Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences.

Listener discretion is advised.

She said you can call me a beast, but don't call me a monster.

Hello and welcome to Season 8 episode 197 of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals

that the worst monsters are real. You know, serial killer stories are a bit cheap to me.

I feel like a yawn fest.

I like the ones where you have no idea that this person could kill you.

You could have never seen it coming.

Those are the best ones.

In any case, we have that coming up right here on certain skill, just for you.

Enjoy. You know, and so much. Close your eyes.

It's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you.

Now picture a cul-de-sac in a suburban neighborhood.

Five single-story houses are neatly situated next to each other,

with tidy green lawns and cars parked in the driveways. From the outside, they seem the same, but we all know that inside of each home, a different story is taking place.

Inside of one home on the night of August 20, 2015, Elizabeth Rowe, a young girl with divorced parents, had just been dropped off at

her mother's house. She had spent the day with her father, excitedly sitting through high school

orientations, followed by a game of tennis and dinner at Panera. At this hour, Elizabeth's

mother was out on her nightly walk. And so Elizabeth

came home to her stepdad who wanted to hear all about the day.

I just went to my room and I was showing him about like a bunch of papers like from all like

my syllabuses from high school and I was just shot him now.

...