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.