MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Fan Favorite - "Murder by the Slice"

February 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

The Format: A gripping narrative story in true crime style, delivered as a solo-hosted podcast episode with dramatic storytelling, remastered audio, and sponsor breaks.
The Key Players:
- MrBallen (narrator/host): Famous YouTuber and podcaster specializing in strange, dark, mysterious tales; solo voice builds suspense through vivid reconstructions.
The Vibe: Intense and suspenseful, blending cozy small-town charm with gruesome violence and a shocking twist—perfect for true crime fans craving chills.

🗝️ Key Themes & Topics

The episode unpacks a brutal double homicide through buildup, investigation stalls, and a jaw-dropping resolution, emphasizing community bonds shattered by betrayal.

Topic 1: The idyllic couple and the night's horror. Introduces beloved owners Valerie and Harvey Looney running Pizza Plus, their happy marriage, and the chaotic closing shift ending in screams and murder.
Topic 2: Crime scene clues and early suspects. Details grisly discoveries (bloodied fire extinguisher, mop), open doors, empty register—pointing to an inside job amid red herrings like employee Brian Lee and creepy onlooker Homer.
Topic 3: Stalled probe and cold case revival. Years of dead ends, interviews with son Chris, inconclusive forensics; breakthrough via expert interrogator **R

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **The Night at Pizza Plus**
2 (05:54) **Closing Time and Screams**
3 (07:24) **Discovery of the Bodies**
4 (08:50) **Initial Police Response**
5 (12:24) **Crime Scene Evidence**
6 (14:44) **Notifying the Son**
7 (19:48) **Interrogating Brian Lee**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Today's story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 269.

On a spring night in 2009, a middle aged married couple was closing up the local pizza place they ran in a small Virginia mountain town. The husband walked to the back of the restaurant and grabbed a large bucket of ice. He carried the bucket out the back door, and dumped the ice into the grass. He stood up and felt the cool breeze on his face – it was a nice change from the hot pizza ovens he’d been working around all night. But then, he heard screaming coming from inside the restaurant. Without thinking, he dropped the bucket, and rushed back inside. But when he discovered what was happening, all he could do was turn around and run for his life.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen

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