unsettling with the absurd, beginning with candid reflections on mental health and the relentless weirdness of modern headlines, and then diving into a séance-ready ghost story (the Barini Haunting) and shockingly generational true crime (Tote Family Murders, Part 2). While the episode is threaded with topics like hope, family dysfunction, despair, nostalgia, and the humor it takes to survive—a central motif emerges: “the world’s a scary place and that’s why we drink.”

KEY TOPICS & DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Grappling With The Chaos of Modern Life (02:11–13:42)

Tone: Frustrated yet humorous venting about daily doomscrolling, the onslaught of disturbing news, and maintaining hope.
Example: The hosts discuss a bizarre real news story about Savannah Guthrie’s mother being kidnapped, internet conspiracies, and the sense that “evil is winning.”
Memorable Quote
- Christine (12:27): “One of the comments said, ‘Why does it feel like evil is winning?’... Like exterminating cockroaches: it looks worse before it gets better. We’re just finally seeing what’s always been there.”

2. Personal Updates & Levity (03:13–17:10, 63:00–66:34)

Drink chat: Strawberry lemonades, iced lattes, and supporting mental health with analog hobbies like sticker books.
Levity: Em’s impulse buy—a bag shaped like a Fruity Pebbles box—serves as a literal and figurative symbol of “finding little joy in a hellscape.”
Quote
- Em (16:07): “I don't know, I was having a mental breakdown. I saw it on the street and thought, ‘That looks great! I’ll take it.’”

3. Analog Pleasures: Sticker Books & Creative Coping (19:03–22:44)

Sticker obsession: Em advocates the therapeutic power of finally organizing years of sticker collecting into a book for “analog joy.”
**Christine admits coloring with Leona, her child, brought rare and surprising calm—a “nervous system-calming activity.”

4. The Barini Haunting: Ghost Children, Family Secrets, and the Caped Minister (24:58–61:06)

Story Begins — [24:58]

Setting: New England, late 1970s; Joe and Rose Barini move into Joe’s father’s childhood home.
- Notable Meta: The names and location have been changed for privacy.
Immediate Haunting: Rose starts hearing the voice of a little girl named Serena calling “Mama! This is Serena,” (31:51) shortly before a series of family tragedies unfold—tonsil surgery almost kills a child, an elderly grandmother suffers a stroke, and death ensues. Each ghostly visit foreshadows doom.
Tension on Family Knowledge:
- Em (28:14): “Joe is just calling around, being like, does anyone know about this random family member? I’ve never heard about them.”
- Christine (28:46): “And you know what they say next? ‘Well, you never asked.’”
Discovery: Serena is revealed to have been Joe’s aunt, a five-year-old child who died in the house decades prior—her “Mama” cries perhaps meant for her real mother, now the grandmother.
- Christine (38:18): “Maybe when she was saying ‘Mama,’ she was trying to talk to her mom who’s still alive.”

The Ghost Boy Appears — [39:35]

A new spirit: After Serena’s visits stop, Rose sees a translucent boy in white—later identified as Giorgio, another of Joe’s relatives who died at 8 and was buried in his first communion suit.
Symbolic Search: Giorgio is seen searching the house; pulling up a rug reveals a Virgin Mary medallion he’d been “looking for.”
- Christine (44:46): "He finds, like, a medallion of the Virgin Mary... Maybe he thought, I need to go.”
Themes: The children’s ghosts may be lost and looking for closure or passage to the afterlife. The family’s living (and dead) are oddly disconnected. The ghosts' presence seems to reveal or give voice to family secrets never spoken aloud.

Enter the Caped, Hunchbacked Figure — [61:06]

Violent escalation: After these “resolutions,” a more menacing apparition emerges—a dark, hunchbacked man in a cape with “big feet,” who claims to be a “minister of God” and starts screaming obscenities, moving objects, breaking religious icons, and violently attacking Rose.
Atmosphere: The haunting becomes violent—phones flying, heavy doors and bookcases relocating themselves, attic stairs slamming so hard the ceiling cracks, levitation, physical assaults, and a kitchen knife driven into the table.
- Em (69:14): “The stairs would open and slam, so hard that the ceiling cracked.”
Resolution Attempts: Priests offer only platitudes — “Just ignore it!” They eventually perform a powerful exorcism/cleansing ritual, after which the activity ceases. The American Institute of Parapsychology investigates, but accounts differ on what was found.

Reflection on Everyday Hauntings & Ghost Tech — [55:13]

Christine and Em discuss how hauntings have evolved—now ghosts might fiddle with captions, send texts, or manipulate WiFi.
- Christine (55:13): “There are... technological ghosts, like when text messages come through from a deceased person.”

CAPES!

A running gag and earnest PSA: Em’s love of functional capes (“crop top capes”) for warmth and confidence. Listeners are encouraged to embrace capes as stylish and practical.
- Em (65:07): “This is a PSA: If you’ve ever thought of buying a cape... I’ve never once regretted it.”

5. The Tote Family Murders, Part 2: Generational Darkness (88:03–138:38)

Recap & Setup — [88:03]

Christine recaps Part 1: Anthony “Tony” Tote, therapist husband/father under immense financial, legal, and familial stress, murders his wife Megan, three children, and their dog in Celebration, Florida. He lived with their corpses for weeks, gave a taped confession full of chilling detail, then later recanted and blamed his late wife.
- The Mundanity of Evil: The peanut M&M’s detail—Tony, after the murders, eats peanut M&M’s and drinks Diet Coke beside the dead—becomes the symbol of “normal behavior” in the face of horrific acts.
  - Christine (94:34): “You just see the receipt... this guy just went to the store and his family’s all dead at home.”

Anthony's Father’s Own Dark History — [98:35]

Generational trauma: 1980: When Tony was 4, his own father, Bob, hired a hitman (a former student) to kill Tony’s mother, Loretta—the attempt failed, but Loretta was gravely injured.
Tony’s 27-page jailhouse letter to his estranged father is discussed at length for its narcissism, evasions, and self-pity.
- Christine (105:44): “He basically wrote a letter to commiserate—about being wrongly accused.”

Trial & Defense Absurdities — [126:25]

Tony’s preposterous “I didn’t do it” defense: He claims Megan did it all (including making a Benadryl pie), and that he fell asleep in a van, later discovering the murders. He says he “wanted to protect her honor,” arranged the bodies “compassionately,” tried (and failed repeatedly) to kill himself.
The prosecution’s succinct argument: control, narcissism, and escalating desperation.
- Christine (124:42): “He told detectives, ‘Parents bring their children into this world, and they get to decide when they leave.’”
The courtroom drama: Tony takes the stand, spins ever-wilder stories, and is ultimately found guilty on all counts.

Notable Quotes

Christine (114:03): “How did he find a way to turn his murder into him being a victim? That’s incredible.”
Em (117:03): “The tunnel vision of trying to desperately make it about him. How do you miss the much bigger plot point here?”

Sentencing — [135:31]

Judge: “You are a destroyer of worlds. You’ve destroyed not just one world, but four.”
Tony is sentenced to life. He continues to file ridiculous appeals and lawsuits.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS & RUNNING BITS

Analog hobbies as nervous system regulation—“The world is tough, so get you a sticker book.”
Modern haunting technology: Would ghosts use WiFi? “Hauntings would be so much more boring today—‘That’s just AI.’”
Capes: Earnest, recurring plug for crop-top capes as comfort, armor, and style. “Where’d you get it?” “Comic Con—intended for cosplay, but practical!”
Absurdity of family secrets: Generational blindness, gaslighting (“You never asked!”), and finding out about dead relatives through hauntings rather than conversation.

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

[02:11] – Current events spiral, apocalypse vibes, and how to find hope in chaos
[19:03] – Sticker book therapy and analog activities
[24:58] – Start of the Barini Haunting (ghost children, family secrets)
[39:35] – The ghost boy Giorgio appears
[61:06] – The appearance of the caped, hunchbacked “minister of God”
[69:14] – Attic stairs slam, haunting escalates violently
[88:03] – Recap and beginning of Tote Family Murders, Part 2
[98:35] – Father’s attempt to kill Tony’s mom; generational trauma
[126:25] – Tony’s trial, wild defense, and prosecution’s closing
[135:31] – Judge’s poetic sentencing

STANDOUT QUOTES & HUMOR

Em (38:18): “Maybe when she was saying ‘Mama,’ she was trying to talk to her mom who’s still alive.”
Christine (94:52): “Wants a Diet Coke. Yeah. It makes it extra eerie because it’s like, I can relate to a part of you but not be able to get the rest.”
Em (61:15): “The origin of McDonald’s... It all started with a small Italian pasta family.”
On capes:
- Em (65:07): “If you’ve ever thought about buying a cape... never once regretted it. I only get compliments.”

THEME & TONE

The episode threads heavy true crime with paranormal lore, humorously digresses (often about capes, sticker books, or analog joy), and always circles back to the struggle of surviving—and finding hope or humor—in a world that increasingly feels both haunted and absurd. Whether the topic is family annihilation or levitating beds, Christine and Em provide context, empathy, and sharp observational wit.

SUMMARY

If you missed this episode:
Expect a striking blend of chilling ancestral hauntings, generational family secrets, and some truly gobsmacking narcissistic villainy in the true crime segment—punctuated with banter, dark humor, and oddly earnest discussions about capes, sticker books, and how to maintain hope. You’ll hear stories that unsettle and make you laugh in equal measure—proof that sometimes all you can do is “channel rage into hope,” maybe eat some peanut M&M’s, and always, always find a little levity (or a new cape) in a haunted world.

And That's Why We Drink – Episode 471: “Crop Top Capes and a Beatles Ghost” (Feb 22, 2026)

OVERVIEW

KEY TOPICS & DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Grappling With The Chaos of Modern Life (02:11–13:42)

Tone: Frustrated yet humorous venting about daily doomscrolling, the onslaught of disturbing news, and maintaining hope.
Example: The hosts discuss a bizarre real news story about Savannah Guthrie’s mother being kidnapped, internet conspiracies, and the sense that “evil is winning.”
Memorable Quote
- Christine (12:27): “One of the comments said, ‘Why does it feel like evil is winning?’... Like exterminating cockroaches: it looks worse before it gets better. We’re just finally seeing what’s always been there.”

2. Personal Updates & Levity (03:13–17:10, 63:00–66:34)

Drink chat: Strawberry lemonades, iced lattes, and supporting mental health with analog hobbies like sticker books.
Levity: Em’s impulse buy—a bag shaped like a Fruity Pebbles box—serves as a literal and figurative symbol of “finding little joy in a hellscape.”
Quote
- Em (16:07): “I don't know, I was having a mental breakdown. I saw it on the street and thought, ‘That looks great! I’ll take it.’”

3. Analog Pleasures: Sticker Books & Creative Coping (19:03–22:44)

Sticker obsession: Em advocates the therapeutic power of finally organizing years of sticker collecting into a book for “analog joy.”
**Christine admits coloring with Leona, her child, brought rare and surprising calm—a “nervous system-calming activity.”

4. The Barini Haunting: Ghost Children, Family Secrets, and the Caped Minister (24:58–61:06)

Story Begins — [24:58]

Setting: New England, late 1970s; Joe and Rose Barini move into Joe’s father’s childhood home.
- Notable Meta: The names and location have been changed for privacy.
Immediate Haunting: Rose starts hearing the voice of a little girl named Serena calling “Mama! This is Serena,” (31:51) shortly before a series of family tragedies unfold—tonsil surgery almost kills a child, an elderly grandmother suffers a stroke, and death ensues. Each ghostly visit foreshadows doom.
Tension on Family Knowledge:
- Em (28:14): “Joe is just calling around, being like, does anyone know about this random family member? I’ve never heard about them.”
- Christine (28:46): “And you know what they say next? ‘Well, you never asked.’”
Discovery: Serena is revealed to have been Joe’s aunt, a five-year-old child who died in the house decades prior—her “Mama” cries perhaps meant for her real mother, now the grandmother.
- Christine (38:18): “Maybe when she was saying ‘Mama,’ she was trying to talk to her mom who’s still alive.”

The Ghost Boy Appears — [39:35]

A new spirit: After Serena’s visits stop, Rose sees a translucent boy in white—later identified as Giorgio, another of Joe’s relatives who died at 8 and was buried in his first communion suit.
Symbolic Search: Giorgio is seen searching the house; pulling up a rug reveals a Virgin Mary medallion he’d been “looking for.”
- Christine (44:46): "He finds, like, a medallion of the Virgin Mary... Maybe he thought, I need to go.”
Themes: The children’s ghosts may be lost and looking for closure or passage to the afterlife. The family’s living (and dead) are oddly disconnected. The ghosts' presence seems to reveal or give voice to family secrets never spoken aloud.

Enter the Caped, Hunchbacked Figure — [61:06]

Violent escalation: After these “resolutions,” a more menacing apparition emerges—a dark, hunchbacked man in a cape with “big feet,” who claims to be a “minister of God” and starts screaming obscenities, moving objects, breaking religious icons, and violently attacking Rose.
Atmosphere: The haunting becomes violent—phones flying, heavy doors and bookcases relocating themselves, attic stairs slamming so hard the ceiling cracks, levitation, physical assaults, and a kitchen knife driven into the table.
- Em (69:14): “The stairs would open and slam, so hard that the ceiling cracked.”
Resolution Attempts: Priests offer only platitudes — “Just ignore it!” They eventually perform a powerful exorcism/cleansing ritual, after which the activity ceases. The American Institute of Parapsychology investigates, but accounts differ on what was found.

Reflection on Everyday Hauntings & Ghost Tech — [55:13]

Christine and Em discuss how hauntings have evolved—now ghosts might fiddle with captions, send texts, or manipulate WiFi.
- Christine (55:13): “There are... technological ghosts, like when text messages come through from a deceased person.”

CAPES!

A running gag and earnest PSA: Em’s love of functional capes (“crop top capes”) for warmth and confidence. Listeners are encouraged to embrace capes as stylish and practical.
- Em (65:07): “This is a PSA: If you’ve ever thought of buying a cape... I’ve never once regretted it.”

5. The Tote Family Murders, Part 2: Generational Darkness (88:03–138:38)

Recap & Setup — [88:03]

Christine recaps Part 1: Anthony “Tony” Tote, therapist husband/father under immense financial, legal, and familial stress, murders his wife Megan, three children, and their dog in Celebration, Florida. He lived with their corpses for weeks, gave a taped confession full of chilling detail, then later recanted and blamed his late wife.
- The Mundanity of Evil: The peanut M&M’s detail—Tony, after the murders, eats peanut M&M’s and drinks Diet Coke beside the dead—becomes the symbol of “normal behavior” in the face of horrific acts.
  - Christine (94:34): “You just see the receipt... this guy just went to the store and his family’s all dead at home.”

Anthony's Father’s Own Dark History — [98:35]

Generational trauma: 1980: When Tony was 4, his own father, Bob, hired a hitman (a former student) to kill Tony’s mother, Loretta—the attempt failed, but Loretta was gravely injured.
Tony’s 27-page jailhouse letter to his estranged father is discussed at length for its narcissism, evasions, and self-pity.
- Christine (105:44): “He basically wrote a letter to commiserate—about being wrongly accused.”

Trial & Defense Absurdities — [126:25]

Tony’s preposterous “I didn’t do it” defense: He claims Megan did it all (including making a Benadryl pie), and that he fell asleep in a van, later discovering the murders. He says he “wanted to protect her honor,” arranged the bodies “compassionately,” tried (and failed repeatedly) to kill himself.
The prosecution’s succinct argument: control, narcissism, and escalating desperation.
- Christine (124:42): “He told detectives, ‘Parents bring their children into this world, and they get to decide when they leave.’”
The courtroom drama: Tony takes the stand, spins ever-wilder stories, and is ultimately found guilty on all counts.

Notable Quotes

Christine (114:03): “How did he find a way to turn his murder into him being a victim? That’s incredible.”
Em (117:03): “The tunnel vision of trying to desperately make it about him. How do you miss the much bigger plot point here?”

Sentencing — [135:31]

Judge: “You are a destroyer of worlds. You’ve destroyed not just one world, but four.”
Tony is sentenced to life. He continues to file ridiculous appeals and lawsuits.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS & RUNNING BITS

Analog hobbies as nervous system regulation—“The world is tough, so get you a sticker book.”
Modern haunting technology: Would ghosts use WiFi? “Hauntings would be so much more boring today—‘That’s just AI.’”
Capes: Earnest, recurring plug for crop-top capes as comfort, armor, and style. “Where’d you get it?” “Comic Con—intended for cosplay, but practical!”
Absurdity of family secrets: Generational blindness, gaslighting (“You never asked!”), and finding out about dead relatives through hauntings rather than conversation.

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

[02:11] – Current events spiral, apocalypse vibes, and how to find hope in chaos
[19:03] – Sticker book therapy and analog activities
[24:58] – Start of the Barini Haunting (ghost children, family secrets)
[39:35] – The ghost boy Giorgio appears
[61:06] – The appearance of the caped, hunchbacked “minister of God”
[69:14] – Attic stairs slam, haunting escalates violently
[88:03] – Recap and beginning of Tote Family Murders, Part 2
[98:35] – Father’s attempt to kill Tony’s mom; generational trauma
[126:25] – Tony’s trial, wild defense, and prosecution’s closing
[135:31] – Judge’s poetic sentencing

STANDOUT QUOTES & HUMOR

Em (38:18): “Maybe when she was saying ‘Mama,’ she was trying to talk to her mom who’s still alive.”
Christine (94:52): “Wants a Diet Coke. Yeah. It makes it extra eerie because it’s like, I can relate to a part of you but not be able to get the rest.”
Em (61:15): “The origin of McDonald’s... It all started with a small Italian pasta family.”
On capes:
- Em (65:07): “If you’ve ever thought about buying a cape... never once regretted it. I only get compliments.”

E471 Crop Top Capes and a Beatles Ghost

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Summary

And That's Why We Drink – Episode 471: “Crop Top Capes and a Beatles Ghost” (Feb 22, 2026)

OVERVIEW

KEY TOPICS & DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Grappling With The Chaos of Modern Life (02:11–13:42)

2. Personal Updates & Levity (03:13–17:10, 63:00–66:34)

3. Analog Pleasures: Sticker Books & Creative Coping (19:03–22:44)

4. The Barini Haunting: Ghost Children, Family Secrets, and the Caped Minister (24:58–61:06)

Story Begins — [24:58]

The Ghost Boy Appears — [39:35]

Enter the Caped, Hunchbacked Figure — [61:06]

Reflection on Everyday Hauntings & Ghost Tech — [55:13]

CAPES!

5. The Tote Family Murders, Part 2: Generational Darkness (88:03–138:38)

Recap & Setup — [88:03]

Anthony's Father’s Own Dark History — [98:35]

Trial & Defense Absurdities — [126:25]

Notable Quotes

Sentencing — [135:31]

MEMORABLE MOMENTS & RUNNING BITS

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

STANDOUT QUOTES & HUMOR

THEME & TONE

SUMMARY

Summary

And That's Why We Drink – Episode 471: “Crop Top Capes and a Beatles Ghost” (Feb 22, 2026)

OVERVIEW

KEY TOPICS & DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Grappling With The Chaos of Modern Life (02:11–13:42)

2. Personal Updates & Levity (03:13–17:10, 63:00–66:34)

3. Analog Pleasures: Sticker Books & Creative Coping (19:03–22:44)

4. The Barini Haunting: Ghost Children, Family Secrets, and the Caped Minister (24:58–61:06)

Story Begins — [24:58]

The Ghost Boy Appears — [39:35]

Enter the Caped, Hunchbacked Figure — [61:06]

Reflection on Everyday Hauntings & Ghost Tech — [55:13]

CAPES!

5. The Tote Family Murders, Part 2: Generational Darkness (88:03–138:38)

Recap & Setup — [88:03]

Anthony's Father’s Own Dark History — [98:35]

Trial & Defense Absurdities — [126:25]

Notable Quotes

Sentencing — [135:31]

MEMORABLE MOMENTS & RUNNING BITS

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

STANDOUT QUOTES & HUMOR

THEME & TONE

SUMMARY