“Killer Dentist” Colin Howell Pt. 1

0:00 Disclaimers and Overview of Colin Howell's Case Listener discretion is advised. This episode features discussions of murder, medical malpractice, mental health conditions and substance use that may be disturbing. We advise extreme caution for listeners under 13. 0:20 Religion has influenced human behaviour for millennia, usually for the better. Inspired by belief, many surrender their baser desires to uphold a moral code. They want to be pious and godly in the eyes of others. 0:36 But sometimes the perception of these moral standards can actually lead followers astray. Not everyone is forthcoming with their faults or accepting of forgiveness. The pressure to keep a sin secret can lead to a lie, another sin in itself, and the pressure to maintain that lie and keep one's transgressions secret can be deadly. 1:01 In the case of dentist Colin Howell, sin was a slippery slope. One transgression snowballed into another and another until Doctor Howell felt the only way forward was to commit a double homicide. 1:25 This is Medical Murders, a Spotify original from Parcast. For decades, thousands of medical students have taken the Hippocratic Oath. It boils down to do no harm, but a closer look reveals a phrase much more interesting. 1:42 I must not play at God. However, some doctors break that oath, choosing to play God with their patients, deciding who lives and who dies each week on medical murders, we'll investigate those who decided to kill. 1:57 We'll explore the specifics of how they operate not just on their patients, but within their own minds. Examining the psychology and neurology behind heartless medical killers. I'm Alastair Murden and I'm joined by Doctor David Kipper, MD. 2:13 Speaker 2 Hi everyone, I'm Doctor Kipper and I'm here to assist Alastair with some medical insight into our first instalment of the case of Colin Howe, a dentist who appears to have been born without his wisdom teeth. 2:26 Speaker 1 You can find episodes of Medical Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. Just open the app and type Medical Murders in the search bar. This is our first episode on Doctor Colin Howell, a dentist in Northern Ireland whose marriage to a nurse led to a double homicide in the early 1990s. 2:49 This episode we'll cover his journey into dentistry, his rocky marriage, and the first of two homicides. Next time we'll explore the second murder, the aftermath of the crimes and the cover up. 3:07 All this and more coming up. Stay with us. 3:17 Colin Howell's Religious Youth and Choice of Dentistry Just before midnight on the evening of May 18th, 1990, one 32 year old dentist Colin Howell stood out of his house in rural Northern Ireland, breathing in the cool night air. Shaken, he took a moment to calm himself, then walked back inside the house and pondered his next move. 3:40 Eventually, Colin realized what he had to do. With surgical gloves on his hands, he stepped into the living room. There, on the couch, his wife's body lay lifeless. 3:56 And while Colin had always considered himself a religious man, his faith had never been challenged like this. Colin Howell grew up in a hotbed of political conflict. 4:13 After he was born in 1959, Belfast, Ireland, was ripped apart by civil and religious strife. Catholic nationalists in favour of Northern Ireland's independence fought against the Protestant loyalists who wanted the region to remain part of the United Kingdom. 4:32 Though the social unrest was caused in part by religious differences, it actually inspired piety. In many cases, the Irish clung to their parish communities for a sense of security. Religion was a comfort in hard times and it became a critical part of many Irish People's Daily lives. 4:52 Colin Howell's parents were no exception. They hoped to instill the importance of their faith community in their son. The Howls were Protestant, specifically evangelical Baptists, according to Derek Henderson, author of Let This Be Our Secret, Every Sunday, Colin attended 3 different services. 5:15 He was also a loyal member of a Christian youth organization called the Boys Brigade. As a young teenager, he even aspired to become a missionary. He yearned to be respected in the eyes of his fellow congregants. However, his devotion to his beliefs ultimately set him apart from many of his peers. 5:36 He became a loner, staying home instead of enjoying the clubs and pubs where his friends were no doubt sinning. Still, behind closed doors, there were cracks in Colin's pious values. 5:51 As he grew older, new desires came in conflict with his Christian values. In 1978, nineteen year old Colin began buying pornographic magazines and quickly developed an obsession. 6:06 Perhaps the guilt he felt over this struggle kept him from realizing his goal of becoming a missionary. By the time he left secondary school, Colin had decided he wanted to become a doctor. Though he wouldn't be a man of the cloth, the highly respected career would still allow him to help people. 6:27 Unfortunately, Colin wasn't a strong enough student to get into medical school, so he set his sights on something a little more achievable Dentistry. 6:39 Speaker 2 This is interesting, Alistair, because the two fields have plenty of overlap and dentists do take the title of doctor. Dental school entails very strict and arduous training, and I very much believe dentistry is complementary to any other medical specialty. 6:56 In terms of becoming a dentist, one could argue that the path is less arduous than that of a medical doctor. Medical school is certainly more competitive from an admission standpoint, and dental school applicants on average have around a 3.5 grade point average versus medical school's 3.7. 7:15 This is in part due to the greater number of medical schools as compared to dental schools in the country and the resulting higher number of applicants competing for these coveted spots. In addition to the better odds of getting in. Some may have chosen this career path because the training period is shorter, taking about four years compared to a medical doctor 7 to 10 years. 7:39 Dentistry can also offer a much better balance between working hours and time for a personal life than a career in medicine, and they don't have to deal with stressful life or death scenarios. Despite their many intersections, Dennis and doctors clearly have very different job descriptions, so the choice can be more about finding the right fit than intelligence or drive. 8:04 Colin Meets Leslie: Jealousy, Abortions, and Marriage Around 1977, Colin entered into a dentistry program at Queen's University in Belfast, where he studied for six years. There he continued going to church regularly, and by 1980 he attracted the attention of a fellow parishioner. 8:21 Her name was Leslie Clark. Like Colin, she was also pursuing a career in healthcare, studying to be a nurse at a nearby hospital. But their similarities ended there. Where Colin was quiet and repressed, Leslie was gregarious and outgoing. 8:39 Her love life was active and busy, while Collins was sparse and limited at best. But as they say, opposites attract, and the two began dating rather quickly. Though Colin was immediately smitten, there was a dark side to his affection. 9:00 The pair didn't decide to date exclusively yet, so not long after they started seeing each other, Leslie went out with the young doctor. When Colin found out, he was infuriated. He showed up unannounced at Leslie's house. 9:17 She wasn't home, so he waited for her. When she arrived with the junior doctor in tow, Colin physically confronted his rival and reportedly shoved him out of the building. Surprisingly, this violence and jealousy wasn't a deal breaker for Leslie. 9:37 In fact, after this incident, she would go on to date only Colin, though she may have felt coerced into commitment by his aggressive display. As the relationship developed, it became clear that Leslie wasn't as infatuated with Colin as he was with her. 9:55 Nearly two years into their romance, Leslie confided in a friend that she had no intention of ever marrying Colin. But things changed sometime in 1982 when Leslie became pregnant. 10:14 When he received the news, Colin Howell spiralled. Pregnancy outside marriage was a marker of sin, and unlike his former addiction to X-rated magazines, Colin could not bury a pregnancy beneath his bed. Hiding it required an act even more taboo than premarital sex abortion. 10:37 So Colin Howell found himself forced to choose between his image as a godly man and actually following his religion. He chose his image, though Leslie wasn't absolutely positive about going through with the procedure. 10:55 She was worried Colin would leave her if she didn't, so she had the abortion. The process wasn't easy. Most abortions were illegal in Northern Ireland, so Leslie had to cross the sea to London in order to end her pregnancy. 11:14 Despite their moral, legal, and logistical conflicts, Colin and Leslie found themselves in the exact same situation within just a few months. When he learned Leslie was with child, Colin pressured her into having a second abortion. 11:32 Leslie complied. Then, weeks after she returned home from London, Leslie learned that she was once again expecting. She terminated her third pregnancy. 11:48 Speaker 2 Multiple abortions in a matter of months puts a lot of stress on the uterus and poses a serious threat to long term fertility. These consecutive operations would have likely resulted in a concentrated scarring and damage to this organ. 12:03 The risk of uterine complications would have also increased exponentially with each procedure. As a nurse, Leslie had to have known all of this, but her unfortunate situation and Colin's stubbornness may have forced her to turn a blind eye. 12:19 The two ultimately should have considered ways of avoiding pregnancy altogether with contraceptives like the birth control pill, IUD, and condoms, all of which were available in the 1980s. Instead, however, they kept repeating the same mistake over and over again, expecting different results, which is the definition of insanity. 12:43 Speaker 1 As far as we know, Leslie didn't face any health complications following her three procedures, though it's very possible there was a mental health impact. She'd repeatedly carried out an act that was deemed unholy by her faith and illegal by her government. 13:00 She may have also been experiencing grief over the children she might have had. But most notably, it may have led to her changing her mind about marrying Colin. Because in July 19, 8324, year old Colin Howell and 23 year old Leslie Clark walked down the aisle. 13:22 From what we can glean, neither was entirely sure about the marriage, but perhaps they've been through so much trauma together that the steppe felt necessary. 13:34 Colin's Booming Career and Leslie's Growing Unhappiness After their wedding and Colin's graduation from dental school, the Howls moved about 60 miles north up to the picturesque village of Coleraine on the coast of Northern Ireland. Colin secured a position at the local dentist's office and Leslie started working as a nurse. 13:51 Their life together seemed idyllic and effortless. They both had well paying jobs and seemed to have a security that other couples in their 20s lacked. But their relationship was about to be tested when, almost a year after their wedding, Leslie became pregnant again. 14:11 This time the two decided they were ready for a baby. In October 1984, Leslie gave birth to their first child, Matthew. It should have been a happy time, but the relationship between the nurse and the dentist was about to hit the rocks and young Matthew's life would be bookended by tragedies coming up. 14:44 Leslie Howell spirals and Colin follows in her wake. 14:49 Speaker 3 This is Story Booth Daily. Tune into this new podcast for your daily fix of real life stories from real people around the world. We've received thousands of stories that we want to share with you from talking about being ghosted or realizing that being popular isn't all that great. 15:04 Sometimes no topic is off the table. This is a podcast that's not only for you, but by you. Story Booth Daily premieres November 8th, so be sure to check us out Monday through Friday. Story Booth Daily is a wheelhouse and Spotify original from podcast. 15:20 Speaker 1 Now back to the story. In the mid 1980s, Colin and Leslie Howell were a newly married dentist and nurse in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. They were devoted parishioners of their local Baptist Church, and Colin's success as a dentist meant Leslie could leave her job as a nurse and stay home with their young son, Matthew. 15:46 Meanwhile, Colin watched the dental practices patient list swell to 35,000 people. Business was booming. He was a success, and not just at work. Colin started leading his Baptist Congregations youth Fellowship and regularly volunteered with other children's groups. 16:05 This likely gave him the sense of religious power he'd wanted since he was young. But while he held power and the moral high ground at work and at church, he struggled to maintain it at home. Leslie Howell itched to return to her nursing career. 16:23 She missed her work and no longer felt like the vibrant social butterfly she'd once been. She realized she didn't want to be a stay at home mum, but Colin expected her to be an obedient housewife and mother. 16:39 In November of 1986, Leslie gave birth to their second child, Lauren. With two young children, Leslie had much more to do at home and Colin projected the image of a doting husband and Christian family man. 16:56 Pleased, 28 year old Colin opted to take a new step in his career, opening up his own dental practice. In 1988 he purchased an office space. It cost him £34,000, or what would nearly be 98,000 lbs in 2020. 17:16 Though he'd risked a large amount of money to jump start his new professional project, Colin felt the investment was well worth it. And ultimately, it did seem to be at the beginning. Colin's client base rapidly expanded. 17:32 In fact, just to handle his influx of patients, Colin had to hire a second dentist. 17:41 Speaker 2 Colin Howe made an ambitious decision by opening his own practice and then quickly hiring another dentist. In my own experience, adding healthcare providers to a practice has its advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, extra practitioners can result in the ability to treat more patients and also provides the advantage of immediate and accessible consultation and information swapping. 18:07 More professionals within a practice can also mean greater income for individual doctors depending on how revenues are shared. On the other hand, problems with multi practitioner medical groups often get sabotaged by ego and a too many cooks in the kitchen type situation. 18:25 There may also be disagreements on treatment methods, unhealthy competition, or even clashing personalities that disrupt the work environment. Ultimately, bringing in a second dentist may have been a good idea for Colin, but it wasn't a decision to be taken lightly. 18:43 Speaker 1 In Doctor Colin Howell's case, the 2nd dentist helped him treat many more dental patients, but it also cut into his profits. Despite this, 30 year old Colin decided to stretch his finances even further in 1989 when he bought a large house for his family. 19:04 The move only furthered his image as a family man in the church community and it gave Colin and Leslie room to grow their family. In June 1989 they welcomed a third child, Daniel. 19:20 It was all a little too much for Leslie Howell. Not only had she not wanted to be so locked into her marriage with Colin, but the pressures of raising three children were insurmountable. Not to mention the financial strain Colin had put their family in. 19:37 They'd taken out an 85,000 LB mortgage for their new house, and though it may have been more spacious, it wasn't fully finished. While on the outside they appeared to live in a large, picturesque home, the inside was less than ideal, reflecting the way Colin Howell lived every aspect of his life. 20:00 Colin's Adultery and Hazel's Hidden Pregnancy It was so bad that they didn't have enough money to put carpeting over the concrete floors. At some point, Leslie started fantasizing about escaping and reportedly began stockpiling cash if she ever worked up the courage to leave Colin. 20:16 If she'd need it. Meanwhile, Colin's attitude seemed to suggest that he didn't have a clue. Though he wasn't feeling perfectly happy in his marriage, his mind was elsewhere. 20:32 He'd begun an affair with a former classmate, and he was breaking one of the 10 Commandments. Thou shall not commit adultery. But Colin seemed to think it was better than divorce. Much like choosing abortions over having a child out of wedlock, it looked better on the outside. 20:53 No one needed to know. Eventually, however, Leslie found out when she confronted her husband and his mistress. The affair ended, but the damage to the Howl's marriage was done. 21:10 However, before Leslie could separate herself from the relationship, she became pregnant with their fourth child. The baby news did little to salvage their marriage. If anything, it exacerbated the conflicts. 21:26 Leslie found herself unable to be intimate with her husband and again Colin's wandering eyes strayed from the woman he'd married. In the spring of 1990, thirty one year old Colin Howell met Hazel Buchanan. 21:41 She was a married mother of two. Colin was a married father of four. Both were active in their church. None of that stops them from striking up an affair, though it's unknown exactly how the relationship began. 22:01 Throughout the summer of 1990, Colin visited Hazel's home under the guise of giving her guitar lessons. Sometimes he even visited while Hazel's husband, a policeman named Trevor, slept in the master bedroom. 22:17 Perhaps Colin loved that Hazel never seemed to question or challenge him, and Hazel was enamoured with Colin's intelligence and sophistication. But a dark cloud quickly came over the clandestine lovers. For all his medical education, it seemed there was one thing Colin Howell would never learn. 22:38 Because not long after the affair began, Hazel became pregnant. She wasn't actually sure whether the child was Collins or her husband's, but she was terrified of giving birth because Colin Howell was a carrier of a rare genetic condition called syndactyly. 23:03 Speaker 2 Syndactyly sounds much scarier than it actually is. It's actually a fairly common condition that causes a child's fingers or toes to be conjoined or appear webbed. It affects about one in every 2500 infants and is usually treated surgically when the child is one or two years old. 23:23 As a baby forms inside the womb during pregnancy, its hands and feet initially form in the shape of flipper like paddles. Very early on during the first 6 to 8 weeks they divide into individual fingers and toes and syntactically occurs when two or more digits don't separate. 23:41 Although about 10 to 40% of children inherit this condition from a parent or commonly the father, the majority of cases occur at random. Given this, it's possible that Hazel and Collins baby may have inherited the condition. 23:57 This certainly would have given Hazel's husband A cause for suspicion, but it wouldn't really have been a smoking gun. Either way. Hazel was clearly more concerned about being caught in an affair than the life of her baby. 24:15 Speaker 1 Hazel didn't know whether or not the baby would be born with conjoined digits, but she didn't want to take the risk her husband might ask questions. Colin didn't want to take the risk either, and much like with the previous unplanned pregnancies he'd caused, he offered a solution, going to London for an abortion. 24:42 Despite the trips painful nature, Colin's feelings for Hazel were only solidified when they travelled to London together in the late summer of 1990. In the weeks that followed, Colin became more brazen about seeing Hazel. 24:57 He even took the risk of meeting up with her in public. Soon enough, they were spotted. A church elder who knew both Colin and Hazel saw them together at a local park and immediately grew suspicious. 25:15 Soon after, he called Colin and confronted him about the possible affair, which Colin denied unconvincingly. But Colin couldn't evade suspicion forever. He didn't want to either. 25:31 He just needed to figure out a way to leave his wife without looking like a Sinner. Coming up, Doctor Colin Howell concocts an evil plan. 25:47 Now back to the story. 25:53 The Affair's Exposure and Leslie's Desperate Act In the fall of 1990, thirty one year old Colin Howells marriage sat on the chopping block. To be fair, he'd put it there by striking up an affair with his fellow church parishioner Hazel Buchanan and becoming infatuated with her. 26:10 Both of them wanted to be together, but as Christians, they felt chained by their existing marriages. Matters only grew worse when former nurse Leslie Howell suspected her husband was cheating again. Colin had recently taken a golf trip with a friend, and Leslie confided in her pastor that she worried her husband may not have been golfing. 26:35 The pastor took it upon himself to investigate. He confronted Colin, who denied the accusation. He was a good Christian man. He'd never cheat on his spouse, but the pastor didn't quite believe it, because Leslie wasn't the only person who brought him suspicions about Colin Howell. 26:57 A few weeks earlier, a church elder had mentioned seeing Colin in the park with Hazel Buchanan. The elder didn't see anything other than two adults talking, but the site didn't sit right with him. Suspicious, the pastor went to Hazel's home and questioned her too. 27:16 Hazel had a more difficult time lying. Tears streamed down her face as she confessed to the affair. After hearing Hazel's confession, the pastor advised her to tell the truth to everyone affected. 27:32 This included her husband Trevor and Leslie Howell. Despite the affair, Hazel still desperately wanted to be a good Christian, so she proceeded with honesty and broke the news to her husband Trevor. 27:48 Meanwhile, Colin admitted the affair to Leslie. However, they weren't fully honest in their admissions. Both Hazel and Colin claimed the affair was purely emotional and never sexual. 28:07 Believing it was an obstacle they could overcome, both couples agreed to keep the affair secret and remain married. But while Trevor Buchanan made efforts to put the pain behind him, Leslie Howell was apparently less willing to forget. 28:25 After all, this was the second time that her husband had sought out the affections of another woman. In the days and weeks after she received the news, Leslie withdrew and seems to have fallen into a dark depression. 28:42 According to author Derrick Henderson, she began taking antidepressants and drinking more alcohol than she had in the past. A few weeks after the initial confession, Colin revealed to Leslie that his affair with Hazel actually had been sexual. 29:00 Maybe this was because the pastor had stripped Colin of his volunteer roles within the church and he was vindictive, or maybe he was burning with religious guilt. Either way, it was the final straw for Leslie. 29:19 She allegedly attacked Colin, clawing at him with her fingers. Then she ran to the bathroom, locked herself inside and grabbed a bottle of the pain reliever acetaminophen. She swallowed as many pills as she physically could, then stumbled out of the house, got in her car and drove off. 29:45 Speaker 2 Acetaminophen is a mild painkiller that's found in a host of over the counter analgesics. The maximum recommended dose for adults is around 4G per day, and if this is greatly exceeded, acetaminophen toxicity can occur. 30:00 In severe cases, the liver can acutely fail, leading to death from hepatic coma. This occurs because a failed liver can't filter toxins in the blood, which ultimately leads to brain damage and death if left untreated. 30:16 Other symptoms of acetaminophen toxicity can include intense fatigue, confusion, crippling abdominal pain and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. As a former nurse, Leslie would have known how much of the medication was needed to promote dangerous side effects. 30:35 She no doubt experienced a major shift in her body and mental state, and putting herself behind the wheel was clearly a reckless decision. 30:46 Speaker 1 In efforts to alleviate her pain, Leslie Howell was risking her life. Luckily, Colin called for help and they eventually found Leslie unharmed. She stayed at the hospital for three days recovering from her misuse of acetaminophen, but it would take much longer for her mental health to recover. 31:10 Colin's Sinister Plan, Leslie's Death, and Future Crimes By all appearances, Leslie Howell remained inconsolable over the state of her marriage. Still, as the calendar turned to nineteen, 9131 year old Colin and 30 year old Leslie pursued marital counselling at their church. 31:29 It seemed like Colin was willing to try again. For some time, he made no contact with Hazel Buchanan. Leslie did her best to gain back the affections of her husband, even going so far as to style her hair like Hazel did, but it didn't work. 31:49 In March 1991, after just four months of faithfulness, Colin started seeing Hazel again. The affair resumed as if it had never stopped, and it didn't take Leslie long to catch on. 32:05 Then, in late April 1991, Leslie's father came to live with the howls. He claimed to be suffering from flu like symptoms, although it's possible that Leslie brought him into the house to help her. She may have hoped that her father's presence would ease her own isolation and turmoil. 32:26 However, it's possible that the new presence in their household amplified Colin's guilt over his renewed affair. It may have even forced Colin into action. One night, shortly after Leslie's dad moved in, Leslie and Colin returned home from a night at the theatre to discover her father collapsed on the floor of her kitchen. 32:51 He had no pulse. They called the family doctor. He pronounced Leslie's father dead upon arrival, claiming the man had suffered from a myocardial infarction or heart attack. At the time, there was no reason to suspect there was anything nefarious about Leslie's father's death, but given what happened later on, many have questioned his sudden death in the Howell home. 33:19 Speaker 2 If we've learned anything from our podcast, it's that just because a death appears natural at first doesn't necessarily mean it is. It's completely possible that Leslie's father's death could have been the result of foul play, but there'd be no way to tell without distinct physical indicators. 33:38 Furthermore, nothing could be conclusively known without an autopsy or toxicology exam. Testing his blood for foreign chemicals would have been a good place to start. If he'd been effectively poisoned with an inconspicuous toxin, his corpse would appear no different than that of someone who died from a heart attack. 33:58 A physician would need to open him up and physically examine his heart and arteries to confirm a heart attack, as this would reveal obvious blood clots or blocked vessels. The circumstances are definitely suspicious in hindsight, knowing what we do about Colin Howe and his motivations. 34:17 That being said, a heart attack isn't an unusual cause of death and I don't have enough information to make a judgement call here. 34:29 Speaker 1 Regardless of how her father died, it was another devastating emotional blow for Leslie Howell. Another support system ripped away from her. According to several acquaintances, she turned to alcohol to cope. 34:46 In later interviews, Colin claimed he grew resentful around this time, and in response to her husband's complete lack of emotional support, Leslie's struggles only worsened. By the late spring of 1991, the Howells marriage was at a dead end, but both still feared the public shame of a divorce. 35:12 So Colin found another way out. Just like the times he'd gotten his partner pregnant out of wedlock, it would require acting against his faith, but as long as he kept it secret, no one would know that he'd ever sinned. 35:31 In May of nineteen, 9132, year old Colin told Hazel Buchanan about his plan. Apparently he was convinced that the future of their relationship relied partly on her willingness to end her own marriage, just not by means of divorce. 35:58 Around 10:00 PM on May 18th, 1991, Colin put his children to bed. As he tucked each one in, he listened for the sounds of Leslie moving around downstairs. Like she did on many evenings. 36:13 Leslie was enjoying a drink on the couch. By 11:00 PM, she dozed off. Colin grinned to himself. It was time to jump into action. He started by blocking the children's room with a hockey stick. 36:32 He couldn't risk one of them catching what he was about to do next. He put on a pair of surgical gloves. Then he went into the garage and connected a hose to his car's exhaust pipe. 36:48 As noxious gas floated through the tube, he manoeuvred it into the living room, pointing the other end of it at Leslie's sleeping face. It was as if he was at his dentistry practice, dosing a patient with laughing gas before pulling a tooth. 37:09 Only this was no mild sedative. The fumes from the cars exhaust ran through the hose into Leslie Howell's lungs, filling them with carbon monoxide. 37:22 Speaker 2 High concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause death within minutes. When inhaled, this tasteless, odorless gas fills the lungs and passes into the bloodstream, where it binds to hemoglobin molecules that supply oxygen to vital organs. 37:39 These hemoglobin molecules can't effectively function with the carbon monoxide coating their surfaces, and as a result, vital organs like the heart and brain start to shut down from oxygen deprivation. Because of carbon monoxide's nearly undetectable presence and its ability to depress a central nervous system, it's highly unlikely that a sleeping person would realize they were inhaling it. 38:04 In fact, it would probably put the person into an increasingly deeper sleep until it killed them. This is why we have those loud and annoying carbon monoxide detectors in our homes. The circumstances here are a little different though, Alistair. 38:20 The smell of the car exhaust fumes could have been noticeable in this equation depending on how deeply asleep or inebriated Leslie was. 38:31 Speaker 1 Colin Howell watched his wife inhale the poison until suddenly she stirred. As she regained consciousness, Leslie called out for her oldest son and tried to stand, but Colin quickly held a blanket over her head and the hose, forcing Leslie into a carbon monoxide tent. 38:53 After a few moments, she still Colin knew what that meant. His wife was dead. But Doctor Colin Howell's plan was far from over. 39:10 Leslie's wasn't the only life he planned to take that night. 39:25 Next time Colin Howells murderous plan escalates. Thanks for listening to Medical Murders and thanks again to Doctor Kipper for joining me today. 39:35 Speaker 2 Thank you, Alistair. 39:37 Speaker 1 For more information on Colin Howell, among the many sources we used, we found Let This Be Our Secret by Derek Henderson to be extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Medical Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. 39:55 We'll see you next time. Medical Murders is the Spotify original from podcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler, sound designed by Trent Williamson, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Karlie Madden and Joshua Kern. 40:11 This episode of Medical Murders was written by Ryan Lee with writing assistance by Lauren de Lille and Maggie Admire, fact checking by Bennett Logan and research by Chelsea Wood. Medical Murders stars Doctor David Kipper and Alastair Murden. 40:29 Speaker 3 This is Story Booth Daily. 40:30 Episode Break Tune into this new podcast for your daily fix of real life stories from people around the world. Story Booth Daily premieres Monday, November 8th on Spotify. Story Booth Daily is a wheelhouse and Spotify original from podcast.