Secret Passage Podcast

A psychotherapist and a conflicted pornographer, who has recently been called to Christianity, join forces, providing unique perspectives on subjects ranging from true crime, social issues, horror, and Hollywood.

Secret Passage Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 64 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Secret Passage Podcast, a society show with 64 episodes published.

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  Episode #65

  The Murder of Robert Wone: Three Men, One House and a 20-Year Mystery

  Sep 28, 20261h 16mS5

  Three men were inside the house. Their guest was stabbed to death. And nearly 20 years later, his murder remains unsolved. On August 2, 2006, 32-year-old attorney Robert Wone stayed overnight at the Washington, D.C., home of his longtime friend Joseph Price. Also living in the house were Victor Zaborsky and Dylan Ward. Within approximately 90 minutes of Robert's arrival, a 911 call reported that he had been stabbed. The three housemates maintained that an unknown intruder had entered their home. Investigators questioned that account, pointing to the unusual crime scene, the apparent lack of defensive wounds and other forensic findings. All three men were eventually charged with offenses related to an alleged cover-up. All three were acquitted. No one has been convicted of Robert Wone's murder. But the mystery doesn't end with the evidence. Dana and Jacky explore the investigation, the competing theories and the psychological questions surrounding a case that has fascinated true-crime audiences for two decades. Could loyalty become stronger than someone's commitment to the truth? What happens when an entire relationship becomes organized around a secret? And how much weight should we give suspicious behavior when the evidence cannot establish what actually happened? We also examine the role of sexuality, assumptions about consensual BDSM, potential investigative bias and the important distinction between suspicion and proof. THE QUESTION: If someone you loved were involved in something terrible, what would it take for you to tell the truth? Send this episode to someone you want to debate it with. ADDITIONAL READING & RESOURCES Want to investigate the Robert Wone case further? We've gathered additional reporting, courtroom coverage and documentary resources for anyone who wants to explore the evidence and competing theories. Want to explore the Robert Wone case further? Here are some articles, investigative resources and documentaries that examine the evidence, trial and unanswered questions. THE CASE & INVESTIGATION Robert Wone: Life, Death, and Love — Washingtonian https://washingtonian.com/2010/04/20/robert-wone-life-death-and-love/ Who Murdered Robert Wone? — Investigative Blog https://whomurderedrobertwone.com/ THE TRIAL & VERDICT Three Men Acquitted in the Robert Wone Case — The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/national/2010/06/30/3-men-acquitted-of-wone-charges/da12d2e4-3bde-4554-b561-a11feaf36fe9/ Good Fences, Bad Neighbors — Washingtonian https://washingtonian.com/2010/06/04/good-fences-bad-neighbors/ ROBERT'S FAMILY & THE AFTERMATH Robert Wone's Family Settles Civil Lawsuit — The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/wone-family-settles-20-million-lawsuit-against-three-former-dc-roommates/2011/08/02/gIQAsDDvsI_story.html Twenty Years Later: New Dispute Emerges — The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/08/30/20-years-later-new-dispute-emerges-over-notorious-dupont-circle-killing/ DOCUMENTARY Who Killed Robert Wone? — Peacock Documentary https://washingtonian.com/2023/03/13/robert-wone-documentary-peacock/ Robert Wone, Robert Wone murder, Who Killed Robert Wone, 1509 Swann Street, Washington DC murder, unsolved murder, true crime, true crime podcast, criminal psychology, forensic psychology, murder mystery, Joseph Price, Victor Zaborsky, Dylan Ward, The Secret Passage,

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  Episode #64

  Christa Pike: She Killed at 18. Now Tennessee Will Execute Her at 50

  Sep 21, 202656 minS5

  Christa Pike was 18 when she participated in the brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. She was 20 when she was sentenced to death. Now, at 50, Christa Pike is scheduled to be executed on September 30, 2026. The murder of Colleen Slemmer was extraordinarily cruel. She was lured into the woods, tortured and killed by a group that included Pike and her boyfriend. Pike later bragged about the killing and kept a piece of Slemmer's skull. But this episode of The Secret Passage asks a harder question: What happened to Christa Pike before she became capable of doing something so horrific? Dana and Jacky examine Pike's childhood of severe abuse, neglect, sexual violence and instability—and what developmental trauma can do to attachment, emotional regulation and a child's understanding of love, violence and relationships. Jacky explains, adverse childhood experiences don't make someone a murderer, and millions of trauma survivors never become violent. However, understanding the development of violent behavior is different from excusing it. They also confront the uncomfortable disparity at the center of the case: Pike was 18 when the murder occurred; her boyfriend and co-defendant was 17. Pike received death. He received life. Thirty years later, another question emerges: If a person changes profoundly in prison, who exactly are we executing—the 18-year-old who committed the crime or the 50-year-old she became? And where does that leave Colleen Slemmer, whose opportunity to grow, change and have a future was taken from her forever? This is not an episode about excusing Christa Pike. It's about whether we can hold two uncomfortable truths at the same time: What happened to Colleen Slemmer was horrific. What happened to Christa Pike before the murder matters too. Can someone deserve both our condemnation and our empathy? Could you sentence the 18-year-old Christa Pike to death knowing everything you know about her childhood—and knowing who she would become 30 years later? Send this episode to someone you want to debate it with. Instagram: The Secret Passage Podcast on Instagram TikTok: The Secret Passage Podcast on TikTok YouTube: The Secret Passage Podcast on YouTube JOIN US ON PATREON The conversation doesn't end here... Join The Secret Passage Patreon community for: ✔️ Early access ✔️ Bonus episodes ✔️ Behind-the-scenes content Join The Secret Passage on Patreon FURTHER READING & RESOURCES Tennessee Department of Correction — Christa Pike Execution Information Official information regarding Pike's scheduled September 30, 2026 execution. Tennessee Department of Correction: Christa Pike Execution Advisory Tennessee Supreme Court — State v. Christa Gail Pike The court record detailing the murder of Colleen Slemmer, Pike's conviction, aggravating and mitigating evidence, and the court's review of her death sentence. Read the Tennessee Supreme Court case materials Christa Pike's Clemency Petition & Current Clemency Case Pike's attorneys are asking Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to commute her death sentence to life without parole. The petition focuses heavily on her age at the time of the crime, extensive childhood trauma, mental-health history and development during incarceration. Death Penalty Information Center: Christa Pike's Clemency Request Adolescent Brain Development & Capital Punishment For listeners interested in our discussion about whether the legal line at 18 reflects what neuroscience tells us about development, this academic review specifically examines capital punishment for people who committed crimes at ages 18–20 . Neuroscience and Death as a Penalty for Late Adolescents Tennessee Death Row Facts Current information from Tennessee regarding its death-row population. Pike is currently Tennessee's only female death-row prisoner . Tennessee Death Row Facts Christa Pike, Christa Gail Pike, Colleen Slemmer, Christa Pike execution, Christa Pike death row, Christa Pike case, Christa Pike clemency, Tennessee death row, Tennessee death penalty, September 30 execution, capital punishment, death penalty, women on death row, female death row inmates, juvenile brain development, adolescent brain development, developmental trauma, childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, ACEs, trauma psychology, criminal psychology, forensic psychology, rehabilitation, punishment and rehabilitation, clemency, life without parole, Job Corps murder, Knoxville Tennessee murder, Tadaryl Shipp, Shadolla Peterson, true crime, true crime podcast, true crime psychology, psychology podcast, The Secret Passage, The Secret Passage Podcast,

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  Episode #63

  Brock Turner & Chanel Miller: When His Potential Mattered More Than Her Pain

  Sep 14, 20261 hourS5

  She woke up in a hospital with pine needles in her hair, her underwear missing, and no memory of how she got there. In 2015, Chanel Miller attended a fraternity party at Stanford with her younger sister. The next thing she remembered was waking up in a hospital and learning that she had been found unconscious behind a dumpster while Brock Turner sexually assaulted her. Two bystanders intervened, chased Turner down, and held him until police arrived. Turner was later convicted of three felony sexual-assault charges and sentenced to six months in jail, serving only a fraction of that sentence. But this episode of The Secret Passage is not really about Brock Turner. It's about Chanel Miller . Dana and Jacky examine what it means to survive an assault you cannot remember—when other people, medical evidence, photographs, lawyers and eventually a jury have to tell you what happened to your own body. They talk about depersonalization, loss of agency, the assumptions we make about consent, and the strange cultural expectation that victims must clearly say "no" rather than requiring an actual "yes." They also wrestle with one of the most uncomfortable ideas in the episode: people are rarely all good or all bad. Chanel herself resisted reducing Turner to a one-dimensional monster, even while holding him responsible for what he did—a conversation that opens the door to questions about moral complexity, accountability, rehabilitation and whether offenders can ever meaningfully change. Then the conversation turns to Judge Aaron Persky, the controversial sentence, and the outrage that followed. Was the sentence disgracefully lenient? Did the judge still act within the law? And when public anger eventually cost Persky both his judicial career and another job, at what point does accountability become permanent punishment? Finally, Dana and Jacky ask a question that rarely gets discussed in true crime: What are we supposed to do with offenders after we condemn them? Because anger alone does not reduce recidivism. Jacky discusses the importance of treatment, taking responsibility, acknowledging the offense, and the possibility that genuine accountability could involve an offender publicly confronting what he did rather than disappearing into shame and denial. And that leads to perhaps the hardest question of all: Can someone do something unforgivable—and still have an obligation to become better? This is Part Two of our discussion on sexual assault, rape culture and accountability following our episode on Steubenville. Content warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of sexual assault, rape-kit examinations, victim blaming and trauma. Send this episode to someone you want to debate it with. FOLLOW THE SECRET PASSAGE Instagram: The Secret Passage Podcast on Instagram TikTok: The Secret Passage Podcast on TikTok YouTube: The Secret Passage Podcast on YouTube JOIN US ON PATREON The conversation doesn't end here... Join The Secret Passage Patreon community for: ✔️ Early access ✔️ Exclusive therapist breakdowns ✔️ Bonus episodes ✔️ Behind-the-scenes content ✔️ Research, books & case resources Join The Secret Passage on Patreon GO FURTHER DOWN THE PASSAGE Know My Name — Chanel Miller This is the most important companion to the episode. Miller writes about the assault, the investigation, trial, media attention, impact statement, and the long process of reclaiming her identity after being known publicly as "Emily Doe." Know My Name — Penguin Random House Trauma After Sexual Violence — RAINN A useful overview of how sexual violence can affect memory, emotions, the body, and a survivor's sense of safety and identity. It also discusses experiences such as feeling disconnected from your body or emotions. Understanding Trauma After Sexual Violence — RAINN Supporting Survivors Without Blaming Them — RAINN Why questions such as "Why didn't you fight back?" or focusing on how much a survivor drank can unintentionally shift responsibility away from the person who committed the assault. RAINN offers practical guidance on responding to disclosures with validation, choice, and support. How to TALK With Survivors of Sexual Violence — RAINN Bystander Intervention — RAINN The Brock Turner case might have ended very differently had two passing cyclists not recognized that something was wrong, intervened, pursued Turner, and stayed until police arrived. The episode contrasts their actions with the failure of bystanders in the Steubenville case. Show Up, Speak Out, Step In — RAINN ⚖️ Treatment and Rehabilitation of People Who Commit Sexual Offenses — ATSA Our conversation eventually asks a harder question than simply, "How long should someone go to prison?": What actually reduces the chance that someone sexually offends again? The Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse provides research-based information on risk assessment, treatment, accountability, community safety, and rehabilitation. Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse Does Treatment Reduce Sexual Reoffending? — Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis This review examined thousands of individuals across multiple studies and found that psychosocial treatment—particularly cognitive-behavioral approaches—was associated on average with lower sexual recidivism, although outcomes varied considerably by program and population. Do we really want offenders returning to society having received no meaningful treatment at all? Sexual Offender Treatment for Reducing Recidivism — Campbell Systematic Review Survivor Support If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers confidential, 24/7 support. Call: 800-656-HOPE (4673) Text: HOPE to 64673 RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline

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  Episode #61

  Mom's Behaving Badly: Cybersex, Lies, Murder (Part 2)

  Aug 31, 202653 minS5

  Everybody in this love triangle was lying. One of them ended up dead. In this installment of Moms Behaving Badly , Dana and Jacky dive into the bizarre TallHotBlond case. Middle-aged husband Thomas Montgomery reinvented himself online as a young Marine named "Tommy" and fell for 17-year-old "Jessi." But Jessi wasn't Jessi. She was Mary Shieler—the teenager's own mother—using her daughter's identity and photographs online. Then 22-year-old Brian Barrett entered the picture, and an online fantasy became deadly. Beyond the murder, Dana and Jacky explore the psychology of catfishing, masculinity, online disinhibition, self-discrepancy, fantasy and our increasingly curated digital identities. Was Thomas obsessed with Jessi—or with the man he got to become when he was talking to her? And the bigger question: Are we really that different today? GO FURTHER DOWN THE PASSAGE Want to dig deeper into the psychology behind this case? The Online Disinhibition Effect — John Suler Why anonymity, invisibility and distance can change the way we behave online. Self-Discrepancy Theory — E. Tory Higgins The psychology of the actual self, ideal self and ought self —and what happens when the person we are doesn't match the person we desperately want to be. Why Do People Catfish? — Psychology Today Loneliness, insecurity, identity exploration and the psychology behind creating someone else online. Deceptive Self-Presentation on Social Media — Research Study Research examining why people create deceptive versions of themselves on social media. Cyber Love Triangle Fuels Murder — ABC News More background on Thomas Montgomery, Brian Barrett and the bizarre online triangle behind the TalHotBlond case. FOLLOW THE SECRET PASSAGE Instagram: The Secret Passage Podcast on Instagram TikTok: The Secret Passage Podcast on TikTok YouTube: The Secret Passage Podcast on YouTube JOIN US ON PATREON The conversation doesn't end here... Join The Secret Passage Patreon community for: ✔️ Early access ✔️ Exclusive therapist breakdowns ✔️ Bonus episodes ✔️ Behind-the-scenes content ✔️ Research, books & case resources Join The Secret Passage on Patreon

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  Episode #59

  The Lindsay Clancy Trial: When Mental Illness, Motherhood & Murder Collide

  Aug 17, 20261h 19mS5

  Lindsay Clancy killed her three young children. But was she a calculating murderer—or a mother experiencing a catastrophic psychiatric break? Dana and GenXJacky examine the medication timeline, warning signs, mental-health treatment, Patrick Clancy's role, social-media misinformation, and the hardest question of all: what does justice look like in a case like this? Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are not interchangeable. Postpartum psychosis can involve a significant loss of contact with reality and is considered a psychiatric emergency. Someone experiencing hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, severe confusion or other symptoms suggesting psychosis needs immediate professional evaluation. A note about medication: This episode discusses several psychiatric medications in the context of the Lindsay Clancy case. Individual responses to medication vary considerably. Nothing discussed in this episode should be interpreted as medical advice or as a reason to begin, discontinue or change a psychiatric medication without consulting an appropriate medical provider. If you believe you or someone else is experiencing postpartum psychosis or there is an immediate danger to a parent, baby or another person, seek emergency medical care immediately. NIMH specifically characterizes postpartum psychosis as a psychiatric emergency requiring hospitalization. The conversation doesn't end here... Join our Patreon community for: ✔️ Early access ✔️ Exclusive therapist breakdowns ✔️ Bonus episodes ✔️ Behind-the-scenes content ✔️ Research, books, and case resources Secret Passage Podcast on Instagram Secret Passage Podcast on TikTok Secret Passage Podcast on Youtube Patreon Email Us Resources for Listeners If this episode raised concerns about your own mental health—or the mental health of someone you love—help is available. Postpartum depression, anxiety and other perinatal mental-health conditions are treatable. Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency and can involve delusions, hallucinations, mania, paranoia and confusion. National Maternal Mental Health Hotline — 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) Free, confidential support for pregnant and postpartum people and their partners/family members , available 24/7. Counselors can provide emotional support and connect callers with local services and providers. National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Postpartum Support International (PSI) PSI provides information, support groups, provider directories and resources for postpartum depression, anxiety, psychosis and other perinatal mental-health concerns. The Massachusetts PSI warm line is 866-472-1897 ; Massachusetts also lists PSI among its recommended postpartum resources. Massachusetts Perinatal Mental Health Resources & PSI Support National Institute of Mental Health — Perinatal Depression & Postpartum Psychosis A particularly good educational resource for listeners who came away from the episode wondering about the difference between postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, warning signs, risk factors and treatment. NIMH: Perinatal Depression and Postpartum Psychosis Massachusetts Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder Resources Since the Clancy case occurred in Massachusetts, this is a nice case-specific addition. The state provides resources covering postpartum depression, anxiety, bipolar-spectrum disorders, OCD, PTSD and postpartum psychosis, as well as information for partners and families. Massachusetts PMAD Resources for Families

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