Wildcide is a hybrid true crime podcast comprised of the wildest, most bizarre true crime cases mixed with interviews from filmmakers, authors, survivors, researchers, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, therapists and more. Your hosts Chelsea (an allied health professional) and Bailey (a therapist) are sisters who aren’t afraid to dive deep into concepts from systemic issues in the legal field to the pathology of offenders. So come hang out with us while we sing, cry and analyze the wildcides of the world together. Welcome home, besties and baddies!
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Wildcide is a hybrid true crime podcast comprised of the wildest, most bizarre true crime cases mixed with interviews from filmmakers, authors, survivors, researchers, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, therapists and more. Your hosts Chelsea (an allied health professional) and Bailey (a therapist) are sisters who aren’t afraid to dive deep into concepts from systemic issues in the legal field to the pathology of offenders. So come hang out with us while we sing, cry and analyze the wildcides of the world together. Welcome home, besties and baddies!
⚠ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses violence against children, trauma, and death. Listener discretion is advised.
On October 2, 2006, the quiet farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, were shattered when a local milk truck driver, Charles Carl Roberts IV, stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse and took ten young girls hostage. By the time police broke through the doors, five were dead, five were clinging to life — and Roberts had turned the gun on himself.
What followed stunned the world: instead of anger or vengeance, the Amish community responded with forgiveness. They comforted the killer’s widow, attended his funeral, and extended compassion when the world expected fury.
In this episode, Bailey explores the psychology of a man consumed by grief and guilt, while Chelsea examines how faith, culture, and community transformed horror into grace.
This is the story of Nickel Mines — a tragedy that became a global lesson in the power, and cost, of forgiveness.
Resources:
If you or someone you know is struggling with grief, depression, or intrusive thoughts of violence or suicide, please reach out for help.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (U.S.): Dial or text 988
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990
National Center for Victims of Crime: victimsofcrime.org
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Faith-based trauma support: GriefShare.org
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PS: Don’t forget Wildcide Wednesdays- new episodes drop every Wednesday at 6am EST. Interviews will drop every other Friday at 6am EST.Background music by Brad Parsons at Train Sound Studio. Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen.
References
ABC News. (2007). The Power of Forgiveness [Television broadcast]. 20/20.
After 18 years, survivor of Nickel Mines Amish school shooting dies. (2024). LancasterOnline. https://lancasteronline.com
CBS News. (2006, October 2). Amish school shooting coverage. https://www.cbsnews.com
CNN. (2007–2016). Interviews with Marie Roberts.
Guardian Staff. (2016, September 30). “The happening”: 10 years after the Amish shooting. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com
HISTORY Editors. (2006, October 2). Gunman kills five students at Amish school. History.com. https://www.history.com
Kraybill, D. B., Nolt, S. M., & Weaver-Zercher, D. L. (2007). Amish grace: How forgiveness transcended tragedy. Jossey-Bass.
LancasterPA.com. (n.d.). Amish grace and forgiveness. https://lancasterpa.com
Noll, S. M., Kraybill, D. B., & Weaver-Zercher, D. L. (2007). No greater love: The Amish girls of Nickel Mines. Sacred Windows.
NPR. (2016, October 2). Ten years later: The legacy of Nickel Mines. Morning Edition. https://www.npr.org
Pennsylvania State Police. (2006). Incident summary: West Nickel Mines school shooting.
Psychology Today. (2007, November). The healing power of forgiveness in the Amish tragedy. Psychology Today.
TO Pasture: “Amish Forgiveness,” Silence, and the West Nickel Mines School Shooting. (2019). Religions, 10(9), 524. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24462390
West Nickel Mines School Shooting: How a rural MCI was successfully managed. (2007). Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS). https://www.jems.com
WITF. (2016, October 2). Ten years later: Nickel Mines murders still haunt emergency responders. WITF News. https://www.witf.org
The New York Times Archives. (2006, October). Coverage of the West Nickel Mines Amish school shooting. The New York Times.
WILDCIDE
Wildcide is a hybrid true crime podcast comprised of the wildest, most bizarre true crime cases mixed with interviews from filmmakers, authors, survivors, researchers, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, therapists and more. Your hosts Chelsea (an allied health professional) and Bailey (a therapist) are sisters who aren’t afraid to dive deep into concepts from systemic issues in the legal field to the pathology of offenders. So come hang out with us while we sing, cry and analyze the wildcides of the world together. Welcome home, besties and baddies!
