MFM Minisode 428

Summary

My Favorite Murder Minisode 428 Summary

Host: Karen Kilgariff & Co-Host: Mark Seale
Episode: MFM Minisode 428
Release Date: March 24, 2025

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Introduction

In the latest Minisode of My Favorite Murder, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Mark Seale delve into a series of gripping true crime stories submitted by their listeners. This episode features harrowing hometown murders, heroic acts by dogs, and heartfelt listener testimonials, all delivered with the characteristic blend of suspense and empathy that fans have come to love.

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1. Eva's Hometown Murder in Belgium (02:04)

Story Overview:
Karen introduces a chilling account from Eva, a listener based in Belgium. Eva recounts the tragic murder of a woman who moved to Herrentaut, a village that became the scene of her untimely death.

Key Points:

• Abusive Relationship: The woman moved to Herrentaut with her abusive boyfriend, leaving her two children under their grandmother's guardianship.
• Disappearances and Suspicion: Weeks after moving, Eva's inability to contact her mother raised alarm. The boyfriend claimed she had run away, but inconsistencies—such as the abandoned dog and purse—sounded suspicious.
• Discovery of the Body: A maintenance worker's visit revealed foul odors in the basement. Police investigation uncovered the woman's body at the bottom of the basement stairs, confirming she had been strangled by her boyfriend, who continued his life undeterred.

Notable Quote:

• Karen Kilgariff: “He strangled her and threw her down the stairs and did not try to cover things up. He just closed the door, taped it off because of the smell, and then continued his life with the new girlfriend inside the house.” (05:03)

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2. The Andover, Massachusetts Massacre (05:33)

Story Overview:
Mark shares a haunting unsolved case from his hometown of Andover, Massachusetts, involving the brutal murder of beloved local grandparents.

Key Points:

• Victims: John and Geraldine Magi, admired for their kindness, were found brutally shot in their home by their grandchildren who discovered the bodies.
• Crime Scene Anomalies: The couple were shot in the neck, bullets passing through to the basement floor. Their SUV was found burned 25 miles away, a possible mob-related distraction.
• Unsolved Mystery: Despite extensive investigations, motives remain unclear, leaving the community puzzled and the case open.

Notable Quote:

• Mark Seale: “After years of investigating, nobody can find a reason why this couple was targeted. Apparently, they were the most well-loved and kind couple in town.” (05:48)

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3. Bear Brook National Park Ranger Story (10:49)

Story Overview:
A listener recounts their experience working as a national park ranger at Bear Brook State Park, intertwined with the resolution of a decades-old murder case.

Key Points:

• Background: In 2018, while preparing for an interview, the listener discovers the infamous Bear Brook murders involving four unidentified bodies found in barrels.
• Living Conditions: The ranger team, comprising 30 members, lived in rustic cabins without modern amenities, fostering a close-knit community.
• Breakthrough in the Case: In 2019, advancements in genetic genealogy led to the identification of three victims—Marlie's Honeychurch and her children, Sarah McWaters and Marie Vaughn.
• Advocacy: The ranger emphasizes the importance of supporting park rangers amidst challenges like understaffing and funding cuts.

Notable Quote:

• Listener: “Being a rangerino like me, it was truly the best of both worlds. I landed the position and moved to the park in January of 2019.” (11:30)

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4. Shauna, the Hero Great Dane (14:26)

Story Overview:
Mark shares a heartwarming tale of heroism involving his family's Great Dane, Shauna, who saved his young brother from a dangerous snake.

Key Points:

• Incident: While Mark's father was working in the garage, Shauna's persistent barking alerted him to a copperhead snake threatening his two-year-old brother.
• Heroic Act: Shauna's intervention prevented potential tragedy, showcasing the protective instincts of their loyal pet.
• Family Impact: The family attributes their safety to Shauna's timely actions, highlighting the invaluable role of pets in emergencies.

Notable Quote:

• Mark Seale: “Shawna had just saved my brother's life, or at the very least saved my family a trip to the ER.” (16:50)

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5. Jake and Ronnie, the Australian Kelpies (19:11)

Story Overview:
Karen narrates an Australian listener's story about their two Kelpies, Jake and Ronnie, who heroically prevented a fire and saved a neighbor's elderly dog.

Key Points:

• Fire Prevention: Jake and Ronnie's incessant barking alerted the family to a garage fire caused by a lithium battery, preventing extensive damage.
• Rescuing a Dog: The same dogs saved a neighbor's Jack Russell by alerting him just in time to avoid drowning after the dog fell into a pool.
• Gratitude and Recognition: The listener emphasizes the profound impact of their dogs' actions, advocating for appreciation and recognition of pets' abilities to protect.

Notable Quote:

• Karen Kilgariff: “Anytime my dogs do something like piss on the Christmas tree, eat my dinner right off the table, or bark when I'm putting the baby to sleep, I mean, it's a fucking treat.” (22:02)

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6. Listener Letter: A Detective's Journey (23:06)

Story Overview:
A heartfelt letter from a dedicated listener reveals how My Favorite Murder influenced their personal and professional life, inspiring them to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Key Points:

• Personal Transformation: The listener credits the podcast for helping them overcome depression and anxiety, leading to long-term therapy and medication.
• Career Change: Motivated by the hosts' collaboration with Paul Holes, they left an unsatisfying job to join a police department, ultimately becoming a detective.
• Community and Support: The listener highlights the supportive community formed through the podcast, including friendships formed via the show's Facebook group.

Notable Quote:

• Listener: “I never would have had the bravery or belief in myself to do this without your podcast.” (23:39)

Hosts' Response:

• Karen Kilgariff: “That's gorgeous.” (24:16)
• Mark Seale: “Thanks for writing in and thank you guys for being here for nine years. We appreciate it.” (25:04)

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Conclusion

In this Minisode, Karen and Mark showcase the profound impact of true crime storytelling—not only shedding light on unsolved mysteries and heroic acts but also fostering a supportive community that inspires and uplifts listeners. From Eva's tragic story in Belgium to the heroic deeds of Shauna and the Australian Kelpies, the episode underscores the resilience of individuals and the pivotal roles pets can play in safeguarding loved ones. The heartfelt listener letter epitomizes the show's ability to transform lives, illustrating the deep connection between the hosts and their audience.

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Connect with My Favorite Murder:

• Send Your Stories: Email your hometown murder tales to [e-mail].
• Follow on Instagram: @MyFavoriteMurder
• Listen Anywhere: Available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

Stay tuned, stay safe, and remember to "Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered!"

Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is exactly right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Amy Bruni]

Are you prepared to venture to the darkest, most haunted locations in the world?

[Karen Kilgariff]

It was all solid black, like shadow.

[Amy Bruni]

As your host, Amy Bruni, I'm ready to take you on a spine tingling journey through the unknown.

[Mark Seale]

There was a man sitting in the corner.

[Nathan King]

She saw him and then it was gone.

[Amy Bruni]

Listen to new episodes of Haunted road on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seale]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[A.J. Jacobs]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seals bestselling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire, and many others.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hello and welcome to my favorite Murder the Minisode.

[Mark Seale]

You ready for some stories from your mouths and pens and fingertips? Fingertips. You go first.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It always has to be a third thing. Okay, this I love when we just start out with a regular old hometown. And this one, well, it's pretty bad.

[Mark Seale]

Oh, geez.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I won't read you the subject line. It says, hi guys, my name is Eva and I'm a fan from Belgium. Hey, we didn't go to Belgium, did we?

[Mark Seale]

No, but I've been there.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I have too. That's where the little statue of the boy peeing. Oh yeah, the world famous, right?

[Mark Seale]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And the sprouts, of course. I started listening a couple of months ago, starting from the first episode. So when I listen to you guys, I feel like I'm in a time capsule from the past. I'm now listening to episode 91. Here. Here's my hometown murder. Seven years ago, I moved to Herrentaut. There's no way that's right. But I just went for it. The village where my boyfriend lived his whole life. I love to watch True crime. And in Belgium, there's a TV series with Belgian murders. One of the episodes tells the story of a murder. One kilometer or 0.6 miles.

[Mark Seale]

Thank you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

From our house where we live now. A few years ago. Okay, so this is basically the closest. Like, it's such a close. A true hometown for this person. A few years ago, there was a couple that moved here from the seaside to a village nearby. And a few months later, to Herrentout. Herrentout sounds right. Our village. It feels right.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm kind of giving a little spice at the end. But the woman had two children, but the man hit them and they were put under guardianship of their grandmother. At the seaside, the woman chose to stay with the abusive boyfriend. Always heartbreaking. The daughter called her mom every Sunday. A few weeks after moving to the grandmother's house, the daughter couldn't reach her mom and started contacting people on Facebook. Nobody had seen the mother for weeks. In the meantime, the boyfriend apparently had a new girlfriend and told other people that the mother had run away. The strange thing was that she left her dog and her purse in the house. A few weeks had gone by, and some guy from the water supply company came by and had to check the meters in the basement. The man told him that he lost the key. There was also a weird smell in the house and the basement door was taped off. He told the guy that he lost the key and the refrigerator in the basement was broken and the smell was coming from rotting food. The water guy left without checking the meters. Imagine checking the meters and discovering the horror that was really going on. Meanwhile, the man was living with his new girlfriend. One week later, the police arrived because the mother didn't show up to the appointments at her new job. They thought the story of the guy was really weird. They had a weird feeling about it. They searched the house and found her murdered body at the bottom of the basement stairs. Apparently, they got into a fight. He strangled her and threw her down the stairs and did not try to cover things up. He just closed the door, taped it off because of the smell, and then continued his life with the new girlfriend inside the house.

[Mark Seale]

Holy shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

He's now in jail for murder. A couple of other people have lived in the house since because it was very cheap rent. Of course, a year ago it sold and the new owners are doing a major renovation on it. This was my hometown. Thank you guys for the extremely funny episodes and big love from Belgium. Eva.

[Mark Seale]

Wow. Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's like a typical terrible story of a woman being murdered.

[Mark Seale]

That We've heard too many times.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mark Seale]

Okay. I have a hometown as well. A traditional hometown.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay.

[Mark Seale]

It's called pretending to be rich to scope out a crime scene. Hello, ladies. Day one listener. Remember the Facebook group you had to shut down? I was in it. Love you both. Miss the Facebook group?

[Karen Kilgariff]

A little. A little.

[Mark Seale]

In the very beginning, it was golden.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It was so fun.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah. When I was doing my student Teaching back in 2011 in my hometown of Andover, Massachusetts, recess ended early when we got word that two bodies had been found in a nearby home. Murdered. The story goes that local grandparents John and Geraldine Magi were brutally shot to death and were discovered by their 8, 4 and 8 Sweet Baby angel grandchildren who would eagerly run into the home to see their grandparents while their mother went Christmas shopping. Both John and Geraldine were shot in the neck and the bullets went through the floor to the basement. It's presumed they were lying face down on the floor in execution style. Although I can't confirm these details, so much of this case is local rumor. The couple's Lexus SUV was found that same day 25 miles away. And Boston's north end completely burned. This area of Boston is often tied to mob activity, but many speculate that leaving the burnt car there was actually a way to throw off the police by making them suspect the mob and therefore botch the investigation as it seemed unlikely the mob would bring that evidence back to such an obvious area. John Magi owned a local construction company, but after years of investigating, nobody can find a reason why this couple was targeted. Apparently they were the most well loved and kind couple in town. This murder is somehow still unsolved and remains the talk of the town each year when the anniversary rolls around. Hopefully there will be an update soon, but at this point it seems unlikely. Such a bummer. The home where the murder took place recently went up for sale. It's near my parents house and the open house happened to be going on while I was visiting my parents. The only problem is that the house is for sale for 1.8 million. I'm in my 30s on a teacher salary, so that's not happening. And then it says it has an indoor pool. My fellow murderino sister and mother and I devised a plan to be able to see crime scene because we are nosy as and then it says maybe we could solve it. I would pretend to have a 2 million dollar budget and be house hunting for my family. I figured no one would check up on me because it would be so busy. Wrong. We were the only people including my 4 year old daughter who thought we were getting an indoor pool, who were at the open house. Boy, did we have to keep our story straight about school districts and bedrooms and square feet and bathrooms, et cetera, that I was looking for. The real estate agent continues to contact me months later with listings in andover in my 2 million price range that she thinks would be perfect for me. I feel terrible and I don't know how to get out of the situation. So I'll probably tell her we went bankrupt or something. Yes, I gave her my real name and information. Maybe the only way out is to get rich. SSDGM and then it says, I think I have to remain anonymous.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Question mark. First of all, go to that real estate agent and explain yourself in full. And in truth, they absolutely will be like, oh, that makes sense. Oh, of course.

[Mark Seale]

And maybe they'll be your new best friend. Like you'll both have a laugh over it and then you can, who cares, become besties.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, this is my new Seinfeld approach where it's like, be a little bit more fine with just being that way because it's very human. Where it's like, of course we wanted to come here and see what this house looked like.

[Mark Seale]

Sure, yeah. Don't let her remain hopeful that she's going to get a sale. A $2 million sale in that area.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, that's a huge number. It's going to follow you around forever.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah. A sleek professional website makes you look very put together even when you're wearing sweatpants and eating cereal out of a mug.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And that's where Squarespace comes in.

[Mark Seale]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Mark Seale]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Mark Seale]

Get discovered faster with Squarespace's built in SEO tools. With meta descriptions and auto generated sitemaps, you'll rank higher in search results globally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Go to squarespace.com murder for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer Code murder to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

[Mark Seale]

That's squarespace.com murder code murder. Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[A.J. Jacobs]

Dressing blessing.

[Mark Seale]

Oh, French dressing.

[A.J. Jacobs]

Exactly.

[Mark Seale]

That's good.

[A.J. Jacobs]

I'm A.J. jacobs, and my current obsession is puzzles. And that has given birth to my podcast, the Puzzler.

[Mark Seale]

Something about Mary Poppins?

[A.J. Jacobs]

Exactly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is fun.

[A.J. Jacobs]

You can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to The Puzzler, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Here's another real one. The subject line of this email is bear Brook and call to support park rangers. And then it says ahoy hoy. And then in parentheses, bringing that back, which I absolutely love. I remember the first time you said it and it made me laugh so hard. This is one of my favorites. In the summer of 2018, I was about to graduate college and start working toward my goal of becoming a national park ranger. I was preparing for an interview with the New Hampshire Conservation Corps when I started typing the name of the state park where I'd be stationed, Bear Brook, into Google. To my delighted horror, it auto completed with murders. As I know you're aware, four unidentified bodies, one woman and three children, had been found in two barrels in the park a couple decades earlier. While the murderer had been identified, identified and died in jail, the victims remained unnamed. For most people, four grisly murders would be a deal breaker. But for a rangerino like me, it was truly the best of both worlds. I landed the position and moved to the park in January of 2019. In the core, or as we called it, our nature cult, 30 members lived together in the woods and did environmental work, including education and trail repairs. We slept in small wooden cabins in the middle of the woods with no electricity and only wood stoves for heat. A main law lodge housed our industrial kitchen, workspaces, a TV and shared bathrooms, but no WI fi, cable or cell service.

[Mark Seale]

Wow. It's like working in a space station or something. Yeah, like working on Mars. It's bananas.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Do you hate everybody? Go work in the National Park Service. This probably sounds like a nightmare for the don't go into the forest crowd.

[Mark Seale]

Not if there's 30 people around. Like, I think I'm okay with that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that actually sounds really fun. Yeah, get some board games going, La Uno. But for a teamwork and nature loving fool like me, it was a dream come true. One night we were returning to the park from an outing and spotted news crews along the side of the road. A quick search before re entering the woods revealed the incredible news through the tireless work of a citizen sleuth and a genetic genealogist. Three of the four bodies in the barrels had finally been identified. They were Marlie's honeychurch and her children, Sarah McWaters and Marie Vaughn. To this day, the fourth victim remains nameless. I feel grateful to have borne witness to the selflessness and dedication that gave Marlee, Sarah, and Marie's names back. I survived the Corps and have been a national park ranger since 2022. I have more insane stories than I can count about life as a park ranger. But in light of current events, I'd like to use this space to advocate for rangers and all federal employees as we face illegal firings and further understaffing. It's an extremely stressful time to work in this field. If you plan on visiting a national park anytime soon, please be kind, give grace, and thank a ranger. We're doing the best we can. Stay sexy ranger Sarah.

[Mark Seale]

Wow. Oh, my God. That was amazing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, to work in Bear Brook, to be there when they finally are able to crack that case in a meaningful way. And then, yeah, it's. I've been watching on TikTok all the park rangers and all this kind of like, oh, they're just gonna cut all that, the funding, so that we can have the people, the experts running those parks and, like, you know, taking care of those parks.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Ridiculous.

[Mark Seale]

It's crazy. All right, well, here's an uplifting one. Our hero dog.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My last one's a hero dog one, too. No way. Yep, yep.

[Mark Seale]

This isn't my last one. I have another one.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, okay.

[Mark Seale]

Okay. But, yeah, two hero dogs in one is good. It starts. Hey, y'all. Long time listener, first time writer. Let's get to the good stuff. Before I was born, my family had a beautiful black Great Dane named Shauna. She was not only a genius, but also a tough old broad that survived a car accident in my mother's convertible VW Rabbit, which sent her soaring head first into the windshield. Can I just point out really quickly that they have seat belts for dogs now? Like that you can get at the pet store.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nice. Although Great Dane being in a car accident, that's like a very large football player being in your car.

[Mark Seale]

That's the entire windshield right there. I'm sure all dogs go to heaven, but Shawna likely received sainthood when she got there for what she did for my family. When my brother Craig was 2, a baby named Craig and a dog named Shauna, like, these people just knew how to name shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They are ready for their Fox animated series.

[Mark Seale]

Yesterday, when he was 2, he was toddling around the driveway with sh while my dad worked on something or other. In the garage, things were peaceful until Shawna started barking with her full chest. A habit that drove my dad a little crazy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Shawna is the girl with like black eyeliner in the waterline and like smoking when she's 13. Like absolutely such a specific name vibe to me that then you're like, that's a Great Dane.

[Mark Seale]

Also, her hair's crimped. Absolutely sparkles, by the way, I'm bugging. I'm a Great Dane. Nbd. He yelled at her to quit it. She did and he went back to whatever task was engaging his attention. But she quickly started up again and her bark was deep and booming and impossible to ignore. So my dad finally looked up to see what she was barking at. He turns his eyes to her just in time to see Shauna her take her massive head and whack my brother two year old brother straight in the chest with the side of her face, sending him flying backwards and driving him to wailing tears. My dad marches over and then it says open palm at the ready to discipline her the way a Texan would in 1989. Yeah, acknowledging it. Thank you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Mark Seale]

Until he sees what Shauna is facing. A nearly five foot long copperhead reared up to strike and only inches away from where my brother had been standing moments before.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh my God.

[Mark Seale]

Shawna had just saved my brother's life, or at the very least saved my family a trip to the ER. Copperhead bites aren't usually fatal, but for a 2 year old. Question mark.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, it is not good for a 2 year old.

[Mark Seale]

Can't be. My parents were grateful they didn't have to find out the hard way. My dad scooped Craig up, pulled Sha away by the collar and secured them both inside before grabbing a shovel and going after the snake he killed. It brought Shawna back outside so that she could see that he took care of the threat and then rewarded her with all the treats and belly rubs she could possibly want. I hope you all found this piece of our family lore entertaining. I bet it would have been more fun to listen in my father's southern draw. But here's hoping I can hear Karen or Georgia. Read this on the pod sometime in the future.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hey, it's happening. Your dreams are coming true.

[Mark Seale]

I love you too. And I'm so grateful to have you in my ears three times a week. Stay sexy and pay close attention to your dog's warning barks. Cecelia. Oh, at least they got Cecilia, Shauna and Craig. And then they were like, let's. Let's get Cecilia That's a good one.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cecilia is a great name too.

[Mark Seale]

It's beautiful.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But I love that. That's that kind of thing of like the dog is tracking that little kid so closely. It just like that's what it's all for.

[Mark Seale]

Babysitter dogs. I just fucking lose my mind over.

[John Cameron Mitchell]

This is John Cameron Mitchell and my new fiction podcast series, Cancellation island stars Holly Hunter as Karen, a wellness influencer who launches a rehab for the recently cancelled. But everything starts to fall apart when people start disappearing.

[Mark Seale]

Karen, where have you brought us?

[John Cameron Mitchell]

Listen to Cancellation island on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, follow up. Hero dog story.

[Mark Seale]

Yes, always.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It says g'day. Got an Australian on our hands. About a year ago you asked for Hero Pet stories and today I'm overwhelmed at work. So I thought now would be the perfect time to write in. That's how you do it. The heroes of this story are Jake and Ronnie, two Australian kelpies. I've never heard of that kind of dog before. Maybe they mean otters. Normally highly trained farm dogs due to their intelligence and stamina. We adopted ours from drought stricken farms and they're living their best suburban lives. Australian kelpies. I wonder if that's just our version of Australian shepherds.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

To set the scene, it's 2021 and we had just brought home our newborn baby after five weeks in the nicu. My husband, being a typical Australian male, had vented his feelings about almost losing his wife and baby by almost single handedly pulling down our old garage that needed to be replaced. He's gonna go work it out in the garage.

[Mark Seale]

I don't want to talk about it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Men will rebuild entire garages instead of going to therapy. While we waited for the new one, all of our garage stuff was piled next to our house under tarps. We had just put our baby to bed for the night and we were getting ready to go to sleep. Jake and Ronnie were outside doing their nightly patrol of the yard when they just started barking and would not stop. Frustrated and wondering what the hell was going on. I looked outside and saw fire. I yelled to My husband, who ran outside to the hose, and I grabbed a bucket and started filling it with water. Luckily we managed to get it out by ourselves pretty quickly. The culprit, a lithium battery, had caught fire. We only lost our tent, Christmas tree and some power tools. But it wasn't until the next morning that we realized how close we had come to losing it all. The fire stopped only a meter or two away from our lawnmower, which was full of petrol.

[Mark Seale]

Holy shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's gas to you and me. It still makes me feel sick to this day to think about if it wasn't for our dogs, we would have gone off to bed. No idea that a fire had started and God knows what would have happened.

[Mark Seale]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Jake and Ronnie also recently saved the life of our neighbor's elderly Jack Russell. One morning they were outside this time for their morning patrol and again started barking. Our neighbor thought it was weird how long they had been barking. And then in parentheses it says, I slept through all of this. And it says, Ann came out to investigate, found his 11 year old dog had fallen into their pool and couldn't get out. And he was struggling to swim and had obviously been there for a long time.

[Mark Seale]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Being only about 5:30 in the morning, it would have been about two hours before anyone would normally be up for the day and they may have lost him. Oh, so now anytime my dogs do something like piss on the Christmas tree, eat my dinner right off the table, or bark when I'm putting the baby to sleep, I mean, it's a fucking treat.

[Mark Seale]

Like of course, what do they know?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, why not get a Christmas fire hydrant if you're gonna be so tempting toward dog food.

[Mark Seale]

They're like, thank you for bringing this in the house for me.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is so much more convenient. I try to remember the heroes they are and how different life would. Hey. And how different life would be if we didn't have them. Stay sexy and always remove your lithium batteries before storing them.

[Mark Seale]

Cheers A wow, that's great advice. That makes my heart so happy. That little puppy with its tiny little Jack Russell leg. Oh my God, those were great. Those made my heart feel good. Okay, my last one. It's gonna sound like braggy. It's like a thank you to us. However, I want to call for more of them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Not because of that, however, keep them coming.

[Mark Seale]

Keep them coming. However, this person tells us what has been happening in the past nine years since they've listened to this podcast, which I think is such an interest. Like I love having those like can you believe what your life was like here and what it's like now? And I think a lot of listeners who've been listening for a long time have that. And so this person tells us, and it's really awesome.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Great.

[Mark Seale]

And they also compliment us a lot.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Even better.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah. It's called My Favorite Life. Hi, Karen and Georgia. I'm listening to The Rewind episode 34, and I was reminded of what an impact your show has made on my life. I remember the first time I heard you speak on anxiety and how it helped me in a dark time when I needed to be in therapy for depression and anxiety. I've now been in therapy for almost nine years, consistently and on Lexapro for over a year. Since the start of your podcast. I have quit my job I was unhappy in and had the courage to join a police department, which led me to my current role as a detective.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Whoa.

[Mark Seale]

I never would have had the bravery or belief in myself to do this without your podcast. I first even learned of my love for this career when you began your working relationship with Paul Holes. I met my core group of friends from my favorite Murder Chicago Facebook group, one of whom is getting married in October, and I am her maid of honor. It's crazy to listen back to Rewind episodes and think where I was in my life and how far I've come. I know this is just a true crime comedy podcast and you may never see this, but you've made my favorite life, and I'm so grateful. Stay sexy and follow your dreams. See you in Chicago.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's gorgeous.

[Mark Seale]

I know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Also, just. I love my favorite life because, you know what? This is what we get. And this is, you know, my life was very different before this podcast started, and we got this nice upwards trajectory, and I would have never thought that I would be able to say this is my favorite life, that this is best case scenario. And it really. It really is. And you just don't know. You just don't know because you go.

[Mark Seale]

Day by day and you don't think about the amount of time it's passed, but there. Yeah, the gifts this has given us is like you can't even begin to fathom them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, because that. We get emails like that from D.C. where it's like you guys got together because you're. You love to talk and you're, you know, narcissists or whatever. And now my life is better where it's like, well, then this turned out great for all of us.

[Mark Seale]

I think the shout out to Paul Holes is great. Too, because it kind of takes, you know, takes it away from us a little. So that feels a little bit less narcissistic. So appreciate that. Thanks for writing in and thank you guys for being here for nine years. We appreciate it. You guys are our favorite.

[Karen Kilgariff]

If you want to tell us about your past nine years, we would love to hear about it. It's delightful and it gives us a good sense of, you know, time passing.

[Mark Seale]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What it's been like.

[Mark Seale]

What's your favorite life? Tell us @ my favorite murdermail, please.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. And until you tell us, stay sexy.

[Mark Seale]

And don't get murdered. Goodbye, Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been an Exactly Right product.

[Mark Seale]

Our senior producers are Alejandra Keck and Molly Smith.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Mark Seale]

This episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[Mark Seale]

And follow the show on Instagram at My favorite murder.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Seale]

And now you can watch us on exactly right's YouTube page. And while you're there, please like and subscribe.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Mark Seale]

Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Nathan King]

My name is Kyle Tequila, host of the shocking new true crime podcast, Crook County.

[Mark Seale]

I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old. People are dying.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Is he doing this every night?

[Nathan King]

Kenny was a Chicago firefighter who lived a secret double life as a mafia hitman.

[Mark Seale]

I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything. He was a fricking crazy man.

[Nathan King]

He was my father, and I had no idea about any of this until now. Crook county is available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly, guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week, I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians, people like Ed Helm, Diane Guerrero and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I love storytelling and I love you. So I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.