Media Pressure
Papi Killed Mommy
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...
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Crime Con
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text In this special bonus episode of Papi Killed Mommy, I share my very first CrimeCon experience — a three-day whirlwind in Denver that was emotional, overwhelming, and unforgettable. The journey started on the road: 900 miles, 14 hours, my best friend Melissa by my side, and my emotional support pup, Dickie Birdie, curled up in the backseat. Between reroutes, pouring rain, thick fog, and deer threatening to dart across the road, the drive was intense. We kept each other laughing ...
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The Red Rock News
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text 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 ...
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"Mommy Killed Herself"
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text 📍 Hi, I’m Nikki — the daughter of a murdered woman. Welcome back. This week, I take you back to 1993, when my mom’s case stalled—but my Aunt Wendy never stopped fighting. Together with Grandma Bea, they held on to hope, and now I carry their legacy as the third generation of Wasilishin women demanding justice for my mother Stacy Wasilishin. This cycle must stop— You’ll hear the story of my sister’s unsettling shift from “Papi killed Mommy” to “Mommy killed herself,”
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Interview with her friend: Laurie Swift
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text 📍 Bonus Episode: Laurie Swift Remembers Stacy I’m Nikki—daughter of a murdered woman. This bonus episode features longtime friend Swifty sharing candid memories of my mom, Stacy, that bring her to life beyond the headlines. Recorded back in May, these clips are raw, unscripted, and mostly unreleased. Through Swifty's voice you’ll see a young Stacy who thrifted, cleaned obsessively, and lived through music like Aerosmith and Foghat. We’re halfway through this journey—six episod..
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Interview with my father: Craig Daley
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text 📍 Hi, my name is Nikki and I’m the daughter of a murdered woman. Welcome to a special bonus episode of Papi Killed Mommy. ⚠️ Before we begin, a quick trigger warning: this podcast contains discussions of domestic violence, homicide, and other potentially distressing topics. Listener discretion is advised. One of the questions I get asked most often is: What about your dad? What does he remember from that night? What does he think really happened? How does he feel all these year...
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The Final Interview
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text It was three weeks before my 11th birthday, when my mother, Stacy Wasilishin, was killed. For weeks now, I’ve taken you back to July of 1993 — to the night she died, the hours after, and the painful days that followed. In this episode, we reach a turning point: the final interview Russell Peterson ever gave to police about my mother’s death. On September 3, 1993, detectives sat down with Russell for over 30 minutes. This was his fourth version of events, and by then his story h...
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The Day They Told Me
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text Sunday, July 11, 1993. The day I learned my mother was dead. In this episode, I take you into the moment that shattered my childhood. That morning, my foster family drove me and my little sister to the Sedona Police Department. Inside a room filled with silver folding chairs and scattered toys, I sat frozen — until the only familiar face in the room, my mother’s boyfriend Russell Peterson, broke the news. “Your mom is gone.” He was the one who told me. Not a police officer. Not...
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The Day After
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text In the previous episodes, I walked you through my mother’s final day, the chaotic hours after her death, and Russell Peterson’s first interview. But the story didn’t stop there. In this episode of Papi Killed Mommy, I take you deeper into July 10, 1993—the day after my mother’s murder—and into Russell’s second police interview, where his story starts to unravel. This was the interview where Russell’s narrative began to shift. In his own words, you’ll hear him pivot from blam
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The Hours After
Papi Killed Mommy
Send us a text Episode 3: In the Hours After In this episode, I take you into the hours immediately following my mother’s murder—hours I’ve spent my entire life trying to piece together. From the moment I was pulled from my bed and placed in a squad car beside my three-year-old sister, to the moment Russell Peterson, my mother’s boyfriend and the father of my sister, was inexplicably placed in the same squad car with us, covered in blood. Today, Ill read you my sister’s interview from just th...
info_outlineHey 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:
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Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mombies/id1621473706Apple 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: [email protected].
How to help today
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Yavapai County Attorney’s Office — request an active review of Stephanie Marie Wasilishin (Case #930004944) and direct coordination with Sedona PD. (928) 771-3344 · [email protected]
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Sedona Police Department — move the case from inactive to active, release the complete file to the family, and pursue new leads. (928) 282-3100 · [email protected]
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Sedona Red Rock News (Editor) — cover the family’s perspective with appropriate domestic-violence context. (928) 282-7795 · [email protected]
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 (paste-ready)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolewasilishin?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolewasilishin
Email: [email protected]
Thank you for listening—and for standing with my family as we fight for justice for my mother.