The podcast episode discusses several true crime stories related to online dating.
1. The first story is about a 26-year-old woman from New Zealand, Warriena Wright, who met a man on Tinder in Australia. They went on a date, but the night ended in her falling 14 stories to her death from his balcony.
2. The second story is about a man named Graham Dwyer who used online dating to find a woman to be his sex slave. He met a woman named Elaine O'Hara, who had a history of mental issues and was vulnerable to his manipulation. Their relationship turned violent, and she was eventually stabbed to death by Dwyer.
3. The third story is about a woman named Natalie Rowe who catfished multiple men online, creating fake personas and manipulating them into thinking they were in a relationship. One of the men she catfished, Peter Russell, became so depressed after being rejected by her fake persona that he took his own life.
4. The final story is about a man named Mark Twitchell who was inspired by the TV show Dexter to become a serial killer. He created a fake female persona online to lure men into his garage, where he would kill them. One of his victims, Johnny Altinger, was never found, but Twitchell was caught after writing a document detailing his crimes.
Throughout the episode, the host emphasizes the importance of being cautious when online dating and doing thorough research on potential partners to avoid dangerous situations.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Online dating is a multi-billion dollar industry.
2. Over 50 million people have tried online dating.
3. A 26-year-old woman named Warriena Wright met a man named Gable Tostee on Tinder in 2014.
4. Warriena Wright was a tourist from New Zealand in Australia.
5. Warriena Wright and Gable Tostee met up on August 8th, 2014, and went to a bar, then a liquor store, and back to Gable Tostee's apartment.
6. Warriena Wright fell to her death from Gable Tostee's 14th-story balcony.
7. Gable Tostee recorded their night together and had a 3-hour recording of the events leading up to Warriena Wright's death.
8. Gable Tostee was cleared of murder and claimed it was self-defense.
9. A man named Graham Dwyer was a successful architect and a father of three who had an obsession with sexual fantasies mixed with violence.
10. Graham Dwyer met a woman named Elaine O'Hara online and they started a relationship.
11. Elaine O'Hara was a childcare worker with a history of mental issues and self-harm.
12. Graham Dwyer's relationship with Elaine O'Hara became violent and controlling.
13. Elaine O'Hara was found dead in a park in August 2012 with multiple stab wounds.
14. Graham Dwyer was sentenced to life in prison for Elaine O'Hara's murder.
15. A woman named Natalie Rowe was a catfish who created fake online personas to manipulate and control vulnerable men.
16. Natalie Rowe's fake personas would sometimes "die" and she would call the men as a "friend" to tell them about the death.
17. One of Natalie Rowe's victims, Peter Russell, killed himself after being catfished by her.
18. Natalie Rowe was sentenced to two years in jail for her catfishing activities.
19. A man named Mark Twitchell was a filmmaker who made a short film about a serial killer.
20. Mark Twitchell created a fake female character online and met a man named Johnny Altinger, who he lured to his garage and killed.
21. Mark Twitchell was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for Johnny Altinger's murder.
22. Mark Twitchell wrote a document called "Serial Killer Confessions" detailing his crimes.
23. Mark Twitchell confessed to the police about his crimes and was convicted based on his own testimony.