In this premiere episode of Coastal Crimes’ first-ever 10-part investigation into the Carlo Troiani murder, historian Kristi Hawthorne and co-host Porsche Locker introduce the people at the center of one of North County’s most disturbing murder cases. Who were Carlo and Laura? How did a seemingly ordinary marriage descend into a deadly conspiracy? And how did fellow Marines become entangled in a plot that would end with Carlo’s final desperate words:
“Laura, I’ve been hit.”
Before the murder. Before the conspiracy. Before a brake light flashed in the darkness, there was Carlo Troiani- A decorated Vietnam veteran, a Marine, a husband, and a father. By all appearances, Carlo was building a life for his family in North County San Diego. But behind his back, his marriage was unraveling in ways he could never have imagined.
There was also Laura Troiani- Prosecutors would later portray her as a woman willing to do almost anything, besides divorce, to escape her marriage. The main goal was murder. Long before gunshots rang out on a lonely stretch of North River Road, investigators would uncover a trail of affairs, secret relationships, and shocking conversations that suggested Laura wasn’t merely dreaming of a different life. She was actively searching for someone willing to kill for her.
Over the next ten episodes, Coastal Crimes will examine the characters, the relationships, the evidence, the investigation, the trials, and the lasting impact of a murder that shocked San Diego County and captivated the nation. Along the way, listeners will hear details rarely discussed in modern media and gain new insight into a case that remains one of Southern California’s most haunting crimes.
The story begins here.
A marriage. A secret plan. A signal in the night.
