In this episode of The Compendium, we’re unpacking the Balloon Boy Hoax, the bizarre moment in 2009 when the world was glued to their screens, watching a silver helium balloon soar across the Colorado sky—supposedly with 6-year-old Falcon Heene trapped inside. But as the story unfolded, the truth became far stranger than fiction. Was this a desperate stunt by Richard Heene to land a reality TV deal, or was the media sensationalism machine too eager to turn a family’s crisis into a headline? From viral hysteria to police investigations, we break down how this infamous hoax spiraled out of control.

We give you just The Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources:

1. Balloon Boy hoax – Wikipedia
2. What the ‘balloon boy’ hoax revealed about profit-driven news – youtube
3. The Balloon Boy Hoax: Solved! – 5280 Magazine

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

In this episode of the Compendium, we uncover the Millennium Dome Diamond Heist: The Plot to Steal the Worlds Most Flawless Diamond. We follow the trail of a notorious criminal gang featuring Lee Wenham, Ray Betson, William Cockram as Scotland Yard is onto them long before their plan is even executed.

This is a story of bodacious nerve and Brazen balls, it features speedboats, JCB Diggers and even metal ramming spikes mounted on the back of trucks. There is nothing that we love more than a heist story than a heist story carried out by idiots.

We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources:

• Millennium Dome - Wikipedia
• Millennium Dome Heist - Wikipedia
• The Millennium Star Diamond - De Beers
• Millennium Heist Documentary - Youtube
• The Diamond Heist - Netflix

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

In this episode of The Compendium, I tell Adam the horrifying yet intriguing case of the Pizza Bomber Heist. On August 28, 2003, Brian Wells, a pizza delivery driver in Erie, Pennsylvania, was coerced into robbing a PNC Bank with a bomb locked around his neck as part of a horifying life or death scavenger hunt. This shocking event led investigators into a labyrinth of conspiracies involving Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and Bill Rothstein. The case, often likened to a real-life "Saw" movie, remains one of the most intricate in FBI history.​

We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources:

• Death of Brian Wells - Wikipedia​​
• Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist (2018) - Directed by Barbara Schroeder
• Pizza Bomber: The Untold Story of America's Most Shocking Bank Robbery - by Jerry Clark and Ed Palattella​
• The Story Of Brian Wells And The ‘Pizza Bomber’ Bank Robbery - allthatsinteresting​

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

Today we uncover the incredible true story of Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit musician who unknowingly became a South African icon who helped spark a revolution. His album, Cold Fact, flopped in the U.S. but became a protest anthem against apartheid, inspiring a generation.

While Rodriguez lived in obscurity, believing his music had faded into history, he was secretly outselling Elvis in South Africa. It wasn’t until the documentary Searching for Sugar Man that the world finally learned the truth.

How did Rodriguez’s music make it to South Africa? Why was his story hidden for so long? And what happened when he finally discovered his own fame? This is the rise, the fall, and the miraculous rediscovery of a lost legend.

Listen to the musical version – Experience this episode with the full music as intended.

We give you the Compendium, but if you want more, then check out these great resources:

1. "Searching for Sugar Man" - Documentary
2. "Cold Fact" - Album by Sixto Rodriguez
3. "Coming From Reality" - Album by Sixto Rodriguez
4. "The History of Apartheid in South Africa" - Educational Resource
5. "The Power of Protest Music in Social Movements" - Article
6. "Sixto Rodriguez: Biography and Discography" - Music Resource

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

Community & Calls to Action

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

In this episode of the Compendium, Chris Watts stands at the center of a chilling American Murder that captivated the world in 2018. We’ll find out how the Watt Family Murders Unfolded, from Shanann Watts’ life in Frederick, Colorado, to the appalling truths behind a Family Annihilator. Throughout our investigation, one question looms: Why Did Chris Watts Kill His Family?

We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources:

1. American Murder: The Family Next Door [2020] - by Jenny Popplewell
2. Chris Watts Body Cam Footage - by Colorado Bureau of Investigation
3. Letters from Christopher - by Cheryln Cadle
4. Chris Watts Interrogation Video - by Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

Community & Calls to Action

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

📤 Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway.

In this second part of The Compendium's exploration of Emanuela Orlandi's mysterious disappearance, we uncover even darker secrets surrounding the Vatican, Pope John Paul II, and the Mafia. From shocking testimonies of key witnesses to the revelation hidden within stolen vatican documents. This second part of the Emanuela Orlandi Story takes even more dark twists and turns as we edge closer to the truth of what happened to Emanuela Orlandi over 40 years ago. As new evidence emerges, could the answers finally be within reach?

We give you the Compendium, but if you want more, then check out these great resources:

1. The Vatican Girl [2022] - Netflix Documentary
2. Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi - Wikipedia
3. God’s Banker: The Life and Death of Roberto Calvi - by Rupert Cornwell
4. Three Secrets of Fátima - Wikipedia
5. Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II - Wikipedia
6. Who killed Robert Calvi, Gods banker? - the Gaurdian

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

Community & Calls to Action

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

📤 Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway.

In this part 1 episode of The Compendium, we unravel the mystery of the strange and mysterious disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi. Todays story takes us into the heart of Vatican City, where 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi disappeared without a trace. Todays story intertwines with chilling secrets of the Catholic Church, the Fatima prophecy, and the shadowy connections between Pope John Paul II, international terrorist, the KGB and the italian Mafia. From whispers of corruption to unspoken truths, this is a story of betrayal, power, and unanswered questions that continues to haunt the Vatican to this day.

We give you The Compendium, but if you want more, then check out these great resources:

1. The Vatican Girl [2022] - Netflix Documentary
2. Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi - Wikipedia
3. God’s Banker: The Life and Death of Roberto Calvi - by Rupert Cornwell
4. Three Secrets of Fátima - Wikipedia
5. Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II - Wikipedia
6. Who killed Robert Calvi, Gods banker? - the Gaurdian

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

Community & Calls to Action

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

📤 Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway.

In this episode of The Compendium, we dive into one of the most disturbing true crime stories in history—how Helter Skelter, a Beatles song, became the twisted manifesto for Charles Manson and his cult of devoted followers. With his delusional vision of an apocalyptic race war, Manson manipulated the young and lost into committing some of the most infamous murders of the 20th century. From the counterculture movement of the 1960s to the tragic deaths of Sharon Tate and the LaBianca family, we unravel the disturbing intersection of music, crime, and cult psychology. How did a song about a slide become a call to violence? Let’s find out.

We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources:

• Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders – by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry.
• Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties – by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring.
• The Manson Family – Wikipedia
• Chaos the Manson Murders Netflix Documentry – Errol Morris

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• About: Kyle and Adam are more than just your hosts, they’re your close friends sharing intriguing stories from tales from the darker corners of true crime, the annals of your forgotten history books, and the who's who of incredible people.
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland by Aleksey Chistilin

Community & Calls to Action

• ⭐ Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @theCompendiumPodcast
• 🌐 Visit us at: TheCompendiumPodcast.com
• ❤️ Early access episodes: Patreon

📤 Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway.