Shelly Knotek: Mother, Manipulator, Murderer

Killer Psyche

Wondery | Treefort Media

True Crime, Exhibit C

4.6 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into the chilling case of Shelly Knotek, a woman who hid monstrous cruelty behind a facade of kindness. For years, Shelly inflicted years of abuse, control, and torture on her own family and friends – completely undetected. Candice unpacks the psychological tactics Shelly used to break her victims, the horrifying extent of her abuse, and how the shocking truth finally came to light, ending years of unchecked brutality.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Want to get more from Killer Psyche?
0:02.3	Subscribe to Wondery Plus for early access to new episodes, ad-free listening, and exclusive content you cannot find anywhere else.
0:12.8	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:19.0	A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone. Please be advised.
0:31.1	Most people think of mothers as protectors, figures of warmth, safety, and unconditional love.
0:44.6	But sometimes the very person meant to shield you from harm can be the one who inflicts it.
0:53.2	In the 1978 memoir, Mommy Dearest,
0:57.1	Christina Crawford pulled back the curtain on her mother, Joan,
1:02.1	an old Hollywood actress adored by millions.
1:06.7	To the world, she was a star.
1:09.8	But to her children, she was a nightmare.
1:15.6	The rage behind closed doors, the unpredictable punishments,
1:20.9	the psychological torment.
1:23.5	These were the hallmarks of a woman who demanded absolute control.
1:29.3	But while Joan Crawford's cruelty became infamous, there are mothers whose abuse played out in the shadows, hidden from public view.
1:40.1	Shelly Notek did not have the bright lights of Hollywood to distract from her darkness.
1:47.2	She had a quiet home in rural Washington where she welcomed vulnerable friends and family,
1:54.7	only to break them down piece by piece,
1:58.7	stripping them of their dignity, their will to fight, and in some cases,
2:05.0	their lives.
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	...

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