The Murder Book: A True Crime Podcast

• The Von Stein Family Tragedy: A Knife in the Ashes and a Map to Smallwood Episode IV

  A burned map with the target house circled. A blackened hunting knife in a roadside ash ring. And a timeline that narrows to minutes before a panicked evidence dump. We take you from Bonnie Von Stein’s bandaged hospital bed to a midnight search on a rural road, where a farmer’s tip turns a hazy home invasion into a meticulously planned attack.We walk through the Sunday night dinner that anchors the timeline, the medical details that undermine a simple narrative, and the tension around who could have known about a recent inheritance, a planned shift to Treasuries, and a life insurance stack that now looms large. Bonnie opens up about money, keys, and house routines; the detectives track painters, housekeepers, lawn crews, and a pet sitter with a key. Then the evidence shifts the ground: charred jeans, a Reebok sole, and two sheets of paper, one a hand-drawn map of Smallwood with Lawson Road labeled and the Von Stein address marked. The attack looks planned by someone unfamiliar with the neighborhood and hurried enough to leave the knife and map where a passing farmer might notice a fire.As storms roll over a packed chapel, the investigation grinds on. A missing blunt weapon suggests a second dump site; a daylight grid search comes up empty. Relatives worry that Chris and Angela seem oddly calm; a peer describes Chris as fragile, unlucky, and rumored to use drugs. Nothing proves involvement, but the fire’s timing, the map’s intent, and the drive toward Raleigh tighten the circle. Through it all, Bonnie cooperates fully, even providing a blood sample, while her doctor expects a quick discharge and treats her as a victim without hesitation.This chapter is about planning, proximity, and the secrets that make or break a case. Follow the evidence from ICU to asphalt and decide what matters most: the money trail, the map, or the missing club. If this deep dive gripped you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us which clue you think the detectives should chase next.Send us a text Support the show

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• Smallwood’s Silent NightThe Von Stein Family Tragedy : Money, Motive, and a Midnight Attack Part III

  A quiet street in Smallwood is jolted awake by a midnight attack that leaves Leith Von Stein dead and Bonnie barely alive, and within hours the investigation collides with jurisdictional friction, fragile timelines, and the oldest question in homicide: who benefits. We walk through the first full day with Sheriff Nelson Shepard and SBI agent Louis Young as they navigate a thin crime scene, a missing mobile lab, and a press narrative that hints at burglary while the evidence suggests something far more personal.At National Spinning, colleagues paint Leith as a principled auditor who recorded calls to stay accurate, not to trap. A rumored “mobile home” morphs from scandal bait to a practical plan for grandparents, but the money shocks—an inheritance rumored at over a million and life insurance pegged at another million—transform the case from chaos into a motive matrix. Then the autopsy lands like a gavel. Dr. Paige Hudson documents a devastating head blow and a fatal stab to the heart, but it’s the stomach contents—chicken and rice—that challenge the 4 a.m. timeline and force a hard reset on alibis and sightings.Tips flood in: a baby blue Japanese station wagon with two scruffy young men, a rumor of a tent-dweller with a fresh bandage, and a farmer’s report of a strange early-morning fire that might have burned clothing. Neighbors add social texture—insurance details, calm reactions from the teens, and a weapons-obsessed local kid—while Angela clarifies family plans and distances the household from a mysterious green knapsack left behind. A late-night interview with Chris offers a plausible weekend story framed by schoolwork and beer, yet his nerves keep investigators cautious and curious.What emerges is a layered portrait of motive, opportunity, and timing: money that could tempt, a scene that resists burglary tropes, and a medical timeline that won’t sit still. We map the leads, weigh the psychology, and set up the questions that will drive the next phase: Was Bonnie meant to die? Did someone close orchestrate the attack? Or did a stranger’s impulse intersect with a family’s fortune. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves true crime, and tell us your theory—who gains, and what detail convinced you?Send us a text Support the show

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• The Von Stein Family Tragedy Part 2:The Strange Case of a Family Shattered

  A predawn emergency call launches police into the heart of a wealthy Washington, North Carolina neighborhood where they discover an unimaginable scene. Leith Von Stein, a prominent local executive, lies murdered in his bed – his body bearing the marks of a savage attack with multiple head wounds and stab wounds to his chest and back. His wife Bonnie, critically injured but alive, whispers about a dark figure with a baseball bat and knife.The crime scene immediately raises questions. Blood spatters the walls and ceiling of the master bedroom, yet the teenage daughter sleeping just down the hall claims to have heard nothing. A broken window suggests a break-in, but valuable items remain untouched throughout the house. The staged appearance of the scene and the peculiar calm of family members trigger the investigators' instincts that this is no ordinary home invasion.When Detective Sergeant Melvin Hope interviews the Von Steins' daughter Angela, he's struck by her emotional detachment – a stark contrast to her brother Chris's seemingly performative grief when he arrives from college. "Chris was really trying to appear grief-stricken but he wasn't quite making it. It was almost like he was going for an Emmy," Hope later recalls. As medical teams work to save Bonnie's life, investigators begin piecing together the truth behind this brutal attack, suspecting that the most dangerous threats may have come from within the family's own walls.Step into the shocking investigation of the Von Stein murder case, where appearances are deceiving and the peaceful facade of an affluent neighborhood masks a chilling reality. Follow detectives as they navigate bloody crime scenes, suspicious behavior, and family secrets to uncover who would want this prominent businessman dead – and why they would strike with such savage intensity.Send us a text Support the show

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• The Von Stein Tragedy: A Perfect Family Shattered I

  A whispered plea for help in the dead of night unravels a chilling tale of betrayal, resentment, and deadly consequences in Washington, North Carolina. July 25, 1988 began as any other sultry summer night in this sleepy riverside town, where crime rarely disrupts the gentle pace of life. But at 4:24 AM, dispatcher Michelle Sparrow received a desperate call from Bonnie Von Stein, her voice barely audible: "This is an emergency...my husband may be dying and I may be dying too." What first responders discovered at 110 Lawson Road, in the town's most affluent neighborhood, was a scene of unimaginable brutality that would shatter the community's sense of security forever.The Von Steins appeared to have everything – a beautiful home, financial security, and plans for the future now that their children were approaching college age. Leith Von Stein had recently inherited over $1.2 million from his parents, allowing him to contemplate early retirement from a job he never truly enjoyed. But beneath this veneer of prosperity lay complex family dynamics, particularly between Leith and his stepson Chris Pritchard. Despite Leith's attempts to win Chris's affection through expensive gifts like a classic Mustang, their relationship remained strained. The weekend before the attack, Chris had visited unexpectedly, engaged in an uncomfortable confrontation about drug use, then abruptly returned to NC State claiming he had an urgent paper due.What initially appeared to be a home invasion would gradually reveal itself as something far more calculated and personal. Through meticulous investigation of Bonnie's description of the "shadow" who attacked them in their sleep, the peculiar timing of Chris's visit, and the family's newly acquired wealth, detectives began piecing together a narrative more disturbing than anyone could have imagined. This case examines how inheritance, family resentment, and opportunity can combine with devastating consequences, proving that sometimes the greatest threats come not from strangers, but from those closest to us.Subscribe to follow this investigation as we uncover the shocking truth behind one of North Carolina's most notorious crimes, where a family's darkest secrets ultimately led to murder.Send us a text Support the show

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• Jeffrey Gordon's Deadly Secret: The Final Chapter of a Murderer's Trial

  The chilling final chapter of Jeffrey Gordon's murder trial unfolds through the eyes of an unlikely hero—a former flight attendant turned law student who helps bring justice to her slain colleague. In a courtroom run by women, a monster's mask finally slips.When Cori Reyes, an intern with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, volunteered to assist with the Nancy Ludwig murder case, she brought a unique perspective. Having worked as a flight attendant for years, Reyes had been trained using Ludwig's murder as a cautionary tale—"there's someone out there preying on flight attendants." Now she had a chance to help catch that predator.The scientific evidence presented by forensic expert Link Helton was devastating: DNA matching Gordon to the crime scene with odds of 97 quadrillion to one. As she testified, Helton kept stealing glances at Gordon, her eyes sending a silent message: the DNA doesn't lie. The graphic autopsy details brought jurors to tears as the medical examiner described 45 separate wounds inflicted on Ludwig—evidence of a frenzied, prolonged attack that contradicted Gordon's story of innocence.But the most shocking moment came behind the scenes. When defense attorney Tank confronted his client about inconsistencies in his story, Gordon underwent a terrifying transformation. According to Tank, Gordon "went crazy," ranting about the women in the courtroom and confessing to killing both Ludwig and another victim. "He would kill all these kinds of women, just like he had killed these two," Tank later revealed. The mountain man persona Gordon had maintained crumbled, revealing the monster beneath.The jury took less than two hours to find Gordon guilty on all counts. Evidence later emerged suggesting Gordon kept coded souvenirs from his victims, including underwear labeled "Nel North"—likely referring to Nancy Ludwig from Northwest Airlines. Though now serving life without parole, Gordon's shadow still looms large over those who encountered him. Prosecutor Elizabeth Walker admits, "He's the only man I've ever been afraid of. To this day when I go home, I pull my shades. I never used to."What drives someone to such calculated brutality? And how many other victims might be out there, their cases still unsolved? Listen now to understand how justice finally caught up with a predator who thought he was untouchable.Send us a text Support the show

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