We Would Be Dead

In late July 2023 Erin Patterson invited her former in-laws to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Australia. This gesture of hospitality was framed as a chance for them all to reconnect. Instead, it became the center of a case that shocked the world. Over night all 4 lunch guests became desperately ill. Rumors began to fly immediately, and investigators began piecing together a chain of events that no one in this small community could have imagined.  In this installment we will examine how this horrible event was able to occur and what lead up to it.  Click to learn more (sources) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-28/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-wednesday-may-28/105348612   https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Ferin-patterson-trial-death-cap-mushrooms-seen-near-accuseds-home-months-before-fatal-lunch%2Fnews-story%2Fb9a4b965adbe1070edcf03b430484abc&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE&V21spcbehaviour=append   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-08/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-jury-evidence/105476940   https://www.9news.com.au/national/erin-patterson-guilty-the-timeline-of-events-that-led-to-the-verdicts/8af7134e-ea24-41e2-a55c-46d114949195   https://www.nbcnews.com/world/australia/australia-mushroom-murderer-left-half-alive-lone-surviving-victim-says-rcna226920   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74zwevy181o   https://www.sgst.com.au/news/timeline-of-erin-pattersons-mushroom-murders https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/07/erin-patterson-hospital-visit-beef-wellingtons-mushroom-exhibits-revealed-ntwnfb   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8zr16y21o   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-evidence-timeline/105245152   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce82lj7g1g7o   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m8glx2zleo   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/28/erin-patterson-computer-text-messages-mushroom-lunch-trial-australia-ntwnfb   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-08/mushroom-murder-erin-patterson-legacy-analysis/105745284?fbclid=IwY2xjawOIi_VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyCGNhbGxzaXRlAjMwAAEe9mUhuPckO6bqE0lX5CHydZajfAcGS0emygIXlUEj-mt_T8EXhBsQEtEnNIc_aem_hIds4nARmeVO7kJnq5fBLQ Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation        

Happy Thanksgiving Fiends! We took a little break this week to enjoy family and get ready for the Christmas season but we didn't want to leave you hanging entirely! Next week we will be back with part 2 of the Mushroom Murders saga, but for today we are rebroadcasting our episode on Joel Michael Guy, Jr. One of our fiends posted about this becoming their unintentional yearly thanksgiving re-listen, so we thought we would all get onboard.  ------------------------ For most of us, our childhood home is a sacred place; it holds our memories, our daydreams, our secrets. It's a place where we learned and grew and discovered who we were. Your childhood home should radiate safety especially, around the holidays. It should be a place that appears in your dreams and photographs for the rest of your life. It should never be the scene of your worst nightmare come to life. That is, unfortunately, exactly what the Guy family of Knoxville, Tennessee, had to face. Just after spending a wonderful thanksgiving together, Joel and Lisa were brutally murdered in their home.  On Monday November 28th, 2016, The Knox County sheriff's department was called in to do a wellness check on 55 year old Lisa Guy and her husband Joel, but what they found has gone down in history as one of the worst crime scenes imaginable. The officer's who found Joel and Lisa could only describe it as "A diabolical stew of human remains". What kind of monster could do this you might ask? Only one who was very close to home, a monster that one could say, hid under the bed... A monster that Joel and Lisa spent 28 years caring for... their son. Click to learn more Helpful hints for holiday family stress   WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation       

In late July 2023 Erin Patterson invited her former in-laws to lunch at her home in Leongatha, Australia. This gesture of hospitality was framed as a chance for them all to reconnect. Instead, it became the center of a case that shocked the world. Over night all 4 lunch guests became desperately ill. Rumors began to fly immediately, and investigators began piecing together a chain of events that no one in this small community could have imagined.  In part one we'll examine the "who", "what" and "where" of this case, but you'll have to wait until part 2 for the "how" and "why"! Click to learn more (sources) All sources will be provided in the show notes for Part 2 of this case. We don't want to give anything away! Episode Credits: Hosts/writers: Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel Editor/Composer/Producer: Jon Katity WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation        

When the darkness reaches its Zenith And the moon floats high and white When the spirits scream And knife blades gleam It’s…. Shortly After Midnight Hello fiends, and welcome to the darkest time of day.  In this week's original story, we bring you, Engulfed, a dark, slow-burn story about a glance that turns into an obsession. What starts as a spark of connection becomes something dangerous, something that smolders beneath the surface until it can't be contained. Desire, loneliness, and fire. They all have one thing in common: once they start they're hard to control.    Engulfed is a We Would Be Dead Production, written by Leslie Weidel and read by Jon Katity.  Sound and score by Jon Katity, and sparkling prologue / epilogue commentary by cohosts Holly Knapp and Leslie Weidel.   WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation       

Happy Halloween Fiends! Join us for a deep dive into the world of Victor Frankenstein, his monstrous creations, and all the tortured poets and mad scientists who inspired OG goth girl Mary Shelley to write this torrid tale.   Click to learn more (sources) https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history-quirky-science-science-science-everywhere/professor-aldinis-strange-antics https://www.grahamhenderson.ca/percy-bysshe-shelley-blog/shelleys-mighty-heart https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luigi-Galvani https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alessandro-Volta https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/things-to-do-gernsheim-frankenstein-castle     WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!  Join the Conversation