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338. Killer Charm: The Betrayal Of Michele MacNeill

·1 hr·4 clips

Martin’s 911 calls gave the wrong address, and the call center kept them for training.

1. Our True Crime Podcast focuses on the case of Michelle Summers McNeil and Martin Joseph McNeil, a story centered in Utah and later tied to federal fraud charges. 2. Edward October hosts with Jen and Cam, and they matter because they frame the case with reactions to Michelle's death, Martin's behavior, and the legal fallout. 3. The episode asks how a Miss Concord, homecoming queen, and model ended up married to a man described as doctor, bishop, lawyer, and con artist. 4. Michelle Summers won Miss Concord in 1976, recited an original monologue, and was also crowned Miss Sun Valley the year before. 5. Michelle met Martin Joseph McNeil at a Mormon youth singles event while she was attending college and had been noticed for her blue eyes, blonde hair, and 5'7" frame. 6. Martin had dropped out of high school, enlisted in the military at 17, and was arrested for check fraud tied to $35,000 in stolen checks. 7. The hosts say Martin later received about $3,000 a month from the VA even after earning six figures. 8. Martin and Michelle eloped on February 21, 1978, despite Michelle's family saying a bishop warned them not to let her marry him. 9. Martin later threatened suicide with a gun to his head, and the episode says that became one of several suicide threats used in the relationship. 10. The family moved into a life that included four children in five years, church leadership, and Martin's medical work in Utah and California. 11. Martin also falsified applications to medical school and later earned a law degree from J. Reuben Clark Law School without practicing law. 12. The episode notes that investigators thought the law degree may have been used to help him understand and manipulate legal rules. 13. In 1990 Martin pled no contest to alleged Medicare fraud and was banned from Medicaid billing for 12 years. 14. In 1994 and 1998, the episode says there were accusations of sexual relations with a patient, rape, misdiagnosis, and unprofessional conduct at the BYU Health Center. 15. In August 2000, Michelle caught Martin looking at sexually explicit material, and he grabbed a butcher knife and threatened to kill both of them. 16. In 2002 the couple adopted three children from Ukraine, and by 2005 Martin was again threatening suicide after being caught looking at sexually explicit material. 17. Michelle confronted Martin about an affair with Gypsy Jill Willis, and he pushed for cosmetic surgery while suggesting she needed a facelift. 18. On April 3, 2007, Michelle had surgery, and by April 11 Martin's calls to 911, the wrong address, the bathtub scene, and the delayed response had become the center of the case. 19. The episode is delivered in a conversational true-crime style, with Edward October narrating and Jen and Cam interrupting with reactions, jokes, and questions. 20. Listeners who like true-crime family betrayal, fraud, and suspicious medical cases will get the most from this episode, while people who avoid dark domestic-abuse stories may skip it.

As heard by us

A domestic death investigation where every call, delay, and contradiction deepens suspicion around Martin McNeill.

The episode tracks Michelle McNeill's death through a string of unsettling details: the bathtub, the 911 call that keeps breaking off, the dispatcher getting hung up on, and a husband whose account never quite holds together.

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Why you'd press play

If a husband's story starts collapsing under its own details, this is your next listen.

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