Small Town Murder

Episode: Breaking Badder - Mason City, Iowa
Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman
Release Date: November 6, 2025

Overview

In this episode, James and Jimmie dive into the tangled, chilling true story out of Mason City, Iowa—the “Breaking Badder” saga. It's a tale of small town meth, a double life, and a series of cold-blooded murders that shockingly parallel the plot of Breaking Bad, but with even less redeeming figures (and no chemistry teacher protagonist). With meticulous research and their trademark irreverent humor, the hosts untangle how ambitions, informants, and a web of bad decisions led to five brutal deaths—including two little girls. As always, they balance dark true crime with biting, comedic commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Small Town Profile: Mason City, Iowa

• Location & Vibe:
  • “Middle of nowhere... About two hours from anywhere.” (05:02)
  • Known for musical heritage and Prairie School architecture—lots of overhangs, think Japanese buildings (07:10).
• Local Reviews:
  • Ranked “#31 best place to retire in Iowa.”
  • Mixed resident reviews—some tout “big city” amenities, others call it “Hell would be nicer!!!” (13:06)
  • “Murder, arson, abductions, bestiality, gang killings, meth labs, panty thieves... Stay away.” —Host reading a local review (13:12)
• Demographics:
  • Population ~27,000; predominantly white and Lutheran.
  • Described as a place for “old people to come and drive around and do nothing.” (11:38)
  • Median income lower than national average, cheap real estate, lots of rental properties.
• Crime:
  • Property crime one quarter above average; violent crime half the national average.
  • “Except for your Victoria’s Secret… that’s gone.” (22:41)
  • Main problem isn’t murder: “It’s drugs, because it’s the Midwest and there’s nothing to do.”

2. The Murder Case: Timeline & Characters

Laurie Duncan and Family: “A Classic Small-Town Mom”

• Single mom, two daughters (Candy, 10 and Amber, 6), Navy veteran.
• Known for “finding the good in everyone.” Deeply trusted.
• Let Greg Nicholson move in—“He’s been in rehab, says he’s clean, and has nowhere to go.” (33:58)
• Hosts note, “Questionable decision—don’t bring in a guy with a meth history when you have two little girls.” (34:13)

Dustin Honkin: Iowa's Walter White—But Dumber

• Small, nerdy, “stereotypical nerd: freckles, thick glasses, into math and science.”
• Dreamed of being a pharmaceutical lawyer.
• Father was a “drunken lunatic, actual bank robber... initiated sons into a life of crime.” (39:42)
• After college chemistry class and needing money, decides: “I know chemistry. I know people. I should make my own [meth].” (45:10)
• With best friend Tim Cutkomp, moves to Arizona, sets up meth lab, starts trafficking to Iowa using trusted mules (Terry DeGeus and Greg Nicholson).

Angela Johnson: The Deadly Accomplice

• Honkin’s eventual partner and mother of one of his kids.
• Horrific, abusive upbringing—emotional abuse, exorcisms, molestation.
• “Every man worse than the last... abusive, criminal drug addicts.”
• Becomes a key player: lures, manipulates, and ultimately helps carry out murders.

3. How the Bloodbath Began: From Snitching to Slaughter

• Nicholson (the houseguest) flips after being busted: wears a wire, gives up Honkin and Cutkomp, triggering a spiral of paranoia and revenge murders.
• Laurie, Nicholson, and the girls vanish July 1993; note left to neighbor: “Had to leave on short notice, will be in touch shortly.” (38:00)
• Nicholson forced, on tape (in Laurie’s living room), to recant all snitching, then vanishes—at the same time as Laurie and her kids.

How the Murders Unfolded (Confessed Years Later by Angela Johnson):

• Johnson poses as lost Avon lady to enter Laurie’s home.

• Duncan and Nicholson forced to make video recantations at gunpoint, bound and gagged with Laurie’s daughter's green socks. (114:31)

• Johnson “took the two girls upstairs, told them to pack for a surprise trip—so they were excited.” (115:20)

• Everyone driven to pre-dug grave outside town.

• Duncan, Nicholson shot first; then the little girls—“each shot once in the head.”

  • "Amber was still wearing her swimsuit from slip and sliding.” —(124:30)
  • “Can you fucking believe... she came home all excited from slip and sliding... It’s fucking horrible.” (124:37)

• All four buried together.

• Weeks later, Johnson lures other dealer, DeGeus ("G-man"), to his death under pretense of sex; he is beaten, tortured and shot (126:49).

4. The Cover-Up, Investigations & Downfall

• Meth operation rediscovers footing, then implodes again after another partner is exposed as an informant.
• FBI and DEA flip multiple members; Honkin, neurotic and high, plans to bomb evidence warehouses, discusses killing prosecutors and witnesses on tape, brags in jail about killing all the "rats" and their families.

Witnesses and Taped Confessions

• Honkin’s cocky bravado is his undoing; wears wiretaps, talks of the “electricity of killing.” (80:15)
• In jail, “admits to anybody who will listen... to killing witnesses” (86:07)
• Plots escape with hacksaw and rope—caught when he fails to make a proper Shawshank-style hole.

5. Break in the Case: The Jailhouse Snitch & Maps to the Dead

• Angela Johnson bonds with lifer (McNeese), who tricks her by offering to “take the rap if she’ll just write out the details and make maps for him” (112:15)
• She confesses—detailed notes, hand-drawn maps, gives up everything.
• Authorities unearth the bodies: "Nicholson, Laurie, and both girls in one hole... Amber still in swimsuit... Each girl shot in the back of the head." (124:30)
• Discover DeGeus nearby—badly beaten and shot. “He died hard.” (126:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mason City:
  • “Hell would be nicer!!!” (13:07)
  • “Panty thieves? Well, when it’s 90 plus degrees, you start to lose your mind and steal panties apparently.” (13:51)
• On the case's similarity to Breaking Bad:
  • “So dude just copied this story and made Breaking Bad.” (45:20)
• On Johnson’s ethical failures:
  • “She could have just left those kids upstairs and gone... Instead, she told them, 'We're going to go on a surprise trip, pack your swimsuit.'” —James (115:20)
• On cowardice of the murderers:
  • “The kids knew shit and wouldn't know shit... They're not even reliable witnesses. You could've easily had them go in a fucking room and shut up.” (118:11)
• On Honkin’s stupidity:
  • "This is like Breaking Dumb is what this is." —James (92:32)
  • “Ocean’s 11 is a more realistic plot you could actually pull off compared to this.” —James, on Honkin’s fantasy escape plan (133:01)
• On victim impact:
  • “There will be no more talks, no more playtime, no more adventures for Candy and Amber. Your selfish act of slaughtering innocents got you a place in hell forever.” —Victim impact statement (152:42)

Key Trial & Sentencing Segments

• [140:05] Security at Trial: Extensive security, judge escorted, anonymous jury, Honkin in a stun belt and shackled to the floor.
• [149:04] Defense Summary: "Just a young man infatuated with drug manufacturing. Basically a nerd. Nerds are harmless, you know that."
• [155:45] Victims’ Relatives Speak: Most demand the death penalty; all describe deep, unending loss.
• [158:40] Honkin’s Statement:
  • "Some of you came today hoping to see me squirm... Sorry, but you’re wasting your time."
  • "I've committed wrongs both known and unknown... But never have I taken another’s life. Thought it, yes. Verbalized it, yes. Done it, no."
• [158:54] Sentencing:
  • “You, sir, may fuck off. Death penalty.”
  • Angela Johnson receives the death penalty as well, but later has it reduced to life without parole due to mitigation errors at trial.

Execution & Aftermath

• [175:19] Last Meal: “Dinner from Pizza Hut... Large pepperoni pizza, 2-liter Coke, breadsticks. $33.11.”
• [178:00] Final Words: Recites "Heaven-Haven" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, ends with Hail Mary.
• [180:25] Newspaper Summary:
  • "Reads like a made-up thriller with a cast of characters drawn together by drugs, money or pure bad luck... A plot too outrageous for real life."
• [172:41 & 173:08] Judge’s Take: The judge, personally against the death penalty, says, “If anyone deserves to be executed, it’s that motherfucker right there, that squirrely little nerd asshole.” —Mark Bennett

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 05:02 – Geographic/character overview of Mason City
• 13:06 – Infamous “Hell would be nicer!” review
• 38:00 – Laurie Duncan’s disappearance and “We’ll be in touch shortly”
• 45:10 – Honkin’s “Walter White” meth business origins
• 80:15 – On tape: “Once you go a certain distance, there ain't no turning back.”
• 114:31 – Angela Johnson’s detailed confession: the Avon lady ruse, forced videotapes, and murders
• 124:30 – Discovery of the burial site; heartwrenching details (“Amber still in swimsuit”)
• 140:05 – Details of trial security; Honkin shackled during proceedings
• 152:42 – Victim impact statements
• 158:54 – Verdict: Death penalty
• 175:19 – Execution day, last meal, final poem

Tone & Takeaways

• Language & Mood:

  • True to the hosts’ style: dark, unsparing, and bracingly irreverent, but never at the expense of victims or their families (“Why is that, James?” “Because we’re assholes. But we’re not scumbags.” — 04:27)
  • They combine deep research with scathing, often cathartic jokes about the killers’ stupidity, selfishness, and hubris.

• Core Message:

  • The story isn’t just about meth—the real horror is how multiple adults’ bad choices and cowardice ended the lives of truly innocent people, especially two little girls.

For Listeners Who Haven't Heard the Episode

This is not the story of cool, criminal masterminds—it’s a tragedy about small-town ambition running off the rails, monstrous self-preservation, and families left with nothing but grief. The hosts peel back every layer of lies, cover-ups, selfishness, and tragedy, lightening the load where they can with comedy directed only at the perpetrators and never at the victims.

Listen for:

• The jaw-dropping similarities to Breaking Bad (and why this is “breaking dumb,” not bad).
• Scathing take-downs of dumb crooks, self-serving informants, and failed “big ideas.”
• Chilling depictions of the cost of crime on small town families—and the justice system’s slow, imperfect attempts at closure.

Memorable Quote:

“Would you believe this? The only thing he ‘broke bad’ at was being a meth kingpin—he couldn’t stay out of jail for more than six months at a time.” —James (92:32)

If you need more Small Town Murder:

• Head to shutupandgivememurder.com for show dates, merch, and Patreon.
• Bonus: Their Patreon episode on the history of the death penalty gets a shout-out during the show.

Closing Note:
“Until next week, everybody… it’s been our pleasure.”