MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode Title: ...Who's There?
Date: November 13, 2025
Host: John Allen a.k.a. MrBallen

Overview

In this gripping episode of the MrBallen Podcast, two chilling true stories are told—each challenging the notion that you’re ever truly safe, even when at home. The first tale, “Who’s Out There?”, centers on a woman’s harrowing night alone in a remote Michigan cabin. The second story, “Denver Spider Man,” explores the macabre circumstances around a secretive killer hiding in plain sight. MrBallen’s trademark storytelling brings these strange, dark, and mysterious stories vividly—and hauntingly—to life.

Story 1: Who’s Out There?

Segment Start: [02:23]

Key Discussion Points and Insights

• The Setup: Ada Quintal’s Escape to Solitude ([02:23])

  • Ada, suffering from trauma after a random attack in Detroit and subsequent job loss, accepts her uncle’s invitation to stay in the family’s remote cabin for the winter.
  • “She looked at this as a chance to get away from the city and just be in her happy place…and reset and recover from the trauma” — MrBallen ([03:16])

• Nighttime Unease and A Chilling Encounter ([03:50])

  • Late at night, unable to sleep and feeling anxious, Ada takes her dog for a walk.
  • Armed with a 9mm for protection, Ada encounters a mountain lion, triggering deep fear but escapes back to the cabin unharmed.
  • “She was—just a few feet away from a mountain lion in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere…” — MrBallen ([05:22])

• Sounds in the Dark and Growing Paranoia ([06:04])

  • Back inside, Ada hears twigs snapping outside the living room window. With the lights on, outside is only darkness, but she’s unsettled.
  • Soon, she sees movement—definitely human this time—at the window. Terrified, Ada grabs her gun and hides, warning any intruder that she’s armed.

• The Decision: Panic or Paranoia? ([08:13])

  • Ada debates calling 911, doubting her own senses due to her heightened anxiety post-assault. She instead calls her boyfriend (no answer), then a friend, who insists on calling the police if Ada feels unsafe.
  • “She really was scared… and the friend just said, 'Look, I’m gonna call the police on your behalf… Give me the address…’” — MrBallen ([09:31])

• A Terrifying Confrontation ([13:01])

  • Thinking the threat is gone, Ada turns around to see the silhouettes of two armed men at the window. A shootout ensues—she fires at the men, they appear to fire back.
  • “There—in that same window…were now the silhouettes of two men…so Ada just started firing her gun at the window. And these men began shooting back at her.” — MrBallen ([13:14])

• The Aftermath: Disappearance Without a Trace ([14:54])

  • Police find the cabin riddled with bullet holes but no Ada. Her dog is unharmed. Her cell phone and shoes are on the roof; her gun is on the ground nearby.
  • Initial theories: domestic violence, revenge by her Detroit attacker, or a self-orchestrated disappearance—all ruled out by investigation.

• Discovery and Explanation: The Truth About Ada ([20:50])

  • Two months later, Ada’s body is found in a nearby pond; no evidence of gunshot wounds or physical struggle. Autopsy reveals a toxic combination of substances (Valium, anti-anxiety medication, and meth).
  • Police conclude Ada’s frightened perceptions were meth-induced paranoia. She shot at her own reflection, possibly mistook natural noises and her own image for intruders, and fled into the night, ultimately dying of hypothermia and overdose.
  • “In the end, the danger that Ada was trying to escape was in her own mind” — MrBallen ([23:00])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “She was basically having a shootout with herself…” — MrBallen ([20:50])
• “As she’s running through what she’s gonna do, she hears this horrible, loud thumping sound right above her in the second floor of the cabin…” — MrBallen ([13:54])
• “Police checked local hospitals… but as far as they could tell, [noone had] shown up seeking medical attention.” — MrBallen ([17:10])

Significant Timestamps

• Setup/context: [02:23–04:20]
• Mountain lion encounter: [05:05]
• Noises and paranoia rise: [06:04–08:13]
• Call to friend, decision to investigate: [09:31]
• Violent confrontation: [13:01–14:54]
• Police investigation: [15:00–18:30]
• Discovery of Ada’s fate & explanation: [20:50–23:09]

Story 2: Denver Spider Man

Segment Start: [24:12]

Key Discussion Points and Insights

• Philip Peters’ Mysterious Murder ([24:12])

  • October 1941: Philip Peters is found dead by neighbors and police. The house is locked, nothing stolen, and the scene defies easy explanation.
  • “When they stepped inside, there was blood everywhere… and in the middle of the kitchen is Phil Peters, face down. He has been bludgeoned to death.” — MrBallen ([25:06])

• Unseen Intruder: Haunting After the Crime ([26:41])

  • Nine months later, the housekeeper hears tapping and sees a ghostly hand in the kitchen—she flees and calls police, sparking suspicion the murderer has returned.

• Police Stakeout and a Shocking Discovery ([27:46])

  • Detectives stake out the home. They discover a foot ducking into a hidden space in a closet and physically pull a disheveled, thin man—Theodore Coneys—out of a tiny secret attic.
  • “He was super tall, but rail thin, and his skin was so dirty, it appeared gray…” — MrBallen ([28:53])

• The Chilling Truth: Living in the Walls ([29:24])

  • Coneys had lost his home and sought out his old friend, Phil. He discovered the secret attic in Phil’s home, moved in anonymously, and began secretly living there.
  • He would come out when Phil was away to steal food, and even tapped into the house’s wiring so he could listen to the radio.

• Murder and Macabre Coexistence ([30:54])

  • When Phil unexpectedly came home early and discovered Coneys, Coneys panicked and killed him before retreating back to his hiding spot. He followed the police investigation from the attic via the stolen radio.
  • “He would follow the investigation… curled up inside of Phil Peter’s house.” — MrBallen ([31:16])

• Resolution and Final Words ([31:34])

  • Coneys is convicted and sentenced to life. In court, he expresses relief at finally feeling “safe.”
  • “Now I feel safe. I’ll have a better home than I’ve had in years.” — Theodore Coneys ([31:36])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The hand retracts back into the space, and then she hears it storm up the stairs and run around on the upstairs before going silent again.” — MrBallen ([27:02])
• “He was described as the strangest looking person they had ever seen.” — MrBallen ([28:53])
• “You had to be incredibly skinny just to get through… slithering head first… could only stay lying down…” — MrBallen ([29:48])
• “He had been living in this house for a year.” — MrBallen ([29:01])

Significant Timestamps

• Murder of Philip Peters: [24:12–25:45]
• First haunting sighting/housekeeper encounter: [26:41]
• Police stakeout, Coneys discovered: [27:46–29:01]
• Coneys recounts attic life and murder: [29:24–31:16]
• Sentencing and Coneys’ confession: [31:34–31:53]

Episode Tone & Storytelling Style

MrBallen maintains a suspenseful, empathetic storytelling tone, providing detail that humanizes victims and elevates tension. His narrations evoke the helplessness and mounting paranoia of Ada’s spiraling night and capture the ghastly, almost gothic horror of an intruder secretly living behind the walls.

Memorable, Haunting Quotes

• “In the end, the danger that Ada was trying to escape was in her own mind.” — MrBallen ([23:00])
• “Now I feel safe. I’ll have a better home than I’ve had in years.” — Theodore Coneys ([31:36])

Episode Structure

• Introduction of both stories and their unsettling premises ([00:00–02:23])
• First Story: Who’s Out There? ([02:23–23:09])
• Second Story: Denver Spider Man ([24:12–31:53])

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

The episode plumbs the depths of paranoia—whether drug-induced or due to the terror of the unknown—and reveals that sometimes, the biggest threats lie hidden not only in the darkness outside, but within our own minds, or disturbingly, within the very walls of our home.

Note:
All names and details are based on true accounts, though some pseudonyms and dramatization may be present for storytelling purposes.