Familicide True-Crime Podcast: A Killer In The Family

True-crime podcasts typically recount tales of victims being murdered or kidnapped by total strangers, which is certainly a scary scenario. But how about violence committed by a family member? For women, the numbers are disturbing. In 2023, approximately 60 percent (or 51,100) of women and girls intentionally killed worldwide were murdered by an intimate partner or other family member, according to a UNODC report on femicide. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 16 percent of homicides were members of the defendant's own family.

That's how we arrived at a new true-crime podcast, Familicide, a one-hour weekly true-crime podcast that features the epidemic horror: murder within the family.

Stories of terror and tragedy are recounted through interviews with familicide survivors, the family members left behind. Through interviews with survivors, co-victims, police chiefs, detectives, district attorneys, legal teams, and a rotation of psychological experts, a three-dimensional picture of today's most hideous crimes are explored... and it’s reached outrageous levels.

The podcast's creators alert us: "Familicide is here to let them know they aren’t. Our higher mission is to support survivors and co-victims of fatal family and intimate partner violence. Over 30% of the total murders come from those closest to us. Familicide also educates and warns the audience of the possible danger lurking in their OWN homes and neighborhoods."

Familicide hopes to help with disturbing audience questions: Is my child a potential killer? My dad? My husband? What do I DO?

The show's co-hosts are Sam Mettler and Amy Chesler.

Emmy-winning Executive Producer Sam Mettler is the creator of what the New York Times called "a significant evolutionary moment in reality television"... the gripping real-life series Intervention. After a brief hiatus, new episodes of Intervention are now airing again on A&E to critical and popular acclaim.

Over 14 seasons, Mettler served as Executive Producer, Director and Writer, working from the field to the edit bay in what many believe to be one of the most emotionally, mentally and physically difficult nonfiction programs ever produced. In the nonfiction genre, Mettler has also served as writer and producer for the series Expeditions to the Edge and producer and format creator for the series Drugged; both for National Geographic.

Mettler has won five Prism Awards for outstanding non-fiction program dedicated to the accurate portrayal of addiction on television and a commendation from the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals. In the last six years Mettler has won a Telly Award and a Banff Rockie Award, a Burbank International Film Festival.

Awareness Award and was nominated for two Producers Guild Awards for an outstanding reality program. He has been nominated twice but won the 2009 Emmy Award for outstanding reality program., giving Intervention the highest television award in its genre.​

Mettler continues to expand his projects under the shingle of his recently formed production company, Mad Jack Entertainment, which created and produced MSNBC’s divorce series, Chained To My Ex, and Investigation Discovery’s crime series Breaking Point.

Amy B. Chesler is an author, podcaster, survivor, and victim advocate. Amy’s experiences have led her to contribute to many popular publications. This list includes five different nonfiction stories to six different best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, as well as content for Scary Mommy, DVD Netflix, Home & Family TV, TODAY Parents, and more. Her work has won her the BlogHer Voice of the Year award, as well as an Intergenerational Storytelling Award.

Her advocacy work has also been highlighted on IDtv’s Evil Lives Here and Wondery’s top podcasts, Something Was Wrong and This Is Actually Happening. In 2021 her memoir, Working For Justice: One Family’s Tale of Murder, Betrayal, and Healing was released. And in 2023, she launched What Came Next with the co-production efforts of Tiffany Reese of Something Was Wrong, which has consistently remained in the True Crime top 200 since launch. Amy’s passion remains to be bringing awareness to Familicide, highlighting resources, and helping other victims heal and curate hope for the future.

The show began in February with Amy's Story, Part 1, where co-host Amy became the guest discussing the tragic tale of her mother's murder by her older brother. The second part followed a week later, with episodes running about 55 minutes. In part one, Amy details the psychological issues that plagued her brother and the usual complications -- drugs, violence, warped thinking, multiple arrests, and sexual assault.

Part one ends with her mother's murder and her brother saying, "Don't go home. I just killed Mom." Part two deals with the aftermath. At the end of part one, "I had pulled up to my destination to meet a friend for lunch. I shut off the car and sat for several minutes before even attempting to exit."

Two other tales of Familicide have been released --one about a father who murders and another about an uncle who kills his grandparents. Each episode approaches these deeply shocking stories with the utmost care and empathy, ensuring the focus remains on honoring the lives lost and raising awareness about these devastating events.

Each episode includes compelling conversations with police chiefs, detectives, district attorneys, legal teams, and psychological experts, painting a three-dimensional picture of today’s most heinous crimes. Familicide delves into the terrifying and vile nature of these crimes—murder within a family—shedding light on important stories in a way that is both compelling and respectful. The podcast offers listeners a unique perspective on the tragic dynamics that unfold in such cases.

Sometimes, it seems that true-crime stories tell themselves by virtue of their narrative, but this show does more, searching for meaning, asking tough questions, and challenging the fabric of familial relationships, amid the unconscionable violence.

I highly recommend Familicide. The co-hosts inject empathy, explanations, irony, and tragedy in just the right amounts.