PRETEND

After publishing the story of a woman trapped in a marriage with a narcissist, I wasn't sure how it would land. It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t end in violence or arrest. But the response was overwhelming...

In this episode of PRETEND, we meet “Ashley”—not her real name—who recorded hours of arguments with her husband in an effort to understand what was happening inside her marriage. From the outside, it ...

It started with a missing breast milk keepsake. But when Cheyna Lee joined an online group of frustrated customers, she uncovered something much bigger—hundreds of victims, stolen mementos, and a scam...

Episode Summary: While working on the new season of Pretend, I wanted to bring back an episode from 2018 that’s worth another listen. It’s the story of Art Schlichter, a former Ohio State football sta...

n part two of Licensed to Kill, we continue the shocking investigation into doctors who exploit their patients for profit. This episode follows Patty Hester, a fitness instructor who was misdiagnosed ...

What if your doctor wasn’t trying to save you, but trying to cash in on you? In this episode of Pretend, we uncover the shocking case of Dr. Thomas Weiner, an oncologist accused of prescribing years o...

A group of women, all with eerily similar stories, say they were deceived—emotionally and financially—by the same man: William Sullivan. But instead of staying silent, they took matters into their own...

Facilitated Communication is marketed as a miraculous tool for non-speaking autistic children. But what happens when this controversial method leads to devastating consequences? In this episode, we he...

A mother kills her autistic son. Why? Because he asked her to. The mother claims he used facilitated communication to ask her to help him die. This case is just one of many tied to the controversial ...

The Telepathy Tapes podcast shot to the top of the charts, making bold claims about telepathic abilities in non-verbal autistic children. But are the claims rooted in science—or something else entirel...

Hello PRETENDERS! I'm excited to announce that the new season of my other podcast, Criminal Conduct Season, is here! To listen to the rest of the story, search for Criminal Conduct and subscribe. ____...

Today on PRETEND, we’re featuring the season 5 premiere of Nobody Should Believe Me, a compelling podcast hosted by author Andrea Dunlop that explores Munchausen by proxy abuse. Dunlop’s investigative...

DNA evidence is often seen as the gold standard in criminal investigations—a scientific fingerprint that can definitively prove guilt or innocence. But what happens when the science behind it is misha...

People panicked when a swarm of mysterious drones appeared in New Jersey’s night skies. Were they military? Foreign spies? Aliens? But buried under all the hysteria was one theory that refused to die:...

As a holiday treat, Amanda of Wine & Crime, Javier of PRETEND, and Whitney of Navigating Advocacy sit down to chat true crime, being in the podcasting industry, cases that haunt us, dream collaboratio...

In today's Christmas episode, we delve into the story of David Ellisor, a man whose grand Christmas scheme left the city of Miami in disbelief. Ellisor, a real-life Grinch, planned to host "Christmas ...

The true crime podcasting community has come together for the holiday season to discuss all things true crime podcasting. Over the next two weeks, ten shows will be dropping bonus episodes sharing the...

When the IRS knocked on John Coutu's door, demanding $80,000, his girlfriend, Jennifer Mitchell, offered to help with his taxes. It seemed like a simple gesture of support. But John would soon find hi...

So, I've got to tell you about this crazy rabbit hole I slipped into. It's about that bizarre olive lady from the Maury show. Remember her? Olives freaked out Sally because they reminded her of, get t...

Lisa Findley tried to steal Elvis Presley’s home. She almost got away with it. A con artist with a long history of scams almost pulled off her biggest scheme yet—stealing Elvis Presley’s iconic home, ...

In this episode, Dr. Jan Canty, a psychologist, author, and podcast host, shares essential advice on recognizing and avoiding con artists in modern relationships. Dr. Canty, who experienced betrayal a...

The Rise and Fall of LaDonna’s Loudest Surrogate: David McClam LaDonna Humphrey’s most vocal supporter, David McClam, launched the We Are Not Afraid podcast to defend her against mounting accusations....

LaDonna Humphrey groomed Lexi Kakis to be her next close ally—a “surrogate in training,” if you will. Drawn in by their shared passion for cold cases, Kakis found herself getting deeper into Humphrey’...

What's the old saying? People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Well, it turns out that Dennis McCaslin, editor of LaDonna's tabloid blog, has some skeletons in his closet. Listen to ...

LaDonna Humphrey uses her surrogates to do her dirty work; in part one, we discuss how she weaponized Dennis McCaslin, a Fort Smith, Arkansas tabloid blogger, to go after her enemies. Listen to LaDo...

It’s hard to imagine former executives, investment fraudsters, and insider traders gathering for weekly support meetings. When I first heard about a support group for white-collar criminals, I was sk...

Where do sovereign citizens go when they need medical attention? Some of them seek help from homeopathic quacks like Rick Van Thiel.  Rick Van Thiel is not a surgeon. He's a porn star operating on peo...

In this episode of PRETEND, we uncover the unbelievable story of Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as "Kaiser," the man who lived the life of a soccer legend without ever kicking a ball. He parti...

In this episode of PRETEND, I’m taking you back to the case of Tanya and Rick Fernandez—the Arizona couple behind one of the most bizarre harassment campaigns I’ve ever covered. For those of you who f...

Can you believe this is the 16th episode of our investigation into LaDonna Humphrey—a story that, honestly, I didn’t think would last this long. But here we are. Now, if you’ve followed along, you kno...

We continue our investigation into Charles Ray Vines and his potential involvement in the Melissa Witt murder. In this episode, we track down Vines’ former neighbor and friend, Thomas Seymour. Seymo...

I’ve been investigating the Melissa Witt case for a while now, and just when I thought I had a handle on it, a new lead dropped into my lap. In this episode, I sit down with Patti Rush, a victim adv...

"Javier, aren't you worried that LaDonna might target you next?" That's the question I get asked most frequently. The answer is too late. Even before this series dropped, LaDonna began sending me spoo...

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Every charity organization LaDonna Humphrey has led seems to collapse under the weight of controversy and financial mismanagement. Today, we're closely examining Oasis of Northwest Arkansas, a sober l...

Every charity organization LaDonna Humphrey has led seems to collapse under the weight of controversy and financial mismanagement. Today, we scrutinize LaDonna Humphrey's non-profit world, focusing on...

Content Disclaimer: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault. Today, we're going to talk about the enigma that is LaDonna Humphrey. Like the fact that she was logged in under the same death...

To truly understand LaDonna Humphrey, we need to delve into her childhood. In an exclusive interview, a family member describes the years of harassing messages and relentless vendettas that have tor...

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STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! The LaDonna Humphrey interview episodes are in. In this first part of my exclusive interview with LaDonna Humphrey, we dive deep into the accusations and controversies surroun...

True Crime Author LaDonna Humphrey Targets Ex-Boyfriend in Melissa Witt Killing, According to Recordings LaDonna Humphrey is accused of relentlessly pursuing Daniel Watson as a suspect in the unsolved...

Old Flames Reignited: The Mysterious Return of LaDonna Humphrey in Allen Arson Case LaDonna Humphrey, with a history marked by harassment allegations, emerges from the shadows 13 years later to entang...

In part 3 of Who's Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey, we explore the intense battle between Anthony Christopher and LaDonna. Anthony, LaDonna's former boss, shares his story of harassment, alleging LaDonna's...

In this episode, we explore the troubling allegations against LaDonna Humphrey surrounding the Melissa Witt case. Crime victim advocate Patti Rush shares her story, claiming that Humphrey, once seen a...

LaDonna Humphrey. Remember that name because she is central to this story. I've tried to sum up this tale quickly, but every time I attempt an elevator pitch, I fail. When friends ask me what this new...

LaDonna Humphrey, a respected true crime author and podcaster, has built a strong reputation through her detailed investigations. However, beneath her acclaimed public image lies a troubling undercurr...

The strange and intricate hoax crafted by Saint Jovite "Kota" Youngblood, a hockey dad who posed as a Delta Force agent, unravels in court. An FBI agent peels back each layer of Youngblood's elaborat...

Saint Jovite Youngblood posed as a Delta Force agent to swindle the families of his son’s hockey team. Today's episode revolves around two victims: Eric Perardi, an Austin-based real estate developer,...

BREAKING NEWS - Kaitlyn Braun is Arrested Again for Duping Doulas in Phony Pregnancy Scam 25-year-old Kaitlyn Braun, who is currently under house arrest for prior offenses involving fraud and harassm...