When Ben Renick was found dead with a crushed skull in June, 2017, his brother thought he had been killed by a python. It was only after a police investigation uncovered that he had been killed by a gunshot wound that it became clear he had been murdered by a human. Why was his murdered?
For a while, Donna Palomba stayed anonymous regarding her September 11, 1993, sexual assault in her own home by a masked assailant. She had gone to the police as a “Jane Doe,” but they weren’t exactly on her side and all the people in her community thought she was lying about the horrible attack in order to cover up an affair. Eventually, Donna got justice for her terrifying assault and came out of hiding, but it took years of vigilance.
Las Vegas casino heir Ted Binion (of Binion’s Horseshoe, now known as Binion’s Gambling Hall,) was found dead in 1998, but the mystery surrounding his death still hasn’t been solved. He left behind millions buried in the Nevada desert, and rumors are that there is much more treasure to be found. Was his death suicide? Murder? His girlfriend Sandy Murphy was convicted of murdering him in 2000, but she was released four years later. Sandy is speaking now to Dateline in an episode airing tonight titled “What Happened in Vegas.” Does she have the answers everyone is looking for?
Girlfriends Mollie Olgin and Kristene Chapa were found brutally injured on June 23, 2012 at Violet Andrews Park in Corpus Christi, TX. The girls had had plans at the park that night, and one of their friends, Brittany Selby, was supposed to join them. That decision to not spend time at the park that night saved her life. Because Kristene and Mollie had been dating, the community wondered if it had been a hate crime.
Polyester clothing magnate Peter Nygard used his massive wealth to sex traffic and blackmail young women at his Bahamas 4.2 acre paradise called Nygard Cay. Tonight’s episode of Dateline interviews some of his victims and explores the story of the strange and hellish fantasyland.
Chad Daybell was a former gravedigger who found a new life in writing apocalyptic novels based around LDS (Mormon) theology. He even started his own publishing company. As his writing grew more popular, Chad claims that the content of his books had come from prophetic visions. Once he met Lori, he considered her to be a goddess on a special mission on Earth. The couple threw themselves into their grandiose delusions on a dangerous path to murder and mayhem.
On July 13, 2019, 57-year-old teacher Denise Hallowell was found dead with an axe in her head by her adopted son Carlos Hallowell. When 17-year-old Carlos called the police he told them that he and his mother had attended a funeral that day, and returned home between 2 and 3 p.m. and that he had discovered her body after their barking dogs woke him up from a nap.
In 2007, Love Has Won cult founder Amy Carlson left her three children and her more normal human life behind for an artist and musician living in Shasta, CA named Amaranth White Eagle, who believed he was Father God. As his partner Amy became Mother God, and soon enough demoted Amaranth to a mere human.
On June 22, 2017, 27-year-old Egypt Covington, a singer and beer distributor account manager, was killed in her home while she watched TV. She was shot in the head and her body was wrapped in a string of Christmas lights. Authorities first looked to her ex-boyfriend and others close to her, but no one was ultimately linked to the murder, and the case went cold.
Lori Isenberg claimed her 68-year-old husband Larry had fallen overboard while fixing a stalled motor while they were out boating February 13, 2018 on Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. His body had disappeared, but not forever. When his body was discovered weeks later, a toxicology report found fatal levels of Benadryl in his system.
Construction worker James Chambers was last seen on August 15, 2014, by his ex-girlfriend. His body has never been found, however, someone has admitted to killing him.
Friday night’s Dateline “The Evil That Watches” showcases a 2015 triple murder in small-town Pembroke, Kentucky. A group of three neighbors uncovered deep secrets while trying to help out an abused woman and her son, and the information may have cost them their lives.