In December 1968, 20-year-old Emory University student Barbara Mackle was kidnapped from a motel in the Atlanta area and buried alive inside a fiberglass box underground.

She had seven days of air.

For 83 terrifying hours, no one knew if she would survive.

But this story doesn’t end with her rescue.

The man responsible - Gary Steven Krist - served his sentence, reinvented himself, and decades later became a licensed physician. Until he was arrested again… this time for running an underground cocaine lab.

Three friends. Dark cases. Real questions.

killingtimewithfriends.com

Chapters

• 00:00 The Chilling Survival Story of Barbara Mackle
• 09:30 The Kidnapping and Burial
• 17:04 The Aftermath and Rehabilitation
• 25:43 Victims Profiting from Trauma
• 32:20 Gary's Downfall and Legal Troubles
• 37:20 Total Rehabilitation and Permanent Consequences
• 42:48 Violent Criminals in Professions

Sources

“Woman Is Sought in Mackle Case,” UPI, Dec. 23, 1968

“Making an Impact,” Time Magazine, Jan. 3, 1969

“South Florida’s Crimes of the Century Riveted the Nation,” by Edna Buchanan, Miami Herald, Sept. 15, 2002

“Kidnapper Now a Smuggling Suspect,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 11, 2006

“Sentencing Delayed for Drug Smuggler,” by Todd Defeo, Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald, Aug. 9, 2006

https://people.com/barbara-mackle-kidnapping-buried-alive-8736831

https://www.coastalbreezenews.com/columnists/the-daring-kidnapping-of-barbara-mackle-part-1-of-3/article_0823b341-edc0-540d-8d52-6f8e48bcc48a.html

http://www.atlantatimemachine.com/commercialbldgs/clairmont_1706.htm

https://abcnews.com/US/story?id=91055&page=1

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5078353M/83_hours_till_dawn

https://www.14news.com/story/1422081/town-left-without-a-doctor/

https://www.coastalbreezenews.com/news/who-dunnit-anatomy-of-an-egomaniacal-con-artist/article_f0eefeee-e416-11ef-ae1a-23edb9fc3b68.html

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/topten-history/hires_images/FBI-292GaryStevenKrist.jpg/view

https://crimelibrary.org/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/gary_krist/

https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/son-of-sam-laws/

In 1994, 19-year-old Emory University student Shannon Melendi vanished in Atlanta.

There was no body.

Years later, a man was convicted of her murder.

But here’s the question we couldn’t stop asking:

Could you say “guilty” without a body?

In this episode of Killing Time with Friends, we dive into the disappearance of Shannon Melendi, the investigation that followed, and Georgia’s first murder conviction without a body. We unpack the forensic breakthroughs, the delayed justice, and the emotional toll on her family — and then we wrestle with the bigger question:

Is justice about certainty… or probability?

🕯️ Dark stories. Real questions.

👇 We want to hear from you:
If you were on that jury, could you say “guilty” without a body?

🎙️ Follow & Subscribe for new cases every week.

#TrueCrime #ShannonMelendi #AtlantaCrime #ColdCase #NoBodyCase #JusticeSystem #TrueCrimePodcast

killingtimewithfriends.com

The Murder of Marilyn Mitchell | Alabama, 1990

In this episode of Killing Time With Friends, we break down the murder of Marilyn Mitchell, a 1990 Alabama case that still raises questions decades later.

What really happened that night?
Was this premeditated — or something else entirely?

We explore:
• The timeline
• The key players
• The evidence
• The unanswered questions

🎧 New episodes weekly.
📲 Follow us for clips and updates.

Source Material
* https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1116891.html
* https://www.wtvy.com/2022/05/10/32-years-later-this-convicted-nurse-killer-awaits-execution/?outputType=amp
* https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-almd-1_05-cv-00831/pdf/USCOURTS-almd-1_05-cv-00831-0.pdf

Tags: #MarilynMitchell #TrueCrime #Podcast #KillingTimeWithFriends #ColdCase #DothanAlabama #CrimeStory #Justice