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December 14, 2014. Sydney, Australia. In Martin Place, a Lindt Cafe's employees and patrons were held hostage by an armed man. As the manager of the cafe tried to keep things calm, the armed man became more paranoid. The cafe was surrounded by police and a psychiatrist was brought in to aid authorities in managing the situation. What happened from there on out would almost defy belief. Join us as we discuss one of the most frustrating cases that we have ever covered. /// This is our 400th episode and our 8th year working on this podcast. We are very grateful for the support you all have shown us. Seriously, thank you. - Justin & Aaron ///

December 31, 1993. Richardson County, Nebraska. In the fall of 1993, Brandon Teena, a transgender man from Lincoln, moved to Falls City, Nebraska to avoid legal trouble and make a fresh start. While there, he befriended a small group of friends and dated multiple women. On Christmas Eve 1993, John Lotter and Thomas Nissen, two of those friends, confronted Brandon about his gender identity. Bigotry and hate defined what followed. Join us as we discuss a triple murder that could have been prevented and the life of the young man who was targeted. This case was the basis of the 1999 movie Boys Don’t Cry and a centerpiece of trans rights in the 1990s, 2000's and beyond.

June 02, 2007. San Francisco, California. A French-American citizen enjoyed a night out with friends before heading back to his apartment before 2am. When he was discovered deceased the next day in his locked apartment an investigation was launched to discover what had happened and why. It wasn't long before the lead detective seemed to satisfy these questions in his own mind, but friends and family of Hugues had a different theory of his death. Join us as we discuss a locked room death case that remains open to this day.

San Jose, California. October 7, 2019. We were going to take this week off, but Justin wanted to record an episode on a death that he became very interested in. How did Tinker Ventures' CEO Erin Valenti die? Erin went missing while visiting California in October of 2019 and her body was found in her rental car five days later. Join us as we discuss how a young and healthy tech CEO might have met her end and why.

If someone you love is diagnosed with cancer you want them to get the best treatment from the best doctors. In 2013, patients in Michigan thought Farid Fata was that doctor. Between his prestigious education, years of experience and pleasant bedside manner, Fata was everything you could want in a doctor. But he was not who he appeared to be. From Wondery, this is the story of hundreds of patients in Michigan, a doctor, and a poisonous secret.Laura Beil, returns with a second season of the award-winning series “Dr Death.”Click to listen to Dr. Death Season 2: wondery.fm/DrDeathS2_GenWhy

October 3, 2016. Flintstone, Georgia. A 27 year old man named DJ Fickey and his high school sweetheart and wife, Brandy, wrestled with drug addiction and a volatile relationship. A series of alarming text messages preceded a 911 call that was reporting the suicide of DJ. The caller was a mutual acquaintance of DJ and Brandy who may have had a motive to kill. Join us as we discuss a tragic case that doesn't need to remain a mystery.

June 19, 1995. Virginia Beach, Virginia. 21 year old Jennifer Evans went to The Bayou, a nightclub, with two friends. Sometime after midnight, she met Dustin Turner, a Navy SEAL trainee. He was at the club with his buddy and fellow SEAL trainee, Billy Brown. Dusty and Jennifer seemed to hit it off and went to his car to talk. The next day, Jennifer was reported missing by her friends. Detectives worked a tip that said Jennifer was last seen with Dustin Turner and questioned him. Did Turner hold the key to the entire case? Join us as we discuss a case that is very divisive and that is being challenged to this very day.Sponsor: Third Love knows there's a perfect bra for everyone and they are offering our listeners 10% off their first order. Go to ThirdLove.com/GENWHY now to find your perfect fitting bra and to get 10% off your first order now.

May 19, 1999. Akron, OH. After 18 year old Hannah Hill was found dead in the trunk of her own car, detectives questioned her abusive boyfriend to see if he was involved in her murder. But as information was gathered, a second suspect was identified. Could Hannah's case get solved? Join us as we discuss a case that was debated for years before a more definitive case could be brought against one of the men. ///Sponsor: Have old movies on vcr tapes or film reels? Old photographs with no easy way to share them? LegacyBox can digitally transfer them to a thumb drive or a cloud drive so that you can easily access and share these memories. Go to LegacyBox.com/GENWHY to get 40% off your first order. (While supplies last)

August 14th, 2010. Surrey, United Kingdom. In 2010, Sally Challen had been married to her husband Richard for 31 years. After cooking him a meal of bacon and eggs, she took a hammer and beat him to death. But why did she do it? It would take time and treatment to get to the bottom of a most unexpected murder.**Sponsor:Third Love knows there's a perfect bra for everyone. Get 10% off your first order by visiting ThirdLove.com/GENWHY now to find your perfect-fitting bra and get 10% off your first purchase! **

January 10th, 2013. Valdosta, Georgia. Lowndes High School student Kendrick Johnson went missing while at school soon after Christmas break. Later that night, Kendrick's mother called authorities. The next day, however, some students made a discovery that would shock everyone. "KJ" was discovered in a rolled up mat that was one of many stored in the corner of a gymnasium at the school. It didn't take long for detectives to announce that Johnson's death was an accident. But as the family and others looked into the situation, suspicions grew that the student may have been murdered.Listen ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy

November 3, 1998. Jacksonville, Florida. An 8 year old girl disappeared while playing outside of her home. Despite a massive effort by many volunteers, her whereabouts wouldn't be known for six days. A terrible discovery by a woman in her 14 year old son's room led police to a terrible truth: a teenager had killed the child and kept her body in his room. But why did he do it? Join us as we discuss the murder of Maddie Clifton and the trial of Joshua Phillips.Amazon special offer: Get 20% off your Amazon Smart Lighting Bundle. That's an Echo Dot smart speaker and a Sengled color-changing light bulb! Go to: Amazon.com/genwhy

February 26, 2014. Meridian, Mississippi. The death of 21-year-old Christian Andreacchio has been described as bizarre at best and suspicious at worst. On February 26, 2014, Christian was found slumped in a bathtub in his apartment with a gunshot wound in his right temple. The police quickly ruled his death a suicide. However, Christian’s parents, Rae and Todd, immediately knew that their son did not take his own life. Over the next five years, they would hire private investigators, attorneys, forensic pathologists, forensic labs, and more. They all agreed that the evidence surrounding Christian’s death pointed to homicide. So what were the true circumstances surrounding Christian’s death? Did he die by suicide or homicide?

June 7th, 1998, Barberton, Summit County, Ohio. A woman and her granddaughter are brutally attacked by an intruder early one morning. The granddaughter, Brooke, survived the attack and provided a description of the man who killed her grandmother. She said he looked like her Uncle Clarence. But over time there were doubts about the case against Brooke's uncle, Clarence Elkins. Was there any proof, though, that he didn't kill his mother-in-law who he had threatened just a week before?

October 22, 2018. Salt Lake City, UT. University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey began seeking help from authorities after she discovered that her controlling boyfriend had been lying about his identity and had a criminal past. It's the events that happened after she sought help that will have you questioning everything. Join us as we discuss one of the most infuriating cases you'll ever hear about.

November 22, 1990. Fairfield, Maine. A rented farmhouse was occupied by Hubert Hartley, his girlfriend, Tammy Theriault, and Hubert's good friend, Morris Martin. Tammy was pregnant and brought along a 20 month old child from a previous relationship. The farmhouse was in a great location for hunting which both men enjoyed. Just one week after renting the place, two other men had moved in with them. And by Thanksgiving Day, two of the men from the house would disappear. Join us as we discuss a strange case with a few surprising turns.

July 2017. Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Over the course of three days in early July 2017, four young men, Jimi Patrick, Dean Finocchiaro, Mark Sturgis, and Tom Meo, went missing in the Philadelphia suburb of Bucks County. The investigation quickly led to a 90-acre farm owned by the DiNardo family. The son, Cosmo, seemed to be connected to the missing men and detectives and the county district attorney knew they would have to play their cards right to close this case and achieve justice for four families.

May 17, 2001. Phoenix, Arizona. 17 year old Alissa Turney was spending her last day as a Junior at Paradise High before summer break. Her sister, Sarah, expected their father, Michael, to pick her up from school but he didn't show. She went on to a friend's house where, later, her dad finally arrived. But he was concerned. Alissa was missing. Phone calls and visits to neighboring homes on their street revealed nothing but in Alissa's room they found her phone and a note. Join us as we discuss the disturbing case of Alissa Turney and the incredible push for justice led by her sister Sarah (Voices For Justice).

February 5, 2007. Orlando, Florida. Lisa Nowak, a NASA astronaut, drove nearly 1000 miles from Houston, Texas to Orlando, Florida so that she could confront another woman. The other woman was Colleen Shipman, A U.S. Navy Captain, who was dating astronaut Bill Oefelein and who Lisa still had strong feelings for. Colleen was attacked in her car and was lucky to get away. Lisa Nowak's intentions and what happened at the Orlando International Airport brought up many questions about NASA's astronaut program and how the agency evaluates candidates. Join us as we discuss a true story that many have joked about but is no laughing matter.

Justin & I give our thoughts on the Rey Rivera case that is covered on the first episode of the new Unsolved Mysteries show on Netflix. It concerns a missing man later found deceased and his wife's mission to uncover the truth of what happened. The latter half of this episode is an interview that Justin did with Terry Dunn Meurer, one of the executive producers of Unsolved Mysteries. They discuss the new season, some of the cases it covers, give some background information on how they launched the new series and more. I haven't watched beyond episode one myself yet, but be aware that they discuss the series and so if you want to watch it first, we encourage you to do so. If you don't have Netflix then just listen to this episode. Justin & I are longtime fans of Unsolved Mysteries and we were excited to discuss a case that currently has many people talking.

June 7, 1998. Jasper, Texas. James Byrd Jr, 49, had spent the day at different parties with family and friends and was walking home when he was picked up by white supremacists who had offered him a ride. James couldn't drive due to a condition that prevented him from having a driver's license. What these three did to him after picking him up was beyond shocking. In other words, this is one of the most brutal crimes you'll ever hear about. But at the core of this case are questions about justice and about the fairness of our justice system. How far have we come as a nation when it comes to dealing with crimes motivated by hate?