Een jong, knap en rijk Amerikaans stel bouwt een huis midden in het regenwoud van Costa Rica waar ze wilde dieren gaan opvangen. Met de zeshonderd miljoen dollar die hij heeft verdiend, worden duizenden hectares opgekocht waarna er in de jungle een gigantisch, buitenaards ogend huis verrijst. De bewoners willen zo weinig mogelijk met de buitenwereld te maken hebben.
Ze hebben genoeg aan elkaar en de dieren die ze opvangen. Maar al in de eerste aflevering van de Britse podcast Hell in Heaven blijkt dat een van hen dit avontuur niet zal overleven. Het vereist uiterste discipline om niet voortijdig te gaan googelen wat hier is gebeurd, zo intrigerend en spannend is dit verhaal, dat ook nog eens integer en zonder hijgerig effectbejag wordt verteld.
A young Wall Street genius lands in the Costa Rican jungle with a vast fortune and visions of paradise – but ends up in hell. He and his wife build a spectacular circular mansion deep in the rainforest – a sanctuary for themselves and for endangered wildlife. But sinister forces soon have the couple fearing for their lives. As paranoia takes root and shadows close in, the troubled pair steadily lose their grip on reality. They transform their paradise home into a fortress surrounded by armed guards. The story reaches its bloody climax in an open air bedroom lit by 400 Tiffany lamps. A single gunshot leaves one of them dead, igniting three explosive murder trials – and a baffling mystery. Over eight compelling episodes this is the unmissable story of John and Ann Bender – a true tale of wealth, isolation and obsession. From Exactly Right Media and iHeartPodcasts, and produced by Blanchard House, Hell in Heaven is hosted by award-winning journalist Becky Milligan.
Also in this feed is host Becky Milligan’s true crime limited series, The Butterfly King: A WWII Murder Mystery. When King Boris III of Bulgaria dies amid mysterious circumstances during World War II, there’s no shortage of suspects. But eighty years later, his death remains unsolved. Award-winning journalist Becky Milligan follows a trail of dissidents, poisoners, soldiers and spies to unravel eighty years of lies and cover-ups. This tragic family saga of a doomed royal dynasty is a story of treachery, deceit and a quest for the truth. Who killed the Butterfly King? The Butterfly King is a podcast from Exactly Right, produced by Blanchard House.
The second trial concludes with a verdict that stuns Costa Rica. Ann Bender adjusts to a completely new way of life as a terrible tragedy shatters her world further. Meanwhile, public opinion dramatically shifts. A second trial is granted, the defence sharpens their case and judges consider the evidence one last time.
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