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144. Susan Smith: The 1994 Case That Shocked America
31:46||Season 1, Ep. 144On October 25th, 1994, Susan Smith reported that a Black man had carjacked her vehicle at gunpoint with her two young sons still inside. Three-year-old Michael and fourteen-month-old Alexander were gone, taken by a stranger into the South Carolina night.For nine days, the nation watched as Susan and her husband David made tearful pleas on television for their children's safe return. "America's children," the media called them. Thousands of tips poured in. Law enforcement from across the country joined the search.But investigators were noticing inconsistencies. A traffic light that shouldn't have been red. A friend who wasn't home. Small details that didn't add up.On November 3rd, 1994, Susan Smith confessed to the unthinkable: she had driven to John D. Long Lake, strapped her sons in their car seats, and let the car roll into the water whilst she stood on the shore and watched them drown.Tonight on Crime at Bedtime, we examine the case that shocked the world.ONTENT WARNING: This episode contains detailed descriptions of child murder and maternal filicide. Listener discretion is strongly advised.CRISIS SUPPORT - If you or someone you know needs help:Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Crisis:UK: Samaritans - 116 123 (24/7)US: 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineAustralia: Lifeline - 13 11 14International: findahelpline.comChild Protection:UK: NSPCC - 0808 800 5000US: Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline - 1-800-422-4453Australia: Child Protection Services - 13 12 78International: childhelplineinternational.org
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143. The Murder of Kristil Krug: When a Stalker Was Closer Than Anyone Thought
31:34||Season 1, Ep. 143When Colorado mom Kristil Krug started receiving threatening messages from an ex-boyfriend she hadn't seen in twenty years, she did everything right. She documented the harassment, reported it to police, installed security cameras, and even hired a private investigator. For two months, the stalker sent increasingly violent threats, claiming to watch her every move and sending photos of her husband arriving at work.On December 14th, 2023, just eleven days before Christmas, Kristil was found bludgeoned and stabbed to death in her garage. The investigation into her ex-boyfriend's whereabouts would lead to a shocking discovery: he had an airtight alibi and had never sent a single message.So who was terrorizing Kristil Krug? The answer was closer than anyone could have imagined and the digital evidence would reveal a calculated deception that lasted months.Tonight on Crime at Bedtime, we uncover the truth behind Kristil Krug's murder.Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of domestic violence, stalking, and murder. Listener discretion is advised.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or stalking, please reach out for help:UK: National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247 or visit nationaldahelpline.org.ukUS: National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233Australia: 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732International: Visit hotpeachpages.net to find support services in your country
142. Tom Phillips Case: The True Story of New Zealand's Four-Year Manhunt
29:13||Season 1, Ep. 142In December 2021, Tom Phillips vanished into the dense New Zealand wilderness with his three children—Jayda, Maverick, and Ember—triggering a nearly four-year manhunt that gripped the nation. Using his expert survival skills and knowledge of the rugged Waikato region, Phillips evaded police, elite military trackers, and an $80,000 reward while allegedly committing armed robberies to survive. The search ended violently in September 2025 when Phillips was killed in a shootout with police after breaking into a rural supply store, critically wounding an officer. His three children were found safe at a remote campsite and returned to their mother. This is the extraordinary true story of obsession, survival, and the tragic end of New Zealand's most wanted father.
141. The Plot to Kidnap Holly Willoughby: Inside Gavin Plumb’s Obsession
29:36||Season 1, Ep. 141In October 2023, police knocked on Holly Willoughby’s door with a warning: a stranger online had drawn up a detailed plan to kidnap, rape and murder her. In this episode, we break down who Gavin Plumb is, how his obsession escalated in secret chats like “Abduct Lovers”, what investigators found in his flat, and how an undercover officer helped stop the plot before it began.
140. Held Hostage in Stockholm: The Bank Robbery That Changed Psychology Forever
25:22||Season 1, Ep. 140Four hostages. One armed robber. Six days inside a Stockholm bank vault.What unfolded in Sweden in 1973 wasn’t just a crime. It was a psychological phenomenon the world had never seen before.As police surrounded the bank and negotiations dragged on, the hostages began to fear law enforcement more than the man holding them captive. They refused to testify against him. They defended his actions. They even raised money for his legal defence.This baffling response would later be labelled Stockholm Syndrome.In this Crime at Bedtime episode, we reconstruct the infamous Stockholm bank robbery step by step. The robber’s plan, the police missteps, the emotional pressure inside the vault, and the aftermath that reshaped psychology, hostage negotiation, and criminal profiling forever.
139. The Tim Bosma Case: The Test Drive That Ended in Murder
29:50||Season 1, Ep. 139In May 2013, Hamilton father Tim Bosma advertised his pickup truck for sale and agreed to let two men take it for a test drive. He never came home. What began as a routine sale quickly turned into one of Canada’s most disturbing modern murder cases.In this episode of Crime at Bedtime, we walk through the final night Tim was seen alive, the frantic search that followed, and the investigation that led police to wealthy heir Dellen Millard and his friend Mark Smich. Step by step, we follow how a missing-persons case became a homicide investigation, what came out in court, and how the evidence revealed a planned and senseless killing over a truck.If you’re drawn to Canadian true crime, cases built on digital trails and witness timelines, and stories that start with something as ordinary as answering an online ad, settle in and let the Tim Bosma story unfold.138. Marcus Schrenker: The Financial Advisor Who Faked His Own Death in a Plane Crash
30:04||Season 1, Ep. 138Marcus Schrenker was a successful Indiana financial adviser with a luxury lifestyle, a private plane and a growing list of angry investors. In January 2009, as lawsuits and investigations closed in, Schrenker climbed into the cockpit of his Piper and made a chilling choice: he radioed a distress call, set the plane on a crash course towards Florida, and bailed out with a parachute, apparently hoping the world would believe he had died in the wreck.In this episode of Crime at Bedtime, we walk step by step through Schrenker’s rise as a high-flying money manager, the complaints that began to surface about his investment schemes, and the night he tried to fake his own death at 25,000 feet. We follow the trail from the abandoned plane to a campsite in Florida, the manhunt that followed, and the fraud charges that finally caught up with him.If you’re drawn to stories of white-collar crime, elaborate escape plans and con men who think they can outsmart everyone, this is one to settle in with as you drift off to sleep.