logo
episode-header-image
May 2017
57 m

Episode 90

Sword and Scale
About this episode
When Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Claudia Rowe, author of The Spider and The Fly, decided to write to a serial killer, she wasn't prepared for how it would change her life. In her quest to understand the nature of cruelty, she ended up discovering much more about herself. Kendall Francois murdered at least eight women and hid the rotting corpses in the home that he shared with his mother, father, and younger sister. A large foreboding figure who emanated a pungent odor, he demands that Rowe offers personal details of her life in exchange for the answers she is seeking. She does not comply with his wishes, which leads the reader to wonder "Who really is the spider and who really is the fly?"

Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com
Up next
Nov 17
Episode 328
In a quiet Ohio town shaped by coal and tradition, Brad McGarry is found dead in his basement. At first, it looks like a break-in. But as detectives dig deeper, they uncover a complex friendship, a hidden relationship, and a web of lies that unravels in the interrogation room. Th ... Show More
1h 8m
Nov 6
Episode 327
When Kajavia Globe disappeared, her family’s worst fears came true in a city hardened by loss. As frustration with police mounted, the community - neighbors, a sanitation worker, a mother who refused to give up - kept pushing forward. In the end, justice came not from the system, ... Show More
58m 1s
Nov 2
Episode 326
A night of celebration at a remote cabin takes a horrifying turn when a fight breaks out and a young father steps in to calm things down. Within moments, the party descends into chaos, and a single act of violence changes lives forever.Get instant access to all episodes, includin ... Show More
1h 16m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Sugar
18-year-old Aprina Paul was a nursing student following her dreams when she mysteriously went missing. Her mother Alice Larrue never gave up hope, even when Aprina’s killer continued to harass her. 
26m 18s
Oct 2023
199: The Legs Murder Scandal
One of my most requested cases for Spooky Season: The Legs Murder Scandal On a rainy and cold January day in 1935, a rabbit hunter came across a sugar sack on a rural road in Laurel, Mississippi. He opened it up and found a pair of legs and part of a lower torso of a white female ... Show More
53m 54s
Dec 2021
A Bad Feeling
As TV producer Leah Rothman sets out to reinvestigate the horrific murder of 35 year-old JoAnn Tate and the savage attack on her two young daughters, she travels back to where it all took place: St. Louis, Missouri. Melissa, who barely survived that night, shares the moment-by-mo ... Show More
30 m
Sep 2023
Porcelain
In the spring of 2006, a bubbly young woman with close ties to friends and family suddenly goes missing, leaving behind all of her personal belongings and a ransacked apartment. When Christina Eubanks turns up dead, everyone wants the truth. But the truth won’t come so easily and ... Show More
28m 3s
Nov 2023
Such Drama
When a promising young actress is raped and murdered in her childhood bedroom, her family and the police department are stunned as to who could have done this. Two linking crimes eventually lead to the same unassuming suspect. 
29m 36s
Aug 2023
Spoiled
Not hearing from her sister in a while Pamela Powel called the police. Upon a welfare check the police would discover her home was empty. It wasn’t just Alison Sapikowski that was missing, it was her husband James, and her high school-aged son Adam. When the police began canvassi ... Show More
29m 49s
Apr 2021
175: Serial Killer: Oxygen's "Kemper on Kemper"
You guys, please don't let your Wikipedia page start the way this guy's does: "serial killer, serial rapist, cambial, and necrophile..." YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKES. As a teenager, Kemper killed his grandparents, was sent to a mental hospital WHERE HE WAS RELEASED ON GOOD BEHAVIOR 6 YEAR ... Show More
52m 32s
Sep 2022
Episode 139 - Urge To Kill
Join us, as we take a look at the case of the Frankston Serial Killer. You’ll hear how three young women became victims of a remorseless murderer who chose his victims at random, striking whenever he felt the urge to kill. How to support: For extra perks including extra content, ... Show More
43m 25s
Jun 2021
Episode 33: True crime junkies - what intrigues us about violence, fear and gruesome death?
It’s the most popular genre for book lovers, podcasters and even documentary makers, with a growing audience who love all things true crime.<br/><br/>But what is it that intrigues us about violence, fear and gruesome death and why are women the biggest consumers of all when it co ... Show More
45m 2s