Hannah & Patia Were on My Favorite Murder!

Summary

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The Knife: A True Crime Podcast

Episode: "Hannah & Patia Were on My Favorite Murder!"

Podcast: The Knife: A True Crime Podcast – Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
Date: January 1, 2026

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Overview

In this crossover episode, hosts Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff of "My Favorite Murder" welcome Hannah Smith and Patia Eaton, co-creators of the new podcast "The Knife," to discuss the show's origins, their storytelling philosophy, and their approach to empathetic true crime journalism. The conversation spans their creative partnership, what sets "The Knife" apart, behind-the-scenes techniques, and reflections on the deep impact of crime stories. This episode serves both as an introduction to "The Knife" and a meta-conversation about the ethics and emotions of true crime podcasting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Genesis of "The Knife"

• Origins: Hannah and Patia describe transitioning from the podcast "The Opportunist" to create a show focusing on first-person narratives and the long-term effects of crime on individuals.
  • Quote: "We spent a lot of time focusing on these bigger stories...but...an interview with one victim of a crime would stick with us, and we would end up having to cut so much...this could be a story in and of itself.” – Patia Eaton [03:41]
• Philosophy: They wanted more freedom, intimacy, and depth.
  • Quote: "When someone was the victim of a crime, that crime was then [reverberating] throughout their life...Even 10, 20 years after, it was still so recent for them." – Hannah Smith [04:45]
• Pitching the Show: After feeling constrained by "The Opportunist"'s format, they presented "The Knife" to the Exactly Right network, who immediately embraced it.
  • Quote: "It was like a hard yes, immediately, of course." – Karen Kilgariff [03:22]

Hannah & Patia’s Creative Partnership

• How They Met: Met working on "The Opportunist." Hannah was originally rejected for the job but persisted—highlighting resilience.
  • “Persistence is everything.” – Hannah Smith [06:44]
• Complementary Skills: Their backgrounds in film, TV, and podcasts fused organically.
  • "It was just this instant sort of feeling of like, oh, yeah, we're gonna be making things together." – Patia Eaton [07:25]

Ethos of Empathetic True Crime Storytelling

• Victim-Centric Approach: Focus is on giving space for people affected by crime to narrate their experience, from trauma to aftermath.
  • "We tell them before the interview, ‘We want this to be your story. We’re going to help guide you...because we want it to be as authentic as possible.'" – Hannah Smith [13:27]
• Non-Predatory Interviews: The hosts stress the importance of never "springing" things on subjects, allowing them to feel safe and heard.
  • "We’re not trying to ‘get’ people...We really want people to feel comfortable and open up to us." – Patia Eaton [10:55]
• Example: Georgia praises their handling of an episode in which victim Doroon was allowed to narrate deeply before gentle prompting.
  • “You’re not directing it. You’re not interrupting. Clearly you are leading that conversation where you’re allowing people to open up to you.” – Georgia Hardstark [11:49]

Diverse Crime Stories & Season Preview

• Range of Stories: Includes survivor stories, domestic violence, scams, cults, wrongful convictions, and identity theft.
  • "We're gonna try to cover a lot of different types of crime. Really, the unifying theme is the approach that we take to storytelling." – Patia Eaton [15:26]
• Season Structure: Each episode is a standalone narrative with accompanying "Off Record" episodes for looser discussion and listener engagement.

The "Off Record" Episodes

• Behind-the-Scenes: These episodes are less polished, more interactive—addressing mailbag questions, discussing research methods, and grappling with ethical dilemmas.
  • "We're gonna have some of those conversations, like, on mic...so that, you know, listeners can be part of that." – Patia Eaton [17:10]
• Storyteller Perspective: Opportunity to tell cases where no direct interview was possible or delve into stories that didn’t fit the main show’s structure.

Journalistic Process and Impact

• Research Tactics: The hosts are known for deep, multi-hour research and creative sleuthing ("Google cult plus cat").
  • "I found that story by Googling, quote, cat cult." – Hannah Smith [23:52]
• Real-World Impact: Sharing stories fosters connection and attention to cases, sometimes even leading to breakthroughs or renewed investigations.
  • "Sometimes it just takes, like, not a professional, but, like, fresh eyes and energy into doing something." – Hannah Smith [28:57]

Ethical Considerations

• Editorial Integrity: The team often withholds certain content for privacy or ethical reasons.
  • “We have to level with them. We're not gonna touch that...If it comes up in an interview, we're not gonna…make the episode.” – Hannah Smith [22:19]
• Balancing Sensitivity and Storytelling: Grapple with the balance between public interest and the needs/consent of those directly affected by crime.

Community & Legacy

• The Importance of Storytelling: The role of true crime podcasts in helping victims feel seen and heard, even when cases remain unsolved.
  • "That idea that someone feels heard becomes really important in the work that we're doing and is, I think, something we don't want to lose in our storytelling." – Hannah Smith [40:24]
• Connection with Listeners: Listeners sometimes reach out with their own stories, fostering a community of support and awareness.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I wonder if Karen and Georgia would hear this pitch.” – Hannah Smith [05:18]
• “If they have a podcast about popcorn, the answer is yes.” – Georgia Hardstark [05:38]
• “It’s just like instant sort of feeling of like, oh, yeah, we’re gonna be making things together.” – Patia Eaton [07:25]
• “You guys are so good at that. I’m so impressed...talking about cold calling people.” – Karen Kilgariff [10:36]
• “I could do a Survivor podcast. I love Survivor.” – Patia Eaton [16:21]
• “So much attention on it...keeps it fresh in people's minds and you just never know what that could lead to.” – Patia Eaton [33:19]
• “The heart of crime stories is just humanity. And I just agree with that so wholeheartedly." – Patia Eaton [36:22]
• “No one is like, well, I kind of expected that to happen to me.” – Patia Eaton [38:53]
• “You never think it's going to be you.” – Hannah Smith [38:57]
• “It's definitely like the most fun I've ever had. It's great.” – Hannah Smith [41:06]
• "Does it feel exactly right?” – Georgia Hardstark [41:45]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:35] – Formal introduction of Hannah Smith & Patia Eaton
• [03:41] – Why "The Knife": Focusing on first-person victim narratives
• [04:45] – The aftermath and reverberations of crime
• [06:13] – How Hannah & Patia met
• [08:42] – Hannah's persistence and creative drive
• [10:36] – Ethics and method of cold outreach
• [11:49] – Techniques for delicate interviewing
• [13:27] – Structure/approach to conducting interviews
• [14:40] – Preview of story types covered on "The Knife"
• [16:56] – Discussion on “Off Record” episodes and listener engagement
• [22:19] – Editorial discretion and ethical journalism
• [23:52] – Cat cult story discovery process
• [25:10] – Communicating with law enforcement
• [26:10] – Reporting stories in person and its impact
• [28:57] – Example of real-world impact and community reaction
• [36:22] – True crime as an exploration of humanity
• [40:24] – The healing power of storytelling for victims
• [41:20] – Affirmation about the show’s reception and impact

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a compelling deep dive for new and returning listeners, clarifying how "The Knife" distinguishes itself in the true crime space—with an emphasis on narration, empathy, and responsible journalism. Hannah and Patia’s rapport with Georgia and Karen highlights the collaborative, community-driven ethos of Exactly Right.
Their shared stories, vulnerabilities, and inside-jokes ("popcorn podcast," "cat cult," "Survivor") add levity and authenticity. Ultimately, "The Knife" promises to be a thoughtful, impactful addition to the true crime genre, prioritizing the often-silenced voices of crime survivors.

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Transcript

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is exactly right.

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[Patia Eaton]

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[Hannah Smith]

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[Patia Eaton]

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My favorite love.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hello and welcome to my favorite murder.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's Georgia Hartstar.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's Karen Kilgariff.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And today we have some very special guests to show you. They are luminaries in the true crime Podcast space. You probably know them from their work on the amazing podcast the Opportunist.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And now they have a brilliant new podcast that's gonna be living right here in our little universe of exactly right media. It's called the Knife, and It premieres on March 27th. We're so excited to have Patia Eaton and Hannah Smith here with us from the Knife podcast.

[Hannah Smith]

Yes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been so thrilling, so exciting. We finally gotta tell everyone and now you're here on the network. Welcome.

[Hannah Smith]

It's the best feeling.

[Patia Eaton]

We're so excited.

[Hannah Smith]

So excited.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. When you guys came with this idea, we were. It was like a hard yes immediately, of course. What made you guys come up? Like, what was your. Because you came off the Opportunist, you still wanted to do true crime, but this is like kind of heavier, darker stuff. Like, what made you want to get into that. That world a little more.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah. So, you know, we had a lot of time doing the Opportunists to sort of think about what it is that we like about the stories that we're telling. And we spent a lot of time focusing on these bigger season stories where we're interviewing 8 to 10, which is fantastic and a great way to tell stories. But Pesha and I would talk a lot about an interview that we did with one victim of a crime that would stick with us, and we would end up having to cut so much of that in order to serve this bigger story. And we would talk about. But this could be a story in and of itself. This could be an episode. And so when we decided to do a show together, we and wanted to do, like, more personal, intimate, and more in depth stories with people whose lives have been impacted by a crime. And so that we can hear the whole story from the incident all the way through the aftermath and just really sit with those stories and give them time and space. Yeah, yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

It became really apparent that when someone was the victim of a crime, that crime was then, like. What's the word? Reverberating throughout their life. Even when we would talk to people where something happened 10, 20 years before, it was like, still just so recent for them in a way. And that felt really powerful to us. And also just the freedom to tell stories that weren't in such a specific lens. Like on our last show, which was really cool, but also left us with like, we'd send each other articles and it's like, oh, it doesn't fit the show. And we didn't want to be bound by that anymore. And we just thought, I wonder if Karen and Georgia would hear this pitch.

[Patia Eaton]

Yes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And we were like, hell, yes. Hell, yes. Hannah, when you were on my favorite murder, I think it was, like, three years ago, or wasn't that Covid.

[Hannah Smith]

Oh, my God.

[Patia Eaton]

That's a long time ago. A blur.

[Georgia Hardstark]

25 years ago. That was one of our most popular episodes. Of course, I have listened to every episode of the Opportunist, which I know you also produced and worked on too. So, yeah, I mean, you guys, the second Danielle was like, oh, Hannah Smith and Patia Eaton have a pitch. We're just like, the answer is yes. If they have a podcast about popcorn, the answer is yes.

[Hannah Smith]

Well, that was our next pitch, so happy to hear that. Yay. Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yay. I'm glad we picked this one. Yeah, exactly.

[Patia Eaton]

We're going hard for kettle corn.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Patia Eaton]

Very controversial.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Did you guys meet on the Opportunist? Is that where you first started working together?

[Patia Eaton]

We did, yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

We met on the Opportunist.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

I emailed the CEO of the company that, you know, oversaw the Opportunist owned that show, and I was like, I wanna work in podcasting, but I've never done it before. Like, would you. Can I interview on something? And I ended up getting an associate producer interview on the show. Didn't get it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that's right.

[Patia Eaton]

I was like, no way.

[Hannah Smith]

I was not.

[Patia Eaton]

I did not make that decision.

[Hannah Smith]

Persistence is everything.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

And, yeah, from then on, I. So I joined the Opportunist in April, role of 2021.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah. Yeah. And so I. I did the first season. So you came on season two. And, you know, I had been. That was, like, the biggest break of my career at that point. I'd been working in podcasting since 2017, and I had also been thinking a lot about, like, wanting a creative partner. You know, I worked. I'd been around people that had creative partnerships, had really, like, you know, envied that and hoped for that. And Pasha came to start working on the show, and even though it was like her first foray into podc, she'd worked in film and television a lot. She's a great writer and was doing this career transition, which is something that I had also done into podcasting a few years before. So it just. As soon as we met, it was like, oh, we're both on this same trajectory, and we're fascinated by the same kind of stories. And it was just this instant sort of feeling of like, oh, yeah, we're gonna be making things together. And so it's Just so exciting that now we're doing that with our own show.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's real.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I love that.

[Hannah Smith]

It's the best thing ever. Yeah. When I first started working with Hannah, you know, I was just an associate produce. I was like, can I just start giving feedback on scripts? And so I was really comfortable with that working in scripted tv. And so I was just like, hannah, here's an alt for all your narration. Just take it or leave it. And eventually it was like, yeah, okay, I like that. And from there, the show was a success, and we were like, we want to make something else, but we don't have any time. And then all of a sudden, we did. Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I love that you guys have this perfect. This combination of the, like, podcast, like, wanting to be in podcasting, and then the pandemic kind of overlapping, and it's just this, like, really cool. I don't know, like, this, like, drive that you both had that just. You made it happen. You made it. And it's just so impressive and, like, it's so cool.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It is. I was gonna ask. You got rejected the first interview. Did you go back immediately? Like, I would if I. I remember interviewing at the warehouse when I was 17, and I didn't get the job, and I'm still really upset about it.

[Hannah Smith]

I. You know, I was like, I wanted the job, and I remember being disappointed. But I also still had a job at that point. I was working at a production company that was under a POD at Warner Brothers, and I wasn't in, like, okay, I need a job right now, which was helpful. But I also, you know, at that point was like, there are other podcast jobs. And so I started applying, and I didn't get those either, but it gave me hope, because at that point, podcasting was like, you know, there was this boom that happened because especially with the pandemic, being able to make things remotely was everything. You can't do that in tv.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right.

[Hannah Smith]

And so I just kept applying, and actually, someone from that company reached out, and I interviewed again, and, you know, desperation, and I got the job.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes, but you had experience by then because you did the really cool thing of just. And I think this is. We can totally relate to. Of just like, well, then I'm gonna do it on my own. And you did that and, you know, prove your point that you're like, this is where you should be.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. It was like this moment for me of I had tried really hard to, like, make it as a TV writer, and I had been in a couple comedy rooms, and that was so exciting. I was a writer assistant. Then I got my first credit, and I'm in the wga and then nothing. Right. And that was just, you know, I wanted more control over being able to, like, get a job if I was working really hard and getting better at it. And so podcasting gave me that. So, yeah, I found a missing person's case. I spent all my extra time working on it, and I just kind of taught myself how to, like, not be offended when someone hangs up on you and ask the right questions and, like, find people's information online.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You guys are so good at that. I'm so impressed. And it, like, makes me sweat listening to you guys talk about, like, cold calling people.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But you both do it in a way that is, like, so kind. You don't spring things on people. You don't have that everyday, like, predatory thing that some.

[Patia Eaton]

We're not trying to, like, get people. We're not trying to. Gotcha. We can get some information out of you. You know, we really want people to feel comfortable and open up to us, but it does mean you have to get a lot out in, like, 20 seconds before they're like, I think this might be a spam call, and hang up on you.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, my area code is, like, Maple Valley, Washington. And they're like, excuse me, who? You live in Los Angeles. Click.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You think that helps, that it's like, Washington?

[Hannah Smith]

You know, only if it's someone in Washington. But sometimes it is. Yeah, it's. It's a. I think it's just you have to get a little more comfortable with being hung up on people telling you not to call back and just accept that, like, that's their prerogative and it's part of it. But most of the time, people will hear you out whether or not they agree to interview. And that was something that was really exciting to me. I'm like, I get to just be nosy. Yeah.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

This is unbelievable. I love this.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But then when those interviews actually take place in your first episode, in your interviewing Doroon about her attack, there's this amazing part when I was listening to it for the first time, where she is speaking for a while and getting people to really talk about these experiences is, I'm sure, a very delicate thing. She's talking and talking, and then you ask one quick question. I was like, she's there. Hannah is there. So you're. It's like you're not directing it. You're not interrupting or anything. Like, clearly you are leading that conversation in this way where you're allowing people to kind of open up to you. Is that how did you learn that skill?

[Patia Eaton]

I don't know how I learned that skill. I think, like, maybe I'm not sure. I mean, sometimes our interviews go for a very long time, and sometimes I'm like, well, maybe if I were a better interviewer, I could really accomplish this in one hour instead of two and a half. But I just think, like, listening to people, being able to just create that space and let people talk about an experience that they've been through that sometimes is very traumatic and hard for them to talk about. But one thing we've also encountered a lot is that especially a lot of times when we interview people who'd been scammed, they would say things like, wow, you know, people in my life knew that this happened to me, but like, no one's really taken the time to sit down and just let me, like, tell the whole thing. And that feels good that we're able to let people do that. We're able to hear their story as well as share it with the world. And yeah, I mean, that's a meaningful thing to me. So, yeah, yeah. I don't know.

[Hannah Smith]

I mean, before we do an interview, we, you know, do whatever amount of research makes sense for that story and have questions per se prepared. And sometimes we ask two of these questions because they get answered on their own. But it's really like, what is something that we think is really interesting about this person's story or their. The way that they reacted to something that happened to them. And so those kinds of questions are always top of mind when we're listening. But I think it's also, we tell them before the interview, like, we want this to be your story. We're going to help guide you through telling it because, you know, jumping around through time, oh, I remembered this thing that happened. And we want to be there to help them, but. And make them feel comfortable. But, you know, we try really hard to just keep it as authentic as possible.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, yeah, you guys have some really. It's a hard job. Your first episode with Jarun is so, I mean, emotional. It's this awful attack that she, I mean, fought back like a badass, but experienced are like, tell us more about the season and then the episodes that you guys are going to be doing. Is it just kind of more of these incredible cases?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, I mean, we have, you know, that's part of our drive for doing this kind of show is all manner of stories. And, you know, we have people like Doroon who, you know, they're on a morning run and something awful happens to them and they're fighting for their life. And then there's the aftermath of that. We have people who are in a domestic violence situation with a spouse and the complications of that because you own a home with someone, you have children with someone, and how do you get out of that situation or how did this person get out of that situation? And then, you know, we love a scam story when I love a scam cult story.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cult stories.

[Patia Eaton]

We have a wrongful conviction story coming up that is really powerful. Great.

[Hannah Smith]

Identity theft.

[Patia Eaton]

We're gonna try to cover a lot of different types of crime. Really like unifying theme is the approach that we take to storytelling. And just hearing firsthand from someone who. Whose life was altered because of a crime.

[Hannah Smith]

It's cool.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Amazing.

[Georgia Hardstark]

If you were forced and you might be to do a different podcast of.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Any genre, popcorn aside.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I mean, yeah, we've got the popcorn one on the decks that's being. That's in development now. But have you ever thought of doing. Just going completely out of the genre and doing anything different?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Vanderpump rules maybe.

[Hannah Smith]

I mean, I could talk about anything. Bravo. For sure. But no, I mean, I. We have just spent so much time at the like over the last year and seven months working on true crime podcasts. It would feel so unusual. But yeah, I could talk about anything. Bravo. That's what I could bring that to the table.

[Patia Eaton]

I could do a Survivor podcast. I love Survivor.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, it's a good show.

[Patia Eaton]

So television, maybe. Even though we watch different television, Very.

[Hannah Smith]

Different television, there's some slight overlap within True crime. Really?

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

But I've been trying to get Hannah to watch the Real Housewives, for example, to no avail.

[Patia Eaton]

Hasn't happened yet.

[Hannah Smith]

I feel you fight the good fight. Yeah, well.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But the off record episode is a little bit different. It is kind of. It is new for you guys, right? Something that is a little more like chatty and less fully produced. Fully journalistic. Yeah, I want to think about that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

For you guys listening. They have the episode, full episode of the Knife and then the off record episod are kind of the. It's almost like the kind of like.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A mailbag episode or like a recap episode from the main episode or like a mor info.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, you know, we've sort of like to think of them as. It could be a lot of different things. We love the idea of mailbag answering listener questions and being able to interact with people in that way. We also, you know, we Are going to talk a little bit about the conversations that Paisha and I have making true crime podcasts. Like, we have so many conversations to do with. Sometimes it's like cold calling people or ethical conversations about how we portray different stories. So we're gonna have some of those conversations, like, on mic, so that, you know, listeners can be part of that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Great.

[Patia Eaton]

Let's also tell true crime stories.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, true crime stories. Also an opportunity for us to tell stories where we didn't get the right interview, but, like, wow, this is a fascinating story. And now I get to tell Hannah all about it. And maybe we've, like, had it on our list for a while, but no one had had time to do a deep dive until now.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, you guys are like, I swear, you feel like a parallel universe us, but you guys have a lot more.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Homework to do than you actually do your homework.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Do your homework. You guys are, like, really smart.

[Hannah Smith]

It's chronic at this point. We're like, okay, we need to make this one really quick and easy. And then eight hours later, which.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, but I'm hoping, like, part of the off record is an attempt to get away from that, to have more conversations with each other without having to do tons of homework, but we'll see.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, I do think the audience will be so fascinated because that is the piece that you never get from a limited series or the series that are more journalistic and a little more formal and need to be. But I just love that idea that you guys kind of like, yep, we can do that and we can do this, and then you can tell us what you thought of that, and then we're gonna do another one. It's like a really fun kind of, like, backstage feel.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, it's fun for us to talk about it because we love the job so much. And also just this, like, hybrid of journalism and storytelling. And we're not investigators, but we are, like, making a podcast. And I think that's, you know, maybe a lesser known skill set for sure.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And you guys did. You did it in such a cool way. As I said earlier, just the way you were like, I want to be in podcasts. Or like, I know you guys were listening to Serial when it came out, and it's like, oh, this is a thing we can do. And I feel like we have had the exact same thought of, let's just start it. Let's do this. And I think that's really, like, it's empowering. Yeah, totally. I think people are going to really love to hear about that.

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[Julian Edelman]

C Studio for details this is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. This message is brought to you by Pizza Hut because if you're yelling Hut on Sundays, why not yell pizza first?

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

So Pizza Hut just put out one of the coolest, like funniest challenges maybe ever.

[Julian Edelman]

Pizza Hut. What is it?

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

Basically, if a quarterback says pizza before they say hut, Pizza Hut will give that quarterback city a pizza party.

[Julian Edelman]

Is this real? Yeah.

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Isn't that crazy?

[Julian Edelman]

You think coaches are bringing this up in team meetings?

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You think a pizza party is worth a false start?

[Julian Edelman]

Or what if they got the other team to jump off sides with a Pizza Hut?

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Hey, whatever it takes this time of year.

[Julian Edelman]

A hundred percent. This weekend, let us know if you hear Pizza Hut. I know I'll be listening.

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Patia Eaton]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

In your years of research and having to do those deep dives, and I know it's, you know, depending on the subject, but is there anything you've ever uncovered, learned a factoid, like something crazy? I just always picture you guys working like late at night with one light and you're like, you know, on LexisNexis, like trying to figure stuff out. Like, do you. Can you just like recap one moment where you had like that kind of journalistic Nancy Drew discovery or anything.

[Hannah Smith]

There have definitely been things said on preliminary calls where we're just getting some background information where we're like, we have to level with them. We're not gonna touch that. You know, like, that's not gonna come up. And if it comes up in an interview, we're not gonna, it's not gonna make the episode. Whether that's maybe, you know, something that we don't agree with, value system wise, or accusations. You know, people have very different experiences within a crime story and will really get fired up about it. And so, you know, figuring out how to make sure that person feels heard. But also we want to do it, right?

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, there's the research and then also there's learning things from conversations with people just because, like, you know, there's the headline and then there's an article and then maybe there's a longer form article if you're lucky. And then, you know, I'm like, okay, where's the documentary or where's the book or where, you know, and then you hit like a stop where there's just nothing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

More like a Reddit thread, maybe.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, maybe there's a Reddit thread. And you know, I think, like, I've always just been like, what's. What else? Like, I just have more questions. And so then through, you know, finding someone who was like, oh, yeah, that was, you know, yeah, I was there or whatever and I knew that person. And then, oh, great, will you talk to me? And then, you know, having a two hour long conversation with that person, there's so much that will come out. Like I'm thinking about like season three of the Opportunist we did with the.

[Hannah Smith]

Cat cult and which I found that story by Googling, quote, cult plus sign cat quote, end quote. And I'm like, I wonder what's out there.

[Patia Eaton]

Just for cats.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, it's so fun.

[Hannah Smith]

And then there's one little article came up and I was like, I don't know if I should pitch this to Hannah. Is this too much? She's like, I love it.

[Patia Eaton]

It's like, this is the exact kind of story I want to tell.

[Hannah Smith]

Genius.

[Patia Eaton]

And then when we had a conversation with Mary, who is married to this man who used to be married to the cult leader, during the interview, she revealed to us that there was an attempted murder involved with the story where she had befriended this guy years later who was her, you know, assassin, essentially that the cult leader had Tried to convince him to kill her and her husband, and he didn't. And then years later, they became friends. So that was a moment where this whole other aspect to the story opened up. And we're like, wait a minute. What? Like, there's also, like, you know, a potential attempted murder here. So there's, you know, that was a big moment, but there's a lot of moments that happen like that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's amazing. How has it been, like, in your line of work? How is law enforcement communication going for you guys? It seems like that would be a tough one.

[Hannah Smith]

It is, and it's not. It's like, if there's a case where, you know, it's case closed, someone's been convicted, sentenced, usually there's law enforcement who will happily talk about it because it's maybe something they consider a career accomplishment, and maybe it is. But if the case is still open, it can be a lot more difficult. And, you know, when we do those interviews, they can still be very useful for information, but you're not gonna get someone to, like, reflect or give you anything beyond, you know, a very, like, by the book answer. And that can be challenging, but I would say overall, pretty good.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I do wanna know more about the interviews you do with the people involved in the case. The first off record episode is so incredible about these missing. And you got friends to talk, you got family to talk. Yeah, I mean, that's like. And you went there in person too. Like, that just has to change everything.

[Hannah Smith]

It did. It changed everything. You know, I went to the DA's office and, you know, sat down with an investigator who had previously been a detective on the case when he was earlier in his career. It was incredible. I got to. I fell in love with it because I met so many people I would have never met. And, you know, I got immersed in this story and really got to understand how current it all was for them still. You know, their friends had gone missing, you know, 20 years earlier, and they're talking about these memories that are so vivid for them and also unpacking it with me for really the first time for a lot of them, because it was a small town and the same theories had circulated. And I just thought, like, this is such a privilege that these people are taking this complete stranger into their home. I had a little Olympus recording thing that I got for like 20 bucks. And I'm, you know, they're just talking to me. And they didn't care that I had no previous podcasting experience. They only cared that someone wanted to hear Their story.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

And that really hit home and was like, I'm so motivated to do this now. And then, you know, I got my job on the Opportunist got much busier. Wasn't really sure how to end the story. I was so new to it.

[Patia Eaton]

And you recorded, like, multiple episodes and put them together. Yeah, I don't remember how many, but I'm one of the few people that have the privilege of listening to it. And it was really good.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Amazing.

[Patia Eaton]

But the case was still unsolved, and you didn't have. You weren't sure how to end it.

[Hannah Smith]

I wasn't sure how to end it. And I also felt conflicted about some of the tape because, you know, there were two missing teens, Jeremy Bechdel and Aaron Foster. And Jeremy's family was very open with me. Aaron's family was much less. And I started feeling conflicted about putting so much out there without their support. And that was something I was thinking a lot about. I didn't have the confidence in my storytelling ability that I have after having done it now. But it was just so interesting to, like, I'm gonna get access to a case file. I'm gonna get to go ask these people questions. And, you know, I didn't break news with this story, but I was able to sort of piece together enough to be like, I know that they left that party, and I know that after that party, they went to Aaron's house, and I had only ever heard or read that they had left that party and never been seen again. And that was enough for me to be, like, sometimes it just takes, like, not a professional, but, like, fresh eyes and energy into doing something. And I didn't solve that case. They did. And they. With the help of this YouTube diver, exploring the nug.

[Patia Eaton]

Spoiler, spoiler, spoiler.

[Hannah Smith]

But it was so amazing because I had built so many relationships in that town that when as they're literally pulling the car up from the river, people are calling me.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

And I was like, oh, my gosh. And so then I felt this weight of, like, well, I now have all of these relationships with Jeremy's family members. I need to call them. And, like, did you inform them? One of them. I informed him because he had been calling me, and we had been playing phone tag. And then it felt strange, and I just said, I don't have any details. I've just heard that Aaron's car was found in the river, and you need to call Sheriff Page.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's incredible.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, it was. You know, I didn't want to make those phone calls, certainly. But when you're talking to people every day for a long time, they're wanting to talk about it with you and it was just a great experience. And also, I think with missing persons cases, for me there's that hope. And even though, you know, after 20 years, I think hope dwindles, but I really liked that aspect of it and that was just, it was exciting.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's so cool.

[Karen Kilgariff]

As a cold case junkie, I really was just. That story was incredible.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, and also that's such a good point that like when something happens to people, a trauma, like all of a sudden just your child is gone, you're, you know, they're just, there's no explanation and people help you for a little while and then just nothing. The idea that you are left to process that or just, or not because you don't get any answers, it's not the same as like, there's a death in the family. It's just, it's a total void. And like, you know, you describing it that way, it's like, it must be incredibly powerful to have someone come and say, I care about what this is and I wanna help in some way. I do. That is what I love about the true crime community is like, there are so many sincere, sincerely caring, like professionals and non professionals that are like, what can I do? What could I look up, up online? Like, what could I research?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And it also was very eye opening in the way of like, it's easy to say, oh, you know, why didn't the, why didn't local law enforcement do more? Obviously they didn't run away to Florida. They, they left a paycheck behind. Like all of these like quote unquote, like obvious things that had happened or not happened and blame. But when you talk to all of these different people, it's like, you know, well, wait a minute, that, that office had one computer at the time. So that means these notes are handwritten and then typed out. And how many notes are you taking if you're writing something by hand?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Totally.

[Hannah Smith]

And what does this game of telephone really look like? Even if you're trying your best? What was the training at the time? It wasn't. So then it was like, okay, I have to take a step back because it's not one person's fault. It wasn't like there were a lot of things that should have gone differently and didn't, but it made me take a step back and think about how little you really get from reading an article. And I just wanted to know more.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Do you have a story like that of something that's happened where you're just getting involved kind of turned things a little bit that's like that maybe journalistic satisfaction that you get to have sometimes?

[Patia Eaton]

I don't know if I have a story quite like that where that, where it gets solved. A missing person's case, I mean, that's pretty incredible. Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

But certainly, like, you know, we've talked to people that have reached out to Hannah from just knowing her, from the opportunist and said, well, what about my story? Can you look into this? And, you know, I think that is a cool place to be. Like, someone thinks that I care enough to look into this and like, actually do some research. And I think that that's also a really, like, great thing about being able to connect with listeners.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, like, you know, I've never. Yeah, I've never solved a case or anything like that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's season two.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, that's coming. But, you know, just being able to bring it to, like, people's attention, to continue to keep attention on these things as we were just talking about, I think means a lot. And you never know what that can do. It's like, you know, Pesha didn't solve this case, but the fact that there was so much attention on it, I don't know, it keeps it fresh in people's minds and you just never know what that could lead to. So that's what I usually tell people when they're like, I have this case and, well, I'm not able to solve it. I'm not an investigator. But we can certainly tell that story and then hopefully that will help you connect to other people or resources to hopefully make some leeway there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

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[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. This message is brought to you by Pizza Hut. Because if you're yelling hu on Sundays, why not yo Pizza first.

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

So Pizza Hut just put out one of the coolest, like, funniest challenges, maybe Ever.

[Julian Edelman]

Pizza Hut. What is it?

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

Basically, if a quarterback says pizza before they say hut, Pizza Hut will give that quarterback city a pizza party.

[Julian Edelman]

Is this real? Yeah.

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

Isn't that crazy?

[Julian Edelman]

You think coaches are bringing this up in team meetings?

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

You think a pizza party is worth a false start?

[Julian Edelman]

Or what if they got the other team to jump off sides with a Pizza Hut?

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

Hey, whatever it takes this time of year.

[Julian Edelman]

100% this weekend. Let us know if you hear Pizza Hut. I know I'll be listening.

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[Karen Kilgariff]

You guys have that thing that I think that people who are into true crime, like we are Martarinas, which is this like, like, curiosity about the way humans work and the way these decisions people make affects everyone's life around them. And you can hear that in the podcast. This curiosity that you guys have, that's so pure, and I totally identify with it.

[Patia Eaton]

Totally. I mean, I think that so many people who love true crime feel that way. Right. And it makes me think of actually this episode of a podcast that you sent me years ago. It's a criminal episode. We know you do. You all love criminal the best as well. Yeah. So good. And she was interviewing Errol Morris. You know, he was talking about crime stories and always just stuck with me. He talked about, like, the heart of crime stories is just humanity. You know, it's. And I just. I just agree with that so wholeheartedly. You know, in all of these stories, of course, there is some incident, some dramatic incident. Right. But, like, within that, there are stories of people surviving or people seeking justice and the complications of what that looks like. What does that even mean? And how people hurt each other and how people try to heal and what that does to an individual person and to a community. I mean, it is just humanity. It's like how we all live together. And that is just endlessly compelling.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. It makes me think of the episode and the opportunist. And look, the opportunist was great. Congratulations. Your new podcast is amazing. Thank you, thank you. But, you know, I just have the memory of you talking about the people who invested in the guys who were claiming that they were going to go find this sunken treasure boat. And so it's that kind of story where it's like, this is not a murder. This is not, you know, one of those kind of stories. It's a scam story that as it went, it just became more and more heartbreaking as I listened to it of, like, these people who. It's like, it's easy to go like, oh, well, you made a mistake, or that was a dumb investment. And it's like these guys went through and just methodically drained the bank accounts of retirees and, like, just destroyed these families. And then it was just kind of like, well, too bad for you. And I'm sure that there are people who, like, when. If they go through an experience like that, being able to hear somebody else be able to say it and have, you know, the validity, like, be able to give it the gravitas it deserves of like, this is horrible. It should not be happening. We should have systems set up. Or how do you. What are the next steps you take when someone doesn't just, you know, rip you off, but, like, you lose all.

[Hannah Smith]

Your money and you never think it's gonna be you, like, ever? You know, we've probably never interviewed someone and been like, oh, I could see how that happened to them. It's like, no, that could be all of us.

[Patia Eaton]

Like, yeah, no one is like, well, I kind of expected that to happen to me.

[Hannah Smith]

Right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm very gullible.

[Hannah Smith]

You never think it's going to be you. And I think there's also this, like, self exploration that happens where you're like, when you. When that feeling creeps in, like, something's not right here. This other part of you is in survival mode, being like, everything's fine, I'm sure it's okay. It's all gonna come together and like, those two voices are battling it out in your head until there's this point of no return. Know, that's not someone being naive all the time. That's just like, life. You have to trust people sometimes. And, you know, maybe a gold bar at the bottom of the ocean sounds far fetched, but it's not like this random person knocked on someone's door and said, I know where to find, you know, a sunken treasure boat. It's like this is a trusted person in the community supported by another trusted person in the community. And that goes a long way for.

[Karen Kilgariff]

People, which makes it all the more evil.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. Oh, that was a tough one.

[Patia Eaton]

That was tough.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's very satisfying that we get to host a podcast where there's the potential, where obviously there's the relation of there's a crime and then somebody gets to tell their story, be a survivor, be, you know, get their voice out there. But then that someone listening at home who might not have any of that support or any of that kind of platform gets to relate or have somewhere to go or a next steps kind of plan.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And just feel seen, like, wow, a version of that happened to me and here's someone talking about it in a way that's not pejorative or demeaning. It's just like, that could be like, I'm not, you know, the only person this has ever happened to. Something's not wrong with me. Someone did something wrong to me. And, you know, that like, goes back to even when I was, you know, researching that case in Tennessee. It's like this, this idea that someone feels heard becomes really important in the work that we're doing and is, I think, something we don't wanna lose in our storytelling.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. I think that's impossible for you guys to lose. I think that's just second nature for you. It's so cool.

[Hannah Smith]

It's definitely like the most fun I've ever had. It's great.

[Patia Eaton]

It's exactly what I wanna be doing.

[Hannah Smith]

Yay. I love it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's so exciting. It's so. I feel like people are gonna really, really love this podcast. Everyone that works here has listened to it.

[Hannah Smith]

It's just like, it's a hit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's a fucking hit. It's a hit. It's just so great.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

Great job.

[Patia Eaton]

Thank you so much. We're so excited to be here. And, you know, you all have supported us so much too. You know, shouting out the show back, you know, when we were doing it and always being like, just cheering us on and that. We always saw that and always meant a lot to us. And so, you know, it just feels like a really great place for us to be. It just feels right. And so we're really, we're happy to be here.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Does it feel exactly right?

[Orangetheory Fitness Announcer]

It feels exactly right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, then you just need to sign your life away right here.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, exactly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yay.

[Pizza Hut Challenge Announcer]

Yay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Honestly, and I mean, like, you know, this is business, but also, we adore you guys. We love the work you do. We're so proud of the show that you've made and the fact that we get to put it on our network. So thank you so much.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thanks for being here.

[Hannah Smith]

Thank you. Yeah.

[Patia Eaton]

Thank you so much. Yeah, that's.

[Hannah Smith]

It's the best feeling ever.

[Patia Eaton]

Yeah, it's great.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So the knife launches on March 27 and new episodes are up every Thursday.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Please listen and don't forget to go and follow rate, review, subscribe, subscribe, support, show up and on Instagram and Blue Sky. You can find them at the Knife Podcast. Thanks, you guys.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thank you guys so much.

[Hannah Smith]

Thank you so much for having us. We're so excited. Yay. Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Orangetheory Fitness Announcer]

Elvis, do you want a cookie?

[Georgia Hardstark]

This has been an exactly right production.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our senior producer is Alejandra Keck.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Our managing producer is Hannah Kyle Crichton.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our researchers are Marin McClashan and Ali Elkin.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murder gmail dot com.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at My favorite murderer. Goodbye.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings, I've got my game day ritual. Coffee, lucky socks, and now new morning uncrustable sandwiches.

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Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker room, New morning uncrustable sandwiches are the MVP of snacks.

[Julian Edelman]

Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here with new morning uncrustable sandwiches packed with 12 grams of protein. Running my small business was like playing basketball. Five on one and I was the one. Now QuickBooks gives me access to a team of AI agents and trusted experts for the assists.

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[Patia Eaton]

QuickBooks feature availability varies by product.

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About Shipt since I signed up for target circle360. No price markups when I order same day delivery from tons of local stores. Only a handful of alcohol retailers and items don't count. I won't lie, I've had too much fun being like markups on groceries, not in my fridge. Markups on pet food, not for my dog. Markups on tools, electronics, home goods, meds, heads, not in my house. Anyway, it's awesome. Order [e-mail] 360 terms apply.