Pretty, Not Smart with Louie and Yoatzi Castro
Pretty, Not Smart with Louie and Yoatzi Castro

Marlene shares the DARKEST TRUE CRIMES

September 3, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Three True Crime Cases and the Questions They Leave Behind

When Marlene told the hosts of Pretty, Not Smart that she was a true crime junkie, she didn't just share a hobby—she revealed how she processes the incomprehensible. "It's because the fact that it's real," she explained. "You're just like, how can people even do things like this?" The episode walks through three recent, high-profile cases, each raising different questions about motive, the justice system, and what happens when victims do everything right and still end up dead.

The Idaho Four: A Criminology PhD Student Who Left His Knife Sheath

The most sprawling case Marlene recounts is the 2022 murder of four University of Idaho students—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—in their off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. The details are almost too many to track: the house was a known hangout where people came and went freely. The night of November 12, the four went out separately—Kaylee and Madison bar-hopping, Xana and Ethan at a fraternity event—and returned home around 1:40 to 2 a.m. They were still up for a while; Xana ordered DoorDash at 4 a.m.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:33) **Episode Opening & Guest Introduction** - Louie and Yoatzi welcome back Marlene as a solo guest for the first time since season one, excited to dive into true crime together.
  • 2 (07:15) **“Pretty Not Smart” Listener Segment** - The group reads a few short, funny listener-submitted stories about silly or awkward moments.
  • 3 (20:08) **Marlene’s First Case: The Idaho Four** - Marlene begins telling the story of the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus house.
  • 4 (29:33) **The Killer’s Identity and Arrest** - Marlene reveals that the killer was a PhD student in criminology who left the knife sheath at the scene, leading to his arrest via DNA.
  • 5 (41:00) **Ad Break: Square** - A sponsored segment for Square’s payment and business management tools.
  • 6 (43:08) **Additional Idaho Four Details** - Marlene remembers more chilling facts about the case, including a dog that didn’t bark and Ethan dying in his sleep.
  • 7 (51:44) **Yoatzi’s Case: The Sarah Gilson Murder** - Yoatzi shares a very recent case of a woman who posted a viral TikTok about her husband being a predator and was murdered days later.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

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Pretty, Not Smart with Louie and Yoatzi Castro

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