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:

How Laura Frizzo Caught The Black Widow: Part Two Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

This is the second half of a two-parter. If you haven't heard part one yet, listen here and then come back to listen to part two.

Chris Regan, a 53-year-old war veteran and father of two sons, hadn’t been seen since October 14, 2014. Weeks turned into months, and as the lakes of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula turned to ice, there was still no sign of him.

Inside Chris’ car, police had found one item of interest; a handwritten note that appeared to be directions. At first, it hadn’t made any sense. But once police looked more closely, it became clear they were directions to the home of Kelly Cochran, a colleague who Chris was having a relationship with.

According to Kelly, her husband Jason Cochran was aware of her affair with Chris. Her affairs were simply part of their marriage. She’d seen Chris a few days before he’d disappeared, but she didn’t know where he’d gone, or why he’d left.

But police knew this wasn’t true.

Kelly knew far more than she was letting on. And they were beginning to suspect so did her husband Jason.

CREDITS

Guest: Laura Frizzo

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri

Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson

Dead North is on Investigation Discovery - available to stream via Foxtel On Demand.

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

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

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Laura Frizzo Caught The Black Widow: Part One Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

Iron River, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is known for its scenic lakes, hiking trails, exceptionally cold winters and dense forest. It’s sparsely populated, and many who do live there are blue collar workers.

Laura Frizzo was the first female Police Chief in Upper Michigan and worked for the city of Iron River for almost 22 years. She knew what sorts of crimes to expect. And then came a woman named Terri O’Donnell.

Towards the end of October, 2014, 50 year old Terri arrived at the police station and told authorities that her ex-partner, Chris Reagan, was missing.

What would unfold over the following months, and then years, is a story of extramarital affairs, drug abuse and serial murder.

One woman would come to be known as the black widow - capable of crimes far worse than anyone could have imagined.

This is part one of a two-part feature.

CREDITS

Guest: Laura Frizzo

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia
Audio producer: Ian Camilleri

Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson

LINKS

The true story is dramatised in the new docu-series Dead North on Investigation Discovery - available to stream via Foxtel On Demand.

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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.

How Angela Jay Survived Her Tinder Stalker Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

It was mid 2016, when 28-year-old Angela Jay downloaded Tinder. Angela had come out of a long term relationship and had decided it was time to start dating again.

That’s when she came across the profile of a man named Paul Lambert. He had used the ‘Super Like’ feature on her, which meant he was especially interested in striking up a conversation. He was conventionally attractive with dark hair, friendly eyes, and a wide, warm smile with dimples on either side. Angela decided to reply to the 36-year-old, and quickly learned they had a lot in common.

Their first date was everything she wanted it to be. He was kind and interested, unashamed about how much he liked her. She couldn’t have known at that point who he really was, and the behaviours that lay in his past.

Then came the gut feeling that something wasn’t right.

It would end with every woman’s worst nightmare - a story that made national news and an event that Angela will remember for the rest of her life.

CREDITS

Guest: Dr Angela Jay

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson

LINKS

A link to the Ted X event in Sydney… https://tedxsydney.com/

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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.

How Nicola Gobbo Became Lawyer X Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated.

Nicola is a successful defence barrister, best known for defending Melbourne’s most prolific organised crime figures, from Carl Williams to Tony Mokbel. But things have become very messy. She wants to get what she calls the ‘Mokbel monkey’ off her back. She’s become too involved in ways she says she never intended. She’ll later say she’s tired of being stood over by criminals who are manipulating the justice system. She’s scared and distressed, and close to breaking down.

When Nicola Gobbo arrives at the courthouse and finds two detectives standing outside, words spill out of her mouth and tears fall down her face. She tells them things she shouldn’t. The detectives see this as an opportunity, and suggest something that’s never been done before.

Her decision that day would affect thousands of people, and ultimately force her into hiding.

The most resounding question when it comes to Nicola’s behaviour is: why?

CREDITS

Guest: Rachael Brown

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

Executive Producer: Zoe Ferguson

LINKS

To listen to the podcast Trace, visit: abc.net.au/trace

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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.

Janine Vaughan: The Woman Who Disappeared Into The Night Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

It was a Thursday night in December, 2001, when a woman named Janine Vaughan attended a nightclub in Bathurst called the Metro Tavern. Janine had lived in the small town, with a population of about 27,000 for the last three years, working as a manager at a local menswear shop. Hers was a face many in the community knew, considered conventionally beautiful with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big smile.

In the early hours of that Friday morning, 31-year-old Janine walked out onto George Street, a few paces ahead of her friends. She was distressed, having lost her handbag somewhere in the nightclub. A few moments later, a red sedan pulled up. Her friends were unable to see the driver, but assumed it was someone Janine knew. She climbed into the passenger seat, and the car drove away.

That was the last anyone has seen of Janine Vaughan - a woman known as fun loving and outgoing. Her mother, Jenny Vaughan, told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2012, “It was raining, she had no money, she had no phone, no key to get into her house. If it was just someone she knew from coming into the shop or who she knew from around town she would have got in. It wouldn’t have been someone she met that night.I think it’s someone that she knew and trusted them enough to get into the car.”

So, who was in the driver’s seat? And what did they do to Janine Vaughan?

CREDITS

Guest: Hedley Thomas

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

LINKS

The Night Driver Podcast by The Australian… thenightdriver.com.au

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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 Secret Hidden In Matthieu Heimel's Family Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Matthieu Heimel grew up knowing nothing about his biological parents.

His life in Perth had been enough for him until his two children began asking unanswerable questions about where he came from. So in late 2018, Mattieu embarked on a DNA search for his mother and father.

He found his father Jerry relatively easily. He was a US serviceman who had been stationed in the Philippines in 1978 when Matthieu had been conceived.

Finding his mother proved far more difficult.

Using social media, he connected with members of his mother’s family. He was told that Nenita, the woman who had given birth to him 42 years ago, was missing. As he asked more questions, he learned that she’d moved to Melbourne in 1985, and then a few years later, she’d vanished.

The closer he looked, the clearer it became that Nenita had likely been murdered.

CREDITS
Guest: Simon Illingworth

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

LINKS

The SBS on Demand series, Every Family Has a Secret… https://bit.ly/2SzrK0c
Simon Illingowrth’s book, Filthy Rat… https://www.booktopia.com.au/filthy-rat-simon-illingworth/book/9780980417043.html

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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 Real Life Narco Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

It was a tropical night in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and 45-year-old Luis Navia’s 25-year stint as a narco (a drug trafficker) was coming to an end.

Ever since he’d first tried the stuff as a young man, Luis had dealt large quantities of cocaine.

It was the era of Pablo Escobar, of the Netflix series Narcos, of Miami Vice, Scar Face and American Made. So much has been written and explored about the cocaine market of the late 20th Century but until now, none of those stories properly included Luis Navia.

Pursued for more than 12 years, Luis’ time on the run was drawing to a close. Luis would walk out the front doors of Tamanaco InterContinental airport and wait for a taxi. He didn’t know that he was about to be captured by the National Guard of Venezuela. He’d be threatened with a scalpel.

Once arrested, Luis was sent back to Florida where he would finally face justice. It’s where he had studied at university and where his parents lived. He emerged from the airport in a white shirt, khaki pants and brown shoes, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. If he felt anything, it was relief.

His life for so many years had been one of secrets. He’d been held over a pit of crocodiles. He’d spent more money than anyone could ever dream of. No one, at that moment at least, knew his full story. Until it was told by Jesse Fink.

CREDITS
Guest: Jesse Fink

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

LINKS

The book Pure Narco by Jesse Fink and Luis Navia… https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51192383-pure-narco

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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 Woman Who Dressed As Anita Cobby Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

It was a summer night in 1986 when 26-year-old Anita Cobby met friends for dinner in Redfern.

Afterwards, the registered nurse caught the train from Central Station at 8:48pm, and arrived at Blacktown station just before 10pm.

Usually, Anita would call her father at the station and he would pick her up, but this night all the surrounding pay phones happened to be out of order. There were also no taxis available at the taxi rank. It was a beautiful, clear night and Anita decided to walk home.

It was 10pm when a gang of five men pulled up beside Anita in a stolen car, grabbed her, and dragged her into the vehicle kicking and screaming. A number of witnesses on Newton Road in Blacktown heard the voice of a distressed young woman and called the police.

It was the next day that the naked body of a young woman was found in a paddock at Prospect in Western Sydney. Police identified her as Anita Cobby.

One of the women working at Blacktown police station at the time was Deborah Wallace. She was around the same age as Anita, and similar in appearance. The lead detective would choose to do something unconventional in order to find who was responsible for one of the most horrific murders in NSW history. His approach would work, and ultimately it would change the course of Deborah’s career.

CREDITS

Guest: Deborah Wallace

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

LINKS

The Book ‘A Woman of Force’... https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-woman-of-force-mark-morri/book/9781760787356.html

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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 Web Of Lies: The Murder of Amy Allwine Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

It’s early 2016 when a description of American woman Amy Allwine is posted to the Dark Web: “She’s about five foot six, she looks about 200 pounds. She should be driving a dark green Toyota Sienna Minivan.This bitch has torn my family apart by sleeping with my husband (who then left me), and is stealing clients from my business. I want her dead.”

This post was in fact a call-out for someone to murder Amy Allwine, and be paid 13 Bitcoin (approximately $190,000) in return.

But Amy hadn’t slept with anyone’s husband. She wasn’t stealing anyone’s clients. She had no enemies. So who could want her dead?

The police would eventually discover who wanted Amy dead. But they were too late.

In today’s episode Jessie speaks with Eileen Ormsby. Eileen is a lawyer, author and freelance journalist based in Melbourne. Her book, The Darkest Web, attempts to uncover the web's dark underbelly: a place of hitmen for hire, red rooms, hurtcore sites and markets that will sell anything a person is willing to pay for - including another person’s life.

CREDITS

Guest: Eileen Ormsby

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

LINKS

Eileen Ormsby’s book, Silk Road… https://www.booktopia.com.au/silk-road-eileen-ormsby/ebook/9781743518113.html
Eileen Ormsby’s book, Darkest Web… https://www.booktopia.com.au/darkest-web-eileen-ormsby/book/9781760297855.html

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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.

Newcastle’s Grooming Of The Altar Boys Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

It’s 1974 in the suburb of Hamilton, which is about four kilometres from the heart of Newcastle. The area is an idyllic backdrop for an Australian childhood, surrounded by incredible natural beauty, with lush bushland and sprawling beaches.

Many of the working class families in the suburbs of Newcastle are Catholic. Catholics belong to a parish, which has a church and a local priest. The Catholic schools in the area promise to propel students into the professional classes. Maybe they’d grow up and become a teacher or a nurse or a journalist or even a priest themselves.

The three main schools in this particular diocese are Marist Brothers Hamilton, St Pius X in the nearby suburb of Adamstown and Marist Brothers Maitland. Two of these schools are, as their names suggest, run by Marist Brothers, who are an international religious community of men, dedicated to educating young people.

But on October 8, 1974, something unimaginable happened. A boy named Andrew Nash dies. It will take decades for his family to discover what happened to him.

In this episode, Jessie speaks with Suzanne Smith. Suzanne is a six-time Walkley Award winning investigative reporter, whose 27-year career in journalism has included senior editorial roles at the ABC, including on Foreign Correspondent, Background Briefing, Lateline and ABC News. During her time at the ABC she reported on the cover-up of clerical abuse, which helped to trigger the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia.

Suzanne’s new book, Altar Boys, is a powerful expose of widespread and organised clerical abuse of children in one Australian city, and how the cover-up in the Catholic Church extended from parish priests to every echelon of the organisation.

CREDITS

Guest: Suzanne Smith

Host: Jessie Stephens

Producer: Lem Zakharia

LINKS

A link to Suzanne Smith’s book, Altar Boys… https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/QmWv3

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think of the show via email at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have cause 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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