My Favorite Murder Minisode 468

Podcast Theme: Listener-Submitted Hometown True Crime Stories and New Year's Anecdotes
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Release Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

Minisode 468 of My Favorite Murder is a special New Year’s edition, featuring listener-submitted hometown stories centered around the holiday, along with a few superstitions and humorous mishaps. As always, Karen and Georgia bring their mix of empathy, laughter, and admiration for the resilience (or audacity) of both storytellers and their subjects. The stories run the gamut from chilling, to heartwarming, to utterly outrageous, all wrapped in the familiar banter that has come to define the show.

Key Discussion Points and Listener Stories

1. Reflection and New Year’s Hopes

• Karen and Georgia kick things off remarking on the close of 2025 and reflecting on gratitude and hope going into the new year.
  • Georgia: "Hopefully you have hope." (03:22)
  • Karen: "We're all trying here. That's all you can do." (03:25)

2. Story 1: The Snow-Covered Churchyard – Nicola Dixon’s Murder & Law Changed

[03:28 – 06:47]

• Listener Ellie (from Birmingham, England) writes in about the New Year’s Day murder of Nicola Dixon in 1997.
  • Nicola, a 17-year-old, was found murdered in the snow-covered grounds of a local church after leaving a social club on New Year’s Eve.
  • The case involved a massive investigation with over 11,000 people interviewed and highlighted on the TV show Crimewatch.
  • A DNA match six years later linked local man Colin Waite to the crime, after he was arrested for an unrelated road rage incident.
  • Notable Quote: "Nicola's lasting legacy is that due to her case, her parents fought for a change in the law. That means DNA is taken from prisoners as standard practice and will hopefully prevent other families from going through the same agonizing wait." – (06:08)
• Hosts express amazement and empathy, especially about the law change:
  • Karen: “Wow. Yeah, Ellie.” (06:47)
  • Georgia: “Real true crime one there.” (06:49)

3. Story 2: Robbery and Murder-for-Hire in Ohio

[07:11 – 09:41]

• Listener Julia shares a complex story involving her mom, a bank deposit robbery, and a later connection to a murder-for-hire.
  • In 2012, Julia’s mom was robbed at gunpoint, but got away (deposit bag stolen).
  • Fast forward two years: Brandi Daniels, a coworker of Julia’s mom, was murdered in a plot linked to her abusive ex-husband, Josh Daniels.
  • Julia’s mom realized her coworker (the murder victim) had also been the one robbed during the earlier bank deposit incident – orchestrated by her own ex-husband.
  • Notable Quote: “That robbery and him getting hit and everything. It was like he knew the guy that robbed them. He was in on that? Yeah, he was a criminal. And he was also an abusive husband that had his wife like murder for hire.” – Karen (09:28)
• Georgia: “Awful. Jesus.” (09:41)

4. Story 3: The Neighbor Who Saved – and Took – a Life

[13:09 – 15:54]

• Listener E from Toronto recalls being saved from an oncoming car by her neighbor, only for that neighbor, Paul Hindle, to be arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Lisa Lybitka the very same day.
  • As a child, E didn’t understand the gravity of seeing her neighbor handcuffed or her own story during “what I did over the break” in class.
  • Notable Quote: "It will always give me chills thinking about my neighbor picking me up, saving me from oncoming traffic with the same hands that he took life with." – E (15:30)
• Karen and Georgia reflect on the unfathomable duality in people:
  • Karen: "You want to believe that you know the full constitution of a person who's going to murder their girlfriend, right? Like… that's a sociopath, that's a psychopath… Yes, they do [have feelings]." (15:54-16:12)

5. Story 4: Drunk Parents, Underage Driver, and a Legendary Bribe

[16:12 – 22:44]

• Listener Cammie recounts a New Year’s memory as a 12-year-old who drove her drunk parents home, successfully navigates a police checkpoint (where the officers were also drunk), and bribes them with a bottle of whiskey.
  • Cammie’s poise and negotiation skills at 12 are the highlight; she tells the officer, "I'm 12, but sober, and I've been driving for four years." (20:08)
  • The officer: "We might not take your car, but we could call Child Services. You're too young to be responsible for your parents." (20:32)
  • Cammie barters whiskey, switches bottles for a better bribe, and gets her family home safe—all while starting to pursue a PhD.
  • Notable Quote: "How can I help you tonight, officer? How about I bargain with this?" – Karen, narrating Cammie's exchange (23:00)
  • Karen: “Cami’s a legend.” (22:55)
  • Georgia: “Legendary. … She starts low and goes high! So smart.” (22:56–23:06)

6. Story 5: New Year’s Superstitions

[26:40 – 27:34]

• Listener Hannah (from Georgia) shares two family superstitions:
  1. Never wash clothes on New Year's Eve or Day (said to ‘wash away’ a loved one).
  2. Eat a meal of collard greens (for money), black-eyed peas (for luck), and pork (for prosperity).
  • Hosts discuss their own experiences and connections, including TikTok as a source of superstition knowledge.
  • Georgia: "I'm from Georgia… Thanks for making me laugh when I really need it. Stay sexy and please don't wash your clothes on New Year's. Hannah." (27:34)

7. Story 6: It Actually Was a Mannequin

[28:03 – 29:44]

• Listener Emma from Maine recounts a drunken New Orleans trip where she mistook a Halloween store mannequin for a murder victim, only for bewildered employees to point out she was, in fact, at a Halloween store.
  • Notable Quote: "They looked bewildered. One of them sighed and said, ma'am, this is a fucking Halloween store." – Emma (29:09)
• Karen: “Emma from Maine: Oh, being a know-it-all when it hits you right in the you’re—” (29:44)
• Georgia calls for more drunk parent and funny trauma stories from listeners.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On why listeners keep sharing:
  "Love that people still send these in. And that that connection is the connection that people have with true crime stories." – Karen (06:54)
• On trauma and dark humor:
  Georgia: "...this feels like childhood trauma. A little bit." (21:46) Karen: "It's trauma. Except for what a success... The fine line of it's only happened once, it’s a funny story.” (21:52–22:04)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Intro/Reflection: 03:10 – 03:28
• Nicola Dixon Story: 03:28 – 06:47
• Ohio Robbery & Murder: 07:11 – 09:41
• Toronto Neighbor Story: 13:09 – 15:54
• Drunk Parents Mini-Epic: 16:12 – 22:44
• Superstitions: 26:40 – 27:34
• Mannequin in New Orleans: 28:03 – 29:44
• End-of-Year Reflections: 30:06 – 30:18

Tone & Vibe

Warm, irreverent, and darkly humorous—even at its most macabre. Karen and Georgia are supportive of their “murderinos,” express deep empathy for tragedy, and never miss a chance to find levity or common ground ("Let’s believe what we want to believe."). They openly celebrate the community formed around true crime, dark comedy, and personal storytelling.

Summary Takeaway

Minisode 468 captures My Favorite Murder at its best: empathetic, outrageous, and unexpectedly uplifting—each story knit together with genuine host reactions and an affirming, comedic spin on life’s darkest turns. The episode is a testament to listener courage, the weird unpredictability of true crime, and the enduring power of sharing the wildest hometown tales.

Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered!