MFM Presents…Hell in Heaven

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

True Crime

4.6 • 179.9K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today’s special episode, Karen and Georgia are joined by host and award-winning journalist Becky Milligan to discuss her brand-new investigative series, Hell in Heaven. Brought to you by Exactly Right Media and iHeartPodcasts, produced by Blanchard House, this is the unmissable story of John and Ann Bender—and their true tale of wealth, isolation, and obsession. Young, brilliant, and impossibly rich, they set out to build a vast mansion and wildlife sanctuary in the Costa Rican rainforest. But not everything in paradise is what it seems.

After the interview, you’ll hear the premiere episode of Hell in Heaven, “The House of Secrets.” Then, head to Hell in Heaven’s feed to follow the show and find additional episodes. New episodes drop every Thursday.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is exactly right.
0:06.3	Two rich young Americans move to the Costa Rican jungle to start over,
0:11.0	but one of them will end up dead and the other tried for murder three times.
0:16.2	It starts with a dream, a nature reserve and a spectacular new home.
0:20.6	But little by little, they lose it. They actually lose it.
0:23.6	They sort of like nuts.
0:25.1	Until one night, everything spins out of control.
0:32.3	Listen to Hell in Heaven on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:41.2	The Girlfriends is back with a new season, and this time I'm telling you the story of Kelly
0:46.1	Harnet. Kelly spent over a decade in prison for a murder she says she didn't commit. As she
0:52.0	fought for her freedom, she taught herself the law.
0:54.9	He goes, oh God, her in that jailhouse lawyer.
0:58.0	And became a beacon of hope for the women locked up alongside her.
1:02.0	You're supposed to have been faith in God, but I had nothing but faith in her.
1:05.0	I think I was put here to save souls by getting people out of prison.
1:09.8	The Girlfriends, Jailhouse Lawyer.
1:12.4	Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:27.6	My favorite love.
1:35.8	Hello!
1:44.2	We are very excited today because we just released our newest limited series from our partners over at Blanchard House, and it's called Hell in Heaven.
1:55.0	It's a true crime story about a rich American couple who escaped to the Costa Rican jungle to build their dream home, complete with armed guards and a bedroom lit by 400 Tiffany lamps.
2:00.3	But their dream turns into a nightmare as isolation and paranoia leads to a mysterious death.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.