The Man with Two Names | Full Episode + Post Mortem
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Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Ted Maher, later John Green, was convicted in 2002 for arson leading to two deaths, including a billionaire, in Monaco.
- ❖Maher confessed to stabbing himself and starting the fire to appear heroic, a confession his then-wife Heidi believed was coerced.
- ❖After his release, Maher changed his name to John Green and married Dr. Kim Lark in New Mexico.
- ❖Green forged checks and stole Kim Lark's valuable search and rescue dogs, leading to his arrest.
- ❖While in jail, Green solicited his cellmate, Greg Markum, to murder Kim Lark, detailing a plot involving fentanyl and threatening her dogs.
- ❖Markum, a self-proclaimed con man, reported the murder-for-hire plot to authorities.
- ❖John Green was convicted of solicitation to commit first-degree murder in 2025 and sentenced to 9 years.
- ❖Green consistently denies all charges, claiming he was 'framed' in both the Monaco and New Mexico cases.
- ❖His claim of being a 'Green Beret' was a fabrication, confirmed by the Army and his ex-wife's observations.
Insights
1The Monaco Arson and Deception
In 1999, Ted Maher, a nurse for billionaire Edmond Safra, was at the center of a fatal fire in Safra's Monte Carlo penthouse. Maher initially claimed intruders attacked him, leading to Safra and another nurse dying from smoke poisoning. He later confessed to stabbing himself and setting a small fire to appear heroic. His then-wife, Heidi, believed this confession was coerced by Monaco police who threatened her passport and alleged torture.
Maher's initial claim of intruders, his subsequent confession to self-stabbing and setting the fire, and Heidi Wuestrau's account of police coercion regarding her passport.
2The New Mexico Murder-for-Hire Plot
Years after the Monaco incident, Ted Maher, now known as John Green, married Dr. Kim Lark. Their marriage deteriorated, leading to Green forging checks and stealing Lark's highly valuable search and rescue dogs. While incarcerated for these crimes, Green solicited his cellmate, Greg Markum, to murder Kim Lark. The detailed plot involved poisoning her with fentanyl and threatening her dogs if she resisted, with an initial payment of $2,500.
Kim Lark's testimony about forged checks and stolen dogs, Greg Markum's testimony detailing the murder plot, including a diagram of Kim's house and specific instructions, and jail calls where Green requested money for an intermediary.
3Consistent Pattern of Denial and Fabrication
Across both major criminal incidents, Ted Maher/John Green consistently denied culpability, blaming others or claiming to be 'framed.' He also fabricated significant details about his past, notably his military service as a 'Green Beret,' which was disproven by the Army and his ex-wife's observations.
Green's denials during interviews for both the Monaco and New Mexico cases, his insistence of being 'framed,' and the Army's official statement that 'There is no evidence that Theodore Maher served in the special forces.'
Quotes
"I think John Green saw Dr. Kim and saw dollar signs."
"So, here's my husband in jail talking with somebody about the various different ways to kill me and take care of the body."
"He wasn't John Green. His real name was Ted Maher. And he had been convicted of an arson resulting in the death of a billionaire."
"He kept asking me if I knew somebody that could kill his wife."
"You don't pay somebody $2,500 to kill anybody. That is absolutely ridiculous."
"There is no evidence that Theodore Maher served in the special forces."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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