Pushing Up Lillies
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
    • YouTube Channel
  • Events
    • CrimeCon 2026: Las Vegas
    • Women In Podcasting Cruise
    • Beyond the Crime Convention
    • Global Webinar on Forensic Science
    • True Crime Club
    • The Bearded Monk – True Crime Panel
  • Murder Merch
  • Serial Box
  • Media Kit
    • Sponsor
  • Extras
    • Be A Guest
    • Suggest A Case
    • Contact Me
  • Julie Mattson
  • October 15, 2025October 15, 2025
  • Podcast

Revisiting Horrifying Halloween Homicides

Hey y’all, it’s Julie Mattson, your host of Pushing Up Lilies, and today, we’re revisiting one of my favorite episodes to creep back into the Halloween spirit. We all know October is a magical time full of costumes, candy, and carved pumpkins… but for some families, Halloween brings tragedy, not treats. This episode kicks off a chilling series I’m doing all month long, focusing on real murders that happened on or around Halloween night. In today’s story, we take a dark look at what happens when family ties snap in the most unthinkable way, fathers killing sons… and sons killing fathers. So grab your pumpkin spice, turn down the lights, and let’s dive into the twisted true crime tales behind the masks. * Listener discretion is advised. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:02:12 I can remember waiting out by the road and my sister walking up this long sidewalk, of course, they had the outside decorated, didn’t look too scary, so we weren’t really initially too terrified. But they pulled her into the house and then made her screen before they gave her candy. I was completely freaked out, I’m like, Oh no, forget it, I’m not going in there. I took off running home, I don’t care if they’re giving me a whole snickers bar, I’m not going in, so I ran home. That’s one way to save money on candy because all the kids are going to run away, and you might get one or two that aren’t afraid, that are going to actually go inside and scream. I mean, now I’ll look at it and laugh, but that would never fly these days, because if someone pulled your kid into their house… The SWAT team would be there. 04:59 So dad reached in, pulled out a Pixie stick and actually loosened the powder by rubbing it around in his hands and poured it into Timothy’s mouth, and then gave him a drink of Kool-Aide. So Timothy immediately started vomiting and actually died on the way to the hospital, at this time he was eight years old. So the story was that Ronald, the dad, was actually about $100,000 in debt, so prior to this, he had taken out life insurance policies on both of the kids, $20,000 life insurance policies. Literally, like Timothy dies on October 31st and on November 1, the very next morning 9am, Ronald’s on the phone with a life insurance company trying to collect on the policy. Come to find out he had also gone to a friend who worked at a chemical plant and asked a lot of questions about potassium cyanide and how much of it is needed to actually kill a human and different things like that. But the story of what happened is, the kids had all knocked on the door at a house and no one answered, they weren’t home. So the kids ran next door to another house while Ronald had four giant pixies in his pocket that he had laced with potassium cyanide, and he actually folded the end over and stapled them shut. He caught up with the kids and he’s like, Hey, you all have some rich neighbors, and he put a giant Pixie stick in each of the four kids bags.   08:26 So William Jr, who went by BJ, was the son of William Liske, and William married a lady named Sue who had two sons, Devin and Derek. Susan and William got married back in 01, and it’s always hard when you try to merge two families, especially when there are young children, it’s just very, very challenging. And so this case is no different, the father kind of found himself torn and struggling between his relationship with his wife and his relationship with his son. So Susan’s son Devin was older, and he came home one day after church and he had spent the night with his dad. He went to play some video games when he got home, and then he started realizing the house was really quiet, it was Halloween, and he thought that everybody would be up and getting ready to go trick or treating or just getting ready for the excitement of Halloween. But it was really quiet. So he made his way to his parents room, they were both covered in a quilt, and he started speaking to them and they didn’t speak. So he went over to his mother’s side of the bed and shook her, she didn’t respond. When he pulled the blanket off of her and William, he saw blood. 13:34 So that’s another murder that happened on Halloween. I found those two very interesting, one where dad killed his son and one where the son killed the dad, as well as the rest of the family. Of course, not to say that only bad things like this happened on Halloween, because we all know that that’s not true. But I thought just concentrating on these murders that occurred in October, specifically on Halloween Day, would be very interesting for this series. I know that a lot of these are cases that we don’t hear of every day, or cases that haven’t been on the news, and so I like to touch on stories that you don’t hear so much about, and stories that are new news, instead of going over stories that we all know, and things that we’ve all heard before. Again, two very interesting cases, I’m looking forward to doing research on more Halloween deaths. I know that we’ve all seen the movie Halloween and all of the sequels, I think there’s 11 now and then there’s a new one coming out on… I think October 14th of this year, 2022. But we all love the story of Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child because he murdered his sister Judith, and then 15 years later, he escapes and stalks and kills people in this fictional town in

Read more

Pushing Up Lilies

Pushing Up Lilies
Pushing Up Lilies

Dissect the science behind some of the most spine-tingling, unusual and terrifyingly true crime stories with Julie Mattson, a seasoned Forensic Nurse Death Investigator in this gripping weekly podcast.

Julie’s unique approach to investigations is informed by her background in nursing, which allows her to provide an in-depth analysis of the medical intricacies and physiological aspects of each case.

With her compassionate storytelling and unwavering dedication to uncovering the truth, Julie takes you on a thrilling journey into the world of forensic science, shining a light on the intersection of medicine, justice and criminal investigation.

In “Pushing Up Lilies,” Julie’s expert medical analysis will captivate your imagination and challenge your understanding of the human body’s role in solving the most complex and enigmatic criminal case.

Listen OnApple PodcastsListen OnGoogle PodcastsListen OnSpotify

Podcast Subscription Menu

  • Catalog
  • Catalog
  • Career Resource Center
  • Career Resource Center
  • Hiring Partners
  • Hiring Partners
  • Student Success
  • Student Success
  • Udacity Connect
  • Udacity Connect
  • Udacity Talks
  • Udacity Talks
  • Scholarships
  • Scholarships
The Survivor Who Stopped a Serial Killer
byJulie Mattson

In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m examining the disturbing case of Shawn Michael Grate, a serial killer whose crimes spanned a decade across northern Ohio and left multiple families forever changed.

What makes this case especially unsettling is not only the length of time the murders continued, but how many opportunities there may have been to stop the violence sooner. As investigators pieced together the evidence, a clearer picture emerged of a predator who targeted vulnerable women, leaving behind unanswered questions and unimaginable heartbreak.

As a forensic death investigator, I walk through the timeline of the investigation, the evidence that ultimately connected the cases, and the forensic and investigative techniques that helped bring long-awaited answers to the victims’ families. We’ll also discuss how missing persons investigations, crime scene evidence, and victim identification play critical roles in solving complex serial homicide cases.

But as with every case I cover, I want to keep the focus where it belongs.

On the victims.

Each woman had a life, a story, and people who loved her. Behind every headline was someone whose future was stolen far too soon. Their lives deserve to be remembered with dignity, not simply as part of a criminal’s history.

This episode explores the realities of serial homicide investigations while honoring the individuals whose stories might otherwise be overshadowed by the person responsible.

This episode contains discussion of homicide, sexual violence, and serial murder. Listener discretion is advised.

The Survivor Who Stopped a Serial Killer
The Survivor Who Stopped a Serial Killer
June 24, 2026
Julie Mattson
Where It All Began: Julie’s Story – Host of Pushing Up Lilies
June 17, 2026
Julie Mattson
The State of Texas vs Karmelo Anthony
June 11, 2026
Julie Mattson
One Final Moment: The Tragic Death of Austin Metcalf
June 3, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Monster He Wanted to Become
May 27, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Death of Spencer Irwin: Questions Left Behind
May 20, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Shocking Torture and Murder of Sonia Exelby
May 13, 2026
Julie Mattson
Inside the Crime that Shook a Community – Part Three
May 6, 2026
Julie Mattson
Inside the Crime that Shook a Community – Part Two
April 29, 2026
Julie Mattson
Inside the Crime that Shook a Community – Part One
April 22, 2026
Julie Mattson
Search Results placeholder

Help Kick Off the Podcast With a Bang!

Please Rate + Review on Apple

Trending Topics

Cannibal Case Cases Children Crime Scene Dead Death Death Investigator Deaths Deceased Domestic Abuse Domestic Violence Drugs Family Forensic Forensic Investigator Forensics Homicide Investigation Investigator Julie Mattson Killed Killer Medical Examiner Missing Mom Mother Murder Murderer Podcast podcasting Pushing Up Lilies Relationships Scene Serial Killer Sexual Assault Stories Suicide Texas Torture True Crime True Crime Podcast Victims Violence Wife

Episode Air Dates

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep   Nov »

Don't Forget to Visit Our Murder Merch Store! Thanks for Tuning in!!!

Shop Here

Pushing Up Lilies is a weekly true crime podcast with spine-tingling, unusual, terrifyingly true stories with a forensic twist, hosted by Julie Mattson.

Subscribe to Podcast

  • Apple Podcast
  • Amazon Music
  • Stitcher
  • Spotify
  • iHeart Radio
  • Pandora
© Copy 2026. Pushing Up Lilies. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
footer-logo

Pushing Up Lilies is a weekly true crime podcast with spine-tingling, unusual, terrifyingly true stories with a forensic twist, hosted by Forensic Nurse Death Investigator, Julie Mattson.

Facebook Youtube

Recent Episodes

The Survivor Who Stopped a Serial Killer

Where It All Began: Julie’s Story – Host of Pushing Up Lilies

The State of Texas vs Karmelo Anthony

One Final Moment: The Tragic Death of Austin Metcalf

Subscribe to Podcast

  • Apple Podcast
  • Amazon Music
  • Spotify
  • iHeart Radio
  • Pandora
© 2026 Pushing Up Lilies. All Rights Reserved.