Sword and Scale

Episode 348

When 43-year-old Diane Holik was found dead inside her Austin home, homicide investigators were left with more questions than answers. Diane had no enemies. There was no apparent reason for anyone to want her dead. But as detectives dug deeper, they uncovered a web of obsession, deceit, and darkness that defied understanding and revealed a killer hiding in plain sight. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

Episode 347

In March 2015, ninety-four-year-old Marie Belcastro was found brutally murdered in her home on Cherry Street in Niles, Ohio. Adored by her family and neighbors, she was known for her humor, generosity, and the simple kindness she extended to those around her. But the violence that ended her life came from closer to home than anyone imagined, leaving her family and the community to wrestle with unsettling questions about trust, justice, and whether every life is worth saving. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

Episode 346

Seventeen-year-old Collin Griffith called 911 in a panic, begging for help. Minutes later, deputies arrived to find his mother bleeding in the kitchen and Collin calm, almost detached. His story of self-defense unraveled quickly, leading investigators back to Oklahoma and exposing dark family secrets and a shocking history of violence. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

Sanctuary

On a quiet January morning in rural Pennsylvania, Rhonda Smith went to work at her church and never came home. What started as a shocking act of violence inside a place of worship slowly unraveled into something far more personal. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered whispered jealousies, blurred boundaries, and a devotion that may have crossed a dangerous line. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

Episode 344

On a cold March evening in 2023, police in Englewood, Colorado responded to a 911 call from 81-year-old Reginald Maclaren. Inside his upscale apartment, they uncovered a scene so brutal, it would briefly dominate headlines before vanishing just as quickly. The victims were Reginald’s wife and daughter. They were two women who lived quietly, knew no one, and left behind almost nothing. It was their bodies, and the way they were found, that told the horrifying story of their deaths. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com