In 2001, a wealthy American couple moved to Costa Rica to build a multimillion-dollar home and wildlife sanctuary in the rain forest. In their lavish estate patrolled by armed guards, John and Ann Bender found themselves more isolated as the couple dealt with debilitating illness, bipolar disorder, and growing paranoia. When tragedy struck in 2010, authorities were left to wonder whether what happened was an accident, suicide, or murder. What followed was a legal saga which lasted years and grabbed the world’s attention. To this day, what happened that night at the Boracayan Estate remains the subject of debate.

From Blanchard House, Exactly Right Media, and iHeartPodcasts comes “Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise.” Host Becky Milligan traces John and Ann Bender’s lives in the Costa Rican jungle and seeks the truth about what happened in the couple’s opulent rain forest estate. The eight-part series explores how cultural differences, personal demons, and the estranging influence of the wild contributed to the tragedy.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HELL IN HEAVEN" IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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When police discovered an emaciated boy covered in wounds and duct tape, they learned he and his sister were being kept in the basement of Jodi Hildebrandt. She had built an online following by promoting harsh approaches to marriage advice and rigid child‑rearing strategies. The imprisoned children belonged to Ruby Franke, who abandoned her well‑known mommy vlog to collaborate with Hildebrandt on YouTube. As investigators dug into the case, they uncovered more about their methods…marked by domination, seclusion, and uncompromising demands for responsibility.

The Netflix documentary “Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story” examines the notorious child abuse case through the lens of Franke’s partner, accomplice, and enabler. It explores Hildebrandt’s backstory, her controversial counseling techniques, as well as the ways she influenced the influencer…and its horrific consequences.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "EVIL INFLUENCER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: slipping the leash.

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In 1999, billionaire Edmond Safra died in his fortified Monaco penthouse after a chaotic sequence of events. His nurse, Ted Maher, was stabbed by intruders, and the fire he set to summon help consumed the penthouse, killing Safra who was hiding in the safe room. The paranoid Safra had made enemies of the Russian mafia, and his widow had already inherited a fortune from the death of another husband under suspicious circumstances. But authorities accused Maher of staging the break-in to look like a hero, an accusation that follows him to this day.

Netflix’s “Murder in Monaco” looks into the circumstances around the death of one of the world’s richest men. It catalogues the many players and their possible motives to see Safra eliminated. It also puts Maher under the microscope, as new events force a re-consideration of his role in the tragedy.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN MONACO" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

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