True Crime

True Crime Conversations

True Crime Conversations explores the world’s most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. Hosted by Gemma Bath.

Latest Episodes:

According To A Criminologist, Keli Lane Shouldn’t Be In Prison. Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

On September 12, 1996, Keli Lane gave birth to a baby girl at Auburn Hospital in western Sydney. Two days later that baby seemingly disappeared.

After years of investigation, Keli was convicted of her daughter's murder in 2010 and sentenced to 18 years behind bars. But did they get it wrong?

Keli Lane’s story has been compared to the wrongful conviction of Lindy Chamberlain. It’s been pulled apart and analysed for years.

So is she a baby killer? Or is she a woman, misunderstood?

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Listen to our episode with Richard Baker 'Inside One Of Australia’s Longest Running Cults' here.

CREDITS

Guest: Xanthe Mallett

You can listen to her podcast Motive And Method here.

Host: Gemma Bath

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Scott Stronach

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How ‘Cocaine Cassie’ Really Survived Three Years In A Colombian Prison Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

After she was caught trying to smuggle 5.8kg of cocaine out of Colombia in 2017, the media nicknamed her ‘Cocaine Cassie’. But Cassie Sainsbury’s life in a tough Colombian prison was so much more complicated. And interesting.
In this episode, she speaks to Mia Freedman about prison life: the abuse, the relationships, the sex. And what happened afterwards.

You can hear the second half of Mia's conversation with Cassie here.
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Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au

Need more lols, info, and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here.

CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman. You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

Executive Producer: Kimberley Braddish

Audio Producer: Madeline Joannou

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Women Kill And The Lives They Live Behind Bars [fresh episode] Jan 05, 2025

Show notes

Women are responsible for only 10 per cent of homicides in Australia, Canada, England, and the US, and because it’s such a small sample size not much research has been done into the motives and behaviours that drive female killers.

Dr. Kathryn M. Whiteley, a feminist criminologist, has been researching women who kill for over 20 years. She’s spoken to more than a hundred women behind bars, many of whom are serving life sentences with no chance of parole.

Dr. Whiteley’s focus is on telling their stories and understanding their experiences and perspectives in their own words.

You can listen to Dr Kathryn’s conversations on her podcast Self Identities: Conversations With Convicted Women here.

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CREDITS

Guest: Kathryn M. Whiteley

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Her Abuser Behind Bars, Dassi Erlich Is Ready To Talk Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

In 2023, Malka Leifer was sentenced to 15 years in prison for 18 counts of sexual abuse against Dassi Erlich and her little sister.

Leifer was the sisters' former high school principal, and when whispers of their allegations came to light in 2008, she fled from her home in Melbourne to Israel before any formal complaint could be made.

It took 70 extradition hearings and 13 years to bring her back to Australia. But finally last year, Dassi was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Leifer was finally going to pay for what she’d done.

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CREDITS

Guest: Dassi Erlich

You can find out more about her memoir In Bad Faith here.

Host: Gemma Bath

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Thom Lion

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eve Wiley’s Father Was A Serial Sperm Donor… And He’s Not Alone Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

Eve Wiley is one of the featured voices in the Netflix series The Man with 1000 Kids, but the story of how she came to be a fierce advocate for victims of fertility fraud is a deeply personal one…and one you have to hear to believe.

In this episode of No Filter, Eve Wiley tells Mia Freedman how she finally found out that she is the child of fertility fraud and how she discovered who her biological father was - a discovery that turned her world upside down and transformed her into a fearless fighter for the women and families who’ve been harmed by fraudulent and serial sperm donors.

Through her work, she’s successfully lobbied for the creation of laws that criminalise conception deception - but as you’ll hear, her fight is only just beginning.

You can learn more about Eve Wiley here.

If this story has brought up any hard emotions, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.
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Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.
Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.

CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman

You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicole Madigan Is Still Being Watched By The Woman Who Stalked Her [fresh episode] Dec 29, 2024

Show notes

In 2018, while taking a picture of her son at a gathering, Nicole Madigan had a brief encounter with a stranger who asked her if she was photographing a man named Adam.

The exchange felt bizarre, but Nicole thought little of it. That is, until later that night when she received a text from the woman. What started as one odd message soon spiralled into years of harassment, ultimately leading to the woman, Karissa, being charged with stalking. But even in 2024, a conviction hasn’t stopped her.

Nicole joins Gemma on True Crime Conversations to share her story. A journalist herself, with extensive experience investigating stalking, Nicole has written a book about her experience.

Read Obsession: A journalist and victim-survivor’s investigation into stalking, here.

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CREDITS

Guest: Nicole Madigan

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Doomsday Cult And Two Missing Kids Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

In November 2019, police conducted a welfare check on seven-year-old JJ Vallow. He hadn't been seen since September, and police will come to realise that neither had his teenage sister Tylee.

They've stumbled onto a web of lies that are about to unravel. Affairs, mysterious deaths, a doomsday cult, and at the centre of it all two missing children. And a mother who isn’t trying to find them.

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CREDITS

Guest: Leah Sottile, author of When The Moon Turns To Blood

And host of the Two Minutes Past Nine and Bundyville podcasts.

Host: Gemma Bath

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Rhiannon Mooney

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tia Levings Escaped A Trad Wife Cult Dec 25, 2024

Show notes

Tia Levings was raised within the same strict Christian fundamentalist ideology as the infamous Duggar family from 19 Kids And Counting. By the time she was 19 years old, Tia found herself in an abusive marriage where the violence was sanctioned by the church.

In this must-listen episode of No Filter, Tia tells Mia Freedman about the ways she was groomed to be a Trad Wife, and the moment she knew she had to run for her life. This is a story of indoctrination and survival, of reinvention and strength…but it is also about the thousands of other women who haven’t escaped the Trad Wife movement, and the new ones who are joining every day.

You can hear the second half of Mia's conversation with Tia here.

You can find out more about Tia and her book, A Well Trained Wife, here.

You can follow her on Instagram here.

And if you need to talk to someone, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

THE END BITS:

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CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman

You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Leah PorgesMamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside One Of Australia’s Longest Running Cults [fresh episode] Dec 22, 2024

Show notes

The Geelong Revival Centre, one of Australia’s longest-running cults, has been hiding in plain sight for years. Led by Pastor Noel Hollins until his death in 2024, the ultra-conservative church controls every aspect of its followers' lives.

For the past two years, investigative journalist Richard Baker has collected disturbing audio recordings from Hollins and testimonies from survivors. They’ve told him stories of alleged physical and sexual abuse, emotional stories of families being torn apart by strict rules and disturbing allegations of medicine being banned.

Due to legal constraints, he’s been unable to share it… until now. You can listen to Richard's podcast Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder here.

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CREDITS

Guest: Richard Baker

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Baby Doll Serial Killer: America’s Most Unsuspecting Murderer Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

In the winter of 1999 in Detroit, Michigan, sex worker Monica Johnson entered a Jeep Wrangler with the licence plate 'Baby Doll' with a client.

That client, John Eric Armstrong, brutally murdered her and placed her body face down on the sidewalk, before returning home to his wife and young son.

Monica was one of several women he killed between 1992 to 1999 before the police finally closed in.

Journalist and author B.R. Bates, co-author of The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides, is one of the few individuals who has interviewed Armstrong himself.

You can find The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides here.

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CREDITS

Guest: B.R. Bates

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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