This Feels Criminal: A True Crime Podcast (Formerly Killer Queens)

Eleven felony charges. Up to 78 years in prison. Zero days behind bars.
Oklahoma teenager Jesse Mack Butler faced allegations of sexual violence that included attempted rape and strangulation. But his case ended with a very different outcome than the potential prison sentence he initially faced.
In Part 2, Tyrella and Nikita examine the case against Butler and ask a question that's much harder to answer than it sounds: When a young person commits a serious offense, how do we balance accountability with the possibility of rehabilitation?
The research on young people who commit sexual offenses may surprise you. But does it tell us anything about whether the outcome in Butler's case was appropriate?
We also examine who gets viewed as a promising young person deserving another chance, how race and perceptions of youth can shape those judgments, and whether longer prison sentences actually prevent future violence.
Because the future of someone accused or convicted of sexual violence matters. But so does the future of the person who was harmed.
And justice has to be able to consider both.
🧵 New to This Feels Criminal? Start with The TFC Essentials—our curated collection of the episodes that best capture what this show is all about. Join our email community and get instant access: https://thisfeelscriminal.link/essentials
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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved
Audio Production by Wayfare Recording
Music provided by Steven Tobi
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Six months in jail. Three months actually served. That's what former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner received after being convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious Chanel Miller.
In another case, Candon Dahle received 180 days in jail following years of sexual abuse of a child.
Different cases. Different circumstances. But both raise a question we can't stop thinking about: Why does the future of the person who committed sexual violence so often become part of the conversation about what punishment is appropriate?
In Part 1, Tyrella and Nikita revisit the Brock Turner case, Chanel Miller's powerful victim-impact statement, and the case against Candon Dahle. They examine how we measure the harm of sexual violence, what research tells us about its long-term effects, and whether the justice system adequately accounts for consequences that may not leave visible injuries.
And just when the answer seems obvious, another case raises a much harder question.
Part 2 is available now for patrons and drops Thursday for everyone else.
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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved
Audio Production by Wayfare Recording
Music provided by Steven Tobi
Logo designed by ⁠Ingrid at Penguin Designing⁠

How do you prove who ordered a murder when the people behind it never directly speak to the killers?
The murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel led investigators from two hired killers to Katherine Magbanua, Charlie Adelson, and eventually Donna Adelson. But connecting the evidence to the people accused of arranging the murder would take years, an elaborate FBI undercover operation, secretly recorded conversations, and multiple trials.
In Part 2, Tyrella and Nikita break down the FBI's infamous "bump" operation, the Dolce Vita restaurant recording, Katie Magbanua's changing testimony, and Charlie Adelson's extraordinary extortion defense. Then there's Donna Adelson's murder trial, the bizarre testimony about wet, moldy, stapled money, and the family member who ultimately testified against his own mother.
Following Hulu's Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel, we're examining the trial evidence, the competing explanations, and the questions that remain surrounding Wendi Adelson and the family's involvement.
After more than a decade of investigations and trials, what did it finally take to secure convictions — and what has justice meant for Dan Markel's family?
🧵 New to This Feels Criminal? Start with The TFC Essentials—our curated collection of the episodes that best capture what this show is all about. Join our email community and get instant access: https://thisfeelscriminal.link/essentials
 
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Audio Production by Wayfare Recording
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Dan Markel was a Florida State University law professor and father of two when he was shot in his own garage in Tallahassee, Florida, in July 2014. What initially looked like a mysterious murder would become one of the most shocking murder-for-hire cases in Florida history.
At the center of the investigation was the wealthy Adelson family: Dan's ex-wife Wendi Adelson, her brother Charlie Adelson, and their mother Donna Adelson. As investigators followed surveillance footage, phone records, financial transactions, and a trail of connections between Miami and Tallahassee, a disturbing question emerged: Who wanted Dan Markel dead badly enough to hire killers?
In Part 1, Tyrella and Nikita break down Dan and Wendi's bitter divorce and custody dispute, the murder investigation, the hitman joke Wendi told police, and the evidence that eventually connected the suspected killers to the Adelson family.
With renewed attention on the case following Hulu's four-part documentary Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel, we're going beyond the documentary to examine the evidence, testimony, and family dynamics behind this extraordinary case.
Want Part 2 Early and Ad-Free? It's available now on Patreon, or Thursday on the main feed.
🧵 New to This Feels Criminal? Start with The TFC Essentials—our curated collection of the episodes that best capture what this show is all about. Join our email community and get instant access: https://thisfeelscriminal.link/essentials
 
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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved
Audio Production by Wayfare Recording
Music provided by Steven Tobi
Logo designed by ⁠Ingrid at Penguin Designing⁠

The Caleb Flynn murder trial centered on one question: who killed Ashley Flynn? Caleb Flynn said an intruder broke into their Ohio home and shot his wife while he slept—but investigators said the physical and digital evidence told a different story.
We reconstruct Caleb's account of the Ashley Flynn murder against the damaged garage door, missing 9mm handgun, Apple Watch, AirPods, 911 call and police interviews; examine the real holes in the investigation and the questions surrounding Alleigha Botner; and break down the defense closing argument, the State's rebuttal and the jury's guilty verdict.
 
🧵 New to This Feels Criminal? Start with The TFC Essentials—our curated collection of the episodes that best capture what this show is all about. Join our email community and get instant access: https://thisfeelscriminal.link/essentials
 
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© 2026 Killer Queens Podcast. All Rights Reserved
Audio Production by Wayfare Recording
Music provided by Steven Tobi
Logo designed by ⁠Ingrid at Penguin Designing⁠