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  • Julie Mattson
  • December 31, 2025December 31, 2025
  • Podcast

New Year’s Eve Murder Encore – Son Decapitates Mom

On New Years Eve in 2014, a son attacked his mother at their home and decapitated her with an ax, because she “nagged him” to do the chores.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • May 31, 2023May 31, 2023
  • Podcast

Up in Flames: The Terrifying Cases of Partners Set Ablaze

In this chilling episode, we delve into the shocking stories of individuals whose lives were forever altered by the horrifying act of being set on fire by their partners or ex-partners. We begin by exploring the gripping account of Judy Malinowski, whose harrowing experience of being intentionally burned by her ex-boyfriend sent shockwaves through the nation.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • May 10, 2023May 10, 2023
  • Podcast

The Hart Family Murder-Suicide

On today’s episode, we explore the heartbreaking story of the Hart family murder-suicide. On March 26th, 2018, the family’s SUV was found at the bottom of a cliff in California, with the bodies of all eight family members inside.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • March 8, 2023March 8, 2023
  • Podcast

A Deep Dive into the Alex Murdaugh Murders

Today we are taking a deep dive into the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, a South Carolina former attorney who has been convicted of murdering his wife and son.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • February 22, 2023
  • Podcast

The Valentine’s Day Murder of Denise Leuthold

This week we conclude our Valentine’s Day Murders with a story about Nathan Leuthold, a 39 year old former Baptist Missionary, who shot his wife Denise Leuthold in the head on Valentine’s Day 2013, to make room for his lover, a 20-year-old Lithuanian woman the couple sponsored to study in the United States.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • February 15, 2023February 15, 2023
  • Podcast

From Love to Murder: The Valentine’s Day Hamilton Homicide

Today we head to Oklahoma City to investigate the murder of Susan Hamilton, which took place on Valentine’s Day in 2001. Susan Hamilton had a seemingly perfect life in her beautiful home in Oklahoma City, until her husband John Hamilton called 911 to report that he’d found his wife dead on the bathroom floor, strangled with two ties and her head bashed in.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • February 8, 2023February 8, 2023
  • Podcast

My Bloody Valentine: Murder For Hire

Today I’m looking into another Valentine’s day murder that I found interesting and very sad. Back in 2010, Stacey Schoeck asked her husband Richard to meet her at the park for a romantic Valentine’s day rendezvous. Once there, Richard did not see his wife as planned, instead he came face to face with hit-man Reginald Coleman, a personal trainer who went by the name Mr. Results, who was hired by Stacey to kill him.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • January 25, 2023January 25, 2023
  • Podcast

The Tragic Story of Michael Haight, Family Annihilator

Today on our series ‘Men Who Kill Their Wives’, we are talking about a very recent case of familicide that occurred in Utah on January 4th, 2023. The husband/father Michael Haight is being called a family annihilator for killing his wife Tasha, who was 40, their three daughters, 17, 12 and 7 and two sons who were 7 and 4, as well as his mother in law who was 78. Michael and his wife Tasha had been married for about 16 years and on December 21 of 2022, Tasha filed for divorce which ended in this tragic story.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • January 18, 2023January 19, 2023
  • Podcast

MLB Star Martin Bergen, Killed His Wife and Children With an Axe

Today on our series ‘Men Who Kill Their Wives’, we are going to go way back to the year 1900, when a horrific murder-suicide took place by a professional baseball player.

On January 19th, Marty Bergen, characterized as the best catcher in baseball history, killed his wife Harriet and his two children, three year old Joseph and six year old Florence, with an axe. After killing his family, Marty then used a straight razor to forcefully cut his own throat.

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  • Julie Mattson
  • January 11, 2023January 13, 2023
  • Podcast

The Watts Family Murders

Today we continue with our series on ‘Men Who Kill Their Wives’, looking at the murders of the Watts Family, in Frederick, Colorado.

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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.

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Christa Pike: Failed Execution Mystery
byJulie Mattson

What happens when someone is sentenced to death, the execution goes forward, but the person doesn’t die?

This week on Pushing Up Lilies, I’m talking about Christa Pike, who was convicted of the brutal 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pike was just 18 years old when the murder occurred, and she has spent roughly three decades on death row.

I want to start by telling you about Colleen, what happened to her, and the evidence that ultimately led to Pike’s conviction. As a former death investigator, I look at cases like this through the physical evidence, the injuries, the witness statements, and what those findings tell us about a victim’s final moments.

But there’s another side to this story that raises some serious medical questions.

On September 30, 2026, Tennessee reportedly attempted to execute Pike using pentobarbital. According to the account discussed in this episode, she survived the procedure and was hospitalized in critical condition. As a nurse, I have a lot of questions about what happened inside that execution chamber.

We’ll look at how lethal injection is supposed to work, what could potentially go wrong, and the medical and ethical questions that arise when an execution fails.

This case is disturbing on so many levels, and while the latest developments have brought renewed attention to Christa Pike, I don’t want us to forget the young woman whose murder started this entire story.

Join me as we examine the evidence, the medicine, and the unanswered questions surrounding this case.

Christa Pike: Failed Execution Mystery
Christa Pike: Failed Execution Mystery
October 7, 2026
Julie Mattson
Tasia Fortune: The Hanging That Wasn’t The Cause of Death
September 30, 2026
Julie Mattson
Burger Avenue Mystery
September 23, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Death of Barrett Walsh: Psychosis, a Murder Charge, and the Lindsay Clancy Connection
September 16, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Death of Aria Talathi: When a Drowning Scene Tells a Different Story
September 9, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Lindsay Clancy Trial: The Case Is Now in the Jury’s Hands
September 2, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Lindsay Clancy Trial: New Testimony, New Questions
August 26, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Lindsay Clancy Trial: Psychosis, Premeditation, or Both?
August 19, 2026
Julie Mattson
The Lindsay Clancy Case: Three Children, One Unthinkable Night
August 12, 2026
Julie Mattson
Grand Haven: The Karolkiewicz Family
August 5, 2026
Julie Mattson
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Pushing Up Lilies is a weekly true crime podcast with spine-tingling, unusual, terrifyingly true stories with a forensic twist, hosted by Julie Mattson.

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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.

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Recent Episodes

Christa Pike: Failed Execution Mystery

Dani After Dark: Julie Mattson Guest Appearance

Tasia Fortune: The Hanging That Wasn’t The Cause of Death

Burger Avenue Mystery

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