My Favorite Murder: Rewind with Karen & Georgia — Episode 85: Live at the Boulder Theater

Air Date: February 25, 2026 (originally aired September 7, 2017)
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark

Episode Overview

In this special "Rewind" episode, Karen and Georgia revisit their live show from the Boulder Theater (2017). With fresh commentary, they reflect on their early podcast days, the Boulder/cult true crime connection, and how their approach as true crime fans has evolved over the years. Alongside playful anecdotes about altitude, fart jokes, Boulder adventures, and gifts from Murderino fans, the episode features two compelling Colorado cases—John Agru and the “Spider Man of Denver” (Theodore Edward Coneys)—and an audience hometown story of the infamous Hi-Fi Murders. Throughout, Karen and Georgia blend humor with thoughtful reflections on true crime ethics, fan boundaries, and their podcasting journey.

1. Revisiting Boulder (02:02–15:57)

Pre-Show Memories & Altitude Antics

• Setting the Scene: Karen and Georgia share giddy memories from Boulder, Colorado—cold air, altitude sickness, and fan energy.

  • Karen recalls telling Georgia before the show, “It's a much smaller room, so just know if they're quiet doesn't mean we're doing bad. It's just smaller.” (03:08)
  • The two reminisce about hitting an oxygen tank backstage and the theatre staff offering help:
    • Georgia: “I fucking hit that oxygen tank backstage so hard...” (04:13)

• On-Stage Banter & Local Color:

  • Pandering to Boulder: "Last night we were at Denver, and you guys are cooler. Pandering, pandering, pandering." (03:45)
  • Karen and Georgia trade jokes about farting, belching, and the effects of high altitude—symptomatic of how relaxed and silly they’ve gotten on tour.
    • Georgia: “Everyone's gotten really comfortable with the farting situation...I did it and nobody laughed, so I was like, did I offend them?” (05:06, 05:21)

Fan Interactions & Boulder Adventures

• Stories about Steven (their producer), pet toys from a Murderino vet, and a “Bigfoot Necklace” found at Buffalo Exchange.
  • The necklace encounter:
    Georgia: “When you saw it, we both bent down and hit heads.” (08:15–08:25)
  • Boulder thrift store stories, mistaken shop-lifting, and fan run-ins ("shut the front door!" incident).
    • Georgia: “She had a giant SSDGM necklace on. I was like, no, she—she didn't mean it like that.” (09:31–09:38)

Reflections on Rituals, Connection, and Podcast Beginnings

• Pre-show “prayers” for luck—usually invoking absurd “deities” like Taylor Swift and Groupon:

  • Georgia: “Last night, I said, ‘dear Buddha’...I went, ‘dear Groupon.’ And then we were like, the prayer’s over, that's all we need...” (11:38–11:57)

• Visiting JonBenét Ramsey’s House:

  • A mix of excitement and discomfort about the “dark tourism” side of true crime:
    • Karen: “As we pulled Up...we thought they were richer than this.” (12:55–13:07)
    • Georgia: “I still remember the creepy feeling of just looking at this house that I had seen in pictures. And it just like was this pressing reality of, like, oh, something really, really awful happened...” (23:14–23:47)
  • Audience and personal reckoning with being ethical true crime fans:
    • Karen: “How are we participating in this?...making sure people understand...we did it and it didn't feel good. So think about that...” (22:13–22:20)

2. First Case: The Murders by John Agru (25:58–41:02)

Presented by Georgia
Story starts at 25:58

The Case

• Victims: Susan “Susie” Becker (20), Orma Smith (94)
  • Susie found stabbed in Boulder Canyon (July 1, 1982). Orma, a librarian and neighbor of suspect John Agru, found in a nearby stream a week later.
• Suspect: John Agru, formerly convicted for stabbing his 14-year-old sister-in-law in 1966.
  • Georgia: “He had dumped his sister-in-law's body in a stream in Illinois and had been sentenced to prison...released on good behavior after 16 years.” (33:45–33:47)
  • Linked to Orma’s murder through DNA on cigarette butts found at the scene, but charged only for an attempted abduction of another woman.
• Twists:
  • Agru evaded charges, later confessed to his niece, and threatened her.
    • Georgia: “[He] said to her, ‘you know how to kill someone and get away with it? Just become their friend. And then anything police get they can't use against you because you're their friend.’” (36:10–36:20)
  • The niece’s tip led to the case’s reopening. DNA confirmed Agru’s involvement, but he died of an overdose before prosecution (2010).

Commentary & Reaction

• Georgia and Karen reflect on lost justice—and the “dangerous neighbor” trope.
  • Georgia: “At least he's dead.” (39:52)
  • Karen: “He self medicated himself off this planet.” (39:52)

3. Second Case: The Spider Man of Denver (Theodore Edward Coneys) (41:26–84:57)

Presented by Karen
Story starts at 41:26

The Case

• Victim: Phil Peters, 73-year-old widower in Denver, murdered October 1941 in his locked home.
• Mystery: Lockdown house, whispers of haunting after the murder, and repeated inexplicable noises and ghostly sightings by neighbors.
• Discovery:
  • After a neighbor sees a face in the window, police finally catch Theodore Coneys living in a tiny attic crawlspace, where he hid for 9 months, eating stolen food and sneaking through the house at night.
• The Murder: Coneys, a sickly transient acquainted with Phil years prior, had broken in for food and decided to secretly live in the attic (small enough “that a man would have to be a spider to stand it so long”), and killed Phil Peters after being caught robbing the fridge.
• Investigation:
  • Police found a “filthy, emaciated man” and a stinking, makeshift attic home with an ironing board for a bed.
    • Karen: “It's got a bed that's made of an ironing board...he's got a bunch of...torn up magazines everywhere...” (67:01)
• Coneys’ Mindset:
  • Karen, quoting Coneys: “Then I got bold, and I used to shadow him from room to room. It was sort of a game. Gave me a thrill. It was the first time in my life I'd ever had anyone at my mercy.” (80:30)
• Outcome:
  • Coneys confesses, is dubbed "The Spider Man of Moncrieff Place", and dies in prison after 23 years.

Host Banter & Highlights

• Karen’s obsession with the case (“This is what I'm in it for right here.” 41:32), imagining a film adaptation with vintage horror/slapstick, auditioning each other, and casting "Bill Pullman" or "Tommy Lee Jones" as Phil.
• Commentary on 1940s house culture, and the absurdity of women being unnamed in historic news articles.
  • Karen: “She was always Mrs. Peters. Yeah, it was 1940. Let's all be grateful that we live in 2017.” (50:16)

4. Hometown Story: The Hi-Fi Murders (88:02–95:45)

Told by audience member Megan
Story starts at 88:02

• Brief: Gruesome 1974 Ogden, Utah, hi-fi shop murders—involving robbery, torture (Drano poured into victims’ mouths and ears), and senseless violence.
  • Megan: “So, 1974...Shelly Ainsley...works with Stanley Walker...these three bastards come in and try to kill these people. They tie them up. They dump Drano down their ears.” (89:08–89:30)
• Outcome: Most victims died, but survivor Courtney Naisbitt became an advocate for victims’ rights (though he died in 2002).
• Karen and Georgia, with Megan, react with horror, dark humor, and supportive applause for telling such a hard-hitting case.

Corrections & Clarifications (93:54–95:45)

• Sherry, not Shelly, was the victim’s name.
• Two people survived: Courtney Naisbitt and Stanley’s father, Orin Walker.
• The getaway driver did serve time, but later died by suicide in 1992.
  • Georgia: “Megan mentioned the getaway driver still being out there...that's not correct. Keith Leon Roberts...in 1992, he took his own life also.” (94:36)

5. Reflections, Ethics, and Podcast Growth (20:40–25:50; 95:45–98:08)

• On being new true crime fans in 2017, podcasting without a “rulebook,” and growing to understand boundaries and empathy:

  • Karen: “We were trying to figure out who we were as true crime fans, because there isn't one way...the rules are obvious...Now the rules are obvious and...we all understand the assignment. But 2017...the way we did it wasn't a thing yet.” (21:47–22:57)

• On the evolution of the show from “innocent” beginnings to a full-scale network, the uniqueness of the Murderino community, and the responsibility that comes with a bigger platform.

• New segment suggestion: Naming episodes after weird snippets — e.g., “Dear Groupon” or “Sailor Salute."

  • Karen: "If you were naming it today based on some ridiculous ass thing we said...maybe we would call it, well, Dear Groupon..." (95:48–95:58)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Georgia (on being ethical fans): “It does matter...making sure people understand, hey, we did it and it didn't feel good. So think about that.” (22:20)
• Karen (on Spider Man case): “This is what I'm in it for right here. A creepy guy in the attic.” (41:42)
• Karen (on true crime evolution): “It truly is like someone came up and gave us, like, acid and then was like, okay, go walk down that path. See what happens.” (23:03)
• Georgia (on boundaries after JonBenét tour): “Someone was like, are you going to go to her grave? And I think we said absolutely not...we now know what the boundary is.” (25:16)
• Georgia (to Megan): “You are amazing...That's how we do it.” (93:40–93:45)
• Karen (Spider Man of Denver): “A man would have to be a spider to stand it so long up in that place.” (84:56)

Key Timestamps

• 02:02 — Begin Boulder show rewind; fan gifts, pre-show rituals.
• 12:13–25:50 — JonBenét Ramsey house reflections, Boulder as true crime fan experience.
• 25:58 — Georgia’s story: John Agru case.
• 41:26 — Karen’s story: “The Spider Man of Denver.”
• 88:02 — Hometown story: The Hi-Fi Murders (audience participation).
• 93:54 — Corrections/clarifications on the Hi-Fi Murders.
• 95:45–98:08 — Reflections, episode-naming games, closing thoughts on Boulder.

Tone & Style

• Laid-back, irreverent, and warmly self-deprecating.
• Signature Karen & Georgia humor—swapping between silly tangents (celebrity sightings, Buffalo Exchange mishaps, fart jokes) and sensitive, thoughtful asides about victim empathy and responsible fandom.
• Willingness to admit past missteps, learn, and advocate for “doing better”—a recurring theme in this reflective “rewind.”

In Summary

This “Rewind” episode delivers a nostalgic, self-aware look back at one of MFM’s earliest live shows. Karen and Georgia’s commentary accentuates their growth from “baby” podcasters to leading voices in the true crime fan community, never shying from self-critique or laughter—even at their own expense. True crime is treated with empathy, boundaries, and a community spirit, and no matter how dark the tales get, their mutual support and spirited improvisation keep things vibrant:

• Karen: “We try.” (25:49)
• Georgia: “We do. We'll still fuck up and we'll try to learn still.” (25:50)
  In other words: Stay sexy, don’t get murdered, and don’t forget to laugh along the way.

SSDGM