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MURDERED: Jodine Serrin Part 1

On Valentine’s Day in 2007, 39-year-old Jodine Serrin was brutally murdered and desecrated in her own bed – while her parents were just down the hall. Over the next 10 years, using new forensic techniques, the Carlsbad Police Department identified her killer. But when they did, everyone was forced to confront the chilling realization that this man had been leading a double life – on one hand, living like you and I, acting as a father, partner and employee. On the other, he was a monster.
Duration
46m
Broadcast on
25 Aug 2025
Audio Format
other

On Valentine’s Day in 2007, 39-year-old Jodine Serrin was brutally murdered and desecrated in her own bed – while her parents were just down the hall. Over the next 10 years, using new forensic techniques, the Carlsbad Police Department identified her killer. But when they did, everyone was forced to confront the chilling realization that this man had been leading a double life – on one hand, living like you and I, acting as a father, partner and employee. On the other, he was a monster.

  • Click HERE to listen to Part 2, Jodine Serrin (7 of Diamonds, California), or listen ad-free in the Fan Club!

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Hi, crime junkies, I'm your host, Ashley Flowers, and I'm Brett, and I have a story today that is going to stay with you and be warned, it is not for the faint of heart. What was done to the victim and how she was found is truly one of the most haunting images that I've had to convey in probably over 600 episodes at this point, but I am going to walk you through it all from the night of the murder on Valentine's Day, 2007 to the brand new forensic techniques used today to identify the killer, and ultimately to the chilling realization that our suspect was leading a double life. On one hand, he was moving about the world like you and I, acting out the part of father, partner, and friend. He lived and worked in the very town where he also took on the role of monster, a man who set up a crime scene in a way that allowed him to watch as he desecrated the corpse of a young woman he killed in her own apartment. This is the story of Jodine Saren. It's Valentine's Day 2007, and even after 53 years of marriage, art and lowest Saren don't skip out on a chance for a romantic date night of dinner and a movie to celebrate. They try to plan a day just for themselves, because like many parents, decades of their lives have been consumed with taking care of their six kids, and even more so for them because their youngest daughter, 39-year-old Jodine, who goes by Jodie, she had developmental disabilities that were told gave her the mental capacity of a girl in her early teens. And Jodie lived on her own, but in many ways she was still dependent on her parents. They checked in on her every day. They helped her get from place to place because she didn't drive. But on this day, they hadn't been able to get a hold of her. 72-year-old Lois tried pushing it out of her mind, like just one day where she and her husband could just focus on themselves. It wouldn't be the end of the world. But all through dinner, it was like nagging at her. And as she sat in the dark of the movie theater, she just couldn't focus on the screen. With every scene change, she just grew more and more anxious till she couldn't take it anymore. What's the point of being there if she can't actually enjoy it? Whatever feeling was crawling under her skin, she like just had to give in. So mid-movie, she and Art leave the theater. It's around 10 p.m. when the sirens get to Jodie's condo. At first, they knock and wait, expecting to hear their daughter's footsteps see the knob turn. But there's nothing. So Art pulls out his spare key, unlocks the door, and tries to push it open. But it barely budges. The chain is latched from the inside. And this stops them cold, because Jodie never chains her door. And now the sirens are starting to panic. So at 77 years old, Art throws himself against the door and breaks it down. Now the lights are on inside the condo, and the sirens head straight for their daughter's bedroom. Art opens the door, and even though the room is dark, in the shadows he sees two people in bed. It looks like Jodie with a man, and it looks like they're having sex. And he's obviously taken aback, probably a little embarrassed, probably mad at whoever this man is.

Transcription truncated.

On Valentine’s Day in 2007, 39-year-old Jodine Serrin was brutally murdered and desecrated in her own bed – while her parents were just down the hall. Over the next 10 years, using new forensic techniques, the Carlsbad Police Department identified her killer. But when they did, everyone was forced to confront the chilling realization that this man had been leading a double life – on one hand, living like you and I, acting as a father, partner and employee. On the other, he was a monster.