In December 2010, 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was found at the bottom of a garbage chute inside a luxury apartment building in Melbourne, Australia.

Her death was officially ruled a tragic accident, or death by misadventure. But from the beginning, Phoebe’s family believed the explanation did not match the evidence.

This week, we walk through who Phoebe was, her relationship with Antony Hampel, the discovery at the Balencea apartment building, the autopsy findings, the blood evidence, the questions around the investigation, and the later reenactment that made people question whether the official theory was physically possible.

This is a case about a young woman whose struggles were too often used to explain away the things that did not make sense. It is also a case about what happens when mental health, addiction, and victim credibility become part of the story before every question has been answered.

Story starts: 10:00

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠probationbehavior@gmail.com⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• ABC News: Woman who fell down garbage chute was sleepwalking, coroner says
• ABC News: Coroner investigates whether drugs played role in garbage chute death
• 9News: The mystery death of Phoebe Handsjuk
• 9Now: Under Investigation, Phoebe Handsjuk episode
• Marie Claire Australia: Phoebe Handsjuk investigation
• SBS News: Coroner to examine garbage chute death
• Phoebe Handsjuk family website

To learn more about Phoebe’s case and her family’s fight for answers: ⁠Visit the Phoebe Handsjuk family website⁠

If you are in Australia and have information related to this case or any crime: contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1800 333 000 or submit a report online at ⁠Crime Stoppers Australia⁠. In an emergency, call 000.

In this episode, Abby tells the story of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian woman whose life was violently taken in Charlotte, North Carolina, the city we call home. Iryna survived war and displacement, came to the United States looking for safety and a fresh start, and was building a life filled with creativity, work, family, and hope when she was killed in a random attack on the Lynx Blue Line.

Before the case, we talk about Ally's dog Nemo potentially being racist, the shows we could rewatch every single day, and why The Vampire Diaries will always have a chokehold on us.

Story starts: 11:51

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠probationbehavior@gmail.com⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• James Funeral Home obituary for Iryna Zarutska
• WCNC: Pizzeria honors Iryna Zarutska after Charlotte stabbing
• Queen City News: Autopsy reveals three stab wounds
• WBTV: Timeline of the Charlotte light rail stabbing case
• Daily Caller: Reporting on suspect statement after Charlotte train stabbing
• The Charlotte Observer: Local reporting on the case

This is a preview of our first Patreon-exclusive bonus episode.

In the full 55-minute episode, we’re talking about how Probation Behavior actually came together, from deciding we wanted to make a podcast, to choosing the name, figuring out the vibe, planning the launch, and everything we were doing behind the scenes before our first episode went live.

We also get into what we almost did differently, what surprised us, what stressed us out, and how this whole thing started to feel real.

This preview is available on our main feed, but the full episode is only available for Friends of the Pod on Patreon.

Listen to the full episode on Patreon: Join Friends of the Pod

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠probationbehavior@gmail.com⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

In this episode, Abby covers the disappearance of Maura Murray, a 21-year-old nursing student who vanished after a car accident on a rural road in Haverhill, New Hampshire in February 2004. What begins as a timeline of a young woman’s final known movements quickly turns into one of the most debated missing person cases in modern true crime, with unanswered questions around the crash, the 911 calls, witness accounts, and what may have happened in the minutes before police arrived.

Story starts: 6:33

We also want to shout out Media Pressure, the podcast hosted by Maura’s sister, Julie Murray. You can listen and learn more here: https://www.mediapressure.com/

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠probationbehavior@gmail.com⁠

Case request form: ⁠Submit a case request⁠

Sources:

• The Disappearance of Maura Murray
• 911 Calls PDF
• The 107 Degree Timeline
• Spotify Episode Source
• Spotify Show Source
• Maura Murray Missing
• Reddit: Revisiting 001 vs. Witness A
• Media Pressure

Welcome to the first Motion to Gossip, our new bonus series where we get to be a little less structured and a lot more chatty. We do touch on some true crime updates in this episode, including Alex Murdaugh and Kouri Richins, but we also go wildly off course into pop culture, bad spending habits, reality TV, and whatever random thoughts show up along the way. If you’re here for the tangents, this series is for you.

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: ⁠@probationbehavior⁠

⁠Join our Patreon⁠

Email: ⁠probationbehavior@gmail.com⁠

⁠Case Request Form

In this episode, Ally covers the murder of Gail Spencer, a 58-year-old mother, grandmother, sister, and longtime legal secretary in Macon, Georgia. When Gail’s neighbors noticed something small but strange outside her home, it led police into a scene that immediately felt off: a cold house, lights still on, Gail’s car missing, and Gail found dead inside. What first looked like a confusing death investigation quickly unraveled into a shocking workplace betrayal involving trust, greed, a law firm, and a scheme to steal just under $1.3 million.

Story starts: 18:04

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: @probationbehavior

Join our Patreon

Email: probationbehavior@gmail.com

Case request form: Submit a case request

Sources:

• Dozier v. The State, Supreme Court of Georgia
• Macon Telegraph: Lawyer says accused “lookout” in Gail Spencer’s killing was coerced
• Macon Telegraph: Keith Dozier sentenced to life without parole in Gail Spencer’s murder
• Macon Telegraph: Gail Spencer’s case featured on Investigation Discovery’s Your Worst Nightmare
• 13WMAZ: Georgia Supreme Court upholds Keith Dozier’s conviction
• Gail Spencer obituary
• Keith Dozier police interrogation video
• Courtney Kelly and Keith Dozier interrogation video
• Your Worst Nightmare, “Twisted Plan,” Investigation Discovery

In this episode, Abby covers the murder of Eric Richins, a Utah father, husband, entrepreneur, and outdoorsman whose sudden death in March 2022 was first believed to be a tragic loss. This episode focuses first on who Eric was, then walks through the night he died, the investigation that followed, the public attention surrounding Kouri Richins’ grief book, and the trial that turned a private family tragedy into a national story.

Story starts: 8:26

We’re so happy you’re here. Follow along, share your thoughts, send us case suggestions, or submit a case request:

Instagram: @probationbehavior

Join our Patreon

Email: probationbehavior@gmail.com

Case Request Form

Sources:

• Justia, State v. Richins
• ABC 20/20, Utah Morning Show Anchors Reflect on Their Kouri Richins Book Interview
• Court TV, Eric Richins’ Sister Gives Emotional Testimony Describing News of His Death
• BBC News, Utah Bereavement Author Kouri Richins Found Guilty
• Court TV, Jury Sees Bodycam in Response to Richins Home
• YouTube case coverage
• Walker Mortuary obituary for Eric Richins