Sword and Scale Nightmares - The Gift

Episode Date: September 18, 2024

Colleen and Rob McKernan were set up by common friends and had a quick, whirlwind romance. But her controlling ways would turn fatal as she learned the hard way that you can’t change anyone, no matter how hard you try.

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carrots and onions in the kitchen. Kathy's modest house is warm and cozy. The smell of stuffing and turkey warms the air, as her husband tends to the fireplace in the living room. Kathy focuses on her methodic chopping, but she is so nervous. Her only son Rob is bringing home his new girlfriend for the holidays. Rob has been gushing about Colleen for months, and Cathy is excited to meet the woman who has her son talking about settling down. Rob is a laid back guy. He has a child of his own from a previous

relationship but he's never talked about marriage. He takes life as it comes one day at a time. But apparently Colleen has changed him. Cathy looks down at the oven clock quickly, then sneaks a peek at her reflection on the microwave glass, smoothing out her hair. Just then, the doorbell rings. Cathy flies towards the front door to greet her son. She hugs him close, feeling the chill on his cheek as they exchange greetings. Rob smiles as he takes off his coat. Mom, this is Colleen. Kathy smiles as a pretty, petite blonde with short wavy hair extends her hand towards her. It's so nice to meet you, Kathy, Colleen says.

Colleen is beautiful. She has a round lily face with big doe eyes. She immediately takes off her coat and asks Kathy what she can do to help. Later that evening, after dinner, drinks, and many laughs getting to know each other, the family gathers to open some presents. Kathy picks up a little box from under the tree and passes it to Colleen. Her eyes light up in shock. You didn't have to get me anything, she says modestly as she carefully wedges her fingers under the wrapping paper.

Kathy watches as Colleen pulls out the present, a little box of ammunition. Colleen laughs and smiles. She knows that Rob must have told his mother how much she loves target practice. Colleen is an excellent marksman. She holds the box of bullets to her chest like a diamond necklace and says, thank you, again. Kathy smiles. She never imagined buying bullets for her potential daughter-in-law. But then again, she never imagined that life would take the turn.

It would in the next year. Welcome to Sword and Scale Nightmares. True crime for bedtime. begins now. One year later, Colleen and Rob were getting ready to go out on New Year's Eve. Rob had been working hard all year on the oil rigs, making the most money he ever had in his life. While Colleen continued growing her career as a manager at the call center, they both agreed that they could use a fun night out, a big break after a hectic year.

But Colleen had some rules. She was very frugal and budget conscious after all. Colleen made budgets for everything and a night out at the bar was no exception. She decided that she would be able to spend a hundred dollars of fun, fund money celebrating the new year. As Colleen and Rob got dressed up to meet their friends at their favorite local bar, Colleen suggested that they make a resolutions list. The couple had been bickering a lot lately. The fights had been getting worse and worse, but deep down they still loved each other and they were determined to get through these things. They just, you know, they just kind of happened sometimes.

Colleen was as controlling as Rob was aloof. And even though she was right, he was becoming a little sick of her money management. These fights usually started out about cash, how much Colleen would allow Rob to spend. She controlled everything, even aligning his weekly lunch money and how much he was allowed to spend on his haircuts. I mean, you can only de-claw a tiger so much, you can only de-masculate a man so much before. The inevitable happens.

She was obsessed with saving and had a rigid plan for their future. So as Colleen put on her makeup and Rob buttoned up his favorite shirt, they decided that their New Year's resolution would be simple. No more fighting. Is your said than done. And more savings, added Colleen. And less alcohol. Wait a minute, that's three things. Rob rolled his eyes and then hugged his wife. Colleen grinned bitterly, but she was also very serious. Walking into the bar, Colleen and Rob hung off of one another like a loving newlywed couple. Their friends were all waiting,

drinks in hand, and ordered more as Rob and Colleen joined the group. Colleen sided up with some girlfriends and Rob hugged his buddies and immediately pushed through the crowd to get the bartender's attention. He waved his arm and hollered. Then he ordered a round of warm apple pie shots. Yeah, I'd never heard of them either. But they sound delicious during the holidays. Vodka, apple cider, cinnamon, little whipped cream on top. God damn. Sounds pretty good.

Apologies if you're an alcoholic. Anyway, Rob, Colleen, and their pals did four rounds in 15 minutes. As you do on New Year's Eve. The bar was loud and the music was blasting as Colleen gave Rob a kiss before sauntering off to the bathroom. She was tipsy already from the shots and could feel the booze running warm in her body. She was happy.

This was a beautiful relationship. So what if they fought sometimes? People fight. It happens. They were making progress. Rob was going to keep to the resolutions. Colleen pushed open the bathroom door and she looked at herself in the mirror. Feeling nice and buzzed and feeling good, you know? She pursed her lips at her reflection and wiped the excess mascara off her face. her, feeling nice and buzzed and feeling good, you know?

She pursed her lips at her reflection and wiped the excess mascara from under her eyes and she told herself in the mirror, yes, this is going to be an excellent year. Back at the bar, Rob had the cash Colleen had allotted for their night out and he was throwing down. By the time Colleen returned from the bathroom, Rob had spent almost all their cash buying drinks for all of his friends. Well, Colleen was furious. She pulled Rob aside and started lecturing him through grilled teeth.

What about their savings goals? The New Year's resolution? They only had $100 to spend. What the hell was he doing? Their friends pretended not to notice as Colleen chewed Rob out. He laughed and told her to relax. There was a house party they could go to not far away, and they'd be able to stick to their budget. Colleen reluctantly agreed, and they left the bar. When Rob and Colleen arrived at their friend's house party, Rob greeted everyone as his jovial self, slapping high fives and hugs with everyone in the room.

Colleen stood behind him with a scowl on her face. Everyone at the party noticed how foul she was as she sulked towards the kitchen to pour herself another drink. Rob and Colleen go their separate ways at the party, mingling with their friends and consuming even more and more alcohol. After a while, Colleen notices Rob isn't inside. She bolts from the conversation she's in and storms around every room looking for him. He is nowhere. Then she swings open the back door of

the patio and catches Rob with his nose down snorting a line of white powder. Well, rage line of white powder. Well, rage overcomes her. You know how a 5 foot 4, 120 pound woman can become really scary, fellas? All of a sudden, just somehow something comes over her and it's like freaking Satan incarnate. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rage. Rage overcomes her. And Colleen charges at Rob and begins screaming, swearing, and throwing her fists.

Where the hell did he get drugs? Did he spend their money on that? She is irate. Colleen screams like a banshee, and Rob finally has had it. Maybe it's the cocaine. It's probably the cocaine. But he just snaps. He's been bossed around by his wife for far too long, and he loses it. Their fight becomes so intense that the owner of the house comes outside to tell them they have to go. Get the hell out of here. I don't want you here leave. They've made enough of a scene, they've embarrassed themselves enough and they need to go. You don't want the cops showing up and

ruining the party and all that. So Colleen and Rob were, embarrassingly, escorted through the house. Rob hung his head as he beelined towards the door, stumbling out without looking back. Colleen followed him, her head held high and strangely proud. Then before exiting the party, she turned and looked at everyone and said, remember, this is not my fault. She then slammed the door. Less than half an hour later, something happened and, well, it was her fault. Colleen McCurnan grew up in Buffalo, New York with strict religious parents. Her father owned his own business and the family had a comfortable life. Like most kids, Colleen started to rebel against her upbringing as a teenager.

She developed an attitude and started fighting with other girls in school to the point where she was expelled. Her parents had enough and sent Colleen to Ohio to live with her maternal grandmother. Unlike her dad, Grandma wasn't so tough on Colleen, but in that relaxed environment she thrived, shockingly. Her grades improved, her attitude softened, and she graduated a success. After high school, Colleen enrolled in the Air Force. She loved the structure and discipline of the academy and soon began training as a security officer. She was very smart and did well.

Furthermore, she excelled with a firearm. Colleen was an amazing shot and she loved guns. You should too in Crime Riddled 2024. Colleen joined the Air National Guard and graduated in less than three years. When she returned to Ohio to work, she was hired at a call center and quickly shot up the ladder to a managerial role. Everything in her life was going perfectly, except in the old, uh, romance department. That's when Rob came into the picture. Colleen and Rob had, uh, common friends, and the group always thought the two of them would

hit it off, despite being opposites. Rob was laid back and liked to have fun. He was less focused on his career and more just about enjoying every day as if it were his last. But like Colleen, he was also a serious gun enthusiast, and their friends knew the two would bond over target practice. So in October of 2013, their friends threw a backyard party with the sole purpose of hooking the two up and it worked. The relationship started slow but by Christmas of 2013, Rob had Rob's family was happy to see him so in love and supported their relationship. After Christmas, Colleen and Rob started looking at houses together.

Colleen got a promotion at work and was riding high. At Colleen's request and encouragement, Rob stopped working odd jobs and decided to get serious and begin working on the oil rig. was riding high. At Colleen's request and encouragement, Rob stopped working odd jobs and decided to get serious and begin working on the oil rigs. He was finally bringing in some good money, which made Colleen super happy. They settled into life together, and that's when Colleen's stranglehold began. You see, it started slow, the need for total control, that is.

She started managing how much or what kind of food they would eat or how much alcohol Robb would drink. But every time she'd take away one of life's little pleasures like wine with dinner or extra cheesy pizza. She'd later reward him with a guilty pleasure. She was dangling carrots and slowly molding Rob into the man she wanted him to be. I can change him.

Rob didn't seem to mind at first, or maybe he didn't even seem to notice. Then one evening, out of nowhere, Colleen decided to get down on her knees and propose to Rob. It was sudden, strange, and kind of domineering. But Rob smiled and he said yes. They started planning a wedding and that's when Colleen's budgeting kicked into high gear. I'll tell you, if you want to see a woman's true character, propose and have her plan a wedding. People change, man. People change real fast. One evening, while discussing the wedding money, Colleen dropped a bomb on Rob.

If they wanted to keep the ceremony small and inexpensive, then Rob's family just couldn't come. Wow. There just wasn't enough money. Rob fought it, but Colleen insisted. So Rob called his mother, Kathy, to let her know that she and his stepfather couldn't come to the wedding. Kathy was beside herself. She cried. Rob crumbled, and he finally put his foot down. Colleen realized that this was a little too far. She relinquished and said they would find the money somewhere else.

I mean, if that wasn't a red flag, then you know, you should not be in a relationship if you don't see that big ol' waving red one. Their wedding was outside in a state park in front of a waterfall. Colleen was dressed in a princess gown, her curly hair bobbing around her face. She had a purple sash which Rob mirrored with the color of his tie. It was a gorgeous spring day as the two said their vows in front of their flowing waterfall and a small group of friends and family.

As the sun beamed down and they said, I do, two butterflies landed on Colleen's dress. Everyone noticed and took it as a sign of good luck. I guess they haven't heard the rumor that white butterflies carry the souls of deceased children. And no, I didn't make that up. But that's neither here nor there. After the wedding, Colleen and Rob bought a house together. Rob got promoted at the oil rigs and, though he was now a breadwinner of the house, Colleen still managed all the

money and she gave Rob an allowance like he was a little boy. Money became the sole source of tension between them, and as Colleen obsessively made spreadsheets about their savings goals and limited how much cash Rob could take out to dinner with his friends, Rob became more and more resentful of his controlling and domineering wife. In November of 2014, they were out with friends at a bar and got into a huge argument about money. As they left the bar, Rob got into the driver's seat and started yelling at Colleen. He'd had enough of being controlled and was sick and tired of her constant monitoring

of his money. Fueled by alcohol and annoyed, Rob drove erratically while Colleen screamed back. Then she picked up her cell phone and dialed 911, dropping the phone on the floor before she could say anything to the dispatcher. When Rob yelled, get the fuck out of my car, the phone hung up. The next 911 call placed by Colleen would be on New Year's Eve, 2014.

At 11.50 p.m. Colleen would call 911 and say, I'm really drunk. My husband hit me and I shot him. But the truth behind what happened I'm really drunk. My husband hit me and I shot him. But the truth behind what happened would be far worse than anything Colleen fight all the way to the front door.

The next night is cold and crisp as their drunk, angry voices echo through the air. Rob opens the front door and barrels inside, trying to get as far away from his wife's menacing voice as possible. I can't believe you, she hisses. After everything we talked about before the party, you spent all that money. Culleen goes on and on, her face becoming redder and more angry with every breath. Rob storms off into the kitchen to get away from her, but she follows him.

He leans on the counter and covers his ears like a frustrated child. Enough! he screams. I'm leaving. He pushes past Colleen, grabbing his wallet and keys from the counter where he dropped them. What do you mean you're leaving? Colleen cries. She's desperate and drunk, swaying under the influence of all the boos inside of her. Rob says nothing, then he stops at the door. As drunk as he is, he knows this is it. He is done.

And he tells her out loud. I'm done, and he tells her out loud, I'm done, Colleen. That is when the rage comes. It boils up inside of Colleen. She turns on her heels and spins around towards the bedroom. She grabs her gun and thunders back into the hallway. She doesn't even think before she does it. She just raises it and shoots twice. Perfect bullseye right into her husband's face. She watches as his eyes flicker and the heavy thud of his body slams on the

ground. She walks up to him, looks down, and steps over his body. She turns around and points the gun down, firing eight more times into his chest. Her hands are trembling. The adrenaline tightens her arms and she drops the gun. It was as though she left her body and came back. What had she done? Moments pass as her alcohol-infused brain begins to calculate the situation. Then she reaches for her phone. Colleen calls 911 and claims that Rob had hit her. She plays the victim, a distraught drunk woman afraid for her life and her safety. This never happens, says the Believe Women movement. And here we are. The abusive husband has been put to an end.

But Rob had never hurt Colleen before. He had no history of violence and his friends and family all swore that he would never hit a woman. Colleen was taken down to the police station and right away began rambling off facts about domestic violence victims. Battered women. I wonder where she got those facts. She sat in her striped jumpsuit, slamming her feet on the ground, screaming about battered women. About being a battered woman. But the females on the staff were skeptical. You could say that perhaps they didn't hashtag believe women. Battered women don't necessarily go around claiming they're

battered after all. Sometimes they don't even know they're battered. Usually, in fact. And Colleen was trying to convince everyone that she was, in fact, battered despite no evidence whatsoever. The shell casings on the ground in her house determined that she had shot Rob in the face. Then, when he was down, shot him eight more times. When it came time for her very public trial, Colleen wept on the stand. She put on the performance of a lifetime. The kind of performance that should be on Lifetime. It was that bad. Maybe the Hallmark Channel? Anyway, she was trying to save herself, so who can blame her? And it worked. Juries are stupid.

After two of them hung, yeah, hung juries, she was finally offered a plea deal. Served seven years for manslaughter. Rob's family was obviously not satisfied, but they agreed. It was better than nothing, and another trial could have seen her walk away without serving a single day, because juries are nice to women, comparatively. Colleen McKernan did her seven years and is now free. She's out and living her best life right now. Probably freely listening to true crime podcasts like this one. Hi Colleen. Rob however is dead. His family suffers every single day knowing that. He will never come back. He's gone. Rob's mother Cathy has a pain she has to live with forever. And it's not just the

fact that she lost her only child. No. The reality, the objective one, is much worse than that. You see, the bullets that were used to murder her son Rob, were the ones that she purchased for Colleen on that Christmas. The irony of real life can sometimes be devastating. If you enjoyed the show, please consider joining PLUS at swordandscale.com slash PLUS. But if you can't, consider leaving us a positive review on your preferred listening platform. Sweet dreams and good night.