My Favorite Murder Minisode 455 – September 29, 2025

Podcast Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Episode Theme: Listener-Submitted Hometown and True Crime Stories, Twin Telepathy, and Childhood Mischief
Tone: Warm, irreverent, funny, heartfelt

Episode Overview

In Minisode 455, Karen and Georgia dive into a new batch of listener-submitted “hometown” stories, encompassing everything from true crime bar trivia drama, attempted hitmen, harrowing road encounters, spooky twin dreams, latchkey kid confessions, and shitbag childhood pranks. The hosts bring their signature blend of dark humor and empathy, making each story as hilarious as it is engaging. Listeners are invited to swap their own anecdotes and to keep the email inbox bursting with more family drama and “shitbag” tales.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Outing Yourself as a Murderino at Bar Trivia

[02:32–06:43]

• A listener describes attending bar trivia with family while on vacation and facing a dilemma: should she answer (and thus out herself as a true crime fan) when the final question is, “Before his identity was known, what nickname did the media give notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez?”
• Quote:
  • Karen: “Easy, I thought. The Night Stalker. I was about to whisper the moniker to my family when I realized that answering this question would reveal a secret that I had kept from my par for eight years. That I am a murderino.” [03:26]
  • The listener describes how her parents asked her as a teen to never listen to MFM (after a tense, gore-filled car ride), leading to years of secret fandom.
• When she finally reveals her knowledge to win trivia, her parents react with concern and judgment, and the grand prize is “a $2 miniature ping pong set with instructions in a language I don’t understand.” [06:28]
  • Georgia, laughing: “You didn’t even get a pint. Or like a fucking pitcher of beer.” [06:35]

2. Hitman on the News, Secret Family Drama

[07:14–10:05]

• A listener recounts how her aunt (“Gladys Jones”) discovered via the local evening news that she was the intended victim of a hitman hired by her boyfriend’s ex-wife; fortunately, the “hitman” was an undercover officer.
• The aunt never gave interviews, which is why there’s almost no public record of the case. Instead, she would pretend not to be home when reporters called.
  • Karen: “Where were the police contacting her to be like, hey, this just happened?” [08:43]
• The family’s story takes a wild turn: after leaving the boyfriend, the aunt eventually married her deceased sister’s first husband, making her cousins into “sibling cousins”—leaving Karen and Georgia in disbelief and eager for “awkward marriage” stories.
  • Georgia: “I want people to write in their weird...wedding being like, what the fuck is happening?” [10:00]

3. Highway Horror: 101 Stalker

[11:49–15:48]

• A chilling account of a woman pursued on Highway 101 by a man in an SUV, flashing lights and attempting to force her to pull over, where she wisely resists the urge.
  • Karen, narrating: “There was a rest stop coming up, and I almost took the exit when I started having this gnawing feeling that I shouldn’t stop. Thank God.” [12:39]
• The stalker tries multiple times to get her off the highway, mirroring the Zodiac killer tactic. After faking a turn off the highway, she manages to escape, fueling up in a populated area—and never sees him again.
  • Georgia: “It was totally nefarious. ...That is also textbook.” [15:53]
• Both hosts agree: never pull over for a stranger signaling something’s wrong with your car; “no one gives a shit.” [16:05]

4. Twin Telepathy Nightmare

[16:21–18:49]

• Listener Corey, a fraternal twin, shares a surreal story of “psychic” connection: both she and her twin have the exact same nightmare about a faceless woman, a black river, and syringes stabbing their feet.
  • Karen: “That’s wild.” [17:53]
• The explanation comes from a Long Island mother-in-law: the dream reflects their anxiety over their mom’s upcoming visit—“You’re walking on pins and needles.” [18:20]
  • Karen, laughing: “She can hear you right now.” [18:31]
• The segment ends with appreciation of twin telepathy stories and an open call for more.

5. A Latchkey Kid’s Last Stand

[20:50–25:33]

• A former “latchkey kid” (third grade) recalls getting locked out with her little sister in freezing Colorado, unable to open the family’s sticky lock (a recurring issue ignored by their parents). Desperate, she pees in the backyard—exposed to a public golf course—while her sister stands lookout.
  • Karen: “The whole thing falls apart if the latch key doesn’t work.” [22:20]
  • Georgia, on their generational independence: “Fend for yourself. I need to get that tattooed on my lower back.” [21:57]
• Their “latchkey” privileges are revoked, and Karen, in true MFM spirit, squarely blames the parents.
  • The writer shares her career progression—from teacher to principal—and drops the bombshell: her uncle did handyman work for the JonBenet Ramsey family and was questioned during the infamous case. [25:14]

6. “Shitbag” Childhood Pranks

[25:37–27:17]

• Inspired by past “shitbag” stories, Rebecca C. recounts using the default password on her rural Kentucky town’s mobile voicemail system (9999) to access strangers’ voicemail greetings, replacing them with “sex sounds, animal noises and random obscenities.”
  • Karen: “This is how you have to pass the time in the country.” [26:43]
  • Georgia, with glee: “You’ve come to the Right podcast.” [27:12]
• The hosts fully embrace “shitbag” stories and invite more mischievous tales.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On parental disapproval as accidental marketing:
  • Karen: “That’s the marketing we’re looking for, for sure.” [05:07]
• On nostalgia for bar trivia humility:
  • Karen: “I’m one of those fake smart people that doesn’t know what the fuck she’s talking about.” [06:55]
• On blaming parents for latchkey fiascos:
  • Karen: “We’re here to squarely blame our own parents through this story any way we can.” [23:49]
• On the joy of listener stories:
  • Georgia: “At least we have alcohol.” [07:14]
  • Karen: “You just mind your family’s drama and...fucking nailed it.” [25:30]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:21–06:43 | “Outing Yourself as a Murderino at Bar Trivia” | | 07:14–10:10 | “Hitman in the News, Secret Family Drama” | | 11:49–15:53 | “Highway Horror: 101 Stalker” | | 16:21–18:49 | “Twin Telepathy Nightmare” | | 20:50–25:33 | “A Latchkey Kid’s Last Stand & JonBenet Family Bombshell” | | 25:37–27:17 | “Shitbag Childhood Pranks” |

Closing Vibe

Karen and Georgia keep things heartfelt and hilarious, leaning into their own awkward childhoods and encouraging listeners to share more “awkward marriage,” “family drama,” and “shitbag mischief” stories. It’s an episode filled with warmth, catharsis, and their trademark gallows humor—a perfect slice of the My Favorite Murder experience for diehards and new listeners alike.

“Stay sexy and don’t get murdered!”

Contact:
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