Wicked and Grim: A True Crime Podcast · Ben Gibson

The Murder of Kelly Jean Warner

·1 hr 3 min·4 clips

Wade Allen admitted buying a reciprocating saw and cutting Kelly Jean Warner to fit the cooler.

1. Wicked and Grim: A True Crime Podcast covers the death of Kelly Jean Warner and the police search in Sturgis, Michigan. 2. Ben and Nicole host the episode, and their back-and-forth frames the case with commentary about body-cam footage and investigation details. 3. The episode asks how Kelly Jean Warner went from a welfare concern to a homicide investigation inside Wade Allen’s apartment. 4. Police knock on Wade Allen’s North Maple Street apartment late on May 22, 2019, after an anonymous call about Kelly or KJ. 5. Wade tells officers that Kelly has not been there for months and suggests they check shelters in Kalamazoo. 6. One officer enters the apartment after Wade gives partial permission, and the search turns toward a large cooler in the corner. 7. Wade refuses to open the cooler at first, which forces officers to consider a warrant and detain him. 8. When Wade finally allows the cooler to be opened, officers find Kelly Jean Warner’s body inside. 9. A second cooler contains a black garbage bag with her remaining dismembered legs. 10. The apartment scene includes blood splatter, rubber gloves, cords, bags, and other items that investigators document. 11. Wade gives detectives a story about Kelly’s diabetes, a fall, and an attempt to care for her without medical help. 12. He offers different versions of the fall, including one in the bathroom and another while making cereal. 13. Wade says he placed Kelly in the bathtub, checked on her, and later found her dead. 14. He tells police he panicked and feared calling 911 would make them think he had done something wrong. 15. Neighbour Sherry White says Wade told her Kelly may have had a skull fracture and that he was "taking care of it." 16. Sherry also recalls Wade saying he would need to get "the belt" after Kelly answered the door nude. 17. Steve Ryan Russ, a longtime friend of Wade Allen, is traced from the anonymous tip and says Wade told him Kelly was dead. 18. Steve says Wade asked for help moving and getting rid of the body, then later made the welfare call after growing worried. 19. The episode has a conversational, explanatory tone, with Ben and Nicole interrupting the narrative to clarify police procedure and evidence. 20. Listeners who follow true-crime investigations, body-cam evidence, and detailed timelines will get the most from it.

As heard by us

A grim, readable case account that keeps Kelly Jean Warner at the center.

Wicked and Grim treats Kelly Jean Warner's death as a case about absence becoming visible only after a concerned call forces attention back to it.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a case that starts quietly and turns sharply grim.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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