My Favorite Murder – Episode 500: "Knot for Naught"
Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Overview
Episode 500 marks a major milestone for My Favorite Murder—a true crime/comedy hybrid podcast that mixes deeply researched stories with sharp-witted banter and personal introspection. In this celebratory episode, Karen and Georgia reflect on their podcasting journey before diving into two quintessential true crime stories: the harrowing case of suspected serial killer John Arthur Ackroyd ("Ghosts of Highway 20") and the infamous Bling Ring celebrity burglary crew. The episode is packed with genuine emotion, nostalgia, gallows humor, cultural critique, and gratitude to listeners and collaborators.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Reflections on 500 Episodes
[02:09 – 03:33]
- Karen and Georgia express disbelief and pride at reaching 500 episodes.
- Reminisce about the early days: recording in Georgia’s Hollywood apartment, agonizing over funny episode titles, feeling simultaneously like five and 500,000 episodes have passed.
- Lighthearted banter: “And then we're both raptured.”
Georgia: “Wait, I'm a Jew.” - Recent tour updates and gratitude for the fans and cities visited.
Notable Quote:
“It feels like five and it feels like 500,000.” – Karen Kilgariff [02:14]
2. Movie & Crying Chat: “Atonement”
[03:33 – 08:53]
- Georgia shares a personal milestone: finally having an “crying on a plane while watching a movie” experience with "Atonement."
- Discussion of why cathartic cries are important and often hard to access.
- Karen recommends “Truly, Madly, Deeply” for Georgia’s next emotional airplane viewing.
- Insights into how films portray war and trauma differently than books.
- Book and movie recommendations: Kate Morton novels, “Pride and Prejudice” (Joe Wright), and “The English Patient.”
Notable Quote:
“I felt like, finally, I'm a real girl. I felt real for the first time in my life.” – Georgia Hardstark [04:39]
3. Fan Connection: Seeing MFM Bumper Stickers
[10:29 – 12:20]
- Karen describes the delight of seeing a “SSDGM” (Stay Sexy Don’t Get Murdered) sticker “in the wild” alongside a Bigfoot decal in Burbank.
- She tries to get the driver's attention, humorously recounts aggressively waving and honking.
- Georgia suggests listeners let them know if it was them.
Notable Quote:
“I was like, this is my person. This is my friend I've never met before.” – Karen Kilgariff [11:01]
4. Exactly Right Network & New Offerings
[12:20 – 14:15]
- Announcement of new My Favorite Murder YouTube channel, MFM Animated shorts, and other Exactly Right Media podcasts.
- Fan cult membership perks: exclusive content, Discord server, and VIP live show packages.
- Playful urging for listeners to support the YouTube channels so content and “lip liner and contouring is not for naught.”
MAIN STORIES
5. Story One: The Ghosts of Highway 20 – The Case of John Arthur Ackroyd
Told by Karen Kilgariff
[16:35 – 44:11]
Summary:
An in-depth, multi-decade investigation into John Arthur Ackroyd—an Oregon highway mechanic, sexual predator, and suspected serial killer operating along Highway 20.
Key Points:
-
1977 – Marlene Gabrielson: [17:34]
- Marlene, Inupiaq, is raped at knifepoint after hitchhiking. She preserves forensic evidence, but police disbelieve and polygraph her instead of pursuing Ackroyd.
- Marlene’s later quote on not being believed: “But they made me feel like a smelly, drunken native, so I just shrank…” [21:06]
-
1978 – Kaye Turner: [23:02]
- Kay goes missing on a run. Initial investigation is more thorough due to her being a white woman.
- Police misfocus on her private life; Ackroyd is overlooked.
- Ackroyd later “finds” her bones and jogs police suspicions, fails polygraph, but slips through for lack of evidence.
-
1990 – Rashonda Pickle: [26:29]
- Ackroyd’s stepdaughter, 13-year-old Rashonda, vanishes after disclosing his abuse to her biological father.
- Ackroyd’s behavior and statements deeply implicate him, but again, police lack direct evidence.
- Chilling statement: “87 pounds is nothing for somebody to carry. You hit him over the head. And they have no fight.” [29:04]
-
Other Victims:
- Melissa Sanders and Sheila Swanson: [33:07]
- Two teens who vanish while camping; later found murdered. Ackroyd is a strong suspect but never admits involvement.
- Overarching MO: using access, familiarity, and official capacity to prey on vulnerable women and teens, exploiting holes in law enforcement attention and empathy.
- Melissa Sanders and Sheila Swanson: [33:07]
-
Prosecution and Legacy: [36:23 – 44:11]
- Ackroyd finally convicted for Kaye Turner’s murder (1993); his accomplice convicted as well.
- In 2013, pleads no contest in Rashonda’s murder—ensuring he never gets paroled, but he never reveals her body’s location.
- Dies in prison in 2016, likely responsible for even more unsolved disappearances.
- Recent developments: Swamp Mountain Jane Doe, a possible Ackroyd victim, identified as Marion McWhorter using genetic genealogy [42:23].
Notable Quotes:
- “These investigators immediately doubt her story… They're built in cultural excuses why people don't have to care, don't need empathy...”—Karen [21:11]
- “I always thought that's why these people get paid to protect you. ...But they made me feel like a smelly, drunken native, so I just shrank.”—Marlene Gabrielson (via reporter) [21:27]
- “If he had never been convicted, he and maybe Beck would have done more crimes and killed more women. For sure...He managed to get through that whole thing without ever getting caught. Not because he was all that smart, but because he slipped through.”—Bill Hanlon, lead investigator [39:32]
- “I'm Marlene K. Gabrielson. I'm Inupiac. I'm a strong woman.” – Marlene Gabrielson [44:02]
Themes and Reflection
- Deep critique of systemic police disregard for marginalized victims.
- The enduring trauma for survivors and victims’ families.
- Why women, especially, are drawn to true crime: the ongoing cultural devaluation and imperative to bear witness and care.
- “We have to care 10 times as much because we're cared about...10 times less.”—Georgia [45:09]
6. Story Two: The Bling Ring
Told by Georgia Hardstark
[48:08 – 86:29]
Summary:
A fast-paced recounting of the “Bling Ring”—a loose crew of high schoolers who burgled the homes of Hollywood’s “it crowd” in the late 2000s.
Key Points:
-
Celebrity Paparazzi Culture Setup: [51:02]
- The toxic, image-obsessed media ecosystem of the early 2000s, birth of “famous for being famous.”
- How this fostered a sense of entitlement and fantasy among affluent LA-area teens.
-
Rachel Lee & Nick Prugo: [55:33]
- Both outcasts at Indian Hills High in Calabasas, find kinship and begin burglarizing.
- First hit: a classmate’s house, netting thousands in cash—leads to impulsive Rodeo Drive shopping sprees.
-
Escalation (“Checking Cars”): [61:05]
- Start rifling unlocked luxury cars for cash and cards, building confidence and thrill-seeking behavior.
-
Targeting Paris Hilton & Others: [61:39]
- Obtain celebrity addresses online; monitor stars’ social media to ensure homes are empty.
- Paris’ house robbed multiple times—so lax, they use a key under the mat.
- Their method: take wads of cash, jewelry, designer goods, sometimes drugs.
- Group expands, includes “Johnny Dangerous” (promoter/fence), Roy Lopez Jr., and reality show aspirant Alexis Neiers.
-
Getting Caught:
- Security footage and tipping off by acquaintances leads to arrests [78:35].
- Nick confesses everything; group’s social media bravado and lack of discretion accelerate their downfall.
- Reality show “Pretty Wild” captures Alexis Neiers’ actual arrest for the pilot.
-
Trial & Aftermath: [82:45]
- Most plead no contest, serve short prison terms or probation (conflicts of interest with LAPD and consulting on the Coppola film undermine prosecution).
- Today: most live quiet lives, but Alexis maintains an Instagram presence.
Notable Quotes:
- “By the grace of God, there goes moi…not burglarizing, just doing really fucking stupid, stupid shit in a time when stupid shit sticks to you.” – Georgia [59:56]
- “I deserve this. Everyone else in my affluent community has everything they want. I get made fun of for not. Not I fucking deserve this. Which clearly isn't true. But I was a child so that it made absolute sense to me…” – Georgia [61:05]
- “It’s a bit muddy regarding when each of the members of the Bling Ring get involved...it's not actually a group.” – Georgia [69:10]
- “It works despite us, not because of us.” – Georgia [87:36] (on the success of the podcast/team)
Themes and Reflection
- The collision of youth, affluence, surveillance culture, self-esteem, and media: how these young adults justify their actions in the vacuum of real consequences.
- The difference between material and emotional trauma for victims.
- How a cultural obsession with fame and status can be both cause and effect.
Memorable Moments & Quotes (with timestamps)
| Quote | Speaker | Timestamp | |-------|---------|-----------| | “It feels like five and it feels like 500,000.” | Karen Kilgariff | 02:14 | | “Finally, I'm a real girl. I felt real for the first time in my life.” | Georgia Hardstark | 04:39 | | “Why wouldn't everything be content? Look around.” | Georgia Hardstark | 04:52 | | “I was like, this is my person. This is my friend I've never met before.” | Karen Kilgariff | 11:01 | | “These investigators immediately doubt her story.” | Karen Kilgariff | 21:11 | | “But they made me feel like a smelly, drunken native, so I just shrank...” | Marlene Gabrielson (read by Karen) | 21:27 | | “Why do women love true crime so much? ...Because this is how little we have mattered for so fucking long.” | Georgia Hardstark | 44:11 | | “We have to care 10 times as much because we’re cared about as women 10 times less.” | Georgia Hardstark | 45:09 | | “It was so toxic. It just...created a generation of women with eating disorders, myself included." | Georgia Hardstark | 54:52 | | “I deserve this. Everyone else in my affluent community has everything they want...I fucking deserve this. Which clearly isn't true. But I was a child so that it made absolute sense to me.” | Georgia Hardstark | 61:05 | | “We checked the podcast industry's doors. A couple of them were unlocked. And we broke in.” | Karen & Georgia | 87:57 |
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Start & 500th Episode Reflections: 02:09
- Tour, Movie/Plane Cry Chat ("Atonement"/Truly, Madly, Deeply): 03:33 – 08:53
- Fan Sticker Story: 10:29
- Network Announcements/YouTube: 12:20
- Ackroyd/Highway 20 true crime story (Karen): 16:35 – 44:11
- Meta-discussion on true crime & women’s interest: 44:11 – 46:01
- Bling Ring Burglars (Georgia): 48:08 –86:29
- Podcast gratitude & legacy: 86:29 – 88:46
Tone & Language
- Authentic, empathetic, and direct, with darkly comic asides.
- Banter with quick turns from levity (pop culture, self-deprecating humor) to earnest advocacy for victims and survivors.
- Candid about the difficulties and joys of producing a long-running show.
- Occasional f-bombs and colloquial LA references, maintaining their signature style.
In Summary
The 500th episode of My Favorite Murder brings listeners everything that has kept the podcast’s cult following alive for a decade: brutally compelling crime stories, reflection on cultural and social failures, self-aware humor, and sincere connection with fans. Karen's tragic and detailed retelling of Highway 20’s horrors is paired with Georgia’s sharply observed, tragicomic take on the Bling Ring—two stories revealing very different faces of crime and society’s response. The co-hosts weave in pop culture, personal anecdotes, and a deep appreciation for listeners, wrapping their milestone in candor and community.
Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered.
End of Summary