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1: The House of Secrets - Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Back to Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise

1: The House of Secrets

Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise

Thu Oct 09 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise

Episode 1: The House of Secrets
Host: Becky Milligan
Date: October 9, 2025

Overview

The inaugural episode of "Hell in Heaven" explores the mysterious and tragic story of John and Anne Bender, an American couple who built a vast, fortress-like mansion and wildlife sanctuary in the Costa Rican rainforest. The episode, hosted by award-winning journalist Becky Milligan, sets the stage for a tale of immense wealth, growing paranoia, isolation, and a puzzling death that sparks suspicion, gossip, and multiple murder trials. Through atmospheric storytelling and interviews with friends, neighbors, and family, the first chapter introduces the enigmatic house—Bora Kayan—and the psychological landscape that led to paradise being transformed into a place of fear and secrets.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Night of the Tragedy

Incident Details:
- Timestamp 01:35
  Milligan recounts the night of January 7, 2010 when police and ambulance respond to a shooting at the Benders' house.
- Carlos Mora, the ambulance driver, describes the surreal opulence and tension inside the house, comparing it to a spaceship with reflective black floors and heavy security.
- The body is found in the open-air bedroom, with a gunshot wound and a semi-automatic on the floor. Initial police assumptions of suicide are quickly upended by inconsistencies: the wound is in the back of the head, the gun appears to have fallen from one hand but the entry wound is on the opposite side.

"He's never experienced anything like it before or since… as Carlos gets closer, he takes in the horror of it all."
(Becky Milligan, 05:10)

2. Arrival in Costa Rica and Building Bora Kayan

Motivation and Vision:
- John Bender, a wealthy Wall Street genius, and his glamorous wife Anne arrive in their 30s with the dream of creating a wildlife refuge and eco-paradise.
- Their love for each other and devotion to rescued animals are emphasized through home life details—rare orchids, hundreds of Tiffany lamps, a pack of animals.
Unique Design:
- The couple's mansion is both architecturally and contextually jarring—a four-story, round, wall-less structure with open spaces, helicopter pad, and screening mechanisms for night-time.

"It's just enormous. It's like a spaceship's landed on the top of a hill in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica."
(Becky Milligan, 13:15)

Community Impact:
- Buying 5,000 acres for their sanctuary, the Benders drastically alter the local economy and geography, bringing jobs, introducing wealth, and inspiring local awe and suspicion.

"As we say, John came to put the town on the map… There was not even electricity when John arrived. He brought life to the place."
(Osvaldo Rojas, 27:45)

3. Folklore, Isolation, and the Dark Side

Atmospheric Risks:
- Neighbors describe the jungle as a beautiful but mentally challenging environment where isolation can amplify inner demons.
- The area around the Diamante waterfall is rumored to carry a curse or strange energy; nearly all who settle there are said to "lose it" over time.

"A lot of people die off there and a lot of people go kind of crazy. They lose it. They actually lose it. Struggling with anything in the jungle. You're gonna face your inner demons."
(John Corvick, 09:57)

Early Warnings:
- The Benders become increasingly isolated, their paradise gradually feeling like a prison. Armed guards, electrified fences, and constant surveillance replace open hospitality.
- The shift from idyllic to ominous is a core theme, with locals both frightened and suspicious of the Americans’ intentions.

4. The Benders' Background and Lifestyle

Who Were John and Anne?
- John: Physically imposing, gentle with animals, and intellectually gifted.
- Anne: Petite, elegant, compared to Audrey Hepburn, adored by all, especially John.
- They present as the perfect couple, but cracks begin to show as they withdraw from society.

"Just handsome, movie-star handsome. She was petite, delicate, moved like a ballerina. She reminded me a lot of Audrey Hepburn."
(Carol Vaughan, 16:58)

The Vision Behind Bora Kayan:
- The couple's dream home is designed for uninterrupted communion with nature—thus no walls, and animals living side by side with people.
- One floor was reserved for John’s orchids; Anne's decorative touch is seen in hundreds of Tiffany lamps.

"The house has no walls… during the day, it was wide open. Designed by John with Anne's decorating touch. The house is magnificent."
(Carol Vaughan, 26:49)

5. Rumors, Security, and Growing Suspicion

Why the Guns?
- Officially, the Benders cite protection from poachers for their heavily armed security.
- However, locals gossip about possible drug connections and the true source of the couple’s fortune.
- The couple's withdrawal spawns conspiracy theories as they are rarely seen except by helicopter.

"There's guys with assault rifles, you know, at the gate. Like you would imagine if it was a drug cartel. The armed people he had working for them would do these patrols… round the clock."
(Jack Schwager, 37:40)

6. Personal Anecdotes and Character Portraits

Neighbors and Friends' Impressions:
- Former guests and friends—the Schwagers—recount the overwhelming sense of paradise, but also the jarring presence of armed guards and uncertainty about the Benders’ real circumstances.
- John is remembered for his intellect and unique approach to conversation, even discussing quantum mechanics with guests.

“I was opened up to this whole world of reality or not reality. And Jonathan had kind of brought me into this place of where for the first time, like, I questioned, like, what's real and what's not real. And nobody had ever done that before.”
(Zack Schwager, 35:33)

Notable Quotes & Moments

On the Night of the Death:
"The gun seems to have dropped from the victim's left hand. Yet the entry wound is on the right side of the head. Not only that, the bullet was fired from behind."
(Becky Milligan, 06:45)
Describing the Mansion:
"It's like an enormous spaceship… everything else in this house, this is no ordinary elevator... reflective like pools of water. There's a lot of money here. Who could own such a house? He asks himself. A drug trafficker?"
(Becky Milligan, 04:00 - 05:00)
Community Impact:
"John came to put the town on the map… the economy began to move after being practically abandoned."
(Osvaldo Rojas, 27:45)
Mental Toll of Isolation:
"It's a strange thing. Sounds morbid, but a lot of people die off there and a lot of people go kind of crazy. They lose it. They actually lose it."
(John Corvick, 09:57)
On Animal Sanctuary:
"They wanted to turn back the clock, restoring the land to its wild state… He was feeding it."
(Carol Vaughan, 32:12)
Growing Paranoia:
"If this was just about poaching, John and Anne went to extreme lengths. They put up a barbed wire perimeter fence… had guards wearing fatigues patrolling 24/7."
(Becky Milligan, 38:11)

Timestamps for Important Segments

01:35 – Arrival at the crime scene; Carlos Mora’s account
09:38 – Neighbor John Corvick’s warning about isolation and local folklore
13:15 – First approach to Bora Kayan, the “spaceship” house
16:58 – Carol Vaughan’s description of Anne as “petite, delicate… like Audrey Hepburn”
20:22 – John and Anne’s $600M fortune; land deals with local farmers and expats
26:49 – “The house has no walls” and its significance
27:45 – Osvaldo Rojas on the economic boom brought by the Benders
35:33 – Zack Schwager recounts John’s philosophical conversations
37:40 – First mention of armed guards, neighbors’ suspicions

Conclusion

"The House of Secrets" paints a vivid portrait of the Benders' dream-turned-nightmare. The episode uses immersive firsthand accounts, local folklore, and evocative descriptions to foreshadow the psychological unraveling and growing danger inside Bora Kayan. The mansion, once a sanctuary for people and animals alike, becomes a symbol of both immense possibility and profound threat. As friends, neighbors, and family recount their stories, questions of motive, mental health, and truth swirl around the central tragedy—a puzzle that will unravel over the coming episodes.

End of Episode 1.

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Transcript

Becky Milligan (0:01)

This is exactly right. The detective said missing kids usually come home. What happens when they don't?

Narrator/Host (0:12)

Based on a true story Police looking for John Gacy.

John Bender's Family Member or Interviewee (0:16)

We discovered bodies. By the looks of it, they're younger men.

Narrator/Host (0:20)

The things he did to those kids.

Becky Milligan (0:23)

He's sick. The system failed these families.

Narrator/Host (0:27)

Devil in disguise.

Ryan Seacrest (0:28)

John Wayne Gacy. Streaming now only on Peacock.

Becky Milligan (0:32)

Do you know how many there are? Up to you to find out.

Ryan Seacrest (0:36)

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Ryan Seacrest (1:21)

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Becky Milligan (1:22)

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Becky Milligan (1:35)

See Mint mobile.com January 7, 2010. We're outside the house of John and Anne Bender, a young American couple who've built an extravagant home and wildlife refuge in the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest. John made a multi million dollar fortune on Wall Street. Ann, bright and glamorous wife. It's now one in the morning. The emergency call came in an hour ago. A shooting and a casualty. That's the voice of Carlos Mora. He was the ambulance driver who was on the scene that night. I've tracked him down. Now, he's attended hundreds of violent incidents over the years, but this one stands out. He's never experienced anything like it before or since. And he's not alone. All the people I've found while reporting on this story remember it in vivid detail. I'm Becky Milligan. I broke stories for the BBC for for almost 30 years. And I've reported on some pretty strange events. But this one is the strangest of all. So back to that night. Carlos enters the Bender's house and he gets in the elevator. And just like everything else in this house, this is no ordinary elevator. It's a round, open, open platform that rises up through the building. Carlos grips onto the handrail. He sees each floor as it passes. The house is incredible, he says. He's never seen a place like it. It's like an enormous spaceship. Inside, it's all steep stainless steel and shiny black floors, reflective, like pools of water. There's a lot of money here. Who could own such a house? He asks himself a drug trafficker. Carlos is anxious. Guards and security are everywhere, armed with heavy caliber weapons. They're speaking to each other in hushed voices. He's been told he has to go up to the fourth floor, the master bedroom. He passes the first floor, the second floor, a vast kitchen. The third floor, the fourth floor, the bedroom. And on the bed, a body, curled up as if asleep. But as Carlos gets closer, he takes in the horror of it all. The gunshot wound at the back of the head. The victim's left arm dangling off the bed, blood dripping from it, forming a pool on the highly polished marble floor. And near it, on the floor, the gun, a semi automatic. At first the police will assume this is a suicide. But not for long. And here's why. The gun seems to have dropped from the victim's left hand. Yet the entry wound is on the right side of the head. Not only that, the bullet was fired from behind. From exactly right. Media and IHEART Podcasts Produced by Blanchard House this is hell in Heaven. I'm Becky Milligan. Chapter One the House of Secrets Our story begins and ends with a house built and owned by Anne and John Bender. This building, this place, is their dream home. When they first move here, they're both in their 30s. He's made his millions and now he wants to put them to good use. To enjoy them by creating a wildlife sanctuary. So our couple are young and they're in love. Completely in love. Devoted, it seems they live only for each other and all the beloved animals they've rescued. John also has his rare orchids and Anne has her collection of Tiffany lamps. Hundreds of them. So Anne and John have everything they need right here in their house in the middle of the jungle. A house unlike any other and which will in time be the scene of a terrible tragedy and a mystery. So I land in Costa Rica to investigate this story and by coincidence, my 18 year old daughter is already here working on a conservation project elsewhere in the country. She's been messaging me, telling me all about protecting turtle eggs on pristine beaches, relaxing in camp as monkeys play in the trees. And about how she showers in the open air as hummingbirds hover close by. Paradise. But as I arrive in the country and discover more about this story about the dark side of life in Costa Rica, the more I start to worry about my daughter and worry about myself turning into some sort of Internet meme. A hysterical, overprotective mother convinced her daughter is about to die. Not only that, I'm not coping too well with the climate either. Gosh, it's quite tiring, isn't it, in this heat? Scotland in autumn is more my thing and that's a lot cooler than it is here. My producer Poppy and I have driven four hours from the capital, San Jose. A hair raising drive around hairpin bends with sheer drops on either side. But we're now deep in the rainforest, searching for John and Anne Bender's house first. Through a slight clearing, we come upon the Diamante waterfall, which gives this valley its name. Oh wow. That's it. Oh my goodness. Is that it? It's so high up. My goodness, I've seen the cliff face. Water tumbles from a high ridge down the cliff face and is swallowed up by the flower forest below. Blue, green and yellow birds flutter above our heads and the noise is intense and strange roars echo in the distance like dinosaurs. Sounds enchanting. But the truth is we're already on edge. We've been spooked by a phone call we made just before we set out.

Becky Milligan (11:33)

We leave the waterfall behind and walk even deeper into the jungle in search of John and Anne Bender's house, which they called Bora Kayan. Okay, I'm seeing some barbed wire fence, so I think we're getting close. That even looks like cut lawn. It does. Right up the slope there, we see the slopes of the gardens first, and then through the trees and foliage. Oh, my God. That's really it. It's just enormous. It's like a spaceship's landed on the top of a hill in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica. It's like four stories with this dome at the top. It's constructed from huge concrete slabs and columns and 50,000 square feet, around the same size as a soccer pitch. And it's round. Imagine that on a jungle hilltop rising way above the tops of the trees, and you get an idea of what it looks like and how out of place it is. The views are incredible. In the evening, John and Ann would sit and look out across the jungle, enjoying the glorious sunsets, enjoying each other's company. In the daytime, they'd zoom around on their 5,000 acres of land on a quad bike, busying themselves with their wildlife refuge, caring for all the animals they'd saved. A great black hawk, a jaguarundi, which is a wild cat on the verge of extinction. And Anne also had her dog, a German shepherd called Millie. It really is an astonishing place. But being here now, there's a sinister edge to it all. I can see why they loved it. It's completely isolated, but there are gates here, a couple of guards, and there's no entry. There's just no way we can get in. And even at the top, I can see a guard sort of walking the perimeter. I think he is filming. In fact, he was filming us. They're getting a Bit tense, all the guards. Okay, good to know. We'd asked permission to go inside weeks before and hadn't received a response. But just as we're leaving, a man turns up in fatigues. Orlando. Oh, no. Oh, you're Orlando. We're making a documentary about Anne and John. But it's not possible to go inside, is it?