Coolfire Studios, iHeartPodcasts Launch ''The Peacemaker''

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 10:07am CT

''The Peacemaker''

Coolfire Studios and iHeartPodcasts have teamed to launch "The Peacemaker," a new eight-part true-crime podcast hosted by investigative journalists Ben Westhoff (Fentanyl, Inc.) and Ryan Krull (St. Louis Magazine). The series debuts Tuesday, October 14, with new episodes released weekly on the iHeartRadio app and other major podcast platforms.

The Peacemaker investigates a haunting string of student deaths at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri -- often called the "Harvard of the Midwest." Between 2016 and 2017, several students connected to the Alpha Kappa Lambda (AKL) fraternity died by suicide, all with close ties to a fellow student named Brandon Grossheim.

Grossheim, the AKL house manager, was friends with many of the victims and even discovered some of their bodies. After the deaths, he reportedly began dating some of the victims' girlfriends and wearing one victim's clothes. Although later expelled from the fraternity and now facing a civil lawsuit, Grossheim maintains his innocence, describing himself as a compassionate "peacemaker" who counseled troubled students.

As the deaths mounted and investigators repeatedly found Grossheim at the center of each tragedy, questions grew about his true role. Was he an empathetic confidant -- or something far darker?

Through exclusive interviews and on-the-ground reporting, hosts Westhoff and Krull uncover new evidence and never-before-told details in a case that continues to divide a small college town and challenge assumptions about mental health, culpability, and truth.

The Peacemaker is distributed by iHeartPodcasts.