My Favorite Murder Minisode 475

Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Date: February 16, 2026
Podcast Network: Exactly Right & iHeartPodcasts

Overview

In Minisode 475, Karen and Georgia return with a classic round of listener-submitted "Hometown" stories. In their signature blend of dark humor and empathy, the duo journeys through tales of school lockdowns, prankster parents, emotionally-charged jury duty, mistaken break-ins, murderino origin stories, and a surprisingly horrifying case of a talking possum. Throughout, both hosts riff, reflect, and comfort, honoring both the gravity and absurdity of true crime and day-to-day human experience.

Key Discussion Points & Listener Stories

1. Banter, Fashion, and Middle-Aged Bodies

[01:45 - 02:23]

• Karen and Georgia open with playful banter about their clothing choices and how patterns don’t translate to TV (“If you're watching this right now on Netflix, we're sorry if we're giving you a seizure.” – Georgia, 01:48).
• Georgia jokes about perimenopause and constantly overheating:

  “All I do is get hot and then hot and then not as hot.” – Georgia, 02:14

2. Hometown Story #1: School Lockdown Gone Wrong

[02:24 - 05:46]
A listener recounts a harrowing high school lockdown in early 2000s Texas.

• The school goes into an actual, non-drill lockdown due to an armed burglary nearby.
• The suspect is chased into the school, which—the listener notes—lacked secure, multi-door entry at the time.
• The storyteller’s brother, thinking he’s letting in a classmate, inadvertently lets in the suspect, who then smashes a window and jumps to escape.
• Karen and Georgia react with incredulity and sadness over how normalized gun and lockdown culture has become in schools:

  “We live in the worst reality for children and with guns.” – Karen, 03:18
  “Imagine this. If you don't care that there are guns and killing children, then you can't be pro life either.” – Georgia, 03:29

• The story ends with a rueful summary:

  “The time my brother opened the door for the bad guy.” – Georgia (reading listener story), 05:05

3. Hometown Story #2: Trash (Prank) Parents

[06:03 - 10:41]
A Missourian listener shares stories about her parents’ questionable sense of humor.

• Mother pranks her 8-year-old by pretending to be the police warning about an escaped convict, sending the child into a panic.
• Second “prank”: making her shave a shaving cream–covered balloon until it pops.
• Discussion about the line between trauma and raising resilient, humorous kids:

  “These are prank parents. It's not trash. It's a different style.” – Karen, 09:08
  “Shout out to all parents out there working to break a cycle and provide their kids the life they couldn't have. Kudos.” – Karen, 09:29

• Georgia:

  “They're not like capital T traumatized.” – 09:36

• Laughter over Karen’s new “I hope both teams lose” football sweatshirt, made to mock her dad:

  “He's going to get real mad.” – Karen, 10:07

4. Hometown Story #3: Jury Duty Is No Joke

[13:43 - 17:28]
A listener, “J,” details her experience as a juror on a difficult criminal trial.

• J expresses respect for jury duty as both a civic duty and emotional burden:

  “Serving on a jury truly is a duty and an honor. Sitting in judgment of someone is not easy and it's not perfect.” – Listener J, 16:44

• She describes the emotional aftermath: jurors meeting at a bar to decompress, the gravity of sending people to prison, and the lack of recognition for the toll it takes.
• Karen reflects:

  “You are sending a human being to the worst place they can go.” – Karen, 16:59

• Georgia:

  “You gotta see how like, it really works. It actually works or doesn't work.” – Georgia, 17:25

5. Hometown Story #4: Barking and Entering

[17:32 - 20:21]
A lighthearted tale of accidental “breaking and entering” while dog sitting in Louisville.

• Listener tries to help a friend by letting out a dog, accidentally locks herself out, and unsuccessfully attempts to climb through a neighbor’s window—startling a towel-clad neighbor who mistakes her for a burglar.
• Georgia and Karen debate the ethics and frequency of “harmless” break-ins:

  “You can break into anything. That's our message here at My Favorite Murder.” – Georgia, 20:16
  “Listen, if you just put your heart to it…” – Karen, 20:21

6. Hometown Story #5: Baby Murderino Origins

[23:05 - 27:32]
Danielle from Wisconsin recounts her career day shadowing a medical examiner at age 11.

• Danielle describes excitement overshadowed by wildly inappropriate exposure: seeing case files, hearing war stories, and being taken to an active death scene.
• Karen and Georgia marvel at the boundary-crossing adult—and the budding murderino sensibility:

  “This seems too young anyway.” – Karen, 23:47
  “Standing there as an 11 year old, watching a real death investigation unfold permanently rewired my brain.” – Listener Danielle, 26:09

• Danielle is now a PhD scientist, credits early fascination with forensics.

7. Hometown Story #6: Possum Stalker

[27:46 - 32:24]
A Melbournian recounts a year convinced she and her roommates had a stalker—thanks to chilling “run!” whispers and heavy breathing outside their window.

• The women hear unnerving noises and a raspy “run,” spiral into panic, and plot to catch the stalker—only to discover the culprit is a possum with a surprisingly horrifying vocalization.
• Karen and Georgia affectionately roast Australian possums’ terrifying noises:

  “A run for your life possum.” – Georgia, 31:26
  “How does it say 'run'?” – Georgia, 32:02

• The hosts discuss possum hygiene and tick infestations, wrapping with their catchphrase.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We live in the worst reality for children and with guns. And this idea that we're all so used to it when it was just 20 years ago that none of this was how it was.” — Karen, 03:18
• “Imagine this. If you don't care that there are guns and killing children, then you can't be pro life either.” — Georgia, 03:29
• “These are prank parents. It's not trash. It's a different style.” — Karen, 09:08
• “Serving on a jury truly is a duty and an honor. Sitting in judgment of someone is not easy and it's not perfect.” — Listener J, 16:44
• “You can break into anything. That's our message here at My Favorite Murder.” — Georgia, 20:16
• “Standing there as an 11 year old, watching a real death investigation unfold permanently rewired my brain.” — Listener Danielle, 26:09
• “A run for your life possum.” — Georgia, 31:26

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:45] Show begins – Host banter and Netflix jokes
• [02:24] Hometown #1: Texas School Lockdown
• [06:03] Hometown #2: Trash (Prank) Parents
• [13:43] Hometown #3: Jury Duty
• [17:32] Hometown #4: Barking and Entering
• [23:05] Hometown #5: Murderino Origins (Shadowing Medical Examiner)
• [27:46] Hometown #6: Possum Stalker
• [32:31] Wrap-up and familiar catchphrases

Tone

The episode maintains the familiar MFM mix of gallows humor, personal confession, and compassionate reflection. Georgia and Karen are unfiltered but caring, flipping easily between the absurd and the serious, creating a safe space both for listeners reliving trauma and for those who just love a wild crime story.

Conclusion

Minisode 475 offers a tour through the wide emotional spectrum that defines My Favorite Murder: from the chilling reality of gun violence in schools and the heavy burden of jury duty, to the awkward hilarity of mistaking a possum for a human stalker. As always, Karen and Georgia provide a blend of witty commentary, cathartic laughter, and empathetic validation to the Murderino community.

Stay sexy and don’t get murdered. Goodbye!