My Favorite Murder Minisode 449 – Detailed Summary

Podcast: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Original Air Date: August 18, 2025
Episode: Minisode 449

Overview

Minisode 449 of My Favorite Murder continues the beloved tradition of Karen and Georgia reading listener-submitted "hometown murders" and wild life stories. This episode is an emotional rollercoaster, featuring tales ranging from childbirth during a campus shooting, a family’s underground bourbon business, goth birthday parties, “trash moms” sending their kids to church camps, epic workplace pranks, and the unexpected joy of snail ownership. As always, Karen and Georgia combine humor, empathy, and their signature banter to spotlight the quirks, traumas, and oddities in listeners’ lives.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. Childbirth During the Michigan State University Shooting

[02:22 - 06:37]

• Listener Taylor’s Story: At 36 weeks pregnant with preeclampsia, Taylor is abruptly taken for an emergency C-section. During the procedure, her husband arrives, visibly shaken, and the anesthesiologist nonchalantly reveals that the hospital is on lockdown due to an active shooter at Michigan State campus (02:21).
• Tension and Chaos: As Taylor is prepped for surgery, hospital pagers blare. Staff leave to attend to victims. The shooter ultimately takes his own life after fleeing (05:20).
• Names Remembered: Taylor honors victims “Brian Frazier, Ariel Anderson, and Alexandria Verner. We’ll never stop saying their names.” (05:27)
• Hope Amid Horror: Despite chaos, Taylor’s baby Noelle is safely delivered. Taylor reflects on trauma, resilience, and raising strong, compassionate daughters. She closes with a plea for mental health and a message of hope.
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Karen: “It is a story worth sharing and also, like a story of your own vulnerability…you can make something of that and you can turn it.” (06:37)
  • Georgia: “I wouldn’t have read this if it didn’t have such a beautiful ending…she really tied it together.” (06:53)
• Memorable Quote:
  • Taylor: “If you are struggling or thinking of hurting yourself or others, please know there is hope and help for a better day. You are loved, you are important, and violence will not make anything better.” (06:20)

2. The Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Heist at Home

[07:20 - 11:19]

• Listener Lara’s Story: Inspired by a previous episode, Lara recalls her father’s accidental foray into bootlegging rare bourbon (“my dad sold Pappy Van Winkle out of our house”).
• The Setup: Dad identifies the bottle’s value via his “serious bourbon club” and buys Pappy for $52 a bottle at an unassuming liquor store, then hoards it in the basement (08:07).
• The Underground Empire: Dad lists bottles on eBay, selling them for $700–$1,000 each. Soon, “golfers, doctors, and suspiciously well-dressed bourbon bros” appear at their door with envelopes of cash (09:37).
• The Haul: “He ended up making $25,000 in three months. Paid for a whole semester of my brother’s tuition. All from a liquor store run and a hunch.” (10:41)
• Taste Test: After all that, her dad tries the bourbon and says, “meh, not that good.” (11:01)
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Karen: “She came from a Pappy Van Winkle family.”
  • Georgia: “That is wild.” (11:22)

3. Victorian Ghost Birthday Party

[13:44 - 17:54]

• Listener Sierra’s Story: Asserts that Victorian ghost-themed parties trump any other child's party. Her mom thrifted Victorian dresses so Sierra and friends could spend her 11th birthday at a real haunted Victorian house turned dive bar.
• Atmosphere: “The house is situated on a residential street, and homeowners have reported…a couple dancing in the attic when the place is unoccupied.” (14:46)
• Commitment to Theme: Mom “spent a few weeks collecting Victorian inspired dresses, hats, gloves, and shoes from the racks of Goodwill. And the like, wow.” (16:29)
• Bar Takeover: “My friends and I got to pick out our Victorian clothing, got all dolled up, and yes, went to a bar.” (17:04)
• Hosts’ Banter:
  • Georgia: “If I was at that birthday party…I would go, 'we’re ghosts, we’re dead. You can see us.'”
  • Karen: “Eleven is the perfect age for that. One of my most cherished birthday memories.” (17:45, 17:34)
• Meet-up: Sierra hopes to meet the hosts at their live San Diego show and asks to be known as “the Victorian birthday girl” (17:57).

4. Trash Moms and the Church Camp Chuffle

[19:04 - 25:33]

• Listener PCP’s Story: Focuses on the “church shuffle” (chuffle)—her mom’s strategy for getting her free sleepaway camps by pretending religious fervor each summer in the ‘80s.
• Survival and Storytelling: “As a result, I’ve been baptized not once, not twice, but over 10 times.” (22:44)
  • Experiences various baptism rituals and enjoys unique camp activities (“rode yellow buses, slumbered in smelly bunk beds, flipped canoes…”)
• Cycle Breaking: Now a mother herself, she contrasts her own parenting: “So much of my life is unimaginable to them because I have made sure that they had the kind of childhood I should have had.” (24:44)
• Final Reflection: “There’s nothing I’m more proud of in this life than being a cycle breaker.” (25:17)
• Hosts’ Thoughts:
  • Karen: “The children who get sent to free camps by their trash mom become the mothers that are like, ‘what era of dress would you like to dress up in, exactly?’” (24:46)
  • Georgia: “She became the Victorian dress mom.” (24:44)

5. Epic Accidental Company-Wide Prank

[28:46 - 30:30]

• Listener Sarah’s Story: Her husband Brandon pranks his best friend Jeremy (an executive) by adding a daily calendar alert “Jeremy loves Brandon” intended only for him. Accidentally, it goes out company-wide for weeks before anyone realizes.
• Resolution: Jeremy sends a company-wide apology email. Their friendship survives and the prank becomes company legend.
• Quote: “Jeremy used it to weed out the folks who had a problem with Jeremy loves Brandon…and that benefits us all.” (30:06)
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Karen: “At the end of the day…the prank is company wide. So now Brandon has to go company wide with something.” (31:03)
  • Georgia: “It being an accident is so much better. Because doing it on purpose is almost mean, right?” (30:44)

6. Snail Mommy—The Unexpected Joy of Aquatic Snails

[31:12 - 33:41]

• Listener Jen from Austin: Shares love for her three pet aquatic snails: Jacques, Francois, and Pierre (with French names “because, you know, escargot”).
• Enriching Pets: Pierre eats greens and surfs on lettuce leaves; does “parachuting” dives for fun—the only time snails “get to go fast.” (32:03)
• Video Proof: Hosts are delighted by a video of Pierre playing in the tank (32:46).
• Reflective Note: “My snails inspire me to take it slow, eat my greens and go inward.” (33:35)
• Hosts’ Delight:
  • Georgia: “A snail is playing a game. That just changes everything for me. I’m never eating escargot again.” (33:09)
  • Karen: “Snail mail, snail email, snail mail. If you’ve got snail mail or any other shell based mollusk…email us!” (33:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On male-female differences in the OR:
  • “So many men pass out when they see the big needles. Ey, roll.” (03:37)
• On Pappy Van Winkle's resale:
  • Lara: “He was shipping bottles across the country in rugged up photography mailing tubes, living his best bourbon bootlegging life.” (10:20)
• On supportive, creative moms:
  • Karen: “What’s it like to have a mom like that?” (16:29)
• On church camp survival:
  • PCP: “Salvation was found in baby pools, lakes, dubious streams, bathtubs, you name it.” (22:44)
• Reflections on childhood and parenting:
  • “There’s nothing I’m more proud of in this life than being a cycle breaker.” (25:17)
• Hosts on trauma making us interesting:
  • Georgia: “What made you, the weird, interesting person, what made you interesting? Like, what fucked up thing?” (25:44)
• On snail joy:
  • Jen: “These snails inspire me to take it slow, eat my greens, and go inward.” (33:35)

Segment Timestamps

• First Listener Story (Childbirth & MSU Shooting): 02:22–06:37
• Pappy Van Winkle Bootlegging: 07:20–11:19
• Victorian Ghost Birthday Party: 13:44–17:54
• Trash Mom’s Church Chuffle: 19:04–25:33
• Company-Wide Calendar Prank: 28:46–30:30
• Snail Mommy: 31:12–33:41

Tone & Takeaways

The episode reflects the usual blend of wry humor, gentle empathy, and vulnerability. Karen and Georgia highlight the resilience behind each story, celebrate listener quirks, and encourage fans to submit their own tales—be they heartwarming, hilarious, or just plain weird. Many stories tie into themes of cycle-breaking, resilience, the absurdity of adulthood, and finding moments of lightness even in dark times.

Calls for Submissions

• Pranks Gone Wrong: Inspired by the calendar prank, they invite listeners to send in mishaps and workplace shenanigans.
• Shell-Based Pet Stories: After the snail story, they want more tales of “snail mail” or unusual pets.

This minisode is a testament to the diverse experiences of “Murderinos” and the strength of connection Karen and Georgia foster by giving voice to both the tragic and the downright silly. As always:
“Stay sexy, and don’t get murdered!”