MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: Monsters Among Us Vol. V (February 12, 2026)

Episode Overview

In "Monsters Among Us Vol. V," MrBallen (John Allen) delivers three harrowing, true stories about people—so-called "monsters"—hidden in plain sight. Each tale explores the darkness lurking beneath ordinary circumstances:

• “The Home Gym” (Hong Kong): A shocking case of betrayal within a family.
• “120 Times” (South Carolina): The tragic, random victimization of a promising student.
• “To Save His Soul” (Texas): A preacher’s heinous deeds under the guise of faith.

[02:30] Story 1: The Home Gym

Main Points & Timeline

• Setting: Hong Kong, May 2015.
• Key Figures: Lily (16), her mother Wong Xiu Feng, and her father, Dr. Ka Kim Sun.
• Initial Discovery: Lily finds her dad unusually exercising in the home gym on a yoga ball ([02:30]).
• Unusual Events:
  • Father explains he left work early to relax—especially odd to Lily since he's never present at this time ([02:52]).
  • The next day, Lily is forced to stay home and study by her father—her day off. He insists, then leaves for work ([03:30]).
  • After he leaves, Lily’s mom encourages her to go out, resulting in a mother-daughter outing ([04:02]).
• Incident:
  • At 4:15 pm, a jogger spots their yellow Mini Cooper idling at the side of the road with Lily and her mother unresponsive inside ([04:26]).
  • Attempts to rouse them fail; both are pronounced dead at hospital ([04:44]).
• Investigation:
  • Six-month-long investigation finds nothing—car is clean, containing only purses and a deflated yoga ball ([05:02]-[05:45]).
  • Breakthrough comes when detectives re-examine the yoga ball, which was filled with carbon monoxide by Lily's father ([06:00]-[06:39]).
• Revelation:
  • The gym incident was a cover for Dr. Ka filling the ball with gas.
  • His plan was to kill his wife by leaking the gas into her car. He tried to save Lily by forcing her to remain home, but she ended up with her mother despite his instructions ([07:10]).
• Conclusion:
  • Dr. Ka Kim Sun is convicted and sentenced to life in prison; motive remains unknown ([08:04]).

Notable Quotes

• “What her father was doing was not cool down exercises. He had not just come home early and, you know, played tennis and this and that. In reality, he had taken that yoga ball to the hospital… and filled it with carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas.”
  — MrBallen ([06:36])
• “He didn’t try to kill his daughter, though… But the mother defied the father, brought the daughter along, and then after driving for only a mile, the two women collapsed and died.”
  — MrBallen ([07:46])

[10:19] Story 2: 120 Times

Main Points & Timeline

• Setting: Columbia, South Carolina, 2019
• Key Figures: Samantha Josephson (21, senior at Univ. of South Carolina), mentor Daniela Jaimez, murderer Nathaniel Roland.
• Background:
  • Samantha is a standout student, accepted to Drexel Law, compared to Amal Clooney by her mentor ([10:31]-[11:16]).
• The Night of the Incident:
  • Samantha goes drinking with friends at Five Points. Around 2am, group gets separated in a bar.
  • Satisfied with her night, Samantha decides to head home alone, hails an "Uber" ([11:50]).
• The Crime:
  • Samantha climbs into a car she believes is her ride, but it's driven by Nathaniel Roland, a non-Uber driver cruising for a victim ([14:50]).
  • Doors are child-locked. Roland takes her 70 miles away, stabs her 120 times, and disposes of her body in the woods ([17:14]).
  • He posts normally on Facebook hours later, displaying chilling detachment ([18:14]).
• Discovery:
  • Turkey hunters Anders and Ryan stumble upon Samantha’s body ([13:33]-[15:24]).
    • “He yelled for Ryan, who couldn’t see him, but he yelled for him to come into the woods and look at this.” — Narrator ([15:24])
• Resolution:
  • Roland is arrested within 24 hours, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison ([18:45]).
  • Motive is unclear; believed he simply decided to kill someone that night.

Notable Quotes

• “Nathaniel drove Samantha to some isolated area… Then once he parked… Nathaniel pulled out a knife and then leapt into the backseat of his car where Samantha was trapped, and he stabbed her 120 times.”
  — Narrator ([17:12])
• “Within hours of dumping her body in the forest, Nathaniel was posting these normal posts on Facebook… as if he was completely unaffected by this horrible crime he had just committed.”
  — MrBallen ([18:14])

[20:00] Story 3: To Save His Soul

Main Points & Timeline

• Setting: Euless, Texas, September 2021
• Key Figures: Jason Thornburg (preacher), David Lueris (visitor)
• The Meeting:
  • Jason, a preacher whose house burned down, hosts Bible studies in his motel room ([20:10]-[20:30]).
  • Tattooed stranger David Lueris arrives, not for Bible study but seeking shelter from dangerous associates ([20:30]-[21:19]).
  • Jason feels compelled to help, invites David inside and conducts Bible study to calm him ([21:30]-[22:15]).
• Escalation:
  • David is highly paranoid; Jason locks the door, tells David it’s safe ([22:15]).
  • After hours of Bible study, David begs to stay overnight—Jason reluctantly allows it ([23:10]).
  • The two do more Bible study, eventually fall asleep ([23:55]).
• The Murders & Aftermath:
  • Over five days, loud gospel music blares from the room ([24:30]-[25:05]).
  • Two additional visitors enter Jason’s room and do not leave ([25:10]).
  • On the fifth day, a person in a hazmat suit leaves, soon after, a dumpster fire is reported and human remains are discovered inside ([25:30]-[26:00]).
• Horrifying Details:
  • Jason waits for David to sleep, then slits his throat, cuts out his heart, and eats it, believing human sacrifice to be the purest way to serve God ([26:11]).
  • He lures two women (victims) under the pretext of Bible study and kills them the same way ([27:00]).
  • In the hazmat suit, Jason transports and burns the dismembered bodies ([27:40]).
  • Jason later confesses to more murders, including his girlfriend. The house fire was an attempt to destroy evidence after killing his roommate ([28:19]).
  • Ultimately convicted of five killings, sentenced to death ([28:44]).

Notable Quotes

• “Jason, the preacher, really actually believed that human sacrifice was the best and purest way to serve God.”
  — MrBallen ([26:42])
• “He slit David’s throat. Then he cut David’s heart out and ate it.”
  — MrBallen ([26:20])

Memorable and Chilling Moments

• The misdirect in “The Home Gym” as a father calmly orchestrates his family’s demise while feigning innocence ([06:36]).
• The sense of randomness and dread in “120 Times”—a victim doing everything “right” yet falling prey to calculated evil ([14:50], [17:14]).
• The incremental horror of “To Save His Soul”—from compassion to ritualistic murder, culminating in the preacher’s unflinching self-justification ([26:20], [26:42]).

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:30] – The Home Gym: Start of story
• [04:26] – Discovery of Lily and her mother in car
• [06:36] – Revelation about the yoga ball
• [10:19] – 120 Times: Start of story
• [13:33] – Missing report & hunters' discovery
• [17:14] – Details of the attack
• [20:00] – To Save His Soul: Start of story
• [24:30] – Gospel music blaring/strange motel activity
• [26:11] – Details of the first killing and shocking motivation
• [27:40] – Disposal and confession
• [28:44] – Conviction and sentencing

Final Thoughts

"Monsters Among Us Vol. V" exemplifies MrBallen’s storytelling: measured, suspenseful, and deeply disturbing. Each story underscores the chilling reality that the most monstrous individuals can blend seamlessly into everyday life—making the ‘strange, dark, and mysterious’ all too plausible.

Attribution & Credits

• Host: MrBallen (John Allen)
• Research/Writing: Ballen Studios team (see episode credits)
• Stories sourced from true events; certain names/pseudonyms and narrative details altered for privacy and dramatization.