It’s festival season in Michigan! Tracy, Christine & Nina talk FrankenFest, Halloween energy, people-watching, themed events, finding your weird little tribe. Plus, Best in Show is the movie pick, and Cassandra Peterson — the woman behind Elvira — is honored as Woman of the Week.

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine and Nina Mulligan.

Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Sound Effects from Uppbeat: Yay-cheerful-crowd-applause-soundroll-1-00-04.mp3

Original artwork by Todd Preston

In this episode of Malice in the Mitten, Tracy Preston and Christine Mulligan tell the story of Michelle Ann Kukulski, a 46-year-old mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and CNA from Grayling, Michigan. Michelle was killed in December 2017 by John Robert O’Connor, her former partner, who was later convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 31 years and 3 months to 50 years in prison. Court records show O’Connor claimed he was provoked by concern over Michelle’s boyfriend, Larry Farley, being around their daughter, but the jury rejected a manslaughter framing and convicted him of murder.

This case is often remembered by the shocking phrase “murder by yams,” because court records and reporting state Michelle was repeatedly struck with a can of yams. But this episode centers Michelle — not the object used against her. We examine the relationship, the claimed motive, the concealment of Michelle’s body, the trial, the sentencing, the appeal, and the warning signs of control disguised as concern. Michelle’s obituary remembers her as a CNA at Grayling Nursing and Rehabilitation and as a woman deeply connected to her children, grandchildren, and family.

This is not a story about a strange headline. This is the story of Michelle Kukulski — where the story matters, but the truth matters more.

#MichelleKukulski #MaliceInTheMitten #MichiganTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #VictimCentered

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine Mulligan

Researched and Written by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Michigan Court of Appeals. People of Michigan v. John Robert O’Connor. 26 Aug. 2021.

Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home. “Michelle Ann Kukulski Obituary.” Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home.

UpNorthLive. “Man Sentenced for Killing Long-Time Former Girlfriend.” WPBN/WGTU, 12 July 2019.

UpNorthLive. “Crawford County Man Found Guilty of Girlfriend’s Murder.” WPBN/WGTU, 26 Apr. 2019.

MidMichiganNow. “Suspect Admits to Killing 46-Year-Old Woman with Can of Yams.” MidMichiganNow, 10 Feb. 2018.

Crawford County Avalanche. “Grayling Man Awaits Pending Court Ruling in Crawford County Open Murder Case.” Crawford County Avalanche, 14 Feb. 2018.

On this episode of F-Bomb Friday, we pull the camera back from a single Michigan legend and look at the bigger, stranger pattern hiding inside folklore itself. From the Michigan Dogman to European werewolves, Bigfoot to the Yeti, lake monsters to Nessie, shadow people to the Hat Man, Melon Heads, witches, Wendigo stories, little people, and winged creatures like the Thunderbird and Mothman — cultures across the world have described eerily similar monsters for centuries.

Are these stories simply proof that human fears are universal? Are they warnings passed down through generations? Or do these repeated legends point to something older… something humanity has been encountering in the dark for far longer than we realize?

#FBombFriday #MichiganFolklore #Cryptids #UrbanLegends #MaliceInTheMitten

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Todd Preston

Story Researched and Written by Todd Preston

Original score created exclusively for F-Bomb by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com⁠

https://en.wikipedia.org⁠

https://www.legendsofamerica.com⁠

https://www.bfro.net⁠

https://www.mothmanmuseum.com⁠

This week on Round Robin, we're exploring the Butterfly Effect, sharing stories of life-changing choices, strange coincidences, and the moments that shaped who we became. Plus, we honor NASA pioneer Katherine Johnson and discuss the ripple effects of living authentically during Pride Month.

#RoundRobinPodcast #ButterflyEffect #LifeChoices #KatherineJohnson #CoincidenceOrFate

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine Mulligan and Nina Mulligan

Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

On July 7, 2011, Grand Rapids, Michigan, was shaken by one of the darkest days in the city’s history. Rodrick Shonte Dantzler killed seven people across two homes before the violence spilled into the streets, leading to a police pursuit, additional shootings, a hostage standoff on Rickman Avenue, and Dantzler’s death by suicide.

In this episode of Malice in the Mitten, Tracy Preston and Christine Mulligan examine the case with care, centering the victims: Jennifer Heeren, Kamrie Heeren-Dantzler, Thomas Heeren, Rebecca Heeren, Kimberlee Emkens, Amanda Emkens, and Marisa Emkens. This listener-submitted case, suggested by Tina Hughes, is not only a timeline of a mass shooting. It is also a deeper look at domestic violence, warning signs, firearm access, survival, and the long shadow left behind in a Michigan community.

Content warning: This episode discusses domestic violence, mass murder, the deaths of children, gun violence, hostage-taking, suicide, and community trauma.

#MaliceInTheMitten #MichiganTrueCrime #GrandRapidsMichigan #DomesticViolenceAwareness #TrueCrimePodcast

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine Mulligan

Researched and written by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Michigan Public. “Victims Names Released in Grand Rapids Shooting.” Michigan Public, 8 July 2011.

Michigan Public. “Grand Rapids Police Search for Suspect in Multi-Homicides.” Michigan Public, 7 July 2011.

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Michigan. “Grand Rapids Man Who Sold Gun Used in Mass Murder Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison.” U.S. Department of Justice, 3 Feb. 2014.

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Michigan. “Grand Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to Transferring Firearm to Convicted Felon.” U.S. Department of Justice, 3 July 2013.

Dowling, Jennifer. “Man Accused of Selling Rodrick Dantzler Gun Used in Shooting Spree Awaits Sentencing.” FOX 17 West Michigan, 3 July 2013.

Dowling, Jennifer. “Man Charged With Selling Gun to Rodrick Dantzler Makes Guilty Plea.” FOX 17 West Michigan, 27 June 2013.

Smith, Lindsey. “Grand Rapids Works on Healing One Week After Deadly Shootings.” Michigan Public, 14 July 2011.

CBS News. “Names of 7 Victims of Grand Rapids, Mich. Shooting Spree Released.” CBS News, 8 July 2011.

Deseret News. “Man Who Killed 7, Self in Spree Left Suicide Note.” Deseret News, 4 Oct. 2011.

“The 2011 Grand Rapids Shootings.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Use only as a timeline cross-check, not as a primary source.

Source note: This episode was researched using contemporary reporting from Michigan Public, CBS News, FOX 17 West Michigan, Deseret News, and official federal records from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. The Wikipedia timeline was used only as a secondary cross-check against primary and contemporary reporting.

On this episode of F-Bomb Friday, Tracy Preston takes listeners beneath the crystal-clear surface of one of Michigan’s most beautiful lakes — and into the campfire legend of the Torch Lake Monster.

Known as the “Caribbean of the North,” Torch Lake is famous for its turquoise water, deep drop-offs, summer cottages, and postcard-perfect beauty. But for generations, campers, counselors, locals, and lake families have whispered about something strange beneath the surface. A creature said to be long, dark, serpentine, and watching from the black water with one blue eye… and one brown.

This Michigan folklore episode explores the legend’s summer camp roots, the old camp song said to have carried the story forward, eerie boating encounters, deep-water fear, possible natural explanations, and why some legends survive long after anyone can prove where they began.

Beautiful by day. Black by night. And maybe not as empty as it looks.

#MichiganFolklore #TorchLakeMonster #FBombFriday #MichiganCryptids #LakeMonsters

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Todd Preston

Story researched and written by Todd Preston

Original music created exclusively for F-Bomb by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources used for this episode include Michigan.org, 99.1 WFMK, All Things Wausau, The Gander, Mix 95.7, CBS Detroit, Folk Bestiary, and the Torch Lake Township Master Plan.

Today on Round Robin, we honor Memorial Day through stories of remembrance, Arlington National Cemetery, Decoration Day, Mary Ann Williams, and the quiet power of remembering those who never came home

#MemorialDay #RoundRobinPodcast #ArlingtonNationalCemetery #DecorationDay #PodcastEpisode

Hosted & Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine Mulligan, Nina Mulligan and Todd Preston

Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

In 1976, young pregnant mother Kathryn “Kathy” Darling was murdered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while her 15-month-old child was nearby. Three years later, another pregnant woman, Diane Holloway, was murdered in the same city. For decades, the cases remained unresolved — until the Kent Metro Cold Case Team connected one name across both files: Russell Vane.

In this episode of Malice in the Mitten, Tracy Preston and Christine Mulligan examine the cold-case investigation, the role of DNA evidence, the limits of old investigative tools, and the delayed justice that finally came after more than thirty years. Suggested by listener Becky Vander Meulen, this episode remembers Kathryn Darling and Diane Holloway not as case files, but as women whose lives, families, and futures mattered.

In 1976, young pregnant mother Kathryn “Kathy” Darling was murdered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while her 15-month-old child was nearby. Three years later, another pregnant woman, Diane Holloway, was murdered in the same city. For decades, the cases remained unresolved — until the Kent Metro Cold Case Team connected one name across both files: Russell Vane.

In this episode of Malice in the Mitten, Tracy Preston and Christine Mulligan examine the cold-case investigation, the role of DNA evidence, the limits of old investigative tools, and the delayed justice that finally came after more than thirty years. Suggested by listener Becky Vander Meulen, this episode remembers Kathryn Darling and Diane Holloway not as case files, but as women whose lives, families, and futures mattered.

#MichiganTrueCrime #MaliceInTheMitten #ColdCase #GrandRapids #TrueCrimePodcast

Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston, Featuring Christine Mulligan

Researched and written by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Wolter, Sally. “Notes from the Field: A Multijurisdictional Team Moved Cold Cases to the Front Burner.” National Institute of Justice, 3 Dec. 2019.

Price, Cynthia. “Cold Case Successes Result from Collaborative Effort.” Grand Rapids Legal News, 29 Apr. 2011.

Public records and reporting vary on the spelling of Kathryn Darling’s name, with some sources using Catherine Darling and others using Kathryn/Kathy Darling. For this episode, we use Kathryn “Kathy” Darling while acknowledging the source variation. This episode relies primarily on the National Institute of Justice account by Detective Sally Wolter and reporting from Grand Rapids Legal News.