Kat Torres had it all—famous friends, a jet-setting modelling career and a social media feed that painted the picture of a woman who had truly made it.

But behind the flawless photos and inspirational captions lurked a far darker reality. Torres wasn’t just living the influencer dream; she was building something far more dangerous. What began as a pursuit of fame spiralled into a cult-like following, where influence became control, and admiration, exploitation.

So, how does someone with a face as angelic as Kat Torres become a cult leader and accused sex trafficker?

Journalist and Don’t Cross Kat podcast host Chico Felitti joins us to uncover the disturbing truth behind the rise—and fall—of Kat Torres.

CREDITS

Guest: Chico Felitti

Host: Claire Murphy

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

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Follow us on TikTok @truecrimeconversations

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show, then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At just 18 months old, Ben Shenton was handed over to a woman who claimed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

That woman was Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the leader of a secretive doomsday cult called The Family. For 14 years, Ben lived cut off from the outside world—beaten, starved, drugged, and taught to stay “unseen, unheard, unknown.” The cult twisted Christianity into a tool of fear and control.

Ben was finally rescued at age 15 during a police raid. Today, he’s an advocate for survivors and a pastor who still follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, just not the version the cult tried to force on him.

You can find Ben’s website, Rescue the Family, here, and his book Life Behind the Wire here.

CREDITS

Guest: Ben Shenton

Host: Claire Murphy

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show, then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the trial of Erin Patterson enters its second week, The Quicky news podcast examines the latest developments in the mushroom murder case that shocked a small Victorian town.

Stay tuned! True Crime Conversations will be covering the full case and trial very shortly...

Listen to Mushroom Case Daily here

THE END BITS
Check out The Quicky Instagram here

GET IN TOUCH
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice note.

CREDITS

Hosts: Taylah Strano & Claire Murphy

Guests:

Stephen Stockwell, Producer of ABC's Mushroom Case Daily podcast

Executive Producer: Taylah Strano

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Dirty John" Meehan, a serial con artist and violent criminal, was Terra Newell's stepfather. He had married her mother and spent years manipulating and abusing her until she finally left him. Enraged by her departure, he sought revenge.

One day, after finishing her shift at work, Terra was walking to her car when John suddenly grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arm around her waist and trying to abduct her.

In a desperate attempt to escape, she bit him. But his response was brutal—he began stabbing her repeatedly with a large knife.

With every ounce of strength she had, Terra fought for her life. In a fierce struggle, she managed to knock the knife from his hand. Realising the only way to survive was to stop him for good, she knew she had to act fast.

This is the story of Dirty John’s demise, told by the woman who lived through it.

CREDITS

Guest: Terra Newell

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heston Russell has lived a life most of us couldn’t imagine. A former special forces commander, he’s been shot at, dropped out of helicopters, and led troops through the chaos of Afghanistan and Iraq.

But it wasn’t until he came home that he faced his toughest fight yet — not against an enemy overseas, but against his own country. Heston and his men were accused of war crimes, and suddenly, he was battling to defend their names against the weight of national headlines and public judgment.

In this episode, we dive into Heston’s intense defamation case against the ABC, but we go deeper, too, into what it’s like to be a soldier at war and what you do when you’re wrongly accused of a crime you didn’t commit.

You can listen to The ABC’s of Heston Russell podcast here.

CREDITS

Guest: Heston Russell

Host: Claire Murphy

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura McConnell grew up in a fundamentalist sect with no name.

Along with no official title, the group also claims to have no registration around the world, no formal hierarchy, and no official places of worship.

According to Laura, it's this secrecy and denial that has allowed abuse to flourish within the community. She joins us today to expose what she witnessed and experienced inside the group she calls The Truth.

CREDITS

Guest: Laura McConnell

Host: Gemma Bath

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producer: Scott Stronach

GET IN TOUCH:

Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1993, a teenage girl vanished on her way to school in a quiet town in Ontario, Canada. That morning, she’d argued with her mother, Mary Ann—nothing serious, just one of those everyday fights about going to school. It would be the last time they ever spoke.

Her name was Christine Harron. She never made it to class.

The case went cold for years—until filmmaker and podcast host David Ridgen started asking questions. He dug into old leads, uncovered long-buried secrets, and eventually helped bring a killer to justice.

But even now, one question remains... Where is Chrissy?

Listen to David Ridgen's podcast, Someone Knows Something, here.

CREDITS

Guest: David Ridgen

Host: Claire Murphy

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephanie Scott was just days away from marrying her long-time partner when she went into her empty high school on Easter Sunday to prepare lesson plans for the substitute teacher. That morning, she was tragically murdered.

Vincent Stanford, the school janitor, was arrested after police found evidence linking him to the crime—scratches on his body, bloodstains in his car, and disturbing photos of Stephanie’s body on his phone.

He pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. But what we’ve learned since is that Stephanie wasn’t even his intended victim.

Sarah Crawford, a journalist who’s been following this case for the past decade, joins us now.

CREDITS

Guest: Sarah Crawford

Host: Claire Murphy

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify.

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.