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: 50

Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Farmhouse Conspiracy: The Murder of Ryan Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:50
*We realized after recording that we mispronounced the name of Traer, Iowa throughout this episode. We are sorry to anyone from Traer who had to listen to that!* On the morning of June 18, 2021, a frantic 911 call led de…
The Lip King: Jordan Parke and the Death of Alice Webb [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:36
Jordan James Parke spent years chasing the next procedure, spending over £130,000 on surgeries, fillers, and dramatic transformations that made him one of the most recognizable faces in the British cosmetic industry. He…
A Toxic Web in Zanesville: The Murder of Jayla Wyatt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:09
On April 27, 2021, the quiet community of Zanesville, Ohio, was shattered when 23-year-old Jayla Wyatt was found shot to death in the entryway of a local apartment. She had been shot six times, including a devastating di…
The System Failed Yana Huss: The Murder on Rickover Street [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:49
For years, local authorities in Charlotte County, Florida, were called to the home of Scott Lee Huss and Yana Huss. There were restraining orders, allegations of child abuse, threats, arrests, and repeated warnings from…
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…
We Covered 10 Cases in January: Here's Where They Stand Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:44
Back in January, we laid out ten major true crime cases we were watching closely for the first half of 2026. Now that we are halfway through the year, the courtroom developments have been absolutely wild. In this episode…