Sarah Jo Pender: "The Female Charles Manson"

Sarah Jo Pender: "The Female Charles Manson"

Author: Moms and Mysteries Podcast May 19, 2026 Duration: 51:24
In October of 2000, the bodies of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman were found inside a dumpster behind an Indianapolis Teamsters building. The discovery quickly led police to the home the couple shared with Richard Hull and Sarah Jo Pender. What started as a gruesome double murder investigation soon transformed into a sprawling legal saga filled with recanted testimonies, forged letters, and a stunning prison escape. Sarah Jo Pender was labeled the "female Charles Manson" by the prosecution and sentenced to 110 years behind bars. But as the years passed, the case against her began to crumble. With the original prosecutor publicly admitting she did not receive a fair trial and the true killer confessing to the crime, Sarah's fight for freedom continues today from the inside of an Indiana prison cell. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping during the Memorial Day Sale at BollAndBranch.com/moms with code moms.Exclusions apply.  Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/vwn13ren #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct deposit and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between school drop-offs and grocery runs, Mandy and Melissa found a shared obsession with the unanswered questions lurking in the shadows. Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast is the result: a conversation that feels like sitting at a kitchen table with two friends who are deeply curious about the human condition. Their perspective is uniquely grounded, examining each story not just for its shock value, but for the societal threads and personal tragedies that weave it together. You’ll hear them discuss everything from the strangely specific weirdness of a Florida crime to a globally known cold case, always with a blend of empathy and a dash of necessary, dark humor. This isn't a clinical report; it's a twice-weekly deep dive fueled by a lifelong fascination with mysteries, both big and small. The tone is warm, the research is thorough, and the conversation is the kind you get hooked on. New episodes of this true crime podcast arrive every Tuesday and Thursday, ready to be your companion during a commute or while folding laundry. They’ve been asking "how did this happen?" since they were kids, and now they’re pulling up a chair for you to join that ongoing, compelling discussion.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Rachel Nickell: The Case Behind the Netflix Documentary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:52
Netflix is dropping a documentary today called "The Murder of Rachel Nickell," and if you want the full story before you watch, you are in the right place. On a warm morning in July of 1992, a young mother named Rachel N…
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On March 13, 2023, 24-year-old Colby Vinson received the news he had been fighting for all year. A judge officially granted him 50/50 custody of his four-year-old daughter, Preslee. But just six days later, on the very f…
The Nightmare in North Dakota: The Murder of Angila Wilder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:41
On a freezing November night in 2015, 30-year-old nursing student Angila Wilder was stabbed 44 times inside her home in Minot, North Dakota. The brutal attack happened while her two-year-old son slept safely in the very…
The Mystery of the Missing DA: The Disappearance of Ray Gricar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:04
On April 15, 2005, Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar left his office for a routine afternoon drive through central Pennsylvania. He was 59 years old, highly respected, and just months away from a planned retirem…
The Mackenzie Shirilla Case & Netflix's "The Crash" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:18
It was around 6:15 AM on July 31, 2022, when a resident in Strongsville, Ohio, came upon the aftermath of a horrific accident. A black Toyota Camry had crashed into the side of a large brick building at the end of Progre…
The Disappearance and Murder of Maya Millete [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:31
On January 7, 2021, Maya Millete took the first steps toward ending her marriage. She scheduled a consultation with a divorce attorney, planning to wait just a few more days to get through her daughter's birthday weekend…
The Mystery of Sneha Philip [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:51
On the evening of September 10, 2001, 31-year-old physician Sneha Philip walked into her Lower Manhattan apartment building carrying shopping bags. It was the last confirmed sighting of her. By the next morning, planes s…
The Hawthorne Hill Shooting & The Fall of Michael Barisone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:05
Hawthorne Hill was supposed to be a dream. An elite equestrian facility, an Olympic coach, and a student willing to do whatever it took to make it to the top. But what started as a $5,000 a month training arrangement bet…
The Bennington Triangle: 5 Vanished in Vermont's Quiet Woods [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:57
Between 1945 and 1950, five people vanished without a trace in a remote, rugged stretch of southwestern Vermont. The area, later dubbed the Bennington Triangle, was once home to the booming logging town of Glastenbury, b…