Criminal – "Amok" (January 23, 2026)

Host: Phoebe Judge
Guest: David Grann (author, journalist)

Overview

In this gripping episode, Phoebe Judge and author David Grann recount one of Poland’s most unsettling murder cases—a story of a cold case detective, a sadistic crime, and an avant-garde writer whose disturbing novel seemed to hold clues to a real-life killing. The episode explores the 2000 murder of Darius Janiszewski, the investigation that followed, and how Christian Bala’s postmodern novel Amok became an unlikely roadmap for uncovering the truth. Ultimately, it’s a meditation on the blurry line between art and confession, fact and fiction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery of Darius Janiszewski’s Body

• [01:38] Two fishermen in southwest Poland discovered a decomposed body floating in a river, hands tied behind the back, and a noose around the neck, indicating an elaborate, sadistic murder.

  • Quote: "There was no doubt that the figure had been murdered." – David Grann [01:38]

• [02:09] A pathologist’s report uncovered signs of starvation and torture. The method of restraint was particularly cruel—the rope tied in a 'backward cradle' which would choke the victim upon movement.

  • Quote: "If the figure had moved at struggle to move, they would have been choking themselves...It suggested almost an anger." – David Grann [02:09]

2. Tracing the Victim’s Last Movements

• [03:07] The victim was identified as Darius Janiszewski, a young businessman from Wroclaw. He had disappeared four weeks earlier after getting a call for a 'business meeting.'
• The only initial clue: a mysterious, demanding phone call traced to a nearby payphone, but the caller remained unidentified.

3. A Cold Case, a New Detective

• [05:41] Three years later, detective Jacek Wrobleski (nicknamed "Jack Sparrow") was handed the case. Known for his unassuming presence and dogged approach, he obsessively studied the file.

  • Quote: "Rather than being a sparrow, he says, I'm an eagle." – David Grann [05:51]

• Wrobleski was struck by the brutality and suspected personal animus. The missing cell phone became his key lead.

4. The Break: A Novel Connection

• [07:59] Darius’s cell phone, missing from police records, was found to have been sold online days after the murder by “Chris B.”—real name: Christian Bala.
• Bala, a philosophy dropout turned writer, had published Amok shortly after the murder.

5. Parallels Between Fiction and Reality

• [09:18] Wrobleski read Amok and spotted disturbing similarities: the narrator (also named Chris) murders his girlfriend in a way echoing the real crime, sells the murder weapon online, and details not made public.
  • Quote: "The murderer in the novel...had also not only put a noose around his girlfriend, had also stabbed the girlfriend and then sold the knife used in the killing in the novel on an Internet auction site." – David Grann [09:18]
• Detectives divided the novel up, creating a ‘checkbox’ system to find other correspondences: petty thefts, relationships, career failures, all mirrored real life.

6. Truth, Fiction, and the Nature of Confession

• [11:38] Bala was described as charismatic, manipulative, and prone to blurring truth and fiction in both his writing and real life.

  • Quote: "It was always in Christian, both in the novel but also in his own life. This play between what is real and what is false, what is true and what is a fiction." – David Grann [11:38]

• [13:32] More novel parallels were uncovered: Bala and his narrator both stole a religious statuette, both had failed businesses, both drank heavily, and both lost wives.

• [15:08] In Amok, the narrator hints at an unsolved prior murder of a man, feeding suspicions.

7. Challenges in Building the Case

• [18:49] Despite mounting circumstantial evidence, detectives lacked direct proof. Investigating a murder based on a novel led to skepticism within the department.
  • Quote: "Even Jacek would acknowledge that the case was extraordinarily thin...you're looking at a novel as a roadmap for a crime." – David Grann [18:49]
• Bala was out of the country, so police could not directly confront or surveil him.

8. Digital Breadcrumbs and Arrest

• [20:04] Evidence mounted: shortly before the murder, the “Chris B.” account searched for police manuals on hanging techniques.

• [21:06] When Bala returned to Poland, he was arrested, claiming police brutality—a story quickly refuted by authorities.

  • Quote: "It strains credulity...there's no evidence ever in Yasik's career of doing anything like this. But it is the one time where suddenly you have Jacek saying...this time is definitely a fiction." – David Grann [22:53]

• Bala denied knowing Darius and gave inconsistent accounts about the phone; a polygraph was inconclusive. He was released but charged with selling stolen property and forced to stay in Poland.

9. 'Persecuted Author' and New Evidence

• [25:11] Bala alleged censorship and persecution, earning some public sympathy and attention from human rights groups.

  • Quote: "He compares himself to Salman Rushdie, that he is being crucified for his literature." – David Grann [32:55]

• Detectives discovered the payphone used to lure Darius was linked by calling card records to Bala’s network—strong direct evidence tying him to the crime scene.

10. The Motive Uncovered

• Interviews revealed Bala’s jealousy over his ex-wife, who had briefly dated Darius. Witnesses recalled Bala threateningly boasting in a bar, “I've already taken out a guy like you with a rope.” [28:11]

• Bala’s ex-wife confirmed the connection between her and Darius and reported Bala’s violent reaction and knowledge of her affair’s details. [32:07]

11. Trial, Conviction, and Legacy

• [32:55] Charged and tried for murder, Bala maintained he was prosecuted for writing, not killing. He briefly confessed, then recanted.

• The prosecution argued a crime of jealous rage, with the novel acting as an inadvertent confession.

• Bala was convicted (though not of personally committing the act) and sentenced to 25 years. He later lost an appeal.

• [34:35] David Grann visited Bala in prison, describing him as intelligent, evasive, and eager to direct the narrative. Bala remained adamant that the book is pure fiction, yet sometimes conflated himself with his narrator.

  • Quote: "I'm the author. I'm the author. I know what I meant. I know what I meant." – Christian Bala, as recalled by David Grann [36:16]
  • Quote: "It’s going to be even more shocking." – Christian Bala (regarding a second book) [37:17]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:38 | David Grann | "There was no doubt that the figure had been murdered." | | 02:09 | David Grann | "If the figure had moved at struggle to move, they would have been choking themselves." | | 05:51 | David Grann | "Rather than being a sparrow, he says, I'm an eagle." | | 09:18 | David Grann | "The murderer in the novel...had also not only put a noose around his girlfriend..." | | 11:38 | David Grann | "It was always in Christian...this play between what is real and what is false..." | | 18:49 | David Grann | "Even Jacek would acknowledge that the case was extraordinarily thin..." | | 22:53 | David Grann | "It strains credulity...this time is definitely a fiction." (on Bala's police brutality claim) | | 28:11 | Phoebe Judge | "I've already taken out a guy like you with a rope." | | 32:55 | David Grann | "He compares himself to Salman Rushdie, that he is being crucified for his literature." | | 36:16 | David Grann | "I'm the author. I'm the author. I know what I meant." | | 37:17 | David Grann | "It's going to be even more shocking." (Bala about his next, unfinished book) |

Structurally Important Segments (Timestamps)

• [01:38–03:47] – Body discovery and identification
• [05:41–07:59] – Detective Jacek Wrobleski takes the case, cell phone clue
• [09:18–15:32] – Parallels between Amok and the real crime
• [18:49–19:56] – Crime's circumstantial evidence and case difficulties
• [20:04–21:06] – Digital investigation, Bala's impending return, and arrest
• [27:17–28:29] – Discovery of motive: jealousy over ex-wife's relationship
• [32:55–34:35] – Trial outcomes, Bala's continued assertions of innocence
• [34:35–36:34] – David Grann’s prison visit and interviews with Bala

Tone and Takeaways

• Chilling, Literary, Investigative: The episode maintains a blend of true crime procedural with literary intrigue. Both Judge and Grann treat the subject matter with gravity, never sensationalizing Bala while also probing the stranger-than-fiction details.
• It raises questions about the boundaries between fiction and confession, and the risks of reading autobiography into art.
• Even with Bala imprisoned, the episode leaves a residue of uncertainty—about his motivations, about the truth-art boundary, and the lengths to which a guilty conscience may seek expression.

This episode masterfully weaves together detective work, psychology, and literary analysis, creating a haunting tableau of a murder case in which the line between art and life blurs dangerously.