True Crime Brewery

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Sources

2 Michigan brothers are charged in hunters’ disappearance 18 years ago, Deseret News, 5/16/2003

Darker Than Night by Tom Henderson

Two Hunters Murdered Near Mio, Michigan Chopped Up and Fed to Pigs, WGRD, Tom Carroll, 8/8/2022

Two Sentenced for Murder of Detroit Hunters, The Michigan Daily, 10/30/2003

The Candy Man Killer & the Lost Boys of Houston Heights Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

Back in the summer of 1973, the Houston Police were called to a home where a 33-year-old man named Dean Corll had been shot to death. This crime scene led them to search a shed he had been renting and a wooded area nearby. Finally, the community would learn what had happened to their missing boys. And the details would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Join us at the quiet end for The Candy Man Killer and the Lost Boys of Houston Heights. In December 1970, two teenaged boys disappeared from the Heights neighborhood in Houston. Then more went missing, one after another. As the number of missing kids grew, people had no idea that a sadistic serial killer and his teenage accomplices were living among them. The police had been telling parents not to worry—their sons had simply run away to join a commune or find work. But the truth was heartbreaking, and the impact is still felt today.

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Sources

Effort Continues to Identify Last Known Victim in Killing Spree, Houston Chronicle, Monica Rohr, 2014.

Filmmakers May have Discovered New Victim of 1970s Mass Murders, ABC13 News, Ted Oberg, 2012.

The Lost Boys, Texas Monthly, Skip Hollandsworth, 2011.

The Man with Candy by Jack Olsen

Death of a Prison Bride Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

Carol Montecalvo was a devoted Christian who married her prison pen pal. Once he was released, they seemed happy. But on the evening of March 31, 1988, Carol and her husband Dan were shot. Dan survived. Carol was killed. After Carol’s death, Dan told police that, on the night of the shooting, he and Carol went for a walk together around the neighborhood. When they returned to the house, Carol was shot to death by an intruder. Dan suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

Join us at the quiet end for Death of a Prison Bride. Dan claimed that he found his wife bleeding on the floor of their home that night. And evidence in the Montecalvo home seemed to support a burglary gone wrong— until it didn’t. Investigators became suspicious of Dan when they learned of his extensive criminal past, his large gambling debts, and the $600,000 in life insurance he held on Carol’s life. So, did Dan find God or did Carol just find herself an evil man?

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Sources

Burbank Man Guilty of Murdering Wife: Jury decides that ex-convict killed his spouse to collect her insurance, Los Angeles Times, Jesse Katz, 11/6/1990

Final Vows by Karen Kingsbury, 2013

The Perfect Murder, Murder by the Book, S3 E9, 7/27/2016

Tardy Confession: Woman Says Convicted Man Didn’t Kill His Wife, Los Angeles Times, Victor Merina, 1/6/1991

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The Parachute Murder Plot Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

Emile Cilliers tried to murder his wife Victoria by sabotaging her parachute, but that was not his first attempt to kill her. Emile had a long history of lying, stealing, and having extramarital affairs. He also had a temper. Victoria knew that her husband was often dishonest and emotionally closed off, but she desperately wanted to keep her family together for the sake of their children. She could not even imagine that the father of her children would want her dead.

Join us at the quiet end for The Parachute Murder Plot. Things were far from ideal in the Cilliers marriage, but Victoria was in love and unaware of much of what was going on behind her back. Emile liked to spend money on anonymous sex, frivolous luxuries, and vacations with his girlfriend. He took out high interest payday loans and skimmed money from Victoria’s bank account, all the while gaslighting her into thinking she was emotionally unstable. But as Victoria worried about her troubled marriage, Emile gave her bits of hope. He used her love for her family as a weapon against her and set her up for a terrifying death.

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Sources

Chute to Kill: Jealous Belgian Skydiver Convicted of Murder, Time, Leo Cendrowicz, 11/30/2019

Els Clottemans, Belgian Skydiver Who Doctored Parachute of Love Rival Gets 30 Years, The Huffington Post, Robert Wielaard, 10/21/2010

The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot, Channel4UK, 5/28/2024

How Often do Parachutes Fail? Skydive Monroe, https://skydivemonroe.com/blog/parachute-fails-to-open-when-skydiving/, 8/23/2023

Inside the world of parachute murder plotter who was jailed for life for trying to kill his wife, https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/parachute-murder-channel-4-documentary-victoria-cilliers-emile-skydive-the-fall/, 6/11/2024

I Survived by Victoria Cilliers 2020

The Parachute Murder Plot, All3Media, with Fiona, 2018

Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, GC Smith & JP Pell, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC300808/, 12/20/2003

Sex, lies and payday loans: The parachute murder plot, BBC.com, Bethen Bell, 6/15/2028

The Burden of Bias Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

Christa Worthington was a Vassar grad from a prominent family, living on her own on Cape Cod. She had left behind her career as a fashion writer for a simpler life, having a daughter on her own and raising her on the Cape. Then, in January 2002, forty-six-year-old Christa was found stabbed to death in the kitchen of her cottage with her toddler daughter clinging to her body but unharmed.

Join us at the quiet end for The Burden of Bias. After Christa’s murder, suspicions pointed toward several local men she’d known. But in 2005, investigators arrested Christopher McCowen, a thirty-four-year-old African American garbage man. According to the police, McCowen gave inconsistent stories. He was convicted in a trial that was filled with conflicting testimony and police misconduct. But in January 2008, a hearing was held to determine whether racism was a factor in the jury’s decision to convict McCowen. Three jury members testified that fellow jurors made racist remarks during deliberations, raising questions about whether his trial was fair and unbiased. Since then, there have been two distinct sides to this story as McCowen’s attorneys work to get him a new trial.

Click here to read John Leake’s book “The Meaning of Malice”

Sources

A Killing on the Cape podcast, ABC News, 2017

COMMONWEALTH vs. CHRISTOPHER M. MCCOWEN, 458 Mass. 461, 5/7/2010-12/10/2010, https://law.justia.com/cases/massachusetts/supreme-court/volumes/458/458mass461.html

Massachusetts Supreme Court Rejects McCowen’s Appeal of Conviction for Christa Worthington Murder, Lefteris K. Travaykis, Esq., 12/16/2010, https://www.bostoncriminallawyersblog.com/massachusetts-supreme-court-re-2/

Murder on the Cape, 48 Hours, S30 E8, 11/19/2017

Reasonable Doubt: The Fashion Writer, Cape Cod, and the Trial of Chris McCowen by Peter Manso

Revisiting the Christa Worthington Murder 20 Years Later, Caitlyn Flynn, 6/2/2022, https://crimereads.com/revisiting-the-christa-worthington-murder-20-years-later/

Where are they now? Key players in the Christa Worthington murder case 20 years later, Cape Cod Times, Eric Williams, 1/5/2022

Death Followed Her Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

Sandra Bridewell lived a life of privilege throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. In fact, her life could have been described as near perfect if not for the trail of dead bodies left in her wake. Her first husband, a prominent dentist, died in their home in 1975. Her second husband, a real estate developer, died of cancer in 1982. Shortly after his death, his oncologist’s wife was found shot to death in her car just hours after giving Sandra a ride to the airport. Three years after that, Sandra’s third husband Alan was found shot to death in his car where he was last seen driving to meet her. And six months after that, Alan’s cousin was found shot to death in his garage.

Join us at the quiet end for Death Followed Her. Sandra Bridewell had a way about her, especially when it came to men. She was a confessed con artist and a skilled liar. But finding her legally responsible for the suspicious deaths of the people around her would prove next to impossible for law enforcement. Under suspicion, Sandra would elude accountability for her crimes, frustrating victims’ families and detectives for years.

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Sources

The Black Widow, D Magazine, Glenna Whitley, 5/1/1987

Black Widow Feels the Sting of the Long, Long Arm of the Law, Dallas Observer, Robert Wilonsky, 3/8/2007

Black Widow Pleads Guilty, D Magazine, Glenna Whitley, 2/28/2008

Glenna Whitley Has a Date with Dateline NBC Tonight, D Magazine, Robert Wilonsky, 8/6/2007

The Meaning of Malice by John Leake

The Meaning of Malice Documentary, John Leake, https://vimeo.com/943420674

The Sting, Dateline Secrets Uncovered, S6 E1, 1/5/2019

Tangled Web, Dateline NBC, 8/6/2007

Web of Suspicion: The Oklahoma Tie to the Black Widow of Dallas, New9.com, Kelly Ogle, 5/5/2022

Whatever Happened to the Black Widow: Sandra Bridewell, D Magazine, Glenna Whitley, 5/1/1989

Killer Kids: The Plot to Kill Susan Bailey Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

In 2008, single mother Susan Bailey was working two jobs to make sure that her children, 17-year-old Jennifer and 13-year-old David, had everything they needed. But on September 26^th, when Susan didn’t show up for work, her employer called Susan’s mother, Kate, in Minnesota. Susan’s mother hadn’t heard from her daughter or her two grandchildren. She tried all of their phones repeatedly but no one was answering. Eventually, Kate called the police to go out to her daughter’s Roanoke, Texas home and do a welfare check. The police went to the house, but all was quiet and they saw no signs of trouble. No one answered the door and Susan’s car wasn’t there. What the police and Kate didn’t know was that Jennifer was obsessed with her boyfriend, Paul Henson, and that Paul and Jennifer had made plans to run away together.

Join us at the quiet end for Killer Kids. At 3:30 in the morning on September 28, a police officer in South Dakota pulled over three teenagers travelling in Susan’s car. The teens were taken into custody and Susan’s house was finally searched by police. What they found was a shockingly violent and bloody crime scene described by one detective as “a slaughterhouse.”

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Sources

Affidavits: 4 Teens Planned to Kill N. Texas Mom, NBC DFW5, 10/8/2008, retrieved 6/2/2024

Jennifer Bailey & Paul Henson, Snapped Killer Couples, S17 E14, 3/2024

Let’s Kill Mom by Donna Fielder

Teen Killers, Facing Evil, 12/2012

Teen takes plea bargain for killing girlfriend’s mother, WFAA ABC, 10/19/2009, retrieved 6/2/2024

Fatal Jealousy: The Plot to Kill Kendra Hatcher Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

In 2015, 35-year-old Kendra Hatcher became a victim of a murder-for-hire plot fueled by jealousy. Kendra was a pediatric dentist living in Dallas who was in a romantic relationship with dermatologist Ricky Paniagua. She was in love with Ricky, but she didn’t know that Ricky had a jealous ex who was stalking her and eventually wanted her dead.

Join us at the quiet end for Fatal Jealousy. Ricky’s ex-girlfriend Brenda Delgado had been devastated since he broke up with her in an email that June. That summer, Kendra and Ricky had gone out to dinner, taken trips, and posted smiling photos of themselves on Facebook. Then, on September 2, the day before Ricky and Kendra were to fly to Cancun for a long weekend, someone walked up to Kendra in her apartment parking garage and shot her in the back of her head. No one could imagine who would have a motive to kill Kendra—until investigators spoke with Brenda’s co-conspirators and learned of her obsession with Ricky and her simmering hate for Kendra.

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Sources

10 Minutes to Sunset, Dateline NBC, S29, E14, Aired 11/13/2020, Retrieved 5/19/2024

Brenda Delgado Found Guilty Of Capital Murder In Death Of Dallas Dentist Kendra Hatcher, CBS News Texas, 6/7/2019, Retrieved 5/18/2024

Brenda Delgado v. The State of Texas Appeal from 363rd Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Opinion filed 10/21/2021

The Doctor, the Dentist, and the Killer, Texas Monthly, Skip Hollandsworth, 1/2020

Kristopher Love, Hitman in Killing of Dallas Dentist, is sentenced to death, NBC News, Alex Johnson, 10/31/2018

Dr. Killer: The Murder of Deepti Gupta May 20, 2024

Show notes

California physicians Deepti Gupta and Kevin Paul Anderson were starting their own pediatric practice together when they had an affair. Both were married to other people. Anderson was loved by his patients and had been a mentor to Deepti, who was ten years younger. The day before she was murdered, Deepti had finished all her requirements to become a fully-licensed pediatrician in the State of California and she was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. But Deepti had a secret—she was pregnant with Anderson’s child.

Join us at the quiet end for Dr. Killer. With his career and marriage at risk if news of Deepti’s pregnancy got out, Anderson asked her to meet him in the San Gabriel Mountains to talk. That same night, Deepti’s car and body were found at the bottom of a steep cliff. After recovering her body, it was determined that she had been strangled, her body and car doused with gasoline, and shoved over the cliffside. It was clear that Anderson was responsible, but was this premeditated first-degree murder or a crime of passion?

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Sources

Death of a Doctor: Two Doctors, Obsessive Love, and Murder by Carlton Smith

Los Angeles Times Archives, 1999-2012

The Missing Sodder Children May 06, 2024

Show notes

Just after midnight on Christmas Eve 1945, Jennie Sodder woke up to the smell of smoke. The home she shared with her husband, George, and nine of their children, was going up in flames. It would be over seven hours before the fire department arrived. By then, the two-story house had burned to the ground — and five of the Sodder children were missing. In fact, to this day, no one knows what happened to the Sodder children. Their family never saw them again and their remains were never found.

Join us at the quiet end for The Missing Sodder Children. Although authorities determined that the children — Maurice, 14; Martha, 12; Louis, 10; Jennie Irene, 8; and Betty, 5 — had died in the fire, their family was not convinced. How could they have perished in the fire without any bones being found? Because of the strange events before, during, and after the tragic fire as well as a stunningly incompetent investigation, the case continues to be one of history’s most disturbing and intriguing unsolved mysteries.

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