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Sword and Scale

The Sword and Scale true-crime podcast is an immersive audio experience covering the dark side of humanity and human nature. Our stories delve into the worst of the worst and include murder, rape, dismemberment and cannibalism. No crime is too brutal and no victim is too pure. The worst monsters are real.

Episode 183

Sword and Scale

  • 4.4K views
  • almost 3 years ago
  • 01:10:31

On Sunday June 28th, 2015, Dr. Teresa Sievers returned home early from a family vacation only to find she was not alone in the house. In the aftermath of a brutal murder, it appeared on the surface to be a robbery—but no valuables were taken, and no clues were left behind except for a bloody, hairy hammer. Uncovering the truth would take months, and involve a conspiracy that crossed multiple states.

Kim Dixon - Raw Interview

Sword and Scale

  • 1.4K views
  • almost 3 years ago
  • 39:44

We sometimes get things wrong.  In this exclusive interview with Kim Dixon, sister to Zachary Penna's victim from Episode 181, she joins us to tell us why. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 182

Sword and Scale

  • 1.7K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:34:47

In December of 2000, 31-year-old real estate appraiser Mike Williams went missing while duck hunting on Lake Seminole in Jackson County, Florida. The initial belief was that Mike had drowned and that alligators had eaten his body. Seventeen years would go by before Florida law enforcement could prove that something even more horrifying and nefarious happened to Mike Williams.   Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 181

Sword and Scale

  • 1.5K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:15:04

Zachary Penna was having a horrible day. He left work early to pick up his car but the auto shop said it wasn’t ready which ruined his evening plans. He had to walk home in the South Florida heat and when he got there he was locked out. It’s enough to piss anyone off but Zachary had a different reaction. He stripped off most of his clothes, trudged through some nearby woods, and murdered Freddy Sanchez and Wayne Dixon, two complete strangers, in their own home. Special thanks to Marc Freeman, court reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S8 Episode 181

Sword and Scale

  • 1.9K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:15:34

Zachary Penna was having a horrible day. He left work early to pick up his car but the auto shop said it wasn’t ready which ruined his evening plans. He had to walk home in the South Florida heat and when he got there he was locked out. It’s enough to piss anyone off but Zachary had a different reaction. He stripped off most of his clothes, trudged through some nearby woods, and murdered Freddy Sanchez and Wayne Dixon, two complete strangers, in their own home. Special thanks to Marc Freeman, court reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 180

Sword and Scale

  • 1.3K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:28:01

An unreal crime scene with a dead fortune teller, her dead daughter, and an otherworldly tone has police in Westminster, CA grasping at straws trying to solve the case. They consulted Warlocks, cult experts and were even approached by a dog psychic. They come up with nothing. That is, until they catch a break with a credit transaction… on the opposite coast. In a case that takes you from Little Saigon to rural North Carolina and leads you on a path of greed and destruction this episode will have you questioning your own fortune. “This was a horrible crime and these stories need to be told. I thank you for telling them. We can have reforms but victims cannot be forgotten because evil will still be there and these stories are cautionary tales. Their lives mattered. It mattered to all of us who worked to bring them justice. And Justice, is a lifetime commitment.” -Sonia Balleste, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Santa Barbara Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S8 Episode 180

Sword and Scale

  • 1.8K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:29:06

An unreal crime scene with a dead fortune teller, her dead daughter, and an otherworldly tone has police in Westminster, CA grasping at straws trying to solve the case. They consulted Warlocks, cult experts and were even approached by a dog psychic. They come up with nothing. That is, until they catch a break with a credit transaction… on the opposite coast. In a case that takes you from Little Saigon to rural North Carolina and leads you on a path of greed and destruction this episode will have you questioning your own fortune. “This was a horrible crime and these stories need to be told. I thank you for telling them. We can have reforms but victims cannot be forgotten because evil will still be there and these stories are cautionary tales. Their lives mattered. It mattered to all of us who worked to bring them justice. And Justice, is a lifetime commitment.” -Sonia Balleste, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Santa Barbara Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE OPPORTUNIST IS AVAILABLE NOW

Sword and Scale

  • 1.6K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 07:51

The Opportunist tells true stories of regular people who turn sinister simply by being opportunistic. How does an everyday person turn into a thief, a cult leader, or a scammer? Instead of portraying criminals as distinctly “other,” we explore our similarities and reveal the dark potential lurking inside of all of us. The Opportunist will launch with an episodic series on Sherry Shriner, a midwest mom and life-long church goer turned internet cult leader. The series follows Sherry as she gains thousands of followers online by promoting her own religion (a blend of biblical doomsday predictions and popular alien/reptilian conspiracy theories) and profits on selling spiritual weapons that defeat aliens and demons. As she rises to the status of infallible goddess, she leaves a trail of death and destruction in her wake. We speak with family & friends of deceased cult members, prosecutors, police officers, a high profile cult expert and more. Through thought-provoking interviews and investigative reporting, The Opportunist invites the listener along with us on a thrilling journey of discovery. Listen today at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-opportunist-podcast/id1551162705 Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 179

Sword and Scale

  • 1.4K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:05:14

Markeith Loyd was not there for his first two children, but Sade Dixon gave him another chance at being a father. With God’s guidance, Markeith believed that there was no way he could mess it up this time around. That was until his visions from heaven led him onto the U.S. Marshall’s most wanted list, after the death of four innocent people. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S8 Episode 179

Sword and Scale

  • 1.2K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:05:47

Markeith Loyd was not there for his first two children, but Sade Dixon gave him another chance at being a father. With God’s guidance, Markeith believed that there was no way he could mess it up this time around. That was until his visions from heaven led him onto the U.S. Marshall’s most wanted list, after the death of four innocent people. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 178

Sword and Scale

  • 1.8K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:12:46

Holly Colino’s descent into madness took a long time. A series of unfortunate life events painted her paranoid delusions in a shade of green envy. Everywhere she looked were women that wanted to be her so badly that they would copy everything about her. Her hair, her eyebrows, her lips, her entire identity stolen. Her path for justice took her on a collision course with the mother of an 8-year-old boy that would end in tragedy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S8 Episode 178

Sword and Scale

  • 2.5K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:13:16

Holly Colino’s descent into madness took a long time. A series of unfortunate life events painted her paranoid delusions in a shade of green envy. Everywhere she looked were women that wanted to be her so badly that they would copy everything about her. Her hair, her eyebrows, her lips, her entire identity stolen. Her path for justice took her on a collision course with the mother of an 8-year-old boy that would end in tragedy. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S8 Episode 177

Sword and Scale

  • 1.3K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:03:48

Spawned from a long line of vicious criminals, Nikko Jenkins struck terror into Nebraskans when he callously slayed four innocent citizens in his murderous ten-day spree. It was a family adventure when his sister, cousin, and uncle all played roles in the executions. Despite announcing that he would “wage war on society” when released from prison, his blatant warnings were ignored by all but a few. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 177

Sword and Scale

  • 1.8K views
  • about 3 years ago
  • 01:03:48

Spawned from a long line of vicious criminals, Nikko Jenkins struck terror into Nebraskans when he callously slayed four innocent citizens in his murderous ten-day spree. It was a family adventure when his sister, cousin, and uncle all played roles in the executions. Despite announcing that he would “wage war on society” when released from prison, his blatant warnings were ignored by all but a few.

S7 Episode 176

Sword and Scale

  • 1.5K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 01:09:48

We’re all looking forward to retirement, when we can finally cash out all of our hard-earned savings and live off of it until we die. That’s the hope, at least. Joel Guy Senior and his wife Lisa Guy had just sold their house in Knoxville Tennessee and were preparing to move to a new home in Surgoinsville in December of 2016. They had no idea that Thanksgiving of 2016 would not only be the last holiday celebrated at their old Knoxville home, but it would be the last holiday they’d ever celebrate together. Join +PLUS: http://swordandscale.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 176

Sword and Scale

  • 2.2K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 01:10:32

We’re all looking forward to retirement, when we can finally cash out all of our hard-earned savings and live off of it until we die. That’s the hope, at least. Joel Guy Senior and his wife Lisa Guy had just sold their house in Knoxville Tennessee and were preparing to move to a new home in Surgoinsville in December of 2016. They had no idea that Thanksgiving of 2016 would not only be the last holiday celebrated at their old Knoxville home, but it would be the last holiday they’d ever celebrate together.

Episode 175

Sword and Scale

  • 2.5K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 01:37:07

Clark Fredericks was born with a hole in his heart. 46 years later, he was arrested for repeatedly stabbing and killing a retired police lieutenant in the small town of Stillwater, New Jersey. What led Clark to commit such a violent act, and why would he tell us that silence is our worst enemy? Believe it or not, we can all learn a thing or two from the life that confessed killer Clark Fredericks has endured.

Episode 174

Sword and Scale

  • 2.3K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 01:23:33

Trouble in the Amato household began brewing in the summer of 2018, when Grant Amato, the youngest son, developed an addiction to one particular webcam model. Her name is Ady Sweet. Day and night, Grant was watching the live shows Ady streamed. These shows weren’t cheap, and Grant built an entire false persona to gain Ady’s attention. All of his lies were at the expense of his family’s finances and wellbeing. It all came to an end on January 24th, 2019.

Episode 173

Sword and Scale

  • 1.8K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 01:09:36

We move people who commit crimes far away from our society so they don’t harm anyone else… but many of those criminals will eventually serve their sentences and return to civilian life. Who is worthy of our grace and mercy? And what happens when the wrong person is forgiven?

+PLUS 79 - FREE PREVIEW!!!

Sword and Scale

  • 3.1K views
  • over 3 years ago
  • 01:02:20

This is the story of how Shasta Groene was abducted by pedophile Joseph Duncan in Idaho and held captive for 7 weeks along with her brother Dylan. Both were emotionally, physically, and sexually tortured before Shasta was discovered in a Denny’s restaurant. How was a tiny, 8 year old girl able to make it back alive after enduring torture and witnessing gruesome murders?