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Papi Killed Mommy

NIKKI

Papi Killed Mommy is a raw true crime podcast about the night my mother was murdered - and how the truth was buried for years. I was just 10 years old, but I never forgot what really happened.
Support - Papi Killed Mommy and help keep the story alive.
Your monthly support means the world to me - and it helps me keep bringing you this important story. As a thank you, you'll get a personal email from me and a shoutout in the next episode!
visit my website, or find it in my social media bio. Every little bit makes a difference - thank you for standing with me.

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  • 25 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 32 min
  • English

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  • S1 · E12
    Nov 2, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min

    12. Not The End

    Trigger Warning: This episode discusses domestic violence, homicide, trauma, and systemic failures in law enforcement. Listener discretion is advised. Seven hours. Twelve episodes. Three decades. And one promise: I would tell you everything. 32 years ago, my mother, Stacy Marie Wasilishin, was murdered inside our home in Sedona, Arizona. Her death was ruled a homicide. No one was ever charged. I have spent the last four years fighting to change that — and this season has been that fight. If you've listened from Episode 1 through today: Thank you. You didn't just hear this story. You witnessed it. You carried it. You helped bring my mom's voice back into the world. This final episode lays out every piece of evidence — clearly, calmly, and completely — and asks the question a grand jury never heard: Was there enough evidence in 1993 to charge Russell Bennett Peterson with the murder of Stacy Marie Wasilishin? Today, you decide. 🎙️ Special Guest — Attorney Mike Hansen (Texas Dad Lawyer) In this episode, you'll hear my conversation with Mike Hansen, a Texas attorney with experience in both prosecution and defense of domestic-violence homicide cases. Mike reviewed my mom's official case file — not rumors, not speculation — and publicly broke down what the evidence showed. Follow Mike here: TikTok: @texasdadlawyer Instagram: @texas_dad_lawyer Mike — thank you for being the spark that started this entire podcast. ❤️ Good Deed Section — Potato's Journey Home This season's closing spotlight belongs to Potato — a stray dog from Puerto Rico who survived pack attacks, heartworm, and living off scraps beside a trash can where he begged for food. Amanda from True Creeps True Crime didn't scroll past. She saved him. Before he left the island, Amanda nailed a note to the trash-can post: "Thank you for the food, the love, and the belly rubs. I will miss you but it was time to move on. Asta Potato." If you'd like to help: Follow: https://www.instagram.com/potatos.journey Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/23U6FVRNJB6DX Donate (Venmo): @AmandaMednansky Rescue: Hacienda de Sato Amor / https://silkysato.com True Creeps Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-creeps-true-crime-ghost-stories-cryptids-horrors/id1533487681 True Creeps IG: https://www.instagram.com/truecreepspod Saving one life still matters. This is what compassion looks like. 🟣 Season 2 Announcement Season One ends here — but the mission continues. I will be joined by Melissa Field, and together we'll cover two domestic-violence-related cases each month. Research. Records. Respect. Reckoning. We'll remain rooted in truth and shaped by advocacy. And yes — the door is open for Episode 13 if justice comes. 🟩 Support the Show & Help Us Keep Going To continue telling stories that deserve to be heard: I NEED HELP!! We still need three more items of equipment before we can start recording Season 2. Both the wishlist and Gofund link are below, thank you Amazon Equipment Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/49E74TM4J5D8 GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/this-is-my-birthday-wish-help-me-bring-my-mothers-story-to Business / Press / Sponsorship / Legal Inquiry: 📧 PapiKilledMommy@gmail.com 📬 Share Your Story If you knew her — I want to talk to you. Your memories are everything to me. 📧 Email: PapiKilledMommy@gmail.com 💜 Final Words This podcast was built in a closet — by hand — with my father, in drywall dust and grief and stubborn love. It was written in car rides, recess breaks, panic attacks, late-night edits, tears, and hope. If you're reading this, if you're listening to this, if you've made it to the end — you helped bring my mother back into the world. Her life mattered. Her story matters. Her name will not be erased. He may have taken her life. But he will not take her story. Thank you – for listening. For witnessing. For staying. Season One is complete. This is not the end. This is the beginning of something louder. — Nikki Daughter of a murdered woman. Keeper of the flame. Voice she never should have had to leave behind. 📬 Call for Accountability — Respectful, On-Record, Public If you believe this case deserves review, you can respectfully request status clarification from the agencies involved: Yavapai County Attorney's Office 📧 cca@prosecutor.yavapai.us 📞 (928) 771-3344 ✉️ 255 E Gurley St, Prescott, AZ 86301 Sedona Police Department 📧 spdrecords@sedonaaz.gov 📞 (928) 282-3100 Ask clearly: "Is the homicide of Stacy Wasilishin currently classified as an open investigation?" Red Rock News 📧 editor@larsonnewspapers.com (The narrative matters. Accuracy matters. Words shape cases.) 💜 Domestic Violence Is An Epidemic 1 in 3 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. More than 10 million people in the U.S. are abused every year. The most dangerous moment is when a victim tries to leave. The risk of homicide increases by 75%. If this episode brought something up for you: National Domestic Violence Hotline 📞 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 📱 Text START to 88788 💻 Chat: www.thehotline.org You are not alone. You deserve to be safe.

  • S1 · E11
    Nov 2, 2025 · 37 min

    11. Contracts, Clauses, and Zero Coverage

    Episode 11 — Contracts, Clauses, and Zero Coverage Content warning: This episode discusses domestic violence and homicide. The man mentioned is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion advised. What this episode is about Nikki picks up the timeline after last week's pushback to "small podcast notwithstanding." We hear how viral moments (Dec 2023) briefly opened doors—then how 2024 became a year of contracts, clauses, and zero coverage. Inside: reconnection with Laurie "Swifty" Swift, two viral breakthroughs, documentary interest and pullbacks, a national-TV almost, a chilling FB request from Russell Peterson, DNA results confirming a brother on Nikki's father's side, the validation from Mike Hansen (TX attorney)—and the decision to stop waiting and build a studio with her dad. Next episode: opens with Mike Hansen on Stacy's case, then the closet-to-studio build, bringing the series to "now." Special thanks Erin (host of Sipping on Some Crime)—thank you for covering Stacy's case and for reconnecting Nikki with her mom's friend. Listeners, please follow and support Erin's work: • Apple Podcasts: "Sipping on Some Crime" Apple Podcasts • Spotify: "Sipping on Some Crime" Spotify • Instagram: @sippingonsomecrime Instagram Do something today If you know or saw anything Ask for a full review and that the case be presented to a grand jury. Yavapai County Attorney's Office Prescott: (928) 771-3344 • Camp Verde: (928) 567-7717 Email: ycao@yavapaiaz.gov Sedona Police Department (Non-Emergency) Main: (928) 282-3100 • Front Office: (928) 203-5002 Ask local media to cover this case Sedona Red Rock News — Newsroom: (928) 282-7795 • editor@larsonnewspapers.com Request balanced, ongoing reporting and note that the community is watching. Sign & share the petition Add your name and pass it on. Every signature increases public pressure. 🔗 Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/demand-a-complete-homicide-investigation-for-the-murder-of-stephanie-marie-wasilishin Send a tip or share a memory If you knew Stacy in Downers Grove, Phoenix, or Sedona—or have any information about her death—reach out. Anonymous tips are welcome. 📧 papikilledmommy@gmail.com Social: @nicolewasilishin (TikTok/Instagram) Media & creators (of any size) Journalists, podcasters, YouTubers, bloggers—please cover this story. If you have one follower or a million, it helps. 📧 papikilledmommy@gmail.com Season 2: Case submissions (open) We're collecting DV-related stories, cold cases, or cases with accountability gaps. Include names, dates/locations, a short timeline, links to records, and your contact info. 📧 papikilledmommy@gmail.com Support the show & community outreach We're keeping the GoFundMe open to fund booths and merch at community events (like Nikki's school Fall Festival) so Stacy's name reaches new people. 👉 GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/this-is-my-birthday-wish-help-me-bring-my-mothers-story-to Dickie Birdie's wish list is still active—stuffies & toys make his day. 👉 Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/49E74TM4J5D8?ref_=wl_share Safety resources If you or someone you know needs help: National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Call, text, or chat 24/7. Credits — Host: Nikki Wasilishin • Series: Papi Killed Mommy (Ep. 11) Tips & media inquiries: papikilledmommy@gmail.com

  • S1 · E10
    Nov 2, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min

    10. "A Small Podcast, Notwithstanding"

    EP10 • "Small podcast, notwithstanding" Thirty-two years after Stacy's death, a local editor calls this show "a small podcast notwithstanding." In this episode, we put that attitude on trial. You'll hear the emails, my dad's 2023 body-cam interview (largely unedited), and a newly discovered ~16-minute call where the investigator asks my sister to consider a confrontation call. This is what it looks like when a family—not the system—drags a case forward. Quick links ✍️ Sign the petition: Petition · DEMAND a complete Homicide investigation for the murder of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin - Sedona, United States · Change.org Yavapai County Attorney's Office — request an active review of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin (Case #930004944) and direct coordination with Sedona PD. (928) 771-3344 · ycao@yavapaiaz.gov Sedona Police Department — move the case from inactive to active, release the complete file to the family, and pursue new leads. (928) 282-3100 · sfoley@sedonaaz.gov Sedona Red Rock News (Editor) — cover the family's perspective with appropriate domestic-violence context. (928) 282-7795 · editor@larsonnewspapers.com Copy/paste email subject: Justice for Stephanie Marie Wasilishin — Case #930004944 Be respectful, be firm, and let them know you're watching. Copy-and-paste email (short) Subject: Justice for Stephanie Marie Wasilishin — Case #930004944 Body: Hello, I'm writing in support of the family of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin (Case #930004944). Please take the steps necessary to ensure an active, victim-centered review of this homicide and transparent communication with the family. The community is watching and asking for accountability, a complete case file, and renewed investigative effort. Thank you for your time. Audio notes: The dad interview is converted body-cam audio. I kept it essentially edit-free. The only cuts are moments where my sister's name is spoken; those are muted for privacy. Expect a few spots that sound "chunky" due to redactions and the source format. I cleaned levels without altering content. The receipts: Email chain with Red Rock News We walk through the August 10–11, 2025 exchange with the managing editor, including the line: "A small podcast notwithstanding…" We unpack why that's inaccurate on the numbers and harmful in practice: This show has surpassed 160,000+ total downloads and has charted in Apple's Top 200 (twice), placing it in the top 5–10% of podcasts. Independent shows are public pressure: coverage → tips → action. Pull quote: "Words matter. Using 'notwithstanding' here says 'you don't matter.' The audience—and my mom's name—say otherwise." Dad's 2023 interview: what changes Plan to leave: He says my mom called the night of July 8–9, 1993, saying she was leaving and heading to his home the next morning. Surveillance angle: He reports she told him there was a phone-recording device in the house because of suspected infidelity. Gun mechanics: He challenges the plausibility of a left-hand, one-handed shot with a .44 Magnum by someone he says disliked guns. The new shocker (to me): He admits they were still sleeping together while she was with Russell—information he had never told me. Tone matters: He's confident, unhesitating, and calls me a "pest." Hearing that off-mic hurt, but it also underlines the truth: it took public pressure to get this interview at all. My sister's call What it is: A recorded call between my sister and Sgt. Leon discovered in a folder labeled "Calls with Sgt. Leon." Why now: It's a public record; anyone could request it. You're hearing it with context, from family—not as a sensational headline. What's in it: Health status and urgency; offers of cell numbers, addresses, hospital info. A push from the investigator for a confrontation call (and possibly an in-person wired attempt). Ex-wives & leads: Names to contact; alleged statements Russell made over the years. My take: Asking a victim's daughter to be "the key" is heavy and risky. It signals gaps that should be closed by investigators—not placed on family. New workplace tip Following national coverage, a listener recognized Russell from a former workplace and described a long pattern: uncomfortable comments to young women, a snap temper, and frequent statements that "his girlfriend shot herself." One memory is not a case; a pattern can be. If you heard similar statements—or anything about that night—please reach out. Tip line options: • 📧 papikilledmommy@gmail.com (confidential; I'll pass to PD if you prefer) • ☎️ / ✉️ Sedona PD (contacts in show notes) Key takeaways Media ≠ noise. It's the channel that finally forced movement in a case left to gather dust. Dad's interview adds stakes: plan to leave, possible surveillance, mechanics that challenge the suicide framing, and a relationship detail I never knew. The burden shift is real: My sister was asked to carry investigative weight. Families shouldn't have to do that—but we will if we must. Patterns matter: Third-party statements, workplace behavior, and repeated narratives can build corroboration. How you can help (today) ✍️ Sign the petition (link in show notes). 60 seconds. Real pressure. ☎️/✉️ Contact Sedona PD & Yavapai County Attorney (numbers/emails in show notes). Be respectful, be firm: ask for renewed interviews, follow-through on ex-spouses, and full review of new/old leads. 📰 Email or call the Red Rock News (contacts in show notes). Ask for family-POV coverage. Remind them: media is public pressure. 📣 Share the episode. Visibility brings tips. Tips bring action. Credits & gratitude Host/Writer: Nikki — "the daughter of a murdered woman." Production: Independent—no network safety net, just stubborn love and receipts. Special thanks: Everyone who's sent tips, shared episodes, and stood up when it was easier to look away. And to those who bought Dickie Birdie goodies (nose cream, yellow ducky, AirTag case)—you made our week. His wishlist is still active if you want to send a little love. 🐥💛Amazon.com Next on Papi Killed Mommy The turning point: the viral spark, the rumor mill, the found sibling, and why I built my own platform when the "official" ones wouldn't listen. If schedules align, Texas attorney Mike Hansen joins me to break down the file and why this case grabbed him. Shareable blurb A local editor called this show "a small podcast notwithstanding." In EP10, we answer with receipts: the emails, my dad's first in-person interview in 32 years, and a newly uncovered ~16-minute call where police ask my sister to consider a confrontation call. This is what it looks like when a family refuses to let a case go cold. Links in show notes to sign, call, and write. #PapiKilledMommy Follow & Share TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolewasilishin?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolewasilishin Email: papikilledmommy@gmail.com

  • S1 · E9
    Nov 2, 2025 · 37 min

    9. Media Pressure

    Hey weirdos — I'm Nikki, daughter of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin. If you found this show through Morbid, welcome. Thank you for giving space in your day to my mom's story and to a new podcast that's still building its voice. Content note: This episode discusses domestic violence and homicide. The man discussed is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. What this episode is about This is the chapter where I stop waiting for the system and start pushing it. After the Red Rock News coverage and my first email from Sedona Police (Nov 2020), I filed a public-records request. The case file landed in my inbox mid-Jan 2021—and I couldn't open it for nine months. When I finally did, it was with a student filmmaker filming in my living room while the printer spit the pages out backwards: autopsy first. I learned I'd received 176 pages of what Red Rock once reported was nearly 400; key autopsy pages were missing. That night the flashbacks came, and something in me shifted from waiting to fighting. I started posting on Facebook, then a local ABC reporter reached out. A friend reminded me I knew Sarah Turney from years back; Sarah said, "Start with TikTok." I did. Within weeks my aunt Wendy—who never stopped pushing in the background—found me online. She had pages I didn't (including four autopsy pages). Together, we tried the "proper channels," up to an FBI contact who asked Sedona PD if they'd accept help. They declined. Shout-Out: Sarah Turney & Voices for Justice Sarah Turney has been a mentor and friend since our TGI Friday's days—she's the blueprint for family-led advocacy in true crime and has had my back from day one. Follow her and check out her show: • Sarah on Instagram: @saraheturney Voices for Justice • Voices for Justice (website): voicesforjusticepodcast.com In March 2022 we received a letter from Sedona PD labeling my mom's homicide "inactive," shifting responsibility to prosecutors, citing "old technology," and warning our family about "harassment." I read that letter verbatim in this episode and break down why the language is hostile and not trauma-informed. Then media pressure kicked in. FOX 10's Justin Lum pushed for interviews; suddenly a zip drive appeared with the 911 call and Russell's interviews—the first time my family heard them in 29 years. We filmed in Sedona; my aunt cried in front of the house. Justin's two-part special, "Insufficient" (June 11, 2022), put facts in front of the public. Unsolved in Sedona: Decades later, family members frustrated at lack of progress in cold case | FOX 10 Phoenix We expected movement. We got silence. So I launched a petition Petition · DEMAND a complete Homicide investigation for the murder of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin - Sedona, United States · Change.org and began pitching podcasts. Huge thank you to The Mombies for being the first true-crime podcast to cover my mom's case back in September 2022. If you want to support them for amplifying Stephanie's story, follow and listen here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mombies/id1621473706 Apple Podcasts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mombieshorror/ (they announced Episode 19: "Stephanie Wasilishin") In Jan 2023 the Vice Mayor helped facilitate a meeting with police. There was finger-pointing, and a lead I provided was labeled "hearsay." But one thing finally changed: after thirty years, investigators agreed to record an interview with my dad—the person who was on the phone with my mom for hours the night she planned to leave Russell. Next episode: you'll hear that January 2023 interview, start to finish. No summaries. Listen with me and decide what it means. Why you heard ads (and what's next) You may hear short ads now. I've moved hosts to make the show sustainable—to cover records fees, transcripts, travel, and production. To my 16 Buzzsprout supporters: you are the backbone. Listener Support on Buzzsprout is closed to new sign-ups; existing payments stay there until you cancel. I may add Patreon or an ad-free option later; I'll announce it here first. Season Two will elevate other domestic-violence cases alongside my mom's. To submit a case: papikilledmommy@gmail.com. How to help today Yavapai County Attorney's Office — request an active review of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin (Case #930004944) and direct coordination with Sedona PD. (928) 771-3344 · ycao@yavapaiaz.gov Sedona Police Department — move the case from inactive to active, release the complete file to the family, and pursue new leads. (928) 282-3100 · sfoley@sedonaaz.gov Sedona Red Rock News (Editor) — cover the family's perspective with appropriate domestic-violence context. (928) 282-7795 · editor@larsonnewspapers.com Copy/paste email subject: Justice for Stephanie Marie Wasilishin — Case #930004944 Be respectful, be firm, and let them know you're watching. Copy-and-paste email (short) Subject: Justice for Stephanie Marie Wasilishin — Case #930004944 Body: Hello, I'm writing in support of the family of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin (Case #930004944). Please take the steps necessary to ensure an active, victim-centered review of this homicide and transparent communication with the family. The community is watching and asking for accountability, a complete case file, and renewed investigative effort. Thank you for your time. Follow & Share TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolewasilishin?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolewasilishin Email: papikilledmommy@gmail.com Thank you for listening—and for standing with my family as we fight for justice for my mother.

  • S1 · E8
    Nov 2, 2025 · 35 min

    8. The Red Rock News

    In this episode of Papi Killed Mommy, for the first time, I read three articles about my mom's death: the original piece from 1993, and two follow-ups nearly three decades later in July 2020 by the Sedona Red Rock News. These articles shaped how the public saw my mom's case. The 1993 article framed my mom's murder as a "domestic fight," erasing her identity and repeating Russell Peterson's account uncritically through police statements. There was no context about domestic violence, no family voice, and no scrutiny of why no arrest was made despite the homicide ruling. That first story planted doubt and distorted the truth. In July 2020, after my aunt Wendy reignited the case, the Red Rock News finally returned to the story — but once again, my family was excluded. The July 15 article leaned almost entirely on law enforcement, recycled Peterson's story, and framed my mom's death as "maybe homicide, maybe suicide," despite the medical examiner ruling it homicide. Missing was accountability for decades of inaction or any context about intimate partner violence. The July 27 article was the most damaging. It quoted Sgt. Michael Dominguez dismissing my family as "over-focused," printed speculative suicide theories, emphasized my mom's blood alcohol level without balance, and recycled Peterson's contradictions. Most harmful of all, Dominguez's reckless comments — published without challenge — led to his removal from the case. The Red Rock News didn't just fail us; their reporting obstructed progress and retraumatized my family. I'll never forget my reaction to reading these articles. I fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, stunned that the word "suicide" was still being repeated decades later. Suicide was never on the table — except from the suspect's mouth. Yet here it was, still being printed as though it carried weight. This episode also includes my first direct communication from Sedona PD in November 2020: an email from Sgt. Laura Leon. I read it word-for-word, then break down why it was so damaging — dismissive of me, minimizing my trauma, treating my mom's case like closed paperwork, and telling me "everyone finds closure differently" instead of fighting for justice. That email crushed me, but it also lit the fire that pushed me to act. Episode 8 is a raw look at how journalism and law enforcement failed my mom — not just in 1993, but again in 2020. It's about erasure, bias, and the harm caused when the people we're supposed to trust don't do their jobs. But it's also about my determination to reclaim my mom's story and demand accountability. 📣 CALL TO ACTION Your voice matters. Please take a few minutes to demand justice for my mom: Sedona Police Department 📞 (928) 282-3100 📧 sfoley@sedonaaz.gov ➡️ Ask them to officially reactivate Stacy's case. Yavapai County Attorney's Office 📞 (928) 771-3344 📧 ycao@yavapaiaz.gov ➡️ Urge them to re-examine the evidence and pursue accountability. Sedona Red Rock News 📞 (928) 282-7795 📧 editor@redrocknews.com ➡️ Demand they finally report this case from the family's perspective. 💜 Support the Podcast & Dickie Birdie This podcast is 100% independent and ad-free. If you'd like to help me keep fighting for justice: 🛒Fundraiser by Nicole Wasilishin : Birthday Wish: Help me bring my moms case to crime con 🐶Dickie Birdie's wishlist Amazon.com Every call, email, share, and d Support the show

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