MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: "Playing with Fire" (Podcast Exclusive)

Release Date: April 1, 2026
Host: John Allen (MrBallen)

Episode Overview

In "Playing with Fire," MrBallen shares two true stories centered on dramatic misperceptions and devastating consequences.

• Story 1 ("The Tip Off"): Chronicles a woman's desperate attempts to escape an abusive relationship, resulting in her wrongly implicating both herself and her boyfriend in a murder case—with shocking legal fallout.
• Story 2 ("The Intruder"): Examines a California town’s normalization of a hidden threat that ultimately turns deadly, upending everyone’s assumptions about safety.

Both stories are delivered with MrBallen’s signature suspenseful, empathetic storytelling, illustrating how the truth can be stranger—and far darker—than fiction.

Story One: The Tip Off

Introduction & Set-Up (02:15)

• The story unfolds in Wilsonville, Oregon, in February 1990.
• Laverne Pavlanok (57) lives with her physically abusive boyfriend, John Sosnovsky. Her loneliness after being widowed led her to John, whom she now fears deeply.
• While enjoying her rare moment of peace one morning, Laverne reads about the murder of Tanya Bennett, a young woman found beaten and strangled near a familiar scenic overlook.

The First Call to Police (03:17)

• Laverne becomes convinced John is the murderer described in the article:
  • “She just had, like, this weird sense that she… knew something about this case.” [03:40]
• Weighing her fear against her conscience, Laverne calls the police to report her suspicion.
  • “Either what she just did was going to end the chapter with John and he was gonna go to jail for murder, or Laverne might wind up being the next dead girl on the side of the highway.” [05:02]

Police Involvement & Initial Investigation (06:05)

• Detective John Ingram and his partner arrive to hear Laverne’s tip. The case has no leads; her information is their only hope.
• Laverne hesitantly recounts:
  • John’s unusual behavior the night of the murder (coming home late and showering at 2 am).
  • Overhearing John brag about the killing in a bar.
  • Her fear paralyzing her from coming forward sooner.

Search and Suspicious Evidence (10:45)

• Detectives search Laverne and John’s apartment:
  • They find a scrap of paper in John’s possession: “T. Bennett, good peace.”
    • Ingram: “He froze.” [13:06]
• They decide to bring John in “for a chat,” coincidentally encountering him as they leave.

Interrogation and Frustration (15:54)

• John is calm, gives vague or noncommittal answers, even when confronted with the note.
• “It was highly suspicious to Ingram that John apparently just couldn't answer them, at least not cleanly.” [17:54]
• No conclusive evidence—John is let go.

The Planted Evidence (18:56)

• Four days later, Laverne calls Ingram about a denim swatch she found in her trunk, resembling the one missing from Tanya’s jeans.
• The police, excited for a break, collect the sample for testing.

Crushing Disappointment and a Shift in the Story (22:11)

• Lab results: The denim does NOT match the victim’s. Ingram suspects it’s planted.
• When pressed, Laverne breaks down, admitting to planting the evidence:
  • “She explained that she had cut up some jeans and put that front button part in her car and pretended to have found it so that they'd be able to arrest John.” [23:12]
• Laverne’s story shifts again when Ingram points out she couldn’t have known about the detail without insider information.
• Her new confession: She claims John called her to the murder scene and she helped dispose of, then participated in, Tanya’s killing under his coercion.

The Point of No Return (27:05)

• Laverne successfully identifies the precise spot where Tanya's body was found—a detail not public knowledge.
• Both John and Laverne are arrested and, following trial, sentenced to life.

The Shocking Truth Emerges (32:30)

• Three years later, the real killer confesses via letter (the infamous case of Keith Jesperson, the "Happy Face Killer").
• Laverne had fabricated her entire story to frame John as a means of escaping their relationship, accidentally implicating herself in the process.
  • "She read everything she could, ... snuck a peek at Ingraham's list of evidence ... and happened to take a few really lucky guesses.” [34:30]
• Both serve four years in prison before being exonerated.

Notable Quotes

• “All because of Laverne's lies.” [36:45]
• On Laverne’s motivation: “She really wanted to break up with John, but she didn't know how to do it. And so what she ultimately did...was to frame him for murder.” [34:55]

Story Two: The Intruder

Town and Character Introduction (31:12)

• Takes place in Downieville, a rural town in California, in November 2023.
• Patrice Miller (71) is a reclusive woman, physically impaired, relying on grocery delivery from her friend Cassie Koch.
• Town has seen an uptick in property break-ins and vandalism. Patrice, feeling targeted, installs bars on her windows.

The Growing Threat (32:19)

• Patrice is convinced she has a stalker ("Big Bastard"), reporting her fear to authorities with little effect.
• Cassie grows anxious after losing contact with Patrice.

The Discovery (34:36)

• Cassie asks for a wellness check; police arrive to find Patrice’s house in chaos:
  • Smashed door, water spraying, blood everywhere, kitchen destroyed.
  • Patrice’s remains are found, her body “literally torn apart.”

Investigation and The Town’s Perception (36:00)

• Detectives link Patrice’s death to the same “intruder” haunting other residents.
• The escalation from simple vandalism to murder baffles authorities.

The Unthinkable Culprit (38:43)

• Police reviewing Patrice’s final days realize two things: she regularly fed cats on her porch and dumped compost in the garden.
• The “stalker,” Big Bastard, is revealed as a black bear attracted by the food sources.
  • “Big Bastard was a black bear. He loved to eat cat food and kitchen compost scraps. And eventually he decided that Patrice was food, too.” [39:14]
• Patrice’s death marks the first fatal black bear attack in California history.

Memorable Unsettling Moment

• “Black bears are not typically dangerous...But it was exactly that sort of lack of perceived danger, which is why officials didn't help Patrice or any of our other neighbors get rid of these black bears...They basically said, Eh, what's the worst they could do?" [40:40]

Key Insights & Takeaways

• Story One explores the devastating consequences of a desperate act, unreliable confessions, and how the justice system can be manipulated—and manipulated wrongly.
  • Laverne’s actions, fueled by fear and despair, lead to the wrongful imprisonment of both herself and her abuser.
• Story Two is a chilling subversion of expectations—what locals viewed as a manageable, almost nuisance-level threat (black bears) spirals into a truly deadly hazard.
  • Routine behaviors (feeding animals, composting) can attract unanticipated dangers, upending the assumption of safety.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Either what she just did was going to end the chapter with John and he was gonna go to jail for murder, or Laverne might wind up being the next dead girl on the side of the highway.” – MrBallen [05:02]
• “She explained that she had cut up some jeans and put that front button part in her car and pretended to have found it so that they'd be able to arrest John.” – MrBallen [23:12]
• “All because of Laverne’s lies.” – MrBallen [36:45]
• “Big Bastard was a black bear. He loved to eat cat food and kitchen compost scraps. And eventually he decided that Patrice was food, too.” – MrBallen [39:14]

Structure of the Episode

• 00:00 – 02:15: Show opening, introduction to theme and main stories
• 02:15 – 36:45: Story One – The Tip Off (Laverne, John, Tanya Bennett’s case)
• 36:45 – 44:00: Story Two – The Intruder (Patrice Miller and Downieville, CA)
• 44:00 – End: Show closing/credits

Final Thoughts

With his gripping pacing and expressive detail, MrBallen delivers two unsettling narratives about the havoc caused when perceived dangers are either overblown or dramatically underestimated. Whether it’s the real-world horror of wrongful conviction or the surreal twist of a “stalker” turning out to be a deadly bear, “Playing with Fire” leaves listeners questioning their assumptions about risk, safety, and the truth.