In January of 2015, a neighbor in Apple Valley, Minnesota glanced through a front window and saw what he thought were mannequins on the floor. They weren't. David Crowley, his wife Komel, and their five-year-old daughter Rani had been dead for nearly a month — and a black handgun lay nearby. Investigators called it a murder-suicide. But Crowley wasn't just any filmmaker — he was the man behind Gray State, an independent film depicting a government takeover of America that had already raised over $60,000 and drawn the attention of anti-government movements across the country. To his supporters, the answer was obvious: David Crowley wasn't a killer. David Crowley was silenced.

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: A Minnesota man espousing a coming “New World Order” was found dead with his family in 2015. Was it a murder-suicide as investigators say, or could it be that the government had him silenced to keep from speaking the truth? (Death of a Conspiracy Theorist) *** A girl finds out her family all her life had hidden the fact that she grew up in a haunted house. But the secret came out when she found the photos that were taken of the evidence ghosts left behind. (We Only Knew It As The Entity) *** In the early 1900s women simply weren’t usually allowed to take part in murder investigations. But Mary E. Holland was no ordinary woman. And the case of Margaret Grippen was no ordinary murder. (A Famous Woman Detective and The Murder of Margaret Grippen) *** For your next move to a new home, do you want a little peace and quiet? Something a bit more secluded so you can get away from nosy neighbors? You might consider Garnet, Montana… population zero. It’s scenery is beautiful, but nobody wants to live there – despite the government offering to pay people to do so. Why is that? (The Montana Town No One Wants To Live In) *** In Louisiana’s Honey Island Swamp, you’re sure to find alligators, turtles, snakes, and other creepy critters. But legend has it, the swamp is home to something that is much more wild. (Swamp Monster of Honey Island)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:00:56.485 = Show Open
00:03:06.863 = Gray State: Death of a Conspiracy Theorist
00:12:52.629 = Montana Town No One Wants To Live In ***
00:24:53.651 = A Famous Woman Detective And The Murder of Margaret Grippen
00:31:02.520 = We Only Knew It As The Entity ***
00:51:37.445 = Swamp Monster of Honey Island ***
00:58:53.664 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

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SOURCES and RESOURCES:
“Gray State: Death of a Conspiracy Theorist” by Pat Pheifer for the Star Tribunehttps://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yf6chbzd; and David Neiwert for SPL Center https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8anexh
“Gray State” 2013 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igH_7EndvyM
“Gray State: The Rise” uncompleted documentary from 2015: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5651026
“A Gray State” 2021 documentary: https://amzn.to/3Xuik5A
“Gray State” Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/graystatemovie
“Justice For David Crowley” Facebook page: https://facebook.com/justicefordavidcrowley
David Crowley Speaks at Ron Paul Festival in 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDqdOjfNXcU
“A Famous Woman Detective And The Murder of Margaret Grippen” by Kathi Kresol for Haunted Rockford:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mv8fav3k
“The Montana Town No One Wants To Live In” by Brad Smith for Relatively Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/u8v636vf
“We Only Knew It As The Entity” by Jessica Moffitt for Huffington Post (INCLUDES PHOTOS): https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc3w7zfe
“The Swamp Monster of Honey Island” by Cole Kinchen for Pelican State of Mind: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3e4dp8fn
Book: “Honey Island Swamp Monster Documentations” by Dana Holyfield: https://amzn.to/3iOKcmf
Film: “The Legend of the Honey Island Swamp Monster”: https://amzn.to/3WhwNAL
(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Originally aired: January 18, 2023

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/GrayState