"He had a completely different story. He says that it all started on the night of the 15th, December 15th, when he and his wife went out on a date with all that money that they have. And Mary Jane told her husband that she felt like things were going really bad for their family. And she confronted him about all of the lies, like all of this stealing, because he's still, again, telling her everything's fine." — Ashley Flowers
"The people think that he was the one that actually sent the postcard from South Dakota to keep her family off their trail and the bodies were hidden, so like, you know, in his mind maybe they would never be found and knowing that he killed them all, did he do it differently with the plan like the whole time of blaming Mary Jane?" — Ashley Flowers
"And even now in prison like he gets along really well with everyone, he's like a model prisoner. So like, it's so weird with these family annihilators that like they can just snap and disassociate with their family." — Ashley Flowers
This episode recounts the shocking case of Christian Longo, a man consumed by the need to project an image of wealth and success, a facade that ultimately led to the murder of his wife and three young children. The narrative details Longo's history of financial fraud, including check forgery and credit card abuse, which began early in his marriage and escalated over time. Despite repeated brushes with the law, including probation for felony charges, Longo consistently misled his wife, Mary Jane, and his family, while simultaneously developing an obsession with the affluent lifestyle depicted by journalists like Michael Finkel of The New York Times.
The situation deteriorated as Longo's financial schemes became unsustainable, forcing him and his family to move multiple times, living in increasingly precarious conditions, such as an empty warehouse. This period was marked by Mary Jane's growing suspicion and attempts to maintain the family unit, while Christian continued his deceptive practices, even opening a credit card in his father's name and absconding with over $100,000. The investigation intensified after Zachary and Sadie Longo's bodies were discovered in Oregon, leading to the recovery of Mary Jane and Madison's remains shortly after.
The story takes a complex turn as Christian Longo is apprehended in Mexico, having assumed the identity of Michael Finkel, the journalist he admired. The episode explores the bizarre coincidence of Finkel's own professional downfall due to fabricating a story around the same time. Longo's trial was marked by conflicting accounts, with him eventually pleading guilty to two murders and claiming his wife was responsible for the others, a defense the jury rejected, finding him guilty of all four homicides. He was sentenced to death and remains on death row, with ongoing appeals and potential for a new trial being discussed.