
About this episode
The episode recounts the tragic story of John Battaglia, who killed his daughters while their mother listened helplessly on the phone.
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: hearing your child screaming for help and not being able to get to them. When Mary Jean Pearle’s ex-husband, John Battaglia, wanted to punish her following their divorce, he shot and killed their two young daughters while he forced her to listen on the other end of a phone call.
People in this episode
Host: Crime Will Tell
Topics covered
- domestic violence
- child murder
- divorce
- parental conflict
- trauma
Keywords
- John Battaglia
- Mary Jean Pearle
- child murder
- true crime
- domestic abuse
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