Tapes from the Darkside

Latest Episodes:

S11, Chapter 3: Murder Mac Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

No credits this week because I didn't want to delay this episode any longer.
For their plan to work, Larry Bittaker knew they couldn’t rely on just any car. They needed something bigger… something that could trap a victim inside. In February of 1979, with money from Norris, he bought it—a silver-gray 1977 GMC Vandura.
The van was windowless on one side, with a sliding door large enough to swallow someone whole. Bittaker later admitted that when he first saw that door, he knew. They could pull up close to a girl, slide it open, and drag her inside without anyone noticing.
The pair gave the vehicle a name. To them, it wasn’t just a van. It was their “Murder Mac.”
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Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/tapesfromthedarkside
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Sources:
Partners in True Crime
https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/
Music:
Augusta Treverorum
https://linktr.ee/trvrrm

S11, Chapter 2: California Men's Colony Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

Two men are locked inside the California Men’s Colony — a medium-security state prison tucked away in the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo.
It wasn’t a fortress like San Quentin.
It didn’t house the state’s most violent criminals.
And its reputation was far from what you’d expect of a place that would soon become a breeding ground for one of the most sadistic criminal partnerships in modern history.
Support the show!
http://patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside
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Sources:
https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/
Music Credit:
Augusta Treverorum
https://linktr.ee/trvrrm
BABY-DOLL-BEATZ
https://www.youtube.com/@baby-doll-beatz
https://www.youtube.com/@lovechapo

S11, Chapter 1: Genesis of Evil Aug 08, 2025

Show notes

Two men. Five girls. One summer of calculated, incomprehensible cruelty.
This is the story of The Toobox Killers. (If you think you already know this story you might be surprised.)
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Support the show
patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside
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Get 60% off the Magic Mind offer with our link and code https://magicmind.com/tapesmf & TAPES60 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance
Sources:
https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/
Music Credit:
Augusta Treverorum
https://linktr.ee/trvrrm
BABY-DOLL-BEATZ
https://www.youtube.com/@baby-doll-beatz
https://www.youtube.com/@lovechapo

SX | Joel the Ripper Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

In the suburbs of Long Island, behind the quiet streets and manicured lawns, something dark was festering. Joel Rifkin, a man with a soft voice, thinning hair, and a passion for gardening, harbored a secret—one that would horrify the nation.
Support us on Patreon. New sliding scale memberships now available from $3-7.
https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside
New merch store.
www.tapesfromthedarkside.com/merch
Works cited:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15966204/

SX | Unsportsmanlike Conduct Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

(00:00:00) SX | Unsportsmanlike Conduct
(00:00:19) chapter 1
(00:04:38) chapter 2
(00:13:07) chapter 3
Three tales of rage and ruin in the sports world.
Chapter 1 = The Gruesome Death of Otavio da Silva
Chapter 2 = Bruiser Brody
Chapter 3 = Snook
Support the show on Patreon!
www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside
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Follow on instagram for behind-the-scenes and updates.
https://www.instagram.com/thedarksidepod/
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Music Credit:
Augusta Treverorum
https://linktr.ee/trvrrm
BABY-DOLL-BEATZ
https://www.youtube.com/@baby-doll-beatz
https://www.youtube.com/@lovechapo

SX | Twice Dead: The Tragic Tale of Becky Thomson Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Eighteen-year-old Becky Thomson Brown grabbed her keys and asked her 11-year-old half-sister, Amy Burridge, if she wanted to come along for a quick grocery run.
It was a trip that would ultimately change both of their lives forever.
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Support us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside
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Follow on instagram for behind-the-scenes and updates.
https://www.instagram.com/thedarksidepod/
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Credit to:
https://rapidcityjournal.com/1973-murder-and-rape-have-lasting-effect-on-family-casper/article_a102350c-fd54-58a1-8ee9-12a0e335f56f.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-23-mn-7229-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/08/13/a-crimes-lasting-wounds/f4cd227d-d5dc-422f-bf3c-99ccbcd5ad3b/
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For comments or corrections, please email:
tapesfromthedarksidepod@gmail.com

SX | What Happened to Terrance Yeakey? May 29, 2025

Show notes

On the quiet morning of April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City stirred awake like any other spring day—cloudless, bright, and filled with the mundane rhythms of a midwestern weekday.
Office workers filed into the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building downtown, parents dropped children off at daycare, and streets buzzed with the easy calm of routine.
No one could have known that the next few minutes would etch themselves into the darkest chapters of American history.
Support the show:
https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/03/us/oklahoma-city-bombing-yeakey-death-cec-cnnphotos/
A Noble Lie: Oklahoma City 1995
Released 2011
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2119373/

SX | October 7 May 15, 2025

Show notes

It started like any ordinary Saturday morning in southern Israel. Families were still waking up. Children played. There was a music festival in the desert—people dancing under the early sun.
But just after dawn… a sound tore through the calm.
These are three stories from Kibbutz Be'eri taking place on October 7th.
Audio sourced from:
https://oct7.treedis.com/
Support the show on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

Meet Our Friend: Morning Cup of Murder Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

"If you like your coffee hot but your bones chilled..." Welcome to your home for all things Morning Cup of Murder Podcast.
https://morningcupofmurder.com/

SX | tori4fun w/ Bob Motta (AFTERSHOW) Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

The extended version of this episode is available ad-free on Patreon and Apple Plus.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/87357593
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Bob Motta has been practicing law for over 20 years. He graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law and became licensed in 2001. Since then, he helped found the law firm Motta & Motta where he practiced law alongside both his father and his wife.
Mr. Motta has been named a top 100 trial lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers Association and he's a long-standing and respected member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
His so-called true crime "claim-to-fame" is the fact that his father, Robert M. Motta I, was the defense attorney for the notorious serial killer, John Wayne Gacy.
Today, Bob is going to help us break down the upcoming legal case against Eleanor Hunton Hoppe.
After you listen to this episode, please go binge his podcast series Defense Diaries: Season 1, The Gacy Tapes in which he reveals mind-blowing secrets about the handling of the Gacy case by the Chicago PD...I can't tell you more, you'll have to hear it to believe it.
Listen here:
https://apple.co/3OpeXd5
https://spoti.fi/3DKop67
https://defensediaries.com/

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