Malice in the Mitten

Jennifer Kukla | A Michigan Family Betrayal
In Michigan, a home is supposed to be a place of safety.For one family, it became something far darker.
In the first episode of this series, Malice in the Mitten examines the case of Jennifer Kukla — a story of domestic trust, quiet warning signs, and a crime that unfolded behind closed doors. Through careful research and restrained storytelling, we explore what happened, how it escalated, and the devastating impact left behind.
This episode focuses on facts, accountability, and remembering the victims — not glorifying violence, but understanding how it happens and why awareness matters.
Listener discretion advised.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with mental health, support is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or in Michigan call the Michigan Crisis and Access Line at 1-844-446-4225. These services are confidential, free, and available 24 hours a day. You don’t have to go through this alone.
#MaliceInTheMitten #MichiganTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #TrueCrimeCommunity
Researched & Written by:Tracy Preston with Silas
Produced by:Tracy Preston
Original Artwork:Todd Preston
Music & Sound Design:Original compositions created for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston
Sources for this episode include Michigan court records, reporting from MLive, Detroit Free Press, and the Associated Press, along with information from the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Educational context provided by national domestic violence and mental health organizations.
 

From towering steel to ancient waters, we’re diving into one of Michigan’s most iconic landmarks — the Mackinac Bridge — and the powerful freshwater system it spans.
In this episode of Round Robin, we explore the fascinating history of the bridge, uncover how the Great Lakes got their names, and answer a question many people have never stopped to ask:If Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are connected… why aren’t they the same lake?
It’s a conversation filled with surprising history, geography, and Michigan-flavored curiosity — the kind that makes you look at familiar places in a whole new way.
#RoundRobinPodcast #MichiganHistory #MackinacBridge#GreatLakes #PureMichigan #CuriousMinds
 

Yellow Mike is one of Michigan’s darkest folklore legends — a forgotten asylum patient, a sealed crate, and a being that learned how humans move, breathe, and fear. Some say he escaped. Some say he never existed. Others say he’s still watching. 
#FBombFriday #MichiganFolklore #DarkFolklore #MidwestLegends #AmericanFolklore 
Story researched and written by Todd Preston
Produced and hosted by Tracy Preston
Original artwork by Todd Preston
Original music by Tracy Preston
Sources:
https://libraries.udmercy.edu/archives/special-collections/cfa/index.php?field=loc_text&start=150&term=LOCATION+NOT+RECORDED https://www.michigan.org/property/yankee-springs-recreation-area https://www.visitgrandrapids.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/gun-lake/ https://www.hastingsmi.org/ 

In Part Two of Shadows of Macomb County, we examine the murder of Lisa Putman, a Michigan Child Protective Services worker killed while performing her duties. This episode follows the investigation into her disappearance, the arrest of Jacqueline and Josephine Verellen, and the legacy Lisa left behind — including why social worker safety matters.
This is a victim-centered, factual account of a case that changed how risk is understood for frontline social workers in Michigan.
#TrueCrime #Michigan #MalliceInTheMitten #MichiganTok #SocialWorkerSafety #CPS #SayHerName #LisaPutman
Produced and hosted by Tracy Preston
Original artwork by Todd Preston
Original music by Tracy Preston
Sources:
Twisted Sisters: Murder Is a Filthy Business — Investigation Discovery
Macomb County court records, 1998
Michigan Department of Corrections sentencing information
Contemporary news reporting on the murder of Lisa Putman
Michigan Legislature. House Bill 4099 Analysis: Lisa Putman Memorial Act (2001).
Detroit Free Press, May–July 1998.
Macomb Daily, trial coverage 1999.
National Association of Social Workers Memorial Registry (2002).

From the world’s strangest museums to sports that should never exist, this episode of Round Robin dives headfirst into human curiosity and chaos.
We explore some of the most unusual museums on Earth, wildly bizarre sporting events, forgotten and unhinged Olympic history, and real sports injuries that didn’t even happen during the game.
We wrap things up with Round Robin Recommendations, including a psychological thriller worth watching this week.
Smart, funny, strange, and surprisingly educational — this episode proves that history, sports, and people have always been a little weird.
#RoundRobinPodcast#PodcastRecommendations#WeirdHistory#StrangeButTrue#FunFacts#BizarreSports#OlympicHistory#UnusualMuseums
Produced and hosted by Tracy Preston
Original music by Tracy Preston
Original artwork by Todd Preston

A dark Michigan urban legend haunts the ruins of Detroit—an apparition known as the Black Nun. Said to roam abandoned convents and church hallways, her presence is marked by silence, cold air, and the feeling of being watched. In this episode of F-Bomb Friday, we explore the origins of the Black Nun of Detroit, the history behind the legend, and why religious folklore continues to cling to the city’s forgotten spaces.
This is not a story of monsters. It’s a story of belief, decay, and the things that refuse to stay buried.
#FBombFriday #BlackNunOfDetroit #DetroitUrbanLegend #MichiganFolklore #ReligiousHorror #UrbanLegends #HauntedDetroit #MidwestFolklore #TrueCrimeAdjacent #FolklorePodcast
Produced and hosted by Tracy Preston
Written by Todd Preston
Original artwork by Todd Preston
Original music by Tracy Preston

In July 1981, a young mother and two children were found murdered inside their Macomb County, Michigan home. Another child survived. More than two years later, the husband and father, Robert Deroo, was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder — only to be acquitted in 1984.
In this episode of Malice in the Mitten, we take a careful, deeply researched look at the Deroo case: who Deborah Deroo was beyond the headlines, what investigators believed happened inside the home, how the trial unfolded, and why the case remains unresolved decades later.
This episode includes a survivor respect disclaimer and avoids speculation about individuals who have chosen to live privately. Our focus remains on facts, accountability, and honoring the lives affected.
Listener discretion advised.  #MaliceInTheMitten #MichiganTrueCrime #MacombCounty #UnsolvedMichigan #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase #1980sCrime #DomesticViolenceAwareness #JusticeAndDoubt
Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston
Original Music by Tracy Preston
Original Artwork by Todd Preston
Sound Effects from Uppbeat: Judge Gavel Knocks by Joshua Chivers
Sources:
Primary News Coverage:
Detroit Free Press. “Macomb Township Man Charged in Slayings of Wife, Children.” Detroit Free Press, Jan. 6, 1984. Newspapers.com.
Detroit Free Press. “Deroo Acquitted in Deaths of Wife, Two Children.” Detroit Free Press, June 17, 1984. Newspapers.com.
Public Records & Archives:Macomb County Circuit Court Records. People v. Robert Deroo, Case Filings, 1984.
Macomb County Sheriff’s Office. Homicide Investigation Records, 1981.
Genealogical & Memorial Records:Find a Grave. “Deborah Deroo Memorial.” FindAGrave.com.
Find a Grave. “Nathaniel Deroo Memorial.” FindAGrave.com.
Find a Grave. “Jessica Deroo Memorial.” FindAGrave.com.
Contextual & Ethical Standards:Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ Code of Ethics. SPJ.org.

From laughing yourself to death to legends that refuse to fade, this episode of Round Robin explores some of history’s strangest endings. We dive into bizarre deaths and the mystery of the 27 Club.  Darkly fascinating, surprisingly human, and just the right amount of spooky, this episode looks at how myth and reality collide.
Hosted and produced by Tracy Preston
Original artwork by Todd Preston
Original music by Tracy Preston 

Dice Road, a quiet stretch of pavement in rural Michigan, has earned a reputation as one of the most haunted locations in the state. In this F-Bomb Friday trilogy, we explore the chilling legends, documented encounters, and terrifying stories tied to Dice Road — from shadow figures and phantom children to violent poltergeist activity and homes that refuse to stay silent. These aren’t just campfire stories. This is Michigan folklore that still breathes.
#DiceRoad #FBombFriday #MichiganHaunted #MichiganFolklore #HauntedMichigan #CreepyTok #HorrorTok #DarkHistory #MidwestHorror #FolkloreFriday
Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston
Story researched and written by Todd Preston
Original artwork by Todd Preston
Original music by Tracy Preston
Sources:
Dice Road – General History & Haunting Lore
Lost In Michigan – Dice Road: Michigan’s Most Haunted Road
https://lostinmichigan.net/dice-road/
Only In Your State – Dice Road, Michigan
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/michigan/dice-road-mi/
99.1 PLR / Local Michigan Lore – Dice Road Hauntings
https://99wfmk.com/dice-road-michigan/
 Pomeraning House / “Michigan Hell House”
Lost In Michigan – The Michigan Hell House (Pomeraning Home)
https://lostinmichigan.net/michigan-hell-house/
M Live – Dice Road’s Infamous Hell House
https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2014/10/dice_road_haunted_house.html
Haunted Places – Pomeraning House
https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/pomeraning-house/
Travel Channel – Most Terrifying Places: Dice Road
https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/articles/haunted-dice-road-michigan
 Dice Road Cemetery & Anna Rhodes (Millerton)
Lost In Michigan – Dice Road Cemetery & Anna Rhodes
https://lostinmichigan.net/dice-road-cemetery/
Find A Grave – Anna Rhodes Millerton
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11317983/anna-rhodes-millerton
Jackson County Historical Society – Millerton Area Records
https://www.jacksonhistorical.org/
Michigan Death Records – Anna Rhodes (1860s)
https://michiganology.org/
 Anna Rhodes – Ghost Lore & Sightings
Haunted America – The Ghost of Anna Rhodes
https://www.hauntedamerica.com/anna-rhodes-dice-road/
Paranormal Michigan – Dice Road Cemetery
https://www.paranormalmichigan.com/dice-road-cemetery
Shadowlands – Dice Road Cemetery
https://www.theshadowlands.net/places/michigan.htm
 Iva, Michigan – Ghost Town & General Store
Lost In Michigan – The Ghost Town of Iva
https://lostinmichigan.net/iva-michigan/
Michigan Ghost Towns – Iva (Jackson County)
http://www.michiganghosttowns.com/iva.html
Jackson County GIS / Historic Maps
https://www.mijackson.org/
Library of Michigan – Historic Michigan Townships
https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/
 Paranormal Investigations & Media Mentions
Detroit Paranormal Expeditions – Dice Road Case Files
https://www.detroitparanormalexpeditions.com/
Michigan Paranormal Research Society
http://www.miparanormal.org/
YouTube (Documented Investigations – Search Term)
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dice+road+michigan+haunted

In 1987, two brothers were convicted of murdering a Detroit drug dealer and sentenced to life without parole. For 25 years, Thomas and Raymond Highers maintained their innocence — until a single Facebook post triggered new witnesses and unraveled a decades-old conviction.
This episode of Malice in the Mitten examines how tunnel vision, eyewitness testimony, and procedural certainty led to a wrongful conviction — and why freedom, when it finally came, did not bring a clean ending. The murder of Robert “Old Man Bob” Karey remains unsolved.
#MaliceInTheMitten #TrueCrimePodcast #WrongfulConviction #Exoneration#CriminalJustice #Detroit #GreatLakesCrime
Hosted and Produced by Tracy Preston
Featuring Christine Mulligan
Original artwork by Todd Preston
Original music and sound design produced for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston
Resources:
Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) • Text START to 88788
Crisis support: Call/Text 988
Emergency: 911
Sources:
National Registry of Exonerations.“Raymond Highers.” Exoneration Registry, updated 6 June 2024,https://www.exonerationregistry.org/cases/11429.
National Registry of Exonerations.“Thomas Highers.” Exoneration Registry, updated 6 June 2024,https://www.exonerationregistry.org/cases/11430.
Associated Press.“Murder Charges Dismissed Against Highers Brothers.” CBS News Detroit,26 Sept. 2013, https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/murder-charges-dismissed-against-highers-brothers/.
Associated Press.“Brothers Freed After 25 Years in Prison Following Facebook Post.”New Haven Register, 14 Aug. 2012,https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/25-YEARS-IN-PRISON-Brothers-free-after-judge-11523824.php.
ABC News.“Detroit Brothers Exonerated in 1987 Drug Murder.” ABC News,26 Sept. 2013, https://abcnews.go.com/US/detroit-brothers-exonerated-1987-drug-murder/story?id=20384516.
Michigan Public.Stateside Staff. “Brothers Could Receive $1.25M Each for Wrongful Conviction:‘I’d Rather Have the 26 Years Back’.” Michigan Public, 24 Apr. 2017,https://www.michiganpublic.org/law/2017-04-24/brothers-could-receive-1-25m-each-for-wrongful-conviction-id-rather-have-the-26-years-back.
WJR-AM.“Sprung from Murder Rap, Back to Slam for Wife-Beating.” WJR,5 Mar. 2018, https://www.wjr.com/2018/03/05/sprung-from-murder-rap-back-to-slam-for-wife-beating/.