My Favorite Murder Minisode 481: Easter & Passover Hometown Stories

Release Date: March 30, 2026
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Theme: Listener-submitted hometown stories with an Easter and Passover twist—true crime, spooky, and heartwarming tales about holidays, family, pets, and mishaps.

Episode Overview

This minisode of My Favorite Murder celebrates the overlap of Easter and Passover with listener stories that blend supernatural chills, quirky family traditions, and true crime connections. Karen and Georgia read and react to a variety of stories: haunted houses at Passover, an infamous rabbi murderer, uncanny childhood Easter photos, wild pet escapades, accidental poisonings, and chaotic family Easter egg hunts. The hosts provide their trademark commentary—funny, skeptical, supportive, and occasionally incredulous.

Key Stories & Insights

1. Haunted House & the Passover Ghost

[03:45–06:21]

• Summary: Emily, a past dog-sitter, recounts creepy experiences at a neighbor’s house: dogs barking at unseen things, a mysteriously opened door, and a toddler years later inexplicably identifying a "dead body" in the exact same spot.
• Host Reactions:
  • Karen: “That literally sounds like it's out of the Conjuring franchise somehow.” (06:21)
  • Georgia: “Dogs and babies. Like, trust them.” (06:37)
• Notable Moments: The dogs’ fixation, the toddler’s ghost/dead body comments at Passover, and the validation of inexplicable chills from a second source.

2. Puff, Puff, Passover: The Fred Newlander Seder

[06:43–08:44]

• Summary: A listener shares a Passover Seder story where every mention of "bitter herbs" required a pot hit. Conversation shifts to a temple founder absent from their own history—for having a hitman kill his wife. The hosts had covered the case: Fred Newlander.
• Host Reactions:
  • Georgia jokes about Jewish stereotypes regarding weed and wine.
• Memorable Quote:
  • Listener: “I have to email them about this. They need to know. And now you do.” (08:24)
• Notable Moment: Multiple people at the Seder realize they've listened to the same MFM episode—shared murderino moment.

3. Childhood Easter Egg Hunt Reunion

[13:03–15:46]

• Summary: Two partners discover, while sharing childhood albums, that they appeared together as toddlers at the same Seattle Easter egg hunt—decades before they met. Their parents both once evaded Ted Bundy at UW in the 1970s.
• Host Reactions:
  • Karen: “They're in a picture together.” (15:01)
  • Georgia: “I love that. That's the cutest. I can't believe that. And I have to say, I did think that it was going to be… Ted Bundy was in the background.” (15:46–15:56)
• Memorable Quote:
  • Listener: “We started our relationship almost 25 years to the day after that Easter morning. And next Easter, we’ll be married. Sorry, Jesus. It's our holiday now.” (15:09–15:17)
• Notable Moment: The hosts note they’ll share the (real!) photo on Instagram.

4. Easter Egg Dye Disaster

[15:46–18:38]

• Summary: Listener Taylor, as a 3-year-old, eats what she thinks is Easter candy—only to find out she devoured the entire box of Easter egg dye pellets. The frantic call to Poison Control (all was OK).
• Host Reactions:
  • Karen explains to Georgia, “They literally look like sweet tarts.” (17:30)
  • Georgia: “Dude, I'm fucking 45 and…that's the first time I've learned that.” (17:45)
• Memorable Quote:
  • “We are exploratory eaters. Stay sexy and don't be shy to get up when your children do.” (18:37)

5. Billy the Cockatiel’s Easter Escape

[22:34–27:30]

• Summary: Heather recalls her family’s “mean little cockatiel” Billy—brought home as her mom recovered from surgery. On Easter Sunday, Billy escapes. Dad, Tom (a plumber), goes on a small-town wild bird chase, climbing trees and recruiting locals. After hours, Billy gives up and hops onto Tom’s finger to ride home.
• Host Reactions:
  • Karen: “Exactly. Let that bird go.” (26:52)
  • Georgia: “Billy’s Easter Escape is still a family legend, told at every holiday...” (27:06)
• Notable Quote:
  • “He was a loud, stubborn, weird little guy and we loved him for it.” (27:28)

6. The Chaotic Pub-Led Easter Egg Hunt

[27:53–32:11]

• Summary: Charlotte shares the tale of her sprawling, sarcasm-fueled English family taking over a Welsh lodge complex every holiday. One Easter, the men are left in charge of the kids’ egg hunt… after hours at the pub. The result: “the most unhinged Easter egg hunt ever conceived”—dangerous clues, impossible hiding spots, and middle-aged men forced to complete the hunt themselves.
• Host Reactions:
  • Karen: “There was no logical route. There was no mercy.” (30:35)
  • Georgia: “I love that. Just chaotic uncles everywhere. It's just drunk. Chaotic uncles is... such a good vibe.” (32:11)
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Stay sexy and don’t let drunken men plan anything. Or maybe do.” (32:08)
• Notable Moment: The family still returns every year; the pub hunt is now holiday lore.

Notable Quotes

• “Dogs and babies. Like, trust them.”
  Georgia, on supernatural instincts — [06:37]

• “I've listened to the My Favorite Murder episode about him!”
  Anonymous Listener, Fred Newlander story — [07:51]

• “Sorry, Jesus. It’s our holiday now.”
  Listener on reclaiming Easter after the egg hunt reunion — [15:17]

• “We are exploratory eaters. Stay sexy and don't be shy to get up when your children do.”
  Taylor, on the dangers of unsupervised kids and food — [18:37]

• “He was a loud, stubborn, weird little guy and we loved him for it.”
  Heather, about Billy the cockatiel — [27:28]

• “Stay sexy and don’t let drunken men plan anything. Or maybe do.”
  Charlotte, reflecting on chaotic family traditions — [32:08]

Host Highlights

• Karen and Georgia riff on the power of dogs and babies to detect the supernatural.
• Karen explains Easter egg dye kits to Georgia, who missed that childhood tradition.
• Both hosts delight in small world moments (shared childhood Easter photo, temple/famous murder connection).
• Affection for family lore, animal chaos, and the inevitability of holiday disorder fills every story.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Haunted House Story: [03:45–06:21]
• Fred Newlander Seder: [06:43–08:44]
• Childhood Easter Egg Hunt Reunion: [13:03–15:46]
• Easter Egg Dye Disaster: [15:46–18:38]
• Billy the Cockatiel Escape: [22:34–27:30]
• Pub-Led Easter Egg Hunt: [27:53–32:11]

Closing Notes

• Georgia: “This is going to be a tradition from now on.” [32:26]
• Both hosts encourage listeners to send in more stories—especially interfaith or hybrid Passover/Easter tales.
• Standard sign-off: “Stay sexy and don’t get murdered.”

For fans of true-crime, the weirdness of family life, and holiday chaos, this minisode is brimming with classic MFM humor and heart.