True Crime Tonight: Full Show (24/05/26)

Summary

Australian True Crime – "True Crime Tonight: Full Show (24/05/26)"
Host: Meshel Laurie
Date: May 24, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode of "True Crime Tonight," host Meshel Laurie is joined by producers Matthew Tankard and Ruby Bartzis to examine some of the most shocking recent headlines in true crime, discuss the classic documentary "The Jinx," and present an in-depth interview with Kristi Lee from "Canadian True Crime" about the haunting case of Connie Grandinetti. This episode ranges from Australian suburbia to international scandals and chilling unsolved murders, always with Meshel's trademark mix of wit, empathy, and sharp analysis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Weekly Crime Headlines

Coverage by Ruby Bartzis, commentary from Meshel Laurie and team
[01:12 - 05:40]

• Sydney Domestic Violence Murders
  • Three dead: a woman and two sons (ages 4 & 12), cared for by their father, who is now charged with murder.
  • The killings are among the "most confronting alleged domestic violence attacks ever seen by investigators."
• $13 Million Cocaine Bust in the UK
  • Delivery driver caught smuggling cocaine in a truck carrying Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS products. 90 kilos seized.
  • Police confirm "neither Kim or her brand are connected" to the operation.
• Katie Price’s Husband’s Disappearance
  • TV personality Katie Price reports husband Lee Andrews "kidnapped" in Dubai—he called her, claiming to be tied up before phone went dead.
  • Media suspicions quickly turn to Lee’s history as a scammer; ex-girlfriends and even a reporter from The Sun allege schemes involving fake investments.
• Producer Commentary
  • Meshel Laurie quips: "She is the personification of the term hot mess, but I love her for that. She owns that." [02:39]
  • Discussion about Lee Andrews’ credibility, with strong skepticism from all: "It’s very difficult to believe that this fella's been kidnapped by dark forces in Dubai. Just doesn't seem logical. We shall see." [05:00-05:40]

Memorable Moment:

• Meshel about Katie Price’s situation:

  “Every time this lady speaks out about this case, she is at pains to send love to Katie... We don't hold you responsible. This is a bad guy.” [04:22]

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2. True Crime Documentary Highlight: THE JINX

[05:43 – 11:25]

• First Impressions and Plot Recap
  • Ruby watched "The Jinx" for the first time, avoiding spoilers—jaw dropped at the revelations.
  • The series covers the suspected involvement of wealthy eccentric Robert Durst in the deaths of his wife, best friend, and neighbor.
  • The documentary’s innovative narrative: begins with discovery of dismembered body parts ("they've never found the head" [07:05]) and slowly reveals Durst’s connections to multiple deaths.
• Durst’s Persona
  • Ruby: "He's kind of like a cute little old man in the document... dark eyes, though. The dark eyes got me a little bit." [08:08]
  • Meshel: "Eccentric, little rich runt of the litter of this rich family." [08:17]
• Shocking Confession
  • Famous microphone moment: Durst leaves the interview but forgets mic is live:

    "There it is. You're caught. Killed them all." [08:53]

  • Explains how this mistake led to Durst being convicted.
• Additional Trivia
  • Revelation that Durst was "on meth the whole time" during the documentary.
  • Sympathy for Durst's family, with Meshel musing: "It's not every day you feel sorry for a bunch of billionaires from Wall Street. But I did." [10:31]
• Team Recommendations
  • Consensus that "The Jinx" is essential viewing, even if listeners already know the spoilers:

    "Even if you know the spoiler, now go, I'm going to watch it again." [11:05]

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3. Deep Dive: The Connie Grandinetti Case (with Kristi Lee)

[11:31 – 19:05]

• Case Summary by Kristi Lee
  • April 1997, Alberta, Canada: Connie Grandinetti (38, Indigenous mother of three, teacher’s aide) is found shot execution-style in a ditch.
  • Her marriage to Jeff Grandinetti, described as racist and controlling, ended in separation and a bitter fight over child support.
• Investigation & Breakthrough
  • Suspicion falls on Connie’s ex-husband, but no direct evidence.
  • A relative, Corey Grandinetti (Connie’s nephew), is implicated after he allegedly agreed to help Jeff kill Connie.
  • Police orchestrate a "Mr. Big" operation—an undercover sting where Corey is lured into confessing his role to officers posing as members of a criminal syndicate.
• The Mr. Big Sting
  • Kristi Lee details the sting:

    “It begins with a staged scenario... the target is told that it’s time to meet with the head of the criminal organization, a.k.a. Mr. Big. This is a massive, massive deal..." [15:19–17:22]

  • Corey confesses, retraces the murder, and is arrested for first-degree murder.
  • Jury finds Corey guilty, but ex-husband Jeff, who allegedly ordered the hit, is never charged.
• Aftermath & Ongoing Frustration
  • Despite police statements about "ongoing suspects," no further charges are laid 25 years on.
  • Connie's son, one of the children from her marriage to Jeff, is quoted:

    “My father walks free.” [19:04]

  • Broader issues referenced—the disproportionate violence against Indigenous women in Canada and lack of closure for families.

Memorable Quotes:

• Kristi Lee on the Mr. Big sting:

  “They tell Corey that their criminal enterprise is actually moving into Calgary, and they see potential in him. They want him to be their key contact in Calgary, so he’s brought into the gang...” [15:37]

• Meshel Laurie’s emotional response:

  “The real story of whatever happened to Connie Pruden Grandinetti will never be publicly known.” [19:05]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Meshel Laurie on Katie Price:
  "She is the personification of the term hot mess, but I love her for that. She owns that. She is beloved." [02:39]
• Clemmie Moody (reported by Meshel):
  "Lee Andrews is wanted by Interpol...He is in fact in hiding. We also know he's not dead and in a hood somewhere because he's managed to go online and delete some of the incriminating messages that he sent me." [03:54]
• Meshel Laurie on Robert Durst:
  “But then you can't imagine him having the physical or emotional strength to be just murdering people willy nilly.” [08:28]
• Ruby Bartzis, on "The Jinx":
  “He was just living his life, not convicted of any of these murders, until he agrees to an interview...he actually undoes himself in this, which sends him to life in jail.” [08:36]
• Kristi Lee, on the Grandinetti case:
  “Her husband, Jeff Grandinetti was racist. And according to a court document, one of their sons...said his father held blatant racist beliefs...” [13:17]
• Connie’s son (via Kristi Lee):
  "My father walks free." [19:04]

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Episode Flow & Structure

1. Crime News Roundup (01:12 – 05:40): Ruby delivers latest headlines, blended with Meshel and Matthew's engaging banter and sharp skepticism.
2. Documentary Review: The Jinx (05:43 – 11:25): Ruby’s first impressions, the infamous mic admission, and extra revelations, all discussed with infectious enthusiasm.
3. Interview: Kristi Lee on Connie Grandinetti (11:31 – 19:05): A sombre, detailed narrative of a still-haunting murder, with Kristi Lee’s authoritative storytelling style, rounded out by deeply felt reflections on injustice.

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Overall Tone

Meshel and team blend thoughtful analysis with dark humor, empathy for victims, and a true crime fan's fascination. The inclusion of Kristi Lee adds gravitas and depth, especially as the episode transitions from tabloid murkiness to a sobering case of unpunished murder.

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Perfect for listeners drawn to the intersection of real-world crime, media spectacle, and the deeper societal issues lurking beneath headline stories.

Transcript

[A]

Warning. This is a true crime segment and not suitable for children. It contains references to sexual violence and suicide which some listeners may find distressing. If you need support, you are not alone. Contact Lifeline on 13, 11, 14 or visit lifeline.org au for 24 hour support.

[B]

We don't know precisely.

[C]

It's a voice that will send shivers down your spine.

[D]

Standoff with police wanted fugitive step 19 times.

[C]

The suspect lured the victim into the war. Biggest legal dramas in Hollywood Today is

[E]

a major to show what the system can do.

[F]

This is True Crime tonight.

[C]

This is True Crime tonight. I'm your host Michelle Laurie and I'm here with my producers, Matthew Tankard.

[D]

Hello.

[C]

And Ruby Bartzis.

[G]

Hey.

[C]

We're here every Sunday night from 6 till 7. We'll bring you the latest headlines, true crime book and documentary recommendations and interviews. This is a true crime show though, don't forget, so it's not suitable for kids. Coming up later this hour, we'll talk to Canadian true crime host Christie Lee. She's actually an Australian woman, but she's lived in Canada for a very long time and she podcasts about their crimes. She's going to tell us about the case of Connie Grandinetti. But up next, the latest breaking true crime news with Ruby.

[G]

In crime news this week, three people were found dead in Sydney, including a woman and two children aged 4 and 12. It's alleged the 47 year old man who's charged with domestic violence murder was the father and full time carer of their two sons who had severe autism. The killings are being described as some of the most confronting alleged domestic violence attacks ever seen by investigators. A delivery driver in the UK has been charged for allegedly smuggling more than $13 million worth of cocaine in a truck carrying Kim Kardashian's skims. British police say they found 90 kilos of the drug, also confirming neither Kim or her brand are connected to the smuggling or at any involvement in the operations. And more from the UK this week. British TV personality Katie Price says her husband Lee Andrews has been kidnapped. He vanished in Dubai after a final call with Price in which Andrews told her he was tied up and in a van before his phone went offline. A missing persons report has now been filed as the search for Andrews continues.

[C]

Ruby, I have to say you gave me a lot of joy when you first told me about this story just before we recorded and you asked me if I'd ever heard of a lady called Katie Price. Now. Yes, I love Katie Price. I love Pricey so much. A lot of Our listeners will remember when she was Jordan, when she was a topless model, that's how she started her career. She is the personification of the term hot mess, but I love her for that. She owns that. She is beloved and I've seen a lot of. What's the word I'm looking for. A lot of chat in British media about feeling sorry for her in this situation because most people don't believe her husband has in fact been kidnapped. A lot of stories have come out in the last couple of days about the scams he's allegedly been pulling and the number of women who have given him money, he's promised to invest it and all of that. One of those women. This is truly bizarre. Lee Andrews befriended a journalist from the sun newspaper. Oh, right, a female journalist from the sun newspaper. Now that is a very scary creature. I don't mean her personally, I mean

[D]

that genre of human and getting that role. You'd have to be so tough, so tough.

[C]

And this chick is, her name's Clemmie Moody, I think and she is it, she's. She is tough and I think she thought maybe suspected this guy. So she gave him £1,000 a couple of weeks ago that he promised to invest for her and pay her back three times that amount of money within seven days or something.

[D]

Sounds awesome.

[C]

Of course, what could go wrong? Obviously she never saw another cent of it but this is what she's saying at the moment about the so called kidnapping of Lee Andrews.

[E]

Lee Andrews is wanted by Interpol following a escalation from Hertfordshire police. They were looking into a complaint from a former ex girlfriend. So it's not looking good for Lee who has not been kidnapped. He is in fact in hiding. We also know he's not dead and in a hood somewhere because he's managed to go online and delete some of the incriminating messages that he sent me. Unfortunately for him, I had already saved and screenshotted them all.

[C]

So that's where she is at. I think she's pretty well placed to inform us as to what's going on with LeAndrews, whether or not he's been kidnapped. But what I do love is that every time this lady speaks out about this case, she is at pains to send love to Katie. She's at pains to say pricey, I love you, England loves you. We don't hold you responsible. This is a bad guy. Get him out of your life.

[G]

Well, yeah, she's just been blindsided by this man.

[C]

Well, she's just got the worst taste in Men. Pricey. I mean, that's the same. She's a hot mess.

[D]

But no, no. Could you imagine you're leandrews and you. I'm just saying. And you actually have been kidnapped.

[C]

Oh, my God. I know, right?

[D]

This is what everyone's saying. You got True Crime Tonight going. Man, he sucks. Meanwhile, he's held captive somewhere.

[C]

I know.

[G]

And here's the man chipping in.

[C]

Yeah, that's well said.

[D]

Could I just say.

[C]

Yeah, as a bloke. Yeah, yeah. Look, I think we're fine for male perspectives on this one.

[D]

No worries.

[C]

No, you're right, you're right. That is a very valid point. Who knows what will come of it.

[G]

I think even his exact girlfriend come

[C]

out and said he's a scammer. Yeah, well, this is the problem that makes it very difficult to believe that this fella's been kidnapped by dark forces in Dubai. Just doesn't seem logical. We shall see.

[F]

This is True Crime Tonight with Michelle Laurie.

[C]

Ruby, you have. I'm jealous of you because you had not seen this documentary series before. It's an absolute classic. What are you going to tell us about today?

[G]

I watched the Jinx.

[C]

So can you believe Matthew?

[G]

Everybody was trying to give me the spoiler.

[C]

Yeah.

[G]

And I blocked my ears and watched it for myself and my jaw was on the floor.

[C]

Good.

[G]

It's crazy. I loved it. I really did love it.

[C]

You can share the spoiler with us tonight though, if you don't want to know the spoiler. Don't listen. But I feel like it's been out for years and most people do know it and it's still worth seeing with your own eyes.

[G]

Oh, definitely.

[C]

Once you hear about it. How can you summarize this? You know, we've only got one show, but how do you summarize the Jinx? Ruby?

[G]

Yeah. So Robert Durst, he come from some super rich upper class family, but he's linked to three deaths over several decades. But he was never actually charged for any of the deaths. So his wife disappears, his best friend is murdered and his neighbor is killed and they found his body dismembered.

[C]

Well, again, I love the format of this documentary because this story is so huge and so wild and. But the filmmakers have obviously thought, how? Well, where do we start? Where do we begin? And they start with the third homicide, don't they? They start with some people find some body parts in bags in the river.

[G]

Yes.

[C]

And then from there, this story, crazy story unfolds.

[G]

Yeah. So it turns out. So they've never found the head of the body that was dismembered.

[C]

Still never.

[G]

But it did turn out that Durst was charged with the dismembering a body, but not of the murder, because they didn't have the head and could have been a gunshot wound. It could have been the neighbor that killed himself. They couldn't prove anything.

[C]

Okay, but he admitted to cutting up the body. Did he?

[G]

Yes.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, there's a day where you go, okay, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll admit to cutting up that body,

[D]

but I didn't kill it.

[C]

I didn't kill it.

[G]

Just panicked.

[C]

Wow.

[G]

And honestly, like, people fell for it. Like, people just thought he was the unluckiest man in the world. He's best friend, his neighbor, his wife, this poor guy. And I mean, Matt and I were talking about, he's kind of like cute little old man in the document.

[D]

I was gonna ask, before the twist comes, when you're watching it, what's your impression of him? Because when I was watching it, and I have no excuse because I knew someone spoiled the twist for me before the end. So I'm watching it, knowing everything, and I'm still watching him being like, oh, this is just a cute old man.

[G]

Yeah. Dark eyes, though. The dark eyes got me a little bit.

[C]

But, like, the eyes are a bit creepy. But he's, like, physically small too, isn't he? Yeah, he's small, mousy.

[G]

Yeah.

[C]

You know? Yeah, he's eccentric. He seems like a little eccentric, little rich runt of the litter of this rich family. Don't you think? Is that too much?

[G]

That's what he turns out exactly what I felt.

[C]

Right. And so. But then you can't imagine him having the physical or emotional strength to be just murdering people willy nilly.

[D]

No.

[G]

But so it turns out he was just living his life, not convicted of any of these murders until he agrees to an interview with these filmmakers that were making a film about him. And he actually undoes himself in this, which sends him to life in jail. Let's have a listen.

[F]

I am going to go use the restroom, which is right here. There it is. You're caught. Killed them all.

[G]

Of course, that was a recording. After the filmmaker confronted Robert with some evidence that he had never seen before, he took a toilet break and didn't realise his mic was still on. So that's where he confessed and said, killed them all.

[B]

Of course.

[C]

Unbelievable. Again, I go back to the unlikelihood of Robert Durst being a multiple murderer, because I think, you know what Are the motives the most common motives for murder? Money and sex. He doesn't need either. Like, he's. He doesn't seem to be murdering people over sex, over relationship issues. He doesn't need the money. He comes from a family of billionaires of Wall street guys just messed up.

[F]

Yeah.

[C]

He has his reasons, variously. Well, the second lady, again, this is a bit of a spoiler. But his best friend didn't. He. Wasn't he worried she was going to spill some secrets about him?

[D]

About the first murder? Right, yeah, because she had some information about it.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

But, you know, also, in the whole documentary, he's on meth, by the way.

[C]

I did not.

[F]

What?

[C]

Really?

[D]

Yeah. So he explains that in the. So. So after the success of the first season of the Jinx, he goes to prison and they do a second season and there's an audio recording of him speaking to, I think, his lawyer from prison about the documentary and about how nothing he says in that documentary can be used as evidence because he was just like I was on meth the whole time.

[C]

What?

[D]

So I think that explains the massive black eyes that he had.

[C]

And the voice. It's a bit of a methy voice. I feel I came out of it feeling sorry for his family. And it's not every day you feel sorry for a bunch of billionaires from Wall Street. But I did. I thought, oh, none of you guys deserve this.

[B]

No, you just.

[C]

You don't deserve this, brother. Yeah, this. This just the. I was going to say we've all got a weird brother, but that's not fair to my brother. He's great. Okay. I feel like a lot of us have a family member somewhere who we go, how did that guy end up with us? He's theirs. Yeah, recommend.

[G]

Definitely recommend. Even if, you know the spoiler now definitely go, oh, I'm going to watch it again. Yeah.

[C]

And I haven't seen the second part. I just realized that, yeah, it's great.

[D]

And, you know, I watched it for the first time with a spoiler and it's still. It's just as great.

[C]

Same. Yeah, same. Still, to see his weird confession is so worth it. You can't believe it's happening, even though you know it's happening.

[F]

This is True Crime Tonight with Michelle Laurie.

[C]

This is True Crime Tonight. And joining us to talk about the Connie Grandinetti case is our Canadian friend from Canadian True Crime, the podcast, Kristi Lee.

[B]

This crime takes place In April of 1997 in the province of Alberta, Canada. It's a freezing cold morning and it's not quite 7:30 in the morning and there's two motorists driving through a rural rolling farmland. Now suddenly their eyes are drawn to something by the side of the road and they stop the car to investigate. Lying in an icy snow filled ditch is what looks like a body lying face down. And it appears to be a woman. And According to her ID, Connie Grandinetti has blonde hair and is 38 years old, or she was. An autopsy would determine that she'd been shot twice in the back of the head, execution style. The news that Connie's body had been found in the ditch by the side of the road on a fence, freezing cold morning was really shocking to everyone who knew her and loved her. She was a 38 year old mother of three and she worked as a teacher's aide at a school in Edmonton. She was known as a dedicated family woman and a kind hearted friend. Her maiden name was Connie Pruden and she grew up in Beaver Lake, Cree nation. So she's indigenous. It's located about 220 km northeast of Edmonton. It's a reserve or a reservation. And she did want all three of her kids to grow up with the same knowledge of their Cree culture, history and traditions that her own mother had passed down. But the problem was that her husband, Jeff Grandinetti was racist. And according to a court document, one of their sons together would later say that his father held blatant racist beliefs that indigenous people were informed, inferior, and I quote, and he didn't allow his children to reveal their Cree identities to anyone. Now obviously Connie's marriage to Jeff Grandinetti wasn't an overly happy one. After 16 years of marriage, they separated. And this is in 1994, and a nasty divorce and custody battle was brewing. She was eventually awarded custody of their boys and Jeff was ordered to pay her about $1,000 a month in child support. And at first he was making his payments, but then he stopped. Connie had actually hired a lawyer to enforce payment of child support from her ex husband, Jeff Grandinetti. And her lawyer applied to the court for Jeff to have to pay his arrears, which by this point was $12,000 plus his ongoing child support of 1,000 per month that he was missing. Police learned some very interesting information from another relative from Connie's ex husband Jeff's side of the family. Corey Grandinetti, Connie's nephew. Apparently Uncle Jeff had asked for his help to kill his aunt Connie.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

So Corey, the nephew, indicated to the associate that he had agreed to help and he decided to kill his aunt. So at this point, all investigators had were a few pieces of circumstantial evidence pointing towards a possible suspect and a motive. But there was nothing concrete to link any of these pieces of evidence together, and certainly nothing that could elite that could lead to an arrest or charges. So it was time to bring in Mr. Big.

[C]

Is this one of those Mr. Big stings?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Or is this. Oh, I love these. Oh, my God, I love these so much. The most famous one in Australia, of course, netted murderer of Daniel Morecambe after all those years. So tell us how this one worked. Did they target Corey?

[B]

Yeah. So it begins with a stage scenario where there's like a fake meet. Cute, if you will, you know, where one of the undercover officers, like, innocently bumps into him, oh, hey, you know, how you doing? And he's soon told that they're all part of a large international criminal enterprise that they're calling the Family. They tell Corey that their criminal enterprise is actually moving into Calgary, and they see potential in him. They want him to be their key contact in Calgary, so he's brought into the gang. The fake criminals involved Corey in a discussion about their important contacts in the police department who'd helped them influence investigations in the past. And this is how it all works. This is the Mr. Big part of the sting. So the target is told that it's time to meet with the head of the criminal organization, aka Mr. Big. This is a massive, massive deal. Like, the meeting is hyped up, everyone's going crazy. Now Mr. Big, or the undercover officer playing him, told Corey he'd heard about his Aunt Connie's murder investigation and offered up their police connections to help him out if he needed it. Of course, Mr. Big mentioned the name of the lead investigator and offered a few extra details that only an insider would know to demonstrate to Corey that he was credible, that they had the, you know, police contacts that could help. And he told Corey that these contacts could really help steer the investigation away from him and kind of the heat away from their criminal organization. First he needs to tell them everything he knows about the crime so that they can figure out how best to help him. And then he can't help you, mate.

[C]

We can't help you unless we know. I want to know everything you need to know everything. I don't want any nasty surprises down the road. I want to know everything.

[B]

Corey Grandinetti confessed. He said that he was involved in the murder of his Aunt Connie, and they recorded his confession. He then took Mr. Big to the primary location where he killed her before. Before taking her body to the ditch and dumping it.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

Now, after his big confession, Corey went for dinner with his organized crime family. But the gig was up. He was arrested afterwards and charged with the first degree murder of his aunt, Connie Grandinetti.

[C]

So how did the jury look upon our friend Corey?

[B]

Well, they found him guilty of the first degree murder of his aunt Connie. Yep.

[G]

Wow.

[C]

What about Jeff? What happens when the case hangs on hinges on this idea that he was solicited to commit the crime by another man who's not on trial.

[B]

So after sentencing, a police spokesperson announced that again, the case is not closed. They have identified other suspects who are potentially a party to the offence, that further charges could be laid. But that was 25 years ago and nothing further has ever happened.

[C]

You're joking.

[B]

One of Connie's sons, the two younger ones that she had with Jeff Grandinetti after sentencing, pointed out that his mother was just one of many missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada. And not only has he struggled with losing her, but he did not feel that justice has been done to her as quickly, quote, my father walks free.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Now, this son said that he has no relationship with his father and does not want one. So that that's a clue to where things are. But it really does seem like the. The real story of whatever happened to Connie Pruden Grandinetti will never be publicly known.