Papi Killed Mommy

In this episode of Papi Killed Mommy, Nikki shares a major turning point in her mother Stephanie Wasilishin's case — from national media recognition… to a shift in strategy… to one of the most personal decisions she's made in 33 years.
After being told there is no legal path forward without a confession, Nikki opens up about what the last month has actually looked like behind the scenes — the frustration, the burnout, and the moment everything changed.
Because this episode marks something important:
Momentum.

🎙️ Episode Highlights
📰 A&E Delivers — National Feature Released
On April 9, 2026, A&E published a national article on Stephanie Wasilishin's case — bringing long-overdue visibility to a story that has largely gone unheard for decades.
📰 Read the article here:
https://www.aetv.com/articles/stephanie-wasilishin
This moment represents more than just coverage — it's validation, visibility, and the beginning of something bigger.

🎧 The Last 33 Days — What Changed
This episode walks through:
Being told the case cannot move forward without a confession
The emotional aftermath of that reality
Taking a step back — and what that looked like
The realization that this case needs bigger media, bigger platforms, and more pressure
Why television and national exposure are key to movement in cold cases

🎤 CrimeCon 2026 — Next Steps
With CrimeCon approaching, Nikki is preparing to take this story directly to creators, networks, and anyone willing to listen.
This is no longer just about telling the story.
It's about getting it in front of the right people.

📱 Follow Nikki in Real Time
For updates, behind-the-scenes advocacy, and ongoing developments:
👉 https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolewasilishin

✊ Sign the Petition — Justice for Stephanie Wasilishin
👉 https://www.change.org/justiceforstacy
Every signature helps increase visibility and keeps pressure on this case.

🐾 Dickie Birdie & Senior Dog + Kitty Wishlist
I'm not asking for support for myself. 
But I will ask for my animals.
They are my babies — my dogs and my cats — and right now, they're all getting older at the same time. Living in Arizona, the extreme heat makes it really hard to keep them comfortable and safe through the summer.
This wishlist includes things like cooling mats, food, and basic items to help them get through the heat — especially for dogs like Jake who struggle the most in the warmer months.
I also have my 16-year-old cat, Manny, whose kidneys are starting to go. He has a prescription for kidney care food that I have not been able to fill yet, and that's something I'm really trying to get for him as soon as possible.
If you're in a position to help at all — even something small — it truly means more than you know. And if not, just being here and listening is everything.
👉 https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/49E74TM4J5D8

📣 If You Have Information
If you have any information related to this case — no matter how small — or if you know Russell Bennett Peterson or have ever crossed paths with him, please come forward.
📧 [email protected]
Sedona Police Department:
📞 (928) 282-3100
Please only reach out if you have legitimate information that could help move this case forward.

And then… there's this.
For the first time in 33 years… Nikki is no longer waiting.
After being told that a confession is the only way forward, she made the decision to stop sitting on the sidelines — and step directly into the space she's been kept out of for decades.
A message was sent.
To Russell Bennett Peterson.
Requesting a conversation.
Face to face.
On camera.
An opportunity to speak.
To explain.
To tell the truth.
The message has been read.
There has been no response.
Yet.

This episode is not the end of anything.
It's the beginning of the next phase.
And this time… it's personal.

Every time I sat down to write the script about what has happened in the last 30 days in my mom's case, I got stuck. Angry. Frustrated. Completely overwhelmed.
So this episode isn't really written.
Instead, I walked into the studio, turned on the microphone, and treated this the same way I treat my morning TikTok videos — like a vlog. Just sitting down and talking through everything that has happened.
Because a lot has happened.
In early February, true crime creator Stephanie Harlowe released a two-part deep dive into my mother's case, focusing on the interrogations of Russell Peterson. Between the two videos, Stephanie spent more than four and a half hours analyzing the evidence, timelines, and statements in this case.
If you haven't seen those yet, you can watch them here:
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-OckJoNghk
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOqvB1j2cGI
Watching someone dissect the story that has defined my life since I was ten years old was overwhelming, but also incredibly validating. Tens of thousands of people listened to those interrogation recordings and heard the same things my family has been saying for decades.
For a moment, it gave me hope.
Shortly after that, I finally received something I had been requesting for months — the updated case file from Yavapai County, including crime scene photographs from the night my mom was killed that I had never seen before.
Seeing my childhood home frozen in time like that was surreal.
Some things I remembered immediately — the blanket on the couch, my mom's plants, the telescope she bought me because I loved space.
Other things felt completely unfamiliar, like I was looking at the house through someone else's eyes.
But one photo stopped me in my tracks.
In the kitchen, on the bar counter, there was a children's canvas craft with crayons and markers scattered around it — something my sister and I had been coloring while my mom helped us.
Because when people look at my mom's case, I want them to see what I see: a loving mother who spent her time doing crafts with her kids.
Not the story that was written about her after she died.
This episode also covers the long-awaited meeting my family had with the Yavapai County Attorney's Office on February 27th — a meeting I had been pushing for since launching this podcast.
After months of emails, media pressure, and requests, we finally sat down with them.
And within minutes, I realized something devastating.
They weren't there to move the case forward.
They were there to explain why they wouldn't.
According to the county attorney, the only way this case can move forward now would be with a confession or a confrontation call.
After more than thirty years… the system is essentially asking the family to solve the case ourselves.
That moment left me feeling something I didn't expect after fighting this hard for this long:
Defeated.
But even in the middle of that feeling, there are still things moving forward.
In this episode I also share some unexpected updates, including:
• Signing my contract to attend CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas • Returning to Creator's Row with a booth for Papi Killed Mommy • And being invited to appear on stage with Stephanie Harlowe and Derrick Levasseur for a live Crime Weekly show
I also recently sat down for an interview with A&E Digital, and they will be releasing an article about my mom's case next month.
Right now, I don't know exactly what the next step in this fight will be.
But I do know this:
This isn't the end.
You can follow my daily updates on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolewasilishin
If you want to support efforts to reopen my mom's case, you can sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/demand-a-complete-homicide-investigation-for-the-murder-of-stephanie-marie-wasilishin
Contact the podcast: [email protected]
If you have investigative skills, private investigator connections, or information that could help move this case forward, please reach out.

In this episode of Papi Killed Mommy, Nikki shares jaw‑dropping real‑time developments in her mother Stephanie Wasilishin's cold case — from viral TikTok traction, to national recognition, to major media momentum and strategic advocacy work that's finally putting this case in front of the right eyes.
This episode covers everything that's happened in the last 35 days: documentary‑style updates, personal reflections, and exactly what has shifted since the last episode — including acknowledgment from major creators and outlets who've helped amplify Stephanie's story.
🎙️ Episode Highlights
✨ Stephanie Harlowe True crime creator Stephanie Harlowe — YouTuber, podcaster, researcher, and co‑host of Crime Weekly — saw one of Nikki's TikToks and reached out. Stephanie has agreed to feature Stephanie Wasilishin's case on her YouTube channel, and she's currently reviewing case files and interrogation audio. This is a huge moment of visibility for a case that's stayed in the shadows for decades.
📺 Stephanie Harlowe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephanieharlowe

📱 Stephanie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanieharlowe

📰 A&E Recognition – Mikey Brieaddy Cold cases influencer Mikey Brieaddy included Stephanie Wasilishin's case in an A&E Crime + Investigation article highlighting the "5 Cold Cases True Crime Influencer Mike Brieaddy Most Wants to See Solved" — a nod that puts national spotlight on this long‑overlooked story.
📰 Read the A&E article here: https://www.aetv.com/articles/the-5-cold-cases-true-crime-influencer-mike-brieaddy-most-wants-to-see-solved

📱 Mikey Brieaddy on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makingatruecrimerer?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

📺 Mike's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@makingatruecrimerer

📂 Case Work & Advocacy
This episode goes deep into the ongoing legal and investigative push:
🔹 Civil rights packet sent to attorneys — documents, timelines, and evidence packaged and mailed to civil rights lawyers, searching for someone who will take this case seriously.
🔹 UPDATED Records requests — new case files and crime scene photos requested, including a quote being obtained for these records.
🔹 Upcoming meeting with Yavapai County Attorney's Office — February 27, 2026 — Nikki and her aunt are driving to Prescott to confront the long silence and demand answers about why years of inaction and inconsistency went unexplained.
💰 Support the Investigation & Story
Pushing for justice costs money. Your support directly helps with things like public records costs, travel, and storytelling infrastructure:
🔗 GoFundMe — Case files, crime scene photos & Prescott travel: https://gofund.me/7ad47648b
🔗 GoFundMe — Book ghostwriter fund: https://gofund.me/aa526e170
Every contribution helps keep this work going. And even if you can't donate — sharing, following, and engaging matters.
📱 Follow Nikki in Real Time
For the most up‑to‑date updates and behind‑the‑scenes advocacy: 👉 https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolewasilishin?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
📣 Call to Action
If you believe this cold case deserves accountability — especially given the inconsistencies and unanswered questions — you can respectfully reach out to the office now handling the investigation:
Yavapai County Attorney's Office 📍 Prescott, Arizona 📞 (928) 771‑3300 📧 [email protected]

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⚠️ Trigger Warning This episode discusses domestic violence, homicide, trauma, panic attacks, and systemic failures in law enforcement and media. Listener discretion is advised.
🎧 Bonus Episode: Unraveling
It's been one week since I hit publish on Episode Twelve. One week since I said, "Season One is over." And in that week — I've unraveled.
I thought finishing would feel like relief. Like release. But it hasn't.
It's felt like grief. Like failure. Like drowning.
Because it's the end, and still — no charges. No arrest. Nothing.
Thirty-two years later, and it feels like I failed her. Like I am falling apart while the system shrugs.
This episode isn't planned. It isn't polished. It's me trying to breathe. To talk about what Season One did to me — and why I can't walk away. Because this story isn't finished — and neither am I.
🎬 The Studio That Promised and Stalled
In February 2024, I signed with a production studio that said they believed in my mother's story. They promised to build a pitch deck, to sell it to a network, to bring her case to television.
I waited. I trusted. I delivered everything they asked for.
Twenty months later — nothing. No pitch. No sale. No cameras. Just the same excuse on repeat:
"It's hard to sell a story that doesn't have an ending."
Let me be clear: My mother doesn't have an ending because the people in charge refused to give her one. That's not a creative problem. That's a justice problem.
I was gaslit and dragged along for nearly two years while my mother's story sat in storage. But that ends soon.
In under 100 days, my contract expires. When it does, her story comes back to me.
And when that happens — I will take it anywhere that will listen. Filmmakers. Journalists. Documentary students. Networks. Anyone willing to give her truth the screen time it deserves.
Because if they won't build it, I will.
💔 How You Can Help Right Now
1️⃣ Say Her Name Say it out loud. Post it. Write it. 👉 Stacy Marie Wasilishin Make the algorithm learn it.
2️⃣ Ask for Accountability You have every right to request updates and clarity. Use your voice — respectfully, publicly, and on record.
Yavapai County Attorney's Office 📧 [email protected] 📞 (928) 771-3344 ✉️ 255 E Gurley St, Prescott, AZ 86301
Sedona Police Department 📧 [email protected] 📞 (928) 282-3100
Ask clearly:
"Why was the death of Stacy Wasilishin closed without charges, and has the case been reviewed since 2020?"
Red Rock News (Larson Newspapers) 📧 [email protected]
"The narrative matters. Accuracy matters. Words shape cases."
Ask them why they aren't covering this story now that it's being publicly revisited by her daughter.
3️⃣ Sign & Share the Petition 🖋️ Justice for Stacy Marie Wasilishin — Change.org https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-stacy-marie-wasilishin Every signature proves people are paying attention.
4️⃣ Stream & Share Season One Every play counts as proof that this story matters. 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify 
5️⃣ Follow and Amplify TikTok → @nicolewasilishin Instagram → @nicolewasilishin Share the clips. Tag the outlets. Keep the momentum alive.
6️⃣ Support the Mission 🛒 Amazon Equipment Wishlist → https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/49E74TM4J5D8 💰 GoFundMe for Merch & Travel → https://www.gofundme.com/f/this-is-my-birthday-wish-help-me-bring-my-mothers-story-to
These links keep the merch table stocked, the equipment running, and the advocacy alive. Every magnet, every mic cable, every sticker = one more chance to say her name in public.
If you work in film, journalism, investigative audio, or documentary production — or know someone who does — contact me directly: 📧 [email protected]
When the countdown hits zero, I'm walking this story into the light.
💜 Domestic Violence Is an Epidemic 1 in 3 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. The risk of homicide rises 75% when a woman tries to leave.
If this episode brings something up for you, please reach out:
National Domestic Violence Hotline 📞 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 💬 Text START to 88788 🌐 www.thehotline.org
You are not alone. You deserve to be safe.
🕯️ Final Words
This show was built from grief, drywall dust, and a daughter's refusal to accept silence. It was recorded in panic and purpose. It was made by hand, by heart, by sheer stubborn love.
Season One may be complete, but the fight is not.
Because silence is not peace. Because failure is not the end. Because I am still here.
My name is Nikki Wasilishin. I am the daughter of a murdered woman. And this — this is me Unraveling.