The 10 Best Sword and Scale Episodes
Sword and Scale is one of the original true crime podcasts, with its first episode airing in 2014. In each episode, host Mike Boudet dives into a brutal true crime case — he doesn’t shy away from the grisliest of murders. Many episodes also feature interviews with prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, their families, and more. The podcast is regarded as one of the best true crime podcasts, however, the Sword and Scale host has faced controversy for his social media presence. If you’re looking for the best Sword and Scale episodes, check out this list of recommendations, curated with help from Podyssey’s community of true crime lovers. You’re bound to find some unusual stories and cases you’ve never heard of before.
Last Updated: Jan 14th, 2023
1) Episode 33
In 2012, politicians and schools in Canada received freaky packages with dismembered human hands and feet inside. The mysterious mail traced back to Luka Rocco Magnotta, a fame-obsessed psychopath and narcissist who killed kittens and worked in the adult film industry. Magnotta does eventually get his moment of fame though in a twisted way: An international manhunt for him ensues when an international student Jun Lin goes missing and a suitcase full of maggots turns up. Magnotta’s appalling case is consistently mentioned as one of the top Sword and Scale episodes of all time.
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.2) Episode 172
Dying of brain cancer, 7-year-old Olivia Gant was at the center of national media attention when she was granted a wish to be a Batgirl princess from the Make-a-Wish-Foundation. Her doting mother, Kelly Renee Turner documented her daughter’s grave journey for their supportive community to follow along. But when the mother shows up to another hospital with her elder daughter complaining of bone pain in tow, the doctors and detectives start suspecting something wasn’t quite right. This is an unbelievable jaw-dropping case about a woman who was able to deceive her children, neighbours, and even medical professionals.
3) Episode 55
A well-liked doctor in West Philadelphia helped poor women get abortions at his clinic that was respectfully named the Women’s Medical Society. Little did anyone know that inside the clinic, Dr. Kermit Gosnell butchered more women and babies than Ted Bundy, the Zodiac Killer, and many other infamous serial killers combined. This episode traces the horrifying story of how a doctor took advantage of vulnerable women and left dead fetuses rotting in toilets all in the name of money.
jesseli recommended:
Had never heard of this until this podcast. Very disturbing but really gave me a lot to think about
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.4) Episode 106
Would you live in a house where a murder happened? In Apple Valley, Ohio, a woman and her two kids uncharastically didn’t show up for work or school. After a wellness check at their home initiated by concerned co-workers, the police found an unusual amount of blood that looked like prop blood in the house. Hear the story of a psychopathic serial killer Matthew Hoffman who didn’t leave any mercy for his victims or their dogs.
5) Episode 107
In a small town in Oklahoma with only six thousand residents, a 10-year-old girl, Jamie Rose Bolin goes missing to the distress of her truck driver mother. However, if her parents had looked closely, they would have known that Jamie wasn’t too far away from where she was supposed to be at home. If you’re familiar with the infamous Milwaukee Monster, Jeffrey Dahmer, then you should listen to this episode of Kevin Ray Underwood, who also had disturbing sexual fantasies to rape, kill, and canabalize his victims.
6) Episode 128
Two days after Christmas in 2013, a mother desperately called 911 after her 9-year-old child laid on the floor unconscious next to a toy bouncy horse. Was it a freak accident or a bad reaction to medication? It wasn’t until the police discovered an earlier 911 call where a dispatcher overhears aggressive insults hurled from the child’s stepfather, that the investigation takes a grave turn. This case isn’t just about parental abuse, but the failure of an entire system. People who know the family say this story will make you so angry you’d “want to punch something.”
7) Episode 111
Sabrina Limon was a 32-year-old mother and wife who lived in a nice house on Strawberry Hill with a loving husband and two beautiful children. But life was getting monotonous for her so she started an affair with a firefighter 10 years her junior whom she met at Costco. From harmless flirting to an adulterous relationship filled with prayer and spirituality, this love triangle soon became deadly when the bible-carrying couple plotted to kill her husband.
8) Episode 67
Two young children were discovered frozen in plastic bags and “stacked like meat” in a deep freezer in a home. But this home wasn’t just any home, it was their childhood home belonging to their mother. This is an unsettling story about an abusive mother who killed her children, but almost got away because no one noticed them missing for two years. You’ll get to go behind the psychology of this grisly killer in this episode that features a long deposition from the killer herself and an interview with the forensic psychiatrist who examined her.
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.9) Episode 104
A whirlwind romance started when soldier Harry Dhillon commented on a Facebook photo of 23-year-old Alice Ruggles posted by a common friend, that she was the “most naturally beautiful woman he’s ever seen”. Online, Harry was sweet, caring, and thoughtful, but Alice quickly discovered that in person, he was possessive who wanted to control everything about her from the way she dressed to how she spent her time. When Alice finally decided to cut off their relationships, she didn’t know that it was actually the beginning of her eventual end.
10) Episode 82
This is a unique Sword and Scale episode because it doesn’t involve a case. Host Mike Boudet interviews a seasoned 911 dispatcher who gives us a behind-the-scenes understanding on what his job is like. They talk about the marathon shift work, the surprising lack of training for dispatchers, and the dire consequences of refusing help to callers. From hearing distressing calls where a murderer admits “I stabbed myself and killed my two children” to how he had to confess to a crime before getting his job, you’ll never listen to emergency recordings in true crime podcasts the same way again after listening to this interview.
mgrover recommended:
Really speaks to how there needs to be better training.
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.11) Episode 89
In this unusual best episode, Sword and Scale host Mike Boudet covers a perspective that is rarely heard in true crime podcasts: the convicted criminal. No, it’s not a death row interview with a disturbing serial killer, this is Mike interviewing Matt Hahn, a man whose story will make you think differently about right and wrong, guilty and innocent. Matt’s criminal experience started out with petty theft in his childhood, and things changed when he started doing crystal meth in high school. You’ll hear how he was drawn to crime, how he justified it to himself, and the incredible story of the safe he found that changed his life and helped put a child molester in prison.
12) Episode 114
Imagine you’re at home one morning, just watching TV and drinking coffee with your spouse, when a strange, scrawny teenager knocks on the door. He calmly says you need to call 911 because he just murdered his own mother. What would you do? In this best Sword and Scale episode, you’ll hear an interview with the couple who were put in this exact situation when their day was interrupted by 18-year-old Kevin Davis. You’ll also hear the grisly, disturbing details of Kevin’s violent acts against his mother, with recordings in Kevin’s own words. In the end, you’ll be left with the chilling realization that you can never really know someone, even your closest family members.
13) Episode 62
A 30-year-old woman named Jenelle Potter has spent her entire life sheltered from the world. Not being allowed to get a job, drive a car, date, or even leave the house without the supervision of her m...Show More
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.14) Episode 66
When someone secretly means to do you harm, there's a good chance they will succeed. When you are a celebrity or public figure of some kind, you become much more vulnerable to attack because of the n...Show More
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.15) Episode 68
Cara Marie Holley from Roanoke Virginia was just 18 years old when she went missing from her home on July 7, 2010. Two days later her body was found in shallow grave several miles away. The killer was...Show More
AUDIO REMOVED: The podcast creator has removed the audio for this episode.16) Episode 95
Escapism is something most of us are guilty of. We retire to our TV shows, video games, podcasts... One would not assume that even the most esoteric escapes could be dangerous, but for two gay men in ...Show More