What happens when a global worship brand is built over a fault line of secrecy, abuse, and greed? How did Hillsong Church’s meteoric rise—from chart‑topping music to celebrity pews—collide with allegations of child sexual abuse concealment, volunteer exploitation, LGBTQ exclusion, and a leadership implosion that shook the megachurch world?

In this episode, hosts Adrienne Barker and Joseph Lobosco—with guest Host Heather Ford—unpack Scandals of Hillsong: from Brian & Frank Houston to Carl Lentz and Hillsong NYC/Dallas; from the 2014–2015 Royal Commission findings to 2023 parliamentary accusations about lavish spending; and the August 2023 courtroom verdict that capped a decades‑long saga. This is a hard‑hitting true crime podcast deep dive into a megachurch’s rise, reckoning, and fallout.

Tune in to hear:

1983 – Origins & brand power: Brian and Bobbie Houston found Hills Christian Life Centre in Sydney; worship music and a sleek brand fuel global growth—long before hidden scandals erupt.

Late 1999 – Confession, non‑reporting & hush money: Brian confronts father Frank Houston, who admits to historic child sexual abuse; leaders handle it internally, don’t go to police, and arrange a payout—Frank is quietly retired and later dies in 2004 without charges.

2014–2015 – Royal Commission findings: The inquiry concludes Brian failed to report Frank’s offenses and had a conflict of interest; investigators cite multiple victims across Australia and New Zealand, and police later bring concealment charges against Brian.

2015 – LGBTQ controversy: After two male choir members in Hillsong NYC get engaged, leadership states Hillsong “welcomes all people” but “does not affirm all lifestyles,” barring openly gay couples from leadership roles.

2010s – Volunteer exploitation claims: Former members describe grueling unpaid labor and leaders using volunteers for personal errands, stoking backlash over a “cool Christianity” brand built on free work.

Nov 4, 2020 – Carl Lentz fired: Hillsong announces Lentz’s dismissal for “leadership issues,” breaches of trust, and “moral failures”; he admits infidelity as an outside review probes broader misconduct in NYC.

Jan–Feb 2021 – Dallas implosion: Pastors Reed & Jess Bogard abruptly resign and Hillsong Dallas is shuttered amid serious allegations; a leaked report later details a rape accusation tied to earlier NYC years and wider culture concerns.

Feb 2021 → Apr 2022 – NYC report & leaks: An independent investigation delivered to Hillsong’s global board details inappropriate sexual relationships, nepotism, intimidation, wage violations, and explicit images circulating among leaders; a former nanny publicly alleges years of abuse by Lentz.

Jan–Mar 23, 2022 – Leadership crisis: While stepping aside to fight a concealment charge, Brian faces two internal misconduct complaints (inappropriate texts to a staffer; a drunken hotel‑room incident) that breach Hillsong’s code of conduct; he resigns on March 23, 2022.

Spring–Fall 2022 – Disaffiliations: In the wake of Brian’s exit, at least nine of Hillsong’s 16 U.S. campuses break away and rebrand; pastors and leaders worldwide resign as oversight and culture come...

In this episode, we discuss cases related to the popular "Scream" horror movie franchise and its fictional "Ghostface" character.

What you'll hear:

→ Case timeline: From late‑90s California to Belgium, the U.K., Idaho, and New York City.

→ Discussion & debate: Copycats, costumes & culpability - why offenders reach for a mask and what it says about our society & culture. The ethics of horror—creative freedom vs. social responsibility—and the psychology of notoriety, thrill‑seeking, and “scripted” violence.

Debate the News: True Crime Edition is for informational and discussion purposes only. We are not attorneys, law enforcement officers, or forensic experts. While we research each case, the show is recorded live with little to no editing; any factual errors are unintentional. All individuals mentioned who have not been convicted in a court of law are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Listener discretion is advised. Guest and audience views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts.

→ Adrienne Barker — Host

→ Joseph Lobosco — Host

→ Jonathan Howard — Guest Contributor

→ Angie aka Angiesworld — Guest Contributor

→ Leslie — Guest Contributor

Credits:

"Debate The News: True Crime"

Created by: Jonathan Bing, Adrienne Barker and Joseph R. Lobosco

Producers: Adrienne Barker, Joseph R. Lobosco, Danielle Paci, Jonathan Bing

Writers: Adrienne Barker & Joseph R. Lobosco

Editor: Joseph R. Lobosco

Cover Art: Joseph R. Lobosco

Special Thanks: Nelson, Lea, Nawzil, and the entire Chatter Social team

Theme Song: Alaina Cross — “Karma” [NCS Release]

Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds

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🎧 A Debate the News: True Crime Production

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What happens when a father sworn to protect his children becomes their killer? How could PTSD, mental illness, and a failed system turn a loving dad into a monster in a 2025 child murder-suicide that shocked Washington State?

In this episode, hosts Adrienne Barker and Joseph Lobosco delve into the Travis Decker triple homicide case – a shocking true crime tragedy in Washington – and debate its most troubling questions. Travis Decker, an Army veteran, murdered his three young daughters before taking his own life, triggering a multi-agency manhunt and raising debates about the veteran mental health crisis and the justice system’s role.

Tune in to hear:

• 2022–2024 – Downward spiral & custody battle: Travis and his wife Whitney separate amid his worsening mental health (PTSD and a borderline personality disorder diagnosis). Whitney voices safety concerns, leading a court to limit Travis’s unsupervised visitation with their daughters.
• May 30–31, 2025 – Disappearance of the Decker sisters: During a scheduled visitation, Travis fails to return 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia to their mother. By late May 30, a frantic Whitney reports the girls missing. An Endangered Missing Person Alert is issued as police learn Travis has been living out of his truck at campgrounds – heightening fears in this Washington State murders case.
• June 2, 2025 – Triple homicide at a campground: Investigators find Travis’s pickup near the remote Rock Island Campground in Chelan County. Nearby, they discover the bodies of all three Decker sisters, suffocated with plastic bags over their heads and their wrists zip-tied. Chilling evidence (bloody handprints on the truck and camping supplies strewn around) suggests Travis planned the murders in advance. Travis himself is missing, turning the incident into a manhunt for the fugitive father.
• June 3–9, 2025 – Nationwide manhunt & revelations: Authorities charge Travis Decker in absentia with first-degree murder and kidnapping as a nationwide search intensifies. Police and federal agents scour the wilderness, noting the ex-soldier’s survival training could help him evade capture. A reported sighting in Idaho is debunked, and court documents reveal Travis scouted the campground days before the murders. Travis’s ex-wife’s attorney speaks out, calling him an “active dad” whom “the system failed” by not providing needed PTSD treatment. By June 9, autopsies confirm the girls were suffocated, intensifying public outrage and grief in this 2025 child murder-suicide case.
• June 24, 2025 – Grieving a community’s loss: Hundreds attend a public memorial service to honor Olivia, Evelyn, and Paityn. Through tears, loved ones share stories of the sisters’ bright personalities. Whitney Decker thanks supporters for their compassion, even as she’s left wondering if more could have been done to save her children.
• September 2025 – Final discovery & case closure: After three months with no sign of Travis, human remains are found in Washington’s rugged wilderness. On September 25, authorities confirm the remains are Travis Decker, who likely died by suicide. The manhunt ends with the sole suspect dead, leaving no trial – only painful questions about how and why this tragedy unfolded.
• Debate & analysis – Premeditation, PTSD, and systemic failure: Our panel debates whether Travis’s heinous act was a calculated plan or the result of a mental break. We examine how his combat PTSD and borderline personality disorder may have influenced...

Ed Gein – infamously dubbed the “Butcher of Plainfield” – was a seemingly unremarkable farmhand turned ghoul whose 1950s crimes shocked the world. In the sleepy town of Plainfield, Wisconsin, police discovered that Ed Gein’s ramshackle farmhouse was a real-life house of horrors: a collection of human remains stolen from graveyards and the bodies of his victims, grotesquely fashioned into furniture, clothing, and keepsakes. Gein confessed to the murders of two women and claimed dozens of late-night grave robberies, ultimately being declared insane and spending the rest of his life in a mental institution. His ghoulish story inspired legendary horror movie characters in films like Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, cementing Ed Gein’s place among America’s most notorious real-life serial killers. Tune in to hear how this quiet loner’s gruesome obsessions blurred the line between madness and evil – and spawned a monster more terrifying than any fiction.

What you’ll hear:

→ Troubled upbringing: Ed Gein grows up in Plainfield, WI under the fanatical rule of his religious mother, Augusta. An alcoholic father (who dies in 1940) and an older brother’s suspicious death in 1944 leave Ed utterly isolated – a reclusive “mama’s boy” fixated on pleasing his domineering mother.

→ Grave robbing obsession: After Augusta’s death in 1945, the now-isolated Gein spirals into a morbid fascination with the dead. Between 1947 and 1952 he secretly exhumes freshly buried women who resembled his mother and hoards their body parts, crafting ghastly keepsakes from bones and skin that turn his farmhouse into a personal house of horrors.

→ 1954 & 1957 – victims vanish: Plainfield tavern owner Mary Hogan vanishes without a trace in 1954, and three years later hardware store owner Bernice Worden goes missing. A trail of blood and a receipt for antifreeze (the last item Worden sold) point police to Gein’s farm as suspicion mounts.

→ November 1957 – house of horrors discovered: Investigators searching Gein’s property find Worden’s mutilated, decapitated body hanging in a shed like a slaughtered deer. Inside the house, they uncover an unspeakable collection of human remains – skulls, organs, and even furniture made of human skin – confirming the legend of the “Plainfield Butcher.”

→ 1968 trial & insanity verdict: Gein readily confesses to murdering Hogan and Worden, but in 1958 he is declared mentally unfit for trial and committed to an asylum. A decade later, in 1968, he finally stands trial for Bernice Worden’s murder and is found not guilty by reason of insanity – avoiding prison and spending the rest of his life in psychiatric custody until his death in 1984.

→ Legacy of horror: Ed Gein’s case sparked a media frenzy and an enduring public fascination, fueling debate about the insanity defense and how to deal with the criminally insane. His grotesque story inspired famous horror movie characters (from Norman Bates in Psycho to Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), ensuring that the real-life “monster” of Plainfield lives on in pop culture.

⚖️ Disclaimer: Debate the News: True Crime Edition is for informational and discussion purposes only. We are not attorneys, law enforcement officers, or forensic experts. While we research each case, the show is recorded live with little to no editing; any factual errors are unintentional. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion is advised. Guest and audience views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts.

Speakers:

→ Adrienne Barker — Host

→ Joseph Lobosco — Host

→ Angie aka Angiesworld — Guest Contributor

→ Leslie — Guest...

George Stinney Jr was just 14 years old when he was executed by electric chair in 1944, making him the youngest person executed in the U.S. This episode explores the notorious 1944 South Carolina murder case in which Stinney, a Black teenager, was wrongfully convicted of killing two young white girls, 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames, after a rushed two-hour trial with no credible evidence and without adequate legal representation. In this episode, Joseph Lobosco and Adrienne Barker delve into how racial injustice and a lack of due process sealed Stinney’s fate, and how his story – which later inspired Stephen King’s The Green Mile – continues to spotlight the horrors of the juvenile death penalty and wrongful convictions.

What you’ll hear:

→ March 1944 double murder: In segregated Alcolu, South Carolina, two girls – 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames – go missing while picking flowers and are found brutally beaten to death in a ditch the next day, sparking panic in the town.

→ A suspect targeted: George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old Black boy who reportedly spoke with the girls earlier, is quickly arrested in the Jim Crow South. He’s interrogated alone for hours without a lawyer or his parents present; police claim he confesses, despite no written statement, no physical evidence, and Stinney’s slight build (5’1”, 95 lbs) casting doubt on his ability to overpower two victims.

→ Rushed trial: On April 24, 1944, Stinney’s capital murder trial lasts barely two hours. An all-white, all-male jury deliberates for just 10 minutes before finding him guilty. His court-appointed attorney (a tax commissioner with no criminal defense experience) calls no witnesses and mounts virtually no defense, while the prosecution’s case rests solely on the alleged verbal confession.

→ Execution of a minor: Stinney is sentenced to die by electrocution. On June 16, 1944 – only 83 days after the murders – he is put to death in the electric chair. At 14 years old, he remains the youngest person executed in 20th-century America. So small in stature, Stinney had to sit on a Bible as a booster seat; witnesses recall the adult-sized death mask slipping off his face during the fatal 2,400-volt surge.

→ Aftermath and silence: In the wake of the conviction, Stinney’s parents and siblings are driven out of town under threats (his father was fired and the family fled for their safety). The case disappears from headlines for decades, remembered only quietly in the community as a harrowing example of Jim Crow injustice. Some relatives of the victims continue to insist on Stinney’s guilt even years later, despite the case’s glaring irregularities.

→ Decades later – exoneration: The fight to clear Stinney’s name began anew in the 2000s. In 2014, a South Carolina judge reviewed the case and vacated George Stinney Jr.’s conviction – a full 70 years after his execution. Citing fundamental due process violations, the judge’s ruling officially exonerated Stinney, acknowledging the deeply flawed investigation and “confession,” and the ineffective defense that denied him a fair trial.

→ Legacy of injustice: George Stinney Jr.’s story stands as a powerful symbol of wrongful conviction and racial injustice. The case has fueled modern discussions about the juvenile death penalty, coercive interrogations of minors, and the urgent need for due process protections – and its parallels to the fictional Green Mile narrative have kept this 1944 tragedy alive in the public consciousness.

⚖️ Disclaimer: Debate the News: True Crime Edition is for informational and discussion purposes only. We are not attorneys, law...

George Stinney Jr was just 14 years old when he was executed by electric chair in 1944, making him the youngest person executed in the U.S. This episode explores the notorious 1944 South Carolina murder case in which Stinney, a Black teenager, was wrongfully convicted of killing two young white girls, 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames, after a rushed two-hour trial with no credible evidence and without adequate legal representation. In this episode, Joseph Lobosco and Adrienne Barker delve into how racial injustice and a lack of due process sealed Stinney’s fate, and how his story – which later inspired Stephen King’s The Green Mile – continues to spotlight the horrors of the juvenile death penalty and wrongful convictions. The conversation continues in Part 2 (releasing on Tuesday, October 21st).

What you’ll hear:

→ March 1944 double murder: In segregated Alcolu, South Carolina, two girls – 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames – go missing while picking flowers and are found brutally beaten to death in a ditch the next day, sparking panic in the town.

→ A suspect targeted: George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old Black boy who reportedly spoke with the girls earlier, is quickly arrested in the Jim Crow South. He’s interrogated alone for hours without a lawyer or his parents present; police claim he confesses, despite no written statement, no physical evidence, and Stinney’s slight build (5’1”, 95 lbs) casting doubt on his ability to overpower two victims.

→ Rushed trial: On April 24, 1944, Stinney’s capital murder trial lasts barely two hours. An all-white, all-male jury deliberates for just 10 minutes before finding him guilty. His court-appointed attorney (a tax commissioner with no criminal defense experience) calls no witnesses and mounts virtually no defense, while the prosecution’s case rests solely on the alleged verbal confession.

→ Execution of a minor: Stinney is sentenced to die by electrocution. On June 16, 1944 – only 83 days after the murders – he is put to death in the electric chair. At 14 years old, he remains the youngest person executed in 20th-century America. So small in stature, Stinney had to sit on a Bible as a booster seat; witnesses recall the adult-sized death mask slipping off his face during the fatal 2,400-volt surge.

→ Aftermath and silence: In the wake of the conviction, Stinney’s parents and siblings are driven out of town under threats (his father was fired and the family fled for their safety). The case disappears from headlines for decades, remembered only quietly in the community as a harrowing example of Jim Crow injustice. Some relatives of the victims continue to insist on Stinney’s guilt even years later, despite the case’s glaring irregularities.

→ Decades later – exoneration: The fight to clear Stinney’s name began anew in the 2000s. In 2014, a South Carolina judge reviewed the case and vacated George Stinney Jr.’s conviction – a full 70 years after his execution. Citing fundamental due process violations, the judge’s ruling officially exonerated Stinney, acknowledging the deeply flawed investigation and “confession,” and the ineffective defense that denied him a fair trial.

→ Legacy of injustice: George Stinney Jr.’s story stands as a powerful symbol of wrongful conviction and racial injustice. The case has fueled modern discussions about the juvenile death penalty, coercive interrogations of minors, and the urgent need for due process protections – and its parallels to the fictional Green Mile narrative have kept this 1944 tragedy alive in the public consciousness.

⚖️ Disclaimer: Debate the News: True Crime Edition is...

In late August 1990, Florida serial killer Danny Rolling — infamously known as the Gainesville Ripper — murdered five college students near the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Over the course of four days, Rolling stalked and brutally killed his victims (Sonja Larson, Christina Powell, Christa Hoyt, Tracy Paules, and Manuel “Manny” Taboada), unleashing panic across the campus community and drawing national attention.

Investigators pursued a manhunt under intense pressure, even arresting a wrong suspect, before evidence from a hidden woodland campsite and subsequent DNA tests finally unmasked Rolling as the killer. Rolling ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death (executed in 2006), but not before his reign of terror had already seeped into pop culture: screenwriter Kevin Williamson cited the Gainesville case as inspiration for the hit 1996 horror movie “Scream.”

What you’ll hear:

→ Sonja Larson & Christina Powell (Aug 24, 1990): Two freshmen roommates (18 and 17) are found stabbed to death in their off-campus apartment; one victim is also sexually assaulted – the first double-homicide that kicks off a terrifying spree.

→ Christa Hoyt (Aug 25, 1990): When the 18-year-old fails to show up for her night shift at the sheriff’s office, deputies discover she has been savagely murdered and decapitated in her home – confirming that a serial killer is at large.

→ Tracy Paules & Manuel “Manny” Taboada (Aug 27, 1990): Close friends (both 23) are attacked in their apartment; Manny confronts the intruder and fights fiercely but is overpowered and killed, after which the killer rapes and murders Tracy – bringing the death toll to five students within four days.

→ Gainesville under siege: Fear grips the University of Florida campus and city as the murders continue – students evacuate in convoys, those who stay behind push furniture against doors and stock up on locks and guns; the once-sociable college town takes on an atmosphere of curfew and dread.

→ Manhunt & false suspect: A multi-agency task force links the murders by a signature M.O. (knife attacks, posed bodies, cleaning of scenes, forced entry). Under intense media scrutiny, investigators focus on an 18-year-old student, Edward Humphrey, whose erratic behavior and facial scars make him a convenient suspect. Humphrey’s name and photo dominate headlines until forensic evidence (and his blood type) prove he isn’t the killer.

→ Campsite discovery: Investigators chasing a robbery lead stumble upon a hidden campsite in the woods near the murder scenes. They collect a trove of clues – a bag of cash stained by an exploding dye pack, a screwdriver matching pry marks at the crime scenes, a handgun, and an audio recorder with a taped confession – not initially realizing these items belong to the very killer they seek.

→ Zeroing in on Rolling: Ten days after the last murder, 36-year-old drifter Danny Rolling is arrested for a supermarket robbery in a nearby town; only later do detectives connect the dots. Weeks into the investigation, they finally press play on the recovered tape and hear a man singing about being a “killer” and calling himself Danny Rolling. DNA testing soon confirms that Rolling’s genetic profile matches evidence from all five slain students. The Gainesville Ripper is unmasked, and authorities also link him to a similar unsolved 1989 triple murder in Shreveport, Louisiana.

→ Guilty plea & death sentence: Facing overwhelming evidence, Rolling pleads guilty to five counts of first-degree murder in 1994 (telling the court, “there are some things you just can’t run from”). A jury unanimously recommends the death penalty, and in 2006 Rolling is executed by lethal injection after years of appeals. Shortly before his execution, he even provides a written confession to the Shreveport murders – ultimately closing the book on...

The Aaron Hernandez murder case stands as one of the most infamous NFL true crime sagas of the past decade. A rising New England Patriots star with a Super Bowl appearance, Hernandez was soon linked to multiple violent crimes – including the Odin Lloyd killing – and ultimately died by suicide in prison at age 27.

In this episode, Adrienne Barker and Joseph Lobosco unpack Aaron Hernandez’s journey from NFL fame to infamy: from a 2012 Boston double homicide investigation that lurked in the shadows, to the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd that made international headlines, and the high-profile trial that followed. They also explore the aftermath of Hernandez’s downfall – his shocking prison suicide, the posthumous revelations about his severe CTE brain damage, and the lingering questions about responsibility, football culture, and brain trauma that continue to surround this tragic case.

What you’ll hear:

→ Boston nightclub double homicide (July 2012): Two men – Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado – are gunned down after a chance encounter at a Boston club. The brazen double homicide goes unsolved for years, with Hernandez only emerging as a suspect much later.

→ Alexander Bradley shooting (Feb 2013): Hernandez’s associate (and reputed friend) Alexander Bradley is shot in the face during a late-night outing in Florida, losing an eye. Bradley miraculously survives and later accuses Hernandez as the shooter, a claim that would lead to additional legal trouble for the NFL star.

→ Odin Lloyd’s killing & arrest (June 2013): Odin Lloyd – a 27-year-old semi-pro player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée – is found shot to death less than a mile from Hernandez’s home. Days later, Hernandez is arrested and charged with Lloyd’s murder, and the New England Patriots cut ties with their talented tight end within hours of his arrest.

→ Murder trial and conviction (2015): Hernandez stands trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd. A Massachusetts jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder in April 2015, and he receives a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole – a stunning fall from grace for the former NFL standout.

→ Double homicide trial acquittal (April 2017): While already serving life, Hernandez is tried in Boston for the 2012 double homicide of de Abreu and Furtado. In a dramatic turn, the jury acquits him of those murders, citing reasonable doubt – a legal victory that briefly offers a glimmer of hope to Hernandez and his family.

→ Prison suicide (April 2017): Just five days after his acquittal, Hernandez is found hanged in his prison cell, dead by suicide at the age of 27. The sudden death of the once-celebrated athlete shocks victims’ families, football fans, and the nation, and it raises haunting questions about why he took his life at that moment.

→ Aftermath & legacy: Following his death, Hernandez’s murder conviction is posthumously vacated under an old Massachusetts legal rule – a move that infuriates Odin Lloyd’s family and sparks public controversy. An autopsy then reveals Hernandez suffered from severe CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), reigniting debates about football head injuries and violent behavior; Hernandez’s family files a lawsuit against the NFL (eventually dismissed) over the trauma to his brain. The case’s notoriety endures in pop culture as well – a 2020 Netflix documentary “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez” delves into his double life, his childhood, and the possible role of CTE in this tragic downfall.

⚖️ Disclaimer

Debate the News: True Crime Edition is for informational and discussion purposes only. We are not attorneys, law enforcement officers, or forensic experts. While...