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MURDERED: Mary Yoder Part 2

Crime Junkie

Mon Mar 23 2026

Summary

Crime Junkie — "MURDERED: Mary Yoder Part 2"

Date: March 23, 2026
Hosts: Ashley Flowers & Britt Prawat

Overview

This gripping part two episode continues the complicated and emotionally charged story of Mary Yoder's 2015 poisoning death in upstate New York. Hosts Ashley Flowers and Britt Prawat follow the labyrinthine investigation, hone in on the twisting forensic and circumstantial evidence, recount two dramatic trials, and trace a legal saga still unresolved more than a decade later. The episode explores who really killed Mary — her husband Bill, her son Adam, or the beloved office manager and ex-girlfriend of Adam, Kaitlyn “Katie” Conley — and just how closely sinister acts can hide among the people one loves.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap of Part One & The Initial Suspicion

Mary Yoder falls violently ill and dies within 48 hours; toxicology reveals colchicine poisoning.
Initial suspicion falls on husband Bill, who started dating Mary’s own sister, Kathleen, just two months after her death.
- “It all seemed a little too perfect for Oneida County Sheriff’s Lt. Robert Nelson and investigator Mark Van Amy.” (Ashley, 03:34)
Investigators soon receive an anonymous letter pointing blame at son Adam.
The bottle of colchicine is found in Adam’s Jeep, shockingly with digital evidence pointing back to him.

2. Enter Katie Conley

Katie is Adam’s ex-girlfriend and longtime office manager at the Yoders’ practice, “more of a family member than an employee.” (Ashley, 04:25)
“The more she talked, the more convinced they became that Katie sounded a lot like their anonymous letter writer.” (Ashley, 04:57)
Police now turn suspicions on Katie, driven by digital forensics.

3. The Digital Forensics Trail ([05:34]–[18:16])

Colchicine was ordered online under Adam’s name to the practice, signed for by Katie; the email (“mradamyoder1990”) was accessed from Katie’s home and deleted from her phone.
Katie at first denies knowledge but later admits to deleting the account and being the anonymous letter-writer.
Forensic details:
- Katie’s searches for poisons and for “how much to kill someone by weight” are found on the office computer and her phone. ([13:13])
- Scanned fraudulent documents, created and sent with Katie’s phone, match the colchicine order.
- DNA evidence points to Katie as a major contributor on the colchicine bottle and letter stamp; Adam’s DNA does not appear.
Notable quote:

“Guys don’t hang on to the murder weapon because that’s why they get caught.” — Investigator Van Amy ([11:11]) “Guys also don’t use poison. They say it’s a lady’s weapon.” — Katie Conley ([11:33])

4. Investigative Theories & Motivation ([25:37])

Prosecutors come to believe Katie’s motive is romantic obsession or revenge over her breakup with Adam.
Historical precedent: Katie previously faked a medical emergency to win Adam back.
- “Either revenge on Adam or some kind of twisted attempt to pull him back after he dumped her, supposedly for cheating on him.” (Ashley, 25:38)

5. The Community Divides & Trial #1 ([27:52]–[35:48])

Despite mounting evidence, Mary’s sisters and parts of the community remain suspicious of Bill.
Defense suggests Bill’s possible motive: troubled marriage, financial windfall, and affair with Kathleen.
Physical and digital evidence is dissected; prosecution and defense trade attacks over computer forensics, reliability of DNA, and access to office devices.
Questions about method: Whether Mary drank a protein shake or ate something else, and whether she could have been poisoned at the hospital.
Jury is deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquittal; a mistrial is declared after five days of deliberation.

6. Trial #2 and New Evidence ([35:48]–[46:21])

A backup of Katie’s iPhone is found on Adam’s laptop, showing extensive poison research starting in 2014, screenshots, and documents related to colchicine.
Defense pivots: New attorney argues Adam could have manipulated evidence, given his technical skills and access to Katie’s devices.
Katie’s complicated relationship with Adam is further scrutinized: allegations of abuse, a “toxic” dynamic, possible financial and emotional motives for both.

“If that thought even crosses your mind when you’re in a relationship, run, get out.” — Co-host/Commentator ([45:01])
Prosecution braces for all-or-nothing outcome, so second-degree manslaughter is added as a lesser charge for the jury.

7. Verdict and Aftermath ([46:30]–[54:51])

Jury convicts Katie Conley of first-degree manslaughter; she is sentenced to 23 years.
- Adam and Mary’s family express pain and lingering guilt; Katie and her family maintain innocence.
Appeals attorney Melissa Swartz challenges the admissibility of digital evidence extracted from Katie’s phone.
In January 2025, conviction overturned — due to improper search warrants covering the phone’s full data contents.
Sealing of court records blocks DA from access, creating a legal stalemate and complicating any possible retrial or new indictment.

8. Current Status & Lingering Mysteries ([54:51]–end)

Katie is released on appeal, but the case remains open, severely hampered by missing and now legally inaccessible evidence.
Neither Bill nor Adam can be prosecuted for Mary’s death (received immunity during grand jury proceedings).
Mary’s sisters remain divided; those who pushed for investigation now believe Katie is innocent and fight for her release. Adam blames himself for ever introducing Katie to his family.
The case remains devastatingly unresolved, with a tight-knit family and community permanently fractured, and no legal closure for Mary Yoder’s death.

Notable Quotes & Moments

“Poison is a lady’s weapon.” — Katie Conley to investigators ([11:35])
“So even in the best case scenario for prosecutors, that backup is nowhere near as powerful without the phone to back it up.” — Ashley ([53:27])
“Welcome to my world. I’m honestly not sure anyone has a straight answer on all of the letter stuff.” — Ashley ([56:55])
“Mary wasn’t killed by a stranger. She was killed by someone she loved, someone she trusted, and someone that she never saw coming.” — Ashley ([57:40])

Important Timestamps & Segments

[02:06]–[05:01]: Recap of part one & introduction to Katie Conley’s involvement.
[05:34]–[18:16]: The unraveling of digital and physical evidence linking Katie.
[25:37]: Summary of prosecutors’ theory and Katie/Adam’s rocky relationship.
[27:52]–[35:46]: The first trial and community response.
[35:48]–[46:21]: Second trial, new digital evidence, shifting defense strategies.
[46:30]–[54:51]: Verdict, sentence, and details of the successful appeal.
[54:51]–[57:40]: Where the case stands now—unresolved and divided.

Conclusion

The Mary Yoder poisoning case, as chronicled by Crime Junkie, remains a tangled web of circumstantial evidence, fractured relationships, and lingering doubt. Despite digital breadcrumbs pointing to Katie Conley, two juries proved unable to wholly agree, and a stunning legal technicality has thrown the entire case into limbo. The courts, the families, and the community remain divided, perhaps permanently. As Ashley puts it, the only certainty is that Mary was betrayed by someone intimately close to her—a crueler truth than anyone could have imagined.

For all source material and further information, visit crimejunkie.com.
Follow the show on Instagram @crimejunkiepodcast.

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Transcript

Ashley Flowers (0:00)

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. This March, we're celebrating women's strength, health and the countless roles they juggle every day. Every woman should know how much she matters and that therapy can provide a vital space to nurture emotional well being. That's why this episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, the world's largest online therapy platform with a nearly five star rating. Your emotional well being matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off@betterhelp.com CrimeJunkie that's better. H E L P.com CrimeJunkie your new

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Ashley Flowers (2:02)

Hi crime junkies. I'm your host Ashley Flowers.

Britt (2:05)

And I'm Britt.

Ashley Flowers (2:06)

Last episode I walked you through the first five months following the death of Mary Yoder. 60 year old Mary was happy, healthy and beloved by her friends, family and patients near Utica in central New York where she and her husband Bill were chiropractors with their own practice. But out of nowhere one Monday afternoon in July 2015, Mary became violently ill. Her son had been sick with the same symptoms a few months before and it took him a while to heal, but he had. So initially she she and her husband thought that this was the same thing Some kind of stomach bug. But in less than 48 hours, Mary was dead. And when toxicology results came back, they revealed something no one knew. While she was alive, Mary had lethal levels of a drug called colchicine in her system. A gout medication that she had no reason to be taking. As it became clear that Mary was poisoned, suspicion fell on her husband Bill, who had started a relationship with one of Mary' own sisters just two months after his wife's death. But just as detectives were getting started, an anonymous letter arrived at their office pointing the finger at someone else entirely. The tipster claimed that Bill and Mary's 25 year old son Adam had killed her and that there was proof. The colchicine bottle was still in Adam's jeep, the letter said. And sure enough, when police went looking, there it was with the receipt of Purchase emailed to mradamyoder1990mail.com it all seemed a little too perfect for Oneida County Sheriff's Lt. Robert Nelson and investigator Mark Van Amy. An anonymous letter that just happened to lead them right to the evidence. They had to wonder, was someone trying to frame Adam? And if so, who? His own father? Police clearly didn't have a full picture of this family yet. So they brought in one person who knew all of these players. 22 year old Caitlin Conley. Katie had dated Adam on and off for years, and she was the office manager at Bill and Mary's practice. But she was more than an employee Mary considered her family. She was even mentioned in Mary's obituary. And soft spoken Katie didn't point the finger at Bill. Instead, she told detectives how suspicious she was of Adam. But the more she talked, the more convinced they became that Katie sounded a lot like their anonymous letter writer. So after that first meeting with her in mid December 2015, detectives walked away with a new question. Not did Adam do it? But who is Caitlin Conley and what have we been missing? It turns out a lot. Are you ready to dive back in, Britt?

Ashley Flowers (46:30)

Unrelated, we don't know. Investigators tested the supplements from, like, the ones he was taking when Adam got sick. Those came back clean, but they don't even know for sure if they were from the same bottle that Katie gave him. So, like, it's. That part is all just still a big mystery. Either way, the question of intent is now in the jury's hands. And in early November, they start deliberating. At one point, it looks like they won't even be able to agree. And everyone's kind of, like, holding their breath, wondering if this is, like, going to be another mistrial. But they're able to work through it. And after two days of hashing it out, the verdict comes in. Not guilty of second degree murder, but guilty of first degree manslaughter. According to observer dispatch reporter Jolene Crew Cleaver, Katie's bail is revoked and she is taken into custody. Even after two trials, some of Mary's sisters still don't believe that Katie did this. When she is sentenced in January 2018, they ask the judge for leniency. And on the other side is Bill with his and Mary's children, who all stand by the conviction. To them, Katie took Mary's love and repaid it with poor poison. And Adam's voice, you can hear it break as he talks about the guilt that he carries for bringing Katie into his family, a family who welcomed her because he once loved her, but not anymore. He tells the court he hates her for what she's done, but Katie maintains that she didn't do anything and that the system got it wrong. Though the judge isn't moved, the fact is Mary died in agony, never understanding what was happening to her. And so he sentences Katie to 23 years. That was in 2018. So, realistically, she could have been in jail until, like, 2041. But then an attorney named Melissa Swartz takes on her appeal, and she zeroes in on the warrant that police use to search Katie's phone. Law enforcement had permission to take the phone, but apparently they didn't have permission to dig through all the data inside of it. Swartz argues that Katie's trial attorneys should have fought to get that evidence thrown out. They didn't, and that failure cost Katie her freedom. And so Just last year, the appellate court agreed. In late January 2025, Katie's conviction was. Was overturned. And a few days later, she walked out of prison, free for the first time in seven years. Now, you know this overturned doesn't mean exonerated prosecutors can try again. And they're planning to do exactly that. But almost immediately, they shoot themselves in the foot. You see, when Katie was released, her attorney asked the judge to seal the case records, which Swartz told us is pretty standard for a conviction that gets tossed. What's unusual is that the DA's office didn't object. And so now all of the evidence, police reports, witness statements, digital records, all of it is locked away. Not just from the public, but from prosecutors, too.