MFM Minisode 475

Summary

---

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!

Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is exactly right. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we're here to help you keep going further.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Capella University.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What can't you do? Visit Capella Edu to learn more.

[Ad Read Host 1]

The Big Game Commercials are basically must see tv. This year Elf Cosmetics went all out with an absurdly funny telenovela called Melissa. It stars Melissa McCarthy, Nicholas Gonzalez Itati, Cantaral and E L F Glow Reviver Lip Oil. The Elf Glow Reviver Lip Oil is an ultra glossy tinted lip oil that.

[Ad Read Host 2]

Nourishes, hydrates and enhances your lips natural color.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Watch the full episode of their new.

[Karen Kilgariff]

E L f novella on soyunbano.com picture.

[Ad Read Host 1]

Chicken nuggets in your head. Okay, now forget them because Taco Bell's crispy chicken nuggets are here. And they're nothing like the nuggets you know. All white meat chicken cooks coated in tortilla chips for that signature Taco Bell crunch. A nugget like that calls for a sauce that can keep up. Introducing Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch, the iconic ranch you love. Fired up with Taco Bell Diablo sauce Bold meets Boulder. Ranch meets Diablo. And it works. Crispy chicken nuggets from Taco Bell, a brand new classic at participating US Taco Bell locations for a limited time only while supplies last.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hello and welcome to my favorite murder.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The minisode of squiggles and stripes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And Stripes. If you're watching this right now on Netflix, we're sorry if we're giving you a seizure.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We're trying to make it as exciting as possible for you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I forgot that patterns don't work great on tv.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Let's be honest, I had a sweater on and I had to bail because I am a middle aged lady.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I have squiggles. I don't own a fucking solid piece of clothing. I don't know what I'm gonna do.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You love a prince.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I love prince.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But at least you're smart enough to wear short sleeves so you can work with the bizarre temperatures your body serves up.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm in perimenopause and all I do is get hot and then hot and then not as hot.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I know. I refuse to learn. I have to fight.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, I'll go first.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay.

[Ad Read Host 1]

Okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm not gonna read you the title. Hello, my murder besties. I'm listening to a fan cult mini and had to pause to write in a memory that was just triggered. Picture it. Me, a junior in a Texas high School in the early 2000s, my brother, a sophomore in the same high school. Lockdown drills. And all the things my kids now experience were in their infancy. We had a lockdown procedure, but it was rarely practiced and it wasn't taken as seriously as it is now. Fucking awful. Suddenly we hear an announcement over the loudspeaker saying, we are going into lockdown. And it was not a drill. Apparently there was an armed burglary in the neighborhood across the street from our school, and the police were chasing the guy towards our school. Don't run towards us here.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just head over toward the school. We'll take care of it in the lunchroom.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right. And then they were chasing him in our school. Because in the 2000s, schools didn't have multiple locked doors. You had to get through to make it into the building.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Imagine this. If you don't care that there are guns and killing children, then you can't be pro life either. It's not. It doesn't fucking match.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You can't pick and choose which children you want to live or die. Go fuck yourself.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Anyway, it says all of that in that email. Okay, well, I guess you had to read it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Allegedly. Go fuck yourself. My class was on the bottom floor. We could hear the police radios yelling and running as it fades away down the hall. A few minutes later, we hear a loud banging and then breaking glass. So of course, our teenage brains tell us to look out the window into our school's courtyard where the sound was coming from. And just in time to see a guy jump from the second story art class walkway and onto the ground, barely missing the lunch picnic tables.

[Karen Kilgariff]

God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The guy looks shaken, possibly injured from his escape attempt. So he's slow to get up and gives the admin and time to swarm him. And he was arrested. Fast forward to later that day. My friends, siblings, and I were recounting what we knew about the lockdown. My brother tells us that he was in art class when the guy broke the window and jumped in front of him. And we were all amazed. Tell us everything. Well, it turns out my brother heard a knock on the art door. And recognizing the kid knocking, he opened the door for him, thinking he must have been in the bathroom or something. When we went into lockdown, this kid turned out to be the same guy the police were chasing. So he went to that school. Yeah, but he opened a locked door.

[Karen Kilgariff]

To let the shooter inside.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The time my brother opened the door for the bad guy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh no.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The kid grabbed a chair, beat at the window until it broke, and then jumped to escape while the police were trying to make their way into the locked classroom. Because of course, my brother locked the door behind him after letting the kid in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes, that's right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Fucking teenagers. Sophomore boys don't give them any responsibilities. Turns out this kid was just as good at jumping out of a window as he was at being a burglar. And that's the story of how my brother let the bad guy in and why our school put out more rules and training for lockdown drills. She was just testing them, this kid.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that's right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Ssdgm. Angela G. She her God, this world we live in. The reality of this world is so.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Is why we need to go into the reality of other worlds.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. I thought you were gonna say like maybe cryo freeze mode and just give it a couple fucking centuries, see if we get smarter.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So we'd just wake up and be like, oh no, it's just like idiocracy. Okay, I won't read you the subject line. It says, hi ladies. Love your show. It's got me through many, many workouts. I tell my. That's such a funny thing to say. I love it. I tell my husband that oddly enough, listening to a podcast about murder happens to be the most relaxing part of my day.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I hear you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And then it haha in parentheses. He doesn't get it. It's different for them. Okay, on with my trash parents story. But really, the Catholic guilt over calling my parents trash parents is a doozy. They really are great people. But we will see what you think after this story.

[Ad Read Host 1]

I love it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I grew up in a small town in Missouri. My dad was a fireman. And so often it was my mom, me and my younger brother alone in the evenings. I relate.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You know that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, one evening I was probably about eight, my brother would have been five. The three of us were at home and my dad was on shift. Do you remember in the age of landlines, when call your own number and hang up really quick and then your home phone would ring.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God. Yeah, I fucking forgot about that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

There was all kinds of games and tricks that we used to play on landlines because we were bored, because we.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Didn'T have distractions like you guys have today.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My favorite in the world is my friend Dave Roth. Used to do this at his house when we'd like party all night. And then stay at his house and be on the landline calling people. He would pick up in his room and listen in on your call, breathing really loudly and giggling like he was your little brother. And it was the funniest thing, like he did it perfectly where he'd be like. Like you knew he was there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

As a kid, it was a great way to mess with other people in the house. On this particular evening, my mom used it against me. I remember the phone ringing and no one answering it. So I took it upon myself to take care of it. After saying hello, I heard on the other end of the phone, hello, this is the police department. We have an armed man on the loose from prison. Please be sure all the lights are off in your house and all the doors are locked. And then click, they hung up.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In my 8 year old full body panic, I ran to the back of the house, turning off the kitchen light as I went through, locked the back door and made sure the lights were off. Then started running as fast as I could to lock the front door. As I sprinted to the front of the house, my mom jumped out of nowhere and yelled, got ya. What? And then it says, I thought I was going to die.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My mom, on the other hand, thought this was the funniest thing that had ever happened in life.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, she was bored too.

[Karen Kilgariff]

She was bored. And this is something my cousin Stevie does, and he does it to me and my sister and his own daughters where you're just like, oh, you have to get something out of the garage and you're walking back out and he's suddenly right here, like jumping at you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I don't like sudden people.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's hilariously the scariest thing of all time. My mom reassured me that she was on the other end of the phone and it was her poor idea of a joke. Trash parent. I mean, if that isn't it, it's gotta be close, right? If this story doesn't do it, then maybe the time my mom and dad had me shave. Yes, shave. A shaving cream covered balloon. When it popped and the shaving cream went all over. Cried for hours. I still hate the sounds of balloons popping.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, you get, you get to go to therapy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

These are prank parents. It's not trash. It's a different style.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Prank parents, send us your stories.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Truly though, my parents are great people.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I don't know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They brought themselves up from backgrounds of incredible trauma and broke a cycle of abuse. Did they, did they though, shout out to all parents out there working to break a cycle and provide their kids the life they couldn't have. Kudos. Which is very true. And also, it's good to have a sense of humor and it's good to stay on your toes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. And like they're not like capital T dramatized.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No. But I thought that the end of the lock the house was just gonna be that they were all in bed and they're like thanks so much for doing that so we didn't have to get up.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So smart.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The fact that she jumped out and grabbed her. I was like, I'm sorry, That's an offense. Number 55.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Look at you with your fucking knowing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

How to I'm about to go watch more football with my dad. That's why I liter bought a sweatshirt on Tik Tok Shop that says I hope both teams lose and I'm going to wear it to his house.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That is the best thing I've ever.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right. He's going to get real mad. Okay, we're back in for some compliments. Thank you for all you do. Especially in the reassuring me that being rude is not because I'm the worst, but because I simply am trying to stay alive. Lol. What a great way to explain it. Thanks for all you do. Trash parents. You tell me. Hahaha. Rebecca.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Rebecca.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Rebecca. Bad news or good news?

[Georgia Hardstark]

You're being validated.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And also, you sound great now. Except for maybe the balloon thing, which has ruined birthday parties for you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But you're gonna be okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I hope both teams can't lose. I hope both teams lose. That's not how it works. But it's so funny.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's argumentatively obnoxious.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. Defiance.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Black sweatshirt, white writing right there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's so funny.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace.

[Georgia Hardstark]

There's a huge difference between having a hobby and making it a career, and.

[Karen Kilgariff]

One of them involves invoices.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Squarespace gives you the tools to build a clean professional site and get paid for what you do.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Squarespace lets you showcase consultations, events and experiences on a customizable website and get paid with professional invoices and online payments built in.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Scheduling and email tools help manage bookings and communication without juggling multiple platforms.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You can offer courses, videos, blogs, or memberships directly on your site, all behind a paywall.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You control, set one time prices or subscriptions and create recurring revenue through your Squarespace website.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Go to squarespace.com murder for a free.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Trial and when you're ready to launch, use Offer Code murder to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Goodbye.

[Ad Read Host 1]

Goodbye.

[Ad Read Host 4]

Oh, the big game commercials are basically must see tv.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Well, I take bathroom breaks during the game so I don't miss anything.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Smart.

[Ad Read Host 4]

Well, Elf Cosmetics is back this year and they decided to make a full blown obstruction absurdly funny telenovela that celebrates positivity, inclusivity and accessibility.

[Ad Read Host 3]

That sounds amazing.

[Ad Read Host 4]

It's called Melissa and it's absurd in the best way. It stars Melissa McCarthy, TV doctor Nicholas Gonzalez and iconic telenovela villain Ita Ticanto Raul. But the real star Elf Glow Reviver Lip Oil.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Oh, okay, I see where this is going.

[Ad Read Host 4]

When language fails her and her lips are dull and dry, only glow can revive her. Melissa McCarthy fully commits by even rolling the R's with Elf Glo Reviver Lip Oil.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Available in 10 shades and only $9 each.

[Ad Read Host 4]

Watch the full episode of their new elf novella on soyunbanyo.com yes, and drench.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Your lips in an addictive sheer wash of ultra glossy color with Elf Glow Reviver Lip Oil.

[Ad Read Host 2]

Are you a fraud paying American? It's a fact that one in four honest, hard working tax paying Americans has been a victim of identity theft with Lifelock Identity Theft Protection. Though if your identity is stolen, they fix it, guaranteed and get you your money back. Last year the IRS flagged over $16 billion in refunds for identity fraud. That's billions of dollars that could come from your salary, overtime or second job. But this year you don't need to stay a victim. Lifelock monitors millions of data points per second for your personal information and alerts you to threats you could easily miss on your own. And if your information does fall into the wrong hands, only LifeLock has US based restoration specialists who are backed by the million dollar protection package. Because this tax season, fraud paying American is something no American should have to claim. Visit lifelock.com iheart and save up to 40% your first year. That's 40% off. @lifelock.com iheart terms apply.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, this one's called Jurors and Jury Duty. Hi.

[Ad Read Host 2]

Hi.

[Georgia Hardstark]

MFM crew. I haven't been listening long enough to be writing in for the garbled sound time, but here we are. So sorry.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm writing because I was listening to rewind of episode 78, the freshest recording. At the beginning of the episode, Georgia talks about going to an Oxygen channel something or other about a new show where they were talking to jurors of famous cases and she said it was fascinating to talk to the jurors as they were just normal people Quote, whose lives were turned upside down for a while. I love it when people talk about jurors as real and normal people as I've been one. It wasn't a case that got press, no one has heard about it. But it massively affected my life both during the trial and after. When I got the jury summons, everyone that knew me well knew I was legitimately excited about it. I believe in our legal system and I believe that serving on a jury is both a duty and an honor. What I didn't expect was to be chosen for a six week criminal trial that was emotionally very trying. I was one of 12 strangers who had nothing in common except this trial, which we couldn't talk to each other about until it was over. Who had been thrown into this really kind of bizarre situation. When you think about it, it is.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well. And also I didn't realize that that like, aside from the like weighing the facts type of stuff, they can't opine to each other about it. They can't be like, I mean, that's crazy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, I forgot about that part. We heard testimony that was hard to hear. We saw exhibits that were hard to see. And in the end we rendered a verdict that sent three young men to prison for 50 years to life. That's like a huge burden that you're gonna carry forever.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's huge. Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And hope that you got right. I don't regret a moment of my service. As I listened, I kept an open mind and deliberated in good faith with my fellow jurors. And I really believe that the verdict we rendered was just and right. When I was finally able to talk about it with friends and family, they all agreed, saying essentially, good for you. Send those bastards away. And I understand that sentiment and also felt it to some extent. But in the end, really the most prominent emotion I felt was sadness because there was just so little good about any of it. We rendered our verdict mid afternoon on a random weekday. Court ended and we were thanked and sent along on our way as if we hadn't just been through an unexpected six week emotional wringer. We all went to a bar and just talked and decompressed and wondered who all exactly goes to a bar near the courthouses mid afternoon on a random weekday. Fucking juries. Yeah, we all stayed in touch and got together several times over the next year. We were the only ones who knew what we'd been through and the only other people we could talk about it with. Of course, the intensity of the experience faded eventually and I'm not in touch with any of them anymore. But I still have lasting memories and emotions. Serving on a jury truly is a duty and an honor. Sitting in judgment of someone is not easy and it's not perfect. I have so much empathy for jurors who are on high profile cases. Just serving on a low profile one is hard enough. Thank you for bringing humor and humanity and empathy into our lives at a time when there isn't a lot of any of that. Stay sexy and feel honored instead of annoyed when you get a jury summons. J she her?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. It's big.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's so interesting.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's just like you are sending a human being to the worst place they can go.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

And for an extended period of time.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And you want to give them worse because you hate them. But you can't. You have to go by the rules. You can't look away from or you don't want to.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, giving. It's like that idea of like you suddenly understand what we're really talking about. Sending people to a place you couldn't spend five minutes in for years and years. It's just like, ugh. Just.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You gotta see how like, it really works. It actually works or doesn't work.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, it's crazy. All right, we'll change the tenor of this a tiny bit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Can we?

[Karen Kilgariff]

With this subject line. Barking and entering. Hello and welcome to my hometown story. Living in Louisville as a young adult, I shared a house with a rotating cast of friends. One of them, let's call him P. The initial P, unfortunate, was dog sitting and running late. He called and asked if I could let the dog out since he wouldn't make it there for a while. No problem. I grabbed the key for his room. I walked about a half a mile to this random condo, let myself into a stranger's home, scooped up the sweetest little bulldog and took him outside to do his thing. Easy until we tried to go back inside. The door had auto locked behind us and I had left the key inside. I screamed some profanities and sat down on the porch to mope. The word mope is so perfect. While the dog explored the yard, I had left my phone and everything inside. The worst feeling. I did not want to spend the next few hours loitering on a stranger's porch waiting for pee to come along. Since it was a one story condo, I had the very innocent thought, and very innocent as in like asterisks, to try and climb into a window. I went around back. Yeah, it's very innocent according to you. I went around back and spotted A small sliding window cracked open. Sweet. I'd be out of there in no time. But having zero experience with break ins, that's not how it went. I fully opened the window, stared at the screen for a while, jiggled some things with zero confidence and ultimately gave up.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jiggled some things.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Jiggled some things. I returned to the front porch to accept my fate. Seconds later, a man burst out of the neighboring condo just a few feet away from me, dripping wet, wearing nothing but a towel. He scanned left and right before locking eyes with me and screamed, did you see anyone out here? Someone was trying to break into my house.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, no.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This guy was ready to fight. I stared at him blankly for a solid seven seconds before saying, oh, yeah, sorry, that was me. I clarified that I was actually trying to break into his neighbor's house, and he did not wait for further explanation. He simply turned around and stomped back inside. Screw the neighbor, right? I remained on that porch for a full 2 hours until P finally arrived. At some point, the towel guy re emerged, now fully clothed. We exchanged a wave and a polite smile. In retrospect, I probably should have asked him out just for the how did you two meet Story.

[Ad Read Host 1]

Yay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Stay sexy and always carry the key.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Kate, I broke into a house maybe a couple years ago that we were going to look at, Vince and I, and they like, hadn't left the key or like changed the fucking lock or something. And I was like, we're not fucking coming back. So there was a window and I fucking squeezed through that window and let him in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's all about the will to get it done.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, it felt pretty badass. I'm not gonna lie.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You just. You always can if you really want to.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You can break into anything. That's our message here at my favorite murder. You can break into any place.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Listen, if you just put your heart to it and you try to feel around and see if some rocks are actually fake and have keys inside, you never know.

[Ad Read Host 4]

Ah, the big game commercials are basically must see tv.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Well, I take bathroom breaks during the game, so I don't miss anything.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Smart.

[Ad Read Host 4]

Well, Elf Cosmetics is back this year and they decided to make a full blown absurdly funny telenovela that celebrates positivity, inclusivity and accessibility.

[Ad Read Host 3]

That sounds amazing.

[Ad Read Host 4]

It's called Melissa and it's absurd in the best way. It stars Melissa McCarthy, TV doctor Nicholas Gonzalez and iconic telenovela villain Ita Ticanto Rahul. But the real star, Elf Glow Reviver Lip Oil.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Oh, okay, I see where this is going.

[Ad Read Host 4]

When language fails her and her lips are dull and dry. Only Glow can revive her. Melissa McCarthy fully commits by even rolling the R's with Elf Glow Reviver Lip.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Oil, available in 10 shades and only $9 each.

[Ad Read Host 4]

Watch the full episode of their new elf novella on soyunbanyo.com yes and drench.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Your lips in an addictive she wash of ultra glossy color with Elf Glow Reviver Lip Oil.

[Ad Read Host 1]

Support for the show comes from Public the investing platform for those who take it seriously On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc, SEC Registered Advisors. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosure is available at public.com disclosures.

[Jacob Goldstein]

This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs add up and it gets complicated and confusing. Odoo solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odoo is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on the features you need. Check out Odoo at O D O o dot com. That's O D O o dot com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay baby Murderino Origins Dear Karen, Georgia and every other four legged emotional support creature currently in the room and in our hearts. Hi, my name is Danielle and I'm from a town in southeastern Wisconsin. My story starts when I was 11 years old and somehow involves a medical examiner who should absolutely not have been left alone with a middle schooler. I attended a charter middle school that emphasized community involvement and career exploration. Sounds great. One of our big 6th grade projects was Shadowing someone in a career that we were interested in. Most kids pick things like teachers, veterinarians or firefighters. I, however, confidently told my school I wanted to be an all caps medical examiner.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, Jesus Christ. Also, this seems too young anyway.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, doesn't it?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like you're 13.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No, 11.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, yeah, that's very young. It's so young.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yep, you read that right. To my absolute shock and delight, the school actually paired me with the city's medical examiner for the day.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fucking hate 11. 11.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Looking back, this feels like a wildly questionable decision, but at the time, I was truly a baby murderino in the making. The day started with a full tour of his workspace. And then I love this because you gotta think of this guy, this medical examiner who they approached. He's maybe like this nerd. No one wants to hear his fuck how his day was. And no one wants to talk to him at parties because nobody's into fucking all the death that surrounds him.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And he smells like formaldehyde.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Maybe people think he's bad luck somehow too. And suddenly this little girl is like, I wanna do what you do one day. Tell me everything.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You're my hero.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I bet she made his day.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I hope so.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, let's just go with that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You don't smell like formaldehyde. I'm sorry.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He explained how death investigations worked, walked me through the process of autopsies and answered every single dark, inappropriate question an 11 year old could possibly ask. And when I say he held nothing back, I mean nothing. I asked about his most intense cases. See, like I would have this kid if I could have a kid.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Yes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And he was more than happy to share stories and images that in hindsight, no child should ever see.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like actual pictures.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I hope, just. No, I hope not. At some point during the day. Well, here's the thing. At some point during the day, he got a call about a deceased person on the other side of town. And for reasons I still cannot explain, he let me ride along. No, when we arrived, he told me to look away. Like where you couldn't mind maybe ask the parents about like. Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is crazy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Look away.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wait, what year was it? I hope this was 1971.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, you know what? She was 11 then and she's an adult now, so.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, yeah, perhaps.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, yeah. Told me to look away. Naturally, I did not.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

From the backseat, I watched as first responders handled the scene of an elderly woman who had passed away on her front porch overnight. I remember thinking, not fearfully, just very clearly. I don't think my Parents realized this is what that permission slip covered.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No way.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Later, I learned there was no foul play. It was a tragic accident. But standing there as an 11 year old, watching a real death investigation unfold permanently rewired my brain.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, yeah, that's why they don't do that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. That's why you're supposed to look away.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's why you're supposed to stay in the car. I love the idea of, like, standing there, right on the edge of the crime scene tape.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is like just standing there taking.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Photos with my little trench coat on.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My little trench coat and smelling like formaldehyde. And somehow that was not the end of the day. We went back to his office, where he continued showing me case files and talking through investigations, murders, accidents, and everything in between with the same casual openness. I love this guy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, he is a doctor. Like, he's. That's how he got taught.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, it's like, you know, it's totally normal to him.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It is.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He's got a toe on that spectrum and he's living life.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Someone's gotta do this job after him.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. I absorbed all of it. It was fascinating, horrifying, and deeply inappropriate all at once.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My favorite.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right. That day is still one of the most vivid memories of my life. I never became a medical examiner, but I did grow up to be a PhD scientist.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Holy shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And I remain endlessly fascinated by true crime and forensic investigation. It turns out I've been a murderino since childhood. And somehow the parents who signed off on this whole experience are now also devoted fans of your podcast.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Aww.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So thanks for letting me share the origin story of my lifelong obsession. Stay sexy and read the permission slip carefully. Danielle.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Danielle. I always get shocked when I hear about older people liking this podcast. I don't know why. It's silly of me, but it always is that thing of like. But we swear, so.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Are you sure it's. So you're not mad at us?

[Karen Kilgariff]

You're not mad?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My mom's mad.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I know. Okay. I'm not gonna read you the subject line of this. It says, dear Steven and everyone else. Hey, longtime listener, first time writer in her. So a couple years ago, I was living in the crappiest apartment in this really nice suburb in Melbourne with two housema. I always feel stupid when I say Melbourne. But you have to. That's the way it's said.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's correct.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Melbourne. With two housemates, Fiona and Steph. We were stoked to be living in such a lovely leafy green place. Even though our ground floor apartment was tiny and all the light was blocked by these giant twisted shrubs that covered our windows so we could barely see out. So throughout the year we lived there, there were a few times when I would be hanging out in the lounge room that I could have sworn that I heard heavy breathing from just outside the window. It was so loud and over exaggerated that I would always sit completely still, paralyzed with fear until it stopped. And I told myself that I was just imagining it. One time it happened really late at night and I forced Steph out of her room to hear it. She did. And we were really freaked out because it was so loud and clear that it legit sounded like someone was in the house with us. Fiona looked at us like we were either crazy or overreacting as there was no way anyone could be inside without us knowing until.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

One night, Fi was working on her master's thesis until about one in the morning at our kitchen table, also by one of these windows. She was tired, delirious, and felt like her thesis was driving her crazy. So when she heard a low, hoarse, creepy voice outside the window saying run over and over, she wasn't sure if she had finally lost her mind or not. That is the worst run. Sorry, I just did it that way. But that's how it's written. Run. Needless to say, she was terrified and quickly packed up her laptop and bolted to her room. She told me the next morning in a nervous, joking way. And once I reminded her about the heavy breathing, all three of us freaked out, certain we had a stalker.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No, that's not a go to bed issue. Turn every light on, wake everyone up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This idea, you're like, okay. I don't want that to have just happened. And it's like, okay, you know what?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm not gonna, you know, I'm not gonna run. I'm gonna lay down, do the fucking opposite of what you just told me to fucking do, you terrifying witch. Call.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Go ahead and call the Australian 91 1, please.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Nine nine, nine. It's gotta be 999.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Is it okay? We were certain we had a stalker, but what to do? We had no evidence. We weren't 100% sure what we had heard of what we had heard. So we couldn't go to the police. We asked our property manager to trim the hedges and install a security light. They did the hedges, but unhelpfully told us they would discuss the light. When the body corporate met again in four months, like hoa, they had no idea what the protocol is for maybe being stalked? Of course not. Because people won't fucking pay attention to.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This as a problem until you're dead.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay. After a little while of being terrified in our own home, I decided to lay a trap to get some evidence. That's great. On the same night of the week, at the same time, I sat in the exact same spot, working on my laptop with no one else home, with the voice memo app open on my phone, ready to record the creepy voice as soon as it appeared. I sat there for hours, daring the stalker to come and get me. But when I. I hadn't heard anything by 2am I went to bed weirdly disappointed that my complex sting operation hadn't worked. Instead of feeling relieved like a normal person would, then I heard it outside my bedroom window, accompanied by erratic scuttling sounds as well. At first, I was terrified, but I listened really closely and thought, maybe the sound wasn't human after all. I jumped on Google and eventually found a clip confirming that what we were actually hearing was a possum.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A run. A run for your life possum.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right. A tiny, vicious, territorial marsupial had caused us weeks of fear and terror. Fiona was both relieved and horribly embarrassed when I told her. But of course, you wouldn't expect to get possums in such an urban area. It's only because there were so many big trees that it decided to terrorize us. Anyway, now it's one of our favorite dinner party stories. We love to tell everyone about that one time we thought we had a stock.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, I want to hear it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Ssdgm.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jane, what does an Australian possum sound like? That sounds like a joke.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, it's some sort of run.

[Georgia Hardstark]

How does it say run?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Run. It's always up at the end. Yeah, yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A run.

[Karen Kilgariff]

A run.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. That's terrifying.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I know. Terrifying, but then ultimately.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But then adorable.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just a little baby possum.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And then. Did you make friends with him? I love possums.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They're covered in ticks.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Send us your story about being covered in ticks to my favorite murdermail.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Please do not. Every time I find a tick on one of my dogs, it's the most. Oh, I don't want that. It's so upsetting.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They're terrible.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They're gross.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But you're not. And we love you. And thank you for listening. And also, stay sexy and don't get murdered. Goodbye, Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been an exactly right production.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Our senior producer is Molly Smith. And our associate producer is Tessa Hughes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Lacvedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The this episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Follow the show on Instagram at My.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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

[Georgia Hardstark]

And now you can watch My Favorite Murder on Netflix.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And when you're there, hit the double thumbs up and the remind me buttons. That's the best way you can support our show.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye.

[Ad Read Host 2]

Are you a fraud paying American? 1 in 4 tax paying Americans has been a victim of identity fraud. With Lifelock, if your identity is stolen, they fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Last year, billions in refunds were stolen. Could be from your salary, overtime or second job gone. But this year you don't need to stay a victim because this tax season fraud paying American is something no American should have to claim. Claim save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iheart Terms apply.

[Jacob Goldstein]

This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs add up and it gets complicated and confusing. Odoo solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odoo is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on the features you need. Check out Odoo at o d o o.com that's o d o o dot com.

[Ad Read Host 3]

Here's the truth no one in pet food wants to say out loud if it isn't just fresh from just food for dogs, it isn't fresh, period. Because a lot of fresh dog foods in those cute little packages. They're not 100% human grade. They're not backed by radio Real science. And they're definitely not something you could eat unless you enjoy mystery meat puree with a side of marketing spin. Just fresh is different. It's real beef, chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans. Actual food you recognize. It's cooked daily in real kitchens. Vets recommend it. Dogs lose their minds for it. And honestly, if your dog could talk, they'd ask you why you ever fed them anything else? New year, New you. But what about your dad? Dogs? Fresh start. Make the switch. Make it just fresh from just food for dogs. Get 50% off your first box at justfoodfordogs.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Com.

[Ad Read Host 3]

That's justfoodfordogs.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Com.

[Ad Read Host 3]

No code. No fine print. No fake fresh. Just real food finally.