The Reddit Thread That Became a Horror Story

Hi, everyone. It's Vanessa Richardson. Real quick before today's episode, I want to tell you about a show I host with forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. It's called Serial Killers and Murderous Minds. Every Monday and Thursday, we take you deep into the psychology of the most chilling murderers and uncover what drives them to kill. Follow Serial Killers and Murderous Minds, available wherever you listen to podcasts. This is Crime House. His wife is describing sex acts that she would like to perform with him, and he is reciprocating right in front of this woman's husband, by the way. She, my wife, tells him to check his Snapchat, and at the same time, I get a Snapchat from her, too. Oh, my God. They keep talking, trying to figure out when they can meet up and have sex. So they're scheming right in front of his face, behind his back. And she sent it to both of them. Welcome back to Crimes of Reddit. I'm Alexis Linkletter. And I'm Sabrina DeAnaroga. Every week, we are going down Reddit's deepest rabbit holes to uncover the most disturbing and bizarre stories posted by the people who actually lived them. Yeah. And today, I'll be covering a deeply disturbing story that we unearthed from Reddit. We're a tale of adultery spiraled into a real-life horror story. And this case is interesting because it really reveals how something like infidelity, which seems, I mean, not innocuous emotionally, but like. It's common. Common. Unfortunately. Can really devolve into something much more insidious. Okay. I have not heard this story at all, so I have no idea what's about to come. I know. And I'm so excited for you to hear it. It's so sick how excited we get each week. Well, listen, there are very few surprises. There are no surprises in my life. So the idea that, like, these stories I don't know are dangled in front of me until I get to hear them from you, it's something that keeps me going in this dark world. I love it. I love this show. We hope you love it, too. And if you do, subscribe and step inside the world of Crimes of Reddit. Please follow, rate, and review us wherever you listen. It helps us build this community, which we love. Redheads. And we love hearing from you. So to get early access and, not for your listening, subscribe to the Crime House Plus community on Apple Podcasts. You can also catch us on YouTube where we include visuals that bring all of these insane stories to life in a completely different way. All right. I'm going to close my computer. I'm going to stare you in the eyes. Yeah. And let you take me on a journey. If you've spent years trying every diet out there only to end up feeling totally stuck, listen up. This summer can actually be different. You deserve to feel amazing in your own skin. And Weight Loss by Hers is here to help you finally shake things up. 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How do I know? Because every time I catch myself thinking about it, I tell myself, it's only been X days. Maybe you won't think about it tomorrow. Wow. I want to give him a hug. Emotional guy. So to go back to the beginning, I had just taken on a new project and new responsibilities at work. I was working a 15 that I noticed she had added a password to her phone. When I confronted her about it, she told me it was because she was planning my father's day present and didn't want to ruin the surprise. About a week later, she came to me and told me that she felt guilty keeping such a big secret from me and told me she was having our neighbor, a contractor, build a home office for me as my present. Okay. See where this is going? Yep. I see where this is going. It struck me as odd as in our six years together, she's never said she felt guilty about anything and always insists she never regrets anything in her life. To never regret. Okay. This is such a tangent, but my mom is just like one of those people who's not the most self-aware. So I asked her the other day, I was like, do you ever feel embarrassed? And she said, no. What a liberating thing. I was like, I was embarrassed 20 minutes ago when we took thumbnail photos. I'm embarrassed right now. So she must be so free. I don't know. I think a little bit of self-awareness and embarrassment is good for the human population. But there's a fine line because I'm shackled by those things and I should really split the difference. But all I'm saying is that she's never regretted anything in life. I feel like never feeling guilty is crazy. Anyways, time goes on. Her phone, meaning his wife, is still password protected and things don't feel right. I see her using her phone and smiling to herself more and more often. But when I ask her what she's doing, she says nothing and puts her phone away. So one morning I wait for her to get in the shower and I grab her phone before it requires the password. Smart. Though don't violate people's privacy. No. I'm pro-violating privacy. If your spidey senses are tingling and you just know you're being lied to, I think you can maybe justify it. If they're violating your relationship and the sanctity of your relationship and putting you at risk in any way. He continues. So I go through her messages and find that she's texting the neighbor. Quote, I am all covered in frosting. You want to lick it off. End quote. There were no other messages to the neighbor, but I found out later it was because she had set up her phone to delete messages after a certain amount of time automatically. I felt uncomfortable with it, but I knew she had a perverted sense of humor and I thought she'd never do anything to hurt me. More time goes by and the neighbor is spending more and more time at her house, but the office is being completed. Slower and slower. I can't help but worry that something isn't right. So I start checking her location using Google timeline. It was at this point that I realized that there are large gaps in her GPS history because she was turning off her phone's GPS. Also a red flag. Fast forward to July and at this point, the paranoia is driving me nuts. So I tell her that I need to install a new anti-virus software on her phone. While she has it unlocked for me, I install anti-theft software so I can remotely turn the GPS back on and set up AT&T message backup and restore so I can read all of her text messages from that point on on my computer. See if it were me, I would just, I'm the type of person where if I see something on a partner's phone or if I have any inclination, it eats me alive. I have to right away confront it and be like, are you cheating on me? These people who can hold it in and like plan and scheme like gone girl vibes. Yeah. I wonder what that's like because I'm the same way. I'm like hard on my sleeve. I'll like burst into tears. I wouldn't be able to sleep. Yeah. A hundred percent. Like I could never hold it in and simmer quietly. It would just be too much for me. Anyways, the next day, this is after he installs the anti-theft software. My mother asked to spend time with my two kids. So my wife drops them off with her and has the day to herself. I watched my wife's activity from work as she spends the day trying to meet up with the neighbor, but is unsuccessful because he's busy. With another job site that night, we got the kids back from my mom's house and we went out to dinner with the neighbor, his girlfriend and his son. I could never do that knowing there's something. That's the thing. Like I understand that she's appears to be having this affair, but his interest in getting everyone in the same room is interesting. I respect it. I don't know if it's a good idea. I don't think any of these things are a good idea. Okay. Agreed. But I respect it because I could never do it. Yeah. From like a storytelling, listening to the story perspective, I respect it. He's curious. He's a curious man. I guess that's fascinating. So, anyways, we went out to dinner with the neighbor, his girlfriend, and his son. My wife and his girlfriend are having a good time drinking, laughing, and just joking around. So the wife's all buddied up with the neighbor's girlfriend. His girlfriend mentions that she would like to see Magic Mike XXL. Now, if you don't know what that is, Magic Mike, and I think they're referring to the movie, Magic Mike is a movie about male strippers. Channing Tatum is generally the protagonist. And it mirrors sort of his real-life ascension to celebrity because he began his career as a stripper. So there's the context there. Have you been to those in Vegas? Yes. I went to Thunder Down Under. I've been to them all for, like, bachelorette parties. It's hot. It's not for me. I mean, the guys are like Adonises, right? They're, like, perfectly sculpted. But that's never been my thing. I'm not really into that. Because I just look at a guy like that, and they look like no fun. Well, I wouldn't want to date a guy like that. They're too pretty. Well, like, I want to go drink a margarita. I want a quesadilla. You can do both at Magic Mike. Sure, but the guys aren't eating that. I want to go for gelato after dinner. And they're like, no, no, sorry, I have to meet my macros or whatever. Like, no, thank you. Anyways, so original poster says, It's a good idea. I'll watch the kids so my wife and the girlfriend of the neighbor can go see Magic Mike XXL. So they go. And the neighbor and I, meaning the person he suspects is having an affair with his wife, they go back to original poster's house so their kids can play video games together. He continues, The kids are back in my son's room playing games, and the neighbor is sitting across from me on the other couch. It is at this point that my wife starts texting him. And he's following this on this anti-theft software in real time. So his wife is describing sex acts that she would like to perform with him, and he is reciprocating right in front of this woman's husband, by the way. She, my wife, tells him to check his Snapchat. And at the same time, I get a Snapchat from her too. Oh my God. And it's her fingering herself in a bathroom stall. They keep talking, trying to figure out when they can meet each other. Yeah. And original poster continues, They decide on Monday morning after I go to work. So in my head, I had already planned to pretend to leave and circle back to catch them. But then they tell each other that they love each other. Oh no. And it is all I can do to- Oh, this is so sad. I know. But like, you shouldn't have to see this. It's why like- Oh, I would rather, I want to see it all. I would go insane. If people were scheming, like making a fool out of me in front of my face, behind my back. No. I don't let people play in my face. Fair. I would confront it, but I would want to see it all. Yeah, I would go nuclear. But anyways, original poster continues, but I contain myself and continue reading the conversation unfolding in front of me. Then he, the neighbor, tells her, you're my girl now. To which she replies, always have been. Ending with him writing, and always will be, corny. And he's 51. Yeah, and she's 29. Ew. So, original poster continues, my wife and the neighbor's girlfriend return from the Magic Mike movie. And I ask them politely to sit down. I then ask the kids to stay in my son's room and shut the door. I return to the living room and confront my wife and the neighbor. I appreciate that. Yeah. So, I say this. So, you two love each other, huh? My wife goes into full-blown denial mode, and the neighbor's girlfriend starts smacking him. I ask my wife if she has been texting him. She says no. So, I show her the messages. Then she admits to it, but says it was the first time it had gone that far. You're saying I love you. Yeah, and that, like, you're my girl, and corny shit like that. Yeah, no. Not the first time. I ask my wife if she has sent him pictures. She says no. So, I show her the picture. She admits it, but says it was the first time. I ask her if she is having sex with him, and she says no. Because I didn't wait to catch them having sex together, I didn't have evidence to prove her wrong. So, that one stayed unresolved. It's resolved. We know the answer. You don't need to catch them to know. But when you're dealing with someone manipulative, yes, you do. Sure. Because there's just no way. These types of people are so masterful with the way they lie and with their denials that truly sometimes, like, you need the evidence. And even then, they'll still deny it. So, here he's like, I didn't have it to catch her. He doesn't have evidence to know what's going on. So, original poster says this. I tell her that I am leaving her. She tells me that she will make sure I never see my kids again if I do. She planned on using the fact that I had attempted suicide in high school to prove me unfit to have the children. This is so messed up. She continues to say that it was my fault for being so busy with work and stressed out that she just wanted someone she could talk to. Do I believe partially that's true? Yes. But to, like, throw it. Because I do think people don't just, some people cheat just to cheat. But then I do think that there's, like, cheating because there's issues in a relationship. And, like, that's someone's way out. But, like, to throw it all on him and then be vindictive and be like, I'm going to take your children away from you just proves the type of person that she is. Yeah. I mean, it's insane. And it's her fault for cheating. But she cheated because of a reason. That's fine. And you guys can talk through that. I also don't think being busy and feeling lonely is a good excuse to cheat. Agreed. Like, you're supposed to communicate through that. I get, though, if you express your needs over and over and it's ignored. People do impulsive. Yeah. Bizarre stuff. And they act out of character. But she's not showing any remorse. No, she isn't. She's blaming him. Yeah. So, then she gives me an ultimatum to decide what I'm going to do or she will decide for me. Remember, the neighbor and his girlfriend are also there for this. So, the neighbor's girlfriend starts defending the two of them, saying that it couldn't have been serious if they weren't having sex. And that my wife and I are too perfect together to let this break us up. The neighbors then go home. And my wife and I argue for the rest of the night. About what we are going to do. The girlfriend sounds like an idiot. She's also probably 21. And being, like, manipulated. Yeah. So, we go to bed separately, having not resolved anything. We kept going back and forth on the subject all weekend and finally decided we are going to separate temporarily while we figure out what we want. I was going to stay in the house and she was going to take the kids and go to her mom's house. That Monday, I went to work and I got a text from her in the middle of a meeting with my bosses stating that she had, explained things to our kids, but that they were upset and I needed to explain it to them also. Also, what did she explain to the kids? What did she say, who did she blame, how badly are you traumatizing them to get what you want and to not have him leave you? Especially if you don't know what you're going to do yet, don't dump that information on children. Dude, children should not come in the middle of marital problems. I've heard horror stories about people sending their children to, like, catch the other partner in the act. And it's like, you are traumatizing the shit out of these children and you're setting the stage for a lifetime of dysfunctional relationships. You were, what, six when your parents— Seven. Seven when your parents got divorced? Did you feel like you were put in the middle? No, but I definitely had a lot of fucked-up relationships my entire life until I married a very healthy, handsome man. There's hope for us yet, but even then, am I messing that up? I hope not, but I don't know, I don't trust myself because those sorts of things really are the blueprint, and 50% of marriages end in divorce. I think even more now, like, parents need to handle this better so that kids can heal. Yeah, my mom was, like, showing me emails. That is wrong. From my mom. Or from my dad cheating on my mom. You were not a friend, you were a child. I was, like, 11 years old. Thank God. So, don't recommend that. No. No. So, when Original Poster got home from work, because remember the wife texted him saying you have to come home and explain this to the kids, he gets home from work to find the kids crying. Do we know how old the kids are? Not yet. Okay. They're young. Okay. She's 29, so they can't be more than, like, elementary school. Sure. Well, it's possible, but unlikely. Yeah. She had told them that mommy had to move out because dad was mad at her. When my son wanted to stay with me, she told him that he can't. My son put it together that if mommy has to move out because I'm mad at her, you know, and he has to move out, too, then I must have been mad at him, too. Oh my God, that's so horrible. My daughter was crying because my son was. I don't think she was old enough to understand what was happening. Dark. I feel so bad for these children. I know. Like, obviously the cheating is awful, but, like, the worst victims here are the kids. And I also want to bring it back to Reddit. The Original Poster is, like, really pouring his heart out. Like, this is a long post. Yeah. Well, this is why I love Reddit is people do feel safe to just, like, share very intimate details. What I love about this, this was before ChatGPT. All of these are. And these people are, I'm like, English majors, something. Yeah. Like, you're so good at writing. I mean, this is good shit. Yeah. So in reference to the daughter crying, too, because my son was crying, I didn't think she was old enough, Original Poster says, "It was in that moment I realized she was going to drag the kids through hell if I left her. So I swallowed my feelings and begged her to stay." That's so interesting because then it's like she has the power again. She has the power this whole time. Because people like this marry empaths. Yeah. Yeah. They completely control them. But I mean, like, so you're leaving me, so you devastated, you've ruined our kids' lives. It's your fault. Yeah. begging her not to leave him when he's done nothing wrong. It's honestly impressive, but terrifying. Thickening. Yeah. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin? Or what that clunking sound from your dryer is? With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews, all on the app. Download today. I've always dreamed of being able to order my coffee in Italian like a local, instead of just pointing at the menu and hoping for the best. There's something about speaking another language with real confidence that opens up a whole new world of experiences. That's why I'm so excited about Rosetta Stone Sapphire. It's their biggest launch in over a decade. 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This gets you access to Rosetta Stone Sapphire in 25 languages. Visit rosettastone.com slash rs10 to redeem your 20% off. That's rosettastone.com slash rs10. Trying to lose weight on a GLP-1? Getting the nutrients you need doesn't have to be complicated. That's where Groons comes in. One convenient daily pack gives you greens plus 20-plus vitamins and minerals in a low-carb gummy that's easy to take wherever you go. No guesswork, no hassle. Just a little bear that tastes great. Save up to 52% off with Code Podcast at groons.co. That's Code Podcast. Podcast at g-r-u-n-s dot c-o. So, begged her to stay. She and my wife agreed and insisted that I apologize to our neighbor. What? My wife insisted I apologize to our neighbor since we were still going to need to hang out with them because our sons are good friends. Move. I would move. Yeah. I would be out. I'd be out. I'd like to think I would, but maybe I can be manipulated. I don't know. I don't know. Oh, I could be manipulated. I've done weird shit because of partners. Me too. Yeah. So, I've stayed through really weird stuff. Okay. Anyways, it can happen to the best of us. So, wife says we're still going to need to hang out with the neighbor. The sons are good friends. Original poster says I hate it, but I do it anyway. So, we still hang out with them from time to time and they come to our various birthday and holiday parties. You can also be neighbors with someone and not invite them to things. You can also hate your neighbors. Yeah. I see people on TikTok doing it. I see people doing it all the time. Calling the cops on their neighbors, hating their neighbors, putting up signs about hating. Like, hate your neighbor. The fact that he's still coming to things makes me think that their relationship is not over. Well, that's that intuition of yours, Sabrina. You're probably spot on. That's why I always know when a partner's cheating. A hundred percent. So, original poster says I do anything for my kids and I behave civilly every time. He says things die down for a while. I still think about it constantly. I worry. How can I keep from? How can I keep from making her so unhappy that she cheats on me again? Then almost a year later, after the original incident, around Father's Day again, she sent him pictures again, the neighbor. Oh, so he still has the anti-theft thing on his phone? He knows somehow. But wouldn't you keep it on the phone? Oh, for sure. So, she, the wife, claims it was an accident and that she meant to send them to me instead. Whoops. I don't fully believe her, but I move on anyway. Poor guy. Yeah. Things have been quiet on that front for about four months now, but I still think about it constantly. This is going to sound so stupid, but I feel like I have a part of my brain that can't shut off. That is always thinking. I used to use that to solve programming problems, and it made me very good at my job. But ever since this incident, the only thing it thinks about is her and him. And if I did the right thing, you didn't. Sorry, you didn't. Yeah. But- Also, he is in an impossible position. But listen, we were just talking about our childhoods. People who are narcissistic, who are willing to do this to their partners, zero in on people who they can pull the strings for. Like, who usually have formative childhood experiences, like divorced parents, and then they guilt trip them about, like, you're going to break up our family? You saw what it did to you. Like, they are so good at manipulating people. But they're also really good at, like, getting you to a place where- You've built a relationship and a life that the idea of losing that is almost more devastating than the alternative. I mean, mistakes couldn't be higher. Like, your life imploding when you have children, a house, like, it's everyone's worst nightmare. You know, no one gets married thinking they're going to get divorced. No. So- Actually, I have a friend who's like, I'm going to get divorced three times. I'm like, well, that's a weird thing to put in the universe. She must be joking. Uh, okay, we'll see. I'd like to meet her. We'll circle back. Yeah. I'm interested. I love, like, quirky personalities. So anyways, original poster continues. My job performance has suffered, and I feel like I haven't gotten sleep in months. I'm afraid that after this much time and the fact that I begged for her back to say that I want a divorce now would only make her more vindictive towards my children and I. This is scary because he's scared of her. Totally. And that's why he's staying. He's not staying because he loves her. He's staying because he's scared. So, original poster continues. I just feel like I've put myself so deep in a hole that I can never get back out. I haven't really talked to anyone about this. I don't want to talk to my mom about it because I felt she would treat my wife differently and I didn't need the two fighting any more than they already do. I tried talking to one friend about it, but his advice was to put my trust in God. But that was not much solace for me as I am an atheist. You'd think the friend would know that about the friend. Okay. It's like if someone was like, yes, go do Six Hail Marys, Sabrina. Yep. To think on that. Yeah. No shade. But you'd only say that to your friend if you knew they were religious. That's not great advice to someone who's like, needs help. Yeah. Yeah. Original poster continues. So, I have no clue what to do with my feelings or how to move on from this. Okay. So, you can imagine that was the entire original post. Okay. So, just imagine what the Reddit community did. So, obviously, like, where are you at with this? Like, what is the most egregious, like, thing the original posters had to deal with? The wife does not care. No. And I believe is still continuing this relationship. And again, I go back to, like, I think, I feel bad for the OP, of course. But the children, I just feel so bad that they're in a position where their mother is going to make their lives miserable if the OP does something that's right for him. Yeah. So, here are a couple of comments. Yeah. I'm going to navigate this alone, and you should seek counsel ASAP. I'm surprised they didn't go to therapy. You should have done this months ago. This person is talking about a lawyer. Like, you need to protect yourself, your assets. And the commenter continues, your wife's threats should hold no weight until you can get a professional legal opinion on your exposure in a divorce. Another poster says this. Oh, dear God. If I went through this shit, there'd be a dead neighbor buried in my backyard. All jokes aside, I feel for you, bro. And I can't fathom how you must have felt over the past, past 476 days. It seems your wife didn't even feel all that remorseful. She just guilt-tripped you into keeping her. Fuck, dude. I don't know if I'm in any position to give any advice, but dump that bitch, man. I just, yeah, it's terrible. I also hate that this is a story that makes me, because most of the time, I feel like in true crime and also in relationship things, it's the man doing something, terrible to a woman. Yeah. So I hate stories that make me sympathize with men. But I also do know that this stuff happens, and it's terrible. The messed up part is that there are good men out there, and they end up with really mean women sometimes. And it's like, obviously, like most of the domestic violence, it's male to female, right? But it's not all like that. And this is abuse. It's emotional abuse, what she's doing. 100%. See how broken up about it he is about the kids? Yeah. She's not agonizing over whether this is going to hurt the kids. She doesn't give a single fuck. She does not care. No, she's scary. Yeah. And like, here's the thing, like men are fucked up. And when a woman has that like evil, evil, like seed, they're terrifying. Yeah, I do agree with that. Here's another commenter. I don't know what to say that other people haven't consulted a divorce lawyer, maybe seek therapy for you and your wife if she'll agree to it. You sound like a great dad who does not deserve to be shackled. to such a manipulative woman. I can't believe she'd put the children in the middle when everything was her fault. Of course, she doesn't think it's her fault. Or she knows it is and is not willing to admit it. Place the blame on him instead. Exactly. Okay. So that's the original post. Yep. Then the original poster comes back with an update. Obviously, this post, as you can imagine, gained a ton of traction. This was a hugely followed Reddit saga. So the update was welcomed. People were kind of waiting on bated breath about this. So here's what the original poster said. I'm taking your advice. Instead of trying to fix something she doesn't want to fix, she has refused counseling several times in the past before this even happened. I'm going to get myself and my kids out. I will meet with an attorney next week. Thank you to everyone for helping me see how far I had my head up my ass. I understand why the OP did, though. Everyone wants the same. Most people want to save their family if they can. And also, it's so easy when you're not. In the situation yourself, to have an opinion or be like, just leave and run away. But when you're in it, it's harder to really see it from an aerial view. 100%. And I think what a lot of people don't realize, too, is that, like, our brains, like, they won't let it. Like, it's like love addiction. It's a survival technique. Yeah, and it's like, there are defense mechanisms built in to, like, protect ourselves from pain. And a lot of people, depending on, like, whatever weird traumas shaped you as a person, you're going to want to avoid. You're going to want to avoid a painful divorce. Totally. So you justify and you're in denial. And it takes a long time to process this kind of stuff. Okay, so that's update one. Okay. Are you ready for update two? Because this is really where everything goes off the rails. I don't even know where this is going to go. So, yeah. Yeah. I don't know if it's what you think. I don't even know what I think, so. What do you think? I don't know. Like, if you were in this situation, like, what would you expect the next steps to be? Okay, well. I have multiple minds here. I can go the, like, creative writing, dramatic turn. Is this going to be even more true crime-y path? Or the psychological, more straightforward path? Is it going to go more true crime-y? Mm-hmm. It seems like this woman is going to take things to the next level. Well. And maybe with the neighbor. There's that Sabrina intuition again. Yeah. Oh, my brain goes worst case scenario for, like, every situation. Every situation in the world, so. I mean, yeah. Okay. Let's. The horrors persist, though. That's why we take it to that level, right? So, update two. Yep. Original poster starts with this. Thank you. I would like to give a heartfelt and sincere thank you for the advice and support I've received here. No one could have foreseen the tragedy that resulted from me filing for divorce. You guys perform a wonderful service to those in need, and I hope you continue to do so in the future. Is it the wife now? Well, what I want to say is, like, he, what he says there is, like, the basis for this show. Like, Reddit is like a community town square where you can throw up an issue you're having. Yeah. And have a million people weigh in and see what sort of responses resonate with you. And it might, like, you know, resonate in a way that you're actually going to respond in a way you wouldn't have before. Right? So, that's what he's saying here. Thank you. I did it. So, after he says that. He posts a link to a news article. The headline is this. Mother charged with two counts of murder and deaths of her daughter and son. I know. And here. I'm sorry. I need a minute. I know. What? Yeah. So, here are some excerpts from the article. A mother was charged Friday with two counts of murder after police say she admitted to killing her two young children. According to the probable cause affidavit, redacted told the police that her husband was divorcing her and, quote, I did not want him taking them, so I stabbed them. The three-year-old and seven-year-old were killed by their mother in their bedrooms, according to a confession from the woman. This is like the Chris Watts case. I mean, yeah. It's horrible. Have you covered Chris Watts on Two Girls, One Ghost? Yeah. Because there's some paranormal aspects to it. Oh, I know. Yeah. That was Shanann. Yeah. In the TV. You think it was Shanann on the TV? Yeah. Or something. Because there were also, like, voices of the. The little girls. And, like, the lights flickering. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But this is horrible. Yeah. Family annihilators are, like, next-level disturbed and, like, the most insidious evil perpetrators there are. I mean, children are. Truly. Like, and that's the thing. Anyone who can kill a child is the most monstrous being in the world. Yeah. And, I mean, she was willing to drag her children and manipulate her children to try to control her husband. So she didn't really care about them or love them because that's not. That's not what loving parents do. Oh, this breaks my heart. I know. It's devastating. So the court documents also stated that the 7-year-old and the 3-year-old had deep lacerations to their necks. And the mother said, I just wanted to die with them. She told the 911 operator, I just stabbed myself and killed my two children. She also admitted to killing them to a sheriff's deputy who arrived on the scene. So she did try to take her own life, too. But, like. She says she did. Superficially. Yeah. They always. They always don't. Somehow have no problem murdering their children. And then they, like, fumble their own. How convenient. So, redacted, the wife was taken to a local hospital to be treated for stab wounds to her neck. Police say she will be formally charged with two counts of murder when she's released. Oh, my God. Quote, I can't imagine the pain and grief that these families are experiencing this morning, one police officer said. Please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers. The children's father was sleeping in the basement at the time of the crime. According to court documents, he, the children's father, had filed for divorce on Wednesday, citing an irretrievable breakdown in the marriage as the reason for the divorce. The two had been married since August of 2009. So, the original poster, we do know his name, which we'll reveal now. His name's Jason. He had requested custody of the children, visitation, and child support benefits as part of the divorce agreement. He had also asked. So, he drops this. He says, thank you all for your help. We had no way of knowing how tragically this would end. And then post the article and, like, sort of Reddit goes insane, as you can imagine. Yeah. I am at a loss for words. Well, I think it's always like this. Like, you expect things like Reddit and social media to be, like, a place for gossip and, like, things that could be a lie, maybe not to be taken seriously. And then it's like. When it bleeds into real life, I think it's really stunning for people. Like, even you. Like, you look like you saw a ghost when I told you. No, it's. Because it's absolutely. It's truly the worst case scenario. You look like you're going to cry. No, it's. Because it's heartbreaking. I almost did, too. I know. I was picturing maybe attempted to the OP or, like, something happening to the original poster. Or I just. I wasn't fathoming about. Like, I just. I personally cannot think about harming children. So, the fact that it ends this way is. You don't eat animals. So, yeah. Yeah. Like, the idea. And what's so hard about this is that, like, the original poster, Jason, is, like, pouring his heart out about how to avoid hurting his children. Through this ordeal. But, like, being afraid of his wife and wanting to get away. And then, like, she knew how to get him where it hurt. And that's what's so devastating about this. Like, the children were his weak spot, his soft spot. And that's where she got him, which is sick. Jeez. So, obviously, you know, people who had followed this story from the beginning, they weighed in. One commenter said, Yeah. I'll help in any way I can. Do you need cash? Somewhere to stay? You can get through this. This tragedy didn't, quote, result from you filing for divorce. This tragedy resulted from a sequence of decisions made by someone else. You had no hand in it. And it wouldn't have happened with or without input. From you. And you may, one day, feel yourself lucky that you survived being married to her. Yeah. I honestly don't know how I would recover from that. Because it's clear that Jason, the original poster, is a very empathetic person. The guilt, even though I think we can all agree he is at fault 0%, but the amount of guilt he will feel for the rest of his life. Well, it'll be, it's evident that he will. Based on the way he expresses himself. You know, he's obviously, like, an empathetic person who was putting his children at the forefront. Willing to literally live next door to his wife's affair partner and see him at parties to keep his family together for his kids. Here's another one. I remember your original post very well. My heart felt sympathy on the loss of your two beautiful children. You were doing what you knew was right for the sake of your children. Unfortunately, your effort was thwarted. But don't ever start blaming yourself. Someone else did this, which was an act of cowardice. And selfishness. This is actually a great post. I was like, we're getting to, like. When the good people on Reddit come out? Well, it's just so raw and real. So listen to this. I remember reading your first post and being tremendously furious at the way you were being treated. I used some tough words that I regret now. In hindsight, doubting the legitimacy of your post and hoping to motivate you to get out of a shitty situation. I also ridiculed you for apologizing to her affair partner. I am more sorry than you'll ever be. I didn't mean to kick you while you were sleeping. you were down i had no idea your ex would do what she did i just want you to know that i'm very very very sorry and that you deserve absolutely none of this none of this is your fault you deserve so much better all i can do is apologize for such a horrific loss apologize for not being more supportive in your first post and whatever contribution i can make to your company's gofundme page i will be happy to make and share with others so obviously like there's some gofundme circulating which i'm sure did pretty well because what an empathetic sympathetic situation but what i really like about this is that like it's so easy to make fun of someone like especially a man for yeah apologizing to the affair partner but somewhere in his brain in his subconscious he knew he was dealing with someone dangerous and you don't push the buttons of those people unless you absolutely have to yeah so like the commenter who read you ridiculed him it's super easy to be like oh man like what are you a cuck like you're just gonna like let this lady like fuck you over and you're gonna like shake this guy's hand like that's really easy yeah but no one knew the kind of psychopath he was dealing with yeah and i thought it was really nice that this they apologized went out of their way yeah because no one knew no one knew that like it's like oh a fair scandal no one thinks people are gonna die especially kids i truly don't know how you continue living your life after that like as original poster like the devastation of something like that what's crazy is that people do all the time and worse yeah like people lose their children as serial killers yeah people lose everything and like what's so fascinating about humans and what's so interesting about being in true crime is like seeing how resilient how fragile and how resilient yeah i do agree with that i just hate that people have to experience that and then go through the rest of their life 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for six months choose from seasonal and best-selling fall fragrances swap your sense anytime and set a custom schedule so your home always feels like a crisp cozy autumn day bring the sense of fall like pumpkin apple and vanilla home with this exclusive offer only at pura.com so there's another article here i'll pull some excerpts from the headline is mom jailed after it's probably a daily mail article mom jailed after chilling nine-one-one call over fatally stabbing two children when husband filed for divorce and she was given 120 years as a sentence so the article kind of goes over some of the details which we were not previously told so during the call the woman the killer the murderer told the nine-one-one operator that her children quote are in my daughter's room on the floor and she is lying down the living room meaning the murderer yeah she says she left the house and she's not home the knife in the bedroom so she's like so conscious after doing this yes she she called nine-one-one because she was dying yeah she didn't want to die yeah presumably i mean i don't know that for sure but the way it appears she was calling for help so the woman the killer said that her spouse jason the original poster was asleep downstairs and when the operator asked her what her husband's condition was she replied i don't know i haven't talked to him the operator asks what the killer is feeling she says i'm tired i took a lot of antihistamine benadryl i'm so unwell with this story i know oh well she also said here that she called her mother before calling nine-one-one and the mother told her to call nine-one-one emergency services when they arrived found her children dead at the family home and this is darlington 40 miles northwest of indianapolis did you imagine this taking place in any one area um there were a couple things that were said early in the story that made me think like it was not a major city but i no i wasn't well the small townness of it like my neighbor move if you're in a bad right yeah but maybe in a small town if you're in a city like you can ignore your neighbor you know like i literally i'm in a building and we walk past each other on the stairs we i have my new jersey just came out my p.s um but we just don't make eye contact no i'm sorry though like if i was choosing to save my marriage after i uncovered an affair if i was to choose to do that i would not be like ignoring the affair partner on the stairs that's also really because that would be tormenting me yeah like every time i'm out of town like i'd be like what if they ran into each other at the mailbox like but also like moving to be on if they move in the same town if someone's gonna have an affair they're gonna have an affair yes but that temptation right under your nose you could literally have a fight about like you picking up the wrong thing from the grocery store be mad at your partner and run into that your old affair partner at the mailboxes yeah it's just a recipe for disaster yeah anyways ah the mother of two you mean the murderer of two gave no statement at the sentencing and her lawyer said there was no explanation for what she did yes there is she's a vengeful evil psychopath that's the explanation yeah but in terms of like explanation and that's the explanation that like makes sense because you can't make sense of something so vile but just that you're evil and you don't love your children and hurting your husband in revenge was more important to you than their lives that is the explanation and that is what her that is who she is like that is her yeah she's evil oh believe it or not there's another update on oh my gosh what update number three i am doing better and i continue to get better every day okay we like that so that's good yeah and also it like makes me feel good because like pain is coming at life like that's the one sure thing and if he can get through this so let's see what he says the first thing you may notice is this is being posted from a different account i deleted my original account as a knee jerk reaction to seeing my reddit posts in the news so this whole thing blew up as you can imagine um because these reddit posts were the precursor to the horror that would follow see the trail yeah he continues i guess the first question to answer is how am i doing and to that i would say i am doing well i have bad days but i would think that is to be expected it is just important that i or anyone going through something continue to use the support of friends and family as well as good coping skills to not let myself be completely defeated on those bad days this is someone in therapy yes very clearly and hopefully medicare i mean yeah all the things that you deserve to be doing and should be doing should you experience a trauma this horrific yeah he continues i won't lie i struggle to get back to where i am for some time i refuse to sleep because of a combination of fear of what i would wake up to and nightmares about that night oh also like the guilt of being in the basement while it's happening i can't even fathom just the guilt of doing this for your children because you're afraid for their well-being and then her doing this to take them from you is like unthinkable they continue original poster for a time i used alcohol to sleep but my family loved me enough to take it from me before it became a damaging and permanent habit love that i'm like so happy to hear they have a good support system i was hospitalized because i did have thoughts of self-harm because i missed my children so much from that i learned that you should never be ashamed of your mental health and not seeking treatment will only make it worse not better i We have all heard it, but if you or a loved one is struggling to seek immediate assistance distance your life is too important to throw away in a moment of weakness it's not weakness though it's despair yeah you know you're not weak if you struggle with mental health you're not weak if you struggle with self-harm you're in despair and it's a chemical disease okay by putting off treatment i only caused everything else in my life to suffer i lost my job and i became reclusive to the house but don't worry i have been back to work since december and i have nearly regained my former position and salary so i am good and require no assistance because this is people offering like to donate and to help him right and he's saying no i think i'm good which is like amazing and the second question that he says he was getting would be how do i feel about the sentencing of his former wife right that is something that is harder to answer because no matter what the sentence nothing will bring back my beloved children do i think she should have gotten the death penalty which indiana has no i do not she wanted to die and after nine years of giving her what she wanted when she wanted it i was not going to give her another thing i do agree with that take prison is way worse than death death is peaceful and now she has to spend every single day facing what she has done and also like prison is not kind to child killers whether you're a woman or a man agreed so now you're a child killer in prison for life yeah people don't like you yeah original poster continues do i think the life sentence will have any appreciable effect on her this guy has a great vocabulary really does appreciable well spoken yeah i don't know empathetic yeah yeah probably an english major or something he says i don't know one thing she always stressed for the entire time that i knew her was that she lived her life without any regrets yeah going back to that which i fascinated in the beginning yeah amazing bookend even after i caught her cheating on me she continued to say i have no regrets as for the ex-in-laws they continue to be a problem to this day what brace yourself oh no i forgot about this oh i don't know if i have any more bracing left inside of me you'll honestly see where she came from okay as for the ex-in-laws they continue to be a problem to this day shortly after everything happened they changed the locks on the home i was renting from them with my property still inside after trying to civilly negotiate the return of my property it was required that it involve law enforcement it's an ongoing legal battle but that's not even the bad part they continue to make visiting my children's grave difficult what during the one year anniversary they sat in their truck and just watched me the whole time while i was visiting the grave because of that i don't visit the grave as often as i would like to why do people like this exist i just i don't i i hate it so much well and it's like chicken or egg like are the parents the reason why she's the way she is or is she manipulating them from behind bars to blame him for everything that happened so they're trying to fulfill her wishes of like tormenting him i don't know but he continues if i can and parked on you something i have learned through all this it is that you should always take the time to be with the ones you love doesn't matter if they're asking you to read the pokey little puppy for the millionth time or asking you to play smash brothers even when you both know they will wipe the floor with you every time just do it because you never know what time will be the last time always make sure they know how much you love them and he leaves us with this i had the fortune that the last thing my children ever heard me say was i love you and good night i will see you in the morning i wish i had a happier ending here but the happy ending is is after grief and trauma that is so unthinkable that like you think you can't go on and you can't go home and you can't go he is and that is the best revenge that he can impart on his ex who is in jail she wanted him to suffer and the appropriate thing is that he's not yeah and grief over the death i mean i'm sure he is because grief is lifelong right the could have would have should have the imagining how they would have turned out like that is horrible yeah but that doesn't need to be his whole life and it's not yeah and not letting it break him is what she in prison deserves because you know that drives her crazy totally that is the sentence she deserves yeah there's like a part of me that just is so curious what the neighbor's perspective on all this is if they're decent people they live not that they should yeah because adultery depending on your school of thought like infidelity adultery like it is what it is yeah it's like the moral sort of like um spectrum with that depends on the person right i mean i don't really believe in like good or evil based those are religious words those aren't words for like moral certainty yeah and like they shouldn't feel guilty for the deaths of these children no they should feel guilty for the adultery for sure because it put a wedge in this family but yeah i have a feeling had anything gone awry in this marriage this she would have gone down that path she would have gone nuclear i mean and almost it felt like also the neighbor was like convenient like he was 51 she was 29 and he was also the neighbor right so like it could have been any neighbor and it probably would have happened she was unhappy any guy yeah i have no words i'm really truly that's so devastating it's insane but like this was probably historically one of the most like mainstream crimes that ever really appeared on reddit and you can see why i mean right it takes you on an emotional roller coaster and like his resilience i think especially is why yeah he didn't let the bad guys win yeah which is it's a good good moral somewhat uplifting ending to the story where there is no happiness well there's life on the other side of pain you know they're just a beautiful sentiment yeah there is yeah and this is i mean we're only in episode four which is shocking because i feel like we've been doing this for like 10 years i know yeah but like i'm so excited for next week oh man next week next week does not have any murders so yay for that but there are some truly disturbing stories i'm so excited to get your opinion on i don't know there was slug murder last last week and you said there was no murder so i promise there are no slug murder or human murders next week amazing yeah very interesting so with that we'll leave you next week and thank you so much for joining us for crimes of reddit a crime house original here at crime house we want to thank each and every one of you for your support if you like what you heard today reach out on all social media at crime house and don't forget to rate review and follow crimes of reddit wherever you get your podcast because your feedback truly makes a difference and if you find a reddit story or you are part of a reddit story that you want us to share you can find us on reddit at crimehouse yeah on crimes of reddit please please reach out share it with us leave a comment we have a subreddit called crimes of pod on reddit so linked in the show notes leave it there reach out however you can we want to hear it let's be friends yeah unless you're the one who committed the crime but tell us if you did because we want to hear an interesting saga yeah i don't want to be your friend necessarily but like tell us what you did admit it yeah alexis and i will be back next week next tuesday to pull more reddit threads and i'll be sharing the stories next week and like i said very excited about them there's no death of slugs or humans we'll see about that we'll see you next week bye okay sis give me the scoop what have you been up to living my best life i've been traveling working even hiking more and thanks to t-mobile i'm connected for all of it really i need details i mean with america's best network i can be a part of it i pretty much go anywhere even when i'm off grid i'm still connected by satellite that's cool plus i get unlimited texting and 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We know the importance of seeing the person behind the patient because we see all of you learn more at Trinity health of ne.org slash heart. Thanks for listening to this episode from crime house. If you're looking for another show to check out, listen to serial killers and murderous minds every Monday and Thursday, Dr. Tristan angles and myself dig into the most chilling murders and uncover what drives them to kill follow serial killers and murderous minds available wherever you listen to podcasts.