Show Notes
Timestamps: (9:02) - Mackenzie / The crash (29:20) - Matthew Hertgen Update (34:13) - Sam Nelson * Note - Timestamps may slightly vary due to dynamic ads The AI tool ChatGPT is used by over 800 million people per week. In a recent poll, a majority of 13- to 17-year-olds said they use AI chatbots, with 28% saying they use them daily. Sam Nelson (19) started using ChatGPT when he was in high school. He began initially using it for general questions and homework help. Over time, it is alleged that Sam began to use the chatbot to get information about taking illicit drugs. In the early morning hours of May 31, 2025, Sam told the chatbot about drugs he had ingested and asked for help with the side effects that he was experiencing. ChatGPT’s last alleged message to Sam was “If you’re still nauseous after an hour, I can help troubleshoot further (Benadryl combo, timing, food intake, etc.). Just let me know your symptoms and how intense the nausea is right now.” Sam’s mother would find him dead in his bedroom hours later. In May 2026, Sam’s parents filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. They allege wrongful death and the unauthorized practice of medicine. Sam’s family are asking for financial damages and for the court to pause the operation of ChatGPT Health. In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss the case of Sam Nelson - did AI contribute to his death? Read our blog for Sam - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2026/05/20/did-ai-contribute-to-the-death-of-sam-nelson/ In this episode, we also discuss the case of Mackenzie Shirilla, subject of the new Netflix documentary The Crash. We first covered this case on our podcast in 2023 and we will be re-releasing that episode this week. Be sure to check it out before listening to this episode for context! Be sure to check the timestamps to get straight to the episode section that you want to listen to. Be sure to join us on Patreon for weekly exclusive episodes and all episodes are ad-free - Patreon.com/truecrimesociety Join us on Instagram for the latest crime news - Instagram.com/truecrimesociety
More from True Crime Society
In 2015, Australians watched a Melbourne personal trainer search for love on national television on ‘The Bachelor’. By the end of the season, he had chosen a single mother from Western Australia, and the pair appeared to have found something that reality television rarely delivers: a lasting relationship. That man was Sam Wood. The woman he chose was Snezana Markoski, now known as Snezana Wood. They went on to marry, raise a family together and build a public profile that extended well beyond reality television. Sam became known as a fitness entrepreneur, while Snezana developed her own public profile as a mother, businesswoman and social media personality. Their family life, their children and their relationship featured regularly in the content they shared with followers. But in October 2026, that public image was thrown into uncertainty when Sam was charged with domestic violence offences following a police investigation in Noosa, Queensland. In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss the downfall of ‘The Bachelor’ Sam Wood. Read our blog for this case - https://truecrimesociety.com/2026/10/18/the-downfall-of-the-bachelor-sam-wood/ Join us on Patreon for weekly exclusive episodes and all episodes are ad-free - Patreon.com/truecrimesociety Check out our Instagram for the latest crime news - Instagram.com/truecrimesociety Follow our Facebook page for breaking news - Facebook.com/truecrimesociety This episode is sponsored by:
Timestamp to skip straight to the case: (7:11) A routine police encounter has opened the door to one of Philadelphia’s most disturbing investigations. Inside a home linked to filmmaker Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, investigators have uncovered more than a million photos and videos, disturbing material involving women, drugs, weapons and chemicals—and evidence that has now connected the property to seven missing women. With five of those women believed by investigators to appear in footage that may show them dead, authorities are trying to separate fact from fiction in a vast collection created by a man who spent decades making violent, graphic films. What really happened inside the Horsch home, and how many secrets are still buried there? Read our blog for this case - https://truecrimesociety.com/2026/09/27/the-horsch-case-philadelphias-house-of-horrors/ Join us on Patreon for weekly exclusive episodes and all episodes are ad-free - Patreon.com/truecrimesociety Check out our Instagram for the latest crime news - Instagram.com/truecrimesociety Follow our Facebook page for breaking news - Facebook.com/truecrimesociety
Approx Timestamps: (10:20) - Patrick Clancy 60 Minutes Interview (15:00) - Christa Pike On the night of January 12, 1995, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer walked into an isolated area near the University of Tennessee campus. She would never walk out alive. At the centre of the case was an 18-year-old woman named Christa Pike — a teenager whose childhood, relationships and increasingly disturbing behaviour would become crucial to understanding how Colleen's murder happened. Christa was found guilty of Colleen’s murder and is scheduled for execution on September 30, 2026. In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss the horrific murder of Colleen Slemmer and the scheduled execution of Christa Pike. Read our blog for this case - https://truecrimesociety.com/2026/09/20/scheduled-for-execution-christa-pike/ Join us on Patreon for weekly exclusive episodes and all episodes are ad-free - Patreon.com/truecrimesociety Check out our Instagram for the latest crime news - Instagram.com/truecrimesociety Follow our Facebook page for breaking news - Facebook.com/truecrimesociety This episode is sponsored by: