Special: Sister Tadea Benz & Johnny Garret with Courtney from Book of the Dead

Special: Sister Tadea Benz & Johnny Garret with Courtney from Book of the Dead

Author: Our True Crime Podcast May 11, 2026 Duration: 1:53:13
This month, we have a talk with Courtney from The Book of the Dead, who joins us to talk about the murder of Sister Tadea Benz and the execution of Johnny Frank Garret. In October 1981, the quiet city of Amarillo, Texas, was rocked by a crime that felt like a nightmare: the brutal assault and murder of 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz inside St. Francis Convent. The pressure to catch the killer was on, and the police quickly set their sights on 17-year-old Johnny, who lived across the street. Johnny Frank Garrett was executed by the state of Texas in 1992, but was he a cold-blooded killer, or a convenient scapegoat? Don't forget to subscribe to Courtney's podcast, ⁠The Book of the Dead⁠. We think you will like her as much as Jen and Cam do. Sponsored by Quince Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to Quince.com/otcp for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Music by Nico Fyffe-Vettese Editing by Jesse Fyffe-Vettese Both from ⁠The Inky Pawprint⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a whole world of strange and unsettling stories that rarely make the headlines, and that's exactly where you'll find Our True Crime Podcast. Each episode digs into one of those bizarre, lesser-known cases from any corner of the globe, stories that often defy easy explanation. Hosts Jen and Cam guide you through these peculiar narratives with a genuine sense of respect for those involved, balancing the darker details with their own conversational chemistry and a bit of well-timed humor. You might even get a smidge of song along the way, because real life, especially the strange parts, rarely follows a single tone. This isn't just a retelling of facts; it's a shared exploration of the oddities hidden within human behavior and society. Tuning into this podcast feels like pulling up a chair with two friends who have a knack for finding the most compelling, offbeat tales. You'll hear the careful research, the thoughtful discussions, and the personal touch that Jen and Cam bring to every story, making even the most obscure case feel immediate and fascinating. If you're looking for a true crime experience that ventures far beyond the usual cases and does so with character and heart, you've found it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Our True Crime Podcast
Podcast Episodes
351. Stocking Strangler: Carlton Gary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:28
In 1970, 85-year-old Nellie Farmer lived quietly in a modest retirement hotel. A retired schoolteacher, she had spent her life helping others and asking for very little in return. One night, that safety was shattered. An…
350: 700 Miles to Nowhere: Marshal Iwaasa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:36
In November 2019, hikers traveling through a remote mountain region in British Columbia discovered a burned-out truck abandoned on a rugged forest trail. The area lies deep within the Tolkien Range, far away from any roa…
349. Dead Girls Don't Talk: The Case of Micki Jo West [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:20
On the morning of September 11, 1979, nineteen-year-old Micki Jo West left her mother’s home in St. Joseph, Missouri, as she had every morning. She wore her nurse’s aide uniform, pulled on a khaki coat, carried her white…
348: The Missing Six & The Monster of Malherbe Street [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:40
Thank you, Petra, for the episode suggestion. In 1990, a teenage girl escaped from a house in Pretoria, South Africa, narrowly avoiding an unimaginable fate. Her story revealed that she was not the first of several young…
347.  The Cruelest Betrayal: Ashley Kline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:00
On a bitterly cold night just before New Year’s Eve, 23-year-old Ashley Kline disappeared from her home in Robesonia, Pennsylvania, after walking to a friend’s house just four blocks away. She was never seen alive again.…
346.  Charmed: Margie's Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:56
In the middle of a spring night in 1988, Margie slipped from her bed, which she shared with her husband, and slowly crept into the other room where he kept his briefcase with all his important documents. There was no dou…
345. Targeted: The Killing of James Craig Anderson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:16
For much of the twentieth century, Mississippi was a place where racial violence was not merely ignored but actively erased. Witnesses stayed silent. Juries looked away. It was just a different time, they say. James Crai…
344. Trusting Evil: The Murder of Sarah Everard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
In March 2021, Sarah Everard left a friend’s house in London and started walking home. It was a normal evening, the kind of walk most people do without thinking twice. But when she didn’t return, her family and friends b…