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:
📧 [e-mail]

📬 Share Your Story

If you knew her — I want to talk to you.
Your memories are everything to me.

📧 Email: [e-mail]

💜 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.

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📬 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
📧 [e-mail]
📞 [phone]
✉️ 255 E Gurley St, Prescott, AZ 86301

Sedona Police Department
📧 [e-mail]
📞 [phone]

Ask clearly:
“Is the homicide of Stacy Wasilishin currently classified as an open investigation?”

Red Rock News
📧 [e-mail]
(The narrative matters. Accuracy matters. Words shape cases.)

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💜 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.