The M Word After Dark

Bain Family Murders

On the morning of June 20, 1994, five members of the Bain family were found shot to death inside their home in Dunedin, New Zealand. Four days later, the only surviving family member, 22-year-old David Bain, was charged with the murders. What followed became one of New Zealand’s most controversial criminal cases. Was David Bain a calculated killer who staged the scene and tried to frame his father? Or was Robin Bain responsible for the murders before taking his own life? In this episode, we break down the crime scene, the conflicting evidence, the appeals, the retrial, and the theories that still divide people decades later.

The Killing of Sharon Lopatka

In 1996, Sharon Lopatka left her home in Maryland after weeks of online conversations with a man she had never met in person. Days later, she was dead. What makes this case different isn’t just how it ended—it’s what led up to it. Hundreds of emails. Detailed planning. And a request that raises questions people still debate today. Did Sharon truly consent to what happened? Or was this a case of someone taking advantage of a woman in a vulnerable state? In this episode, we break down the timeline, the messages, and the details that make this case one of the most unsettling intersections of the early internet and real-life consequences.

The Mysterious Death of John Lang

In 2016, 51-year-old John Lang was found dead inside his Fresno, California home after a fire broke out. His death was ruled a suicide. But in the weeks leading up to it, John documented what he believed was ongoing surveillance by the Fresno Police Department. He uploaded videos, filed complaints, and made repeated claims that he was being targeted. Days before his death, he posted that if anything happened to him, it would be made to look like a suicide. In this episode, we go through John’s videos, his claims, the official findings, and the details that continue to raise questions. Was this a case of paranoia… or was something else happening that never fully came to light?

Rod Ferrell- Vampire

In 1996, a group of teenagers who called themselves vampires became the center of a murder case that shocked the country. At the center of it all was 16-year-old Rod Ferrell, who claimed he was a 500-year-old vampire named Vesago and the leader of a small group known as the “Vampire Clan.” What started as teenage role-playing and goth subculture eventually turned into something far darker. In this episode, we look at the background of Rod Ferrell, the formation of the so-called Vampire Clan, and the murders of Richard Wendorf and Naoma Queen in Eustis, Florida. We also talk about the investigation, the arrests, the trials, and where everyone involved is today — nearly thirty years later. When you strip away the gothic imagery and the sensational headlines, what’s left is a case about violence, influence, and a group of teenagers whose fantasy blurred into something deadly.

Asha Degree-Missing

26 years ago, in the early morning hours of February 14, 2000, 9-year-old Asha Degree vanished from her home in Shelby, North Carolina — walking alone into the darkness during a storm. What happened next has remained one of the most haunting mysteries in modern true crime. For decades, investigators have chased leads involving a 1970s-era green vehicle, possible sightings along Highway 18, and more recently, renewed search warrants and seized evidence. With no arrests and no definitive answers, Asha’s case continues to raise difficult questions: Was she lured? Did she plan to meet someone? Or was something else entirely at play? In this episode, we break down the timeline, the key developments, the evolving theories, and the latest investigative updates — while honoring a family that has never stopped searching and never stopped believing she will come home. This is the story of Asha Degree.