Love Marry Kill

When renowned dog trainer Mark Stover vanished from his Washington home in October 2009, investigators were confronted with a baffling mystery. His loyal protection dog had been shot three times in the head. Bloodstains inside the house appeared to have been cleaned with bleach. Mark's car was abandoned miles away. But there was one glaring problem—there was no body. As detectives unraveled the case, suspicion fell on Michiel Oakes, the new boyfriend of Mark's ex-wife, Linda Opdycke. What followed was a twisting investigation involving stalking allegations, anonymous tips, missing evidence, and a claim of self-defense that would divide opinions for years to come.

Today's snack: Pull-apart bread

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Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot2jv6R4R7o 48 Hours & podcast
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/dateline-full-episodes/full-episode-man-who-talked-dogs-n183316
https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/PublicUpload/eclips/2013%2012%2024%20Appeals%20court%20turns%20down%20claim%20on%20Stover%20estate.pdf
https://www.goskagit.com/news/stovers-ex-father-in-law-linked-to-murder-suspect-oakes/article_0c2c4af8-3b2b-5cb7-8deb-6e7f9a9a0183.html
https://www.newspapers.com/image/584802562/?match=1&terms=%22Theodore%20Mark%20Stover%22
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/ex-wifes-boyfriend-charged-in-dog-trainers-slaying/
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/murder-charges-filed-in-slaying-of-dog-trainer/
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mystery-of-vanished-dog-trainer-goes-to-trial-soon/
https://freeoakes.com/
https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/868063.pdf
https://people.com/mark-stover-dog-trainer-stars-new-podcast-trained-to-kill-11707349

When Jocelyn Earnest was found dead on the floor of her Forest, Virginia home on December 20th, 2007, investigators saw what appeared to be a suicide — a typed note, a gun, a woman in the middle of a painful divorce. But the people who knew Jocelyn best refused to accept that explanation. She had just been offered a promotion at work. She was looking forward to the holidays. She was almost through the divorce. She was making plans.

What followed was a years-long legal battle featuring a staged crime scene, forged documents, a critical error in the jury room, and a moment on the witness stand that stopped the courtroom cold — all centered on a single question: did Jocelyn Earnest take her own life, or did someone who knew her well go to great lengths to make it look that way?

Today's snack: Baklava from St. John's Bakery (thanks Jan!)

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Sources:
Fanning, Diane. Under Cover of the Night: A True Story of Sex, Greed, and Murder. Berkley Books, Penguin Group, 2014.
Crimesider Staff. "83 words and 20 questions: The mysterious suicide note in the Jocelyn Branham Earnest case." CBS News, 4 Jun. 2012.
"Earnest trial focuses on frame of mind: During the third day of the murder trial of Wesley Earnest, friends of Jocelyn Earnest described her sunny personality. [The Roanoke Times, Va.]." InsuranceNewsNet, 26 Mar. 2010.
"Earnest v. Davis et al, No. 7:2018cv00595 - Document 29 (W.D. Va. 2020)." Justia Law.
"Ex-Chesapeake school official found guilty a second time." 13newsnow.com - WVEC.
"Landlords: Convicted wife killer violent, vindictive years before murder." 13newsnow.com.
"Marriage Secrets." 48 Hours, Apple Podcasts, 19 Dec. 2024.
Spencer, Marcelena. "Murder or suicide: How did Jocelyn Earnest die?" CBS News, 2 Jun. 2012.
Earnest, Wesley Brian. Petition for Writ of Certiorari. Supreme Court of the United States, 29 Apr. 2021.
"Testimony continues in Earnest trial: Evidence presented Friday ruled out suicide in the case of Jocelyn Earnest, prosecutors say. [The Roanoke Times, Va.]." InsuranceNewsNet, 27 Mar. 2010.

In February 2020, 31-year-old Hannah Clarke was driving her three young children to school in Brisbane, Australia, when her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter jumped into the car and doused them with petrol. Behind closed doors, Hannah had endured years of coercive control, intimidation, isolation, and abuse. She had done what so many victims are told to do: she left, sought help from police, obtained a protection order, and documented her fears. It wasn't enough. In this episode, we examine the warning signs leading up to the murders, the systemic failures that left Hannah and her children unprotected, and the reforms that followed. It's a heartbreaking case that forever changed the conversation about domestic violence in Australia.

Today's snack: Lamingtons

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Sources:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lady_emerald/this-or-that-quiz This or that quiz
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/hannahs-story/id1687003092 Hannah’s Story Podcast on Apple
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6BbT3geVOTMQ7Adtj8UVG5 Hannah’s Story Podcast on Spotify
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzgaNFLu3T4&t=75s podcast with Sue & Lloyd Clarke
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/murder-suicide-case-nz-killer-rowan-baxters-ex-wife-hann
https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/723664/cif-hannah-clarke-aaliyah-baxter-laianah-baxter-trey-baxter-and-rowan-baxter.pdf
https://www.smallsteps4hannah.com.au/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://anzmh.asn.au/blog/the-inquest-into-the-murder-of-hannah-clarke-and-her-three-children
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/murder-suicide-case-nz-killer-rowan-baxters-ex-wife-hannah-clarke-called-her-dad-before-her-death/DVBXGMQVANBMJBJX62EGFLMKLM/ 
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/car-fire-murders-rowan-baxters-relatives-speak-out-about-his-upbringing/A3V5OZF5S4OY546JAXBYTP7LJM/ 
https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/police-did-not-fail-hannah-clarke-but-training-overhaul-needed-coroner-20220629-p5axjs.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/140-women-and-girls-on-average-were-killed-by-a-loved-one-every-day-last-year-un-finds
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/murder-of-hannah-clarke-and-kids-prompts-incredible-surge-in-men-seeking-to-stop-domestic-violence/ajkjeig48
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350550739/son-of-killer-rowan-baxter-who-murdered-estranged-wife-hannah-three-children-suing-her-parents
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/australia/son-killer-kiwi-dad-suing-victims-parents
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-8036307/Estranged-son-killer-Rowan-Baxter-shows-support-Hannah-Clarke.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-31/qld-hannah-clarke-inquest-murder-domestic-violence-victim-impact/100942190
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/17/murders-hannah-clarke-and-children-shocked-australia-queensland-police-failures-text-messages-rowan-baxter
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/16/hannah-clarke-children-murder-qld-queensland-police

When 33-year-old Eleonora “Lina” Kaufman was found unresponsive with marks across her neck on her bathroom floor in Aventura, Florida, her sudden death shocked her community. Her husband, Adam Kaufman, claimed it was a tragic medical emergency. But as investigators secured the home, the physical evidence—from an engine block inexplicably radiating heat in the garage to unwrinkled pillows on the bed—just didn’t add up.

Eighteen months later, the medical examiner ruled Lina's death a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation, leading to Adam's arrest. What followed was a sensational legal battle pitting top forensic experts against one another over compromised DNA evidence, cryptic jailhouse phone calls, and a jury forced to choose between a cold-blooded murder and a tragic medical anomaly.

Today’s snack: Oreo BTS Brown Sugar Pancake flavor and Stuf of Doom flavor

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Sources:Trial Florida v. Adam Kaufman. Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida. May–June 2012. Court TV, https://www.courttv.com/trials/florida-v-adam-kaufman-2009/.
ABC News Sechrist, Adam. "Adam Kaufman Trial: Detectives Handling Case Had Affair." ABC News, 18 May 2012.
CBS News Glynn, Casey. "South Fla. developer Adam Kaufman acquitted in wife's 2007 death." CBS News, 6 June 2012.
CBS News Moriarty, Erin. "'48 Hours' preview: When a murder suspect has an identical twin, solving the case can be doubly tricky." CBS News, 22 June 2013.
CBS Miami "Not Guilty Verdict For Aventura Developer Accused In Wife's Death." CBS Miami, 5 June 2012.
CBS Miami "Surgeon Testifies Lina Kaufman Was Healthy." CBS Miami, 15 May 2012.
CBS Press Release "‘48 HOURS: LINA'S HEART’ – WOULD A TWIN KNOW IF HIS BROTHER WAS A KILLER?" Paramount Press Express / CBS Entertainment, 25 Oct. 2012.
Court TV "FL v. Adam Kaufman: Spray Tan Murder Trial." Court TV.
The Cinemaholic Sengupta, Sounak. "Adam Kaufman: Where is Lina Kaufman's Husband Now?" The Cinemaholic, 14 Apr. 2023.

When 33-year-old Sandra Bird, a devoted mother and the wife of popular Faith Lutheran Church pastor Tom Bird, was found dead in the Cottonwood River near Emporia, Kansas, the town mourned what appears to be a tragic car accident. But Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper John Rule felt like something was off. From a complete lack of skid marks to mysterious bloodstains found where they shouldn’t have been, the physical evidence just didn’t add up.

Months later, the community was rocked again when Martin Anderson, the husband of the church's secretary, Lorna Anderson, was gunned down on a dark highway in an apparent robbery gone wrong.

What followed was one of the most tangled criminal cases in Kansas history: competing trials, a jailhouse reversal, a made-for-TV movie, and a legal fight that stretched across nearly a decade.

Today’s snack: Lay's Argentinian-Style Steak with Chimichurri and Brazilian Style Garlic Sauce Chips

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