If you have your own story of being in a cult or a high control group, or if you've had an experience with manipulation or abuse of power you'd like to share, leave us a message on our hotline number at 513-900-2955.

Or shoot us an email at TrustMePod at gmail.com.

Trust me. Do you trust me?

Trust me. I'm like a smart person. I've never lied to you. I've never had lied.

If you think that one person has all the answers, don't!

Welcome to TrustMe, the podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the abuse of power from two mortals who've actually experienced I'm Lola Blanc, and I'm Megan Elizabeth.

And today, our guests are Lauren and John Matthias, hosts of Hidden a True Crime Podcast.

So, Lauren is a journalist, and John is a forensic psychologist, and the two of them are a bona fide, True Crime Power Couple.

So, given their expertise in the extensive research they've done on this case in particular, we're going to be discussing the case of Chad Debel and Laurie Valow,

the mother who believed in Chad's teaching so strongly that she had two of her own children killed in 2019 on top of three other murders and or mysterious deaths of people close to the couple.

So, in part one this week, we will start by diving in with Chad and Laurie's separate lives as church-going Mormons prior to meeting each other.

We'll talk about the LDS fiction novels that Chad wrote and Laurie fan-girled out about how he took on the role of prophet, the belief that Chad's followers shared,

that certain people are zombies that must be dealt with, and Laurie's questionable parenting history, including some possible munch hasn't by proxy.

Plus, we'll get into lots more about Laurie's brother, the murders, and the many twists and turns in the story in part two next week.

Stay tuned, y'all. Before we dive in, and I have to say, I fucking love these guests, and now I'm like, I want to be their best friends, and with them, and also just listen to their podcasts, because they're so interesting and engaging.

But, and you guys will hear me nerd out about forensic psychology, be prepared, but in the meantime, Megan, please tell me what the Coltie thing that's happened to you this week was.

Well, I just know that you mentioned it. I mean, probably going home for Thanksgiving.

Oh, really?

Yeah, you know. So, I was planning on not going to church with my family, but church while I was home was in my house on Sunday.

Excuse me. Go on. Right, because the, you know, the meetings take place in a home. So it was in my actual home, which makes it a little bit hard not to just walk up the stairs and go to church.

Right. Yeah.

So I put on a long dress. I went upstairs, and I did it.

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