64 - John Battaglia

64 - John Battaglia

From Crime Will Tell by Crime Will Tell

November 30, 2025 · 42 min · Episode 64

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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