518 - Live at the San Diego Civic Theatre (San Diego Night 1)

Summary

My Favorite Murder Episode 518 - "Live at the San Diego Civic Theatre (San Diego Night 1)"

Date: February 5, 2026
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark

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Episode Overview

In this lively live episode from San Diego, Karen and Georgia bring their unique brand of true crime comedy to the stage, sharing a compelling SoCal historical mystery and a quirky tale of wildlife crime. Rich with banter and local color, the pair cover the enigmatic disappearance of Sister Amy Semple McPherson, a charismatic evangelist who founded one of LA's earliest megachurches, and the undercover sting operation that brought down a notorious butterfly smuggler. The show ends with an emotional hometown story from a member of the San Diego audience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Live Show Banter and Audience Interaction

• Setting: The hosts greet their San Diego audience, riff on signs, ex-cheerleaders, and the unique energy of performing live.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Karen (on live show surprise): “I always forget that’s gonna happen until I walk out on stage, and then it happens. I want to cry every time.” (02:32)
  • Georgia (on audience feedback): “I’m not taking notes from the audience. First and foremost, don’t boss me the fuck around.” (02:55)

2. Stage & Wardrobe Anecdotes

• The hosts share backstage mishaps, like breaking a gifted brooch and the importance of dresses with pockets, playfully contrasting previous tour shows (06:06–07:19).

3. The MFM Tone and Approach

• Explanation for Newcomers: Karen gives a signature “what we do here” speech clarifying that while this is a true crime podcast, “we don’t think murder is funny, we just think we’re funny…” (10:14-11:18)
  • Quote: “...we are the types of people who have had the kind of trauma in our early lives that we then learn to cope with that trauma through humor…” (10:41)

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Main Story 1: The Disappearance of Amy Semple McPherson

Told by Georgia (15:32–54:44)

Introduction

• Amy Semple McPherson: A Canadian-born, charismatic preacher and founder of LA’s Angelus Temple, whose 1926 disappearance captivated the country.
• Sources: Book: "Sister: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Amy Semple McPherson" by Claire Hoffman; PBS’s "American Experience: Sister Amy".

Key Story Beats

Early Life and Rise (18:05–23:22)

• Born 1890, raised in a strict Methodist/Salvation Army home.
• Marries preacher Robert Semple, moves to China, he dies of dysentery.
• Remarries, struggles with traditional domesticity, returns to preaching, and becomes immensely popular with tent revivals and theatrical sermons.

Founding Angelus Temple (27:15–31:02)

• Moves to Southern California "on divine instruction."
• Founds the 5,300-seat Angelus Temple in Echo Park, LA (1923).
• Becomes a media phenomenon, attracting tens of thousands — “vintage viral” fame.

Scandal and Disappearance (34:44–54:44)

• May 18, 1926: Vanishes after swimming at Venice Beach; mass public mourning and search efforts ensue.
  • Quote: “There’s deep sea divers and hundreds of officers combing the shore…” (39:18)
• Days turn into weeks; rumors swirl about a love affair with her married radio engineer, Kenneth Ormiston, who is also missing. (40:20)
• Return: Five weeks later, Amy reemerges in Mexico, claiming abduction by kidnappers (“vintage Gone Girl”).
• Public divided: Some believe her miraculous survival, others suspect a cover-up for an affair.
• Grand jury investigates, case dropped due to lack of hard evidence; Amy never fully recovers her prior reputation but continues her ministry.

Memorable Moments

• Karen and Georgia riff on the church’s charity work versus televangelist greed, and the media madness around Amy’s return (34:36, 44:30).
• Karen tells a humorous story about her supposed "Charlie Chaplin house" in LA (32:27–33:43).

Noteworthy Quotes

• Georgia (on Amy): “She’s the original podcaster. That’s OG podcaster.” (27:44)
• Karen (on the spectacle): “If it’s true, she lied to her congregation...wasted police and Coast Guard resources…But Amy maintains her story, and she has the support of thousands of her followers.” (48:31)
• Karen (on a potential kidnapping conspiracy): “Some people point out that Minnie (Amy’s mother) was unhappy with her daughter’s behavior…and wanted her granddaughter to take over…” (49:56)

Segment Timestamps

• Early life and rise: 18:05–23:22
• Founding the Angelus Temple: 27:15–31:02
• Disappearance and fallout: 34:44–54:44

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Main Story 2: The Butterfly Sting — Special Agent Ed Newcomer vs. Yoshi Kojima

Told by Karen (57:57–99:41)

Introduction

• Rookie Fish & Wildlife Agent Ed Newcomer goes undercover at LA’s 2003 Bug Fair to bust the notorious “Indiana Jones of Butterflies,” Yoshi Kojima.
• Sources: Book: "Winged Obsession" by Jessica Spears; "Criminal" podcast episode “The Butterfly Smuggler”; Ed Newcomer’s own podcast.

Story Highlights

Bug Fair Sting Operation (58:52–77:06)

• Karen describes the scene at the Bug Fair; Ed targets Yoshi, a legend in illicit insect collecting, suspected of decimating rare populations (66:14).
• Using a nervous informant fails, so Ed goes undercover as “Ted Nelson,” a wealthy hobbyist.
  • Yoshi quickly shows “Ted” a prohibited rhinoceros beetle and slips him 13 butterflies with his email inside, cementing a contact (75:00).

Building Trust & Trailing the Kingpin (77:06–84:25)

• Ed cultivates Ted Nelson’s persona, meets Yoshi at Starbucks, and passes Yoshi’s probing questions (78:22).
• The two negotiate a partnership to sell illegal butterflies online, but Yoshi grows suspicious and reports “Ted Nelson” to the authorities(!), temporarily ending contact.

Breakthrough & Bust (84:25–99:41)

• A year later, Ed bumps into Yoshi at the next Bug Fair and spins a tale that wins back Yoshi’s trust (“Some dollar turned me into Fish and Wildlife… but thanks to your tips, I hid everything”) (86:58).
• Yoshi resumes mailing increasingly rare and endangered butterflies (including Queen Alexandra’s birdwing) worth thousands of dollars (88:43).
• The Twist: Ed suspects Yoshi is attracted to him; Ed uses this, hints at a date, and lures Yoshi back to LA — where he’s promptly arrested.
  • Quote: “He looked down and saw the badge... and that was it. The relationship was over.” (93:09)
• Yoshi pleads guilty on 17 counts, spends 21 months in prison. Years later, Ed encounters Yoshi’s protégé at LAX.
• Final Case: Ed’s retirement case involves finding a baby jaguar in an Alpine, CA parking lot, sold via OnlyFans (seriously) and rescued by a sanctuary (97:02).

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Karen (on undercover nerves): “I was sweating like crazy.” (80:01)
• Georgia (on Ed’s methods): “That’s so insulting to do that in a natural history museum… Go to a cafe.” (76:10)
• Karen (on story’s heartbreak): “There was a little bit of like making a friend and talking about a mutual interest...But it’s a special agent in disguise. What a bummer. It gets worse.” (92:36)
• Georgia (on Ed’s legacy): “With this case closed, Special Agent Ed Newcomer...closes it by bringing justice to a baby jaguar.” (99:36)

Segment Timestamps

• The Bug Fair setup: 57:57–77:06
• Undercover ploys and near misses: 77:06–84:25
• The bust, aftermath, and retirement: 84:25–99:41

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Hometown Story: Anna Marie’s Memory

Guest: Jennifer from San Diego (102:10–105:19)

Story Overview

• Jennifer recounts a tragic hometown crime from Upland, CA: In 1983, a teenage girl, Anna Marie, was lured by her ex-boyfriend’s friend and murdered just before her high school graduation.
• The crime was solved because an accomplice confessed; Anna’s remains were found and identified by dental records. Jennifer shares the importance of looking out for young women in precarious relationships.

Memorable Quote

• Jennifer: “To Anna Marie, we still think of you…” (105:04)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Georgia: “She’s the original podcaster. That’s OG podcaster.” (27:44)
• Karen: “If it’s true, she lied to her congregation... wasted resources... but Amy maintains her story, and she has the support of thousands.” (48:31)
• Ed Newcomer (quote from story): “Nothing pisses me off more. They are not animal lovers. They are either in it for the money or...the obsession of collecting and owning and having and controlling.” (67:42)
• Karen (on final Ed Newcomer scene): “He takes some headphones off, and he exhales and says, ‘I’m too old for this shit.’” (96:06)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening banter, stage anecdotes, show format: 02:19–15:32
• Story 1: Amy Semple McPherson: 15:32–54:44
• Story 2: Butterfly smuggling & Ed Newcomer: 57:57–99:41
• Hometown, audience interaction: 102:10–105:19

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Closing Remarks

Karen and Georgia round out the show with gratitude for the audience and the supportive Murderino community, reaffirming the bonds their podcast has built over years on the road. The episode is a showcase of their mix of true crime, compassion, and comedy—making complex stories relatable, memorable, and humane.

Final tagline:
“Stay sexy and don’t get murdered!”

Transcript

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[B]

Wow.

[A]

Do you see somebody way at the top of the third row up there? Hi guys. Just a little, a little camera light flashing back and forth.

[B]

Oh my God. I always forget that's gonna happen until I walk out on stage and then it happens. And I was like, oh, oh, I want to cry every time.

[A]

I know it's very moving. Hi, how's it going everybody?

[B]

There's a sign someone held up that said Karen, do a. What is it called? Herky.

[A]

Okay, first of all, first of all, not taking notes from the audience. First and foremost, don't boss me the fuck around. And also, yeah, as if, as if you know there's some ex cheerleaders in the house right now that are like please. Oh no. That many. Really? Uh oh.

[B]

Oh shit.

[A]

We're surrounded by ex cheerleaders, apparently.

[B]

You know, they'll fight for you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

They'll throw down.

[A]

I hope so.

[B]

What's going on?

[A]

Well, we're on tour, everybody. It's very exciting.

[B]

It's very fun.

[A]

It's very exciting. I will tell a really quick airport story.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

You were there as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So which isn't that common? They don't let us fly at the same time a lot. But we were at this airport and I walked in and one of the first people I saw was the British actress Jessie Buckley. For some reason.

[B]

Irish. Sorry? Nothing.

[A]

She has red hair. She has red hair. I don't think that necessarily means she's Irish. It doesn't matter. Listen, if you saw the recent Olivia Colman movie Nasty Little Letters or whatever it was called, it's hilarious. She is the red headed woman that. She's the young mother that is being fucked over by everybody. So she's an amazing actress.

[B]

She's so good.

[A]

She's so good. She's been in a million things, but she's one of my favorites. And so when I walked in, I almost walked straight up to her, which is not my style at all. I'm really not interested in celebrities of any kind or what they do because it's all fake. But she's one of those kind of people where she's so legit and badass that I was like, I almost went up like, oh my God, I can't believe. And got in her face. But instead I saw Georgia first and I was like, do you. And I didn't have three words out. And just George was like, I know, I know.

[B]

And I was like, but she never does that. It's so true. Like she doesn't care about famous people, so it's like a big deal. And I was like, you were.

[A]

But you were definitely like, calm the fuck down and you are not going over there. And I was like, yes, of course you should have.

[B]

I would have pushed you.

[A]

Well, but here's what happened. So when we landed, I was like, yeah, that's best that I didn't say anything to her. And then I was walking out the door and just by chance, she was walking this way. So as I was moving, just never paused or anything. I just went, you're the best. And she literally went like this. Thank you. Did not want to hear it at all. It's fenty season, ladies and gentlemen.

[B]

I can't even see you.

[A]

Yeah, there will be a three car pileup on this stage tonight. Get ready.

[B]

What are you wearing? Oh, my God, that's cute. I love those. Show everybody.

[A]

Oh, my outfit. Oh, this dress. It's no big deal. It's just. It's yet another dress with pockets. Although let me just say this. We were just in Oakland, and I decided I was going to wear a vintage dress because I liked it. It didn't have pockets. That audience turned on me so fucking fast. So fast.

[B]

Tell them about the brooch backstage.

[A]

Oh, my God. I found this brooch that's some. A beautiful purple brooch that someone gave us. Maybe Salt Lake City, maybe on this trip. We get lovely gifts from people. And so I had it in my bag, and then Georgia's like, this is the dress I'm gonna wear. And I'm like, oh, my God. And I pull the brooch out, and I'm like, you could wear this. And she's like.

[B]

We were, like, admiring it. It was shimmery. It was gorgeous.

[A]

It matches perfectly. And then she's like, okay. And she turns around, and it literally was as if the brooch jumped up out of my hand and slammed itself on the ground. Because it, like, suddenly I dropped it. And this center gem from his brooch busted out and broke into four pieces.

[B]

It was tragic.

[A]

It was bad. But now it's more of, like, a wreath shape with nothing in the center.

[B]

It still works.

[A]

Yeah, it still works. We could make it work.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I thought you had some anecdotes that you said you wanted to share.

[B]

Something about chin hair and how being on tour, for some reason, every hotel we've stayed in has, like, terrible mirror lighting. So when I get home, it's just hair city on my face.

[A]

Oh, yes.

[B]

And I run straight to that magnifying mirror and just Zen out.

[A]

Got rid of it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because there are those, like, old witch in the woods hairs that sneak up on you, and then you're just like, great. How many people have I talked real close to with, like, a thing coming out? Always the question you have to ask yourself, are you going to do yours?

[B]

Oh, here's what I'm wearing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Thank you. I got it a few days ago when we were in San Francisco for shows.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

And I'm obsessed with it. Isn't it pretty? There's some vintage stains on it.

[A]

Sure, sure.

[B]

I could have washed those out. Oh, look at that. That's a big fucking stain.

[A]

You did call this the dust cover earlier. You're like, what do I do with the dust cover of this?

[B]

It does look like I'm a couch that hasn't been sat on. In 25 years.

[A]

Been a butt on this couch in 25 years.

[B]

Should we sit at our tiny table?

[A]

Let's do it.

[B]

This is my favorite murder of the podcast.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

And that's Georgia Hardstar, that's Karen Kilgarra.

[A]

And we're very so pleased to be with you tonight, San Diego. Oh, look at that.

[B]

It's a tiny table. We got a text at, like, five o' clock being like, hey. So we ordered the exact same table as we always do, but for some reason it's not tiny. Is that okay? As if we were going to be like, now put it on a box or something.

[A]

So I did yell four bricks. Just at the top of my lungs. Four bricks.

[B]

I think it's better than if it was, like, too tall and we looked like little children.

[A]

But I also, like, this is a real Alice in Wonderland situation where we're just like, too big, too small. We don't know.

[B]

I don't mind it. Yeah, it works, right? Sure, sure. It's fine. Do you want to tell them why they're here and what's happening?

[A]

Absolutely. You're here because you really like listening to two people talk for reasons that you can't explain to your family or friends, except for those special ones that understand and already were listening. You came out at 7pm on a Tuesday to support this talking, and we really appreciate it.

[B]

We know a Tuesday.

[A]

This is time for Bible study. You should not be here. But if you are here and you don't listen to this podcast, you're gonna be very confused and probably upset. So we just wanna say this to you now. This is a true crime comedy podcast. But Georgia and I don't think murder is funny. We just think we're funny. And we are the types of people who have had the kind of trauma in our early lives that we then learn to cope with that trauma through the use of humor. And so we also, I think, coped with it through the obsession with true crime and those things that come when they come together only certain people understand. So if you're a drag along and someone made you come here and you don't like what's happening, you are welcome to get the fuck out. Thank you.

[B]

Good job.

[A]

Thank you. I'm gonna make this. By the end of this tour, that speech will be 45 minutes long, and then we'll just mention two cases in passing and get the fuck out ourselves.

[B]

All right, well, we don't know each other's stories. Right. We also never tell people that, but it's True. Which makes everyone who works with us hate our guts.

[A]

Yes, but it's always a surprise. What Georgia's about to tell me is a surprise. What I'm going to tell her is a surprise to her.

[B]

Yeah. And I'm first. Right?

[A]

And you are first.

[B]

Let's get into it.

[A]

Thanks.

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[B]

Goodbye.

[A]

Don't you feel like a proper Victorian lady side saddling this table?

[B]

It does feel very, like.

[A]

Quiet.

[B]

I should have a cigarette. Ooh, okay.

[A]

Next time.

[B]

So you know in Echo park, there is a huge white domed megachurch called Angelus Temple.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You know the one?

[A]

I do.

[B]

And there's always people walking around it for some reason.

[A]

Yeah, they've got a lot of pedestrian action over there.

[B]

They do. It's a thing in Echo Park. And so that building is actually one of the country's oldest megachurches. Did you know that? And it was founded in 1923 by the enigmatic character I'm going to be talking about tonight. And she actually started a massing fall followers right here in San Diego. So it's a bit of a SoCal story. Want to take a look at the temple? Nope. That's her.

[A]

There she is.

[B]

That's not a temple. That's her. Oops. There she is. This is a story about an eccentric Pentecostal evangelist. Evangelist.

[A]

Evangelist.

[B]

Thank you. Who at the height. I'm Jewish. Who at the height. We don't have those. Who at the height of her popularity, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. This is the story of sister Amy Semple McPherson.

[A]

Yes. I bet you've bought that dress before.

[B]

Oh, I bet I have that dress.

[A]

Don't you think?

[B]

And I'm always going like that.

[A]

You're like, huh?

[B]

I'm always doing that. Reading out of a Bible.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

Hear ye. Is that how you.

[A]

Yep. A lot of hear ye, hear ye in the Bible, definitely.

[B]

Cool. So the main sources I use for the story are Claire Hoffman's book Sister the Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Amy Semple McPherson and the PBS American Experience documentary, Sister Amy. She got her own American Experience episode.

[A]

I mean, that's big. It's big. Sorry, really quick. Can we have a little more of us and the monitors on stage? So sorry to say something like that in front of everybody.

[B]

No, no. I feel like I'm very loud in my. My mic. I just can only hear myself and I don't like her.

[A]

Well, we do, so shut up. How's that? Is that a little better?

[B]

Yeah, that works better. And here's the temple in Echo Park.

[A]

There it is. There used to be a really good diner.

[B]

Bright spot.

[A]

The fucking bright spot. And they just kept changing hands and now it's something totally different. You can't go there anymore.

[B]

No, you can't.

[A]

I mean, you can.

[B]

Maybe it's better we haven't been in a while.

[A]

Yes, that's right, Chuck, your Yelp reviews. Don't listen to us.

[B]

Don't ever listen to us. Okay, so let's talk about Amy.

[A]

She.

[B]

I mean, Amy Kennedy was born in 1890 and raised in a devout Methodist and Salvation army household in rural Ontario, Canada. Did you know they have a rural. Good job. As a teenager, Amy starts questioning how religion and science coexist. How does it work? No one's ever figured it out. Magnets. Magnets. Right at this time, boredom and curiosity leads her to a local tent revival where a Pentecostal preacher is wooing new believers. So imagine this young lady, she's like, not sure what she wants out of life. She's in a rural place and she comes in.

[A]

I've been there. Yeah.

[B]

And she sees the very good looking preacher, Robert Semple, and she's like, that's my religion now. Amen.

[A]

I believe.

[B]

I believe they get married into. No. In 1908, when Amy's just 18. And together they become missionaries bringing God's word to China. They're very successful at it, particularly Amy. And like that picture I showed you, that's when I wanted that. I did it wrong.

[A]

It's okay.

[B]

She's a charismatic and powerful preacher. And.

[A]

Thank you so much.

[B]

That was on me. Thank you.

[A]

Appreciate you. Thank you.

[D]

Hey.

[B]

She's like, see right here. I'm Right here.

[A]

Look at the power you yourself are right now believing whatever it is she's trying to espouse.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

They went over a lot of converts together because they're just charismatic and probably really good looking together. Unfortunately, they both also contract malaria. Yeah. And so while pregnant, Amy survives and her new. But her new husband dies of fucking dysentery.

[A]

Oh, no.

[B]

Yeah. Like, what a bummer. He what?

[A]

I hate to question you this early in the story.

[B]

Yeah, always do it.

[A]

He contracted malaria, but he died of dysentery.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. He got two, according to Ally. Yeah. Does one. Does one happen after the other?

[A]

To me? No, never.

[B]

Are you questioning religion and science again and how they work together? No, no, no. Amy says no. But Amy gives birth to a daughter and months after Robert's death and names her Roberta. And the two of them sail back to America shortly after Roberta's birth.

[A]

So her baby lives.

[B]

Her baby and her live. And her hot preacher husband dies of dysentery. Maybe.

[A]

Asterisk. Look it up later.

[B]

Right. So Amy joins her mother back home, who often. Her name is Mildred, but she goes by Minnie. And she starts working with the Salvation army in New York City. And that's where she meets an accountant named Harold Stuart McPherson, who she then marries in 1912. At this point, Amy's still just in her early 20s. And the newlyweds move to Providence, Rhode island, and they have a son named Rolf. But Amy is not great. She's not doing great. She has a big depressive episode. And pretty much the issue is that she doesn't want to be a housewife. She wants to be back on the road preaching. And she thinks it's her calling. And so she gets back to evangelizing.

[A]

No, Evangelizing.

[B]

Evangelizing. That's a word. Shit. Gotta fold me.

[A]

That's a word.

[B]

Doesn't seem right.

[A]

What a wonderful life you've led not having to deal with this shit.

[B]

And so she gets back to it and she holds tent revivals, amassing such a sizable falling that she's forced to go to larger and larger venues. She becomes really popular and she's so passionate about her work that she starts putting more and more production value into every appearance. So, like a little razzle dazzle, the.

[A]

Hand goes up a little higher, spans out a little further.

[B]

Maybe there's some sequins. Does God like sequins? I don't know.

[A]

Sure does. He invented them.

[B]

And so her sermons are fully theatrical with costumes and props and. Oh, would I pay to See that right now?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, but I wouldn't actually pay to see it.

[A]

No.

[B]

Amy performs faith healings, speaks in tongues, and describes experiencing divine visions. She finds a way to strike that perfect balance of fervor and spectacle. And she has this really smart idea of keeping the super fanatical followers in a different tent so they don't scare away the, like, not, we're not there yet people, but like, maybe. Oh, let's check this out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So she just keeps them apart.

[A]

It's like, everybody chill in this tent and if you want to freak out about Jesus, you have to go over.

[B]

There, Go next door.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To freak out about Jesus.

[A]

And they're like, hey, you're the one that's making us freak out this much. And she's like, not my problem. I can't. Can't control my charisma.

[B]

So Amy's great at what she does, but her new husband Harold, doesn't love that she's so married to her work. So she gets sick from appendicitis. And the experience, I guess, was so hardcore that it changes her. And through the suffering, she hears a voice telling her to return to preaching on the road full time. So she takes the kids and gets the fuck out of there.

[A]

So she gets appendicitis. Yeah.

[B]

And she's like, ow, ow. God is speaking.

[A]

God is saying, I shouldn't be a housewife anymore. So buy.

[B]

So buy. But she sends letters to Harold inviting him to join her. She's like, I'm not breaking up with you, but you have to come to me.

[A]

You do my thing.

[B]

Yeah. He takes her up on it at first, hoping to drag her back home. He sets up their tents and he tries his own hand at preaching alongside her.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Can't do it.

[B]

They sell their house and live out of their so called gospel car, which. What do you think that was?

[A]

Edsel.

[B]

Edsel, definitely. With their two young kids. Oh, those kids were fucking miserable. Right. So there's no air conditioning for sure.

[A]

Anywhere, but maybe no school. Oh. So, yeah, hippie wonderland.

[B]

But Harold's super not into it. He's not nearly as popular as his wife, which had to sting. So he leaves her behind, returns to Rhode island and files for divorce. So she tours. Amy tours the south with her mother instead. She's like, fuck you, you're cool.

[A]

I'll get my mom.

[B]

Yeah, I'm calling my mom.

[A]

She's not a sore loser, right?

[B]

And they preach from a perch on the back seat of their convertible. She just shouts sermons through a megaphone.

[A]

Which is how they do it. That's pretty standard.

[B]

God can't hear you just talking. No, wait, I'm on a microphone right now. What am I fucking talking about?

[A]

Can you hear us, Lord, kettle, etc. It's us. Can you get me a new brooch? Is this how this works? It's us.

[B]

We're podcasters. It's us.

[A]

The highest form of believer.

[B]

That's right. You know our religion podcast.

[A]

We're literally turning this audience against us so hard. What else can we make fun of?

[B]

All the cheerleaders hate us already. Any Pentecostals in the house?

[A]

They're like, bye.

[B]

So they go out. The audiences are, like, building. They're super awed by her public faith healing performances. And word about her talents spreads across the country. And she works so hard. This might sound familiar. She makes herself sick. Oh, yeah.

[A]

She says that she wipes her nose.

[B]

This is like, I have a nervous. I'm really not happy about this nose thing. But keeps happening.

[A]

I think it's charming and people love it.

[B]

Maybe the first time. Thank you. We need to be sponsored by an allergy medication promo code murder. So she makes herself sick from exhaustion. A doctor advises her to recuperate in warmer climate. Because I think that's what they do back then is just go over there or they bleed you out. Pick one.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So. But then her daughter comes down with the Spanish flu, which is my favorite influenza, really, honestly. And while praying over her, she receives yet another divine message. God says, you got to go. However he says it, you gotta go to California.

[A]

He says, hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.

[B]

God loves California. I guess that's right.

[A]

Cool. You know why the butter?

[B]

Are we known for our butter?

[A]

Such good butter.

[B]

That's your town, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Petaluma specific butter.

[B]

The orange fields that we don't have anymore. They're all gone.

[A]

We cut them all down.

[B]

They were great.

[A]

We cut them down, Made them parking lots. You heard the song.

[B]

So Amy. Amy's skills are really profitable in Southern California, where she begins holding small revival meetings at local. Local churches and rented halls with her mother. Mini word spreads and she starts drawing in larger crowds and tents and auditoriums. Hey, across Southern California.

[A]

Stop comparing yourself to Amy Semplograph.

[B]

Podcasting and gospel is the same thing.

[A]

It is the same. Very much so.

[B]

She's the original podcaster. That's OG podcaster.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

Spreading of the word. At one point, the city has to call in the Marines in order to control a crowd of 30,000 people who show up to one of her revivals. Holy shit. So that's no fucking joke.

[A]

That's Joe Rogan level.

[B]

I wrote vintage Viral. She went vintage viral.

[A]

Yeah, that's right.

[B]

At this point in the early 20s, Amy is now about 30 and the population of California is booming because as people are coming from the Midwest and the east coast because it's cooler here. And so she starts focusing her efforts up north in Los Angeles and celebrities start attending her services. Remember the show? No, I'm not gonna. Yep. You know what I'm talking about.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And she's in this.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

What's it called? Perry Mason.

[A]

And I said it first. I said it first. Perry Mason.

[B]

Roll the tape back. We want to hear it.

[A]

And the girl from Warp in Black plays her.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And when you were talking about. I would kill to see that. There are scenes inside that church of her doing her thing.

[B]

Totally. And I think this storyline is, you know, is made for tv, but it's in there. But that's a great show and she's part of it. So I don't even need to read this to you guys even, you know, they already know.

[A]

And now we're going to watch it together every episode.

[B]

So media celebrities start paying attention to her. She's getting a little famous, but remember, she suffered a health setback because the whole point of her being in California is to recuperate. But she is a vintage workaholic. And against doctor's orders, she continues her nightly services, which are so popular that people have to wait hours just to get inside to see her. That's how much they like her. And God. They ship her and God. Is that what the kids say? Angelinas are so enraptured by her dramatic and theatrical style of worship that some of them build a house for her to live in. They're just like, here's a house. We like you so much immediately. I don't know timeline there.

[A]

They, like, leave church and they're just like, go get some wood. I have to express how I feel.

[B]

We must shelter her.

[A]

We must. So it's kind of Amish of them to do that, actually.

[B]

But maybe. I mean, there was so much land then back then in Southern California.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, they could just walk outside.

[A]

And, you know, throw one up right here.

[B]

Right. And so. But there's something even bigger that she wants than a house and all these followers. Amy starts raising money to build her very own venue. Congregants eagerly contribute. And in 1923, the 5,300 seat Angelus Temple opens, which in today's seats is.

[A]

Doesn't matter. I'd get it wrong. 50,000. That's right.

[B]

It looks like a white coliseum in the middle of Los Angeles. It's right by Echo Park Lake. And in its first seven years, more than 40 million visitors walk through its door to see this, like, biblical production every Sunday.

[A]

Dang.

[B]

Amy expands into radio. Hey, like, podcasting.

[A]

This theory is coming true as you tell this story.

[B]

Becoming one of the first women to have her own broadcast license and founds her own religious radio station. And she starts being pictured with celebrities. And even Charlie Chaplin comes to her service sometimes. Hey, I know.

[A]

Should I tell my story about Charlie? Yeah.

[B]

That's so good.

[A]

You may have heard this already if you listen to this podcast. Which is the problem with having a podcast for a person like me who loves to tell the same four anecdotes over and over. Like, we heard this one, Karen, when I bought the house I live in now, my cousin, my real estate agent cousin, Pete Castro. Contact him if you're trying to buy real estate in Los Angeles. He's a great person, very honest, really fun. Good times. Anyhow, Pete Castro for all your real estate needs. Anyhow, he went and had to go get some paperwork. Finalized paperwork, whatever. And when he was there, in the official city files, they found a certificate that said, this house is owned by Charles Chaplin. And so they made a copy of it, and then they gave it to me, like, framed in a frame as a housewarming gift. And I was like, what? And they're like, yeah, we found it on the city thing and we all freaked out. And I hung it in my kitchen. I would bring people. I would make people come and stand near it. Just be like, did you see, I don't know if you saw that he used to live here. And it's not that big of a house, and it's actually, it was built in 1950s, so it's kind of modern comparatively. But I didn't care. And I never really asked one question about it until mid Covid when my next door neighbor Joey came over and I met him for the first time. And he'd lived there for like 30 years. And I was. And we were just talking about everything and getting to know each other. And then I said, oh, by the way, did you know Charlie Chaplin used to live? And before the sentence was over, he was like, no, that's Chuck. That's Chuck, my old neighbor. He's not. No relation. No fucking relation to Charlie Chaplin whatsoever.

[B]

That's impossible. But here's the thing about that, though. He lived there for 30 years, which is only 1995.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So maybe he doesn't fucking know. Maybe 10 years before that. Charlie fucking Chaplin.

[A]

It's like the oldest Charlie Chaplin of all time. Like, hey, no, I just say that I went in and very quietly took that framed thing down and stuck it in a drawer. And anytime anyone asks me, I pretend like I don't know what they're talking about. I never said that. What do you mean?

[B]

I love it. I think you we should keep it up because it's just. Yeah, it's a great story. Also, my cousin's here tonight too. I forgot. Savannah.

[A]

Hi, Savannah. Hi.

[B]

She's the sweetest. She's a liar here in San Diego.

[A]

A real liar.

[B]

So you guys better watch out. No tripping falls in this theater tonight.

[A]

No way.

[B]

Not on my watch radio. It happened. And then Charlie Chaplin happened.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And then she just.

[A]

And then I stopped your story cold. And now we're back in.

[B]

Anyways. Huge celebrity. She's working overtime performing daily church services, live radio broadcasts, fundraising and nationwide revival tours. You know, she wants to do it all. But the more attention Amy receives, of course, the more her haters want to bring her down. As they do. There are plenty. There are trolls back then. Vintage trolls.

[A]

Always in humanity, man. Since the dawn of man.

[B]

I am angry that you're successful.

[A]

No, this is the story of Cain and Abel.

[B]

Is it?

[A]

Guys, we're gonna fold some scripture through this show tonight. Everyone's gonna leave happy. I swear to God.

[B]

There are plenty of people who don't believe in her particular brand of Christianity. They point out that she's a divorcee. Oh, no.

[A]

Slut.

[B]

And some of them think that the theatrics and flourishes are over the top. Like meanwhile, people are speaking in tongues and have snakes. You know, it's just.

[A]

But she had props, okay?

[B]

Is that not normal in church? You guys don't do props.

[A]

No, really, what it is. But she's a woman.

[B]

Critics accused her of acting in her own best interest while she's pretending to be a modern day disciple. Which God forbid. Well, literally.

[A]

Yeah, that's actually the rule.

[B]

At the same time, this is not quite the profit driven model of televangelists that would later be adopted. Her ministry actually does a fair amount of charity work and social good. They distribute food, they offer clothing, banks, and they help local immigrants, particularly the working class and Hispanic populations of Echo Park. So she does good. What?

[A]

I like that you said she does a fair amount and it's like, as a church, shouldn't you do, like, an unfair amount? Like an insane, over the top amount with all that money? Just an observation, not a new one. Joel Osteen. Remember when, like, 10 years ago, Texas flooded, and Joel Osteen said his mega church doors were closed to the public, and then the guy that had a mattress door opened his doors to the public, and that solved everything in this country. Because then people realized. No, you're right. You're right, you're right. My mistake. That wasn't it.

[B]

Not yet.

[A]

That did not happen. Mm.

[B]

And then Amy disappears.

[A]

Oh, shit.

[B]

Okay, so on May 18, 1926, Amy goes for a swim at Venice beach along with her secretary, Emma. And that morning, Emma stays on the sand while Amy wades into the water. But after a while, Emma loses sight of her and starts freaking out, and so she assumes she's drowned. Emma enlists lifeguards and bystanders to join the search immediately, but there's no sign of Amy dead or alive within. What?

[A]

No, listen to the whole thing. I'm just gonna listen to the whole thing first. I swear to God.

[B]

No, do it.

[A]

I interrupted you right before Amy disappears last time. I don't want to do it.

[B]

That was it. That was the button.

[A]

So the last Emma saw was that.

[B]

She was out swimming. Out swimming? Yeah. And suddenly can't find her, doesn't see her, she doesn't come back to shore. Emma's freaking out. She calls a bunch of people to try to help find her, thinking she drowned.

[A]

Are you seeing this fog, or is it just me?

[B]

It's a lot of fucking fog. It's a fucking. The fog budget for this tour.

[A]

Good on the fog.

[B]

Astronomical.

[A]

It truly is.

[D]

We're actually.

[B]

We're not even getting paid. All our money's going to fog.

[A]

Straight to.

[B]

Straight to fog.

[A]

This hot ice machine or whatever the fuck it's called.

[B]

Hot ice.

[A]

Anyway, over in foggy London town. What if that's what it was? We're just changing locations now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it was a foggy day at Venice Beach.

[B]

Actually, it probably was. Here's a picture of thousands of church members gathered to pray for her on the beach and to find her. They're praying, they're freaking out. There's no sign of her. That's a lot of fucking people at the beach.

[A]

How many of the people that were, like, around 12 years old that their parents forced them to go just kept staring at that roller coaster? They're just like, please, Mommy, please.

[B]

God gave me a message that he Wants me on that roller coaster.

[A]

I'm feeling particularly called to the pier. Anyone else?

[B]

Thank you. And so thousands of people go back to Angela's temple to pray for her safe return. And some even begin the mourning process, thinking she probably fucking drowned. Her disappearance is huge news. A massive search effort takes place. There's deep sea divers and hundreds of officers combing the shore. Here's a picture of a newspaper headline. Amy Pearson believe Brown. She's got that hand up again.

[A]

She's. It turns out she could never put it down.

[B]

It's like in a cast.

[A]

Make fun of a permanent cast.

[B]

Arm asleep in the ocean. What? What? Who wrote that?

[A]

Hold on a second. You know, back then, they could. If your last name was McPherson, they could just substitute the C with an apostrophe.

[B]

Didn't know that.

[A]

Amy Mapherson.

[B]

Mapherson. Yeah. I didn't know they did that.

[A]

It's strange. What else is going on in Los Angeles? Al Smith Brands dry law retaliation.

[B]

Dishonest.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[B]

That Al Smith Young.

[A]

Young suffers seven broken ribs. What?

[B]

Okay, sorry.

[A]

Sorry to read the newspaper in front of you. My mistake.

[B]

The drag along is like, what in the. The am I watching?

[A]

Why? They're reading paper in front of them, they're reading things behind them. It's not podcasting, dude.

[B]

Blah, blah, blah. There is also speculation as to what really happened that day, particularly when Amy's radio engineer, a handsome but married man named Kenneth Ormiston, also turns out to be missing.

[A]

Did he go swimming?

[B]

He didn't go swimming. And Keith, Kenneth, and Amy had actually been caught. Flirting is all that we have over the church's inner intercom system. Like, they didn't know they had hot mics on. I know.

[A]

That's the best.

[B]

Hey, what kind of flirting? Hey, baby. Like, they were not flirting. They were doing it, and you know it. They just, like, are too proper to say that back then.

[A]

You're in the main chapel dusting. Hey, what's up with you? And then you're just like, everyone runs into the main chapel.

[B]

So good. Best day of someone's life.

[A]

So that if that happened to you, you would want to just walk into the sea.

[B]

Yes, right. That's true. I would. Fucking. Yeah. That's not cool. That's horrible.

[A]

So embarrassing.

[B]

Yeah. And he's married, so it looks really bad for this person who pretend. Who's saying she's really, really religious with her hand up in the air all the time.

[A]

What if that's her flirting? Hey, hey, hey, what's up?

[B]

Right after that Happened. Kenneth's wife shows up at the temple and makes a big scene about the whole thing. Good for her. Fucking throw down.

[A]

Oh, because her husband's now disappeared?

[B]

No, because someone caught them quote flirting.

[A]

Oh, this is in between the two.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, gotcha. And this was obviously really embarrassing and distressing to Amy, but it had been even more distressing to her mother Minnie, who been involved at the church for years. She's really disappointed in her daughter and then her daughter disappears. So after five whole weeks, Amy's mother Minnie decides to proceed with a memorial service at the temple for her daughter. She believes she's dead, but according to some reports, Minnie had actually pronounced Amy dead the day after her disappearance and suggested that her daughter Roberta, who's now 15, should take over for her daughter the next day.

[A]

She's like know what my granddaughter's stepping in.

[B]

That's right. She listens to me now. She don't listen to me enough.

[A]

The 15 year old should take over this mega church.

[B]

15.

[A]

Oh my God you guys, did you hear about Lot's life? They don't. 15 year olds don't talk like that anymore Karen. Well I don't care. It's my new character.

[B]

And so 20,000 people attend the service for what they believe is Amy's memorial. But something strange is happening in the meantime. The police keep getting tips from people who believe they're seeing Amy in and around the town of Carmel by the sea. Oh about 450 miles north of here. And it's just a bunch of non related people being like yep, we know what she looks like because she's always on the newspaper. There she is. Oh no. So authorities. So on June 23, 1926, one month after her disappearance into the ocean, Amy turns up in Agua Prida in Mexico, just across the border from Douglas, Arizona. She goes claims here you've heard this one before. She claims that she'd been held in a shack somewhere in the desert where kidnappers were holding her prisoner. Vintage, Vintage Gone girl. Right?

[A]

Shack girl. Get in there.

[B]

She says that she had been out on the beach that day and a couple had come up to her and asked her to pray over their sick child. And then when she went to to the car with them, Swoop. They just kidnapped her. Yoink. But she can't give a ton of details about her captors or the shack in the desert which is never found.

[A]

But what details do you need of a shack in the desert?

[B]

It's a shack.

[A]

It's shitty wood. There was graffiti on the inside, there was one small bench, right?

[B]

That's. What do you need?

[A]

We know what a shack in the desert looks like.

[B]

And the media, of course, goes crazy on her return. Thongs of supporters celebrate at the Angeles Temple believing that she survived through the divine protection, this ordeal that she was kidnapped. When she arrives back in LA by train, thousands of her fans and followers greet her at the station with flowers, songs, and chanting her name.

[A]

We. Oh, Amy, you were in a shack in the desert, but now you're back. We're so proud of you. We love Jesus. To Amy. Amy, Amy. Thank you so much.

[B]

Appreciate you. That was beautiful.

[A]

It's fun to imagine songs people would sing at this train station back in.

[B]

Because you don't know. You could be exactly right.

[A]

You know, I could be dead on.

[B]

Yeah, that's their song. They're all singing.

[A]

It's Amy's train. And here she comes. Let me stand over here. I'm a man.

[B]

So she makes her triumphant return to the pulpit. And the temple overflows. And worshipers are convinced that she has a direct line to God. That guy. She's dramatically escorted to thunderous applause. Escorted. And people like James Brown, kind of.

[A]

Like she's all tired already, totally going out, sweating.

[B]

People are overcome with joy. They. They faint at the sight of her. Like it's, you know, are they faking it? That's a little dramatic.

[A]

She's like, wait, watch, her arm's about to go up.

[B]

Oh, my God, I'm gonna lose it. If her arm goes up, is she gonna play how to go? I'm gonna lose it.

[A]

I will lose it. We have a whole nother one of these after this. We gotta keep it fresh, keep it tight.

[B]

That's right. So if Amy's followers had faith in her before, they're even more devout. The non believers are like, yeah, right. They're over it. This includes the LA District Attorney, a man named Asa Keys. He believes that this is either a publicity stunt or a cover up for that romantic rendezvous. And so he convenes a grand jury to determine if fraud has taken place.

[A]

I just thought a second ago. Okay, again, about the intercom coming on. And then it's like. So anyway, how many brothers and sisters do you have?

[B]

Are your eyes green or blue? I can't tell. Oh, no.

[A]

Oh, no.

[B]

We're miked. Sorry. No, it's good. We need. We need it. We need it in Today's economy in.

[A]

2025, we need these terrible jokes.

[B]

So witnesses come forward. Hotel maids, neighbors, people just from Carmel by the Sea. Have you been there?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. It's cute, right? They, like, don't have house numbers or something, right?

[A]

No addresses. And it's covered in caramel. It's so delicious.

[B]

But it seems like a good place to hide out, especially back then. Probably. Right?

[A]

Nobody could get up the one back then.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It would take days.

[B]

The one. There was no one. There's only a two. And so all of them swore that they saw Amy and Kenneth together. Reporters came on the courthouse steps. They were filing daily stories. And her kidnap case becomes front page news across America. Ask your grandparents about that. Or great grandparents. Yeah, everyone's young here.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Prosecutors paint a the sensational picture that she had faked her in abduction to cover this illicit romance. Oh, God, Kenneth's wife must have been so fucking pissed.

[A]

So pissed. And also, it's such a weird idea where it's like, well, I'm insanely famous because of God, so let me go ahead and have this affair by drowning.

[B]

Right? It doesn't sound planned.

[A]

That's just the beginning, and we'll figure the rest out later. Come on, Kenneth.

[B]

That was a rough dress. She went for it. So basically, if it's true, she lied to her congregation, obstructed justice, wasted the resources of police and the Coast Guard who were looking for her, all the volunteers who were looking for her body. So indictments for perjury and conspiracy loom. But Amy maintains her story, and she has the support of thousands of her followers. So the grand jury winds up proving that Kenneth had rented a cottage in Carmel by the sea. But Kenneth claims he had actually been renting it with a different woman altogether, not even Amy.

[A]

That's a great excuse. No, no, hear him out. Hear him out.

[B]

He's gotta be going somewhere with this, right?

[A]

It was not my side piece, you, Honor. It was my back piece. Don't worry about it. She's a different one.

[B]

But essentially, because he says that the city's forced to drop the case due to lack of evidence in 1927, one year after the disappearance. So him saying he had a side piece that wasn't his side piece got her off.

[A]

Yeah. And the wife is still over there. Like, this isn't making it better. Kenneth.

[B]

Yeah. Where is my redemption arc?

[A]

Please, please.

[B]

Now, there's actually one more theory about Amy's disappearance that gets kicked around, and that is actually was a legitimate kidnapping. And that Amy's mother arranged it because, remember, her mom was in that Perry Mason, too.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

There's very little evidence. Allegedly. Allegedly. They're all dead. That point to this. But some people do point out that Minnie was unhappy with her daughter's behavior and possible affair and actually wanted her granddaughter to take over. So she was like set up a kidnapping to get rid of her daughter. Yoink.

[A]

Yoinked her off the beach, sent her to the desert to that one shack.

[B]

That shack that we all know and love.

[A]

It has a little chimney, but there's no fireplace. It's just, it's what they need.

[B]

But yeah, not a lot to back this up. So Amy returns to her regularly scheduled pulpit programming at the Angelus Temple, but rarely discusses the incident. It tarnishes her image with non believers, but you know, she's media savvy. She knows how to make everyone excited about God and her own self. And so people just keep coming to her church.

[A]

That's the magic recipe right there.

[B]

God and me. Yeah, that's it. In the 1930s, she marries and divorces again within a few years, but establish works hard to establish her church, which she names the International Church of the Four Square Gospel. Is that a thing?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Foursquare. That's not just the game, truly.

[A]

It can be anything you want it to be.

[B]

Okay, great. So the church now does go by the Foursquare Church and it's actually still operational in the Angelus Temple today. Outside of the temple, she has dozens of affiliated congregations spread across the US and makes use of them during the Great Depression to distribute clothing, food, and assistance to tens of thousands of struggling families. So she's like, sorry about that. One thing. I'm going to make up for it with this other thing.

[A]

Great, then we'll take it.

[B]

Yeah. Her humanitarian work softens the public image. Behind the scenes, she is still suffering from a lack of of sleep and a dependence on pills. She's traveling with her sermons devoted to the cause. I mean, touring back then had to suck.

[A]

Well, right? Maybe. Except for don't forget that they used to put cocaine in soda. So that's true, you know, depends on what you're into.

[B]

Yeah. Driving around the country in your little un air conditioned car.

[A]

Out of your mind playing teda.

[B]

You're mind.

[A]

Let's get the word out.

[B]

So In September of 1944, she fails to show up at an appearance in Oakland. Oh my God, we just did that.

[A]

We were just there.

[B]

And people are immediately concerned. So on September 27, 1944, hotel staff where she's staying find in her room. Find her in a room alone in her bed, unresponsive. Amy's declared dead at 53. The causes ruled an accidental overdose of Seconal. That's sedative that everyone loved back then. Her premature passing shocks her followers. She's only 53. And the public toggles between her professional impact and her personal scandals. Her body's transported back to Los Angeles, where upwards of 50,000 mourners file past her casket. How many touched her, do you think?

[A]

Doesn't matter if she's dead.

[B]

Okay. I was really like, I hope they have hand sanitizer, but that's weird.

[A]

It is.

[B]

Just fingerprints. I'm talking like fingerprints. You know what I mean? No, no. Inappropriate.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

The funeral is one of the largest Los Angeles has ever seen, with traffic jams reported for blocks around Echo Park. Reporters noted that the grandeur of the Angelus Temple, filled with flowers, white drapery and music, was more like a pageant than a traditional funeral. And in true Amy spirit, the Affair is a Hollywood type production with genuine religious devotion. A fitting end for such a theatrical person. And that is the story of Amy Semple McPherson.

[A]

Wow. Wow. What do you think really happened?

[B]

I think she took off with her lover and had a fucking nice couple of weeks to herself.

[A]

Yeah?

[B]

Yeah. What do you think?

[A]

I love the shack concept. I don't know.

[B]

You're really sticking with the shack because.

[A]

It also makes it feel like if it's a shack in the desert, it's really small, but then the kidnappers have to be in there with her. So they're all just shoved into.

[B]

Nobody's happy.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Yeah, just.

[A]

We'll all suffer out here until your mom says we can come back to town.

[B]

Anything's possible, truly, with God.

[A]

Amen. And that is the message that we're trying to give to everyone tonight. Whatever God. You would like that to be very open, non denominational but highly religious show.

[C]

Thirty years ago, Scream changed horror forever. Now it's all led to this. In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott thought she'd finally escaped the nightmare of Ghostface, raising her family in a quiet town far away from the horrors of Woodsboro. She was wrong. And this time, the target isn't just her. It's her teenage daughter, Tatum, who's the same age Sidney was when the terror began. Neve Campbell returns in her iconic final girl role as Sidney Prescott, facing the most brutal and psychological Ghostface yet. Joined by franchise favorites Courtney Cobb, Jasmine Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, alongside terrifying new blood, including Isabel May McKenna, Grace, Asa Gurman, and more. Directed by franchise creator Kevin Williamson in his directorial debut, Scream 7 is packed with edge of your seat scares and shocks for everyone. With references and callbacks for screen fans everywhere. Ghostface is the terrifying horror icon alongside Freddy Jason and Michael Myers. And after 30 seconds years, the mask still means one no one is safe. See Scream 7 in theaters February 27th. Because screams are always better when you hear them together.

[B]

There is nothing worse than buying furniture online and being disappointed when it shows up with Article.

[A]

The quality is clear right away from the materials to the craftsmanship.

[B]

Article makes it effortless to create a stylish home with long lasting pieces at an unbeatable price. Article takes great care in curating its collection, focusing solely on meaningful pieces that will stand the test of time. There's no filler. Every item is chosen for its craftsmanship, design and lasting value.

[A]

With Article's 30 day satisfaction guarantee, you can shop with confidence, knowing that if you're not completely in love with your new furniture, you can easily return it. This peace of mind ensures that you can invest in your home without hesitation.

[B]

You know what I hate is posts that tell you what is out in the coming year when it comes to design. And it's like if you have a classic style and you love beautiful pieces, you never have to look at those ads. It's not true. It's like not trendy. I love that Article pieces will never be on those lists. It's timeless when you shop with Article.

[A]

That's right. And also, instead of being influenced by trends, when you look at Article's website, you see it's things that like, they're always popular, they always look beautiful.

[B]

If you're in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, head over to article. Com. Goodbye. The holidays are over and you can finally relax knowing your loved ones feel seen and appreciated.

[A]

Until you remember that Valentine's Day is lurking right around the corner.

[B]

Choose a gift that reflects what they love and how much you care.

[A]

With Pandora jewelry, surprise them with meaningful styles that reflect everything they love.

[B]

Pandora has gifts that work. Whether you're celebrating a romantic partner, a lifetime friend, or someone in your life who deserves a little extra love.

[A]

From heartfelt charms to sparkling rings and necklaces with hand set stones, there's a gift for every Valentine at Pandora.

[B]

You can even personalize the charms, necklaces or bracelets for that extra special touch.

[A]

These pieces say it all without saying a word.

[B]

So this Valentine's Day, make it personal, make it memorable, make it more than a gift with Pandora.

[A]

Visit your local store or shop pandora.net today.

[B]

Goodbye.

[A]

Bye. Okay, we're gonna take a little bit of a left turn.

[B]

Let's do it.

[A]

My story, and I don't know if you've ever seen. There's a billboard that is on East Melrose. Almost like. Almost to Virgil. And a couple times a year, or I guess once a year, but I notice it doesn't matter. Oftentimes once a year there will be a billboard. It's a very small billboard. You wouldn't notice it for the LA Bug Fair. Have you ever seen this?

[B]

I've been to the lake. LA Bug for what? Yeah, I ate a chocolate chirp cookie that had crickets in it.

[A]

Oh, hell yes. We begin this story at 2003's Los Angeles Most prestigious Hollywood event, the Natural History Museum's annual Bug Fair. That's right. This is a Bug Fair story, ladies and gentlemen. I love that you know the Bug Fair.

[B]

Hell yeah, it's rad. It's horrifying, but it's rad.

[A]

Yeah. So every year, if you don't know. Thousands of people, nature enthusiasts and collectors alike flock to the museum for this event featuring workshops, educational exhibits and a marketplace where you can buy pretty much any bug related thing imaginable, including actual bugs. At this Bug fair Market. Go. Are you looking for a praying mantis? Why don't you go on down to the Bug fair, Get a good price, pick one up. Did I ever tell you about that fucking time? I got a weird feeling? I was sitting in my house at the kitchen table and I got a weird feeling and I looked at my shoulder and there was a fucking praying mantis on my shoulder.

[B]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[A]

And this may be exaggeration because I'm a big liar, but when I turned, when I turned and looked at this praying mantis, it went. Its head went like this.

[B]

Ew.

[A]

Like it was also gazing back at me.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And then I screamed and slapped it off my shoulder.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

It was so scary.

[B]

It sounds like uncanny valley where it's just you are staring into the eyeballs of a. I'm like perched.

[A]

I feel weird. Why do I feel so you?

[B]

I mean, I love them. I just don't like surprise bugs. I can deal with bugs, but not surprise bugs.

[A]

And what is a more surprising bug than a praying mantis sakes head separate from body, looking at you, thinking with its weird praying hands? More religion stuff. Okay. You can buy live bugs and you can buy dead bugs that have been mounted and put on display. Among the crowd at the 17th Annual Bug Fair is a man named Ed Newcomer. Writer Jessica Spirit describes him as, quote, your typical Southern California beach boy. End Quote, he's in his 30s. He's a self professed nature lover, but he's not here for bug fare fun like everybody else. You see, Ed is a rookie special agent with the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service. And he is tasked with fighting the illegal wildlife trade. He sees his work as very important, and rightfully so. Special Agent Newcomer has said, quote, there's really no more innocent victim than our natural environment. You know, a bear can't call 911 and say that someone came and poached her cub.

[B]

What if he could?

[A]

Hello? Who is this? Is this a prank call? My baby. You said do a scene.

[B]

I did it. It's me. I'm the problem.

[A]

You immediately accept responsibility.

[B]

It's all on me. I'll take it.

[A]

We're still middle of the quote.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So it's really important to have law enforcement officers out there who are willing to take the time to try to solve wildlife crime. End quote.

[B]

Is he hot, too? Like, what's the deal?

[A]

We'll take a. We're going to look at him in one second. In one second. So Ed got into this game because he thought he'd be investigating the poaching of big exotic animals. Like, of course, bears or elephants or jungle cats. He never knew there was a market for dead butterflies, but it turns out that there is. And it's a huge trade. Rare, pinned and mounted butterflies, including endangered and protected ones. Those trade for small fortunes in that quaint little corner of the black market. So Special Agent Newcomer has gotten a tip that one of the world's most notorious butterfly dealers, the, quote, Indiana Jones of Butterflies.

[B]

Come on. He gave that to himself for sure.

[A]

No, the whole butterfly community labeled three of them. Yeah, they got together on a conference call and they said, we're naming this the Indiana Jones of Butterflies. Has a booth at the bug Fair this year. And along with the legal specimens that he will have on sale, there may be some illegal insect contraband available for his most trusted patrons. Oh, shit. For years, this smuggler has evaded authorities in the illegal bug and insect trade. But now Special Agent Newcomer is on the case. And he's determined to bring this entire dirty, yet incandescently beautiful enterprise down town to Chinatown. This is the story of Special Agent Ed Newcomer's investigation into butterfly trafficker Yoshi Kojima.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So the main sources used in this story today are the book, Winged Obsession. The pursuit of the world's most notorious butterfly smuggler. Oh, a whole book by Jessica Spears.

[B]

Great.

[A]

She wrote a whole book on it. Also episode 305 of My Favorite podcast criminal, of course, entitled the Butterfly Smuggler. And Ed Newcomer's own podcast series. Special Agent Ed Newcomer has a podcast, and it's called Nature's Secret Service. Okay.

[B]

Everyone's got a podcast these days. The nature guy.

[A]

And then we're like, oh, oh, yeah. And this one big butterfly has a podcast too, so please listen to her side of the story. Okay, so we're back at the 17th annual Bug Fair. Special Agent Newcomer is not just on the case. First of all, he's a rookie. This is the first case. So his name is literal Newcomer. He's a Newcomer. He's not just on the case case, he's working. He's in. Sorry, left the page.

[B]

Undercover.

[A]

Yes, he's undercover. Thank you so much. God damn it.

[B]

I can't believe I got that.

[A]

I was. I just wanted to say in disguise so badly, and I'm like, that's not the correct term for the police.

[B]

Trench coat on eyeglass, got a weird.

[A]

Metal arm that comes out and grabs a bug, takes it back.

[B]

Inspector Gadget. Oh, this? Okay. The Inspector Gadget of the butterfly world.

[A]

So. So Ed is there to get eyes on 53 year old Yoshi Kojima. But he is not working alone. He also has a wired informant in the crowd today who Ed hopes will catch Yoshi saying something damning on tape. The U.S. fish and Wildlife Agency has had Yoshi on their radar for years, so Ed already knows a little bit about him. He knows Yoshi has homes in both Kyoto and Los Angeles. He's always traveling back and forth between them. He knows that in the decade or so that Yoshi's been legally active in this trade, he has also been suspected of some very unethical and outright illegal practices. For example, it's believed that Yoshi harvested butterfly species in such huge numbers in the Sierra Nevada mountains that experts were afraid entire local populations of butterflies were wiped out.

[B]

Dude, knocked out.

[A]

But he just loves them so much. How big is that net? For real? He's also suspected of targeting very rare, protected butterflies in national parks around the US but there's never been a serious enough investigation to lead into any. Any to lead to any criminal charges for it. But that's all going to change at the 2003 Bug Fair. Right?

[B]

What a fun job. Like, why didn't they tell you out of high school that you could walk around a Bug Fair in disguise as your job? Like, I maybe would have gone to college.

[A]

Yes. Instead of just, oh, study homework. No. Science.

[B]

It's like, no communications No, I want things. Find a budget.

[A]

How about bug disguises? How about the real shit? How about wired informants? Or the first time I read that, I was like, was that wired informant? Like, just a very curious second grader that was like, what kind of insects do you have? And it's like, gotcha, motherfucker. We'll get to that part. Okay, so Special Agent Newcomer will later be quoted as saying, quote, when you arrest these people and they end up in front of a judge, they tell the judge, I'm an animal lover. I just got a little carried away, and nothing pisses me off more. They are not animal lovers. They are either in it for the money or they're in it for the obsession of collecting and owning and having and controlling.

[B]

Whoa. He's hard boiled.

[A]

Yes. This is his first case and he's fucking had it. Like, you love a man with passion, but butterfly passion? Oh, my God. So Special Agent Newcomer is strolling through the bug fair incognito, whistling real loud because this is his first case. He's wearing his dockers and his braided belt and a nice golf shirt. He's not a cop. He's not a cop. And then he finally gets. Oh, sorry, I think we have a picture of Ed Newcomer, don't we? Oh, yes.

[B]

What a hero.

[A]

Right? And then Ed finally gets a visual of his target. It's Yoshi. He's at his booth. And Ed doesn't think he looks particularly criminal. No, he doesn't.

[B]

No. He's a dad. He's got a dad hat on, Hawaiian shirt.

[A]

He's just kind of a party dad.

[B]

Yeah. With. With a couple bugs.

[A]

He. He loves bugs. Every.

[B]

All on. It's all above. Table. Above the table. Above.

[A]

Above a very, very low table. Okay? So he gets his. He sees. He puts eyes on. He realizes who he's dealing with. What are you laughing about?

[B]

Puts eyes on.

[A]

Does anyone have eyes on? So. So, as author Jessica Spirit reports, Yoshi's staple outfit consists of a fanny pack, loose khaki pants, and either a Hawaiian shirt or a polo shirt. And this is specifically usually stained. Ouch. Ouch.

[B]

I mean, that I would be like, that's a cop for sure. You know, dressing like a cop. A nice.

[A]

But also, it's just so rough for your, like, known outfit to include the staining. Yeah, it's just like she usually wore black pants, black shirt, and a ton of white dog hair. Just like. You didn't have to say the last part about me. You didn't have to say it. God damn It. She's always asking for a lint roller for some reason.

[B]

It's a subtle dig for sure.

[A]

It hurts. Yeah, just like a stainless steel. So Special Agent Newcomer has a visual on the enemy. He keeps his distance. He plays it cool on the sidelines. But he watches intently as his informant approaches Yoshi's booth. Hey, mister.

[B]

Also, how subtle is this intent watch? Because I bet he's not good yet at it.

[A]

Just like pacing back and forth, rubbing his chin.

[B]

The only guy sweating at the bug fair.

[A]

I just love bugs. Sorry, dude. I just love bugs. So Ed will say about the informant. I saw him go talk to Yoshi a few times. But every time I would check in with the informant, he would say, he won't talk to me, he won't talk to me. He just won't say anything. And then the informant just got more and more jittery. It definitely was not going well. So I decided, what the hell, I'm gonna go talk to this guy. End quote. So Special Agent is like out of my way, eight year old. I'm going to take care of this. So Newcomer isn't exactly prepared for this moment. He's new to the case. He hasn't had the opportunity to learn much about butterflies. But he's quick on his feet. He strolls up to the booth and introduces himself as Ted Nelson. Okay, yes, someone's been taking UCB classes. Ted Nelson, you say? He then says he's a recently retired businessman who sold off his father's company and now has some money to burn. And he has a new fascination with rare insects. You know that casual conversation you make at the bug fair? Ed looks through Yoshi's display cases. All legal insects that are there to buy and sell. He pretends to be amazed. And the this feeds Yoshi's ego so well that he. He can't help but show Ted Nelson something that he's been keeping in the back, so to speak. It is a massive 6 inch horned dynasty beetle, living a living. Look at it. Look at it. Also known as the rhinoceros beetle.

[B]

So what if that was on your shoulder when you looked over?

[A]

I'd be like, what is it? What do you have to tell me? So because it said Maren wrote in here that this was a six inch beetle. I immediately turned and googled what is six inches long? Okay, it's not a dick joke. It's so lame of you and cheap of you. It's not. The first thing that came up in AI. We're. I mean, we are beyond belief. I Don't have to tell you guys that this is instead of a dick joke. It's just about how we are with AI because here's what the AI answer I got. There's a quad of like four pictures that say common things that are six inches long. And no joke, the first picture is a baseball. It's a baseball. It's a baseball.

[B]

That's not right.

[A]

That's the first fucking picture. An American baseball. And then it says under that quote, items around 6 inches long include the width, width of a dollar bill. The width. The width of a dollar bill.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

There are companies using AI to build things like airplanes and rockets and engines and like that. The width of a dollar bill is six inches.

[B]

Even. We know that's not right.

[A]

Even.

[B]

And we didn't go to college.

[A]

Even math dipshits like ourselves. It literally says the width of a dollar bill. Some pens, certain chef's knives and half a standard 12 inch ruler. Thanks so much. Thank you. Thank you.

[B]

Wow, great.

[A]

Now I know exactly what I'm dealing with.

[B]

That was just rude.

[A]

A baseball.

[B]

Some chef knives to give you six inch. Chef knives.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Not some.

[A]

Some. Too bad. There's ones that are this long. Some pens, but not those ones you get when you're a tourist that have their real long. Because you went to New York City.

[B]

The Big Apple, and you turn it upside down and she's naked.

[A]

There's your six inches right there. You made me do that. You forced me to do it. I don't want to work glue. You want me to. Okay, we're done with that part. Never forget the six inch rhinoceros beetle.

[B]

I never will.

[A]

Okay, so Special Agent Newcomer suspects that this dollar bill wide beetle was smuggled into the US from its native South America. Almost certainly without the necessary permits. But that's a Minor violation of U.S. department of Agriculture rules. So Ed doesn't think that that will be enough to take down a smuggler. On the level of Yoshi, who is rumored to trade in much, much rarer, more highly protected specimens. But Yoshi showing Ed this beetle is huge for this investigation because it shows that they have that. Yoshi has now made a connection with aspiring collector Ted Nelson. So Ted Nelson, thanks Yoshi for his time, does a casual loop around the bug fair, And then when it's almost closing time, circles back to Yoshi's booth, only to find Yoshi waiting there with a box which he presents to his new friend, Ted Nelson. And inside, there are 13 dead pinned and mounted butterflies, which Yoshi says are to quote Start your collection.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

It's so insulting to do that in a natural history museum. Like, go to a cafe. You know what I mean? It's like, double bad.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

It's pretty shitty. So now Special Agent Newcomer knows for sure he has made a connection. And even better, Yoshi wrote his email address inside that box. And so Ed now has a direct line to him, to one of the biggest insect smugglers that they know about. So Ed still plays a cool. He doesn't reach out to Yoshi right away. Right?

[D]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

That's how you do it.

[A]

You have to wait five days.

[B]

Five.

[A]

I don't know. In smuggling, you have to wait five days. Yeah. For quarantine. Okay. So then he doesn't reach out to him right away. He goes and listens to the recordings that the informant captured. And? And in them, Yoshi isn't revealing much, although there is one bombshell. Ed listens as Yoshi brags about how at the airport, he pretends to work for National Geographic and tells customs agents that he provides bugs for their documentaries. They're all cast. It's like, I had auditions. This rhinoceros beetle was incredible. Really got that it factor. Yoshi tells the informant this lie works like a charm. And the airport officials usually let him go without scrutinizing his collection. And then he also brags about outsmarting U.S. fish and Wildlife investigators. And that's the part where Special Agent Newcomer just slides his headphones off and he exhales, and then he goes, now it's personal. This is for my movie. Special Agent Ed Newcomer. Nobody gets to steal it. Okay, so he sits tight for about a week. And then, acting as Ted Nelson, he sends Yoshi an email asking for help identifying some of the butterflies Yoshi gave him as a gift. The men exchange some emails, then they talk on the phone. And then Yoshi sets up an in person meeting at the Starbucks near the intersection of Venice and Robertson in Los Angeles.

[B]

They took my advice and went to a cafe. That's weird.

[A]

They literally. What if this whole thing just turns into you dictating what the story is? This is the newest version of AI it's called self podcasting. So this is that Starbucks on Venice and Robertson that has very little parking. It's almost like a Trader Joe's in that way. The vibe is off there. Okay, so Ed is incredibly nervous for this meeting because he's wearing a wire this time. And he's doing everything that he can not to blow his cover. He needs to say all the right Things that Ted Nelson would say while simultaneously pushing for, you know, more information and incriminating information. But not so hard that Yoshi would become suspicious. But Yoshi immediately starts asking a ton of questions, and they're really prying questions. And they seem to be geared at sussing out whether or not Ted Nelson is a cop. Ed has prepared for this, though. He's got his full Ted Nelson backstory memorized, and he even has a Ted Nelson Costco card in his wallet just in case anybody looks in there.

[B]

You gotta get the Costco Costco card.

[A]

You want to prove something? Yeah, I. I actually have done that, though, when you go, like, I don't have my license, just like. Well, I do have this Costco card. Is that I'm a gold member. Will that get me through security? Okay, so Ed Newcomer will later say about this meetup. Quote, I was sweating like crazy.

[B]

Real chill. That's the thing you don't want to do is sweat like crazy.

[A]

Sweat while wearing a wire.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. But in the end, Yoshi seems to buy. That was the whole quote, by the way. I just thought that was good. Put that in there. In the end, Yoshi seems to buy Ted Nelson's whole story and offers to teach him all about identifying, mounting, and collecting rare butterflies so that the two of them can get into business together. It's a lucrative business. Yoshi claims that he nets anywhere between $810,000 per butterfly, depending on how rare they are.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

Yes. So Ed suspects Yoshi sees his new friend Ted Nelson as a useful fall guy in this very high stakes game of illegal insect trading. Because the two men come up with this arrangement where Ted. Ted will post bugs and butterflies for sale on ebay, and Yoshi will act as the supplier, which also enables Yoshi to keep his hands clean. And it'll all go on Ted if the shit goes down. So Ed tries to cement this relationship. But it's clear that Yoshi's trust is fragile, because in one of their earlier meetings, Yoshi walks Ted out to his car, but then circles the car completely, looking into the windows and checking the license and even examining the front grill.

[B]

Well, it's not gonna say his real name on it.

[A]

It's like, what if it's down here?

[B]

Yeah. Where do you put your name on your car?

[A]

Way down under the front.

[B]

That's right. Yeah.

[A]

Just put my initials up under there. So Ed remembers, quote, it would have been very unnatural for me not to have been like, what the hell are you doing? That's the whole quote. I did it again. Sorry, that was too short. Sorry. So he asks Yoshi what's going on. Yoshi says he's looking for cameras, a police gun, or any other sign that Ted Nelson is working undercover. Ed laughs it off, but he can't deny that Yoshi is clearly a serious dealer. So soon after this, Yoshi returns to Japan. But he calls, emails and Skype. Oops. Because it's 2003. With Ted Nelson regularly. And on these calls, he feeds Ed's ongoing investigation by bragging about carrying an American passport under a name that's not his own. He's just chit chatting and incriminating the fuck out of himself left and right. He shares details on how he actually ships his butterflies to buyers. And he even boasts about how he has a network of. Of collectors all around the world who capture specimens locally and send them to him.

[B]

Dude, shut up. Keep your mouth shut.

[A]

No, you can't.

[B]

It's just like that.

[A]

He's just. He's having a great time. He even shares tips with Ted Nelson on how to avoid getting nabbed by the U.S. fish and Wildlife agents. But months are going by and Yoshi hasn't sent Ted any endangered but butterflies. Which means Ed doesn't have any kind of evidence or any of the evidence that he needs. So he tries to push things along and build goodwill by posting flattering comments about Yoshi on various bug trading websites. And Ed thinks this will make it look like this is good policing. He'll make it look like he's helping out Yoshi's business because then that'll be good for his business. But actually it backfires. And Yoshi, she cuts Ted off because he thinks the attention is going to put the heat on both of them.

[B]

Right. And then connect them online.

[A]

Yeah, on bug websites.

[B]

On all those.

[A]

Where it's literally only that eight year old informant and four of his friends. So now Ed tries to reel Yoshi back in by creating fake ebay listings and having his Fish and Wildlife Service colleagues bid on them, hoping Yoshi will feel like he's missing out on the all the sales Ted Nelson is doing. So long.

[B]

Okay, that's smart, right?

[A]

Fomo. Not only does Yoshi take the ba. Oh, not only does Yoshi not take the bait, he sees Ted's listings as direct and hostile competition. And he gets so angry that he reports Ted Nelson as a potential smuggler to the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yep. It's all one big circle. So now, Special Agent Newcomer, who's become known around the office as the butterfly.

[B]

Agent, oh so mad.

[A]

Feels like his case has just imploded. Because as anyone who deals in the illegal insect trade knows, many of us do. Once someone gets reported to the usfaws, I'm assuming that's the. That's the initials. The assumption is that an agent will then reach out and either bust them or try to to flip them as an informant. Which means that the extremely cautious Yoshi won't come anywhere near his fake friend Ted Nelson.

[B]

Now, right? Oops.

[A]

So Ed's bummed, but he is not going to give up completely. Instead, he reluctantly sets this butterfly case aside and he takes on a new case. He grows a handlebar mustache. And he goes undercover as a guy that gambles with domesticated pigs. Pigeons.

[B]

What?

[A]

You got to move on. You just got to move on.

[B]

Okay, hold on. Are the gamblers the pigeons? Are the pigeons the monetary, I don't.

[A]

Know, boxcars, baby little hat on. That was supposed to be a pigeon sound, but I got excited.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Got a handlebar mustache.

[B]

You gotta have the handlebar mustache to be believed in the pigeon gang.

[A]

People are like, you are not here to bet on birds. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see your mustache. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. It's basically the departed with animals at this point. So then a year later, in 2006, it's time for the LA Bug Fair again. 18th annual. That was the theme song. And Ed hears that Yoshi is going to be back in LA again. So he remembers thinking, quote, heck, we gotta give it one more try. Heck. Oh, sorry, that's not the whole thing. Here's the whole quote, heck, we gotta give it one more try, right? We're gonna give it our all. End quote. Heck yeah, man. Heck yeah. So this year, Ed's plan is very simple. He's just gonna, quote, bump into Yoshi at the Bug Fair as Ted Nelson. And then when he does, and this really happens, Yoshi looks nervous because again, he not only turned Ted Nelson into the authorities, but he also is worried probably that Ted is now an informant himself.

[B]

Right?

[A]

But Ed doesn't miss a beat. He tells Yoshi it's great to see him and that he really owes him because some quote dollar turned him into the US Fish and Wildlife. Service. Agents even got a search warrant warrant for his house. But thanks to Yoshi's advice, he had already hidden everything incriminating and the investigators walked away empty handed. Ed later remembers quote, Yoshi's whole demeanor changed instantly. He was so thrilled that he had eat that he had Given me advice that helped me. End quote. So Yoshi asks Ted to lunch, and there he quizzes him on where he's been getting his butterflies lately. Ed explains, lying that he now has a German supplier, but that he's not happy with the condition of the butterflies he's been receiving. They often arrive with damaged wings and antennae.

[B]

Can't have that.

[A]

It's just so weird. It's just so weird. So Yoshi offers to step in and work with Ted once again. They make plans to Skype when Yoshi's back in Japan. Like, let's make plans for you to see a picture that moves every four seconds of mer. And we are back. So Ted can check out his stock and then they can go from there. So soon these two men fall back into constant communication. Yoshi offers to supply Ted with all kinds of rare butterflies. He claims to have access to some Queen Alexandra's bird wings. Those are the largest butterflies on Earth.

[B]

Shut up.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

Six. Bigger than six inches.

[A]

They're. The wingspan is a foot. It's two rhinoceros beetles wide.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no.

[A]

A foot wide. No, they're native to Papua New guinea. And that's the last fact I have about them. Queen. No, sorry, I have one more. They're so big that when these butterflies fly, they're often mistaken for birds. But they're also one of the rarest butterflies in the world, so they're on the endangered species list. And this makes capturing and selling them highly illegal. The Associated Press reports quote, they're as protected as a snow leopard.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Who would you rather run into in the jungle?

[A]

What would be great is if the bird wing butterfly landed on your head and then it looked like a hat. Oh, my God. Very. So modern.

[B]

So modern. What?

[A]

If there's any haberdashers in the audience tonight, I. I have a copyright on that idea, but I'll never make it. But you should. Then I'll sue you. A single mounted queen, Alexandria's birdwing butterfly sells for thousands of dollars on the black market. So obviously, Yoshi now fully trusts Ted Nelson, because over the next two months, he express mails him around 40 different butterflies, including two Queen Alexandra bird wings. And those cost him 8, $500.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And how much is that in today's money?

[B]

2006.

[A]

2,000? Yes.

[B]

Okay. And 80, 12.

[A]

$14,000. So close.

[B]

Never satisfying.

[A]

You're getting a little bit of applause for being kind of close.

[B]

At least I'm not. Wasn't laughed at this time because I have Been laughed at by many odds audiences.

[A]

Sometimes we go in the complete opposite direction.

[B]

We go lower. Doesn't make sense.

[A]

We should do just a whole like, oh, no. Everybody vote. Yeah. Because this show isn't long enough. All right, so the butterflies in total are all 40 cost undercover ed somewhere between 4. Oh, sorry, no, 14. The dash is for something else. They costed $14,000, which is $22,000 in today's money.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

You're welcome. So now Ed finally has the concrete evidence he needs for his investigation. He has those butterflies. He has endless recordings and Skype conversations and phone calls that outline in rich detail indisputable criminal activity. But Yoshi's in Japan. And to make an arrest, of course, Ed needs Yoshi to be on US soil. So he has a plan. It finally dawns on him that quote, and this is the part where the story changes for me and I don't like it anymore. It gets very sad because it finally dawns on Ed Newcomer that quote, sometime during those calls, I realized Yoshi's got some type of an attraction toward me. So at first, he simply brushed off Yoshi these Yoshi's advances. But now he decides he's going to use them. Ed secures an arrest warrant without Yoshi knowing. And then as Ted Nelson, he hints that the two of them should go on a date when Yoshi's back in California. And Yoshi takes the bait. So there was a little bit of like making a friend and talking about a mutual interest. Oh, my God. I love dead bugs too. This is magical. But it's a fucking. It's a special agent in disguise.

[B]

No. What a bummer.

[A]

It gets worse. On July 31, 2006, three years after Ed and Yoshi first crossed paths at the 2003 Bug Fair, Yoshi flies into Los Angeles and is immediately arrested on federal wildlife smuggling charges. Well, it gets more heartbreaking because hours later, while he's in custody, Yoshi's eyes light up when he sees Ted Nelson arriving to bail him out of jail. But in fact, it is Special Agent.

[B]

Ed Newcomer took his mustache off.

[A]

He's like, rip. And these sideburns are fake too. Ed says of this quote. And then he looked down and he saw the special agent badge attached to my belt right by my holster. He says, have you been with Fish and Wildlife the whole time I've known you? He kind of put his head down. He didn't say anything else. He never asked me any questions about how it all happened. It was weird. We had this relationship, and then I arrested him and the relationship was over. End quote.

[B]

That's. That's sad.

[A]

It sucks.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Aside from the butterflies and the wildlife, I know guys that have done shit like this, separate from the insects.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Like. Yeah, I didn't realize. I just Skype with you every night.

[B]

I have a girlfriend. What are you talking about?

[A]

What? Okay, we'll talk about that later. In the end, Yoshi Kojima pleads guilty to 17 count of selling and smuggling endangered species and is sentenced to 21 months in prison. And he's fined almost $39,000, which Ed says has yet to be paid. And when he's released in 2008, Yoshi is sent back to Japan. It seems that Yoshi has never spoken publicly about his arrest or dealings in the butterfly smuggling business. But when Ed Newcomer is interviewed by our friend Phoebe Judge on Criminal, he tells her that in 2015, he busts a 25 year old smuggler at LAX who among many other species, is carrying bird wing butterflies in his suitcase. And Ed says, quote, out of nowhere he goes, hey, have you heard of Yoshi Kojima? And I said, yeah, I've heard of Yoshi. And he goes, he's my mentor. Fuck you, double bird. Into your face as he gets zip tied. That's bugs smuggling, man. You did not have to pretend it was love. It was just bug smuggling.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This is Ed Newcomer's very first case as a U.S. fish and Wildlife Service investigator. So maybe we can forgive his ungodly transgression against the human heart. Fast forward two decades. Now it's 2021. Special Agent Ed Newcomer is about to retire when he is handed one last assignment.

[B]

Did you say fast forward two decades? It's 2021.

[A]

Don't you dare confront my math. Did I. Listen? Why do we care about numbers now?

[B]

I don't care. I love it.

[A]

Let's fast forward two decades minus four years plus one year, I think. Sorry, who's good at math? So he's handed his final case, which. And then in my movie, Special Agent Ed Newcomer, it gets slapped down on his desk. And then he picks it up and he opens it. And then he takes some headphones off and he exhales and he says, I'm too old for this shit, right? And then we get sued by Danny Glover. So this is a case that takes place in Alpine, California, where. Yes. So you guys, you already know about this story. A construction worker named Eddie shows up to work one day and discovers a dog abandoned in. In a crate in the parking lot. But when he goes to Check if the dog's okay. He looks inside and it's a baby jaguar.

[B]

What?

[A]

You know, Alpine. Shit, A six week old Alpine. Sorry. Jaguar cub. Alpine born and bred jaguar cub.

[B]

Oh man, what a find. Like I never find anything good. Oh, so good.

[A]

When am I gonna be on the jaguar distribution system exactly?

[B]

Vince can't say no if I accidentally stumble upon it.

[A]

It.

[B]

Look, it's ours now.

[A]

We found a baby jaguar. We keep a baby jaguar. So it turns out someone left this baby jaguar in this exact spot hoping that the nearby animal sanctuary lions, tigers and bears would come and find him and take him in. And that is exactly what happens. He's taken in, he's cleaned up and they name him Eddie. And that's just a very cute coincidental name because this is the last case Agent Ed Newcomer is ever going to work. And he takes it very seriously, as we know. He says about this case, quote. Whenever I had the chance to work on a case that involved live wildlife, particularly babies, I tried to make it a priority. So this was a case I was going to close before I retired. No question. So end quote. So Ed tracks down the dealer who first sold Eddie the baby jaguar. As it turns out, she did it through her OnlyFans account. What?

[B]

I didn't know they did that.

[A]

You can and you should. And fucking power to all women everywhere. So look, get an OnlyFans account. Sell illegal animals. Exotic endangered animals on them. Get your bag, girl, do what you gotta do. Just make sure you're ahead of the game, as Ms. Elliot likes to say. In 2022, this woman is arrested and pleads guilty to one felony count of trafficking an endangered species. Under the Endangered Species act in California. You can be fined up to $500,000 for this and given between five and 20 years jail time. Dude, depending on the law you break. But I did get those numbers from the AI answer on Google. So take it with a grain of salt.

[B]

Holy May.

[A]

The good news is, Eddie the jaguar is living his best life at the Lions, Tigers and Bears sanctuary.

[B]

Eddie, you so cute.

[A]

And with this case closed, Special Agent Ed Newcomer, who kick started his career by catching the Indiana Jones of butterflies, closes it by bringing justice to a baby jaguar. And that is the story of Special Agent Ed Newcomers crusade to bring down butterfly smuggler Yoshi Kojima. Wow.

[B]

Vince, do we have time for a hometown? Yeah, okay. Oh, here's my husband, Vince Averl. 619.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What's up? What's up, Vince? Avril, ladies and gentlemen. That's what I'm talking about.

[B]

The Travis Kelsey of podcasting.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

With that, I will stand right over there.

[A]

Okay? So choose wisely. Okay.

[B]

Choose wisely. Thank you. Oh, you're gonna choose the sign.

[A]

So we've got some rules. You can keep doing that, but we've got some rules to tell you, and these are important. And I think I'm gonna move this rule up to number one. If you're too drunk to tell your story, just write it in and then say in the subject line, I was too drunk to tell my story in San Diego, but I'd love for you to read it on the minisode because we'll fucking do it. But if you're drunk, shut the fuck up, because there's a bunch of people who have really well rehearsed stories and hometowns, and they know they got it going on. Okay? Also, your story has to have a beginning, middle, and end, and it needs to be local. San Diego would be beautiful. I don't know.

[B]

Southern California.

[A]

SoCal's okay. Other than that. Don't push it, because. And we're just telling you that as your friends, the audience will absolutely attack you and tear you apart outside. And now it is time for a hometown.

[B]

You're picking this time. Remember, I gave it up. Did you really?

[A]

Did you officially give it up?

[B]

I'm not doing it anymore.

[A]

Well, How about right down the center? Right there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The lone person.

[B]

Yes, yes, yes. You're the only one.

[A]

It's just you.

[B]

Go, go, go, go. Go to Vince.

[A]

Yes. This is the walk of the hometown teller. It takes a while, but it's worth it. Just keep it moving. Keep it moving. Stand right over here.

[B]

Oh, Jennifer is here, Everyone.

[A]

It's Jennifer, everybody.

[B]

Jennifer, hold this. You can't have notes.

[A]

Stand here.

[B]

I have notes.

[A]

Go ahead. You don't need notes. Notes here.

[B]

No, I'm old.

[A]

I'll hold your notes. I'm old. You can do it. Okay, well, Jennifer, where are you from?

[D]

I am from San Diego. I live in San Marcos.

[A]

Okay, we like that. All right, great, great, great.

[D]

Okay, sadly, this is not a San Marcos story.

[B]

Okay?

[D]

It is Southern California. I grew up in Upland, California. And this is a story of a. A young, sweet baby angel who was taken at the age of 17 in high school. I was a junior in 1984. She was a class of 1983. And she was lured by her friend's ex boyfriend into a garage where her name is Anna. Anna Marie. Not going to give her last name. And she was Lured in by a friend of her ex boyfriends into her garage where the ex boyfriend, who was also a senior in high school, strangled her with an extension cord. Very sad. So keep an eye on your girls. Make sure they're not in bad relationships. She was buried three blocks from my home in what is now the 210 freeway that goes across 19th and Mountain in upland. And after about four, five, six weeks, the guy that lured her into this felt guilty about the situation that he was involved in and confessed to the police. Her body was exhumed and she was identified by her teeth. And I just being the mother of a daughter, I can't even imagine what her parents went through. This happened in April of 83. She was supposed to graduate in June.

[B]

Very sad.

[D]

It's very unfortunate the kid went to jail. I looked to figure out where he went, how long he served, I don't know. But I'm not gonna share his name because, you know, they don't deserve it, but.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Amazing.

[D]

But to Anna Marie, we still think of you. She was the year ahead of me. She still thought of. A friend of mine did a blog about her. She's a writer and she did a big tribute to her, which was wonderful.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Oh, my God. Thank you, Jennifer.

[A]

Beautiful. That's nice, Jennifer.

[B]

Everybody. Let's hear for. Right. Oh, my God. Like the best hug I've ever had in my life. It's crazy. Thank you so much.

[D]

I feel like I'm.

[A]

Thank you so much for being here. Great job. San Diego. We've done it, you guys.

[B]

We made it.

[A]

We finally did it.

[B]

And thank you for coming out to see us after all these years off the road. This has been so amazing and special to see so many, so many of our friends on this tour. So thank you guys so much for coming and supporting us.

[A]

Yeah, we've been here for. We've come to San Diego many a time on tour. We've always had an incredible time with you guys. It means the world that you show up and that you support this show. You guys have given us, us a dream life. And we thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for it. It's incredible.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

And it's because of you guys. So thank you so much. Thank you for creating the Murderino community, which is such a beautiful thing. It's a time in this country where we need community more than everything. And you guys have it with each other and for each other and please use it and please stay sexy and don't get. Thank you San Diego.

[B]

Thank you. Good to see you, Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[A]

This has been an exactly right production.

[B]

Our senior producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer is Tessa Hughes.

[A]

Our editor is Aristotle.

[B]

Last year this episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[A]

Our researchers are Marin McGlashan and Ali Elkin.

[B]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[A]

And follow the show on Instagram at my favorite murder.

[B]

Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Goodbye. This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal. Most wellness routines fail somewhere between day one motivation and where did I put that powder? That's where Groons comes in. Groons packs over 20 vitamins and minerals, greens and prebiotics into a snack pack of tiny, delicious gummies. No powders, no pills. Just a simple way to support your gut health, beauty, energy, immunity, recovery and cognition. Plus, the ingredients in Groons are backed by over 35,000 research publications. It's a convenient, comprehensive formula designed for real life. Get up to 52% off with the code Betrayal at Gruns Co. That's Code Betrayal at G R U N S Co. This episode is brought to you in part by Vital Farms.

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It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill.

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