On a cold March evening in 2023, police in Englewood, Colorado responded to a 911 call from 81-year-old Reginald Maclaren. Inside his upscale apartment, they uncovered a scene so brutal, it would briefly dominate headlines before vanishing just as quickly. The victims were Reginald’s wife and daughter. They were two women who lived quietly, knew no one, and left behind almost nothing. It was their bodies, and the way they were found, that told the horrifying story of their deaths. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

In a quiet Ohio suburb where families mow their lawns and kids ride bikes on the sidewalks, police uncover a bloody scene: two decomposing bodies, Regina Capobianco and her friend John Mann, buried beneath trash inside a modest home. As investigators peel back the layers, they don’t just find evidence of murder; they find broken families, desperate choices, and a trail of secrets that stretches from prison cells to nail salons. In a quiet, family-friendly town, someone let a killer through the front door. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

When Sean Lannon arrived at his uncle Mike’s house in March 2021, it appeared to be the start of a family tragedy. But, as investigators investigated further, a much darker story started to come to light - one that spanned across states and years, prompting everyone to question how well they truly knew him. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

In June 2022, in the quiet city of Alton, Illinois, Heidi Noel found her 22-year-old daughter, Liese Dodd, savagely murdered in her apartment. A disturbing investigation uncovered missed warning signs, a fractured relationship, and a chilling unraveling. This is the story of a young woman who gave too many chances to the wrong person - and the silence surrounding her final moments. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

When 23-year-old Ellie Weik vanished from her West Chester, Ohio home on July 29, 2018, her journal entries and messages revealed a dangerous presence in her life. Over the course of a month, detectives unraveled a web of deception, catfishing, and stalking, all leading to someone she already knew. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

We sometimes get things wrong. In this exclusive interview with Kim Dixon, sister to Zachary Penna's victim from Episode 181, she joins us to tell us why.

Over the course of the last year we've spoken to many different people from all walks of life. We asked them one simple question: "If there was one thing you could change about the criminal justice system, what would it be." This final episode of Season 2 is a compilation of their answers. We're joined by criminal defense attorney Christopher Zervic, as well as the guys and gals from The Generation Why Podcast and the Thinking Sideways Podcast. The cast of guests includes: Jason Lucky Morrow from HistoricalCrimeDetective.com, Julie Strickland, Charles Graeber author of the book The Good Nurse, true-crime author Dianne Fanning, clinical psychologist James M. Cantor, Dr. Michelle Elliott, Thought Catalog author M.J. Pack, documentary filmmaker Jan-Willem Breure, and Noreen Gosch from The Johnny Gosch Foundation.

The topic of abortion is a highly controversial one, with emotionally-charged opinions on either side. Regardless of how you feel about the topic, this story about abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell illustrates the workings of a man who has lost his humanity and no longer cares who he hurts on his path to profit. The Women's Medical Society, the clinic with a grandiose name that Gosnell ran, was a pill mill by day and an illegal abortion clinic by night. It is estimated Gosnell earned well over a million dollars conducting illegal late-term abortions. Many of the women who came to the clinic were poor and easily fooled by Gosnell and his staff of unlicensed "doctors" who administered dangerous drugs to the unsuspecting patients. Even after two patients died, the Philadelphia Department of Health did nothing, due to political pressure. Had it not been for a tip related to illegal prescription medications, bearing Gosnell's name, the clinic may still be operating today.

There's something about the perceived safety of an automobile's cab that makes many of us feel like we are impervious to danger, yet danger is all around us. In this episode, we examine two cases which seemingly began with a road rage incident and ended with murder. In the first case Robert Doyle shoots and kills Candelerio Gonzalez in front of his own home and then holds the victim's family at gunpoint. Case number two is the death of Tammy Myers at the hands of 19-year-old Erich Nowsche, a young man who seems to have lost his way. Ironically, the victim in this case was trying to help Nowsche before the incident. These cases vastly differ and deal with issues such self-defense, child abuse and drug use. Also, CNN Legal Analyst Danny Cevallos joins us to walk us through some of the legal intricacies of the castle doctrine and stand-your-ground themes which hovers over both of these cases.

On a quiet January morning in rural Pennsylvania, Rhonda Smith went to work at her church and never came home. What started as a shocking act of violence inside a place of worship slowly unraveled into something far more personal. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered whispered jealousies, blurred boundaries, and a devotion that may have crossed a dangerous line. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com