# The Millionaires Who Went Mad in Their Jungle Fortress

An episode of [What It Was Like](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1614354774), 7 Mar 2026, 51 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6200ee776bcd50001215d4e7/e/69ab8588e2ffe1fef6642e7c/media.mp3

When American millionaire John Bender moved to Costa Rica with his wife Ann, they set out to build a dream life in the jungle. Instead, their relationship spiralled into madness. When Bender died from a gunshot wound in 2010, the question remained: was it suicide or murder? Journalist Carol Vaughn takes us inside one of Costa Rica’s strangest cases. Check out Carol's book on the case: Crazy Jungle Love: Murder, Madness, Money & Monkeys Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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