Advertise on podcast: Heinous – An Asian True Crime Podcast

In October 2006, a 28-year-old Mongolian woman vanished without a trace in Malaysia. It took weeks and persistent questioning before investigators would make a horrifying discovery in a secluded forest; fragments of her remains, scattered after her body had apparently been blown apart with explosives. Her name was Altantuya Shaariibuu, and her murder would unravel a scandal that reached the highest levels of Malaysian politics. As investigators dug deeper, two elite police commandos were implicated in her killing, while connections to powerful political figures raised troubling questions about who might have wanted her dead. But nearly two decades later, despite convictions and years of courtroom battles, one question continues to haunt the case: Who really wanted Altantuya silenced, and why?   Part 1: We trace the shocking events as it happened, following Altantuya as she landed in Malaysia, and how she came to meet her tragic demise.   Part 2: We follow the fallout from the court hearings and the controversy that soon followed, detailing the lengthy court battle that still failed to answer the most important question: why?   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a quiet morning in the Wisconsin woods in November 2004.  A group of hunters head out for what should have been an ordinary day during deer season. But before noon, a confrontation over a hunting stand would leave six people dead and two others critically wounded.   At the centre of it all was Chai Soua Vang, an Hmong immigrant and experienced hunter who claimed that what happened in those woods was a matter of survival. And yet, those who did survive told a very different story.   What began as an argument between strangers soon became one of Wisconsin’s most notorious hunting tragedies, and a case that raised difficult questions about race, fear, prejudice, and what really happened in the moments before the first shot was fired.       Part 1: We follow the events on that fateful day, uncovering the tragedy that took place, and the controversy it would soon bring forth upon the Hmong community.       Part 2: We follow the fallout as Vang goes to trial for the murders, bringing forth insight from others within the Hmong community, as well as repercussions that they would face later on.       Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia.   -   Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out:   📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a quiet morning in the Wisconsin woods in November 2004.  A group of hunters head out for what should have been an ordinary day during deer season. But before noon, a confrontation over a hunting stand would leave six people dead and two others critically wounded. At the centre of it all was Chai Soua Vang, an Hmong immigrant and experienced hunter who claimed that what happened in those woods was a matter of survival. And yet, those who did survive told a very different story. What began as an argument between strangers soon became one of Wisconsin’s most notorious hunting tragedies, and a case that raised difficult questions about race, fear, prejudice, and what really happened in the moments before the first shot was fired.   Part 1: We follow the events on that fateful day, uncovering the tragedy that took place, and the controversy it would soon bring forth upon the Hmong community.   Part 2: We follow the fallout as Vang goes to trial for the murders, bringing forth insight from others within the Hmong community, as well as repercussions that they would face later on.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 13, 2017, a rumor moved faster than the truth ever could. Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old journalism student at a university in northern Pakistan, had spent months asking the questions no one wanted answered; about tuition hikes, about a vice-chancellor who was rarely seen on campus, about where the money was going. He wrote about it. He talked about it. And on a campus already uneasy with his outspoken, secular worldview, that was enough to make him a target.   Within hours, a rumor of blasphemy, later proven entirely baseless by a government investigation, turned into a mob of his own classmates and university staff. What happened next was a tragedy recorded on dozens of phones and watched by the entire country.   Part 1: We look into the murder of Mashal Khan and the immediate aftermath on campus, as well as his family's effort to bring justice, and to protect themselves from further harm.   Part 2: We follow the controversy following the initial sentencing, and uncover the systems and corruptions that allowed a group of students and university staff to lynch a student based on the country's blasphemy laws.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 13, 2017, a rumor moved faster than the truth ever could. Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old journalism student at a university in northern Pakistan, had spent months asking the questions no one wanted answered; about tuition hikes, about a vice-chancellor who was rarely seen on campus, about where the money was going. He wrote about it. He talked about it. And on a campus already uneasy with his outspoken, secular worldview, that was enough to make him a target.   Within hours, a rumor of blasphemy, later proven entirely baseless by a government investigation, turned into a mob of his own classmates and university staff. What happened next was a tragedy recorded on dozens of phones and watched by the entire country.   Part 1: We look into the murder of Mashal Khan and the immediate aftermath on campus, as well as his family's effort to bring justice, and to protect themselves from further harm.   Part 2: We follow the controversy following the initial sentencing, and uncover the systems and corruptions that allowed a group of students and university staff to lynch a student based on the country's blasphemy laws.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's just after 7am at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a dormitory residence at the campus of Virginia Tech in the United States. A resident advisor hears strange noises in the room next to his and goes to investigate. Shortly after, police arrive on the scene, and two students are found dead in the same room that the RA went to. They proceed with their investigation and close off the dorms. They thought it was a domestic incident. They thought it was isolated. They thought it was contained.   They couldn't have been more wrong.   Over the next two hours, classes begin as scheduled. An email goes out to faculty mentioning the two students found earlier that morning, advising caution. There wasn't a lockdown. There wasn't a campus-wide alert.    And by the time those two hours were over, it would be too late for thirty more people.    Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In September of 2014, the bodies of two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, were discovered on the shores of Sairee Beach in Koh Tao, Thailand. At that point, Koh Tao was mostly known to the outside world as a destination island for divers, with plenty of dive schools and bars lining the beachfront. This incident however, threatened to tarnish the island's reputation, and so officials were scrambling to ensure the safety of the tourists on the island, as well as to catch the culprit responsible for the heinous crime.   But this is where the investigation turns tricky. There was no CCTV footage near the crime scene; and most of Koh Tao's residents were illegal immigrants with no proper documentation. And yet, in a few weeks following the discovery of the murders, the police were proud to announce that the culprits had been caught, and that they had confessed.    The only issue though, was that no one in the country believed them.   Part 1: We look into the island's socio-political background, so as to better understand the complicated nature of investigations inherent in this case.   Part 2: We follow the fallout and controversy following the alleged killers' withdrawal of their initial confessions; and the legal system that fought to keep them guilty.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In September of 2014, the bodies of two young British tourists, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, were discovered on the shores of Sairee Beach in Koh Tao, Thailand. At that point, Koh Tao was mostly known to the outside world as a destination island for divers, with plenty of dive schools and bars lining the beachfront. This incident however, threatened to tarnish the island's reputation, and so officials were scrambling to ensure the safety of the tourists on the island, as well as to catch the culprit responsible for the heinous crime.   But this is where the investigation turns tricky. There was no CCTV footage near the crime scene; and most of Koh Tao's residents were illegal immigrants with no proper documentation. And yet, in a few weeks following the discovery of the murders, the police were proud to announce that the culprits had been caught, and that they had confessed.    The only issue though, was that no one in the country believed them.   Part 1: We look into the island's socio-political background, so as to better understand the complicated nature of investigations inherent in this case.   Part 2: We follow the fallout and controversy following the alleged killers' withdrawal of their initial confessions; and the legal system that fought to keep them guilty.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Don’t worry, we will send your sons back soon. We are taking them for a meeting.” On the afternoon of September 1, 2017, ten hungry Rohingya men and boys walked out of the smoke-filled hills onto a beach in the fishing village of Inn Din, Myanmar. They hadn't eaten in five days, and the sea was the only place left to look. But instead of food, they found soldiers. What followed was a chillingly orchestrated deception. The captive men were photographed kneeling, given clean clothes, and fed a final meal of beef to ease the worries of the families waiting outside.  But in reality, there was no meeting at all. By the next morning, they were led to scrubland at the north end of the village where a single, freshly dug mass grave was already waiting, and they were never seen alive again.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1999, Jessica Lall was shot twice at a crowded party in Delhi, in front of dozens of witnesses, at point-blank range, over the simple fact that the bar was closed and she wouldn't serve him anymore drinks.   On its surface, this should have been one of the most straightforward murder cases in Indian legal history. But what transpired would bewilder and enrage an entire nation; because the man accused of pulling the trigger somehow managed to leave the court a free man.   What should have been straightforward justice was instead dragged out over the course of seven long years, all unravelling in a tangled mess involving nearly 300 witnesses, conflicting testimonies, and missing evidence. And how a city that watched the murder happen refused to let the acquittal be the end of the story.   This is the case of Jessica Lall — and the verdict that wouldn't stick.   Part 1: We explore into the events of the fateful night where Jessica Lall was shot, and the initial confusion that led to her shooter's acquittal.   Part 2: We follow the public outcry from the court's decision, which culminated in public campaigns and rallies, and the resulting outcome of this miscarriage of justice.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1999, Jessica Lall was shot twice at a crowded party in Delhi, in front of dozens of witnesses, at point-blank range, over the simple fact that the bar was closed and she wouldn't serve him anymore drinks.   On its surface, this should have been one of the most straightforward murder cases in Indian legal history. But what transpired would bewilder and enrage an entire nation; because the man accused of pulling the trigger somehow managed to leave the court a free man.   What should have been straightforward justice was instead dragged out over the course of seven long years, all unravelling in a tangled mess involving nearly 300 witnesses, conflicting testimonies, and missing evidence. And how a city that watched the murder happen refused to let the acquittal be the end of the story.   This is the case of Jessica Lall — and the verdict that wouldn't stick.   Part 1: We explore into the events of the fateful night where Jessica Lall was shot, and the initial confusion that led to her shooter's acquittal.   Part 2: We follow the public outcry from the court's decision, which culminated in public campaigns and rallies, and the resulting outcome of this miscarriage of justice.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The officer who arrested him warned everyone that there would be more victims, but no one bothered to listen. In 2005, Somkid Pumpuang was taken in as the main suspect behind 5 murders. But when faced with the charges, he did not resist, and even outright confessed to the crimes, which led him to receive a life sentence instead of death.   However, what happened inside prison would be even more remarkable. Somkid became a model prisoner, so much so that his conduct earned him promotions up the prisoner classes, which resulted in his sentence being shrank 4 times. At the end, he had reduced his sentence so much that he was even able to leave a free man after 14 years. A 14 year sentence for a man who was charged with murdering 5 women.    But just as a leopard never changes its spots, a brutal criminal doesn't magically become a saint, not even after spending 14 years in jail. And it would only take 7 months for his original arresting officer to be proven right.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October 2016, a South Korean businessman named Jee Ick-Joo was forcefully taken from his home in Angeles City, only for him to never be seen again. From the outside, this seemed like a brutal case of kidnapping, or maybe even a targeted attack from business rivals.    But what made this murder more chilling wasn't how Jee was abducted or killed, but the fact that it took place within Camp Crame; the National Police Headquarters of the Philippines. Because this was the bloody era of President Duterte's anti-drug campaign, and once they have you on their list, you may never come home again.   Part 1: We explore circumstances surrounding the Philippines in the Duterte era, and why anti-drug officers specifically targeted Jee Ick-Joo.   Part 2: We follow the public fallout once the case was made public, and navigate the tricky legal battle to bring justice to an innocent man who was abducted and murdered by the police.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October 2016, a South Korean businessman named Jee Ick-Joo was forcefully taken from his home in Angeles City, only for him to never be seen again. From the outside, this seemed like a brutal case of kidnapping, or maybe even a targeted attack from business rivals.    But what made this murder more chilling wasn't how Jee was abducted or killed, but the fact that it took place within Camp Crame; the National Police Headquarters of the Philippines. Because this was the bloody era of President Duterte's anti-drug campaign, and once they have you on their list, you may never come home again.   Part 1: We explore circumstances surrounding the Philippines in the Duterte era, and why anti-drug officers specifically targeted Jee Ick-Joo.   Part 2: We follow the public fallout once the case was made public, and navigate the tricky legal battle to bring justice to an innocent man who was abducted and murdered by the police.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beneath the noise of Jakarta's terminals and back alleys, a street vendor named Baekuni built a reputation for kindness; offering food, shelter, and quiet protection to the city's most invisible children. And for nearly seventeen years, that reputation served as the perfect disguise... until his true horrors were brought to the surface. The country was shocked when the mutilated remains of a young boy was discovered in 2010, leading investigators to uncover a disturbing pattern of exploitation and violence that had gone on for far too long.    Part 1: We explore the conditions that allowed Baekuni "Babe" to develop into the monster that he would eventually become, and how he managed to remain undetected through nearly 2 decades.   Part 2: We follow investigators as they pick up on the discovery of the young boy's mutilated body parts, and witness Indonesia reckon with the fact that they allowed such a monster to roam their streets for so long.   Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out: 📝💕 "Post, Love", Essays on Love, Life and Everything in Between. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.