Coffins & Confessions

About Coffins & Confessions

Coffins & Confessions is a dark true crime and history podcast where we uncover the stories that were meant to stay buried. From chilling murders to haunting events of the past, we dive deep into the details, share our thoughts, and bring the truth to light… because secrets don’t stay buried.

Publisher

Dae and Spencer

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

12 May 2026

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

21 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Buried in History #009: The Origin of Halloween

   Long before Halloween became a night of costumes, candy, haunted houses, and spooky decorations, people across Ireland and other parts of the Celtic world were observing a festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. That festival was Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). Rooted in ancient Celtic traditions, Samhain was associated with the changing seasons, the dead, supernatural beings, bonfires, and the belief that the boundary between our world and the Otherworld grew thinner at this time of year. Over centuries, these traditions mixed with Christian observances, Irish and Scottish folklore, and later American customs to help shape the Halloween we recognize today. In this Buried in History segment of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer are digging into the origins of Halloween and following its evolution from ancient seasonal celebrations to the spooky holiday we know and love. We’ll explore Samhain and its historical significance, the folklore surrounding spirits and the Aos Sí (fairy folk), and the traditions that helped Halloween develop into something much bigger than a single night of mischief. We’ll also uncover the surprising histories behind jack-o’-lanterns, turnip carving, bonfires, fortune-telling, trick-or-treating, and of course the mountains of candy that somehow became an essential part of the holiday. Because did you know that some of the earliest Halloween lanterns were carved from turnips rather than pumpkins? Or that many familiar Halloween customs have roots in traditions that are centuries old? So grab your favorite fall drink, light a candle, and join us as we uncover the history behind the season’s spookiest traditions. Because Halloween has a history that’s far older, stranger, and more fascinating than a bowl of candy on the porch. Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses death, spirits, supernatural folklore, and historical beliefs surrounding the dead and the Otherworld. Sources Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Samhain | Celtic Festival, Paganism, Wicca, Halloween, & Bonfires.” ConnollyCove. “Samhain Traditions: Irish Origins & Customs.” dúchas.ie. National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin Digitization Project. Dictionaries of the Scots Language. “When Halloween Was All Tricks and No Treats.” PBS. “History in a Nutshell | The History of the Jack-O-Lantern.” McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture. “Jack-o’-Lantern Pitcher.” Dublin Castle. “Halloween in Old Ireland.” National Geographic. “The History of Halloween.” National Geographic. “Here’s How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition.” HISTORY. “Halloween: Origins, Movies & Traditions.” PBS Food. “Halloween: A Foodie History.” Headlines & Heroes. “The Origins of Halloween Traditions.” The Irish Times. “The Story of Jack-o’-lantern: ‘If You Knew the Sufferings of That Forsaken Craythur.’” National Geographic. “The History of American Jack-o’-lanterns.” “When People Carved Turnips Instead of Pumpkins for Halloween.” National Museum of Ireland. “Ghost Turnips, the Púca, Fortune-Telling and Evil Abductions… How Our Ancestors Inspire Our Halloween.” National Museum of American History. “From Homemade Halloween Treats to Colorfully Packaged Candies.” “A Cultural History of Candy.” “The History of Trick-or-Treating Goes Back Centuries.” “Halloween Owes Its Tricks and Treats to the Ancient Celtic New Year’s Eve.” “The Celtic Origins of Trick-or-Treating.” “Aos Sí: Ireland’s Fairy Folk Explained.” Bettina Arnold, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. “Halloween Customs in the Celtic World.”

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   CASE #010: Liske Family Murders

   Halloween is supposed to be a night of costumes, candy, and harmless scares. But in 2010, one Ohio teenager arrived at a family home expecting a Halloween prank, and instead walked into a scene that would change everything. On October 31, 2010, three members of a family were murdered in their home in Bellevue, Ohio. The case quickly took a disturbing turn when investigators focused on a family member, Matthew Liske, and the events surrounding that Halloween night began to come to light. In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the 2010 Halloween triple homicide, the victims, the timeline of events, and the investigation that followed. We’ll explore how the crime was discovered, what investigators uncovered, and how the case ultimately ended in a guilty plea and three life sentences. We’ll also discuss how a night associated with tricks and treats became the setting for a devastating family tragedy, while taking time to remember the people whose lives were lost and the loved ones left behind. Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses murder, family violence, and disturbing details surrounding a triple homicide. Sources CBS News / WTOL. “Ohio Triple Murder: Teen Thought it was Halloween Prank.” November 2, 2010.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-triple-murder-teen-thought-it-was-halloween-prank/ ABC7 Chicago. “Family of 3 found murdered; relative in custody.” 2010.
https://abc7chicago.com/archive/7757090/ The Blade. “Liske gets life for deaths of 3.” September 15, 2011.
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/courts/2011/09/15/Liske-gets-life-for-deaths-of-3/stories/201109150097 Sandusky Register. “Liske pleads guilty to triple homicide.” August 2011.
https://sanduskyregister.com/news/1672/liske-pleads-guilty-to-triple-homicide/ Sandusky Register. “Tragic timeline: Details surface on Halloween family killings.”
https://sanduskyregister.com/news/40338/tragic-timeline-details-surface-on-halloween-family-killings/ Sandusky Register. “Man who killed family on Halloween 2010 found dead.” 2015.
https://sanduskyregister.com/news/169229/man-who-killed-family-on-halloween-2010-found-dead/ Ohio Supreme Court. Judicial Service Division Newsletter. November 4, 2010.
https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/JCS/specDockets/resources/newsletter/archive/2010/110410.pdf Legacy.com / The Blade. “Susan M. Liske Obituary.”
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/toledoblade/name/susan-liske-obituary?id=25637789 Legacy.com / The Blade. “Derek L. Griffin Obituary.”
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/portclintonnewsherald/name/derek-griffin-obituary?id=25637261 FOX News / Associated Press. “Ohio man pleads guilty to killing 3 family members.” August 12, 2011.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/ohio-man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-3-family-members.amp

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Buried in History #008: The Curse of Timur’s Tomb

   In 1941, Soviet archaeologists opened the tomb of one of the most powerful conquerors in Central Asian history. His name was Timur, also known as Tamerlane. Buried inside the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Timur’s remains had rested undisturbed for centuries. But when Soviet researchers opened the tomb in June 1941, a warning was allegedly found telling those who disturbed his grave that they would unleash a great ruler who was even more terrifying than Timur himself. Two days later, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The timing helped create one of history’s most enduring legends: the Curse of Timur. In this episode of Coffins & Confessions, Dae and Spencer take a look at the life and legacy of Timur, the history of the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, and the 1941 Soviet excavation that sparked the story of the curse. We’ll also explore the account of Soviet filmmaker Malik Qayumov, who later claimed that three elders warned the excavation team not to disturb Timur’s tomb. But did opening the tomb really unleash a curse? We’ll separate the documented history from the legends, look at what actually happened during the excavation, and explore how the story of Timur’s curse grew into one of the most fascinating pieces of historical folklore surrounding an ancient tomb. Because sometimes history gives us a perfectly reasonable explanation, and sometimes it gives us a story involving a centuries-old tomb, ominous warnings, Soviet archaeologists, and a remarkably convenient timeline. Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses death, burial practices, historical violence, and folklore surrounding the desecration of a tomb. Sources Uzbekistan Travel. “The Jade Gravestone of Amir Temur in Gur-Emir.”
https://uzbekistan.travel/en/o/gur-emir/ Encyclopaedia of Islam / TDV Islamic Encyclopedia. “Gûr-i Emîr.”
https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/gur-i-emir Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “Central Asia Report: March 2, 2004.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/1342158.html Gur-Emir / Silk Road Information Resource. “Gur-Emir Mausoleum.”
https://silkadv.com/en/content/gur-emir-mausoleum Gur-Emir Tomb of Tamerlan, Uzbekistan Cultural Resource.
https://api.ziyonet.uz/uploads/books/697320/5b30cdbe777bb.pdf Advantour. “Gur-e-Amir Historical and Architectural Information.”
https://www.advantour.com/uzbekistan/legends/tamerlane-curse.htm Hidden Compass. “The Curse of Timur.”
https://hiddencompass.net/story/the-curse-of-timur/ Wikipedia. “The Curse of Timur.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Timur Wikipedia. “Timur.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur Wikipedia. “Gur-e-Amir.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gur-e-Amir Wikipedia. “Malik Qayumov.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malik_Qayumov

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Spotify

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