Missouri Snake Breeder Murder: The Ben Renick Story

Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore

PAVE Studios

True Crime

4.4 • 945 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In June 2017, Ben Renick, a 29 year-old Missouri snake breeder, was found dead inside his reptile barn. At first, rumors spread that one of his massive pythons had killed him. But the truth was far more chilling: Ben had been shot eight times.With shell casings on the floor, no stolen snakes, and conflicting alibis, the investigation into the Ben Renick murder case quickly turned toward someone close to him. As detectives uncovered financial strain, secret affairs, a million-dollar life insurance policy, and a jailhouse confession, the story only grew more shocking. In this episode of Clues, Morgan and Kaelyn break down the timeline, the evidence, and the courtroom twists behind one of Missouri’s most disturbing true crime cases. Head over to our Clues YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@CluesPod If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Clues to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Clues is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals including Crime House 24/7, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow us on Social YouTube: @CluesPod | @crimehousestudios Instagram: @cluespodcast | @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia Clues is hosted by Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore Instagram: @morgsyabsher | @itskaelynmoore TikTok: @twohottakes | @heartstartspounding Episode Sponsors: A year from today isn’t that far away. Get started now at https://www.HelloAlma.com/clues Right now, our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual membership at https://www.Masterclass.com/CLUES To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Some crimes are so shocking, they don't just make headlines, they forever change our society.
0:06.0	I'm Katie Ring, host of America's most infamous crimes.
0:09.0	Each week, I take on one of the most notorious criminal cases, whether it's unfolding now or etched into American history.
0:16.0	Serial killers who terrorize cities, unsolved mysteries that kept detectives up at night,
0:21.6	and investigations that change the way we think about justice.
0:25.2	Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, release every Tuesday through Thursday,
0:29.7	from the first time that something was wrong, to the moment the truth came out or didn't.
0:34.6	Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
0:55.0	Ben Redick spent his entire life handling exotic snakes and people warned him about how dangerous the creatures were.
1:01.0	So when Ben was found face down in a pool of his blood inside of the snake house, people
1:06.0	obviously assumed it was a python that attacked him until they started looking at clues and determined
1:12.0	that it was anything but a normal attack. This case is full of money. It's full of secrets. It's
1:17.7	full of betrayal. And today, we're going to break down the clues that revealed what really
1:22.4	happened inside of Roneex reptiles.
1:41.5	Hi guys, welcome back to Clues, where we sneak past the crime scene tape to explore the key evidence behind some of the most gripping true crime cases.
1:44.1	I'm Kayla Moore, and I'm going to be the one digging deeper into the timelines, the back evidence behind some of the most gripping true crime cases.
2:00.9	I'm Kayla Moore, and I'm going to be the one digging deeper into the timelines, the backstories, and the court files released for these cases. And I'm your internet sleuth, Morgan Absher. I'm the one who's diving into anything I can find online, looking for those lesser known details and pulling out the threads that just don't add up. Don't forget to share your thoughts on social.
2:03.3	Want ad-free listening and early access?
2:05.7	Subscribe to Crimehouse Plus on Apple Podcasts. And make sure to go back and listen to our previous episodes
2:08.5	wherever you get your podcast.
2:10.8	Now, let's get into Ben Renick's case and the clues that defined it.
2:18.2	Can I shout out a listener from one of our last videos that we put out?
	...

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