Serialously with Annie Elise, Ep. 369

“The Car in the Garage: The Dark Secrets of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan”

Release Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Annie Elise
Studio: Audioboom Studios

Episode Overview

Annie Elise dives into a harrowing true crime case from Northern Ireland that shocked the local community for decades and only recently saw new developments: the deaths of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan in 1991. The case appeared to be a tragic double suicide staged meticulously in a suburban garage—until, nearly two decades later, a confession shattered everything the families and investigators thought they knew. With her characteristic conversational style, Annie explores not only the intricate web of lies, affairs, and cover-ups but the overlooked details, red flags, and the lasting devastation for the victims’ families.

Key Discussion Points & Timeline

1. Introduction to the Case and Setting (01:27–06:00)

• Annie introduces the Howell family, prominent members of the Knocklade Park community in Northern Ireland.
• Colin Howell: Dentist and lay preacher.
• Lesley Howell: Former nursing student, devoted wife and mother of four, described as warm, welcoming, driven, and ambitious.
• In May 1991, two families are upended by a “disgusting discovery”—a staged “crime scene” neither bloody nor haphazard but unsettlingly calm.

Notable Quote:

“The real shock, it didn’t happen inside a house, but rather it was what was found inside the garage, because a car was parked right inside the garage with a dead man in the front seat. Then a second body just quietly tucked away in the trunk, also with personal effects scattered all over it… almost staged.”
— Annie Elise (03:25)

2. The Crime Scene and Initial Beliefs (07:11–13:00)

• Discovery details revealed: Lesley found deceased in the trunk, Trevor Buchanan (local police officer) in the driver’s seat.
• Scene appeared to indicate carbon monoxide poisoning—a “classic” suicide method.
• Odd personal elements: Lesley had headphones in and family photos scattered nearby.
• Both families and the community were devastated; at first, no one questions the suicide theory.

3. Background: The Intertwined Families (13:00–19:00)

• The Howells and Buchanans were close through church and their children.
• The real twist: Colin Howell and Hazel Buchanan (Trevor’s wife) began an affair a year prior, their marriages both deteriorating.
• Annie explores Hazel’s materialism, Trevor’s devotion, and Colin’s previous infidelities.
• Both couples present a respectable façade while hiding deep fractures.

Notable Quote:

“Both Hazel and Colin expressed to one another they were just bored in their marriages. They wanted to have this sexual fantasy play out... It felt dangerous, it felt secretive.”
— Annie Elise (16:13)

4. The Hidden Truths and Red Flags (21:08–36:19)

• Details Colin’s financial irresponsibility, prior cheating, and Leslie's growing suspicions.
• Both spouses (Lesley and Trevor) confront their partners, get gaslit and lied to.
• Hazel’s unwanted pregnancy leads to a secret trip for an abortion in England.
• Affair is “exposed” to the church—but both couples try to reconcile.
• Lesley becomes deeply depressed, attempts suicide after full truth is revealed in counseling.
• Instead of supporting his wife, Colin rekindles the affair with Hazel, pushing Lesley further into despair, especially following her father's death.

5. The Double Deaths — Accepted as Suicide (36:20–39:06)

• Community believes Trevor and Lesley, crushed by betrayal, ended their lives together.
• Both Colin and Hazel begin a relationship shortly after the deaths, openly ostracized from their church, but remain together for years.
• The deaths are grieved, but the case fades from public scrutiny… until 18 years later.

Notable Quote:

“That was the story. And that's what everybody believed, and that's what made the most sense. And it was the narrative that stuck for 18 more years until the truth about what happened finally came out.”
— Annie Elise (39:03)

6. New Confession, Shocking Revelation (42:54–54:53)

• In 2009, Colin Howell walks into the police station and confesses: these were not suicides, they were murders planned with Hazel.
• Detailed description of the plan—Colin kills Lesley (while all four children sleep upstairs), then Trevor, with Hazel’s foreknowledge and assistance.
• The murder scene is staged to mimic double suicide.
• Annie highlights chilling aspects: “All four children were upstairs… He was just pumping this carbon monoxide into the house—did he not care?”
• Trevor fights for his life, but Colin overpowers him.
• Afterward, Colin tutors Hazel on destruction of evidence.

Notable Quote:

“She knew what was happening to her…. Colin was just watching from the living room doorway, having the door just cracked open enough to where he could see everything.”
— Annie Elise (53:15)

7. Missed Evidence, Investigative Failures, and Public Outrage (55:51–65:09)

• Annie reviews how police failed to question inconsistencies:
  • Loose hose, open windows, separated bodies.
  • Unexplained injuries on Trevor’s face and head.
  • No real investigation—no evidence preserved, no comprehensive questioning of the most obvious benefactors (Colin and Hazel).
• Colin only confessed after personal misfortune (“unburdening his soul” after losing money to a scam and the death of his own son).

Notable Quote:

“So it seems kind of odd to just take what they say at face value… The vacuum hose was really loose. It had a kink in it. The window next to Trevor was rolled all the way down… None of it makes sense.”
— Annie Elise (57:10)

8. Legal Consequences — Trials, Sentencing, Appeals (65:10–67:00)

• Both Colin and Hazel convicted and sentenced (Colin: 21 years to life; Hazel: life with a minimum of 18 years).
• Hazel attempts to minimize responsibility, files appeals citing mental illness, consistently rejected by courts.
• True Crime Commentator reflects somberly:

“While there's immense satisfaction that justice for Trevor has finally been achieved, there's no sense of victory and no cause for celebration, as nothing can bring Trevor and Lesley back to us.”
— (65:10)

9. The Aftermath: Abuse, Trauma, and Lingering Questions (67:10–68:21)

• Colin later confessed to sexual assault of six female dental patients, and even that he assaulted Hazel.
• Annie underscores the ripple effect: surviving children grew up mourning a supposed suicide, only to learn their parent was a murder victim at adulthood.
• The families have to grieve twice.

Notable Quote:

“They basically had to grieve their loved ones twice… think about the kids, growing up... then learning as adults their other parent is the one responsible.”
— Annie Elise (66:50)

10. Reflection, Listener Questions & Takeaways (68:21–end)

• Annie invites audience reflection:
  • Why did Colin arrange photos and headphones around Lesley’s body? Out of guilt or to sell the suicide narrative?
  • Why did investigators buy the story so readily?
  • Is any affair, any forbidden romance truly ever worth this?
  • Why not “just get a divorce”?

Notable Quote:

“Like I always say, guys, just get a divorce. It sounds so simple, but obviously it's not.”
— Annie Elise (69:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It had sex, it had drugs, it had greed, it had betrayal.”
  — True Crime Commentator (01:06)
• “Colin was never a good guy. He was a bad, skeezy slimeball from the jump… whether it was him being unfaithful to his wife, plotting a murder, assaulting women—it doesn’t matter. This guy deserves to be in hell, in my opinion.”
  — Annie Elise (66:15)
• “Certainly the revelation surprised me… hindsight is great… but nobody ever thought that until the revelations came forward.”
  — Friend of Trevor (68:07)

Important Timestamps

• 01:27 — Introduction to Lesley and Colin Howell, setting the stage in 1991 Northern Ireland.
• 07:11 — Discovery of the “suicide” scene.
• 13:00 — Affair between Colin and Hazel, church and family dynamics.
• 21:08 — Colin’s first infidelity, financial backstory, Hazel’s pregnancy and abortion.
• 36:19 — Attempted suicide by Lesley, Colin’s reaction, renewed affair.
• 39:06 — Official version of the case: suicide accepted for nearly 20 years.
• 42:54 — Colin’s 2009 confession & detailed timeline of the actual murders.
• 55:51 — Annie’s review of investigative failures and suspicious details.
• 65:10 — Legal outcomes, Hazel’s appeals, commentator’s summing up.
• 67:10 — Secondary confessions (sexual assault), focus on the psychological and familial cost.
• 68:21 — Reflections, rhetorical questions, and Annie’s closing plea.

Tone and Style

Annie’s approach is informal, chatty, and deeply empathetic—walking the listener step-by-step through the complexity, while drawing out how these “headline” crimes devastate ordinary families. She doesn’t shy from editorializing when it comes to injustice or toxic personalities (“total creep,” “dick bag,” “slimeball”). She’s engaging and relatable, often posing rhetorical questions or encouraging listener reflection—making this an immersive true crime breakdown for both newcomers and devoted followers.

Conclusion

This episode of Serialously is a comprehensive and gripping retelling of the “Howell and Buchanan garage deaths”—a case defined by betrayals, tragic consequences, systemic investigative failures, and, ultimately, the resilience of families striving to find truth. Annie Elise delivers both the facts and emotional nuance, offering her listeners the full landscape of this dark chapter in true crime history.

For discussion, reactions, or theories, Annie invites comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

For more content, check out new episodes of the 10 to Life podcast, as cross-promoted at episode’s end.