MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Bethany Deaton
When a 27-year-old woman is found deceased in the third row of a minivan in 2012 out at a park in Kansas City, Missouri, it’s not clear what transpired. But what investigators uncover is more convoluted than any of them could’ve imagined.
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Episode Source Material
- Statement of Probable Cause. November 9, 2012. Accessed May 8, 2024 via https://mediaassets.kshb.com/pdf/DeatonPC.pdf
- 48 Hours: Fall from Grace (Season 27, Episode 55). Aired August 1, 2015. Accessed March 20, 2024 via Paramount+. https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/video/LFon09abzm0wVpX7SxG4kUvFOVaMWL_B/
- Austin American-Statesman (Austin, TX): Murder suspect’s friends shocked, by Claire Osborn. Published November 20, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/435056140
- Curtis, J. M., & Curtis, M. J. (1993). Factors Related to Susceptibility and Recruitment by Cults. Psychological Reports, 73(2), 451-460. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1993.73.2.451
- FOX 4 KC (Kansas City, MO): Allegations: Religious ‘Sexual Community’ Leads to Woman’s Murder, by Michelle Pekarsky. Published November 10, 2012. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://fox4kc.com/news/allegations-religious-sexual-community-leads-to-womans-murder/
- FOX 4 KC (Kansas City, MO): Citing unreliable evidence, Jackson Co. prosecutor dismisses charge in twisted murder case, by Michelle Pekarsky. Published October 31, 2014. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://fox4kc.com/news/citing-unreliable-evidence-prosecutor-dismisses-charges-in-twisted-murder-case/
- FOX 4 KC (Kansas City, MO): Defense Attorneys: Accused Murderer Made Up Entire Bizarre Story, by Michelle Pekarsky and Katie Ferrell. Published November 28, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://fox4kc.com/news/defense-attorneys-accused-murderer-made-up-entire-bizarre-story/
- FOX 4 KC (Kansas City, MO): Many Questions Remain in Murder of Grandview Woman, by Katie Ferrell and Jason M. Vaughn. Published November 12, 2012. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://fox4kc.com/news/many-questions-remain-in-murder-of-grandview-woman/
- FOX 4 KC (Kansas City, MO): Not Guilty Plea After Strange Story of Sex Cult, by Michelle Pekarsky. Published January 17, 2013. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://fox4kc.com/news/not-guilty-plea-after-strange-story-of-sex-cult/
- FOX 4 KC: Police: Bizarre Confession About Perverted Sex and Murder of Young Wife, by Gia Vang. Published November 11, 2012.Updated November 12, 2012. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://fox4kc.com/news/police-bizarre-confession-about-perverted-sex-and-murder-of-young-wife/
- KMBC (Kansas City, MO): Micah Moore indicted in Bethany Deaton slaying. Published December 14, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.kmbc.com/article/micah-moore-indicted-in-bethany-deaton-slaying/3673497
- Rolling Stone: Love and Death In the House of Prayer, by Jeff Tietz. Published January 21, 2014. Accessed March 25, 2024 via Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105132014/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/love-and-death-in-the-house-of-prayer-53866/
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Besieged by scandals and sex abuse allegations, IHOPKC to close, form new organization by Judy Thomas, Laura Bauer, and Katie Moore. Published October 27, 2014. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article287727480.html
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Exorcism preceded confession in 2012 death involving International House of Prayer, defense says, by Donald Bradley. Published April 16, 2024. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article3406254.html
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Lawyer attributes account to a ‘confused young man’, by Glenn E. Rice. Published November 29, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/662823785
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Murder inquiry widens, by Donald Bradley and Joe Robertson. Published November 14, 2012. Accessed March 21, 2024 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/662807922
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Police ask for tips in Longview murder, by Donald Bradley and Joel Robertson. Published November 15, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/662809246
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Prayer group’s secrets emerge, by Joe Robertson and Donald Bradley. Published November 18, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/662812075
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Suicide now called murder, by Joe Robertson. Published November 11, 2012. Accessed March 20, 2024 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/662806470
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): What is IHOPKC? The controversial KC Christian organization closing, leaked report said by Eleanor Nash. Published April 17, 2024. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article287733020.html
- The New York Times (New York, NY): Disputed Murder Confession Casts a Spotlight on a Missouri Sect, by Erica Goode. Published December 6, 2012. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/us/twists-in-bethany-deaton-murder-case-put-spotlight-on-charismatic-sect.html
- The University of Texas: The psychology of cults. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://online.utpb.edu/about-us/articles/psychology/the-psychology-of-cults/
- UGA Today: One in five suicides involved intimate partner problems by Leigh Hataway. Published April 18, 2023. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://news.uga.edu/one-in-five-suicides-involve-intimate-partner-problems/
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