Evergreen Podcasts and esteemed journalist Carol Costello produces another successful true-crime podcast series with The God Hook: The Ohio Craigslist Killings. Joined by co-host and former prosecutor Emily Pelphrey, Costello unpacks the chilling story of Richard Beasley – whose twisted manipulation under the guise of religion led to murder, exploitation, and heartache.
Streaming now, this limited series earned top charts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, captivating true-crime fans with hours of exclusive jailhouse calls, court documents, and interviews with investigators, victims, and journalists. As the final episode drops today, Costello and Harris Lane, Audience Growth Specialist for Rhapsody Voices and Evergreen Podcasts, are exploring multimedia extensions and successive podcast installments for the Carol Costello Presents series.
Costello teaches broadcast journalism at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) where she founded and leads Project Citizen, an initiative mentoring student reporters to bridge partisan divides. Most recently, LMU awarded Dr. Carol Costello an honorary doctorate in humane letters, recognizing her impact on journalism, education, and community civic engagement.
About Carol Costello Presents The God Hook: The Ohio Craigslist Killings
In the fall of 2011, a religious charlatan known as “Chaplain Rich” lured men through a Craigslist ad and promises of salvation. Three were killed, and one narrowly escaped, leading to the arrest of Beasley and his accomplice. Before his capture, Beasley’s long history of deceit and spiritual coercion had gone largely unnoticed. Through Costello’s in-depth reporting, she uncovers earlier allegations and connects cases across city lines, revealing how Beasley exploited faith, manipulated law enforcement, and preyed on victims, all before the adjudicated murder spree. Costello teams up with Emily Pelphrey, the prosecutor who put Beasely on death row, along with Sheriff Jason Mackie, Lieutenant Detective Terry Pasko, and other key contributors to revisit every dark and overlooked detail.
“Telling this story was exciting and meaningful because we discovered new and shocking details about crimes that occurred before the murders. We were running our own investigation, making connections, and learning something new with each interview. Getting to know the investigators and the victims, and giving them a chance to open up about their experiences helped us shine a light on this previously unknown part of the story, and made the murders themselves even more tragic.”
Binge the entire series of Carol Costello Presents The God Hook: The Ohio Craigslist Killings now wherever you get your podcasts. For additional insights into the podcast’s research and a written forum, visit Carol Costello Presents.
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact Samantha Morganti from Evergreen Podcasts.
About Evergreen Podcasts
The Evergreen Brand is a powerhouse of premium audio and video content including Evergreen Podcasts, Rhapsody Voices Podcasts, Converge Podcast Network, and EvergreenNOW!. As a full-service production, marketing, and sales organization, Evergreen delivers high-impact storytelling across true crime, pop culture, comedy, and more—engaging, entertaining, and inspiring listeners. Dive into the collections at EvergreenPodcasts.com, RhapsodyVoices.com, and Evergreennow.tv.
