My Favorite Murder Minisode 484 — April 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In this special themed minisode, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark read listener-submitted “hometown murders”—but with a twist: every story ties into marijuana in honor of the episode’s 4/20 release. The stories range from brushes with infamous killers, to neighborly betrayals, near disasters, generational pot mishaps, and more. The episode is packed with the hosts’ signature blend of humor, empathy, and colorful tangents as they riff on both their own high jinks and those of the listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Listener Stories

Introduction and 4/20 Theme (02:13)

• Karen and Georgia open with jokes about never having done a themed minisode, excitedly announce this episode is devoted to listeners' wildest marijuana-adjacent hometown stories.
• Georgia: “I don't even smoke it, but I fucking love that. This is a thing.” (02:40)
• Karen: "You don't have to smoke it to enjoy other people smoking it. It's kind of the best part of pot, right?" (02:43)
• Fun banter about pot stories always involving too many edibles, and Georgia’s past experience at a Tom Petty concert (“No, that was mushrooms, I think.”)

Story 1: A Close Call with Ted Bundy (03:14)

• Listener Brynlee shares a story about her grandfather, a truck driver who, in 1977, visited a friend near Aspen, Colorado. That night, Ted Bundy escaped from the courthouse, prompting police to search every car in town.
• Brynlee’s grandfather, transporting a truck full of illegal marijuana, passed through the checkpoint undetected because police were focused on catching Bundy—narrowly avoiding arrest and changing his family's destiny.
• Brynlee: “If my grandpa would have been incarcerated… my dad or I would have never been born.” (04:23)
• Karen and Georgia discuss discovering family secrets as adults and the butterfly effect of chance.

Notable Quote
Karen: “That guy must have, like, pulled over after he got through that stopping point… or gone to the first bar and been like, down to your wedding.” (05:36)

Story 2: The Good Neighbor Gone Bad (05:56)

• Listener Kim recounts her experience as a young newlywed in St. Louis whose friendly neighbor Joe helped with routine tasks.
• One afternoon, after returning to work slightly stoned from her lunch break, Kim receives a call from police. They caught neighbor Joe leaving her house with a pair of her underwear and a walkie-talkie, after being alerted by another neighbor who heard her dog barking.
• Kim panics about the weed and bong on her living room table, but the police reassure her: “Ma’am, I looked in the window and saw the weed. You’re not the one in trouble today.” (08:05)
• The incident escalates with later stalking and confrontation, ultimately prompting Kim and her husband to move.
• Georgia: “To have a neighbor like that that you just like… are constantly in fear of.” (09:03)

Notable Moment
Karen imagines hiring intimidating biker types as post-arrest protection for stalking victims: “Wouldn't it be cool if there was a service where very large and intimidating looking biker type men would be there when he bonded out, standing on his lawn?” (09:07)

Story 3: The PVC Pipe Bong and Bomb Squad (12:17)

• Listener Katie writes about her high school boyfriend, a classic stoner cliché, who built a bong from PVC pipe.
• After smoking weed on their roof, they toss the makeshift bong into the street. Later, the area is cordoned off as the bomb squad is called to examine what a neighbor believes is a “pipe bomb.”
• Karen: “It was quickly determined to not be an explosive pipe bomb, but a pipe bong.” (13:57)
• The story closes as a “real stoner miracle”—the teens weren’t caught.

Notable Quote Georgia: “Remember, we didn’t have a pipe, so you take a fucking coke can and poke holes in it and then light it on fucking fire. And we’d inhale…” (14:19)

Story 4: The “Third Man Syndrome” House Fire (15:04)

• Listener Frankie recalls nearly burning down her house after getting home buzzed and high, smoking a “shitty weed” joint at the window, but forgetting to blow out a candle.
• She’s jolted awake by an inexplicable “thump”; a chair is on fire next to her bed.
• Frankie saves her room with glasses of water in a panic, with roommates none the wiser. She credits a guardian angel (“third man”) for waking her.
• Frankie: “How the actual fuck did I wake up and who punched me? I figured it was one of my grandparents’ angels.” (16:46)

Notable Host Moment
Karen jokes about her dad’s hatred of candles: “He really, really doesn’t like candles. Cause it’s you. Of course you light candles when you’re high or drunk.” (17:01)

Story 5: Synthetic Weed and a Sinkhole (20:03)

• Listener Emily recounts a traumatic experience in Pennsylvania—accepting weed from a friend, later realizing it was synthetic “spice/K2,” leading to three days of confusion (“fishbowl vision”).
• While still high at work, a massive sinkhole opens in the mall parking lot, swallowing cars and a woman (all rescued safely).
• Emily: “This is the time I witnessed a sinkhole open in a parking lot while I was stoned out of my mind.” (22:59)
• Karen: “If there’s a lesson to take from this, it’s to not fuck with mother Earth and legalize recreational cannabis.”
• Georgia: “It doesn’t sound like it! The lesson is: don’t smoke synthetic cannabis.” (23:18–23:21)

Story 6: Dad’s Secret High (23:40)

• Listener Emily (a second Emily!) shares how, during her trip abroad, her dad house-sits, checks her mailbox, feeds her garage kitty—then leaves an out-of-character, lengthy text rundown of his activities.
• Emily later discovers two empty THC-infused strawberry lemonades in the recycling—her dad unknowingly partook, got high, and experienced a rare bout of long-windedness.
• The hosts analyze his dad-like productivity and theorize about his high experience.
• Karen: “All those pieces... he sat and watched a Netflix movie and ate lunch leftovers, yeah, sir.” (26:50)
• Emily wonders if she should ask about it directly or tease out details with sly questions.

Notable Host Exchange
Georgia: “Do I ask him directly if he knew what he drank, or do I ask a series of leading questions to try to discern how high he actually was? The latter part sounds more fun.” (26:13)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Stay sexy and visit an old friend when you have some time.” — Listener Brynlee (05:13)
• “I was like, oh, it’s okay. We don’t need to go inside. I’m sure all he took was my underwear.” — Kim, on the police wanting to search her house (07:51)
• “Don’t call the bomb squad on the bong squad.” — Katie from Bloomington (13:57)
• “At least we’re recycling.” — Georgia (15:02), after reminiscing about pot-smoking improvisation with coke cans
• “Oh my god, it’s all coming — it’s all making sense now.” — Georgia, realizing she once smoked synthetic weed (23:31)
• “You don’t have to take your clothes off to have a good time. That’s right. So don’t feel pressured about this episode that you’re supposed to like drugs. You’re not supposed to like drugs.” — Karen (27:36)

Closing Remarks and Call for Stories (27:26)

• The hosts laugh about how fast the episode went by and invite listeners to submit more “getting high” stories even after 4/20.
• Karen: “Maybe we'll do another high one just for the fun of it. It doesn't have to be 4:20 to celebrate all your fucked up stories about getting high.” (27:28)
• Usual sign-off: “Stay sexy and don’t get murdered!” (27:52)

Episode in a Nutshell

A hilarious and (sometimes harrowing) celebration of all things weed-related, this minisode’s stories are equal parts cautionary and heartwarming. Karen and Georgia’s chemistry and candor shine as they riff on everything from vintage stoner culture to neighborly nightmares to the generational evolution of getting high.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Theme Announcement – 02:13
• Ted Bundy and Averted Fate – 03:14 – 05:26
• The Troubled Neighbor Joe – 05:56 – 09:07
• PVC Bong Bomb Squad – 12:17 – 14:19
• Candle Fire Wake-up (Third Man story) – 15:04 – 17:34
• Sinkhole and Synthetic Weed Disaster – 20:03 – 23:26
• Dad’s Hidden High – 23:40 – 27:26
• Episode Close and Story Solicitation – 27:26 – 27:52

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a true crime fan or just love a great story, this themed episode of My Favorite Murder is packed with laughs, genuine moments, and a reminder that sometimes the weirdest things happen when you least expect them — and sometimes, when you’re just a little bit high.