00:00:00
This is exactly right. Isn't some far off concept? It's already here. Next starts now.
00:00:33
Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Goodbye. If audiobooks are your thing, or if you've been meaning to listen to more of them,
00:00:40
you should check out a podcast called Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club, hosted by Cal Penn.
00:00:46
Each episode spotlights standout audiobooks on Audible across all kinds of genres.
00:00:51
Sci-fi, comedy, romance, thrillers, and more. With Cal talking to guests who help break down what makes each story worth listening to.
00:00:57
It's a fun, easy way to discover your next great audiobook. Check out Earsay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:01:06
Goodbye. Cheap Caribbean Summer Savings Event is here. Right now, get $100 instant savings on vacation packages to Cancun, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
00:01:16
Whether you're chasing poolside drinks, white sand beaches, or endless all-inclusive fun,
00:01:20
Cheap Caribbean helps you get more beach for less money. Book your summer vacay today at CheapCaribbean.com.
00:01:26
Goodbye. hello and welcome to my favorite murder the mini-sode where we read you the stories you
00:01:54
write to us. That's right. Do you want to go first? Sure. Okay. This one's called The Original
00:02:00
Mrs. Robinson. Hello to all on and off the mic of My Favorite Murder. I truly love you and your
00:02:09
team so much that I could write a whole email just thanking you for the years of stories and laughs,
00:02:14
but this hometown is a doozy, so let's get into it. I'm originally from Mississippi,
00:02:19
and it says, don't worry, the only thing stereotypically Southern about me is my accent.
00:02:22
And I recently went home for the weekend where my Friday night consisted of late night wine chats with my parents.
00:02:28
They know my obsession with true crime and my mom is even a murderino herself. Around 1 a.m. the conversation shifted to my dad casually mentioning his connection to a murder right here in Jackson, Mississippi.
00:02:40
And the screenplay turned TV movie written by two pals of his. He is convinced he's told me the story before, but I know in all my 26 years, this has never once been mentioned.
00:02:50
That night, we went down a rabbit hole, and I learned that everyone truly does have a hometown
00:02:54
murder. The crime. In 1974, 20-year-old John Payton Alexander was the swimming coach at a
00:03:02
Jackson country club, where he met and started an affair with married 37-year-old Harriet Robinson.
00:03:09
There aren't many details known about the level of seriousness regarding the relationship,
00:03:12
but in the fall of 1974, Mr. Robinson became aware of the affair and called Alexander,
00:03:18
telling him to leave Harriet alone. Mrs. Robinson then cuts ties with the young pool boy herself as well.
00:03:24
John Payton didn't take this breakup well, sunk into a deep depression, dropped out of college, and moved back in with his mother.
00:03:32
During his transition back to Jackson, he decided to get his old job at the country club back.
00:03:37
Unfortunately for him, the Robinsons decided to take it upon themselves to block this idea by writing a letter to the club stating that Alexander was incompetent.
00:03:46
He then went on to apply at a different country club in the area where the connected couple did the same thing.
00:03:53
Obviously angry and frustrated, the boy decided to Xerox some of the love letters written to him by Harriet and mailed the copies to several members of the country club to prove their opinion on his work ethic was biased.
00:04:05
Ooh. I know. So love letters, that's a pretty deep, that's a deep affair. Yeah, it is.
00:04:10
You know, this backfired for Alexander because Mr. Robinson then brought a suit against him demanding damages.
00:04:17
On October 4th, 1975, John Payton Alexander went to play tennis with a buddy of his at Battlefield Park around 11 a.m.
00:04:26
After this match, instead of calling it a day, he went to the Parham Bridges Tennis Club where Mrs. Robinson was finishing up a tennis match of her own.
00:04:34
Alexander walked right up to Harriet, drew a pistol from his pocket, and shot her in the head from around three feet away.
00:04:42
He then stepped closer to the woman now lying on the court in blood and fired seven more shots into her head and neck.
00:04:49
He didn't stay at the scene, though. He went home and told his mother exactly what he did, and they called the police together.
00:04:56
His trial ended in a guilty verdict, and even though he was released seven years into his sentence,
00:05:01
He broke his parole by stopping his medication and assaulting his own sister. In 1986, he was then put back in prison where he is still serving out his life sentence as of 2019.
00:05:13
The story blew my mind and I summed it up as best as I could for y'all. The reason my dad brought this up in the first place was because my family were members of that same country club
00:05:21
and John Payton's mother was my dad's chemistry teacher in high school. My grandmother, we call her Lili, remembers the incident well and frequently played tennis at that court.
00:05:31
Years after this 1975 murder, two local boys wrote a screenplay about the crime and it sold and turned into a TV movie
00:05:39
starring Susan Lucci. Oh, wow. That's big. It's called Between Love and Hate. And the two writers were friends of my dad's as well.
00:05:47
Every time I go home to Mississippi, I am reminded just how small of a place it is
00:05:51
with gossip to last a lifetime. Stay sexy, Shelby, she, her. Shelby? Shelby. Don't you ever apologize for being Southern, Shelby.
00:06:02
We've met wonderful, wonderful murderinos who are Southern. Truly. But it's like one thing if the people at your golf club or whatever, your tennis club, are having an affair.
00:06:16
And then that like that the gossip Yeah And then to have it escalate so horribly and so publicly Yeah And violently Yeah
00:06:27
What a nightmare. Yeah. Okay. I'm not going to read you the subject line of this.
00:06:32
It says, hi, Karen in Georgia. The other week, my grandparents were visiting me in San Diego and my grandpa started to tell this crazy story about my great, great grandma.
00:06:41
I immediately opened up the notes app on my phone. because I knew I finally had a story worth writing in about.
00:06:51
Back in the 1920s, my family owned a tavern in Chicago. Unfortunately, they were forced to shut
00:06:57
down during the Prohibition era. However, I bet you could guess that my great-great-grandma's
00:07:02
business didn't stop there. Shortly following the start of Prohibition, my little Polish great-great-
00:07:08
grandma got a knock on her door and was surprisingly met with a couple of Al Capone's
00:07:13
gang members standing there with a five-gallon milk jug filled with bootleg whiskey. They told
00:07:19
her that she better get to selling because they'd be back the following week to collect her proceeds.
00:07:24
Just as expected, the following week, Al Capone's members showed up on my great-great-grandma's
00:07:29
tavern steps again, but this time with two five-gallon milk jugs. And this is how her bootleg
00:07:35
whiskey business took off. Before she knew it, guys were lining the side street outside the
00:07:41
tavern holding out their cups as she poured bootleg whiskey out of her cute little teapot.
00:07:47
And the subject line of this email is Al Capone's teapot whiskey, but I thought I gave it all away.
00:07:53
Thank you. I can only imagine what a sight that was. Truly an iconic woman. Stay sexy and don't
00:07:59
sell bootleg. Stay sexy and don't sell bootleg teapot whiskey. And then it says or do. Yeah.
00:08:06
Krista. It's so crazy to think that like we romanticize all that, you know, but like she was forced
00:08:13
to do that. She had no choice. And it was probably a pretty scary thing at the time.
00:08:17
I'm sure it was really scary. She was at total risk by doing that. But then she was kind of like actually making it work, which is what everyone else had to
00:08:27
do back then. Totally. Especially those guys lining up for a cup of whiskey. Oh my God.
00:08:33
Oh, rot gut. Vacation planning should feel like a breeze, not a deep dive into countless travel sites
00:08:40
searching for the best deal. With Cheap Caribbean's Budget Beach Finder, you can search every
00:08:44
destination and every date all in one search. You'll save time and money with the Budget Beach
00:08:49
Finder. Say goodbye to endless scrolling and tab hopping and hello to Budget Beach Bliss at your
00:08:54
fingertips. Go to CheapCaribbean.com to try out the Budget Beach Finder and see just how stress-free
00:08:59
vacation planning should be. Goodbye. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. It's 2026. And
00:09:06
if you have an alternative career like food photography or professional mixtape making or
00:09:10
witchcraft, you're going to need an online presence. Whatever your thing is, Squarespace
00:09:15
helps you build a website that's as unique as you are. Squarespace provides you everything you need
00:09:19
to offer services and get paid all in one place. From consultations to events and experiences,
00:09:24
you can showcase your offerings with a customizable website designed to attract clients and grow your business. Get paid on time with professional invoices and online payments.
00:09:33
Plus, streamline your workflow with built-in appointment scheduling and email marketing tools.
00:09:38
With Squarespace's collection of cutting-edge design tools, anyone can build a beautiful,
00:09:42
professional online presence that perfectly fits their brand or business. Head to squarespace.com
00:09:46
slash murder for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code murder to save
00:09:50
10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Goodbye. Goodbye. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer,
00:09:59
Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent. The future soccer stars who are already turning heads at age 14.
00:10:04
Making plays that end up on everyone's feed, scoring from angles that don't make sense,
00:10:09
rewriting record books that barely had time to gather dust. Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and Hyundai doesn't either.
00:10:15
Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. Hyundai did it by making advanced safety standard on every vehicle.
00:10:21
Hyundai did it by engineering EVs with ultra fast charging capability. And Hyundai continues doing it every day.
00:10:27
From robotics that change how people live to young athletes changing the game, the future isn't some far off concept.
00:10:33
It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Goodbye.
00:10:40
This one's called Welcome to the Light, a super quickie. And listen, I didn't pick it because of the first who it's addressed to, but it did help.
00:10:49
It says, Dear Dottie et al. Blah, blah, blah. Written before. Feel unloved and ignored. Trying again. LOL.
00:11:01
You have had stories before about people who seem to be talking to loved ones who had passed just before their own deaths.
00:11:08
Just today, while on an eye exam, I had my head in a machine and was told, quote, no matter what, just keep looking at the light.
00:11:15
I said to the tech, I imagine that's what I'll hear in my final hours. Then I said how I don't really believe in that, but it would be comforting if there were a light
00:11:23
and how I listened to a podcast where they've shared tons of stories like this and it's really
00:11:27
heartwarming. And it says, in case that wasn't obvious, I'm talking about MFM. So the text says, my mom died about five months ago. She had had some infection that wouldn't go
00:11:37
away, but she was still up and about. This one day she was standing at the window and she kept
00:11:42
yelling, what? What? The tech thought her mother had really lost it at that point. She asked what
00:11:48
was going on and who she was talking to. Her mother suddenly turned around and said,
00:11:53
I have to go. My mother's coming to get me. And that night she passed away. I really don't believe in an afterlife, but I am keen to be wrong and see my family members
00:12:03
gone before me, ready to welcome me to wherever. It's extremely comforting. Cheers to both of you. Carrie, she, her.
00:12:11
I love that story. I know, right? It's so comforting, the idea that your mom will come and get you.
00:12:17
Yeah. I love that. I love those stories. Oh, well, similarly, this says deathbed confession, and then there's like 10 question marks after it.
00:12:27
And then it says, hi, love you all. I've held on to the story for decades, trying to find the right place to submit it.
00:12:33
And after hearing you guys ask for deathbed confessions, I realized it was my time to freaking shine.
00:12:39
Let's get into it. When I was a young girl of about 12 years old there was an upheaval in my family life My parents were headed toward divorce and my dad dad had just suffered a massive stroke and his recovery was looking bleak
00:12:51
Soon, I started hearing hushed voices from the kitchen. My nosy 12-year-old ass quickly turned the music down on my headphones and got ready to eavesdrop, but I was told what was up by my parents soon after.
00:13:05
Pretty reckless if you ask me, but my parents have always been super transparent and honest
00:13:09
with us, which I commend them for. And so they sat me and my big brother down. A little background.
00:13:15
My dad has three siblings, two brothers, and a sister. His sister is an RN. We'll call her Lori.
00:13:19
And she was responsible for all medical stuff concerning my grandparents. So she went in to visit my grandfather one day to get an update on his vitals and what
00:13:28
the next steps were. Being the only daughter, you can imagine Lori's surprise when the attending nurse at the
00:13:34
hospital told her that she had already given the rundown to my grandfather's other daughter,
00:13:39
who is also a nurse. Lori quickly replied, no, I'm his only daughter and the only nurse in the
00:13:44
family. But the attending nurse insisted she definitely had a meeting with a woman who was
00:13:49
definitely his other daughter. She wouldn't have let her in if she wasn't because only family was
00:13:54
allowed to visit at that time. Now, my aunt Lori is flabbergasted, filled with befuddlement,
00:13:59
at a loss for words. How could this be? Was someone acting as an imposter to infiltrate
00:14:05
her father's medical records? So she decided to ask her mom some questions and boy, did she get
00:14:11
some answers. You guessed it. My grandfather had an affair with a younger woman about 30 years prior
00:14:16
and had a child with her. Her name was Susie and she was also a nurse. It turns out he was very
00:14:22
involved in Susie's life, dancing with her at her wedding, sending her Christmas gifts every year.
00:14:27
She lived in the same town, but he sent her to private school and paid for her children's education, too.
00:14:33
She was only a few years younger than my dad, who was the youngest. Oh, my God. My dad and his siblings had no idea.
00:14:41
Susie's mother was a member of the church they frequented. And this is where the plot thickens.
00:14:46
My grandfather ended up making a miraculous semi-full recovery after his stroke and lived for eight more years.
00:14:53
Oh, my God. Awkward. Right? This left him to face each one of his four children who now knew the fact that they have another sister.
00:15:02
It turns out there were no business trips that he went on when they were young. There was no barbershop quartet competitions he was going out of town for.
00:15:12
That's all he could think of? Literally, it's like this email, that line solidified this email for me where I was like, oh shit, that's genius.
00:15:21
They were all very surprised but still accepted him as their father and carried on.
00:15:25
My dad got to meet his long lost little sister and I gained a whole lot of respect for my grandmother for all the shit she's put up with.
00:15:32
So that is my story. Hope you enjoyed. AC. Oh, that's a juicy one. I wonder if Susie knew about them or if she knew she was the secret family.
00:15:44
I actually knew a person who was in this position. It's a stand up comedian who talks about it in her act.
00:15:49
So, but I won't, I won't say her name, but her and her mom, it was like, they would just
00:15:54
watch the dad with the, you know, public family because they also lived in the same town.
00:16:00
Oh my God. I mean, yeah, I guess it just depends on the man. If he's going to keep it secret from everybody or what?
00:16:09
Barbershop quartet. You fucker. He's like, my wild eye. And it's like, you're not even that good at it.
00:16:16
How come we can't come to any of the competitions? Grandpa, dad. We want to wear straw hats and support you.
00:16:23
Cheap Caribbean Summer Savings Event is here. Right now, get $100 instant savings on vacation packages to Cancun, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
00:16:32
Whether you're chasing poolside drinks, white sand beaches, or endless all-inclusive fun,
00:16:37
Cheap Caribbean helps you get more beach for less money. Book your summer vacay today at CheapCaribbean.com.
00:16:43
Goodbye. Goodbye. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent.
00:16:50
The future soccer stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Making plays that end up on everyone's feed, scoring from angles that don't make sense, rewriting record books that barely had time to gather dust.
00:17:01
Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and Hyundai doesn't either. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach.
00:17:07
Hyundai did it by making advanced safety standard on every vehicle. Hyundai did it by engineering EVs with ultra-fast charging capability.
00:17:14
And Hyundai continues doing it every day. From robotics that change how people live to young athletes changing the game,
00:17:20
the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA.
00:17:27
Goodbye. If you're always on the lookout for a great audiobook or just want help figuring out what to listen to next,
00:17:33
there's a podcast you should know about. It's called Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club, hosted by Cal Penn.
00:17:39
Each episode takes a closer look at some of the most talked about new audiobooks on Audible, spanning a wide range of genres from sci-fi and literary fiction to rom-coms, thrillers, and comedy.
00:17:49
Cal is joined by guests who dig into what these stories are about, what makes them stand out as audiobooks, and why they're connecting with listeners right now.
00:17:56
If you're looking for your next listen, this is a great place to start. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:18:06
Goodbye. Well, I have another grandpa one. It's called Hot Dog Grandpa Story. It's a little different.
00:18:15
It says, hello, all. Copy and paste whatever funny salutations the person before me said.
00:18:20
No. It's been a while since we've had a hot dog story read on the minisodes, and so I figured I'd send mine in.
00:18:28
Yay. Wait, before we get into the hot dog story, did Erin show you the hot dog art?
00:18:33
No. What hot dog art? Somebody submitted an idea for a hot dog t-shirt. And it is, we're going to have hot dog merch pretty soon.
00:18:43
Okay. Oh my God. She hasn't shown me yet. Okay. So my grandfather was quite an eccentric man, but we loved him for all his quirks.
00:18:50
One of these was that he was constantly eating. Whenever he and my grandma came to town, my mom would have to hide all of the Cheez-Its,
00:18:57
goldfish, and other cracker-like things because he would eat them all and we would be left
00:19:02
with zero snacks for my brother and I Mm Often he would just put whatever snack he was eating in the pocket of his jacket or pants who needs a bowl and eat handfuls of them spewing crumbs as he did Let just say the dogs were a
00:19:16
big fan when Grandpa T came to visit. On one of these instances, we caught him eating cold, raw
00:19:23
hot dogs from his pocket. They probably had gathered lint and crumbs from his other snacks,
00:19:30
but who cares? He died a few years ago after a decade-long fight with cancer, and this is one of
00:19:35
the many stories about him that my family fondly retells over the dinner table. Stay sexy and don't
00:19:41
forget to eat hot dogs out of your pocket, Michaela. I mean, as a person who loves eating
00:19:46
constantly, I support Michaela's grandfather in life and in death because that's kind of how it
00:19:53
sometimes. Also, have you ever had like a handful of goldfish? You need like 14 more handfuls of
00:20:00
goldfish after you eat one. It's hard not to keep going. They're real tangy. I'm just picturing
00:20:05
overalls with that big front pocket with just like cold hot dogs sticking out of it. And I kind of
00:20:10
love it. Cold hot dogs and goldfish just like anywhere you turn. What a joy. Okay, here's the
00:20:17
last one for me. This is pretty legendary. Hello, Georgia and Karen. When I was in high school,
00:20:26
I concocted what I thought was the biggest and best lie that not only impressed my friends,
00:20:31
but also gets brought up to this day in family conversations. The lie, instead of going home
00:20:37
after school, and so I could stay out later on the weekends, I decided to tell my mom that I
00:20:41
had joined my high school girls softball team taking advantage of my only child status i kept
00:20:48
it rolling to see how far it could go after months of me arriving home every weeknight around 9 p.m
00:20:54
my mom was surprisingly satisfied with the answers i gave to her questions mom where's your equipment
00:21:01
me i just leave it in the locker room mom how come you never bring your uniform home me they
00:21:07
watched them at school. Mom, how come you never have any games? Me. They're all away games right
00:21:12
now. Mom, what's your coach's name? Me. We just call her coach. One day mom was in the school
00:21:22
office dropping off some paperwork and guess who walks in? The girls softball coach. My mom
00:21:27
casually asked the coach about my progress with the team to which the coach replied, I'm sorry,
00:21:32
ma'am, but I have no idea who your daughter is. The jig was up. To this day, my mom thinks it's
00:21:39
funny that I got caught, but everyone in the family thinks it's funny that my mom was fooled
00:21:43
for three months. Yeah. Guess that's why I was grounded from April through August of 1995.
00:21:50
SSDGM and stay out of the attendance office, mom. Jenny. Man, I don't think that would work on me.
00:21:55
I feel like there's certain people who just suspect everything and know kids are constantly
00:22:01
lying but I feel like the oldest child is the one who's going to get away with it if anyone
00:22:04
I was going to say oh because Jenny said they were an only child because I was going to say
00:22:10
that's a classic youngest child that's true by that point where your parents are like I don't
00:22:14
whatever is this the thing your sister did two years ago fine good ones guys yeah thanks for writing in if you want one more hometown from each of us
00:22:24
They're in the fan cult and there's like years of them to listen to. Years of dedicated and yet restricted content.
00:22:33
That's right. Get in there. Like secrets? Fucking go to myfavoritemurder.com and join the fan cult if you want.
00:22:39
And also, if you want, stay sexy. And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie?
00:22:46
This has been an Exactly Right production. Our senior producer is Alejandra Keck.
00:22:58
Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo. This episode was mixed by Liana Squalachi. Email your hometowns to myfavoritemurder at gmail.com.
00:23:07
And follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at My Favorite Murder and on Twitter at My Fave Murder.
00:23:12
Goodbye. Vacation planning should feel like a breeze, not a deep dive into countless travel sites searching for the best deal.
00:23:23
With Cheap Caribbean's Budget Beach Finder, you can search every destination and every date all in one search.
00:23:28
You'll save time and money with the Budget Beach Finder. Say goodbye to endless scrolling and tab hopping and hello to Budget Beach Bliss at your fingertips.
00:23:36
Go to CheapCaribbean.com to try out the Budget Beach Finder and see just how stress-free vacation planning should be.
00:23:42
Goodbye! Goodbye! Bye. If audiobooks are your thing, or if you've been meaning to listen to more of them,
00:23:47
you should check out a podcast called Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club, hosted by Cal Penn.
00:23:54
Each episode spotlights standout audiobooks on Audible across all kinds of genres.
00:23:58
Sci-fi, comedy, romance, thrillers, and more. With Cal talking to guests who help break down what makes each story worth listening to.
00:24:05
It's a fun, easy way to discover your next great audiobook. Check out Earsay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:24:13
Goodbye. You know that fantasy where you run into your ex while looking impossibly cute and wildly unbothered?
00:24:20
Hill House makes the perfect dress for that moment. Or if you're just running errands.
00:24:24
Hill House Home is the brand behind the viral nap dress, known for its signature smocking, ultra flattering fit, and comfort that makes it a favorite for just about everyone.
00:24:34
Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Anne Hathaway, and Mindy Kaling have all been spotted in Hill House.
00:24:40
These dresses are the definition of versatile. Perfect for running errands in the morning and stylish enough for dinner or a party that night.
00:24:47
And it's not all they carry. They started with bedding back in 2016. And now you'll find bathrobes, pajamas, children's clothes, and maternity.
00:24:55
All with the cutest prints. And it's so true, the hardest time picking out one nap dress because the prints are so dreamy and beautiful.
00:25:02
But now that I have it, I'm going to wear it all day, every day. I'm going to throw on my leather jacket at night and look like a total badass.
00:25:09
Catboy boots or cute heels, whatever it is, this nap dress can make it look classy.
00:25:13
You look like that classy lady you see at the airport. Hill House makes fun fashion that makes you feel good.
00:25:19
Get 15% off your first order of $100 or more at hillhousehome.com with code MURDER15.
00:25:25
That's MURDER15 for 15% off at hillhousehome.com. Goodbye.