It was September 26, 2022, when Orange County deputies arrived at a quiet suburban home, that gave no hint of the darkness waiting inside. At the center of the crime was a soft-spoken, unassuming young woman who seemed incapable of violence, yet she had just stabbed her own sister. In her chilling confession, Fatiha Marzan would reveal the simmering tensions that had consumed her before plunging her family into unthinkable tragedy. What drove this gentle girl to commit such a shocking act?

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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution. Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com Cylinder Four & There Are Many Different Kinds of Love via chriszabriskie.com

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Apologies for the recording quality issues. The equipment used for this episode has since been updated!

*A special thanks to the OC Circuit Court, WESH News & Fox35 Orlando for information that allowed this episode to be possible. Thank you for listening!

It's been over 7 years since Denita Hedden disappeared on her birthday in January 2018. Her family continues to wait for answers, hoping that new leads or useful evidence will eventually bring justice for the missing mother of four. Many suspect that the person who was last with her is the one with the answers to all the questions that continue to prolong the suffering and lack of closure for the Hedden family.

Information hotline: (312) 620-0788

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It was a beautiful and sunny Saturday morning in Waukesha, Wisconsin on May 31, 2014 when a cyclist came upon Payton Leutner laying near a bike path in a park. The 12-year-old girl had been stabbed multiple times and left for dead, but after extensive life-saving measures, would miraculously survive the vicious attack. Authorities were forced to confront their fundamental assumptions when she told them that her own friends, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, had been the ones to carry out the heinous act. Both girls believed that the fictional character Slender Man would harm their families, but killing Payton would dissuade him in their favor.

Reshaping motive into a dilemma of insanity and delusion, they were found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental health institution. But the story was far from over, creating a bigger conversation about mental health in the legal system and the true definition of justice. How far does guilt go, how do we heal as a community and is closure a tangible thing or just a feeling?

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All music is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution. Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com Cylinder Four/Two, The Dark Glow of the Mountains & There Are Many Different Kinds of Love by Chris Zabriskie via chriszabriskie.com

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*A special thanks to ABC's 20/20 "Out of the Woods", The Independent, Slenderman by Kathleen Hale, HBO's Beware the Slenderman & CBS News for information that allowed this episode to be possible.

Thank you for listening!