Transcript

Everything Was Caught On Camera | The Case Of Molly McLaren

From Annie Elise · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 48 min · 8,730 words · 70 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Everything Was Caught On Camera | The Case Of Molly McLaren", an episode of Annie Elise published February 10, 2026 (48 min, about 8,730 words). It mentions 12 people, works and ideas, including Molly McLaren, Joshua Stimson, Annie Eliss, Molly McLaren Foundation, Joanne McLaren.

What this episode is about

The tragic case of Molly McLaren, who was brutally attacked in a parking lot in 2017, highlights not only the shocking violence she endured—being stabbed over 75 times—but also the preventable nature of this horrific incident. The narrative delves into Molly's life and the circumstances surrounding her attacker, emphasizing the need for awareness and preventative measures in cases of domestic violence.

Key takeaways

  • In a world of gym selfies, true courage lies in intervening when danger strikes.
  • Molly's story shows that even the brightest lives can conceal hidden battles and vulnerabilities.
  • Preventable tragedies remind us: vigilance and community are our first lines of defense.
  • Behind every bright smile, there may be a silent struggle waiting to be acknowledged.
  • Molly turned personal pain into purpose, proving even in darkness, light can guide others.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Benjamin Morton, Molly McLaren, Annie Eliss, Amy Lee
  2. – 10:00: Joshua Stimson, Kent University
  3. – 15:00: Barefaced
  4. – 25:00: Function Health
  5. – 35:00: Molly McLaren, Benjamin Morton
  6. – 40:00: Stitch Fix
  7. – 45:00: Molly McLaren, Molly McLaren Foundation, Benjamin Morton
  8. – 47:42: Annie Eliss

Notable quotes from "Everything Was Caught On Camera | The Case Of Molly McLaren"

  • So Benjamin grabbed a hold of his legs, trying to yank him out of this car and yank him away from this girl. But there was so much blood that his hands just kept slipping right off. Desperate in.
    about Benjamin Morton · at
  • 23-year-old Molly McLaren was born on May 26th, 1994 in Kent, England. Molly had beautiful blonde hair and bright blue eyes, which perfectly just matched her bubbly and kind personality. Her.
    about Molly McLaren · at
  • On top of everything else, she made sure to keep excellent grades while majoring in exercise science. You see, Molly's passion for leading a healthier lifestyle also inspired her to want to.
    about Kent University · at
  • Mom, Joe, was initially nervous about meeting him. Molly had told her that Joshua was bipolar, and Joe worried that his mental health issues would be a lot for Molly…
    about Joanne McLaren · at
  • Moment. First she saw him last night at the bar and now he's at her gym. So Molly started texting her friend Amy and also her mom about what was happening.
    about Amy Lee · at
  • To be with his wife and be with Molly's brother, Tom. A couple days later, on June 30th, 2017, Joshua was charged with murder, but instead he only pleaded guilty to…
    about Joshua Stimson · at
  • Most honorable Chancellor, it is with great sadness that I now invite Doug and Joan McLaren to accept the award of undergraduate diploma in sports and exercise for health awardedly to Molly McLaren.
    about Douglas McLaren · at
  • Molly McLaren Foundation helped turn unimaginable grief into real tangible support. They funded full courses of therapy and recovery programs for 25 people struggling with eating disorders.
    about Molly McLaren Foundation · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Molly McLaren — Person · Victim / primary case subject · 5 mentions · first at
    The episode reconstructs Molly’s life, her experiences with anxiety/eating disorder recovery, the stalking/harassment she endured, and the circumstances leading to her murder—used to highlight systemic failures around stalking reports.
  • Joshua Stimson — Person · Perpetrator (referenced subject of case) · 1 mention · first at
    Central antagonist in the episode: Molly McLaren’s ex-boyfriend who stalked and ultimately murdered her; his behavior, prior allegations, and trial are key to the episode’s argument about preventable stalking escalation.
  • Annie Eliss — Person · Host / narrator · 2 mentions · first at
    Introduces the show and frames the episode as a reopening of Molly McLaren’s case; provides narration and commentary throughout.
    And who is this person who attacked her with such unimaginable violence? My name is Annie Eliss. This is Tent to Life and today we are reopening the case of Molly McLaren. Let's jump right in.
  • Joanne McLaren — Person · Victim’s mother (family spokesperson) · 1 mention · first at
    Molly’s mother (also called “Joe”) provides perspective on Molly’s personality, the family’s concerns, and their attempts to seek police help; later appears in aftermath/advocacy context.
  • Amy Lee — Person · Best friend / key witness (referenced speaker) · 1 mention · first at
    Molly’s best friend who describes Joshua’s isolating behavior, receives Molly’s texts during the gym incident, and helps connect events as they unfold.
  • Douglas McLaren — Person · Victim’s father (family spokesperson) · 6 mentions
    Molly’s father is referenced in family interactions with Joshua and in the aftermath (graduation ceremony, grief, advocacy about stalking reporting).
  • Benjamin Morton — Person · Key witness / intervening bystander (hero figure) · 4 mentions · first at
    Eyewitness who attempted to stop the stabbing and later received recognition; his actions underscore the episode’s contrast between individual intervention and institutional failure.

Companies & orgs

  • Molly McLaren Foundation — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    Founded by Molly's parents to help those with eating disorders and honor Molly's legacy.
  • Kent University — Company · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    University where Molly studied exercise science and pursued her passion for fitness.

Sponsors

  • Barefaced — Product · Sponsor · 3 mentions · first at
    Promoted during the podcast for its skincare products.
    They are like transforming my skin. And get this, Barefaced sells one of these packages, these toning pads every 3 minutes, so you know that they're good.
  • Function Health — Company · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at
    Promoted during the podcast for its health testing services.
    Actually see what's going on in your body. So own your health and start with your heart. Function gives you access to over 160 lab tests each year, including advanced markers…
  • Stitch Fix — Product · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at
    Promoted during the podcast for its clothing styling services.
    It really is. But that's where Stitch Fix really changes the game. With Stitch Fix, a real human stylist is going in and picking pieces for you that is based on your size, style, and your budget.

Full transcript with timestamps

On June 29th, 2017, Benjamin Morton was driving through a parking lot next to a gym, just going about his day, when he saw something that would stay with him forever. Now, at first, it looked completely normal. A young woman finishing up her workout, walking to her car, just going about her day. But then, in a split second, everything changed. A young man suddenly walked up to her, ripped open the driver's side door and began her over and over again just as she sat there completely defenseless. No warning, no argument, just immediate brutal violence. Now, Benjamin did not hesitate. He ran toward this car trying to help, trying to stop this attack. But when he reached the vehicle, the attacker was so consumed by the assault that he was practically inside the car already with only his legs sticking out.

So Benjamin grabbed a hold of his legs, trying to yank him out of this car and yank him away from this girl. But there was so much blood that his hands just kept slipping right off. Desperate in that moment, with no other option, he slammed the car door on the attacker's legs, just trying to do anything he could think of to get this guy to stop. But it still didn't stop him. This man was absolutely determined to hurt this girl. No matter what anyone did, no matter who intervened, he would not stop. Now, Benjamin would later learn that this woman's name was Molly and that she had been stabbed more than 75 times in this attack. 75.

And somehow, as horrifying as that is, the most devastating part of this case isn't just what Molly endured, but it's the fact that this never should have happened. This attack was almost entirely preventable. So, who is Molly? And who is this person who attacked her with such unimaginable violence? My name is Annie Eliss. This is Tent to Life and today we are reopening the case of Molly McLaren. Let's jump right in.

23-year-old Molly McLaren was born on May 26th, 1994 in Kent, England. Molly had beautiful blonde hair and bright blue eyes, which perfectly just matched her bubbly and kind personality. Her mother, Joanne, who goes by Joe, compared Molly to a ray of sunshine due to her outgoing, helpful, and caring nature, and she was always very, very close with her family. Now, in addition to having a very close family, Molly also had a tight-knit main group of friends, and they all loved going shopping together and getting dressed up and going out. They liked to dance at the local bars and at the local clubs.

And Molly especially loved going to music festivals. Every year, she would try to go to as many festivals as she possibly could. However, even though Molly always seemed happy on the outside, she actually dealt with a lot of internal struggles as well. Growing up, Molly suffered from panic attacks that were brought on by anxiety and she also battled with an eating disorder. Like many people who suffer from similar issues, Molly was able to hide it from her loved ones for a while and pretty well. Her friends and family were completely unaware of what she was going through. But eventually, Molly gained the courage to open up about it so that she could get the help that she needed.

With the strong support of her family and friends, she was able to overcome her eating disorder and learn how to cope with her anxiety as well. And Molly was said to overcome any barrier that was ever put in her way, no matter how difficult it was. She was able to completely turn her life around and started becoming interested in healthy eating and also fitness. Now, her parents at first were a little bit worried and a little bit trepidacious that this would make her relapse and obsess over food again, but that ended up not being the case. She surrounded herself with positive, like-minded people, and they all encouraged each other to just live this healthy but balanced lifestyle. Molly's best friend, Amy Lee, has said that even after Molly recovered from her eating disorder, staying healthy wasn't something that just happened for her. It was a conscious choice that she had to make every single day. And it wasn't easy,

but it was a choice that Molly showed up for every day. Every day she would have to make conscious decisions to stay on track and not allow this disorder to take over her. And she was really good about it. Everyone has bad days, but she was honest. You know, I'm having a bad day. Everyone has a bad day, but this isn't the end. Molly's personality always led to her wanting to help other people as well. So, she thought that by sharing her struggles that she overcame that she might be able to help other girls who were dealing with similar situations. So, Molly decided to create a blog where she would tell her story, how she developed a healthier relationship with food and how she also started a fitness journey. Now, her main goal in this was to promote acceptance, self-confidence, and loving your body.

In addition to her blog, she often would post her workouts on social media with the goal of helping others just start an active lifestyle like she had. Get to the same bit every day. I feel like I'm lagging. Everyone gets that bit. Just got to push through. It is not pretty.

Through all the various activities that she was doing, Molly was a very hardworking and popular person. She had a very busy social life. She worked several jobs. And at just 21 years old, she started attending Kent University. On top of everything else, she made sure to keep excellent grades while majoring in exercise science. You see, Molly's passion for leading a healthier lifestyle also inspired her to want to become a fitness trainer. And since Kent University was so close to home, she was able to save money by living with her parents while still attending classes.

In 2016, Molly had everything going for her. The only thing that was missing in her eyes was a relationship. Molly had never really had a serious boyfriend and hadn't even dated anyone for longer than 6 months. She didn't want to mess around either. She wanted something real with a future. She wanted to start planning her life. So Molly did what many people do nowadays and she decided to download Tinder to hopefully meet someone. She would match with a few guys and start some conversations, but nobody ever really stood out to her. That was until July 31st, 2016 when she matched with 24year-old Joshua Stimson. Joshua [clears throat] lived with his father in Woodham, which is about an hour away from where Molly lived in Kent. His parents got divorced when he was young, and his mom was out of the picture for most of his life. Because of this, Joshua had developed some abandonment issues, also some anxiety and some

depression at a very young age, and it apparently was so bad that his dad tried to get him help. And Joshua was in and out of treatment facilities through most of his childhood. He also told people that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now, aside from being able to relate on dealing with mental health struggles, Josh also loved it to exercise and stay in shape as well. He had also never been in a serious relationship, just like Molly. So, from their conversations, it seemed like they had a lot in common. They bonded over their love for fitness, but also their shared experience with anxiety and depression made them bond even more.

Joshua and Molly kept their relationship strictly online for the first few months. Because like I mentioned, Molly was serious about finding a long-term relationship. So before she committed meeting anybody in person, she wanted to get to know them and see if they truly had an emotional connection. The longer they talked, the more Molly started to feel this way toward Joshua. He was sweet. They liked the same things. And online, Joshua really did seem perfect for Molly. So after a few months of talking, they finally decided to meet in person in the fall of 2016. And it wasn't long after that that they ultimately made things official. They were in a new budding relationship. When Molly first told her parents about this new relationship and about Joshua, her mom, Joe, was initially nervous about meeting him. Molly had told her that Joshua was bipolar, and Joe worried that his mental health issues would be a lot

for Molly, considering that she had her own struggles to deal with. But Molly said that they could be a support system for each other. And when her parents ended up meeting Joshua, her mom, Joe, didn't notice anything abnormal or any obvious red flags. Joshua and Molly's dad, Douglas, sat down, drank a beer together, chatted, and even laughed. They would talk about football or soccer if you're in the US. And Molly's family even went to support him when he ran a marathon in the spring of 2017. Everything seemed pretty good. But as the honeymoon phase gradually started to wear off in this new relationship, Molly started to realize that Joshua was actually much different in person than he was online. From the beginning of their relationship, Joshua seemed to always want to be around Molly. However, it started to become excessive and kind of come off as him being a little bit possessive over her. And when Molly's

friends met him, maybe it was intuition, but they all had a feeling that something just was not right. He didn't have any friends of his own and he didn't seem interested in talking to Molly's friends or getting to know any of her friends either. And if they were all out together, he would just try to pull Molly away from the group and kind of have him all to himself all alone. He even started trying to convince Molly that her friends weren't good people and that she should start distancing herself from them. And this is a tactic that a lot of people do when they are abusive or manipulative and have these possessive tendencies. They try to isolate you. They love bomb you. They separate you from your friends. And it appeared that this is exactly what Joshua was doing with Molly.

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Barefaced. Less steps, better skin. He had said that she was spending way too much time with her friends and that she needed to focus more on their relationship. Molly's friend Amy described how deliberate Josh's isolation of Molly really was. I think that's when the crack started to show that a lot of this wasn't sincere, that it was all quite manipulative and it it had an end goal, and that was to completely isolate her from from her friends. As time went on, Joe and Doug's opinion of him began to change. They too began noticing just how possessive Joshua was over Molly. On Father's Day, Josh spent the entire day with Molly's family. And her parents thought it was really weird considering that his dad lived only an hour away and had raised Joshua all on his own. And this was really the first instance that they felt like something wasn't quite right. Then on another occasion, Molly was talking

about how Joshua wouldn't let her watch his soccer practices, and she didn't understand why. So Doug began to wonder if it was because Joshua didn't get along with his teammates. Maybe he was so possessive over Molly that he didn't even want the team to look at her. Maybe it was something like that. So ultimately, Molly started to feel really suffocated by Joshua because he would basically never leave her alone. Molly had school, a job, and friends, all of these people, and all these things that she wanted to spend time doing and spend time with. But according to Joshua, she should be spending more time with him.

He said that Molly struggled so much with her anxiety and eating disorder that she needed him there to care for her and support her. But that actually wasn't the case at all. Before Joshua, Molly had been doing really well. She had a handle on her mental health and she was managing her life. But after Joshua came into the picture, she started having a lot of anxiety again, and her eating disorder began creeping back into her mind. With Josh there, Molly seemed to be getting worse, not better. Josh even quit his job working at a warehouse to spend more time with Molly, even though she had told him that she needed her space. She needed to study for school and had other things to do other than spend every single waking minute with Joshua. She tried to tell him that she couldn't be with him all the time and that she needed time for herself, time to work, time for school, and time with her friends. But Joshua

did not like this. He tried to make Molly feel guilty for thinking this way and said that she was taking his kindness for granted and throwing it back in his face. Things then started getting more concerning when Joshua just started randomly showing up to places that he was not invited to. Molly would plan a get together or a night out with her friends, and Joshua would just randomly appear. She didn't tell him where she was going, though, and she didn't tell him what time she was going. But somehow he knew exactly where she would be and when she would be there, and he would just show up. Even if she was just out studying in the library, boom, he would magically appear. He'd show up.

If she wanted to have a day of studying, he would tell her that, you know, he needed to be there for her. and was very manipulative in his approach for them to spend time together. He would often turn up unannounced um at her house. So Molly felt like no matter where she was around every single corner Josh would be there and it really started to creep her out. So after multiple instances of Joshua just showing up unannounced, Molly decided it was time to end their relationship. But Josh wasn't going to just accept this decision. It was like he wouldn't take no for an answer. He was constantly texting her, calling her, and literally wouldn't leave her alone. One minute he was apologizing, saying everything was his fault and he would do better. And then the next minute, he turned angry and yelled at Molly that it was all her fault. After that didn't work, he eventually started doing what he did

when they first met, and he tried to love bomb Molly. By Joshua showering Molly with so much love and attention, she actually did start to consider giving him another chance, too. seemed like it was working. He kept saying that he was going to do better and even got a new job at a window company as an operations assistant. So to Molly, it seemed like Joshua was maybe turning his life around and trying to change because he really did love her. She talked to her friends about possibly taking him back, but she promised that she would be more careful and that she would leave again if things went south. So soon Molly and Joshua were back together.

Now, unsurprisingly though, the happiness didn't last long, and things went from bad to worse. Things hadn't really changed at all, and once again, Joshua started showing up to places that he was not invited to. And again, Molly had no idea how he knew that she was there. Her friends weren't happy at all because they felt like Josh was trying to once again isolate and manipulate her. Even Joshua's new co-workers thought he was weird because he would be happy one minute and then he would suddenly turn angry and irrational the next. Even Molly's extended family were able to see how controlling Joshua was.

One time, Molly brought him to her aunt's 60th birthday party, and she thought it would be a fun and relaxing weekend that would kind of just like reset their relationship and bring it back to a good place. But unfortunately, that didn't happen. The entire time Joshua was hovering and watching Molly like a hawk. At the party, she would be dancing with her nieces and her cousins, and Joshua would just glare at her in anger, almost as if he was silently telling her to stop and sit down. Now, you probably know the look because you've probably have received it once or twice in your life, unfortunately, like I have, where they're just kind of staring at you. And if looks could kill, it's almost like that's where the expression came from. So family members noticed this and they thought that it was super weird and also very controlling and like her friends, they just didn't get a good feeling about

Joshua. So after the party, Molly and Joshua returned to their hotel room and a huge fight between them ensued. Joshua was yelling and going absolutely batshit crazy and it got so bad that Molly texted her mom to come to their room and help her. So as Joe was walking to Molly's room, she could hear Joshua yelling. He was so loud that Joe could hear him all the way down the hallway. When she arrived at the room, Joshua started trying to convince Molly's own mother that this was all Molly's fault. He even started showing her videos that he had secretly taken of Molly during some of their arguments. And Molly, of course, had no idea that he was doing any of this, and it was obviously a huge violation of her trust. But Joshua acted like it was no big deal. So, they were able to cool off. But after that weekend, Molly's family became very worried for her safety. They didn't trust Joshua and they didn't want Molly

to be with him. They weren't sure what he was capable of or what he would do to her if they kept their relationship going. So, as people who loved and cared about Molly, they feared the absolute worst. But Molly being the understanding person that she was, she still wanted to give him one last chance. Now, some of you might be wondering why she would continue taking him back. But if you have never been in an emotionally or mentally harmful relationship, watching someone continually go back to a horrible partner can be frustrating and confusing. But that is unfortunately what happens in many of these types of relationship like this one. I personally have been in one and it is very difficult to get away. When things are good, they are really good. Your partner showers you with love, attention, and makes you feel incredibly special. You become so dependent on them and find ways to explain away and rationalize

their bad behavior. And after a while, it starts to feel like this is just how normal relationships are and like you have to accept the good with the bad. So, in one lastditch effort to try to attempt to save their relationship, Molly booked them a trip to Spain. She hoped that having a private and romantic vacation together would again reset their relationship and get them back to a good place. But almost as soon as they arrived in Spain, Molly was once again texting her friends, saying that things were not going well. They were arguing and they were fighting and Molly felt like Joshua was just always lurking around and watching her. She could barely get any time to herself to even send a text message. She was sending messages to her friends that said things like, "Help me." And that the relationship was not getting better like she had hoped. Molly couldn't wait to get back home. And when she did, she

knew she had to end things with Joshua once and for all. She couldn't handle being in a relationship with him anymore. But she was nervous to end things because the last time they had broken up, it had been such a bad experience. So, after being back on June 17th, Molly was going out with some of her friends. But this time, she did invite Joshua. She asked him to put their problems aside for the night and to just chill and have a good time together. But of course, Joshua had to start an argument. had to start an argument for something. And Molly finally just could not take it anymore.

And she broke up with him right then and there, right on the spot. Joshua turned around to Molly's friends and he screamed at them, "She's just done with me." As if he thought he was going to get some sort of sympathy from her friends or like they maybe had put her up to it. So, he started getting really loud and really aggressive, but eventually he left the bar. However, that wouldn't be the end of Joshua for Molly. The next morning, he sent her tons of messages, doing exactly what he did the last time they broke up, just like Molly had feared. He was being overly sweet, saying things about how he would change, and that he wanted her back. But this time, Molly didn't care.

She was completely done with him, and she could see through all of his all of his lies. She wanted nothing to do with Joshua. And once again, his text then started becoming aggressive. So, she blocked him on her phone and blocked him on all of her social media accounts. Now, as you can imagine, this enraged Joshua and his behavior only escalated. He was so mad at Molly that he wanted to ruin her entire life and her entire reputation. Molly had built a pretty big following on social media for her health and fitness lifestyle and journey. So Joshua decided that he was going to take it into his own hands and he was going to show the world that Molly wasn't as healthy as she claimed to be. He started making posts saying that the only reason that Molly stayed thin was because she used co. He also started posting videos of their arguments, the ones that he had recorded of her in secret. Now because

Molly had blocked him on social media, she was initially unaware that he was posting all of these crazy things. But Joshua started tagging all of her family and friends in these posts so that it could further humiliate her and to make sure that she got the message that she was aware of what was going on. One of Molly's cousins called her to tell her what he was posting. And since Molly had blocked Joshua's phone number, he downloaded a messenger app and began sending her threatening texts that way. Still just not allowing communication to be broken off. A clear psychopath and like this entitled feeling of I have to talk to her. It's my right. It is not your right, bro. It is not your right.

So, obviously, this started making Molly get very, very scared. She thought Joshua was going to hurt her, and she was afraid to be home alone. Texts to her friends actually show Molly saying, "I am actually scared of what he might do." When her friends asked Molly if she thought Joshua would ever physically harm her, she said that she did. After Joshua kept making these horrible posts about her, Molly finally had enough. So she and her mom printed out all of the evidence that they had of Joshua harassing her, including those text messages and the post that he was putting out online, and they brought them to the police station.

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Again, teen, for a $25 credit toward your membership. That's functionhealth.com102life code 102life25. It was June 22nd and they go into the police station and they ask these officers to help her because she was literally becoming afraid for her life. They looked up Joshua and they didn't see any reports about him and they told Molly that there wasn't really much that they could do. The police decided to call Joshua and they put him on speakerphone to just ask for him to take the post down. But Joshua kept saying that he hadn't done anything wrong. And I quote, "If you think this is bad, wait until you see what's coming." This only made Molly more terrified because now Joshua knew that she had reported him to the police. However, the police didn't even log this incident. So Molly and her mother left the station feeling even more helpless than they did before. And to make things worse, two days later,

Joshua went to the police station and said that Molly was the one damaging his reputation. The police just repeated what they had told him before. Take down the post and stop trying to talk to her. But that really had no effect because a few days later, Molly called the police again. This time to tell them that Joshua was still posting about her. They finally logged that incident and eventually called Molly back to tell her that Joshua agreed to take down the posts, but still said that there was legally nothing that they could do.

Completely frustrated, Molly and her mom decided that they now needed to take things into their own hands. Since she was scared to be home alone, they printed out pictures of Joshua and started posting them and handing them out around the neighborhood. They were warning neighbors about Joshua, telling them what he did to Molly and asking them to be on the lookout for him in the neighborhood. They basically kind of formed their own neighborhood watch in all of this because they couldn't think of anything else to do. Put everybody on high alert of this creep in case he starts lurking around. He's dangerous clearly. Molly was trying to get back to her normal life and on June 28th, 2017, she made plans for a night out with her friends. Molly had enrolled in her first personal training course and another friend recently got a promotion. So, they wanted to all go out and celebrate.

Now, as you can imagine, everything had been so stressful, and she really just wanted to have some fun with her friends and take her mind off of everything. Earlier in the day, Molly posted on her Instagram story that she and her friends were going to a bar later that night called Ship and Trades. And she assumed posting this was okay and that it was safe because remember, she had blocked Joshua on all forms of social media. Therefore, he should have had no way of being able to find out where she was going or see the post, right? So that night, Molly and her friends were drinking, dancing, and having a good time until lo and behold, Joshua walked in, and this time with another girl.

Now, Molly didn't feel one ounce of jealousy, which really solidified to herself that she was definitely not in love with this guy anymore. But Molly and her friends still thought that him showing up there was a very odd coincidence. And she got that feeling that something was just off. She felt like he was there on purpose to try to make her jealous or try to get her attention. So after Josh walks in, he goes and sits at the bar and Molly and her friends were sitting at a table a ways away. But the entire time Josh was just watching them and trying to catch Molly's eye. When he ended up ultimately leaving with his date, he purposefully walked by Molly's table to exit the bar.

And the bar had multiple exits, and one was way closer to where he was sitting, but he wanted to go out of his way to walk by her. Now, Molly was a little freaked out by this, rightfully so, and she wanted to just go home and relax. She wanted to watch Love Island. She wanted to just chill, get her mind off of things. But after Molly left, she had no idea that Joshua was actually following her the entire time. Molly woke up the next day and decided to go to the gym around 10:00 a.m. When she got there, she found an empty room, like one of those where they hold the group exercise classes, and she started her workout on her own. Now, at first, she was all by herself. That was until Joshua came into the room and set up his exercise mat right next to her. The gym was practically empty and he could have put his mat literally anywhere, but instead he came and sat right next to her. Surveillance footage showed Joshua

walking up the stairs and peeking in the door of the room where Molly was working out. He walked away for a second before turning back around and going into the room with her. He was in the room for a bit before leaving again and then he came back to look through the door at Molly. Now Molly was really freaked out and I think anybody would be in this moment. First she saw him last night at the bar and now he's at her gym. So Molly started texting her friend Amy and also her mom about what was happening. Did you post anywhere that you were going to the gym was my first reaction.

She'd said that she hadn't put anything on Facebook or Instagram that she was filming stuff for uni. No one could have known she was there. the human instinct in you wants to be wrong and you want to feel as though it is just a coincidence. And I'd said to her, I don't think that's right. First of all, he turned up at dinner last night. Now he's at the gym. So, she decided to confront him. She asked him why he wasn't at work and he told her that it wasn't any of her business. So, Molly decided to move her things to a different area of the gym. But, she kept texting Amy and texting her mom. She didn't know what she should do, but she was scared. Finally, she saw Joshua leave out of the entrance, and she started to feel a little bit of relief.

Both Amy and her mom told Molly that she needed to go straight home, get the heck out of there. So, at around 11:00 a.m., Molly started walking to her car in the parking lot. She didn't see him outside, but Joshua had apparently never actually left. He was sitting, watching, and circling the parking lot, waiting for her to come outside. Molly got inside of her car, but before she could even lock her doors, Joshua ripped open the driver's side door, and he began attacking her with a knife, stabbing her over and over and over. That's when Benjamin realized what was happening.

And without even thinking twice, he ran toward this car. He tried to intervene in any way that he could, even slamming the car door on Joshua, just desperately trying to make him stop. But Joshua just pulled himself further into the car and he started trying to cut Molly's throat. Benjamin didn't know what else to do. So he got in his own car and he blocked Joshua in so that he couldn't leave. But Joshua didn't even care and he didn't even try to leave. When he decided he had stabbed her enough and he had done enough, he got out of Molly's car and he just calmly waited for the police to arrive. When they got there, they saw that Josh was covered in blood and he simply stated, "You want me?" He was arrested and eventually brought to a psychiatric hospital. Paramedics tried to revive Molly, but Joshua had stabbed her over 75 times and had also tried to slit her throat. So, she was pronounced

dead at 11:43 a.m. on June 29th, 2017. Molly's friends and family started seeing the news about something going on at the gym and that a girl had been attacked and killed in the parking lot. The news didn't say who the girl was, but her friends could see Molly's location on Snapchat and it said that she was still at the gym. Her friend Amy started putting two and two together and she called Molly's mom to tell her what had happened, what was going on. Molly's mom called her father, who was out on a boat hundreds of miles away at the time, and he rushed back as fast as he could to be with his wife and be with Molly's brother, Tom. A couple days later, on June 30th, 2017, Joshua was charged with murder, but instead he only pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He claimed that he had multiple personality disorder and therefore couldn't be charged with murder because he wasn't in the right state of mind. And this is something we

have seen with many murderers before. They try to claim this. If you remember the case of Leticia Stalk, the woman who brutally murdered her stepson, Ganon, she also tried to claim that she had multiple personality disorder in order to escape the charges. Joshua's trial for the murder of Molly began on January 23rd, 2018. He was still sticking to his manslaughter plea with diminished responsibility due to his multiple personality disorder. While Josh was awaiting trial, two different mental health professionals visited him, but they disagreed on his diagnosis. One professional who testified on behalf of the defense said that he had borderline personality disorder. He said that Josh had abandonment issues from his mother leaving when he was young and that he wasn't functioning normally at the time of Molly's murder. [snorts] The other mental health professional testified on behalf of the prosecution and said that

Josh did not have any signs of a personality disorder that would have caused him to murder Molly. This professional said that Josh was vain, immature, a narcissist, and showed no remorse for the murder. However, it was also revealed through these evaluations that Joshua didn't even actually have bipolar disorder and he had been lying to Molly about it all along. And the prosecution presented even more damning evidence. Remember when Joshua had initially told Molly that he had never been in a relationship just like her?

Well, that too was a lie. Two women, Leah Huberb and Alexandra Dale, came forward to testify about their past interactions with Joshua. So, in court, it was quite difficult to listen to some of Simpson's previous encounters with women. Um, he was known to the police for threatening behavior. He had sent messages um to one of the girls saying that he would fly to where she was on holiday and drown her. He'd been suspected of slashing her tires outside her house. He had also had another encounter with a local girl around turning up at her flat unannounced and being in the same nightclubs that she was in and waiting outside for her and he'd also spat in her face in a nightclub.

Leah stated that she briefly dated Josh before breaking up with him because of his creepy behavior. Like with Molly, he would just show up randomly to these random places and the only way that he could have known that she was there is if he had been following her. He would even send her pictures of herself and ask her why she was wearing certain clothing. Shortly after breaking things off with him, Leah was in a nightclub with her friends when Joshua arrived and threw a drink in her face. He was escorted out by security. But when Leah left the club 5 hours later, Joshua was still outside waiting for her. On another occasion, Joshua knocked on her bedroom window at 2:00 a.m. saying that he needed to charge his phone. She contacted the police about this and they once again said they couldn't do much.

Like with Molly, they messaged Joshua asking him to stop, but never filed an official report. Now, Alexandra, the other woman, said that she and Josh went out a couple of times, but she just felt that something was off about him. She ended up telling Joshua that she wasn't interested in him romantically, which apparently made him extremely upset. He called her 25 times in a single night and sent her pictures of her own backyard, even though she had never once told him where she lived. One morning, she woke up and found that the tires on her mom's car were slashed. She also went on a vacation and Joshua sent her texts saying that he was going to fly out to where she was and drown her.

Alexandra, too, reported these instances of stalking to the police. In fact, she reported them three times, but again, they never did anything about it. All they did was send him a text to ask him to stop, and they never filed a police report. The prosecution also found out many other odd things about Josh. They discovered that he had convinced another girl on Tinder to follow Molly on Instagram, which is how he was able to find out that she was going to be at Ship and Trades on the night of June 28th. They also found that Molly had applied for a receptionist job at a gym on June 20th. This gym was different from the one that she and Josh usually went to together. So on June 27th, Joshua bought a membership to that exact same gym. And on that same day, Josh was seen on CCTV footage buying a pickaxe and a pairing knife from the local hardware store. Police found these items in Josh's possession on the day of

Molly's murder, along with a box cutter he had on him as well. They also spoke about Josh's strange behavior at work. After Molly broke up with him, co-workers said that his behavior was more erratic than usual. He was constantly crying and even told them that he was going to do something stupid, but he never went into further detail. Eventually, his supervisor spoke to him and they agreed that he would start working part-time instead of full-time. The first day of his part-time work schedule was the same day that he attacked Molly. The prosecution argued that Joshua killed Molly because he couldn't control her. And on February 6th, 2018, after deliberating only for a few hours, the jury unanimously found Joshua guilty of first-degree murder.

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The verdict has brought us a small measure of comfort. But it seems that nothing will take away the pain or allow us to come to terms with our Molly being taken from us. We are serving a lifetime of pain, anguish, and loss.

Thank you. Now, if you're like me, one of the most frustrating things about this case is that it could have been prevented. If the police had filed reports when Alexandra initially called them, those reports would still have shown up when Molly reported Joshua to the police. It would have shown a history of behavior, a pattern, escalation, and maybe the police would have taken it more seriously. And if they took it more seriously, Molly might still be alive. Unfortunately, we know that nothing can be done to change the past. But the local police department knew that they had done many things wrong. So they hired an auditor to help them figure out how they can improve.

And eventually the department changed its policies on stalking, which is now considered a crime that must be officially reported to create a paper trail. July 10th, 2018 was supposed to be Molly's graduation day. Her parents attended the graduation ceremony to accept her diploma on her behalf, and they received a standing ovation from the crowd. Most honorable Chancellor, it is with great sadness that I now invite Doug and Joan McLaren to accept the award of undergraduate diploma in sports and exercise for health awardedly to Molly McLaren.

The other hero in this story is Benjamin, the witness who stepped in and did everything humanly possible to try and save Molly. He later even received a special award for his actions and Molly's parents were there to thank him. Thank the man who in that moment did more to protect their daughter than the police ever did. Molly's parents also set up the Molly McLaren Foundation to help those with eating disorders and hold a music festival called Molly Fest. And this is on her birthday every year.

It's basically music, food, drink, people getting together. At Molly's wake, it was so lovely having all family and friends together. And a few of her friends said, "Wouldn't it be lovely to do this once a year?" And that's where we got the idea from. Let's have a Molly fest because Molly loved festivals.

We formed the foundation after Molly died. Molly had suffered with bulimia. Um but she largely overcome it and she showed us and she showed other people that you can beat it. In the seven years after Molly's death, Molly Fest and the Molly McLaren Foundation helped turn unimaginable grief into real tangible support. They funded full courses of therapy and recovery programs for 25 people struggling with eating disorders. And they provided education and resources to their families as well. And honestly, what an incredible way to take so much pain and to turn it into something meaningful while also just continuing to honor Molly's legacy. But unfortunately, after 7 years, the foundation lost its funding and they were forced to shut down. Now, for Molly's parents, that loss just layered on top of everything they already had endured. I mean, losing their daughter and then losing the organization that

they built in her name, that has been devastating for them. Even so, they've continued to speak out, calling attention to a system that they believe too often protects perpetrators while simultaneously failing victims like Molly and the families who are left behind.

It's just bad memories. And the more you think about it, the more you hate it. [snorts]

She would want us to try and be happy together for the rest of our lives, but we're finding that really tough. The only time I go out is now I will go to the supermarket once every once a week or once every two weeks. People have said, "Let's go for a walk around the village." I can't do that.

[snorts] I find it hard to uh I suppose go to places that I went with Molly because although I love the memories, I don't need to physically go there to have the memories. If man or woman goes to the police frightened about someone, even though that person might not be arrested, but there should be a notes, there should be a database with their name on it. Had there been one then with his name on it for things he did up in Staffordshire, then when Molly went to the police, they would have seen his name.

The um perpetrators seem to get a better deal. He's going to be looked after. for all the time he's in there. They're going to make sure he's safe. We're not all right, who's looking after us. I feel I always need to know what prison he's in, but we're not allowed to know. And it just seems to be he always gets the better deal.

Do you think about him dayto-day? I try not to, but he creeps into my thoughts, especially because of the effect he's having on Doug and I now. I don't want to give him the uh pleasure and I'm determined he's not going to get the better of us.

And honestly, Molly's parents really have a valid point here. Even with the changes that have been made since her death, stalking is still a massive problem, not just in the UK, but worldwide. In 2022, it was reported that two people in the UK are killed by their stalkers every single week. Let that sink in for a moment. So, my hope is that the more that we talk about cases like this, the more that we can learn to recognize the warning signs and take them seriously because even if one life can be saved, if one person doesn't lose their life the way that Molly so tragically did, then telling these stories truly does matter. So, I just want to thank you. Thank you for listening to Molly's story today, keeping her voice alive. And please share this episode, the audio episode or the video episode with a friend on your social media with a group group chat because it's not talked about enough.

This is such a common problem. And the more that we can educate on the warning signs, the signs to look for to be aware to be aware if it's happening to a friend or a family member, the more then we can hopefully intervene and people won't ultimately lose their lives. I mean, I know that that might be wishful thinking, but I think that knowledge is power. So, please take a moment, share Molly's story, share her voice, and keep her voice alive because it may save somebody else. Molly will always be missed by her family and her friends, but her story has brought a lot of awareness and policy changes for the horrible crime of stalking, and this will no doubt help other people in the future, which is what Molly always wanted to do. It's just heartbreaking that this is what had to happen in order to make that dream a reality. Thank you so much for tuning in to another reopened episode of Tend to Life today.

I will be back with you with a brand new case next week. So, make sure if you're not subscribed yet on YouTube, subscribe to the channel. If you are not following the podcast yet, follow the podcast on whatever app you're listening on so that you do not miss new episodes. Until the next one, stay safe. Bye.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Everything Was Caught On Camera | The Case Of Molly McLaren"?

Annie Elise (Host), Molly McLaren (Guest), Joshua Stimson (Guest), Benjamin Morton (Guest), Joanne McLaren (Joe) (Guest), Douglas McLaren (Guest), Amy Lee (Guest).

What is "Everything Was Caught On Camera | The Case Of Molly McLaren" about?

The tragic case of Molly McLaren, who was brutally attacked in a parking lot in 2017, highlights not only the shocking violence she endured—being stabbed over 75 times—but also the preventable nature of this horrific incident. The narrative delves into Molly's life and the circumstances surrounding her attacker, emphasizing the need for awareness and preventative measures in cases of domestic…

What is mentioned in this Annie Elise episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Molly McLaren, Joshua Stimson, Annie Eliss, Molly McLaren Foundation, Joanne McLaren, Amy Lee. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Everything Was Caught On Camera | The Case Of Molly McLaren"?

The episode runs 48 min; the transcript is about 8,730 words in 70 timestamped sections.

More from Annie Elise

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 11, 2026.