Papi Killed Mommy

• The Red Rock News

  Send us a textIn 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 violence, no family voice, and no scrutiny of why no arrest was made despite the homicide ruling. That first story planted doubt and distorted the truth.In July 2020, after my aunt Wendy reignited the case, the Red Rock News finally returned to the story — but once again, my family was excluded. The July 15 article leaned almost entirely on law enforcement, recycled Peterson’s story, and framed my mom’s death as “maybe homicide, maybe suicide,” despite the medical examiner ruling it homicide. Missing was accountability for decades of inaction or any context about intimate partner violence.The July 27 article was the most damaging. It quoted Sgt. Michael Dominguez dismissing my family as “over-focused,” printed speculative suicide theories, emphasized my mom’s blood alcohol level without balance, and recycled Peterson’s contradictions. Most harmful of all, Dominguez’s reckless comments — published without challenge — led to his removal from the case. The Red Rock News didn’t just fail us; their reporting obstructed progress and retraumatized my family.I’ll never forget my reaction to reading these articles. I fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, stunned that the word “suicide” was still being repeated decades later. Suicide was never on the table — except from the suspect’s mouth. Yet here it was, still being printed as though it carried weight.This episode also includes my first direct communication from Sedona PD in November 2020: an email from Sgt. Laura Leon. I read it word-for-word, then break down why it was so damaging — dismissive of me, minimizing my trauma, treating my mom’s case like closed paperwork, and telling me “everyone finds closure differently” instead of fighting for justice. That email crushed me, but it also lit the fire that pushed me to act.Episode 8 is a raw look at how journalism and law enforcement failed my mom — not just in 1993, but again in 2020. It’s about erasure, bias, and the harm caused when the people we’re supposed to trust don’t do their jobs. But it’s also about my determination to reclaim my mom’s story and demand accountability.📣 CALL TO ACTIONYour voice matters. Please take a few minutes to demand justice for my mom:Sedona Police Department 📞 (928) 282-3100 📧 [email protected] ➡️ Ask them to officially reactivate Stacy’s case.Yavapai County Attorney’s Office 📞 (928) 771-3344 📧 [email protected] ➡️ Urge them to re-examine the evidence and pursue accountability.Sedona Red Rock News 📞 (928) 282-7795 📧 [email protected] ➡️ Demand they finally report this case from the family’s perspective.💜 Support the Podcast & Dickie BirdieThis podcast is 100% independent and ad-free. If you’d like to help me keep fighting for justice:🛒Fundraiser by Nicole Wasilishin : Birthday Wish: Help me bring my moms case to crime con🐶Dickie Birdie's wishlist Amazon.comEvery call, email, share, and dSupport the show

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• "Mommy Killed Herself"

  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,” how a 1999 letter from Yavapai County Attorney Jim Landis laid out a path for renewed investigation that was never followed, and how the most poignant moment came when my sister reappeared in my life—only to vanish again.Today marks 1,858 days since she's called. And today is her 36th birthday—four years older than Mom ever lived to be. Kay, happy birthday. Please call me. We have so much to catch up on. Mom needs your help. I need your help. I’m sorry—sorry for everything. Please call.💌 A huge thank you to Joanne and Mikayla — your support means everything in this ad-free journey.⬇️⬇️ Want to support the show directly? ⬇️⬇️ Hit the “Support the Show” button at the bottom of this episode’s page. Every dollar helps keep Papi Killed Mommy ad-free and gets Mom’s story in front of more people.🛒 Support the Podcast — funds are still needed for CrimeCon travel and merch: GoFundMe🐶 Limited editions on Dickie Birdie's Amazon Wishlist — My emotional support pup is CrimeCon-bound, too: Amazon WishlistCALL TO ACTION — Together, we can demand justiceSedona Police Department 📞 (928) 282-3100 📧 [email protected] Ask them to officially reactivate Mom’s case.Yavapai County Attorney’s Office 📞 (928) 771-3344 📧 [email protected] Urge them to re-examine the evidence.Sedona Red Rock News 📞 (928) 282-7795 📧 [email protected] Ask them to share this story from the family’s perspective.When we ALL speak up, they can’t ignore us.Next Week on Episode 8In July 2020, I discovered that Mom’s case had quietly been reopened—and that a local paper had blindsided my family with two articles. A detective floated “suicide” as a cause of death, and an investigator’s email lit a fire under me to finally request the full case file… The file sat unopened for eight months. When I did open it, my life—and this case—changed forever.Support the show

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• Interview with her friend: Laurie Swift

  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 episodes complete, six more to go. The first half covered 1993, the year my mom was murdered. The second half will span the next three decades of silence, missed opportunities, and my fight for justice. Before moving forward, I want to pause and remind you: Stacy wasn’t just a case file. She was a daughter, sister, mother, and friend.📞 Calls to ActionIf you believe Stacey’s story deserves another look, please reach out:Sedona Police Department • Phone: 928‑282‑3100 • Email: [email protected] (Chief Stephanie Foley) Ask them to reopen Stephanie Marie Wasilishin’s cold case.Yavapai County Attorney’s Office • Phone: 928‑771‑3344 • Email: [email protected] Request reinvestigation and witness reconsideration.Sedona Red Rock News • Phone: 928‑282‑7795 • Email: [email protected] Encourage them to re-report the case from the family’s point of view.🎗️ Support the Podcast & MerchandiseJust yesterday I spent $650 (Sticker Mule), $110 (Vistaprint), and $25 (Zazzle)—nearly $785 total—to prepare merch for CrimeCon. I still need more shirts, stickers, and materials. Every donation helps keep my mom’s name visible.👉 Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/this-is-my-birthday-wish-help-me-bring-my-mothers-story-to Every donor gets a first-generation Papi Killed Mommy sticker and a handwritten thank-you card.🐾 Help Dickie Birdie TravelMy best friend Dickie Birdie just had a vet bill of $827 to make sure he’s fit for CrimeCon. He still needs a few more small things for the trip, if you're willing. 👉 Check his Amazon Wishlist💌 Special Thank-Yous💖 Stacey Wheaton — my angel. You’ve carried this podcast more times than I can count. 💖 Alex — thank you for always supporting the show. 💖 Brittany Wells Art — a Kansas City-based artist, author, and true crime junkie who designed and PAID for my banners. Find her work in the Facebook group 👉 Brittany Wells Art — facebook.com/groups/brittanywellsart 🖌️ 📲 Stay Up to DateFollow me on TikTok & Instagram: @nicolewasilishin for behind-the-scenes updates, merch drops, and reflections.🔔 Next up: Episode 7 — “Mommy Killed Herself.” My sister, who had always said “Papi killed Mommy,” suddenly changes her story a year later. Was it coached? Manipulated? Or something more?Thank you for listening, supporting, and fighting for justice with me. This is Papi Killed Mommy.Support the show

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• Interview with my father: Craig Daley

  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 years later? Today, you’ll finally hear his story — in his own words.This is unlike any episode I’ve released before. What you’re about to hear is my father’s full, unedited interview. Nothing cut. Nothing polished. Just raw audio — including my own questions. I’ve chosen not to edit myself out, because I want you to hear the conversation exactly as it happened. You’ll hear us overlap, stumble, even ramble a little — but that’s the point. This isn’t a script. This is real.💔 My dad was one of the very last people to speak to my mom before she was killed. Their nearly two-hour phone call on July 8th, 1993, may have been the very spark that set Russell Peterson off. She told my dad she was leaving. She told him she was coming home. She even admitted she knew Russell was recording her calls — and she didn’t care.Yet despite how critical my father was to understanding the truth, investigators never once drove down to Phoenix to interview him in person in 1993. They never recorded his statement. They never transcribed it. Instead, they took a single phone call, dismissed what he told them, and left his words out of the official case file. When he spoke about the phone recorder, Russell’s drinking, and my mom’s plans to leave, he wasn’t met with interest — he was met with anger. They minimized him. They silenced him.That failure is still one of the most damaging gaps in my mom’s case. My dad has always carried the weight of knowing she was supposed to come back — that she was ready to pack up me, my sister, the dog, the cat, and come home. And when you hear his voice today, you’ll understand why this interview matters.🎙️ It’s raw. It’s emotional. And it’s crucial. Because without my dad’s voice, the picture of who my mom was — and why she was taken from us — is incomplete.💌 If this episode moves you, here’s how you can help keep my mom’s story alive:✨ 👉 Support the Show — scroll down and tap the button at the bottom of the notes. Every bit helps me continue producing this podcast independently.✨ 👉 GoFundMe for CrimeCon — help me share my mom’s story at CrimeCon this September. Your support covers merchandise, travel, and awareness. Every donor will receive a thank-you card 💌 and one of my first-generation Papi Killed Mommy stickers while supplies last.🐾✈️ Traveling to CrimeCon with my best friend, Dickie Birdie, comes with some unexpected expenses — his recent vet visit alone was $827. If you’d like to help make sure he’s safe and comfy on this trip, I’ve put together a small Amazon Wishlist with his travel essentials (like a stroller, pop‑up kennel, and car seat). Every bit of support means the world. 💙🛒 Click here to check out Dickie Birdie’s Wishlist✨ 👉 Follow me on TikTok & Instagram: @nicolewasilishin for behind-the-scenes updates, clips, and more ❤️📞 And if you or anyone you know has any information about the death of my mother, Stephanie Marie Wasilishin, please conSupport the show

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• The Final Interview

  Send us a textIt 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 had completely changed. He claimed my mom pulled his .44 Magnum from a closet shelf, stood eight feet away, and said, “Russell, I’m going to kill you.” He rambled about his career plans, expensive knives, and culinary dreams — but avoided talking about her, or the fact that her two young daughters were in the house that night.When pressed with the forensic evidence — that she couldn’t have fired the gun at that angle and that she was in a defensive posture — Russell admitted, “I can’t explain it.” He explained away my little sister’s words, “Papi killed Mommy,” saying she must have misunderstood when she saw him moving the gun. The detectives called him out directly: “Every time we talk to you, your story changes.” His response? He asked to leave. It was Friday, and he said he had to get to work. They let him walk out.That was the last time Russell Peterson ever spoke to police. Weeks later, he  dropped off his July phone bill — evidence that revealed a 1:36 a.m. call giving him at least three minutes to stage the scene before dialing 911. Investigators never subpoenaed that phone record, never followed up on the call, and by November 1993, the county attorney declared “insufficient evidence to prosecute.” Soon after, the Sedona Police Department even canceled further tests on the murder weapon.And just like that, the investigation into my mother’s death was over.But the story doesn’t end there.Next episode I’ll share one of the most devastating moments of my life — the first time I was finally alone with my little sister after our mother’s death. In the squad car, she told me “Papi killed Mommy.” She told the detectives, our foster family, and every adult who would listen. But one year later, on a long‑awaited Disneyland trip, those words were gone. Replaced with a version I never expected: “Mommy killed herself.” What happened in that year? How did her story change so drastically — and why?This podcast is completely independent. It’s just me, no production team, no corporate backing — working full‑time while pouring every spare hour into telling my mother’s story. If you’d like to help me bring her case to more people, especially as I prepare for CrimeCon this September, please consider donating to the GoFundMe linked below: 👉 Fundraiser by Nicole Wasilishin : Birthday Wish: Help me bring my moms case to crime con🐾✈️ Traveling to CrimeCon with my best friend, Dickie Birdie, comes with some unexpected expenses — his recent vet visit alone was $827. If you’d like to help make sure he’s safe and comfy on this trip, I’ve put together a small Amazon Wishlist with his travel essentials (like a stroller, pop‑up kennel, and car seat). Every bit of support means the world. 💙🛒 Click here to check out Dickie Birdie’s WishlistYou can also support the show directly using the “Support the Show” button at the bottom of these episode notesFollow me on TikTok and Instagram @nicoleSupport the show

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