Christmas is supposed to be a refuge—a pause from the chaos, a promise of peace. But for many families, Christmas doesn’t calm the storm. It traps it.

In this Dark Dialogue Distilled Christmas Special, John examines some of the most disturbing cases of domestic violence and family annihilation to occur on or around Christmas—not as isolated tragedies, but as part of a repeating and deeply uncomfortable pattern.

From the 1929 Lawson family murders in North Carolina, to the unresolved mystery of the Sodder children, to the Carnation family massacre, the Covina Christmas Eve Santa-suit attack, and modern cases where violence unfolded quietly behind closed doors, this episode strips away holiday mythology and confronts the truth:

Christmas doesn’t create abuse. It concentrates it.

Alcohol, financial pressure, forced proximity, isolation, and the expectation that everything should “look fine” collide—often with devastating consequences. These crimes were not spontaneous. They were escalations of control, resentment, entitlement, and fear that already existed long before the tree went up.

This episode is not about fear-mongering. It’s about honesty.

It’s about recognizing that holidays can be a high-risk moment for those already living with domestic violence—and that silence, tradition, and appearances can be deadly.

You’ll also hear a data-driven discussion that separates myth from reality: why December is not statistically the deadliest month overall, yet remains a documented danger window for escalation, emergency calls, and lethal outcomes.

We close with a Christmas victim tribute, honoring the lives lost—not for how they died, but for how they lived—and a reminder that checking in, listening, and refusing to look away can matter more than any tradition.

If this episode resonates with you, or raises concern for someone you love, please don’t ignore that feeling. Help is available. Reaching out is not weakness—it’s survival.

• Follow or subscribe to Dark Dialogue Distilled wherever you listen • Rate and review the show if your platform allows—it helps these stories reach the people who need them • Share this episode with someone who should hear it • Watch on YouTube, subscribe, and turn on notifications • Join us live on New Year’s night for the Dark Dialogue live show 👉 darkdialogue.com/live

On Thanksgiving 2018, Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth vanished without a trace. Her fiancé, Patrick Frazee, was later convicted of beating her to death and burning her remains. But this Distilled episode isn’t just about the murder — it’s about the woman who helped him cover it up.

This is the story of Krystal Lee Kenney. A rodeo queen. A nurse. A mother. And the only witness who knew every step of Frazee’s plan.

In this episode, we break down:

• The three failed “murder assignments” Frazee gave her
• The psychological grooming that kept her under his control
• The four-hour crime scene cleanup she performed alone
• The burning of Kelsey's remains that she stood by and watched
• Her deeply controversial plea deal and early release
• Why prosecutors called it “a deal with the devil”
• How her testimony secured Frazee’s life sentence
• The moral question: coerced… or complicit?

You’ll hear a long-form tribute to Kelsey — not as a victim, but as a mother, daughter, pilot, and woman who deserved a lifetime of moments she never got to live.

If you value the work: Follow, rate, review, and hit the bell — it truly helps the show reach more people. Support deeper investigations on Patreon, Ko-fi, and Substack, or send case suggestions to info@darkdialogue.com.

This is Dark Dialogue: Distilled. Stay curious. Stay relentless… and don’t let the truth go silent.

Distilled: Reopened — Episode 1

The Fire, The Lies, and the Vanishing of Brookelyn Farthing

Welcome to the brand-new evolution of Distilled — a sharper, more uncompromising format where I take cases back off the shelf, strip away old assumptions, correct past mistakes, and confront the evidence without a rigid structure or a co-host filter.

And today, we’re reopening one of the most infuriating unsolved disappearances I’ve ever covered: the 2013 disappearance of 18-year-old Brookelyn Farthing in Berea, Kentucky.

This episode digs deep into the contradictions, the suspicious house fire, the abandoned personal belongings, the bizarre timeline, and the single person who had the opportunity, proximity, and motive to make Brookelyn vanish — yet has never faced a day of scrutiny in court.

Inside this episode:

• A minute-by-minute breakdown of Brooke’s final known hours
• Why the cigarette-caused fire theory collapses under scientific reality
• The evidence left behind, and what it tells us about a forced disappearance
• The contradictions in Josh Hensley’s statements
• How later convictions revealed who he really was
• Why Kentucky’s homicide clearance rates matter — and how this case exemplifies systemic failure
• What likely happened to Brookelyn, based on evidence, behavior, and timeline
• What police could have done. What they should have done. And what they still can do.

This isn’t the old Distilled. This is Distilled: Reopened — where cases come back under the light, without excuses, without restrictions, and without hesitation.

If you know the case, you’re about to hear it in a way you’ve never heard before. If you don’t, you’re about to understand why so many people are furious it remains unsolved.

CALLS TO ACTION

If this episode matters to you, here’s how to support the work:

👍 Like, follow, and subscribe ⭐ Leave a review — it truly helps 🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode 🕵️ Join the Dark Dialogue Collective, our boots-on-the-ground volunteer network for searches, advocacy, and victim support ❤️ Adopt-A-Victim — research, promote, and help keep a victim’s case alive 📬 Send tips, questions, or case suggestions: info@darkdialogue.com 🌐 Visit: www.darkdialogue.com 🤝 Support the show on Patreon, Ko-fi, or Substack

Don’t have time for a full investigation? We get it.

Dark Dialogue: Distilled gives you the same intense cases in short, fact-forward episodes. No filler, no speculation—just what you need to understand the case.

It’s everything you expect from the main show—distilled down to its core.

🎧 Perfect for first-timers or true crime bingers 🌐 More at darkdialogue.com ☕ Support us on Patreon, Ko-fi, or Substack

Same cases. Sharper cut.

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Brilliant. Outspoken. Just seventeen. Candace Hiltz was a prodigy, a single mother, and a future Supreme Court hopeful—until she was executed in her own home in Fremont County, Colorado.

In this Dark Dialogue: Distilled episode, we cut through decades of misdirection and misconduct to focus on the critical facts. From the strange disappearance of the family dog to the bullet-riddled crime scene, from a storage unit filled with blood-soaked evidence to a local sheriff’s department drowning in corruption—this is a story of shattered trust and stolen justice.

We examine how Candace’s accusations against a Fremont County deputy may have led to her death, the botched investigation that followed, and the chilling discovery of case evidence dumped in a Colorado landfill. With no arrests nearly two decades later, one question remains: was this the work of a killer—or a cover-up?

This is not just a cold case. It’s a scandal.

🔍 Keywords: Candace Hiltz murder, Fremont County corruption, Colorado cold case, Robert Dodd evidence, Cold Justice, Prison Valley, Canon City murder, police cover-up, unsolved murder podcast, true crime Colorado

—

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💡 Subscribe, rate, and review to help keep these stories alive—and keep the dialogue alive.

Whispers of Fear: The Vanishing of Brookelyn Farthing | Dark Dialogue: Distilled

On a warm Kentucky night in June 2013, 18-year-old Brookelyn Farthing vanished without a trace after accepting a ride from an acquaintance. What followed was a suspicious fire, a chilling final text, and over a decade of silence.

In this Distilled version of the full-length Dark Dialogue episode, we cut straight to the critical details: Brooke’s final hours, the man she was last seen with, the haunting clues left behind, and the questions that still remain. This compressed true crime case summary brings you the facts, the theories, and the reason we still care—twelve years later.

🎧 What You'll Hear:

• Who was Brookelyn Farthing?

• What happened the night she disappeared?

• Who is Josh Hensley, and why was he never charged?

• Why does the timeline—and the fire—raise so many red flags?

• What can be done today to help bring Brooke home?

📌 Know Something? Say Something. If you have any information about the disappearance of Brookelyn Farthing, contact the Kentucky State Police at 859-623-2404 or 1-800-222-5555, or email https://www.darkdialogue.com

🎯 Keywords (for SEO): Brookelyn Farthing, Kentucky missing person, Berea Kentucky, Josh Hensley, unsolved disappearance, true crime podcast, Kentucky State Police, field party mystery, missing teen, unresolved case, couch fire case, 2013 cold case, Brookelyn Farthing theories, Dark Dialogue podcast, Dark Dialogue Distilled, crime documentary, Kentucky true crime

🕯️ Dark Dialogue: Distilled. Because every victim deserves to be heard—even in silence.

A 20-year-old waitress. A secret affair. A remote boat landing in the dead of night.

In this short-form edition of Dark Dialogue, we condense one of South Carolina’s most haunting true crime cases: the disappearance of Heather Elvis. On December 18, 2013, Heather’s car was found abandoned near Peachtree Landing. Her body has never been recovered. But behind the headlines is a tangled web of obsession, betrayal, and silence—from a jealous wife to a phone call from a payphone that changed everything.

John and Angela strip the case down to its chilling essentials, examining the final hours of Heather’s life, the explosive trials of Sidney and Tammy Moorer, and the unanswered question that still haunts Myrtle Beach: where is Heather Elvis?

🎧 Whether you're short on time or just want the key details, Dark Dialogue: Distilled delivers the most gripping facts in under an hour—no filler, no fluff.

Heather Elvis, Myrtle Beach disappearance, Peachtree Landing, Sidney Moorer, Tammy Moorer, South Carolina true crime, 2013 cold case, waitress missing, Horry County mystery, Dark Dialogue podcast

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – 800-799-7233

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – 800-656-4673

• Stalking Resource Center – victimsofcrime.org

• Support the show: Patreon | Ko-fi | Substack

• Join a case effort: Adopt-a-Victim Program

• Have a case suggestion or comment? Email us: info@darkdialogue.com

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The Murder of Lori Bray – Laurel, Montana | Short-Form Series

She closed up the Cedar Ridge Casino, like she’d done countless nights before. But on October 1, 2019, Lori Bray’s kindness led her into the car with a stranger — and she never came home. This distilled episode of Dark Dialogue revisits the brutal murder that rocked the quiet town of Laurel, Montana.

In under an hour, hosts John and Angela take you through:

• Lori Bray’s final night and the chilling crime scene

• The search and discovery that devastated her family

• The background of suspect Diego Hernandez — and the twisted story that unfolded in court

• The cautionary lessons this case leaves behind

Lori Bray was a compassionate woman, a devoted mother, and a true friend. Her death was senseless — but her story deserves to be told.

True Crime, Lori Bray, Montana Murder, Laurel Montana, Diego Hernandez, Women’s Safety, Cold Case, Casino Murder, Homicide Investigation, Victim Tribute, DNA Forensics, Courtroom Drama, Small Town Crime

💔 If this case moved you, help us share Lori’s story. 🔁 Rate, follow, and review Dark Dialogue: Distilled wherever you listen. 🕵️‍♀️ For full-length deep dives, listen to the complete Dark Dialogue episode catalog. 🎧 Available now on:

• Spotify

• Apple Podcasts

• darkdialogue.com 📬 Support us on:

• Patreon

• Ko-fi 📰 Join the true crime conversation: darkdialogue.substack.com 📩 Have a case suggestion? Email: info@darkdialogue.com