The Murder Of Elizabeth Riser & The Attempted Murder Of Brandi Hicks
Morbid
06/12/23
•72m
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On May 23, 2000, teens Elizabeth "Liz" Reiser and Brandi Hicks went down to the local video store in New Philadelphia, Ohio to rent a movie. While there, they met a man who told them he had no way to get home and would pay them $20 if they would give him a ride. Both girls believed in helping their fellow human, so they agreed after a bit of hesitation.
What began as a routine act of charity quickly spiraled out of control, resulting in the murder of Liz Reiser and the attempted rape and attempted murder of Brandi Hicks by the man they had intended to help, Mathew Vaca. The crimes committed against Reiser and Hicks were brutal and sent shockwaves through the small Ohio community.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
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Previous Episode
The Murder of Dawn Hacheney
June 8, 2023
•93m
On the morning of December 26, 1997, police and fire services responded to a call about a structure fire at the home Bremerton, WA home of Nick and Dawn Hacheney. When they were finally able to extinguish the flames and search the home, they discovered the badly burned body of twenty-eight-year-old Dawn Hachney in her bed, where her husband had left her several hours earlier. After a brief investigation, Dawn’s death was determined to be the result of an accidental fire—a tragic end to a short life, nothing more.
The case, which most had considered closed years earlier, was revived in April of 2001, when a woman went to Bremerton Police with a startling statement. She claimed to have been having an affair with Dawn’s husband Nick, at the time of Dawn’s death and that, at some point during their affair, he’d confessed to drugging his wife and setting the house on fire to cover up the murder. Investigators took the woman’s claims very seriously; however, Nick Hacheney was a former minister, which added to people's perception of the case.
Thank you to the gorgeous, vibrant and talented David White for Research assistance
References:
Associated Press. 2002. "Former minister on trial in wife's death." The News Tribune, November 11: 16.
Baker, Travis. 2003. "Angry words erupt at Hacheney Sentencing." Kitsap Sun, February 8: 1.
—. 2002. "Defense presses woman who pointed finger." Kitsap Sun, November 27: 4.
—. 2001. "Ex-minister might face life in prison without parole." Kitsap Sun, October 4: 1.
—. 2001. "Ex-minister pleads innocent in wife's death." Kitsap Sun, September 18: 1.
—. 2002. "Former minister guilty of murdering wife." Kitsap Sun, December 27: 1.
—. 2001. "Hacheney denied reduced bail." Kitsap Sun, October 27: 4.
—. 2002. "Judge: Jury will hear of alleged wife killer's affairs." Kitsap Sun, February 28: 10.
—. 2002. "Pathologist testifies about changing autopsy results." Kitsap Sun, November 13: 3.
—. 2002. "Sexual affairs not relevant, attorney argues." Kitsap Sun, February 9: 5.
—. 2002. "Trial begins for ex-minister accused of killing wife." Kitsap Sun, November 4: 1.
Kitsap Sun. 1997. "Dawn Hacheney Obituary." Kitsap Sun, December 30: 5.
McCormick, Julie. 2001. "Former minister suspect in wife's death." Kitsap Sun, September 14: 1.
Olsen, Gregg. 2010. A Twisted Faith: A Minister's Obsession and the Murder that Destroyed a Church. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Next Episode
The Tragic Murder of Grace Millane
June 15, 2023
•62m
On December 2, 2018, the parents of twenty-one-year-old Grace Millane, a British tourist on vacation in New Zealand, became concerned when the birthday wishes they sent their daughter went unacknowledged. Having completed her degree at the University of Lincoln a few months earlier, Grace had spent several weeks traveling during her gap year but had been keeping in regular contact with her parents since leaving for her trip. When they still hadn’t heard from their daughter three days later, Grace’s parents called Auckland police and reported her missing. A week later, Grace Millane’s body was discovered in a suitcase near an access road in the Waitakere Ranges, a dense wooded area about twelve miles outside Auckland. A day later, investigators arrested twenty-six-year-old Jesse Kempson, who was the last person seen with Grace on the night of the murder when the two were captured together by a CCTV camera going up to Kempson’s room at the CityLife Hotel.
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Thank you to our favorite David White for research assistance
References
BBC News. 2018. Grace Millane: Man appears in court charged with backpacker's murder. December 10. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-46502649.
Creed, Rebecca. 2021. "Former flatmate of Grace Millane's killer says he was." The Echo, November 15.
Critchell, Matthew. 2019. "Backpacker Grace spoke to men on bondage chat rooms,." The Echo, November 20.
Emes, Toby. 2019. "Accused killer admitted Grace was dead in second interview." The Echo, November 14.
Faulkner, Doug. 2019. Grace Millane murder: A trial that gripped a nation. November 22. Accessed May 2, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-50515326.
Feehan, Katie. 2018. "Brother of Wickford woman missing in New Zealand says lack." The Echo, December 5.
—. 2018. "Police release last known image of missing Wickford woman." The Echo, December 6.
Graham-Mclay, Charlotte. 2018. "After backpacker's killing, New Zealand looks again at violence against women." New York Times, December 13.
—. 2018. "New Zealand murder case leads to rebuke of Google." New York Times, December 15.
—. 2018. "New Zealander accused of killing tourist." New York Times, December 9.
Humphries, Will, and Bernard Lagan. 2018. "Distraught father flies to join backpacker search." The Times, December 7.
Jesse Shane Kempson v. The Queen. 2021. SC 11/2021 NZSC 74 (Supreme Court of New Zealand, June 29).
Kirk, Tristan. 2019. "Guilty: Fantasist who killed Grace." London Evening Standard, November 22.
—. 2019. "Guilty: Grace jury takes only five hours to return verdict of murder." London Evening Standard, November 22.
Kolirin, Lianne. 2020. "Grace Millane's killer attacked other women." The Times, December 22.
Lagan, Bernard. 2018. "Body found in search for missing backpacker." The Times, December 10.
—. 2019. "British backpacker's 'killer' lied about their Tinder date." The Times, November 13.
Lagan, Bernard, and Will Humphries. 2018. "Father appeals for clues to help find missing daughter." The Times, December 8.
Leask, Anna. 2020. Who is Grace Millane's murderer? Unravelling labyrinth of lies and a fatal Tinder date. February 20. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/who-is-grace-millanes-murderer-unravelling-labyrinth-of-lies-and-a-fatal-tinder-date/PDGHMSM67MZQ5VBH4GT2XIXZ7Q/?c_id=1&objectid=12287282.
MacDonald, Stuart. 2021. "'Rough sex' defence for murder could be banned." The Times, May 29.
Roy, Eleanor Ainge. 2019. "Grace Millane trial: blood in hotel room likely backpacker's." The Guardian, November 8.
—. 2019. "Grace Millane trial: witness says she feared she would die." The Guardian, November 11.
—. 2019. "'She should have been safe here'." The Guardian, November 22.
Smith, Anneka. 2020. "Grace Millane's life: far more than the details of her death." Radio New Zealand, February 21.
South Wales Echo. 2020. "Grace's killer 'raped another...
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