The opinions expressed in the following episode do not necessarily reflect those of the minds of Madness podcast.

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There's a famous legend surrounding the death of 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great.

It's been said that on one day she saw a woman who looked exactly like her.

Her doppelganger so she ordered the person to be killed.

Then one week later Catherine died from a stroke.

Although it's almost certainly apocryphal, this legend is one of the reasons spooky superstitions arose about people seeing their own doppelgangers.

Seeming your own might suggest ill tidings coming your way.

But setting aside the folklore and superstitions, what's the worst that could happen just because somebody else looks exactly like you?

The answer might be surprising.

Sometimes paths where the doppelganger can cross innocently by accident or maybe quite intentionally.

Join me now as we examine the incredible true story of Olga Svek and her horrific encounter with a look alike.

You'll hear a twisted story of friendship, betrayal, and cold blood and murder.

You'll also learn that sometimes it's not you who finds your doppelganger, your doppelganger finds you.

In 1999, a Kansas city man named Richard Jones was blindsided when police showed up and arrested him for aggravated robbery.

They said he had costed a woman outside a local Walmart before hopping into a getaway car.

Later, both the driver of the getaway car and the victim herself, positively I'd deed Richard from a stack of photos at the police station.

And despite having a rock solid alibi, Richard was found guilty and sentenced to 19 years in prison.

15 years later, Richard began hearing stories of another inmate named Ricky, who looked just like him, a nearly identical doppelganger.

And as it turned out, this other inmate had lived very close to the Walmart and his address was the same one that getaway driver had originally reported to police.

Richard reached out to the Innocence Project and their investigators quickly realized that his arrest had been a case of mistaken identity.

Ultimately, Richard Jones' conviction was overturned and he was set free, but only after sitting behind bars for 17 years.

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