In Chicago, homicide was only part of the story. Behind the courtroom doors, justice had a price—and sometimes, the people sworn to uphold the law were just as dangerous as the criminals they prosecuted.

This week on Death by Misadventure, Jacy Nova sits down with Gregg Owen, a former touring rock musician turned Chicago homicide prosecutor whose extraordinary career took him from the concert stage to the darkest corners of the criminal justice system.

In the late 1960s, Gregg played keyboards with The American Breed, known for their million-selling hit "Bend Me, Shape Me," and shared stages with legendary bands like The Doors. But an unexpected opportunity during law school changed everything, setting him on a path that would lead to some of Chicago's most notorious criminal cases.

With 62 convictions in 64 jury trials, Gregg became Illinois' first Chief of Gang Prosecutions, taking on violent street gangs, organized crime, and a justice system riddled with corruption. His career placed him in the middle of a courthouse culture that would eventually be exposed through the FBI's infamous Operation Greylord investigation.

His new true crime book, Convergence, takes us inside the chilling Apartment 131 murders. In March 1976, Gio Messina and Delphine "Tinker" Moore were found brutally stabbed to death inside a Chicago apartment. Although investigators quickly identified a suspect, the case would take four years to reach trial, with missing evidence, reluctant witnesses, and powerful interests threatening to derail justice.

In this revealing interview, Gregg takes us behind the scenes of the investigation and into the courtroom, sharing how he and his fellow prosecutor built their case, overcame extraordinary obstacles, and ultimately secured a conviction in a trial that nearly never happened.

From rock and roll to Chicago's criminal underworld, discover what it really takes to bring a killer to justice when the system itself stands in the way.

On August 25, 2001, the music world lost one of its brightest young stars. Just hours after wrapping her iconic "Rock the Boat" music video in the Bahamas, Aaliyah boarded a private plane bound for Miami. Minutes after takeoff, the aircraft crashed, claiming the life of the beloved Princess of R&B and eight others on board. What should have been a short flight home became one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in modern music history.

In this episode of Death by Misadventure, we revisit Aaliyah's journey from a talented young singer in Detroit to one of the defining voices of R&B. We'll explore the highs and lows of her career, the challenges she faced behind the scenes, her groundbreaking music, her rise in Hollywood, and the love story she shared with Damon Dash.

We'll also step beyond the headlines to examine the more mysterious side of Aaliyah's story—her fascination with ancient Egypt, the recurring dreams she spoke about in her final interviews, and the strange coincidences that continue to surround her legacy more than two decades later.

Join us on a supernatural journey as we explore the music, life, and tragic death of Aaliyah. Together, we'll uncover the dreams, omens, and unanswered questions surrounding the Princess of R&B—and ask whether the final notes of her story were written long before that plane ever left the runway.

This is a Death by Misadventure rewind episode originally recorded in 2018.

On a warm spring night in Memphis, rock star Jeff Buckley was waiting for his band to arrive for rehearsal when he wandered into the Mississippi River fully clothed, singing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." Moments later, he vanished beneath the dark water. Six days later, his lifeless body was found downstream. Jeff Buckley was only 30 years old when he disappeared into Wolf River Harbor on May 29, 1997, leaving behind one of rock music's most haunting stories.

In this episode of Death by Misadventure, we explore the life and mysterious death of the gifted singer-songwriter whose voice seemed to exist somewhere between heartbreak and heaven. From growing up in the shadow of his father, legendary musician Tim Buckley, to the release of his landmark album Grace, Jeff spent his life chasing beauty, love, and something just beyond reach.

His music was romantic, vulnerable, and deeply soulful. Yet there was always something haunting about his story—a father he barely knew, a family marked by loss, and a series of strange coincidences that continue to fascinate fans decades later.

Join us on a supernatural journey as we explore the mystery surrounding one of rock music's most unforgettable voices and uncover the story behind Jeff Buckley's Last Goodbye.

In 1982, seven people died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in what became one of the most terrifying unsolved crimes in American history.

The poisonings shattered the nation’s sense of safety, triggered a massive nationwide recall, and changed the way everyday products are packaged forever. But more than four decades later, the mystery still lingers in the shadows.

In this haunting episode of Death by Misadventure, Jacy Nova sits down with author Joseph Ciabelli to explore the chilling story behind his book, The Tylenol Murders: A Father’s Confession to His Son.

What begins as a true crime investigation becomes something far darker and more intimate: a son’s journey through childhood trauma, violence behind closed doors, and the horrifying moment his dying father whispered the words, “Cyanide pills. I did it.”

Together, they retrace the timeline of the 1982 Chicago poisonings, the eerie clues hidden inside decades of family silence, and the disturbing evidence Joseph uncovered after his father’s death — including what he believes was a trophy from the crime itself.

Was one of America’s most infamous cold cases hiding inside a family secret all along?

This is a story about murder, memory, psychopathy, survival, and the terrifying burden of inherited truth.

🎧 Listen now and step back into one of the darkest unsolved mysteries in American history.

Interview with authors Burl Barer and Frank C. Girardot about their book Where the Murder Lies. The 2004 murder of a retired Los Angeles schoolteacher never made the evening news. Within hours, arrests were made, charges were filed, and a speedy conviction sent Jimmy Kitlas, an incredibly shy special-needs teenager with no criminal history, to prison.

Twenty years later, a woman named Kelley Leigh asked Barer and Girardot to investigate. She believed the case’s rapid resolution concealed a deeper and more troubling narrative—one marked by deception, manipulation, dishonesty, and a profound disregard for truth and justice.

Of the last three people to see the victim alive, only one had both the motive and the opportunity to strangle him to death—and it wasn’t Jimmy Kitlas. What begins with a body on a bed leads to a bizarre scheme to steal a fortune in gold, a plot to smuggle MDMA, and an astonishing connection involving the American Mafia and the Russian Mob in an alleged attempt to defraud the U.S. government out of billions of dollars.

On the night of August 31, 1997, Princess Diana left the Ritz Hotel in Paris with Dodi Fayed, slipping into the back seat of a black Mercedes to escape the relentless glare of the paparazzi. Minutes later, inside a tunnel along the Seine River, the car crashed into a concrete pillar at high speed. Dodi and the driver were killed instantly. Diana was pulled from the wreckage alive—but would be pronounced dead hours later at a Paris hospital.

Only one man survived the crash: her bodyguard. What followed was global shock, overwhelming grief, and a flood of unanswered questions. Was it a tragic accident caused by reckless pursuit? Or something darker and more sinister — an orchestrated collision, a silenced voice, a conspiracy hidden in plain sight?

Witnesses. Delayed medical response. A mysterious white Fiat. Handwritten letters predicting her death. Intelligence agencies. Royal secrets.

Once known as the People’s Princess, Diana’s life behind palace walls was anything but a fairy tale. Caught in a doomed marriage to Prince Charles, she found strength through her charity work — and through the deep, unbreakable bond with her sons, William and Harry.

Join us on a supernatural journey as we retrace Princess Diana’s final night, examine the most chilling theories surrounding her death, and explore why — nearly three decades later — the world still questions what really happened to Princess Diana on that fatal night in Paris.

Listen to more episodes at https://www.deathbymisadventure.net/

On the fateful afternoon of April 25, 2002, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the 30-year-old charismatic hip-hop star of TLC, was driving down a remote road near La Ceiba, Honduras, in a rented Mitsubishi SUV. She was there with several others to film a documentary.

She had spent weeks deep in the jungle on a spiritual retreat—fasting, filming, and reflecting. But on that final day, something went terribly wrong. The SUV she was driving lost control. It flipped several times. Lisa was killed instantly. The seven other passengers were injured.

In the days leading up to the crash, Lisa spoke openly about feeling followed by a mysterious presence. She believed a spirit had chosen her—and she had a chilling premonition that her death was near. Days earlier, she had filmed the funeral of a young boy named “Lopes” who had been hit by a car. Lisa believed the spirit meant for him had mistaken her. She said it was only a matter of time.

Then came the strange documentary footage—Lisa walking alone in the jungle, speaking about death, astrology, and reincarnation. Her diary entries were filled with ominous signs, symbolic messages, and talk of fate. On her final tape, filmed just hours before the crash, the camera captured her last words.

Join us on a supernatural journey as we trace Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’s rise to hip-hop fame, her tumultuous love life, and the psychic warnings that marked her final days in Honduras.

This is Death by Misadventure.

On the evening of October 31, 2001, Cindy Song, a 21-year-old Penn State student, dressed up in a Playboy bunny costume and headed out with friends to celebrate Halloween.

After a night of partying, dancing, and a stop at a 24-hour diner, Cindy was dropped off at her apartment on West Clinton Avenue around 4 a.m. It was the last time anyone would see her alive.

When police entered her apartment two days later, the door was locked. Her backpack was by the door. Her cell phone and false eyelashes were left behind on the bathroom counter. It looked like she had made it home and started her nightly routine—then vanished without a trace.

Then came the rumors a late-night trip to a store that turned sinister, a young woman forced into a car in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, possible ties to a trafficking ring—and even a chilling link to a man accused of multiple murders.

But the leads led to nowhere. And Cindy’s disappearance remains one of the most baffling cold cases in Pennsylvania history.

Join us on a supernatural journey as we retrace Cindy Song's final hours, examine the chilling possibilities, and investigate what really happened to her on that fateful Halloween night.

This is Death by Misadventure.