Pure Evil

Summary

MrBallen Podcast: "Pure Evil" – Detailed Summary

Episode Title: Pure Evil
Release Date: January 9, 2025
Podcast: MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
Host/Author: Ballen Studios

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Introduction

In the "Pure Evil" episode of the MrBallen Podcast, Ballen Studios delves into three chilling real-life stories that encapsulate the darkest facets of human behavior. This detailed summary explores each narrative, highlighting key events, discussions, insights, and the harrowing conclusions drawn by the host.

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1. Obsessed

Timestamp: [03:54] – [11:03]

Overview:
The first story, titled "Obsessed," recounts the tragic tale of Christina Grimmie, a rising YouTube star and talented singer whose promising career was brutally cut short by a deranged fan.

Key Points:

• Christina’s Rise to Fame:
  Christina Grimmie starts her YouTube channel at 15, initially hesitant but gains massive popularity after her viral cover of "Party in the USA." Over four years, she amasses over 2 million subscribers, releases an album, and tours with Selena Gomez.

• Helpless Fame:
  Despite her success, Christina remains grounded, continuing to engage with her fans through candid and relatable videos, differentiating herself from traditional celebrities.

• The Tragic Concert Incident:
  On June 10, 2016, during a concert in Orlando, Florida, Christina interacts with a fan who had become dangerously obsessed. As she embraces him, the fan, Kevin Loibel, pulls out a pistol and fatally shoots her. Her brother, Mark Grimmie, attempts to intervene but is also overpowered.

• Kevin Loibel’s Obsession and Motive:
  Kevin's infatuation with Christina turned into an unhealthy obsession. Believing that if he couldn't have her, no one else should, he meticulously planned the attack by traveling 120 miles to Orlando armed with pistols, ammunition, and a hunting knife.

Notable Quotes:

• Christina's Surprise:
  "We love your voice." – Christina Grimmie reflecting on her initial viral success.

• Kevin Loibel’s Delusion:
  "If I can't have her, no one can have her." – Kevin Loibel's twisted rationale for the attack.

Conclusion:
"Obsessed" serves as a poignant reminder of the potential dangers of extreme fandom and the devastating impact of unchecked obsession.

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2. Facebook Post

Timestamp: [11:03] – [16:03]

Overview:
The second story, "Facebook Post," explores the harrowing events leading to the tragic murder-suicide committed by Casey Lawhorn, driven by mental health struggles and a destructive obsession.

Key Points:

• Chad and Casey’s Relationship:
  Chad Lawhorn, concerned about his younger brother Casey's mental health, receives a disturbing Venmo notification: "$250 – damages." Recognizing the gravity, Chad rushes to East Ridge, Tennessee, only to find the crime scene prepared for his arrival.

• Casey’s Descent into Violence:
  On April 8, 2018, Casey Lawhorn, overwhelmed by mental health issues, murders his friend Avery by shooting him and then attempts to kill his mother. Despite initial failures due to a jammed gun, Casey ultimately succeeds, leaving his mother injured.

• The Aftermath:
  After committing the murders and robbing Avery, Casey drives to Mississippi, where he takes his own life within 24 hours. His detailed Facebook confession reveals a lack of remorse and a chilling detachment from his actions.

Notable Quotes:

• Chad’s Realization:
  "When he realized he was walking into the situation, he just stared." – Describing Chad’s shock upon arriving at the crime scene.

• Casey’s Confession:
  "I've been thinking about murder a lot lately and wanted to know how it felt. But after doing it, I barely felt anything at all." – Excerpt from Casey Lawhorn’s Facebook post.

Conclusion:
"Facebook Post" underscores the profound effects of mental health struggles and the catastrophic consequences that can ensue when individuals reach their breaking points without adequate support.

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3. Murder Mystery Murder

Timestamp: [18:02] – [35:48]

Overview:
The final story, "Murder Mystery Murder," unravels the sinister plot orchestrated by Kim Rico, who meticulously planned the murder of her husband, Steve, under the guise of a romantic getaway.

Key Points:

• Marital Struggles:
  Steve and Kim Rico, a married couple with an 8-year-old daughter, face a rocky relationship. Kim, an extrovert, grows increasingly unhappy with Steve’s introversion and withdrawal from social interactions.

• The Valentine's Day Getaway:
  On Valentine's Day 1998, Steve plans a secretive romantic trip to reconcile their marriage. They arrive at Harbortown Golf Resort, where Kim is thrilled with the surprise murder mystery dinner theater event titled "The Bride Who Cried."

• The Perfect Alibi:
  During the dinner theater, as Kim enjoys the interactive murder mystery, Steve remains distant. Later that evening, Kim executes her plan: she uses succinylcholine, a muscle relaxant, to paralyze Steve, then sets him on fire.

• Discovery and Arrest:
  Philip Parker, a resort guest, discovers the burning cottage and attempts a rescue. It becomes evident that Steve is deceased. Investigation reveals Kim's affair and her premeditated actions, leading to her conviction and life sentence.

• Steve’s True Intentions:
  Contrary to appearances, Steve had been planning a heartfelt reconciliation, incorporating Kim’s interests to revive their marriage. His journal entries and phone calls highlight his genuine desire to mend their relationship, making Kim's betrayal all the more tragic.

Notable Quotes:

• Kim’s Deception:
  "Come on, get in bed. I'll join you in a second." – Kim’s final deceptive act before committing murder.

• Steve’s Hope:
  "We're going to reconnect here." – Steve’s belief in the getaway as a turning point for their marriage.

Conclusion:
"Murder Mystery Murder" is a chilling exploration of betrayal and the lengths to which desperation can drive an individual. Kim Rico's calculated actions reveal a dark side of human nature, contrasting sharply with Steve’s sincere efforts to save their marriage.

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Final Thoughts

In "Pure Evil," the MrBallen Podcast masterfully presents three distinct yet equally disturbing stories that highlight different aspects of human malevolence. From obsessive fandom and mental health crises to calculated marital murder, each narrative serves as a stark reminder of the fragile boundaries between normalcy and darkness in human behavior.

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Note:
All stories are based on true events. Names and certain details may have been altered to protect the privacy of those involved.

Transcript

[Mr. Ballin]

Hey prime members, you can binge eight new episodes of the Mr. Ballin podcast one month early and all episodes ad free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Today's podcast features three acts of pure evil. The audio from all three of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode. The links to the original YouTube videos are in the description. The first story you'll hear is called Obsessed, and it's about a rising star who is confronted by a superfan. The second story you'll hear is called Facebook Post, and it's about the disturbing backstory to a horrifying post that has since been deleted. And the third and final story you'll hear is called Murder Mystery Murder, and it's about a little cottage's dark secret. But before we get into today's stories, if you're a fan of the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right podcast.

[Co-host]

Because that's all we do.

[Mr. Ballin]

And we upload twice a week, once on Monday and once on Thursday. So if that's of interest to you, please offer to house sit for the Amazon Music follow button while they're away for the weekend. But instead of looking after their property, just spend the entire weekend downloading viruses to their computer. Okay, let's get into our first story called Obsessed.

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[Mr. Ballin]

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[Narrator]

In 2009, 15 year old Christina Grimmie finally caved and made her own YouTube channel. For years her friends and family had been begging her to do this because Christina had this incredible singing voice that they wanted the world to hear. But Christina had always been hesitant because she was a bit of an introvert. But that year Christina was feeling more outgoing and so she took the plunge. She makes this channel and in July of that year she uploads her first two songs. They were both cover songs and she was really proud of them. But when she uploaded them they didn't get very many views and so Christina probably was not very excited about making more videos. But a month later she found herself really enjoying the song Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. And so she was singing it all the time and humming it all the time. And so finally she said, okay, I'll just film myself covering that song. So she records herself singing this song, she uploads it to her YouTube channel, her third video, and she thinks no one's gonna see it because her first two videos no one really saw. But this video was different. It went viral almost immediately and millions and millions of people saw it and they loved it. Christina couldn't believe it, even though her friends and family had been telling her all along, you have this great voice, you gotta share it with the world. That's different than actually seeing the results of the world saying you're really great. We love your voice. And so she saw this huge opportunity, and she began uploading more and more music to her channel, and more and more of her videos went viral. Over the next four years, she amassed over 2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel. She put out her own album, and she even went on tour with the mega celebrity pop star Selena Gomez. In 2014, Christina auditioned for the TV singing competition called the Voice. This show only allows a very small number of contestants who are all incredibly talented musicians. They get screened really aggressively before the competition even starts. But despite the very intense competition she was up against, Christina still managed to finish third overall in this competition. Now, she might have been a little bit let down that she didn't finish first, but that show did wonders for her career because the judges of this competition were mega celebrity musicians. And every time Christina was on TV doing her performance for the competition, the judges would be raving about how talented she was and that even if she doesn't win this competition, someone's going to sign her. She's so incredible. And then, sure enough, shortly after that competition ended, Christina was signed to a major record label. But despite being considered a star by the masses, Christina still very much viewed herself as being a YouTuber first, which meant despite her mainstream popularity and fame, she continued to upload songs and vlogs to her YouTube channel because she wanted to stay connected to her fans. YouTubers often upload videos that appear very amateur, like not professionally produced. It almost looks like anybody could have picked up their phone and filmed that video. And YouTubers tend to be very candid and show their personality in their videos. And so it makes YouTubers, especially these really popular ones, seem very real and raw and relatable. Unlike traditional celebrities that are kind of outside of society, living in their mansions, living a totally elite and different lifestyle, YouTubers feel like they're your friends. And this was definitely the case with Christina. On her videos, she came off as very humble and gracious and kind and friendly, and so her fans truly adored her. By June of 2016, Christina was still growing in popularity when she was asked to be the opening act for this concert in Orlando, Florida, that was happening later that month. She agreed. And then on the day of the concert, which was June 10, she posted to her social media this kind of shout out to all of her fans saying, hey, if you're in the Orlando, Florida area, come out to my show. And then after the show, I'm going to stick around and sign autographs and meet you guys that night. The venue where this concert was happening, was jam packed and most of the people were there for Christina, not the main act. And so Christina, she goes on stage, she has this incredible performance, the main act goes on stage. And then around 10pm the concert ends, at which point Christina comes back out from behind stage and went right out into the crowd and began meeting her fans and hugging them and signing autographs and taking pictures. And then at 10:24pm a man who was a fan of Christina's walked down from the back of the venue and kind of awkwardly gestured that he kind of wanted to get a hug. And Christina saw that and so she smiled and she walked up to him, she opened her arms to give him a big hug. And when she got just a couple of feet away from him, he drew a pistol and he fired four shots into her head and into her body. Christina's brother Mark, he was standing right nearby and he saw the attack and so he tackled the shooter and he was trying to get control of this guy. But at some point the shooter managed to wriggle free. And then he stood up and he.

[Co-host]

Kind of walked backwards until he was.

[Narrator]

Literally up against this wall looking at.

[Co-host]

The sea of people that are totally horrified.

[Narrator]

People are screaming and running and no.

[Co-host]

One knows what he's going to do next.

[Narrator]

And then the shooter just raises the gun, puts it to his head and pulls the trigger. There were people in the audience who were medically trained who rushed over to Christina and they began performing CPR on her. But there really wasn't anything anyone could do. She would die that night at the hospital. Her killer was a 27 year old man named Kevin Loibel. He, like many people, had become a Christina superfan. But his infatuation with her became a totally unhealthy obsession. And when it eventually dawned on him that he most likely would never have a romantic relationship with Christina, he came to the conclusion that if I can't have her, no one can have her. And so when Christina put that post out on social media asking people to.

[Co-host]

Come to Orlando to see her show.

[Narrator]

And meet her after the show, he took that as an opportunity to go kill her. And so he lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, which is 120 miles away. And so he sees this post on social media, he grabs his two pistols, some extra ammunition, he gets a large hunting knife, and then he calls a cab. The Cab drives him 120 miles northeast to Orlando, Florida. And then he gets into the venue with his weaponry because there weren't metal detectors and no one was frisking people as they came inside. And so he was in the back of the venue during the show. And then when it was over, he kind of lingered back, allowing other fans to go up and, you know, kind of mob Christina. And then when there was a lull and there were less people down there with her, he strode right down the aisle and he ended her life.

[Mr. Ballin]

Our next story is called Facebook post.

[Narrator]

Chad Lawhorn woke up in his Nashville home around 3am on April 8, 2018. He had taken a long flight back from San Francisco the night before, so his sleep schedule was all messed up. Not feeling very tired, he decided to go downstairs to the kitchen to get a snack. And as he was walking down the.

[Co-host]

Stairs, he pulled out his phone and.

[Narrator]

He saw a notification from his Venmo account. His younger brother Casey had sent him $250.

[Co-host]

And attached to it was a single word note.

[Narrator]

It just said damages. Knowing his brother had long struggled with.

[Co-host]

His mental health, Chad was concerned he.

[Narrator]

Was getting ready to hurt himself, and.

[Co-host]

He had sent him this money as.

[Narrator]

A way to compensate for the emotional toll he was about to inflict on him. Chad didn't even change out of his pajamas. He grabbed his keys, hopped in his car, and began driving the two hours to East Ridge, Tennessee, where his younger brother and his mother lived. On the ride there, he called both of them dozens of times, but he never got through. When he finally pulled onto their street.

[Co-host]

He looked down the road and he saw dozens of police cars and TV.

[Narrator]

Crews and there was yellow crime scene tape all around their property. Chad just stopped the car right in the middle of the road and just stared. And he didn't know how long he was there for. But at some point, one of the police officers noticed him and walked up and knocked on his window. And when the officer found out who he was talking to, the news Chad was delivered was far worse than anything he was expecting 24 hours earlier. Chad's younger brother Casey, who was 23, was spending the day with one of his very good friends named Avery. They had gone to a comic book store to play the Gathering. And then afterwards, they headed back to Casey's house to go to bed. Around 12:30 in the morning, Avery fell asleep on the living room floor. And as Casey was getting ready to go to bed himself, his mother called him and asked if he could come pick her up at the bar. And so Casey begrudgingly agreed to do it. He drove to pick her up, and when he saw her, he could tell she was totally intoxicated. And the entire ride home, she just Pleaded with Casey not to hurt himself because it would totally devastate her if he ever did that. Casey hated when she talked to him that way. And apparently she did this all the time. When they got back to the house, Casey dropped his mom off. And then he went up to his.

[Co-host]

Bedroom, where he retrieved a rifle he.

[Narrator]

Had stolen from a friend. And then he paced around his room for a while, getting mentally prepared for what he was about to do. And when he felt ready, he left his room. He went downstairs to the living room.

[Co-host]

Where Avery was still asleep on the ground.

[Narrator]

And he placed the rifle up against the side of his head, and he fired one shot, killing his friend instantly. Once he was dead, Casey went upstairs.

[Co-host]

To his mother's room.

[Narrator]

When he got to the threshold of.

[Co-host]

Her room, he pushed the door open.

[Narrator]

And it was totally dark, but he could tell his mother was still awake in her bed. He raised his rifle and he fired. Except the gun didn't go off.

[Co-host]

It jammed.

[Narrator]

His mother, because she was so intoxicated, did not hear the shot ring out. And she didn't really know what her son was doing in the doorway, so she did not raise any alarms. And so Casey just turned around, walked into the hallway where there was light. He fixed the jam in his gun. He turned back around, and this time, his mother was now out of bed because the family dog was barking like mad. And so his mother was trying to calm the dog down, and she looked.

[Co-host]

Up and saw her son standing in.

[Narrator]

The doorway carrying a gun. And so she just kind of froze and stared at him. And that's when Casey, without any hesitation, raises his rifle and fires two shots. And then his gun jams again. Now, neither of those two shots were fatal, although one of them did strike.

[Co-host]

Her in the arm.

[Narrator]

And even though she was intoxicated, she was now fully aware her son is trying to kill her. And so she's screaming at him, why are you doing this? You're killing me. Casey was totally unfazed. He flipped on the lights. He fixed the jam. He re aimed at his mother and his mother, who was still just standing next to the bed, looking at her son, wondering why this was happening. And Casey just aimed and took two shots, and these would be fatal. After that, he went downstairs and robbed Avery, and then he hopped in his car, and he drove all the way to Mississippi, where within 24 hours, he would take his own life. We know all of these details because shortly after he committed these crimes, Casey posted a lengthy confession to Facebook detailing exactly what happened and what he did in his post, Casey says he feels extremely bad for his older brother Chad, because he knows this is going to be extremely hard for him, and he encourages people to help his brother during this insanely difficult time. While he doesn't provide a specific motive for why he committed these crimes, he does say at the end of his confession that he's been thinking about murder a lot lately and wanted to know how it felt. But after doing it, he says he barely felt anything at all.

[Mr. Ballin]

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[Co-host]

A little afternoon on Valentine's Day 1998. A married couple named Steve and Kim Rico held hands as they walked towards Their car. They had just dropped their 8 year old daughter off at a neighbor's house in the suburban neighborhood in Maryland where they lived. And now Steve and Kim had the whole weekend to themselves. And they were really excited about it because they had this big trip planned. Now, admittedly, Kim had no idea what they were actually going to be doing because Steve was the one who planned it. And he was obviously being very secretive about the details. He wanted this to be a surprise. And so for weeks leading up to this weekend, Kim would see Steve on the phone all the time, presumably planning whatever it is they were going to be doing. But he wouldn't let Kim hear what he was saying on the phone. He would kind of muffle his voice or he'd hang up before she could come over and hear him. And then also after these secretive phone calls, Kim would often see Steve writing all these notes down in his journal, presumably about whatever it was he was planning. The only details Steve shared with Kim about this trip were, was make sure you wear something nice. When the couple reached their car, Steve hopped in the driver's seat and Kim hopped in the passenger seat. And immediately right after Steve had fired up the car, Kim turned to him and said, are you gonna tell me? You gonna tell me where we're going? But Steve just grinned and said, nope, it's a surprise. Kim gave a theatrical sigh and sat back and feigned frustration. But inside, the way she was really feeling was just excited. This was so cool that Steve had put so much effort into whatever it is they were gonna do and. But also, Kim was seeing her husband was really making a big effort to make her happy. And this was kind of new because lately their relationship had been really rocky. Kim and Steve had been married for.

[Narrator]

Nine years by this point, and they.

[Co-host]

Were both very, very different people. Steve was a total homebody, kind of introverted, and Kim was the opposite. She was super extroverted and very social. But when they first met each other, it was actually their stark differences that brought them together. For Kim, when they met, she was in her early 20s. She had just dropped out of college, and her experience with men so far had been she would meet them at parties or bars, and at first it would seem like their relationship was great, but then invariably these guys would just kind of move on and break Kim's heart. But Steve was different. He was this huge guy, 6 foot 4, massive football player, but he was totally a gentle giant. And as soon as he met Kim, Kim could tell, this guy is different. He's treating her with respect. You know, he's loyal to her. He really cares about her. And so they hit it off right away. And Kim very quickly became pregnant, at which point Steve asked her to marry him. And Kim didn't hesitate for a second.

[Narrator]

They were totally in love.

[Co-host]

And marriage to Steve had really been a stabilizing factor in Kim's life. She wound up going back to college and got her degree, which landed her a job as a surgical technician, which is what she did now. And Steve turned out to be just a fantastic father. And he wound up actually staying home with their daughter when she was a baby so Kim could go out and work. And Kim always thought it was funny when she would come home and she would see Steve standing in the doorway, cradling this infant, but he's like this massive person. And so their baby looked like a toy. But unfortunately, over the last year, Kim had seen a change in Steve. He went from being a shy person, but a person who could go out and function in society, to a shy person who basically stopped going outside altogether. Steve basically refused to go out anywhere with Kim. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to spend time with their friends or family. He just wanted to stay home and watch TV or hang out in the basement. I mean, it was pretty obvious he was depressed, but his introverted ness was becoming kind of stifling for Kim. And so Kim approached Steve and said, you really need to go to therapy to get better here. You know, I'll go with you.

[Narrator]

We can do couples therapy. But Steve refused.

[Co-host]

And so finally, right around this past new year, Kim decided she had just had enough. She was totally unhappy. She did not feel like Steve was going to change. And so Kim told Steve that she wanted to get divorced. And when Steve heard that, he realized the gravity of this situation. He knew Kim was unhappy with him, but he did not know she was thinking about separating. And so Steve kind of broke down and begged Kim to give him another chance, you know, let him prove to her that he will change, that he wants this marriage to work. And Kim said, okay. And so that was how Steve wound up planning this very secret getaway on Valentine's Day. This trip was supposed to be the start of their new and improved marriage. And so Kim was really excited and optimistic about the future. After driving for about an hour and a half, Steve pulled off the highway and began following signs towards the Eastern.

[Narrator]

Shore, which is a waterfront area of.

[Co-host]

Maryland that's very beautiful. That was located about 70 miles away from Steve and Kim's home. After driving for a few minutes, Steve pulled into the parking lot of the Harbortown Golf Resort. And as soon as he pulled into a spot and turned off the car, he clapped his hands and turned to Kim and said, okay, we're here. And Kim looked from her husband out to all the perfectly manicured grounds and the beautiful resort, and she smiled and leapt out of the car excitedly. Kim and Steve took each other's hands and marched inside to check in. And as they were checking in, the person behind the desk gave them glasses of champagne. And then after handing Kim and Steve their key cards, the receptionist told them that their cottage, where they were staying, was like the nicest property at the resort. Kim and Steve were totally pumped. They took their champagne and their room keys, they walked back to their car, and then drove a little ways deeper into the resort to their cottage. It was cottage 506 and looked out over the water. And when they went inside, Kim was totally wowed. It was this rustic suite with a wood fire stove in the middle and two queen size beds and a little coffee table area for breakfast over here. It was perfect. And then when Kim actually walked into this cottage, she noticed there was a card sitting on a table, and it looked like a wedding invitation. Kim was confused and looked over at Steve, and Steve just smiled and said, go check it out. And so Kim walked over and she grabbed the note and she began reading it. And as she did, she began to smile. The card really was a wedding invitation, albeit it was for a fake wedding, because it would turn out this was not just a random overnight that Stiepe had planned for both of them. Instead, he had purchased a romantic getaway package, which included this amazing cottage, but also a professional dinner theater performance that would be held on the resort grounds. Kim read the description of the dinner theater show on this invitation. It was a murder mystery called the Bride who Cried, where the actors in the show would put on a whole fake wedding, and then at the end of the wedding, somebody would get killed, and the audience would need to figure out who did it. For an extrovert like Kim, an activity like this was perfect. And so Kim felt totally touched that clearly Stieb had heard her. And the first thing he did to kind of win her back was, was to begin to do the things that Kim really wanted to do, which was really going out and having fun. And so after Kim finished reading the card, she turned and looked over at Steve. And Steve was kind of nervous because he wasn't sure if Kim was going to like it. And Kim, she Broke into this huge smile. She walked over to Steve and gave.

[Narrator]

Him a big hug.

[Co-host]

And Steve, he was so happy. And he hugged her real tight right back. Kim and Steve would spend the next couple of hours sitting by their fire inside of their nice cottage, drinking their champagne and talking about the future and just telling stories and having a good time. And then around 7pm, Steve and Kim put on their nicest clothes and walked their way over to the area on the resort where this dinner theater was going to happen. It was in an event hall with a bunch of round tables set up for the audience. And so once Steve and Kim and the other audience members all took their seats, the actors and actresses came into the room and they were all dressed in their wedding clothes. There was a bride and a groom and a wedding party. And the audience was instructed to participate in the wedding as if they were wedding guests. And so the audience all stood up and they began kind of having this fake social hour of meeting all the wedding guests. And then Steve, Kim and the audience members all took their seats and they got ready to watch the drama unfold. And Kim pretty much immediately was totally absorbed in this performance. She was so enthusiastic, talking to the actors and talking to the other guests and really pretending like she was part of the wedding. I mean, she was having a blast. The play itself was about a groom who was in the mafia, who was forcing his bride to marry him by threatening her family. The climax came when the groom stood up and gave a toast with his champagne. He took a sip and then fell down dead. Kim watched all of this with delight. But she kept looking over at Steve, hoping he too would be smiling and.

[Narrator]

Having a good time.

[Co-host]

But each time she looked at him, he was just kind of stone faced and looking straight ahead like he just didn't care or he was totally disinterested. And then a couple of times when Kim leaned over and said, hey, you know, honey, who do you think did it? Who do you think the killer is? Steve basically just completely ignored her. It was like she wasn't there and the play wasn't there. He was just totally zoned out. Eventually, Kim and a few other very enthusiastic audience members figured out the killer in the play was the bride's mother who poisoned the groom.

[Narrator]

And.

[Co-host]

And then after this discovery was made, the play was over. As everyone got up from their seats and began to leave, Kim couldn't help but feel really annoyed with Steve because he was just so silent and not invested in this play. And it's like we came all the way here. Why Aren't you at least pretending to enjoy this? But Kim also thought, you know, Steve put a ton of effort into this weekend. He's clearly trying. I'm not going to start a fight. I'm not going to bring it up. And so finally, Kim just said to Steve, hey, you know, why don't we go to the bar and get a couple of drinks, bring them back to our cottage, and just hang out there for the night? And when Steve heard this, he actually smiled and said, okay, great, let's do it. And by the time the couple got back to the front door of cottage 506, they were holding hands again and laughing and telling stories. And they went inside, and Steve put the beers down on the table. And then Kim said she was going to go in the bedroom and just quickly change into something more comfortable. And so Kim walked into the bedroom and shut the door, and Steve walked to the front door and turned the lock. Three hours later, a man named Philip Parker, who was staying at the resort with his family, heard a commotion in the lobby. And he heard people saying there might be a fire at cottage 506 and there could be somebody still inside. Philip immediately turned to his cousin who was with him, and the two of them bolted outside and just started running towards cottage 506. And as soon as they got to a place where they could see the cottage from a distance, they could see black, oily smoke pouring out of the windows. When they got up to the burning cottage, Philip ran to the front door, but it was locked. He couldn't get inside. He screamed to see if anybody was in there, but there was no answer. And so Philip and the cousin ran around to the back of the cottage where there was a glass sliding door. And Philip, he tried the handle, but it was locked. At this point, the cousin said he was going to run back to the resort and get a fire extinguisher. And after the cousin ran off, Philip turned back towards the sliding glass door and realized it actually opened on both ends. And he had only checked one side and found that side to be. To be locked. But on the other side, which he was now noticing, it was obviously unlocked because it was open, just barely. And so Philip immediately opened it up, and all the smoke began coming out. And so Philip dropped down to get a better look because down low, the smoke had not fully settled. There was a bit of an air pocket right at the bottom of the floor. And so Philip got down and he looked inside, and for a second, he couldn't quite see anything. But then he noticed in the middle of the bedroom, right inside this cottage, he could clearly see somebody's feet. Somebody was on the ground. And so Philip screamed that he was coming in, and then he opened the door the rest of the way, and he began low crawling into the bedroom. And as he did, he was hacking and coughing from all the smoke. And so finally, Philip reached this person, and he grabbed their foot and he shook them to try to wake them up, but they weren't moving. But the fire was getting bigger and stronger. The smoke was getting thicker. Philip was really starting to panic and was worried that he, too, would get trapped in here. And so he just grabbed this person's leg and began pulling them. And it was really hard. But he finally got this person back to the door. He couldn't quite get them over that lip of where the sliding door was. But right then, Philip's cousin showed up, and the two of them were able to grab this person and get them out of the cottage. And this was the moment when Philip finally got a look at the person he was just dragging out. And it was immediately clear to him that this person was deceased. Their face was basically gone. It was completely burned away. In the days and weeks leading up to this weekend, Steve really was taking secret phone calls and writing notes down in his journal because he was planning something very special. But he was not the only one with plans for this weekend. Here's what police say happened after Kim and Steve got back to their cottage following the show. And Kim went into the bedroom to change, and Steve went to the front door and locked it. A couple of minutes later, Kim came out of the bedroom wearing something sexy, and she looked at Steve and smiled and said, come on, get in bed. I'll join you in a second. And so Steve's like, great, my plan is working. We're going to reconnect here. He climbed in bed and he laid down. Then Kim, she walked over and got something out of her bag, and then she walked back over to the bed, and she pulled out a syringe, and she stabbed it into Steve before he could do anything. And she injected him with something called succinylcholine. Kim had access to this drug from her job as a surgical tech. Succinylcholine is used to relax people's muscles during surgery. But if you give someone too big a dose, it can stop their breathing. And this drug works pretty much instantly, which means Steve would have seen his wife stab him with that syringe, but then instantly, he would have been totally paralyzed, but fully awake and Fully alive. And so as he was laying there, he would have seen his wife put the syringe down and then grabbed lighter fluid and then walked over to him and calmly poured the lighter fluid all over Steve's face and chest. And then one of Steve's final images he likely saw before his lungs stopped working and he died was his wife striking a match and lighting him on fire. After lighting Steve on fire, Kim casually walked out the backsliding door. She shut it, leaving it open just a crack. And then she made her way to the resort lobby, where she put on this big act about how her cottage was on fire. And she thinks her husband was still inside. And Philip overheard Kim say that her husband might be inside the cottage, which is when he and his cousin jumped into action. They ran to the cottage and ultimately found Steve deceased inside of the cottage. Ultimately, Kim never intended to give Steve a second chance in their marriage. She was already having an affair with a much younger man who was in the Marines, and she was just done with Steve. And so, as Steve began telling his friends and family how he was going to make a huge effort to save his marriage, Kim was going around to her friends and literally, openly talking about how she wanted to murder her husband. But nobody took her seriously. They thought she was just kind of venting and being kind of dramatic. But as soon as the news broke that Steve had died in this fire and Kim had not, people rushed to the police to tell them, pretty sure Kim had something to do with this. Kim was convicted of her husband's murder, and she was sentenced to life in prison. It would turn out the primary reason why Steve was so secretive before, before going on this trip was he really wanted it to be this unbelievably special, romantic, kind of, like, recreation of the couple's first date. And so what he was doing is he was calling all of Kim's friends and family members and asking them questions about things Kim liked because he wanted to incorporate all of her interests in this trip. And then after these calls, when Steve was writing in his journal, that was not just writing down, like, logistics of the trip. He was also writing down how much he loved Kim and how excited he was for their future and what they would build together as a family. I mean, Steve really believed they were on a path to reconciliation, but, of course, that just was not the case.

[Mr. Ballin]

A quick note about our stories. They are all based on true events, but we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved, and some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes. Thank you for listening to the Mr. Ballin podcast if you enjoyed today's stories and you're looking for more bone chilling content, be sure to check out all of our studio's podcasts, this podcast, the Mr. Ballin podcast and also Mr. Ballin's medical mysteries, bedtime Stories, Wartime Stories Run fool and Redacted. Just search for Ballin Studios wherever you get your podcasts to find all of these shows. To watch hundreds more stories just like the ones you heard today, head over to our YouTube channel which is just called MisterBallin. So that's gonna do it. I really appreciate your support. Until next time. See y hey prime members, you can binge eight new episodes of the Mr. Ballin podcast one month early and all episodes ad free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. And before you go, please tell us about yourself by completing a short [e-mail].

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