True Crime Campfire

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Latest Episodes:

Payback: The Murder of Ted Ammon, Pt 1 Nov 15, 2024

As much as most of us might try to live easy, conflict-free lives, sometimes you just can’t avoid an uncomfortable interaction. Maybe an unpleasant neighbor gets in your face about nothing at all, maybe someone behind a counter gives you all kinds of attitude, it’s more or less inevitable that sooner or later, someone will throw some grit into the smoothly turning gears of your life. And most of us just deal with it and forget about it. Most of us don’t have actual “enemies,” but the main character in this week’s story made enemies like it was her full-time job. She would burn down years-long friendships over the smallest imagined slight, and if there were an actual, real betrayal—well, she’d burn down your whole life. Join us for part 1 of a story of explosive rage and revenge, set in one of the richest neighborhoods in the world.
Sources:
Almost Paradise by Kieran Crowley
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Let the Right One In: A Halloween Special Nov 01, 2024

Monsters in folklore are easy for us to comprehend. You can only kill a werewolf with a silver bullet, to stop a zombie for good, you have to destroy its brain, and vampires can’t enter your home without your permission. They also have pretty straightforward motivations. Werewolves: Animalistic rage. Zombies: Brains. Vampires: Blood. Human monsters have motivations that are a lot more opaque. What would possess someone to kidnap a woman in broad daylight? To break into a home in the middle of the night to kill the strangers inside? What if no one saw anything? How do you catch a ghost?
Case 1: The Murder of Ethel Kidd
Case 2: The Miyazawa Family Murders
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jan/07/jonathanwatts.theobserver https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/drumoorhouse/setagaya-family-murders-unsolved https://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=1784
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/DownloadDraft.aspx?key=ymB6nZIkmtMHmD4fHNtFClpXxLVi5INdtxEH7GVV6SO/J3tQV0Oi1OZsY1fMY0sHi8/+hJhQOuHrWPxzeSFPfA==
https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/new-book-claims-to-shed-light-on-2000-setagaya-family-murders https://mcsmrampage.com/2020/10/text/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/garden-of-unborn-children https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-29/the-house-of-horrors-in-setagaya-japan/11771304
https://smol.news/p/the-scary-strange-setagaya-family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHI4Q6bmnnU&t=270s
https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/what-we-really-know-about-the-setagaya-family-murder-a87389875e71 https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/safe_society/wanted/seijo.files/eng.pdf https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/safe_society/wanted/seijo.html Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack, Season 4, Episode 3 https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1074838/edward-wayne-beverly-v-commonwealth-of-virginia/
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Stranger Than Fiction Vol. 5: Petty Motives Edition Oct 25, 2024

We tend to cover strange cases on our show. We seek them out, because we find that there are always interesting lessons to be learned there. But when it comes to weird, some cases are in a category all their own. Like a pair of high school students so upset about a grade that they plot the brutal murder of their Spanish teacher…and a mother so obsessed with protecting her child from pain that she loses all sense of right and wrong. They’re two very different cases on the face of things, but underneath they have one major thing in common—the motive is just bizarre.
Case 1: Final Bell: The Murder of Nohema Graber
Case 2: Dark Magic: The Murder of Joey Fischer
Sources:
Interrogation of Willard Chaiden Miller by Fairfield PD
Interrogation of Jeremy Goodale by Fairfield PD
Law & Crime network, YouTube
Couch Detectives, YouTube
NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/slain-iowa-teacher-nohema-graber-remembered-best-us-rcna4710
The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/09/13/murder-on-the-border https://blog.chron.com/narcoconfidential/2013/09/twenty-years-later-recollections-of-wilder-than-fiction-south-texas-murder/
https://myrgv.com/featured/2021/12/11/motion-for-early-release-denied-dora-cisneros-to-serve-out-life-sentence/
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Lightning Strikes Twice: The Crimes of Harold Henthorn Oct 18, 2024

The philosopher and all-round barrel of laughs Albert Camus wrote, “To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.” Like any good philosophical quote, you can interpret it in a few ways. To not worry overly much about other people’s opinion of you can be a healthy lesson to learn, for example. But the main character in this week’s case would have a different interpretation—nothing and no-one mattered except his own grasping need for money and control, a need that would tear into pieces the lives of everyone around him. Join us for the story of a serial black widower--a man whose charm and pious Christian exterior hid a devious, murderous heart.
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Sources:
Black Widower by Michael Fleeman
Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/black-widower-how-one-man-allegedly-murdered-two-wives-199999/
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-10th-circuit/1868895.html
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Listen Now: Kill List Oct 14, 2024

In the depths of the dark net, tech journalist Carl Miller makes a disturbing discovery: a secret Kill List targeting hundreds of innocent people on a murder for hire website. When the police decide not to investigate, Carl is thrown into a race against time to warn those in danger and uncover the truth about the people who want them dead. From Wondery and Novel, comes a true story about obsession, control and the price of life and death.
Listen to Kill List on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts: Wondery.fm/KL_TCCF
You can listen to Kill List and more Exhibit C true crime shows like Morbid early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. Check out Exhibit C in the Wondery App for all your true crime listening.

Ambush: The Murders of Alan and Terra Bates Oct 11, 2024

There’s an old saying: Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy? The answer, for most of us, is obvious. We want to be happy. And sometimes, that means compromising. Not getting exactly what we want. Not winning. But for some people, the only thing that can make them happy is conquest. They’ll always choose being right—always choose winning, no matter what the stakes. Even if it leaves a smoking wreckage behind them. Join us for a true story of smoldering rage and revenge--and one of the worst "bad bitches" we've covered so far.
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Sources:
Death Trap by M. William Phelps
Murderpedia, Jessica McCord (various articles): https://murderpedia.org/female.M/m/mccord-jessica.htm#google_vignette
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Enlightened: The Bizarre World of the Breatharians Oct 04, 2024

For thousands of years, human beings have sought spiritual connection and enlightenment. A lot of us are seekers by nature, we want to know why we’re here and what—if anything—comes next. Sometimes it can seem like most of humankind is walking around with their heads in the sand, and we don’t wanna be one of those people. We want to chase after the secrets. We want to be plugged in. There’s a long tradition, as part of this search for truth, of self-deprivation as a spiritual virtue. Taking a vow of silence or poverty. Forbidding alcohol or dancing or sex. Fasting. Some people believe it strips away everything extra and leaves the spirit more open to connection with the infinite. Others prefer a more balanced approach to life, like the Buddhist Middle Way. But for those who choose to throw away worldly pleasures, the path can get pretty extreme. Today we’ll tell you about a group who claim they’ve given up one of our most basic needs—food—and have learned to live on nothing but light and air. Are these people just fully spiritually attuned, or are they just grifters?
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Sources:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascended_master
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmuheen
Cult Education Institute: https://culteducation.com/group/848-breatharianism/3279-prison-for-air-cult-discipless.html
Cult Education Institute: https://www.culteducation.com/group/848-breatharianism/3269-three-deaths-linked-to-living-on-air-cults.html
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/International/man-eat-drink/story?id=10787036
GQ Magazine: https://www.gq.com/story/breatharians-the-people-who-think-air-is-food Vice: https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-one-hundred-day-fast/
YouTuber “Atrocity Guide”
Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2020/01/living-on-air-the-crazy-ideas-and-consequences-of-breatharians/
The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gaunt-and-weak-the-sham-diet-guru-who-refuses-to-see-the-light-737972.html The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/sep/28/millennium.uk Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2135324/Woman-starves-death-spiritual-journey-trying-live-sunlight-alone.html
CNN: https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/21/media/breatharian-couple-news-outlets/index.html#:~:text=After%20it%20was%20contacted%20by,the%20New%20York%20Post's%20story.
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Prey: The Story of the Beast of Gevaudan Sep 27, 2024

Like a lot of fairy tales, early versions of “Little Red Riding Hood” were quite a bit different from the story most of us heard growing up. There was no heroic huntsman with an axe, there was no tricking the wolf into a well. At the end of the tale, girl and grandmother were both devoured, and the only happy-ever-after was for the wolf. For most of human history, wolves have been a source of real darkness and fear—and for most of human history, that reputation had been entirely undeserved. But not always. Every now and again, growling, sharp-fanged beasts have wreaked havoc throughout the land, a grim reminder of primordial times when mankind was just another target to fill an empty stomach…and at least part of the origin of the werewolf stories we still love telling today. Join us for the perfect start to the Halloween season, a true story straight out of the Grimm Brothers.
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Sources:
Beast by S.R Schwalb and Gustavo Sanchez Romero
Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/beast-gevaudan-terrorized-france-countryside-180963820/
Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-has-a-group-of-orcas-suddenly-started-attacking-boats/
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Less Dead: Serial Killer Robert Willie Pickton, FINALE Sep 20, 2024

Psychologist Rolio May said, “Hate is not the opposite of love. Apathy is.” Over the course of the last three episodes, we’ve discussed how apathy paved the way for a horrific criminal to wreak havoc on the women of Vancouver. Willie Pickton was only allowed to continue his crimes, to rack up the number of bodies he did, because the government and the police didn’t do their jobs, were apathetic to the cries for help coming from the downtown eastside. Today, we have finally reached the conclusion to this chilling story. Justice will finally be served, but just a little too late for too many women.
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Sources:
Cameron, Stevie. On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women. Knopf Canada. Kindle Edition.
https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw?utm_term=mmiw%20statistics&utm_campaign=MMIW+-+Search&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_tgt=kwd-1652454857508&hsa_grp=144380966783&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=b&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=646853914079&hsa_acc=3651624507&hsa_kw=mmiw%20statistics&hsa_cam=19633980915&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwlbu2BhA3EiwA3yXyu8y0N86jvR6NFomqQUWY1AD3h0y48ITuUopInfNw6Tb_MBFkRKbaRhoC0ikQAvD_BwE
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/05/features11.g2
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Less Dead: Serial Killer Robert Willie Pickton, Pt 3 Sep 13, 2024

Once an avalanche starts, there’s nothing that can be done to stop it. You can prevent them, you can prepare for them, but by the time you start to hear the ice cracking, it’s almost always too late. The case of Willie Pickton feels a little bit like an avalanche. For the past two episodes, the people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside have been hearing ominous creaks, trying hard to determine what the cause is. Unfortunately for dozens of women, help wouldn’t come in time. Part 3 of this chilling true story.
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Sources:
Cameron, Stevie. On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women. Knopf Canada. Kindle Edition.
https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw?utm_term=mmiw%20statistics&utm_campaign=MMIW+-+Search&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_tgt=kwd-1652454857508&hsa_grp=144380966783&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=b&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=646853914079&hsa_acc=3651624507&hsa_kw=mmiw%20statistics&hsa_cam=19633980915&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwlbu2BhA3EiwA3yXyu8y0N86jvR6NFomqQUWY1AD3h0y48ITuUopInfNw6Tb_MBFkRKbaRhoC0ikQAvD_BwE
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/05/features11.g2
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Less Dead: Serial Killer Robert Willie Pickton Pt 2 Sep 06, 2024

When we last left off, Willie Pickton was just starting his reign of terror over the women of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Nancy Clark was missing, along with several other women, whose disappearances would never be solved. The Pickton farm was quickly becoming a criminal headquarters, thanks to Dave Pickton’s infatuation with the Hell’s Angels gang. The Vancouver Police didn’t care. The missing women were sex workers and addicts, and therefore, less worthy of effort. The horror of this story is not only the monstrous actions of Willie Pickton, but also the apathy of the same people that were supposed to protect and serve. Join us for part 2 of this chilling story.
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Sources:
Cameron, Stevie. On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women. Knopf Canada. Kindle Edition.
https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw?utm_term=mmiw%20statistics&utm_campaign=MMIW+-+Search&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_tgt=kwd-1652454857508&hsa_grp=144380966783&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=b&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=646853914079&hsa_acc=3651624507&hsa_kw=mmiw%20statistics&hsa_cam=19633980915&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwlbu2BhA3EiwA3yXyu8y0N86jvR6NFomqQUWY1AD3h0y48ITuUopInfNw6Tb_MBFkRKbaRhoC0ikQAvD_BwE
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/05/features11.g2
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Less Dead: Serial Killer Robert Willie Pickton, Pt 1 Aug 30, 2024

In his book, Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime, Eric Hickey wrote about a type of victim that he called, “the Less Dead”. These are people that are seen by the media or law enforcement as having less value than others. Usually sex workers, drug addicts, houseless people, and sexual or racial minorities. The case we’re discussing today is about dozens of these types of victims. Women whose disappearances were ignored or were straight up covered up because they happened to be addicts or sex workers. One police officer told a woman’s terrified family that the series of missing women were “just junkies and hookers. Don’t waste our time.” These were human beings. With friends and families, hopes, dreams, stories, lives. The fact that the authorities ignored their disappearances for so long is one of the worst miscarriages of justice that we’ve seen in our decades of true crime study. This killer roamed the streets of Vancouver, like a shark swimming among a school of fish, unchecked and under the radar, taking almost 50 lives before anyone stopped him.
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Sources:
Cameron, Stevie. On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women. Knopf Canada. Kindle Edition.
https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw?utm_term=mmiw%20statistics&utm_campaign=MMIW+-+Search&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_tgt=kwd-1652454857508&hsa_grp=144380966783&hsa_src=g&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_mt=b&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=646853914079&hsa_acc=3651624507&hsa_kw=mmiw%20statistics&hsa_cam=19633980915&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwlbu2BhA3EiwA3yXyu8y0N86jvR6NFomqQUWY1AD3h0y48ITuUopInfNw6Tb_MBFkRKbaRhoC0ikQAvD_BwE
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/05/features11.g2
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Cradle to Grave, Volume II: Two More Killer Kids Aug 23, 2024

Adults like to think of kids as the embodiment of innocence—and in a lot of ways, they are. But…remember what it was like to actually be a kid? Did other kids seem innocent to us then? Not so much. The playground could be a battle zone. Gym class could be Lord of the Flies. Kids have strong, complicated emotions just like we do, but without the impulse control that comes with a fully-developed prefrontal cortex. Most of the time, the worst thing that comes from that is a tantrum in the middle of Costco, or a loud, teary breakup in the middle school cafeteria that ends up going viral on TikTok. But for some kids, just like some adults, the outcome is much, much darker. Case 1: The story of a 14 year old aspiring serial killer who murdered his unsuspecting best friend. Case 2: A greedy young man took the lives of his entire family just to inherit some cash.
Sources:
A&E's "American Justice," episode “Millions of Reasons to Kill”
Court papers: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-caed-1_06-cv-00186/pdf/USCOURTS-caed-1_06-cv-00186-7.pdf
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-13-mn-49271-story.html
Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/05/19/2-cops-work-5-years-to-prove-son-had-family-killed/
Investigation Discovery's "Signs of a Psychopath," episode "I'm Not the Monster I Was"
Medium, Rivy Lyon: https://medium.com/the-crime-center/14-year-old-lures-friend-to-a-gruesome-death-in-middle-school-bathroom-b5ee8df8e915
The Ledger: https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2004/03/20/state-releases-teen-slaying-suspects-journal/26105617007/
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The People's Monster: Serial Killer in the City of Light Pt 2 Aug 16, 2024

In Part One last week, we introduced you to the strange world of Marcel Petiot, doctor, failed politician, and serial killer in wartime Paris. The horrific discovery of dismembered bodies at Dr. Petiot’s mansion had triggered a massive manhunt, and we’re going to pick up the police investigation now in Part Two of “The People’s Monster.” Note: Katie was sick this week, so Whitney had to take this one solo! Katie will be back next episode.
Sources:
Death In the City of Light by David King
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The People's Monster: Serial Killer in the City of Light Pt 1 Aug 09, 2024

There aren’t many darker places to be than in a city occupied by an enemy during a brutal war, living without freedom, in constant fear, and with little or no recourse to justice. For a crime to be able to shock even people living under those conditions, it has to be something truly terrifying, and that is what the people in Paris during World War II experienced when a series of gruesome murders were uncovered. Join us for part 1 of the disturbing story of serial killer Dr. Marcel Petiot.
Sources:
Death In the City of Light by David King
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Ensnared: The Murder of Katy Briscoe Aug 02, 2024

Sometimes, danger comes in hot, with blazing red flags and alarm bells so loud they drown out everything else. Plenty of warning signs to activate the fight or flight instinct, put us on guard. But that’s not always the way it happens. Sometimes, danger slinks in silently, coiling itself around us without us even noticing, until it’s already around our throat—and any chance for escape is long past. Today, we have one of those stories, where a talented young woman didn’t realize she was in a killer’s sights until it was far too late.
Sources:
Daily Mail: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20120726/282063389094525
Cosmopolitan: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a30199/time-to-ban-racist-porn/
Borehamwood Times: https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/9839685.catherine-wynters-family-in-exclusive-interview-after-tony-bushby-sentenced-for-her-murder/
Watford Observer: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/9836873.family-pay-tribute-to-catherine-wynter-as-murderer-tony-bushby-is-jailed-for-life/
"Nightmare in Suburbia," episode "The Babysitter and the Cyber-Killer"
"When Kids Kill," episode "Catfish Killer"
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Lost Highway: The Murders at Moclips Beach Jul 26, 2024

It’s kind of hard to pin down what the first slasher movie was. Do you start with “Psycho” in 1960? Go even further back? But there’s no real doubt when the genre blossomed—the 1970s. And that makes sense, because the 1970s was also when the shocking crimes of serial killers really permeated the national consciousness. You ask someone to name a serial killer, there’s a good chance they’ll name someone who was mostly or exclusively active in the ‘70s—Bundy, Gacy, BTK, Son of Sam. The slasher movies tapped into a growing awareness that there really were terrifyingly dangerous people out there, killers who didn’t even have to know you to want you dead. This is the story of the horrible murders of two young hitchhikers, at a time when such cases were startlingly common.

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Sources:
Ann Rule—Last Dance, Last Chance—"The Beach”
Court papers:,https://casetext.com/case/state-v-batten-3
https://www.thedailyworld.com/news/gone-girl-the-disappearance-of-laura-flink/ https://charleyproject.org/case/laura-lee-asynithe-flink
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Gaslight, Gatekeep, GirlBoss: A Girl Gang Grab-Bag Jul 19, 2024

Like most American Millennials, I was subjected to Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE. It was the typical kind of “Drugs Are Bad, mmmkay?” sort of thing. Police officers would come to school and show 2nd graders pictures of smoker lungs and suggest that everyone and their mom would be peer pressuring you to smoke weed and/or crack, which was not as big of an issue as some of us might have hoped. During one such class, we were being taught about the danger of gang violence and we were told to draw what we thought a gang member would look like. Yes, it does sound like a potentially extremely racist arts and crafts session, but yours truly decided to get creative. I drew a woman wearing a crop top and JNCO jeans. The DARE officer looked at my drawing and told me that women weren’t ever members of gangs, but were usually girlfriends, which made my tiny feminist hackles raise. What do you MEAN there weren’t any lady gang members? Whatever men could do, women could do, right? EQUALITY, RIGHT? If she had been prepared for nuance beyond her vaguely racist lesson, she might have talked about the culture of toxic masculinity that pervades most gangs as we think about them today and often, women have to carve out their own niche when it comes to organized crime. Officer Silva, this one’s for you.

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Sources:
Heritage of Endurance: Family Patterns and Delinquency Formation in Urban Japan By Hiroshi Wagatsuma, George A. De Vos
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/the-queens-of-the-forties-1683/ https://www.dannydutch.com/post/meet-the-forty-elephants-the-all-girl-gang-from-london https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QZEnyZyYo4 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00220094211018490
https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/ww2/Pages/life-juveniles.aspx#:~:text=(Image%20source%3A%203%20)%20Wartime,year%20of%20World%20War%20II. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001112875500100210?journalCode=cada https://apnews.com/article/japan-gangsters-yakuza-crime-fdb57ffd2325fb3aba8c211a30b6c861 https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a60938449/under-the-bridge-manjit-suman-reena-virk-parents/ https://web.archive.org/web/20090801004713/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060719/virk_killer_060719?s_name=&no_ads= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/reena-virk-kelly-ellard-sim-1.7185366 https://www.vice.com/en/article/qvpqa7/the-unforgettable-story-of-a-bc-teen-murdered-by-her-peers https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/13803/1/MQ49780.pdf https://www.vicnews.com/news/kelly-ellard-declines-chance-for-full-parole-says-shes-not-ready-
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One Step Behind: A Stalkers Grab Bag Jul 12, 2024

Obsession can be a good thing. An obsessed athlete can spend hours practicing to be the best they can be, an obsessed collector can find joy and community in the thrill of the hunt, or obsession can drive an artist to explore the human condition in a way that moves everyone that sees their art. But obsession can veer into something darker if the object of it is a person. That’s how you get a stalker. Someone who is so consumed with the life of another almost always pushes the boundaries of appropriate behavior. If you’ve seen the show Baby Reindeer, you’ll know that being the target of a stalker’s attention can have serious consequences. Today, we have two stalker stories for you. The first is about how a stalker can project their own feelings of love and affection onto their victim, to a violent outcome. In the second, we’ll tell you a story about how one of the largest companies in the world harassed a couple for the crime of blogging. This is One Step Behind: A Stalkers Grab Bag.
Sources:

Journal of Homicide and Major Incident Investigation, V6I2 Autumn 2010, “Operation Hydration” https://library.college.police.uk/docs/J_Homicide_MII/J_Homicide_6.2.pdf
Nightmare in Suburbia, S2E5, “The Internet Stalker”
World’s Most Evil Killers, S3E15, David Heiss
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/26/technology/ebay-cockroaches-stalking-scandal.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/technology/ebay-cyberstalking-crimes.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ex-ebay-manager-prison-harassing-natick-couple-stephanie-popp/
https://www.svvoice.com/former-cop-discussed-using-scpd-contacts-to-obstruct-cyberstalking-investigation/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/ebay-inc-pay-3-million-connection-corporate-cyberstalking-campaign-targeting
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/couples-case-over-ebay-stalking-campaign-can-move-forward-us-judge-rules-2023-12-13/
https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/gdpzwzqykvw/12122023ebay.pdf

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Tin Soldiers: The Murder of Carole Garton Jul 05, 2024

When it comes to stuff, I really feel like counterfeit can be just as good as the real thing. Give me a lab-created diamond any day; I can show off some sparkle without robbing a bank. Same goes for shoes and bags and perfume dupes—I’m happy to sport a convincing knockoff. Fake isn’t always bad. But when it comes to people, it’s a whole different story. Especially when we’re talking fake doctor, or fake financial advisor…or as we’ll see in today’s story, fake assassin. Join us for a story of counterfeit clout, astounding gullibility, and greed, that when mixed all together, led to a deadly conclusion.
This is a wild one, folks.
Sources:
Kill or be Killed by Robert Scott
Oxygen's "Mastermind of Murder," S2E10, “Under Covers”
The Investigators, S1E8, “Toy Soldier”
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-supreme-court/1891091.html
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Phantom: The Murder of Heidi Bernadzikowski Jun 28, 2024

I'm not going to try and do his voice because it'd tear my throat up, but Hollywood legend Jack Palance once said, "The only two things you can truly depend upon are gravity and greed." Greed has been a motivation in more true crime cases than I can count, and it's astonishing how a grasping desire for dollars and cents can twist the human heart. It can drive someone to acts of both chilling cruelty and jaw-dropping stupidity, and in this week's case we get both. Join us for a bizarre true story of a heartless murder for hire that took 11 long years to solve.
Sources:
Court papers: https://casetext.com/case/cooke-v-gang
Court papers: https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/unreported-opinions/0815s23.pdf
Interrogation footage from the interrogations of Alexander Bennett and Grant Lewis
NBC's Dateline, episode "Indiscretion"
Investigation Discovery's True Crime with Aphrodite Jones, episode "Discreet House Cleaning"
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Burning Down the House: A Casino Bandit Grab Bag Jun 21, 2024

Almost everyone who walks into a casino feeling confident that they’re gonna walk out richer is what is technically known as “a sucker.” Every game you play at a casino gives the house an edge. Not much of one—otherwise, why would people play? Players have to win a decent portion of the time, that’s why they keep putting their money down on the table. But behind the glitz and glamour, casinos run on cold mathematical certainty. Over the long term, over hundreds of hands of cards and rolls of the dice and spins of the wheel, the house ultimately always wins. But what if they didn’t? What if people, through brainpower and daring, managed to beat the odds and come out on top? It’s a tantalizing thought—and for the people in these three stories, it was too tempting to pass up.
Sources:
https://www.888casino.com/blog/famous-mit-team-members
BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27519748
Esquire: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a37016468/heather-tallchief-roberto-solis-heist-netflix-now/
NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9766179
Boston Magazine: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2019/06/21/mit-blackjack-team/
NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/us/fugitive-in-armored-car-theft-gives-up-after-12-years.html
New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428644-500-roulette-beater-spills-physics-behind-victory/
Science Alert: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-physicist-has-built-a-machine-that-can-beat-the-odds-at-roulette
Justice.gov: https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nv/news/2006/03302006.html
http://www.richardmunchkin.com/2011/08/my-interview-with-john-laurie-c-mit.html
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/heist-netflix-heather-tallchief-roberto-solis-true-story-facts-documentary-1610361
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Because They Were Home: The Dartmouth Murders, Pt 2 Jun 14, 2024

Our homes are meant to be where we feel the safest, so it makes sense that there’s an entire horror movie subgenre dedicated to home invasions. The Strangers, Panic Room, Funny Games, When a Stranger Calls, even Jordan Peele’s Us. All those movies play on the innate fear we have that our most peaceful area would be disturbed by those that would do us harm. Unfortunately, there are people out there that would do us harm just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Today, we’re finishing one of those stories. Join us for part 2 of the story of the Dartmouth Murders.
Sources:
Judgment Ridge by Lehr and Zuckoff
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Because They Were Home: The Dartmouth Murders Pt 1 Jun 07, 2024

Schopenhauer wrote, “Fate shuffles the cards, and we play.” Every day, every decision we make sparks a chain reaction of others, leading us down a particular path. And with every choice, a universe of other un-choices spins away behind us, forgotten. We all like to think we’re the master of our own destiny, but sometimes…we fall to the whims of chance instead. This is one of those stories—of two boys whose monster egos sent them down a path of destruction, and two innocent victims whose only crime was being there.
Sources:
Judgment Ridge by Lehr and Zuckoff
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Stranger in the Mirror: The Crimes of Theresa Ramirez May 31, 2024

We tend to think of doctors as leading pretty cushy, privileged lives—lots of money, social status, and respect. But a dark trend has been developing in recent years, and it’s only getting worse. Increasingly, doctors are experiencing violence at the hands of their patients. Sometimes it’s a verbal threat, a push or a shove. Sometimes it’s stalking. And sometimes, it’s murder. This is one of those stories, about a woman whose obsession with physical perfection led her to an unimaginable act.
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Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/03/08/dr-michael-davidson-died-as-he-lived-saving-others/?sh=176e90165e12
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Theresa Ramirez"
Dr. Joni Johnston: https://medium.com/crimebeat/the-ugly-truth-behind-the-murder-of-dr-paul-tavis-e5ad525c88ba
SFGate: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/disgruntled-patients-hazardous-to-health-3069418.php
MDLinx: https://www.mdlinx.com/exclusive/unsafe-haven-the-rise-of-violence-against-physicians-in-the-workplace/LyJwbDwQgHps1wJ00QYYn
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Never Enough: The Crimes of Susan Grund May 24, 2024

It’s not unusual or unhealthy to go a little wild when you’re young—to just go looking for a good time with little thought for the consequences. It’s just how human beings are made. But if you’re like that your whole life, relentlessly looking out for your own pleasures and barely aware of the damage you cause along the way, you’re likely to land yourself and everyone around you in a whole mess of trouble.
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Sources:
“Deadly Seduction” by Wensley Clarkson
Court papers: https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/supreme-court/1996/52s00-9408-cr-00725-4.html
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Bat Man: The Murder of Fred Oesterreich May 17, 2024

There’s an old saying: A gilded cage is still a cage. Meaning, you can be in what looks like an enviable situation—all your needs met, plenty of pretty toys to entertain you—and still feel like you’re in prison. The human soul doesn’t take well to being kept in a box, no matter how nice the box may be. There’s a pull toward freedom, even if you have to risk everything to answer it. This is the story of one of the strangest murder cases in American history—a 1920s true Hollywood story about what can happen when a pretty pet gets restless and starts looking for a way to stretch its wings.
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Sources:
"The Man in the Attic" by Denise Noe, CrimeLibrary.com
LAist: "The Murderous Lover Who Lived In A Silver Lake Attic. A True Story" by John Rabe
Investigation Discovery's "A Crime to Remember," episode "Guess Who"
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You Belong with Me: The Murders of Viktor Gunnarsson and Catherine Miller May 10, 2024

Romantic jealousy is, for the most part, fundamental to the human experience, one of the uglier strands in the tangled mess that makes up a heart. Some people manage to overcome it completely, most of us will be familiar with the occasional hot stab of possessiveness. And some people will let jealousy consume them like a wildfire. If that person is also broken in a hundred other ways, then chances are, somebody’s gonna get hurt. Join us for a story of stalking, rage, betrayal and double murder.
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"June's Journey" on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.wooga.junes_journey_hidden_object_mystery_game&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1
Sources:
Paula May, “First Degree Rage”
Paula May, “Raging On”
Investigation Discovery's "Dead of Winter," episode “Cold Blue”
https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/convicted-felon-former-officer-dies-while-serving-sentence-for-25-year-old-murder/article_122572e8-7598-58ce-b4ee-8d36d0f5f428.html
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nc-court-of-appeals/1435151.html
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Is It Fiction? The Crimes of Krystian Bala May 03, 2024

In Dostoevsky’s book Crime and Punishment, the character Raskolnikov says, “All people seem to be divided into 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary'. The ordinary people must lead a life of strict obedience and have no right to transgress the law because they are ordinary. Whereas the extraordinary people have the right to commit any crime they like…just because they happen to be extraordinary.” Spoken like a true psychopath, my dude. It probably won’t surprise you to hear that Raskolnikov murders an old woman in that book—not just for the money, but to prove to himself how “extraordinary” he is. That the rules most of us abide by aren’t for him. Today’s case is about a modern-day Raskolnikov—a self-proclaimed intellectual whose grandiose narcissism hid a deep well of rage and insecurity, and led him to not only commit a brutal murder, but to tell us all about it on his blog.
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"June's Journey" on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.wooga.junes_journey_hidden_object_mystery_game&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1
Sources:
The New Yorker, David Grann: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/02/11/true-crime
Taipei Times: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/09/23/2003380130
The Guardian, Elizabeth Day: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/sep/16/crimebooks.features
Sky TV's "Killers: Behind the Myth," episode "Bala: The Novel Killer"
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Black Flag: The Story of the Pirate Blackbeard Apr 19, 2024

We've talked about a lot of notorious criminals here on True Crime Campfire, but do you think any of today's villains will still be widely known in three-hundred years? Will their names be known to almost everyone, and conjure up vivid if not exactly accurate images of a time long past? The subject of this week's story is a man whose brief but spectacular criminal career wrote him a place in history—not to mention on the hit TV show “Our Flag Means Death.” Time for some true crime on the high seas!
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Sources:
Stephan Talty, Empire of Blue Water
Captain Charles Johnson, A General History of the Pyrates
Angus Konstam, Blackbeard
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The Talented Mr. Field: Murder in an English Village Apr 12, 2024

Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley follows a young man named Tom, whose deep-seated jealousy and ambition leads him down a very dark path. He wants the jet-set lifestyle his trust-fund friends are living, and he sets out to get it using his intelligence and skill at deception. Tom Ripley is a pretty realistic depiction of a psychopath. To get close to the wealthy people he envies, he puts on a convincing mask of helpful friendliness. But underneath, he’s scheming with every breath—biding his time. And no one is safe around him. Join us for the story of a real-life Mr. Ripley, a man who was good at being charming, but bad at being good. A man who left one person dead, one heartbroken and defrauded, and a pretty little town in shock. Join us for the true story behind the BBC drama The Sixth Commandment--the tale of an aspiring vicar whose pious exterior hid a heart of darkness.
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"June's Journey" on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.wooga.junes_journey_hidden_object_mystery_game&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1
Sources:
A Plot to Kill by David Wilson
ITV News: https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-08-09/sadistic-killer-admitted-interest-in-the-extremes-of-death
Daily Beast, Nico Hines: https://www.thedailybeast.com/gaslight-killer-ben-field-who-conned-his-elderly-lovers-is-convicted-of-murdering-peter-farquhar
Bucks Herald, Sam Dean: https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/must-read/ben-field-the-baptist-ministers-son-who-became-a-calculated-and-manipulative-murderer-in-maids-moreton-821818
UK Daily Mail, Rory Tingle and Josh White: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6984549/Church-warden-callously-videoed-hallucinating-lecturer-trying-murder.html
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The Magician and the Fool: The Story of the DC Snipers, Pt 2 Apr 05, 2024

When we left you at the end of part 1, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo had begun a killing spree that took them from Tacoma, Washington, through Arizona, Louisiana, and Maryland. By October 2002, they had killed or wounded 10 people, with Muhammad pointing his finger and Malvo pointing his gun. Malvo believed himself to be a soldier in the fight to free the marginalized people of the world. Muhammad made him his acolyte, traveling across the country, playing him anti-American propaganda through headphones as he slept, putting him through a grueling physical regimen, as well as making him eat a sparse vegetarian diet. Muhammad told him that white people were “devils” and that they had to prepare for the oncoming race war. For 30 days, they would kill 6 white people a day, until the US government agreed to their terms and paid them off to go away. Join us now for part 2 of this chilling true story.
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Sources:
Vice documentary "I, Sniper"
The History Channel's "Crime of the Century," episode "The Beltway Snipers"
King 5 News:https://www.king5.com/article/news/dc-snipers-first-intended-victim-speaks-out/281-332833536
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/opening-shot-146761
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/lee-boyd-malvo-10-years-after-dc-area-sniper-shootings-i-was-a-monster/2012/09/29/a1ef1b42-04d8-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/10/01/timeline-dc-sniper-attacks/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/11/01/gun-store-cant-account-for-weapon-tied-to-sniper-case/ee54a3d2-a53c-44e8-9423-50ce4115c28b/
WUSA 9 News: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/20-years-later-paul-laruffa-survivor-of-dc-snipers-malvo-muhammad-is-not-obsessing-but-hell-never-forget-either/65-055e1e42-c72e-4bab-b393-286eefe88037
NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/us/polite-but-dogged-sniper-suspect-offers-defense.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss https://wtop.com/supreme-court/2019/10/beltway-sniper-victim-hopes-lee-boyd-malvo-gets-chance-at-rehabilitation-before-scotus/
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/us/polite-but-dogged-sniper-suspect-offers-defense.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/us/dc-area-sniper-fast-facts/index.html
Tucson News: https://tucson.com/news/local/crime/d-c-snipers-allegedly-targeted-tucsonan-in-02/article_64f562f8-5b2d-529a-b567-c28d822c48bd.html
Psych News: https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/pn.39.23.00390013
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/10/sprj.dcsp.sniper.beaten/index.html
SCOTUS Blog: https://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Muhammad-stay-application-11-3-091.pdf
History.com: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-d-c-sniper-john-muhammad-convicted
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The Magician and the Fool: The Story of the DC Snipers Mar 29, 2024

Do you remember Snow White, campers? You know, the princess whose step mother was so jealous of her beauty that she cursed her with a poison apple? Today’s case is like that. Someone whose wrath and anger was so terrible that it harmed everyone it touched. To him, not getting his way was a fate worse than death and in order to right the wrongs, he’d commit crimes that would change American lives forever. With the gift of a single pastry, he would ensure a child’s loyalty so completely that the child would kill for him. He was a manipulator, a magician, and along with the naive fool that accompanied him, he would kill dozens of people. Join us for Part 1 of this chilling true crime story.
Sources:
Vice documentary "I, Sniper"
The History Channel's "Crime of the Century," episode "The Beltway Snipers"
King 5 News:https://www.king5.com/article/news/dc-snipers-first-intended-victim-speaks-out/281-332833536
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/opening-shot-146761
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/lee-boyd-malvo-10-years-after-dc-area-sniper-shootings-i-was-a-monster/2012/09/29/a1ef1b42-04d8-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/10/01/timeline-dc-sniper-attacks/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/11/01/gun-store-cant-account-for-weapon-tied-to-sniper-case/ee54a3d2-a53c-44e8-9423-50ce4115c28b/
WUSA 9 News: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/20-years-later-paul-laruffa-survivor-of-dc-snipers-malvo-muhammad-is-not-obsessing-but-hell-never-forget-either/65-055e1e42-c72e-4bab-b393-286eefe88037
NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/us/polite-but-dogged-sniper-suspect-offers-defense.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss https://wtop.com/supreme-court/2019/10/beltway-sniper-victim-hopes-lee-boyd-malvo-gets-chance-at-rehabilitation-before-scotus/
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/us/polite-but-dogged-sniper-suspect-offers-defense.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/us/dc-area-sniper-fast-facts/index.html
Tucson News: https://tucson.com/news/local/crime/d-c-snipers-allegedly-targeted-tucsonan-in-02/article_64f562f8-5b2d-529a-b567-c28d822c48bd.html
Psych News: https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/pn.39.23.00390013
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/10/sprj.dcsp.sniper.beaten/index.html
SCOTUS Blog: https://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Muhammad-stay-application-11-3-091.pdf
History.com: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-d-c-sniper-john-muhammad-convicted
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Love Will Tear Us Apart: The Murder of Larry McNabney, Pt 2 Mar 22, 2024

When we left you last week, attorney Larry McNabney’s attempt to become the biggest personal-injury attorney in Nevada had just crashed and burned like the Hindenberg, thanks in no small part to his new wife, Elisa. Elisa was a small-time thief and fraudster from Florida who had thrown the state and her whole life in the rear-view mirror to avoid the possibility of some brief jail time. She’d struck gold when she was hired as an office manager by high-flying attorney Larry in Las Vegas, and rapidly climbed the emotional ranks from employee to mistress to girlfriend to wife. But she had trouble keeping her itchy fingers out of the law firm’s cash register, which led to the state bar banning her from working there and reprimanding Larry. Looking for a new start, the couple moved to Sacramento to try and set the whole business rolling again, and at the start of 2000 Elisa hired 19-year-old Sarah Dutra to help her out with the business. But “helping” was not exactly what she did. Join us for part 2 of this chilling true crime story.
Sources:
Cold Blooded by Carlton Smith
Marked for Death by Brian J. Karem
ABC's 20/20, episode "Hell in Heels”
Investigation Discovery's "Evil Stepmothers," episode “She Can’t Hide”
Seattle Met: https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/11/jz-knight-ramtha-yelm-washington-school-of-enlightenment
Herald-Tribune: https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2002/03/15/woman-sought-in-california-murder-has-ties-to-florida/28711016007/
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Love Will Tear Us Apart: The Murder of Larry McNabney, Pt 1 Mar 15, 2024

There aren’t many stories older or more widespread than “bad decisions made for a pretty face or a hot body.” Those throbbing biological urges can kick reason and good sense right to the curb. For most of us, this is more likely to happen when we’re young and, y’know, dumb. But there are some people who will always be willing to put their hands in the fire, to risk everything they have for desire. It’s a trait that often goes hand-in-hand with a self-destructive recklessness that’s so fundamental to your nature that it might as well be in your bones. Join us for the story of California's "Marlboro Man murder" and the pair of devious, greedy killers who almost got away with it.
Sources:
Cold Blooded by Carlton Smith
Marked for Death by Brian J. Karem
ABC's 20/20, episode "Hell in Heels”
Investigation Discovery's "Evil Stepmothers," episode “She Can’t Hide”
Seattle Met: https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/11/jz-knight-ramtha-yelm-washington-school-of-enlightenment
Herald-Tribune: https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2002/03/15/woman-sought-in-california-murder-has-ties-to-florida/28711016007/
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Unfaithful: The Murder of Samira Frasch Mar 08, 2024

There is freedom in being a narcissist. If you don’t see anyone else in the world as fully real and important, you can do whatever you want, follow your every urge and impulse. And if someone happens to get hurt along the way, well, you probably barely even noticed. A lot of the criminals in our cases fit this mould, grandiose types swinging through the lives of those around them like a flaming wrecking ball. If you’re the only person in the world who matters, it’s easy to lie and cheat and steal. And kill. Join us for the story of a hedonistic doctor and his glamorous model wife, whose opulent life and power-couple marriage spiraled down into chaos, lies and murder.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Diabolical," episode "Mistress Roulette"
Oxygen's "Dateline: Secrets Uncovered," episode "At the Bottom of the Pool"
Tallahassee.com: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/02/21/frasch-murder-investigation-reveals-couples-torrid-existence/23792489/
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/2014/04/11/frasch-got-1-million-plus/7582855/
WTXL News: https://www.wtxl.com/frasch/day-two-of-adam-frasch-trial/article_09c900e2-e248-11e6-89c2-67bd6a5372fb.html https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/01/25/jurors-see-possible-murder-weapon-frasch-case/97031238/
Tallahassee.com: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/01/26/defense-medical-expert-says-samira-frach-died-after-husband-left/97079960/ https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/01/23/jury-selection-underway-frasch-murder-trial/96941344/
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Counterfeit Son: The Murders of Bart and Krista Halderson Mar 01, 2024

It's not that unusual for people to bend the truth a little to show themselves in a good light, especially when they're young. Maybe you want to impress a crush, maybe you just want to add a bit of glamor to an otherwise normal life. It's mostly harmless...unless the lies get out of control. If someone lies with every beat of their heart, builds an entire alternate reality around themselves, then what happens when that alternate reality is threatened by the truth can get pretty ugly. Join us for the story of a golden-boy son turned double murderer.
Sources:
CBS's "48 Hours," episode “The Snapchat Clue”
Trial footage, People v Halderson
WMTV15 News: https://www.wmtv15news.com/2021/12/22/halderson-trial/ https://www.wkow.com/news/prosecutor-haldersons-father-about-to-expose-sons-lifestyle-lies-before-homicide/article_4385f8b0-6d96-11ec-bcd0-6b683767931a.html
Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/fake-spacex-job-murder-dismemberment-lies-1278750/
Channel 3000 News: https://www.channel3000.com/news/crime/analysts-say-phone-of-chandler-halderson-was-tracked-in-areas-where-parents-remains-found/article_4779b795-67a1-53ba-81d0-3b0261ce3688.html
WKOW News: https://www.wkow.com/news/crime/chandler-halderson-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-without-parole-for-the-murder-of-his-parents/article_1ec0c0b4-a626-11ec-b6d8-a303892e68f7.html
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Out of Your Depth: The Grisly Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916 Feb 23, 2024

When you were a kid, were you ever scared to go in the swimming pool in case you might get eaten by a shark? Or just get in the bathtub? Hell, one time I even managed to freak myself out just from laying on a waterbed. This is mainly thanks to Steven Spielberg and a 25-foot mechanical shark called Bruce, but “Jaws” wasn’t made in a vacuum. Shark attacks are, thankfully, very rare, but over a century ago there were a series of attacks so shocking and so close together that they cemented the shark as a figure of sharp-toothed horror in the American psyche. The serial killer of the sea, you might say. Basically what we’re sayin’ here folks, is it’s SHARK WEEK on True Crime Campfire. Join us for the terrifying true story of the deadly 1916 shark attacks that inspired the movie "Jaws." This one's not for the faint of heart!
Sources:
Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo
NY Times Archives: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/07/07/100214613.pdf
National Geographic Archives: https://web.archive.org/web/20150703224631/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150702-shark-attack-jersey-shore-1916-great-white/
Pittsburgh Press: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-press/106419794/
Matawan Historical Society: https://matawanhistoricalsociety.org/1916-shark-attack/
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/07/25/us-shark-mania-began-with-this-attack-more-than-century-ago/
https://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/ten-strange-medieval-ideas-animals/
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Touched By an Angel: The Murder of Fred Jablin Feb 16, 2024

Leonard Cohen sang, “All I ever learned from love / Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya,” which should certainly strike a chord with followers of true crime. We’ve seen time and again how, after a bitter break-up, a person can go to extraordinary lengths to get their own back, whether the wrongs they’ve suffered are real or exist entirely in their own heads. Join us for a true crime story of greed, revenge, and toxic self-absorption.
Sources:
Die, My Love by Kathryn Casey
48 Hours, S17E29, “Two Wigs, a Gun and a Murder”
https://richmond.com/from-the-archives/from-the-archives-piper-rountree-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-killing-ex-husband-in/article_b5a5b3be-017c-5a34-a053-e255a947f36b.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7037898
https://law.justia.com/cases/virginia/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2007/0155062.html
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/lawyer-gets-life-in-ex-husband-s-death-1916001.php
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Bird Brain: The Story of the Great Feather Heist Feb 09, 2024

Natural conservation is something that most people can get behind. I mean, you see a baby duckling covered in oil and you can’t help but shake your fist at the oil companies that created the mess while you reach for the dish soap, right? When wildfires break out, firefighters from all over the country pack their bags and get on planes to go help. We generally want to keep our communities clean. But sometimes, there are people to whom nature is just a playground. People who will do anything to capture and keep the world’s beauty all for their own selfish gain...and they’ll keep doing it too, unless someone stops them. As the Lorax says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” Join us for the true crime story of one of the weirdest heists in history--a tale of obsession and "main character syndrome" run wild. If you think this one's gonna be boring, trust us. It ain't.
Sources:
The Feather Thief by Kirk W. Johnson
NPR's "This American Life" with Ira Glass
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Hey Jealousy: The Murder of Latrese Curtis Feb 02, 2024

In geometry, the triangle is the strongest shape there is—any weight you put on one gets shared out equally among the three sides. A perfect 3-way harmony. But in romance, for most of us anyway, three’s a crowd. Resentments start to smolder. Secrets start to slip. Things can get dangerous. Especially when everyone involved is living a double life they want desperately to protect. Join us for a true crime story where nobody is exactly who they seem to be.
Sources:
Court papers: https://casetext.com/case/state-v-reaves-41
ShadowProof, Pam Spaulding: https://shadowproof.com/2009/10/04/durham-jealous-antigay-pastors-closet-door-kicked-open-during-murder-trial/
WRAL coverage: https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6106346/
TV One's "Fatal Attraction," episode "A Lethal Love Affair"
Investigation Discovery's "Where Murder Lies," episode "Obstacle to Affection"
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Would I Lie To You? The Murder of Leisa Hurst Jan 26, 2024

To paraphrase the great American hero George Costanza, “You’ve been living a lie? I’m living, like, 20.” If you’re up to no good in one way or another, there are a lot of ways you can get found out. You might get ratted out, you might unknowingly leave behind evidence of your bad deeds, or you might just get flat-out caught in the act. And if you’ve built multiple lives, multiple relationships, all on their own structures of falsehood, the chances of each of those goes up dramatically. You can only juggle so many chainsaws before one cuts off your damn hand. Join us for a true crime story about a man who built too many counterfeit lives--a man whose lies ensnared not only him, but the women who loved him.
Note: Katie had a bad cold this week, so Whitney had to do more talking than usual in this episode.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Desperate Measures," episode “Blood in Barstow”
CBS' "48 Hours Mystery," episode “Body of Lies”
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/inmate-sentenced-to-16-more-years-for-soliciting-murders/article_dcb56b98-aa4b-5e82-bcf1-c6c3cbe044c2.html
https://www.vvdailypress.com/story/news/crime/2009/10/09/accused-killer-leads-police-to/37058923007/
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Fury By Proxy: The Murder of Sandee Rozzo Jan 19, 2024

Some of the scariest people we’ve covered on this show were cursed with a grandiose sense of entitlement—the sense that if they see something they want, they should be allowed to just take it, whether that something is a new watch or a fellow human being. The self-centeredness is bad enough, but when you couple it with rage…especially the kind brought on by copious amounts of steroids…you’ve got the setting for a perfect storm. The problem is, the grandiose people can sometimes be the shiniest, sparkliest, most engaging ones in the room. They’re skilled at wearin’ that good-guy mask. And sometimes, by the time they rip it off, you’re already in the hole too deep to find your way back to daylight. Join us for a story of bullying, rage, blind love and bravery in the face of terror.
Sources:
Kill For Me by M. William Phelps
CBS's "48 Hours," episode Dangerous Liaisons
Investigation Discovery's "On the Case with Paula Zahn," episode "Honeymoon Hit"
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Restrained: The Crimes of Mr. Handcuffs Jan 12, 2024

In 2012 and 2013, two women disappeared. They didn’t have a whole lot in common: One was a teenager on the west coast, the other a midwestern mom of seven. But both would fall under the spell of a poisonous man who had become a master at manipulating the vulnerable for his own twisted ends.
Sources:
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-wisconsin-cop-charged-in-suitcase-murders/
USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/03/police-murder-women-suitcases/12158085/
JSOnline: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2017/02/03/ex-cop-pleads-guilty-2nd-murder-suitcase-bodies-killings/97459438/
JSOnline: https://archive.jsonline.com/news/crime/ex-cop-in-suitcases-bodies-case-had-history-of-infractions-b99307892z1-266461201.html
Justia: https://law.justia.com/cases/wisconsin/court-of-appeals/2020/2019ap001655-cr.html
Investigation Discovery's "Web of Lies," episode "In Dark Corners"
Investigation Discovery's "Sex & Murder," episode "Code Name Mr. Handcuffs"
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Wrapped Around Her Finger: The Murder of Ron Whitehead Jan 05, 2024

Two of the closest bonds a person can have are with a spouse and with a child. Ideally, in the first you're a loving partner, and in the second, a guide and a caregiver. Of course, real life doesn't always match the ideal, and both of those relationships can get twisted and strange. Sometimes your spouse and your child can even become the deadliest enemies. Join us for a bizarre story of lust, greed and motherhood turned dark.
Sources:
Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/woman-sentenced-to-22-years-in-prison-for-plotting-slaying-of-her-husband/
Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/des-moines-murder-for-hire-brings-25-year-prison-terms/
Murderpedia, various articles: https://murderpedia.org/female.O/o/ogden-whitehead.htm#google_vignette
Investigation Discovery's "Mother May I Murder," episode "Mommy's Little Sex Dungeon"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Velma Ogden-Whitehead"
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Foxcatcher: The Unhinging of an American Heir Dec 22, 2023

Imagine growing up in a spectacular mansion, with access to the kind of wealth and connections most of us can only dream of. But although you’re surrounded by material riches, you’re in a social vacuum—eating alone in your bedroom every night, wandering the grounds of your family estate with only the wildlife as company. This was the life of John Du Pont, the youngest heir to the famously wealthy family who founded the DuPont chemical company. He grew up cut off from the kind of social warmth most of us take for granted. His solution to that was to immerse himself in the sport of Olympic style wrestling—and to gather some of the world’s greatest athletes in a little utopian community he named Foxcatcher Farms. His dream was to create the best team of wrestlers in the world. They lived on the property, trained on the property, became like family to each other…all under the watchful eye of their wealthy benefactor, John. To the athletes, it sounded like a dream come true. But they didn’t realize that John DuPont was already on a paranoid downward spiral that would leave everything he’d built in ruins—and take the life of one of wrestling’s most beloved champions.
Sources:
Time Magazine, 1996: "Blood on the Mat" by John Greenwald: https://time.com/3586290/blood-on-the-mat/
Documentary "Team Foxcatcher," 2016. Directed by John Greenhalgh
All That's Interesting, Mark Oliver: "John DuPont, Dave Schultz, and the True Story of 'Foxcatcher'": https://allthatsinteresting.com/john-du-pont-dave-schultz
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_du_Pont#:~:text=John%20Eleuth%C3%A8re%20du%20Pont%20(November,the%20murder%20of%20Dave%20Schultz.
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Material Girl: The Murder of Greg Williams Dec 15, 2023

The Rolling Stones told us “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” but some people DO get what they want…just not necessarily what they need. This week’s story is about a woman with a tempestuous life who got just what she wanted—wealth, stability, and love—and then took a wrecking ball and smashed it all into pieces.
This one has some strange twists and turns!
Sources:
CNN's Vengeance: Killer Millionaires, episode “Murder in the Mansion”
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-michele-williams-trial-temptation-in-texas/
Court Papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/tx-court-of-appeals/1762304.html
Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women, episode “Making a Killing”
Lifetime's Meet, Marry, Murder, episode “Michele Williams”
Oxygen's Snapped, episode “Michele Williams”
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Vengeful: The Murder of Dr. David Cornbleet Dec 08, 2023

We all live our daily lives in our own little spheres. We have our work, our families, our friends, all the million little things that keep us moving from one day to the next. We sometimes think about the world beyond that stuff—like, haven’t we all walked down a crowded street and wondered about the strangers we passed? About their inner lives, their secrets? Whether we’ve ever unknowingly walked past a murderer. But for the most part, we’re all in our own worlds. We meet new people every day—touch lives for a few minutes, then separate forever. It doesn’t usually occur to us that one of those strangers might latch on to us—develop an obsession, a grudge, a rage that would smolder for years in secret, and then burst into flame, taking us with it. But it happens. Join us for a story of dark obsession, one that might make you wonder: Who might be thinking of you tonight?
Sources:
Crime Library, David Lohr: https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/david_cornbleet/1_index.html
Chicago Magazine, Kevin Guilfoile: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-09-12-0709110582-story.html
Chicago Magazine, Kevin Guilfoile: https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/december-2007/bloodlines/
ABC News: https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8448717/
NBC's Dateline, Episode Appointment for Murder: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23592456
Investigation Discovery's Relentless with Kate Snow, Episode Murder on MIchigan Avenue
Investigation Discovery's See No Evil, Episode The Doctor Will See You
American Academy of Dermatology Association: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/derm-treat/isotretinoin/side-effects
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Disgrace: The Story of the Profumo Affair Dec 01, 2023

People will do crazy things for desire. From the earliest human tales and histories to stories you can read in your newspaper today, there have been a never-ending number of crimes and betrayals committed because someone started getting hot under the collar. People will risk their relationships, their happiness, their lives for desire. Sometimes they’ll even risk the safety of their nation. And that is the theory behind everybody’s favorite spy tactic: The Honey Trap. A trap that ended up biting back against one government in the 60s. This is a spicy one, y'all: Spies, sex parties, knife fights in nightclubs...the whole shebang.
Sources:
The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward by Anthony Summer and Stephen Dorrill
Secrets and Lies by Christine Keeler with Douglas Thompson
https://spartacus-educational.com/SPYlewisJ.htm
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Patreon Upcycle: Red Flaggy Reddit - The Tale of the Director of Operations Nov 24, 2023

As most of you probably know, this week is the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., and Katie and I both have family stuff to do—people to see, pies to bake. So we took the week off from our regularly scheduled programming. But because we love you and we didn’t want you to miss out on a new episode, we decided to pick out one of our old Patreon-exclusive episodes from 2022. You’ll get a fun episode, and you’ll get a taste of the kind of red-hot content you’re missin’ out on if you’re not on our Patreon yet. These episodes tend to be less formal and more hilarious, and we’ve picked a gem for you—a true crime-adjacent Reddit saga that has to be heard to be believed. Hope you’ll enjoy it.
Sources:
Reddit
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Crockefeller: The Story of a Killer Con Man Nov 17, 2023

How many times have we seen it—a rich and/or powerful person gets in some kind of hot water, and all it takes is a quick “Do you know who I AM?” to fix it? I don’t really get why people are so dazzled by money and pedigree, but it seems to be a constant theme throughout history—and it’s as alive today as it’s ever been. So it’s not a big surprise that some people who lack money and connections decide to fake them, and do so with great success. Learn the right way to dress, the right names to drop, the right places to go, and you might just sneak your way into the club. A skilled con artist can rise pretty high if they know what they’re doing. And some of them are so determined to run with the cool kids that they’re willing to murder anybody who gets in their way. Join us for the story of one of the strangest cons in American history—a tale of fraud, murder, kidnapping, and fake identities that spanned more than thirty years.
Sources:
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
Investigation Discovery's "Vanity Fair Confidential," episode "The Sinister Mr. Rockefeller"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Rich," episode "I Am Clark Rockefeller"
Unsolved Mysteries, season 7, episode 11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Gerhartsreiter
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Diamond Dogs: The Heist for the Millennium Jewels Nov 10, 2023

For most of us, it’s kinda hard to grasp the life of a professional criminal. Only a tiny percentage of it is turf wars and whackin’ dudes. Most people who make a living from crime live just like the rest of us do: They go to the grocery store, they take their kids to school, they worry about money being tight. But, unlike most of us, when things get REALLY tight, there’s always the chance of a big, dangerous score that will change their lives forever. That is, if they don’t get caught. Join us for a story of ambitious greed on an epic scale, in which every single person involved--cops and criminals alike--is an absolute goober.
Sources:
Kriss Hollington, “Diamond Geezers”
Kent Online:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/the-old-style-kent-crooks-who-tried-to-raid-the-dome-236957/ https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/millennium-dome-diamond-heist-raider-20222/
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The Strange Case of the Circleville Letters Nov 03, 2023

Some of y’all may be too young to remember, but in the days before email, getting a handwritten letter in the mail was fun. Somebody had taken the time to write out a message just for you and sent it through time and space. It could be from an old friend, a lost love, or a secret admirer. You couldn’t wait to get inside and discover what was so important that it needed to be personally drafted for your eyes only. But when school bus driver Mary Gillispie opened an envelope addressed to her in 1976, she had no idea that it would mark the beginning of a bizarre campaign of terror that would dominate her life for decades. One that would include blackmail, obscenity, harassment, threats against her family, attempted murder, and letter after letter, drafted to disturb in the most intimate ways imaginable. And it wouldn’t stop with Mary. The hysteria spread through the sleepy town of Circleville, Ohio like a plague. Secrets were exposed. Threats were made. Sometimes there were toxic powders in the envelopes, too. When the TV show Unsolved Mysteries got involved, they got their very own threatening letter—don’t air the episode, or else. Join us for one of the most twisted tales we’ve ever covered.
Sources:
Paul Freshour’s WordPress: https://circlevilleletters.wordpress.com/
Whatever Remains Podcast: Welcome to Circleville:
https://www.whateverremainspodcast.com/circleville
Invisible Ships Podcast: https://invisibleshipspodcast.wordpress.com/episodes/
Unsolved Mysteries, Season 7, Epiosde 6
ABC6 News: https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/circleville-police-looking-for-tips-in-unsolved-1980-homicide-of-25-year-old-teacher
Mental Floss, Jake Rossen:
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awrii5iBXTBlBYgFqTFEDN04;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzUEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1697697282/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fm.imdb.com%2ftitle%2ftt0737542%2f/RK=2/RS=74RxpCcEm_B1s56K9cWTjMtY0n8-
CBS News: The Circleville Letter Writer: You’ve got Hate Mail:
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/pictures/circleville-letters-mail-gallery/
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Twisted Campfire: A TCC Halloween Special Oct 27, 2023

It’s Halloween again, time to scare you all into submission. And this year, we’ve decided to bring in some reinforcements to do that. An expert in the art of the scare, with one of the best horror podcasts out there: Nina Jones from Twisted Mirror. We’ve chosen two true stories that will have you sleeping with one eye open, wondering what dark secrets might be lurking in your seemingly friendly neighborhood. Case One: The Watcher. Case Two: The Strange Ritual Murder of LeRoy Carter, Jr.
Sources:
The Cut, Reeves Wiedeman: https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/the-watcher-657-boulevard-update.html
Medium, The Mystique: https://medium.com/the-mystery-reporter/the-haunting-mystery-of-the-watcher-and-a-dream-house-8eead59a0aef
SF Weekly: https://www.sfweekly.com/archives/yesterdays-crimes-chicken-wings-and-bloody-stumps-in-golden-gate-park/article_148021db-d730-5237-9cca-60d05fed31f4.html
Santa Ana Orange County Register:
https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-feb-28-1988-p-211/ https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-feb-09-1981-4123551/ https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-feb-09-1981-4123553/
Wikipedia: Santeria and Palo Mayombe:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_(religion) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa https://newspaperarchive.com/search/location/us/pa/indiana/indiana-gazette/
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Listen Now: New Podcast "Ghost Story" Oct 23, 2023

Tristan Redman is a journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom – weirder than normal. When, years later, he discovers subsequent occupants of his family home say they have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. It just so happens that the house Tristan grew up in is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself where no son-in-law should ever be: delving deep into his wife’s family history asking questions no-one wants answered. Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios present Ghost Story — a seven-part podcast series about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence, and the things that come back to haunt us. Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Ghost Story ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Listen now: Wondery.fm/GS_TCC

Unburied: Serial Killers Burke and Hare Oct 20, 2023

In the 1820s, the city of Edinburgh was shaken to its core by a series of callous murders. Behind the killings was a story of death, greed, and willful blindness that provided the coldest possible answer to the question, “What is a human life worth?” Join us for the story of Scotland's most infamous serial killers.
Sources:
Alanna Knight, Burke & Hare: Scotland’s Serial KillersR. Michael Gordon, The Infamous Burke and Hare
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Listen Now: MrBallen's Medical Mysteries Oct 17, 2023

Follow MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge the first 8 episodes, early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new series from master storyteller MrBallen, we’re sharing medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold. From bizarre, unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths — you’ll never hear the phrase “heart-stopping” in the same way again. MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a first of its kind collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, the award-winning company behind Dr. Death. Listen Now: Wondery.FM/MBMM_TCC

Chimera: The Crimes of Elaine Parent Oct 13, 2023

In July of 1990, the headless, handless body of a young woman named Beverly McGowan was found in a canal near St. Lucie, Florida. As they began their investigation, detectives had no way of knowing that they were embarking on one of the strangest cases of their careers—the twisting, turning story of a consummate con woman, killer, and master of disguise…a criminal so skilled at deception that she would manage to stay one step ahead of the agencies hunting her for more than a decade, even after being named the Most Wanted Woman in the World. And even after they found her, she would still leave a long trail of mysteries behind her.
Sources:
The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1391705/Chameleon-Killer-cheats-the-Florida-police-by-ending-her-many-faced-life.html
Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/a-killer-s-many-faces-1.165231
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1996/12/11/90-murder-trail-leads-to-woman/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/mar/11/features11.g22
TV show "Unsolved Mysteries" with Robert Stack
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Parent
Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/female.P/p/parent-elaine.htm
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Faceless: Two American Nightmares Oct 06, 2023

It’s October, folks. The season of mystery. So this week, to kick off our favorite month of the year, we’ve picked two of the most iconic unsolved cases in American history: both cases where the basic fabric of everyday life was threatened. Where the things we take for granted as safe—over the counter medicine and air travel—suddenly couldn’t be trusted. Both of these cases rocked the country to its core. And both of them remain unsolved to this day. Case 1: The Tylenol Poisonings. Case 2: D.B. Cooper.
Sources:
Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/db-cooper-tina-mucklow-untold-story-1111944/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/13/db-cooper-fbi-closes-case-plane-hijacking-washington-oregon
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/11/24/d-b-cooper-50th-anniversary/
The FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking
Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
The Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/tylenolmurders/ct-tylenol-murders-investigation-listicle-20220922-kndriges6zgdpf5pvrxdjatah4-list.html
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/10/1186906874/james-lewis-suspect-tylenol-poisonings-dies#:~:text=In%20a%20span%20of%20three,over%2Dthe%2Dcounter%20medications.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders
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Gotcha! A Grab Bag of Famous Hoaxes Sep 29, 2023

We’ve had a pretty heavy summer on TCC, haven’t we? Nazis and Norwegian black metal murders, and those last two cases were gnarly. So we thought maybe this week, you’d appreciate something a little lighter—something just for fun. So we decided to talk about hoaxes. Sometimes hoaxes are hilarious, like the time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pranked five of his friends by sending them all an anonymous letter saying “We are discovered. Flee at once,” and then watched in amazement as one of ‘em up and left town the next day. Sometimes they’re kind of a public service, reminding us that we can’t believe everything we see on TV or the internet. Sometimes they’re sick burns—humiliating revenge against a stuck-up snob who deserved it. But whatever the motive, and whether anybody ends up in jail or not, pranking the crap out of our fellow humans is almost always entertaining. Join us for a grab bag of hoaxes through history--from Mary Toft and her miraculous "rabbit births" to the infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast that terrified America, to a Canadian woman who faked a pregnancy and abducted a real baby, and more.
Sources:
Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/i-m-not-a-bad-person-says-gta-baby-snatcher-with-guilty-plea/article_928babfb-b457-5942-bbee-7daf500d3eb6.html
CBS's "The Dr. Phil Show," episode "I Abducted a Baby/I am a Psychopath"
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-war-on-paper-operation-mincemeat
Time Magazine: https://time.com/6174289/operation-mincemeat-netflix-true-story/
The Smithsonian Mag: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infamous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-magnificent-fluke-180955180/
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2014/03/14/290119435/society-for-indecency-to-naked-animals
The Ringer: https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/8/16615842/grunge-new-york-times-slang
Paris Review: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/07/05/an-extraordinary-delivery-of-rabbits/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/05/21/sneaky-teen-texting-codes-what-they-mean-when-worry/101844248/
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Until the End of the World: The Children of Thunder Pt 2 Sep 22, 2023

When we left you at the end of Part 1, former Mormon golden boy Taylor Helzer had decided on two disciples who would aid him in his weird scheme to bring about a planet-wide spiritual awakening through a network of self-help groups fueled by sex and drugs, a plan he called Transform America. These disciples were his quiet younger brother Justin, and Dawn Godman, a vulnerable young woman convinced that Taylor was divinely inspired. But Transform America needed a lot of money to get off the ground, and there were no limits to what Taylor, Justin, and Dawn were willing to do to reach their goal. Join us now for part two of “Until the End of the World,” the cult of the Children of Thunder.
Sources:
Unholy Sacrifice by Robert Scott
Investigation Discovery's "True Crime With Aphrodite Jones," episode "The Children of Thunder"
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Listen Now: The Apology Line Sep 18, 2023

For fifteen years you could call a private number in Manhattan and anonymously apologize for anything. It was called The Apology Line. This is the story of the phone line and the man at the other end who became consumed by his own creation. He was known as “Mr. Apology.” As thousands of callers flooded the line, confessing to everything from shoplifting to adultery, drug dealing, to murder, Mr. Apology realized he couldn’t just listen. He had to do something, even if it meant risking everything. Prime Members, you can binge all seven episodes of The Apology line exclusively on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today: www.amazon.com/AL_TCC

Until the End of the World: The Children of Thunder, Pt 1 Sep 15, 2023

Being part of a society means that for the most part you follow its rules, often without thinking about it at all. And those rules, those strictures of what is right and wrong, good or bad, are frequently dumb and sometimes awful—human societies are not utopias, after all, they’re messy and loud and full of argument. But some shared consensus on the boundaries of behavior is necessary if people are going to live together in something approximating peace. So what happens when a group of people give up on the idea of right and wrong entirely, and surrender all their free will and moral judgment into the hands of madman who thinks he was born to save the world? Nothing good, that’s what. Join us for part 1 of the story of Taylor Helzer, a narcissistic man who was raised to think he had the "gift of revelation" and was destined to be a prophet--and the impressionable people he gathered around him to do his deadly bidding.
Sources:
Unholy Sacrifice by Robert Scott
Investigation Discovery's "True Crime With Aphrodite Jones," episode "The Children of Thunder"
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For the Thrill of It: Killer Couple BJ and Erika Sifrit, Pt 2 Sep 08, 2023

When we left you at the end of part 1, married couple BJ and Erika Sifrit had decided to take a break from their demanding schedule of selling scrapbook supplies and burgling local businesses and drive down to Ocean City, Maryland for a little vacation…join us now for part 2 of this chilling true story.
Sources:
Cruel Death by M. William Phelps
A&E's "American Justice," episode "Thrill Kill Couple"
Investigation Discovery's "People Magazine Investigates"
Cape Cod Times: https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2005/02/25/life-sentence-ordered-in-beheading/50917379007/
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For the Thrill of It: Killer Couple BJ and Erika Sifrit, Pt 1 Sep 01, 2023

In May of 2002, a couple on vacation went missing from the beach town of Ocean City Maryland…and what began as a missing persons investigation soon morphed into one of the most bizarre, most disturbing double murder cases in the area’s history. The killers’ names weren’t a mystery for long. They were a young married couple with their whole lives ahead of them. The puzzle was their motivation to brutally kill two total strangers, while on a beach vacation. Before they met and married, these two seemed to have their lives on track. He was a rising star in the Navy. She was a straitlaced, high-achieving former college basketball queen with dreams of becoming a lawyer. But when they got together, it was like ammonia and bleach—a toxic cloud that would envelop everyone around them. Including two innocent people who didn’t yet know they existed. Join us for part 1 of this horror movie come to life.
Sources:
Cruel Death by M. William Phelps
A&E's "American Justice," episode "Thrill Kill Couple"
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Love or Money: The Crimes of Joel Sandler Aug 25, 2023

In Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge’s nephew says of his uncle, “His wealth is of no use to him. He don’t do any good with it. He don’t make himself comfortable with it.” Those of us who aren’t staggeringly wealthy might have happy daydreams about how much fun we’d have if we won the lottery, but a lot of the people who devote their lives to making as much cash as possible seem incapable of finding any joy in their success. For them, it’s not about taking care of their loved ones, pursuing their dreams, having the time to travel or learn new passions. It’s just about…making—more—money. It’s the journey AND the destination. And that kind of greed? It can rot you from the inside out, and destroy everything good in your life. Join us for a true story of murder for hire in one of the richest neighborhoods in the country.
Sources:
Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege and Justice, episode "What Price Murder?"
The Reporter: https://www.thereporteronline.com/2003/03/06/millionaire-sentenced-for-hiring-hit-man-to-kill-wife/
Steeple Times: https://www.thesteepletimes.com/the-roll-call/linda-sandler/
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Listen Now - Over My Dead Body: Gone Hunting Aug 21, 2023

When Mike Williams vanishes on a hunting trip, the authorities suspect he was eaten by alligators but the true predators who took Mike may lurk much closer to home. The mystery of Mike’s disappearance might have faded from memory, if it wasn’t for one woman’s tireless crusade. From Wondery, comes a new season of Over My Dead Body; a story about an obsessive love affair, a scandalous secret and a mother’s battle for the truth.Follow Over My Dead Body: Gone Hunting on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Listen to Over My Dead Body: Wondery.fm/OMDB4_TCC

When Nerds Attack - KVLT: The Crimes of the Norwegian Black Metal Scene, Pt 2 Aug 18, 2023

On the song “Freezing Moon,” lead singer of Mayhem howls,“Diabolic shapes float by/Out from the dark/I remember it was here I died”. It’s an oddly prophetic line, considering two members of the band would be dead by 1994, the year the album was finally released. Mayhem was central to the Norwegian black metal scene and most of the members were a part of the Black Circle. The Black Circle was a loosely organized group of black metal musicians who set about burning down churches and committing petty crimes across Norway. Stoked by two demagogues, the group told the public that their motive was to antagonize the Christian church and to do as much evil as possible. Last week, we set the stage. Join us now for its bloody end.
Sources:
Lords of Chaos by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind
Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson
https://www.musicgenreslist.com/metal-music-genre/
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mayhem-mn0000335302/biography
https://metalinjection.net/black-metal-chronicles/black-metal-history-month/an-illustrated-history-of-corpse-paint
https://www.last.fm/music/Mayhem/+wiki
https://www.villagevoice.com/until-the-light-takes-us-a-norwegian-black-metal-documentary/
https://www.macrotrends.net/states/minnesota/murder-homicide-rate-statistics
https://knoema.com/atlas/Norway/Homicide-rate#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20homicide%20rate%20for,per%20100%2C000%20population%20in%202021.
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When Nerds Attack - KVLT: The Crimes of the Norwegian Black Metal Scene Pt 1 Aug 11, 2023

Robert Johnson was a Blues singer in the 1930s who was said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his talent. He died, inexplicably, at the age of 27, right at the peak of his fame. No one has been able to confirm the cause of his death, so the rumor of his Luciferian trade lives on. Musicians are often accused of worshiping the devil by conspiracy theorists and moral purists alike. Whether it’s true, is usually left up to the listener. Today, though, we’ll be discussing a group of musicians who admitted to their evil intentions from the moment they picked up a guitar and the impact of their actions would be felt by the community for decades to come. Join us now for part one of this diabolical true story.
Sources:
Lords of Chaos by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind
Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson
https://www.musicgenreslist.com/metal-music-genre/
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mayhem-mn0000335302/biography
https://metalinjection.net/black-metal-chronicles/black-metal-history-month/an-illustrated-history-of-corpse-paint
https://www.last.fm/music/Mayhem/+wiki
https://www.villagevoice.com/until-the-light-takes-us-a-norwegian-black-metal-documentary/
https://www.macrotrends.net/states/minnesota/murder-homicide-rate-statistics
https://knoema.com/atlas/Norway/Homicide-rate#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20homicide%20rate%20for,per%20100%2C000%20population%20in%202021.
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Eye for an Eye: A Story of Murder for Hire Aug 04, 2023

Punk rock legend Patti Smith once sang, “You gotta lose control before you take control.” It’s a romantic idea—especially because so many of us spend our lives chasing an illusion of control, when really, life’s kind of a crapshoot. But you gotta find a happy medium somewhere. If you’re too loosey goosey, your life is gonna be a mess. And if you’re wound too tight, well—then the first thing that threatens that perfect order might snap some crucial thread and send you spinning into the void. This is the story of a man’s quest for a life under perfect control, and what happened when he lost it.
Sources:
Court paperwork: State v. Mockovak: https://casetext.com/case/state-v-mockovak-2
Mockovak v. Haynes: https://casetext.com/case/mockovak-v-haynes-4
Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/clearly-lasik-co-founder-gets-20-year-sentence-for-murder-for-hire-plot/
Seattle Weekly: https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/clearly-lasiks-michael-mockovak-has-lost-the-right-to-practice-in-washington-last/
Oxygen's "Murder for Hire," s1, episode 8
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Audacity: The Murder of Janet March Jul 28, 2023

In The Godfather, Mario Puzo wrote “The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other.” Family loyalty can be like armor in our most troubled times—when we’re at our weakest, our loved ones can lend us their strength. But loyalty can be a double-edged sword sometimes, making us choose family over reason—over sanity—over right. Join us for a Shakespearean tragedy of a story about a dirty little secret that led to murder, and a choice that took two proud families down in flames.
Sources:
Book, Never Seen Again by Jeanne King
Book, Love, Lies, and Murder by Gary C. King
CBS' 48 Hours, episodes "Love, Lies and Murder" and "Endgame"
Nashville Scene, Willy Stern, "A Good Thing Gone Bad": https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/a-good-thing-gone-bad/article_9524cd0e-a771-5c13-a508-6890b8c34959.html
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The Good Fight: The Story of Three Young Women in the Dutch Resistance in WWII Jul 21, 2023

G.K. Chesterton wrote, "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." It speaks to an important struggle--how to hold onto your humanity when you're caught up in terrible violence. And it's a struggle that only gets more complicated when both friend and foe are not behind or in front of you, but all around, and it gets hard to tell one from the other. This is "The Good Fight," the story of three young women in the Dutch resistance to the Nazis in World War 2.
Sources:
“Seducing and Killing Nazis: Hannie, Truus and Freddie: Dutch Resistance Heroines of WWII,” by Sophie Poldermans
Meet the Dutch girls who seduced Nazis — and lured them to their deaths by Isabel Vincent
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Listen Now: Suspect "Five Shots in the Dark" Jul 17, 2023

Leon Benson spent 24 years in an Indiana state prison for the 1998 murder of a young man named Kasey Schoen. His conviction hinged on the testimony of two eyewitnesses – but what if their memories turned out to be wrong? And what if the people who knew what really happened had never been allowed to speak? Suspect Season 3: Five Shots in the Dark is the story of two victims: one murdered, one sentenced to life. Follow host Matt Shaer and attorney Lara Bazelon as they investigate how the justice system failed both Leon and Kasey, and who the real killer might be. Join this unprecedented look inside the attempt to overturn a wrongful conviction and find out if justice will finally be served. Listen to Suspect wherever you get your podcasts.
You can binge Suspect ad-free on Wondery Plus. Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts: https://wondery.com/links/suspect/

Where the Heart Is: The Murder of Jessica Sacco Jul 14, 2023

You know that old saying—I think it was Ben Franklin again—that guests, like fish, begin to stank after three days? I feel like that’s being pretty generous, actually, I’ve thought about buying one of those party banners that says PLEASE LEAVE BY 9 PM. And that’s if the guests are INVITED. What happens when they’re not? Imagine having your home taken over by people who just decide they live there now, and they’re not going anywhere. That this is THEIR home now, no matter what they have to do to keep it. Join us for the story of Jess Sacco, a young woman who met her dream guy online--or so she thought. When he moved into her place, she thought their fairy tale life together was just beginning. Instead, Dream Guy moved a posse of his friends into her house without asking her, and as the weeks passed, the atmosphere got more and more hostile...and more and more dangerous.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery, "Web of Lies," S2, E4
Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2012/04/04/urbana-landlord-found-woman-s/24039438007/
Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2012/04/01/woman-killed-five-are-charged/23828326007/
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jessica-rae-saccos-last-words-were-i-forgive-you-says-boyfriend-accused-of-her-murder/

Never Too Late: A Grab Bag of Lethal Old Ladies Jul 07, 2023

David Bowie once described aging as “an extraordinary process by which you become the person you have always been.” We want to think of this as a nice sentiment, right? Like, aww, I’m gonna come into my full flower as the best possible version of myself. But what if the “person you’ve always been” is a nightmare? What if the monster’s just been biding its time? Join us for two stories of killer old ladies: Olga Rutterschmidt and Helen Golay, a pair of serial killers who preyed on the most vulnerable members of society; and South Korea's Madame Yoon, a woman who let delusion and obsession take over her life, and the lives of everyone around her.
Sources:
Court papers, PEOPLE v. RUTTERSCHMIDT (2009)
LA Magazine, "What Can I Tell You?" by Paul Brownfield (2015)
CNBC's "American Greed," episode "The Black Widows" (2010)
Investigation Discovery's "Wicked Attraction," episode "Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt"
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_Murders
YouTuber Grazy TV: https://www.youtube.com/@GRAZYTV/videos
Medium, "Madame, Are You Still Laughing?" by Magda Szymanska: https://medium.com/@szymanskamagda11/madame-are-you-still-laughing-10ab19d72ad1
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Unhinged: Two Stories of Rage and Revenge Jun 30, 2023

Benjamin Franklin once warned us that whatever is begun in anger will end in shame. Probably true for most of us, but the thing is, Benji—some people have no shame. You cross them, it’s gonna be their mission to make you regret it, whatever the consequences. Join us for two bizarre stories of ladies who decided they were NOT gonna let it go. They were gonna set the world on fire.
Case 1: Frenemies, the Story of Courtenay Savage--a former cop turned lingerie model who fell out with her bestie-slash-business partner and DID NOT TAKE IT WELL.
Case 2: I Will Ruin You, the story of Tawny Blazejowski--a well-respected supermom who took stalking and harassment to the next level when her fiance decided to end the relationship.
Sources:
Florida Times-Union: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2013/08/15/year-lies-harassment-lands-st-augustine-woman-jail/15819643007/
ABC news: https://abcnews.go.com/US/obsessive-exs-cyberstalking-man-fired-arrested/story?id=26256346
St. Augustine Record: https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/2018/03/09/blazejowski-back-to-county-for-new-charges/13135060007/
ABC's "20/20," episode "Be Careful Who You Break Up With"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode “Courtenay Savage”
Investigation Discovery's "I (Almost) Got Away With It,"episode “I Got Plastic Surgery”
Investigation Discovery's "Women Behind Bars," episode “Courtenay Savage and Lorri Worley”
Tampa Bay Times: https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2001/06/07/county-has-tough-time-gaining-evidence-in-sex-sting/ https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2008/09/24/most-wanted-fugitive-is-arrested/
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Found Out: A True Story of Double Murder Jun 23, 2023

The Bible says, “Be sure: Your sin will find you out.” It’s certainly not a universal truth, as the long, long list of unsolved crimes out there proves. But even for those criminals who get away with it, surely there’s a little voice in their head wondering, is today the day they catch me? Is it tomorrow? And sometimes, that little voice is right. Join us for a story of lust, betrayal, and toxic family loyalty: The murders of Joseph Tarricone and Vicky Notaro.
Sources:
“Don’t Look Behind You” by Ann Rule
“A Death on Canyon Road” by Gary Leon Zimmer
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/wa-court-of-appeals/1566822.html https://cases.justia.com/washington/court-of-appeals-division-ii/39106.6.11.doc.pdf
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Love Thy Neighbor: The Murder of Sean Cousins Jun 16, 2023

There’s a proverb that says, “Love thy neighbor, but don’t pull down your hedge.” Basically, be kind to the people around you, but don’t get too involved in their lives because you never know who they really are. I think we all have crazy neighbor stories and we’re probably someone else’s crazy neighbor. I think maybe that proverb wasn’t talking about torrid love affairs and murder plots conducted between two scheming neighbors, but we are. Today, join us for a story about lust, betrayal, and murder.
Sources:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2003/06/10/witness-tells-tale-of-lust-murder/ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2003/05/04/prosecutors-blame-death-on-affair-2/
Investigation Discovery's "Diabolical," episode "Lying for Love"
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," episode "Catherine Stanek-Cousins & Timothy Koile"
Various court documents
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War Games: The Crimes of David Snow Jun 09, 2023

In 1992, the area around Toronto, Canada was terrorized by a strange series of crimes. A burglar nicknamed the House Hermit was breaking into empty summer cottages whose owners were away, stealing what he could and leaving bizarre, creepy calling cards behind. Then, a woman went missing from Toronto—her car was found soon after, run into a ditch and covered in blood. Next, two bodies, bound, beaten and stuffed into the trunk of their own car. Then a series of violent abductions. Who was responsible for all this? Was there a sudden crime wave, or were all these the work of one person—a monster whose fantasy life was spinning out of control, sending him to the depths of depravity and putting everyone around him in danger? Join us for the story of one of Canada's cruellest serial killers, the extent of whose crimes we may never know for sure.
Sources:
Lee Mellor, book Cold North Killers
Kate Lines, book Crime Seen
Robert Keller, book Canadian Monsters
CBC's "The Case That Haunts Me," episode "The House Hermit"
Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/snow-david-alexander.htm
Toronto Sun: https://torontosun.com/news/provincial/killer-david-snow-just-beginning-to-understand-sick-crimes
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Double Jeopardy: Evil Twins Grab Bag Jun 02, 2023

According to the newspaper The Guardian, there are at least 125 million twins and triplets living today. Twins come into the world together, and they can have an almost supernatural bond. Most of the time it’s a beautiful thing, but it can go sideways, too. Take, for example, the Eriksson twins, Sabina and Ursula, who in the spring of 2008, shocked the United Kingdom by dashing out into traffic, and fighting off anybody who tried to stop them. Ursula was badly hurt and needed a hospital stay, but Sabina was released after a short police interview. The next morning, in the grip of paranoia, she stabbed a man to death. The Eriksson twins are one of the only recorded examples of folie a deux, or “the madness of two,” a fascinating psychological phenomenon where two close people share the same delusion. And that’s just one of the many ways in which the twin bond can go wrong. We’re about to show you a couple others. Case 1: Scammers Charlene Corley and Darlene Wooten. Case 2: The Han Sisters, Sunny and Jeena.
Sources:
Evil Twins by John Glatt
Investigation Discovery's "Evil Twins," episode "Green-Eyed Monsters"
CNBC's "American Greed," episode "Dr. Stokes/C&D Distributors"
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5197739&page=1
Medium: https://medium.com/truly-adventurous/the-han-twins-cb293ac0f554
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1299900.html
Orange County Register: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/06/20/evil-twin-who-plotted-to-kill-sister-in-irvine-is-released-on-parole-after-20-years-in-prison/
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Deceived: The Murder of Samantha Fleming May 26, 2023

Technology is amazing. It’s allowed humans to instantaneously transmit information over thousands of miles. Sometimes it’s a phone call to a sick relative in a different country, sometimes it’s a funny cat video sent to your friend at 4 am when you’re supposed to be asleep, and sometimes it connects two true crime nerds who live in different areas of the country who decide that they want to deglorify the monsters that live amongst us. It’s truly a marvel of human ingenuity and for most of us, it’s an integral part of our social lives. For some types of predator though, it’s a new kind of hunting ground. A way for them to gather information, to monitor and stalk their prey. Today, we’ll be telling you about one such predator--a devious manipulator who went to the most horrific lengths to keep her lies from seeing daylight. Join us for this chilling story of trickery, abduction and murder.
Sources:
Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/woman-who-faked-pregnancy-guilty-of-killing-mother-and-stealing-her-baby-11396100
NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mom-daughter-accused-killing-woman-cutting-baby-womb-face-new-n1031566
NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chilling-new-details-emerge-murder-chicago-woman-whose-baby-was-n1007066
Kansas.com: https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article116344433.html
Investigation Discovery's "Diabolical," episode "The Mother of All Lies"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Geraldine Jones"
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Target: The Mysterious Bombing of Barry Hornstein May 19, 2023

Security expert Gavin de Becker wrote, “If we’re looking for some specific, expected danger, we’re less likely to see the unexpected danger.” It’s a trap we can easily fall into, especially the anxious ones among us—trying to plan and protect ourselves from every possible harm, only to find that the real danger comes when we least expect it, and from the last place we’d think to look. Join us for a classic whodunnit, a story of secrets, lies, and obsession--all leading to an explosive end.
Sources:
Willamette Week, Nick Budnick: https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-2343-pipe-nightmare.html
NBC: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/love-triangle-leads-to-bombing/
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-09-mn-49483-story.html
Investigation Discovery's "Web of Lies," episode "Pipe Nightmare"
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Introducing: Morbid May 17, 2023

It’s all a lighthearted nightmare on the MORBID podcast. Hosted by Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley, Morbid is a full dose of true crime with a splash of comedy. Join us all month long as we celebrate 5 years of MORBID with a special anniversary series, a festive edition of listener tales, and more surprises to come.
Listen to Morbid wherever you get your podcasts: https://wondery.com/links/morbid-a-true-crime-podcast/?ol=am
Hey Prime Members you can listen to Morbid early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today.

Lamb to the Slaughter: The Murder at Emmanuel Church May 12, 2023

The great poet and painter William Blake wrote that, “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” And I think that makes sense to all of us. Few things cut so deep as betrayal from someone you trust and care for—the shock of it makes the treachery all the more painful, and makes you question whether your supposed friend ever gave a damn about you in the first place. And you’ll rarely see a betrayal as deep as the one in this week’s story -- a tale of friendship, redemption, reinvention and gruesome murder.
Sources:
For I Have Sinned by John Glatt
Investigation Discovery's "Grave Secrets," episode "Baptism by Fire"
https://casetext.com/case/state-v-terry-74
https://casetext.com/case/terry-v-state-295
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A Mother's Hate: The Crimes of Debora Green, Pt 2 May 05, 2023

In March of 1996, a cat named Scarlett made national news when she ran into a burning building five separate times to rescue her kittens. She sustained severe burns to her paws, she was blinded by the heat and smoke, and her whiskers had burned, but that didn’t stop her. Again and again, she faced danger to save her babies and after her task was completed, she touched each kitten with her nose, counting them all, making sure they were all safe. Scarlett is probably the platonic ideal of motherhood. Despite immense pain and immense danger, she sacrificed herself to save her babies. Last week, we began to tell you the story of a mother who was not so ideal. Who at the same time that Scarlett was saving her kittens, would be under investigation for arson and the murder of her children. Join us for part 2 of the chilling story of Dr. Debora Green, a brilliant but troubled doctor who ultimately chose her own desire for revenge over the lives of her family.
Sources:
Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule
Murderpedia, various articles: https://murderpedia.org/female.G/g/green-debora.htm
Forensic Files, episode "Tennis and Madness"
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A Mother's Hate: The Crimes of Dr. Debora Green, Pt 1 Apr 28, 2023

In his play Medea, Euripides wrote the story of a mother scorned. Her husband, Jason left her for another woman and in her fury, Medea murders their children in revenge. As she prepared to poison her sons, she was asked if she was sure, and she said, “Yes, for this is the best way to wound my husband.” A mother, so overtaken with jealousy and hatred that she took the lives of the children that she claimed to love so dearly. Today’s story is about a mother like Medea. Someone who was so overcome with rage and jealousy that she used her innocent children as pawns in a sick game to get revenge on someone else. Join us for the story of an unthinkable multiple murder that shocked Kansas City to the core.
Sources:
Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule
Murderpedia, various articles: https://murderpedia.org/female.G/g/green-debora.htm
Forensic Files, episode "Tennis and Madness"
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Stranger Than Fiction, Vol. IV: Couples Edition Apr 21, 2023

In case you haven’t noticed already, we tend to seek out the kind of stories that make your brain hurt. The kind of stuff you wouldn’t believe was real if you didn’t have our solemn word for it. This will be our fourth volume so far of “Stranger than Fiction” stories, cases that are probably gonna wreck your head for the rest of the week, and for this one we’ve chosen a theme: Romance. Love is kind of a big deal for us humans. You can’t turn on the TV for more than five minutes without a love story poppin’ up. Poetry and literature are lousy with the stuff. And music—forget about it. Name me ten songs that aren’t about love or sex or romantic obsession. You’ll do it, but it’s gonna take you a while. So today we’re diving into the wild world of obsessive love—and the bananapants things it can make people do.
Case One: The Lonely Hearts Killers, Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck
Case Two: Nightmare Walkabout, Carolynne Watson and Julian Buchwald
Sources:
Court papers: https://jade.io/article/259257
Australian press: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/nailed-bailed-jailed-then-derailed-the-bush-plot-that-cost-a-man-his-country-20160427-gofuxd.html
https://www.smh.com.au/national/judge-dismisses-kidnap-appeal-as-implausible-20111220-1ugpd.html
All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/lonely-hearts-killers
Various articles, Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/beck-martha.htm
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Wondery Presents Generation Why: Kalief Browder Apr 18, 2023

The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Now, in a special, 4-part series, The Generation Why podcast unravels the story of Kalief Browder. A young boy who was falsely accused of stealing a backpack and held without bail at Rikers Island for 3 years. He endured consistent abuse by prison staff and inmates, and was held in solitary confinement for more than seven hundred consecutive days. This is a story about a young life unfairly caught in the middle of the (in)justice system. Listen to this 4-part series on Kalief’s story by following Generation Why wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/GenWhy-AUDIO?sid=Audio-True_Crime_Campfire-Gen_Why_Mini_-_Kalief_Browder
Hey Prime Members, you can listen to Generation Why ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today.

In Plain Sight: The Abduction and Murder of Lori Kirkley Apr 14, 2023

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, the movie “Jaws” scared me silly. Now part of that, obviously, is that it’s about a giant shark eating people, but the shark itself isn’t actually in the movie all that much. What makes it unsettling is the setting, a bright, sunny, all-American town, with a predator lurking unseen just below the surface. Our story this week might take place in the land-locked cornfields of Indiana but it still has a similar theme, a sunny suburban life haunted by an unseen monster. Join us for a chilling story of abduction, misdirection, and murder.
Sources:
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/in-supreme-court/1287228.html
Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-10-16-0510160225-story.html
Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/852e6f5069180448f7a319cf87e110aa
Investigation Discovery's "Murder in the Heartland," episode "Serial Killer in the Making"
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Angel of Death: Serial Killer Nurse Kristen Gilbert Apr 07, 2023

Nurses often take what they call the Florence Nightingale Pledge at graduation. It goes, in part, like this: “I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug….With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.” A solemn promise, from caregiver to patient, to protect the lives in their care—and above all, to do no harm. Most nurses work hard to stick to that promise. But a few, often managing to slither under the radar for years before they’re caught, do just the opposite. They chose nursing not because they wanted to heal, but because it’s a target-rich environment for them to hunt for prey. This is the story of one of those nurses: Kristen Gilbert.
Sources:
The Boston Globe, multi-part series: https://cache.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/nurse/part1.htm
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/23/us/former-nurse-on-trial-in-patients-deaths.html
https://sites.google.com/site/shelbymillerkristengilbert/the-victims
All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/kristen-gilbert
Oxygen's "Snapped: Notorious, Kristen Gilbert"
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Matchstick Man: The Murders of Carla and Alan Rutherford Mar 31, 2023

In his novel “1984,” George Orwell wrote, “If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” The man at the center of this week’s case didn’t manage that—his secrets and troubles gnawed at him constantly—but he did manage to act like he had nothing at all to worry about, sailing serenely downstream while knowing full-well that just around the next bend there was a waterfall that would smash the boat of his life into pieces. Join us for a story of secrets, greed, and personal betrayal on a breathtaking scale.
Sources:
The Hamilton Spectator, 4-part series by Susan Clairmont: https://www.thespec.com/news/crime/2022/11/16/the-teacher-had-scandalous-secrets-when-a-trip-to-greece-threatened-to-expose-his-lies-he-did-the-unthinkable.html
Toronto Star, Susan Clairmont: https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2022/11/16/fake-bank-statements-maxed-credit-cards-piles-of-lies-after-the-fire-a-killers-shocking-secrets-are-revealed.html
Toronto Sun, Jane Stevenson: https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/judge-sentences-monster-to-life-in-prison-for-killing-mom-stepdad
Global News: https://globalnews.ca/news/8929229/richard-taylor-guilty-murder-mother-stepfather/
YouTube, Hamilton Spectator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZlOjBu06hU&ab_channel=TheSpec
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The Boy Is Mine: The Murder of Jenna Nannetti Mar 24, 2023

There’s a lot about high-school life that is retrospectively ridiculous. Miss, nobody noticed that microscopic zit on the side of your nose. Sir, that’s not a mustache yet and you should stop trying to pretend it is. But the truth is, when you’re that young you really do feel things deeply, and a lot of things matter far more than they really should. Especially where love is concerned. Looking back, you know perfectly well that that 17-year-old romance was never going anywhere, but when you’re right there and living it, it can be all that matters in the world. You might do anything to protect it. Join us for a story of teenage obsession gone horribly wrong.
Sources:
East Bay Express, "Little Miss Murder" by Susan Goldsmith: https://eastbayexpress.com/little-miss-murder-1/
SF Gate: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/LIVERMORE-Wife-killer-gets-life-sentence-2590335.php
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1180568.html
Investigation Discovery's "Wicked Attraction," episode "Deadly Rival"
Oxygen's "Killer Couples," episode "Katie Belflower and Mike Simons"
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Supreme Jackass: The Crimes of Elliot Rodger, Part 2 Mar 17, 2023

When we left you at the end of Part 1, angry man-child Elliot Rodger had dropped out of college to avoid contact with all the unattainable blondes on campus, and his plan to win the Mega Millions jackpot and lord it over everyone had failed. In his mind, he’d exhausted all possibilities for revenge against his “enemies,” except for the bloody ones. So he began planning what he called his “Day of Retribution”—a violent showdown with the sexy men and women who had made him feel so inferior all his life, by…I guess, not having sex with him instead of each other. Elliot was coming apart a little more each day, and he was determined to take as many people with him as he could. Join us for part 2 of this sad and infuriating story.
Sources:
BBC - https://tinyurl.com/yc6hewk5
Daily News - https://tinyurl.com/3ey6xkhf
Elliot Rodger manifesto - https://tinyurl.com/2p8wmz4d
BBC - https://tinyurl.com/3jk58y8c
People - https://tinyurl.com/2s468t4j
Daily Mail - https://tinyurl.com/mryvarm2
Time - https://time.com/2798623/elliot-rodger-roommate/
ABC's "20/20," episode "The Secret Life of Elliot Rodger"
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Supreme Jackass: The Crimes of Elliot Rodger, Part 1 Mar 10, 2023

On May 23rd, 2014, the city of Isla Vista California was shocked by a vicious murder spree—six people dead, more than a dozen others injured. The killer was a 22 year old man named Elliot Rodger, whose on-paper resume would never have hinted at anything like this. Born into a well-to-do family with Hollywood connections, blessed with good looks and intelligence and parents who adored him—allowed into exclusive events like movie premieres and fancy industry parties, given every opportunity you could possibly hope for. Dude could have been sailing through life. But for whatever reason, he’d been plagued since childhood with a hyperactive sense of entitlement, a raging narcissism that sent him into a rage at any perceived slight. As he got older, his rage began to focus on one singular obsession: Beautiful women, and the fact that he couldn’t seem to get them to like him. Never mind the fact that he spoke to them like a Roman emperor barking orders at a servant, in his mind hot women should be flocking to him, offering him their bodies as tribute to his magnificence. He was, after all, a “Supreme Gentleman.” And when they showed interest in other guys instead, it was war. Now, plenty of us have experienced sexual rejection. Most of us, in fact. But for Elliot, it became the sole focus of his life, fueling a rage that would consume him, and take innocent people with him. Join us for Part 1 of this frustrating story.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-44053828 https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/02/us/elliot-rodger-killings-in-california-followed-years-of-withdrawal.html https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/maniac-writes-manifesto-prior-deadly-rampage-article-1.1805474 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/sheriff-calif-shooter-rodger-flew-under-the-radar-when-deputies-visited-him-in-april/2014/05/25/88123026-e3b4-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html https://www.kron4.com/news/elliot-rodger-rehearsed-killing-roommates-before-ucsb-rampage/ https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/26/justice/california-elliot-rodger-timeline https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1173808-elliot-rodger-manifesto https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27593514 https://people.com/crime/5-years-later-remembering-the-6-student-victims-of-the-isla-vista-killings/ https://www.kxan.com/stop-mass-shootings/data-mass-shooter-profiles-weapons-and-warning-signs/ Mass Shootings by Schildkraut and Elsass https://www.theviolenceproject.org GUNS AND CONTROL BY GUY SMITH The Violence Project by Peterson and Densley
ABC's "20/20," episode "The Secret Life of Elliot Rodger"
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Satisfaction: The Murder of Cory Voss Mar 03, 2023

The Rolling Stones released “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” in 1965, when I’m pretty sure Mick Jagger could get all the satisfaction he wanted, but that’s neither here nor there. The song has been striking a chord with countless listeners for going on 60 years since because people recognize what it’s about either in themselves or others, that relentless unquenchable appetite for SOMETHING, whether it be money, attention, whatever. It’s a part of human nature that can get someone into a whole lot of trouble. Join us for the story of a woman who couldn't get enough, and the good man who had to suffer for her greed.
Sources:
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cory-voss-killing-how-ncis-investigators-unraveled-a-navy-officers-atm-homicide/ https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-4th-circuit/1622926.html
Stripes.com: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2021-11-29/army-veteran-hitman-naval-officer-death-row-new-sentencing-3796190.html
https://militaryjusticeforall.com/tag/cory-voss/
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode “Catherina Voss”
Investigation Discovery's "Wicked Attraction," episode “Sex, Lies and Bloody Goodbyes”
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Devastator: The Crimes of Christopher Hightower, Part 2 Feb 24, 2023

When we left you at the end of part 1, con man Christopher Hightower was coming unglued. His wife was threatening to leave him. His landlords were threatening to kick him out of his office. Creditors were swarming. And his old friend Ernie Brendel was pursuing a formal complaint against him with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Can you imagine? All he did was commit a little light financial fraud! In Chris’s mind, the whole world was out to get him. And he was about to strike back in a way that would bring the small town of Barrington Rhode Island to its knees. Join us for part 2 of this unbelievable and tragic story.
Sources:
Death of an Angel: A True Story of a Vicious Triple Murder That Broke the Heart of a Town, by Don Davis
Court papers: https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/state-v-hightower-895304220
The Providence Journal: https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/2021/01/26/rhode-island-murderer-christopher-hightower-killed-brendel-ernest-alice-emily/4264836001/
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-10-mn-1885-story.html
British true crime series "World's Most Evil Killers," episode "Christopher Hightower"
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Devastator: The Crimes of Christopher Hightower, Part I Feb 17, 2023

In the late summer of 1991, the tranquil little town of Barrington, Rhode Island was stunned by the disappearance of an entire family: Ernie and Alice Brendel and their 8 year old daughter Emily. As the story unfolded, it just got weirder and weirder. Mafia hit squads, bizarre murder weapons, a mysterious figure called “The Lynx?” And the town was left to unravel a mystery that was truly stranger than fiction: A tale of greed, arrogance, and elaborate deception. Join us for Part 1--and Part 2 next week!
Sources:
Death of an Angel: A True Story of a Vicious Triple Murder That Broke the Heart of a Town, by Don Davis
Court papers: https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/state-v-hightower-895304220
The Providence Journal: https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/2021/01/26/rhode-island-murderer-christopher-hightower-killed-brendel-ernest-alice-emily/4264836001/
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-10-mn-1885-story.html
British true crime series "World's Most Evil Killers," episode "Christopher Hightower"
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Scorned: The Murder of Jack Jones Feb 10, 2023

There’s a famous, if frequently misquoted, line from the 17th century play, The Mourning Bride: “Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned—Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorned.” It’s famous because people recognize the truth in it, that betrayal in love can create in a person an obsessive rage that can lead to some very dark places. It’s a tale as old as crime. A murder plot forged out of fury and hurt, and a whole series of bizarre events leading up to it.
Sources:
http://www.floridacapitalcases.state.fl.us/Documents/Case_updates/Htm/066600.html https://supremecourt.flcourts.gov/content/download/339899/file/08-1813_response.pdf https://caselaw.findlaw.com/fl-supreme-court/1496855.html https://www.discoveryplus.com/video/blood-relatives/4-women-and-a-funeral
A&E's "American Justice," Season 13, Episode 28, “The Wrath of Mrs. Jones”
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When Nerds Attack - Doomsday: The Murder of Lizzi Marriott Feb 03, 2023

If there’s one group of folks we identify with here at True Crime Campfire, it’s nerds. Between Katie and me, we cover about six or seven different subspecies of nerd over here, from Dungeons and Dragons nerd to anime nerd. True crime nerd goes without saying. And as we’ve said before, most of the time our people are harmless, peaceful types. Just give us a special edition Blu-Ray box set of the Lord of the Rings and a pantry full of snacks, and we’ll cause nobody any trouble. But sometimes, for a certain type of personality, a preoccupation with fantasy can be…not such a good thing. Pair that with narcissism and a lack of empathy for other humans, and you’ve got a recipe for some real megalomaniac wackiness. The kind that’s so convinced of its capital-D Destiny that it starts to think it’s entitled to take whatever it wants. No matter what kind of damage it does to anybody else. Join us for the story of Seth Mazzaglia and Kat McDonough, a mismatched pair of theatre geeks who believed they shared a cosmic destiny, but whose selfish desires ended in the death of an innocent young woman.
Sources:
Dark Heart: A True Story of Sex, Manipulation, and Murder by Kevin Flynn and Rebecca Lavoie
CBS' 48 Hours, episode "Dangerous Games"
https://www.fosters.com/story/news/crime/2016/09/21/murder-victim-lizzi-marriotts-sexual-privacy-case-hits-supreme-court/25404495007/
Trial footage
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Impostor: The Murder of Tim Wicks Jan 27, 2023

The fable of the wolf in sheep’s clothing has always been one of my favorites. You know the one—A hungry wolf can’t get close enough to grab a sheep for dinner because the shepherd is so vigilant. But one day he finds a sheepskin, and slips it on. Now he just looks like one of the flock. He can slip right in among ‘em. And when the shepherd’s back is turned, bam. Dinnertime. Now that is a perfect murder metaphor. How many cases have we seen where a predator manages to hide in plain sight, cloaked by his ability to seem like a super nice guy? More than I can count. And here’s another one. Join us for the story of Tim Wicks, a kindhearted musician with a close circle of friends, who set off for a new adventure in Canada, only to disappear without a trace. When Tim's name later popped up in North Dakota as an accountant under investigation for embezzlement, his friends were baffled. Was Tim living a double life? Or was something more sinister at work?
Sources:
Court papers: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nd-supreme-court/1106318.html https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14082874
Journal Sentinel, "Fatal Identity: A Five-Part Series" by Gina Barton: https://archive.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/Fatal-Identity-364036301.html/
NBC News, "The Tale of Two Timothy Wicks": https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14082874
Oxygen's A Lie to Die For, Episode “A Stolen Life”
Investigation Discovery's To Catch a Killer, Episode “The Real Tim Wicks”
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Wondery Presents: Frozen Head Jan 23, 2023

Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid.When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence and others like him have signed up to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. And that belief will pull multiple generations of the Pilgeram family into a cryonics soap opera filled with dead pets, gold coins, grenades, fist fights, mysterious packages, family feuds, Hall of Fame baseball legends, and frozen heads — lots of frozen heads. From Wondery, comes a story about life, death, and what comes next.Follow Frozen Head on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery App. Listen to Frozen Head: Wondery.fm/FH_TCCamp

Illusion: The Murder of LaNell Barsock Jan 20, 2023

Remember those Magic Eye posters from the 90s? The technical name is stereogram, an optical illusion where if you kinda unfocus your eyes and stare at it long enough, a colorful kaleidoscope-looking abstract will turn into something else. A rocket ship, maybe, or a tropical landscape. They’re fun, and everybody had one in their dorm room for a while. We’re always fascinated by illusion. It’s why magicians are so popular. In the right context, we love to watch something transform into something totally different. But when that something is a person we’ve come to care about and trust? Not so fun anymore.
Sources:
https://www.grunge.com/926587/larene-austins-motive-for-murdering-lanell-barsock-explained/
https://truecrimedaily.com/2016/05/31/woman-leaves-false-clues-in-lovers-murder-caught-after-escape-to-belize/
https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/dateline-the-last-day-larene-austin-convicted-killing-lanell-barsock
Investigation Discovery's "In Plain Sight," episode "Red Hot Murder"
NBC's "Dateline: The Last Day," episode "The Case of LaNell Barsock"
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After School Special: The Murder of Greg Smart Jan 06, 2023

In 1991, the small town of Derry, New Hampshire suddenly found itself the center of a media event: The trial of Pamela Smart, the pretty blond media services director at the local high school. From the outside looking in, Pam had seemed to be firmly on track for the American Dream. She and her handsome husband Greg were just about to celebrate their first anniversary, and Pam had aspirations to be a TV reporter. But behind the scenes, their marriage was crumbling—and Pam was becoming much too closely involved with one of her students at the high school. When Greg turned up murdered, it looked at first glance like a burglary gone bad…and that’s just how Pam wanted it to look. But the problem with murder conspiracies is, people tend to talk. Especially when some of those people are fifteen years old. And when the truth finally came to the surface, the little town of Derry would never be the same again.
Sources:
Teach Me to Kill by Stephen Sawicki
https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/family/smart/1.html https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/pamela-smart-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-smart-marriage/ https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/show/pamela-smart-an-american-murder-mystery-investigation-discovery-atve-us
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Wild Ride: The Carriage House Murder-for-Hire Dec 30, 2022

In game theory, there’s this thing called the Hawk-Dove game, better known to most of us as “chicken.” It’s when two players get themselves into a sort of standoff—a situation where it would be better for everybody if somebody would back down, but nobody wants to be the first to give up. So they both just keep going, with no regard for their personal safety, until finally—hopefully—somebody’ll say uncle at the last possible second. It happens on the road sometimes—often with bloody results. And sometimes, it happens in business. Join us for a story of pure greed and ego, set against the unlikely backdrop of the horse-drawn carriage business in 90s Kansas City, Missouri.
Sources:
Court papers: https://casetext.com/case/us-v-ldonna
Kansas City Star: https://account.kansascity.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=217844680&intcid=ab_archive
Kansas City Pitch: https://www.thepitchkc.com/carriage-lady-returns/
CBS' "Pink Collar Crimes," Episode "Clash of the Carriages"
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The Quiet Ones: The Staudte Family Murders Dec 23, 2022

Lao Tzu wrote: If you wish to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you wish to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation. This inspirational quote was posted on April 30th, 2013 on the Facebook page of Diane Staudte, a woman who many in her community may have considered an inspiration herself. A talented musician, a trained cardiac nurse, a mother of four and an essential member of the Redeemer Lutheran Church. And she was an even greater inspiration if you considered that in the past year, she had lost not only her husband, but her 26 year old son to sudden death. It makes sense, then, that Diane would be thinking about self-transformation right then. Making a new life out of the ashes of the old one. But no one could have realized how drastically she wanted to transform her life, and how far she would go to do it.
Sources:
20/20 - A Family Plot
https://abcnews.go.com/US/missouri-woman-recalls-moment-suspected-mom-kill/story?id=38036627 https://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-convicted-poisoning-family-maintains-innocence/story?id=82780856 https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2016/08/02/citing-fear-men-staudte-daughter-wants-do-over-antifreeze-murder-case/87966600/
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Like a Rose: The Murder of Ryan Poston Dec 16, 2022

Linda Ronstadt sang "Love is a rose, but you better not pick it--only grows when it's on the vine." It's a song about how love only flourishes when tended to, when you don't pick and choose which parts of the whole to love. When you love the roots and thorns and leaves as much as the flower. For some, though, love is less like a rose and more like a burdock. Y'know? Those thorny little buggers that stick to your clothes? They stick to you and never let you go, even when you've picked them off the fabric and tried to throw them out. For them, love isn't something that you give up easily. For them, it can be deadly. Join us for the story of Ryan Poston, whose on-again/off-again romance with a beautiful grad student named Shayna Hubers turned into a nightmare of stalking, harassment, and murder. This case has striking similarities to the Jodi Arias story, and interestingly enough, the killer herself was obsessed with the Arias trial.
Sources:
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ryan-poston-murder-part-1-breaking-point-1/
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/ryan-poston-murder-part-2-obsessed-1/
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/shayna-hubers-granted-trial-juror-helped-convict-revealed/story?id=41661246
CBS's "48 Hours," episode "Breaking Point"
CBS's "48 Hours," episode "Obsessed"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Shayna Hubers"
Lifetime's "Cellmate Secrets" episode "Shayna Hubers"
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Blaze of Glory: The Story of Cowboy Bob Dec 09, 2022

In the early 90s, north Texas was hit with a rash of bank robberies, all featuring a quirky-looking, mustached bandit the feds called Cowboy Bob. Bob was prolific, and his MO was smoother than silk—no muss, no fuss, in and out in 60 seconds with a satchel full of cash. The FBI figured they were dealing with a pro, a man with years of heists under his belt and nerves of chilled steel. They couldn’t have been more wrong…and in more ways than one. Join us for the tale of one of America’s strangest serial bank robbers, whose criminal career wasn’t so much about the money as it was about the thrill.
Sources:
Texas Monthly, Skip Hollandsworth: https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-last-ride-of-cowboy-bob/
https://www.discoveryplus.com/video/forbidden/cowgirl-bob
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna10367955
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/may/06/bank-robber-shot-dead-in-texas/
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Patreon Upcycle: Dark Knight - The Attempted Murder of the Dillmans Dec 02, 2022

Whitney has been sick this week, so we're giving everyone a little taste of what our Patreon-exclusive episodes are like. This one is from March 2021--the story of Grace Dillman and Robert Best, a couple of lovestruck teenagers who met in an online roleplaying game and ended up plotting bloody murder.
Want more exclusive extra episodes? Subscribe to our Patreon, at Patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-teen-boyfriend-charged-in-alleged-plot-to-kill-her-parents/
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2013/06/22/stabbing-girlfriend-s-father-nets/23766718007/
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2013/08/08/teen-gets-probation-for-plot/23977977007/
Investigation Discovery's "Web of Lies," episode "One Way Out"
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Hunted: The Murder of Judy Blake Moilanen Nov 25, 2022

Thanksgiving weekend is supposed to be a time to reflect on the blessings in our lives—especially the people we care about. Sure, you might end up in an argument or two around the dinner table, but hopefully by the time dessert comes out everybody’s over it and feelin’ lucky to be there. You wouldn’t expect, sitting around the table with the people closest to you, that one of them was biding his time, planning out your murder, step by step. Hiding death behind the smile. But that’s exactly what happened in this story. Join us for a story of lies, lust, greed, and a series of murder attempts disguised as "accidents."
Sources:
The Sweater Letter by Dave and Lynn Distel
A&E's "American Justice," episode "The Deer Hunter Murder"
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G.I. Joke: The Life and Death of Lieutenant Gliniewicz Nov 18, 2022

Joseph Campbell wrote, “It is only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself, if not the world.” Problem is, sometimes there’s a thin line between “hero” and “hero complex.” Adoration and attention aren’t always good for people. After a while, they can start to believe so strongly in their own PR that they lose all sense of reality. And protecting the image can become the most important thing in their lives, crowding out everybody, and everything. I’d say this is the story of a fallen hero. But the fact is, he was never really a hero in the first place. He was just wearing the mask.
Join us for the story of Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, or as his admirers called him, G.I. Joe--a former paratrooper and 30 year veteran of the Fox Lake, Illinois police. A local celebrity and family man who devoted his time to the Boy Scout "Police Explorers" club and maintained an impeccable reputation...until his shocking death in 2015. What initially looked like a murder--an officer cut down in the line of duty--soon revealed itself as something very different, and revealed Joe Gliniewicz to be a villain in disguise.
Sources:
https://www.fox29.com/news/disturbing-new-details-emerge-in-probe-of-disgraced-fox-lake-cop
Michael Martinez, CNN special report "The Secret Life of GI Joe"
https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/us/fox-lake-police-lt-joe-gliniewicz
ABC: https://abc7chicago.com/melodie-gliniewicz-joe-fox-lake-police-guilty/11577785/
NBC, Joe Schuppe: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-joe-gliniewiczs-dark-double-life-leaves-village-shock-n458821
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/bad-fox-lake-town-official-killed-article-1.2424992
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "Badge of Dishonor"
Investigation Discovery's "Married With Secrets," episode "A Darker Shade of Blue"
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This is Not a Joke: The Abduction of Karen Kummerer Nov 11, 2022

Sometimes, there’s no easy way out of the dark place you find yourself in, especially if that dark place puts you under the control of someone stronger than you, someone dangerous and unpredictable. And as much as you might fantasize about action-movie struggles and daring escapes, there are other ways to fight back. You can use your smarts and your courage to decide on a course of action that’ll give you the best chance of survival, and stick to it no matter what. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is just keep going. Join us for an amazing story of stalking, obsession, rage...and incredible courage.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "House of Horrors," episode "Terror By the Letter"
Investigation Discovery's "Escaped," episode "Obsessed Kidnapper"
https://www.discoveryplus.com/video/house-of-horrors-kidnapped/terror-by-the-letter
https://www.discoveryplus.com/video/escaped/obsessed-kidnapper
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/fl-district-court-of-appeal/1142978.html
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2007-11-21-cfbriefs21-3-story.html
https://www.naag.org/attorney-general-journal/an-update-on-the-legal-landscape-of-revenge-porn/#:~:text=In%202017%2C%20the%20number%20of,an%20increase%20of%20over%20100%25.&text=In%202019%2C%20a%20larger%20study,number%20of%20victims%20from%202016.
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Amazon Music Presents MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories Nov 07, 2022

A hiker terrorized for days by two unknown figures… A man stalked through the woods while camping, who barely escaped with his life… two cops who quit their job at a local theater because of unexplained encounters with an alleged demon…
These are just some of the unbelievable cases you’ll hear on the MrBallen Podcast on Amazon Music. Each week you’ll get new inexplicable encounters, shocking disappearances and other strange, dark and mysterious stories.
Hey Prime Members, listen to the Amazon Music exclusive podcast, MRBALLEN PODCAST: STRANGE, DARK & MYSTERIOUS STORIES, in the Amazon Music App. Download the app today: www.amazon.com/BALL_us_pfd_AA_110122

Crash: The Murder of Brittney Brashers Nov 04, 2022

Y’know, between Hollywood, books and TV, humans have got some pretty weird ideas about romantic love. If she turns you down, keep at her—make a grand romantic gesture to let her know you’re not goin’ away! If he’s jealous, it just means he really loves you. If he doesn’t want you dressing sexy, it’s just because he’s protective. Okay, we might fight all the time, but that’s just because we’re passionate. REAL love is like that, you know. Sure it's a little suffocating sometimes when she wants me to spend every spare minute with her—sure I’m losing touch with some of my friends, but I mean…I’m the only good thing in her life! I can’t leave her like everybody else in her life always has. Any of this sound familiar? Yeah, I figured. This stuff can play out in a lot of different ways, of course. Not every story like this is gonna end in murder. But this one does.
Join us for the story of Brittney Brashers, a beautiful young Iraq War veteran and athlete who had her whole life ahead of her--until she met Robbie Walters, whose charming and funny exterior hid a heart full of poison.
Sources:
CBS "48 Hours," Episode "Collision Course"
https://www.westword.com/news/a-veteran-charged-with-killing-his-girlfriend-robert-walters-also-put-a-hit-on-his-wife-say-police-5113439?showFullText=true
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/investigating-the-death-of-brittney-brashers/17/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/was-young-airmans-death-a-tragic-accident-or-murder/
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Amazon Music Presents SUSPECT: Vanished in the Snow Nov 01, 2022

For more than three and a half decades, the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews was a mystery – a riddle neither authorities nor her family members could solve. The residents of her cloistered Colorado hometown had scoured every inch of prairie. Jonelle’s face had been on milk cartons nationwide. Even the President of the United States had appealed to the public for help. Still, every lead had fizzled. Every person of interest had turned out to be a dead end.
Then, in 2019, Jonelle’s remains were unearthed near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. With the discovery came a troubling new question: Had the truth been hiding in plain sight the entire time? Was the man who couldn’t stop obsessing over Jonelle’s disappearance also the person who took her? From Campside Media and Wondery comes season two of SUSPECT. Former CNN reporter Ashley Fantz and executive producers Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson (Suspect, Over My Dead Body) dig into one of the most mind-bending cold cases in modern history, in an attempt to separate fact and fiction, compulsion from guilt, and true-crime fandom from a motive for murder.
Hey Prime Members, listen to the Amazon Music exclusive podcast, SUSPECT: Vanished in the Snow, in the Amazon Music App. Download the app today. http://www.amazon.com/SUS_us_pfd_AA_110122.

Buried: The Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping Oct 28, 2022

If you’re a parent, then you’ve probably spent a lot of time imagining nightmare scenarios for your kids. Y’know, you lose sight of them in Target for a couple of minutes, your mind starts to go in all kinds of awful directions. You’re careful about who they spend time with, you watch what they’re up to online. You make sure they know they can talk to you about anything. But the raw fact is, you can’t keep your kids in a bubble. You can wall off all the obvious angles of attack, but sometimes the danger comes completely out of nowhere. Sometimes, the threat is something nobody could have ever seen coming. Join us for the story of one of California's most startling crimes--the abduction of an entire bus full of children, and their driver.
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/08/18/frederick-woods-kidnapped-school-bus-children-parole/10356066002/
https://www.discoveryplus.com/video/house-of-horrors-kidnapped/buried-alive
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/48-hours-live-to-tell-the-chowchilla-kidnapping-2020/#x
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/us/ed-ray-bus-driver-who-helped-save-kidnapped-children-dies-at-91.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/23/archives/quarry-owners-son-called-a-loner-fond-of-old-cars.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/05/archives/a-puzzling-portrait-of-key-coast-kidnapping-suspect.html
https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Buried-Memories-Twenty-years-after-three-men-3773683.php
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/30/archives/new-jersey-pages-2-fugitives-seized-in-the-abduction-of-26-children.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/us/chowchilla-kidnapping-parole.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/12/healthtalk-children-and-the-aftermath-of-trauma/409ebd0c-10bf-46e7-af42-4a2dff32d3e6/
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Show Girl: Bad Bitch Marjorie Orbin Oct 21, 2022

There’s a phenomenon in psychology called decentering. Basically, it means understanding that you’re viewing the world through your own little perceptual filters, and beginning to wrap your head around the fact that you are not, in fact, the center of the universe—the main character in the movie of the world. This is important stuff. Without it, people tend to be, at best, selfish a-holes, and at worst—well, we’re about to find out. Join us for the story of one of Arizona’s most disturbing murder mysteries—a tale of greed, glamour, and a woman, Marjorie Orbin, who was incapable of seeing herself as anything else but a star.
Sources:
Book, "Dancing With Death” by Shanna Hogan
CBS's 48 Hours: Hard Evidence, Episode “Diary of a Showgirl”
Oxygen's Snapped, Season 12 Episode 10, “Marjorie Orbin”
Investigation Discovery's Scorned: Love Kills, Season 1 Episode 6, “The Showgirl and The Salesman”
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Introducing: The Generation Why Podcast Oct 17, 2022

The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Two friends, Aaron & Justin, break down theories and give their opinions on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries and conspiracies. One of the longest running true crime podcasts out there, Generation Why has a little something for every true crime listener. Follow The Generation Why Podcast on Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can listen ad-free by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. wondery.fm/TCC_GenWhy

When Nerds Attack: The Vampire Killers of Brisbane Oct 14, 2022

In the original Bram Stoker novel, vampire Count Dracula uses mysterious mind-control powers to feed his insatiable need for blood. He doesn’t always hunt alone—he prefers to use hapless humans as tools to get what he wants. For such an old story, it sure does match up with the kind of manipulation we tend to see in the real-life cases we cover. And in Brisbane, Australia in 1989, life would imitate art in an almost literal way, as an obsessed young woman drew three others into her murderous web.
Sources:
Daily Telegraph: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/crime-week-dark-secrets-of-australias-lesbian-vampire-murderer/news-story/83ed596770511fa459c4a7feab36ce1c
Moving Targets: Women, Murder and Representation, 1993, chapter "Biting the Hand That Breeds: The Trials of Tracey Wigginton" by Deb Verhoeven
Murderpedia, various articles: https://murderpedia.org/female.W/w/wigginton-tracey.htm
BBC's "Great Crimes and Trials," episode "The Lesbian Vampire Killers"
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Legend Has It: A Halloween Special with "Killer Legends" Filmmaker Joshua Zeman Oct 07, 2022

It’s spooky season, campers, and what’s a better way to celebrate than to dig into some urban legends? You know the ones we’re talking about—the razor blades in the Halloween candy, the call coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE, Bloody Mary in the mirror. That kinda stuff. We all have our favorites. But what happens when the legend comes true? Do some of these stories have roots in real crimes? Well, we’re gonna find out—and who better to help us than Joshua Zeman, award-winning director of our *favorite* true crime documentaries, "Killer Legends" and "Cropsey?" This is “Legend Has It,” a Halloween Special Event.
Legend: Poisoned Halloween Candy
True Case: The Man Who Ruined Halloween, Ronald O'Bryan
Legend: The Bunny Man
True Case: The Murder of Doreen Erbert
Legend: A Corpse in the Haunted House
True Case: Outlaw Elmer McCurdy
Sources:
"Killer Legends," 2014 documentary film by Joshua Zeman for Chiller
https://medium.com/@crimewaffles/william-michael-dennis-the-murderer-in-the-wolf-mask-4ec6ebeb8f59
https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/local-history/bunnyman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_Man
https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/local-history/bunnyman
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/26/books/where-s-elmer.html
https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/376097471/the-long-strange-60-year-trip-of-elmer-mccurdy
https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/elmer-mccurdy/
https://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/04/11/the_corpse_of_elmer_mccurdy_and_how_it_ended_up_in_a_long_beach_fun_park.html
Joshua Zeman: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0954722/
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Ambition: The Crimes of Dellen Millard Sep 30, 2022

Marcus Aurelius once wrote, “A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.” Most of us want to aim high in our lives, chase our sparkliest dreams. Today’s story focuses on a man who had big ambitions—and unlike most of us, he was born into the kind of wealth that could have opened just about any door in the world for him. From the time he could talk, his parents made sure he knew he was their little golden princeling, a chosen one entitled to take the world by storm—shoot through life like a comet. He could have become anything he wanted. But what he wanted to be was a killer. Join us for the story of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, Dellen Millard, and his partner in crime Mark Smich.
Sources:
Anne Brocklehurst, Deadly Ambition
CBC's "The Fifth Estate," episode "The Murders of Dellen Millard"
Dr. Joni Johnston, Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-equation/201901/the-case-serial-killer-dellen-millard#:~:text=Dellen%20was%20an%20only%20child,of%20roofs%20at%20pool%20parties.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42375159
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5194930/dellen-millard-murder-laura-babcock-tim-bosma-mark-smich-christina-noudga-letters/
https://globalnews.ca/news/4480285/decision-trial-dellen-millard-father/
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/parole-revoked-for-man-who-sold-guns-to-triple-killer-dellen-millard
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/dellen-millard-2
https://www.truecrimeedition.com/post/dellen-millard
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ont-dellen-millard-1.4988378#:~:text=Millard%20was%20found%20guilty%20in,able%20to%20apply%20for%20parole.
https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/11/18/the-israeli-army-vet-who-escaped-tim-bosmas-fate.html?rf
https://globalnews.ca/news/560553/tim-bosma-a-timeline-of-the-police-investigation/
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/06/17/man-who-went-for-test-drive-before-tim-bosma-considers-himself-lucky.html
https://annrbrocklehurst.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/my-sweet-serial-killer-wrote-dellen-millards-girlfriend/
https://annrbrocklehurst.wordpress.com/2016/11/23/farewell-christina-noudga-whos-taken-a-plea-deal-will-work-for-human-rights/
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Scandalized: The Murder of Jacques Mossler Sep 23, 2022

Life imitates art sometimes, or so the saying goes. And it’s true, no doubt about it. But you’re not always gonna get a masterwork. Sometimes, life imitates trashy art instead. With this story, we get the real-life equivalent of, like, a velvet Elvis—or more accurately, a season of “Days of Our Lives.” Join us for the story of one of Florida’s most scandalous murder cases—the “trial of the century” of the mid-60s. It’s basically a soap opera come to life, starring a glamorous socialite who could charm the paint off the walls, her rich but ruthless husband, and her dashing young lover—who had a secret that would knock genteel Key Biscayne sideways.
Sources:
Texas Monthly, Skip Hollandsworth: The Notorious Mrs. Mossler: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-notorious-mrs-mossler/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Mossler
https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/jacques-mossler-his-wife-and-nephew-murdered-him-to-inherit-200-million-4d6209fec435
Investigation Discovery's "A Crime to Remember," episode "Candyland"
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Unearthly: The Murder of Patricia Mery Sep 16, 2022

Literature is full of snakes in the grass masquerading as friends. Shakespeare’s evil bastard Iago is disgruntled about his boss Othello passing him over for a promotion and giving it to Cassio instead. So he manipulates Othello into thinking his wife is having an affair with the guy. A pretty clever way to drive a wedge between the boss and his favorite employee—and to position himself as Othello’s most trusted adviser, while secretly tearing him down. There are lots more examples: Wormtongue in Lord of the Rings, The Talented Mr. Ripley…It’s seductive to have a trusted adviser, someone who seems to admire you and have only your best interests at heart. But sometimes those indispensable sidekicks can have their own hidden agendas. Sometimes they’re not so much weaving a safety net, as they are building a web. And if you’re not careful, you can walk right into it and never come out again. Join us for the story of Anne Trovato, whose friendship with a self-proclaimed "psychic" and her daughter led to the brutal murder of her mother.
Sources:
Telegram: https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2007/09/27/dna-points-to-accused-in/52784450007/
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/nyregion/08teacher.html
Court documents: https://casetext.com/case/people-v-trovato-4
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Anne Trovato"
Investigation Discovery's "Death By Gossip," Episode "Mother's Day Murder"
Investigation Discovery's "True Conviction," Episode "Mother's Day Murder"
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Mastermind: The Story of Tonica Jenkins Sep 09, 2022

People are always intrigued by intelligent criminals. We say stuff like “If she’d only put that genius and energy into something good, she’d have been a huge success.” And it’s true, it really is. But the thing is, some people just live for the con. It’s in their blood—they can’t imagine doing anything else. In every situation, they’re looking for the angle, the way to turn everything to their advantage and put one over on everybody else in the process. Join us for the story of a born con artist whose quest for thrills turned deadly—the only case we’ve ever heard of with both a fake kidnapping and a real one.
Sources:
Court paperwork: https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/eighth-district-court-of-appeals/2004/2004-ohio-136.html
Scene Magazine, Andrew Putz: https://www.clevescene.com/news/mastermind-or-moron-1481119
CNN/Court TV: http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/02/11/ctv.jenkins.trial/
Cleveland Magazine, Eric Trickey: https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/politics/articles/aaron-phillips'-deal-with-the-devil
Investigation Discovery's "Murder By the Book," episode "Faye Kellerman"
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Stranger Than Fiction: Volume 3 Sep 02, 2022

A beautiful bride, married only 8 days before drowning in the river under mysterious circumstances. A young woman on a sunny walk, accepting a ride from a friendly stranger and ending up in a real-life nightmare. A strange fire. A new groom with a gash on the head. A NASA engineer who blends in perfectly until it’s time to let the monster out. Murder or suicide? Abductor or serial killer? Man, or vampire? Join us for a grab bag of bizarre stories: The mystery of "Eight-Day Bride" Christina Kettlewell, whose 1947 death baffled Canada, and the horrifying true story of John Crutchley, a real life "vampire" who may have been one of America's most prolific serial killers.
Sources:
https://thetruecrimefiles.com/christina-kettlewell-murder/
https://the-mystique.medium.com/murder-or-suicide-mystery-of-the-8-day-bride-5b1121f7451c
https://buzzfeed-unsolved.fandom.com/wiki/The_Mysterious_Death_Of_The_Eight_Day_Bride
https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/objects/262810/barries-friend-and-husband-of-the-dead-bride-jack-kettlewe
https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/crutchley-john.htm
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1996-10-13-9610120412-story.html
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MarriedBrunette: The Murder of Marty Theer Aug 26, 2022

From our earliest days, some people know exactly who they are. They’re just…comfortable in their own skin. They know who and what they want to be, and they go after it, and shine. Air Force Captain Marty Theer was one of those people. His plans for his life were pretty simple: He wanted to fly, and he wanted to be a husband and a dad. For a while, it seemed like everything was clicking into place perfectly to give him the life he always wanted. Married his high school sweetheart, rose fast in the ranks of the Air Force, and spent most of his days way up in the clear blue sky. But he didn’t bargain for the storm clouds that were brewing in the heart of the woman he loved.
Sources:
The Officer’s Wife by Michael Fleeman
Dateline NBC S19 E10, “Deadly Ambush”
https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/asset/tv/snapped-killer-couples/7751525996455149112
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nc-court-of-appeals/1201672.html
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125624&page=1
https://www.osi.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/2311497/the-murder-of-capt-marty-theer/
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Blood Brothers: The Murder of Heather DeWild Aug 19, 2022

Here are some facts about identical twins: They start to bond with each other before they’re even born. As they grow up, they often develop their own secret languages, comprehensible only to them. Many report a deep psychic bond, so strong that if one twin gets into a car crash on the other side of the country, the other twin will somehow know. The bond between twins is one of the strongest, most unbreakable, most mysterious connections in the human experience. They even share the same DNA. In most cases, the twin bond is a rare, even enviable blessing. But there can be such a thing as too much closeness, where the thread between twins becomes more like a strangling vine, binding them together so tightly that neither one can escape.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00RXLA3QA/ref=atv_dp_season_select_s3
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heather-dewild-will-her-killer-get-away-with-murder/
https://kdvr.com/news/daniel-dewild-sentenced-to-75-years-in-killing-of-estranged-wife/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/judge-sentences-daniel-dewild-to-74-years-behind-bars/
https://cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com/i/cbslocal/wp-content/uploads/sites/15909806/2011/12/final-dewild-indictment.pdf
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Wondery Presents: Fed Up Aug 18, 2022

When Emily Gellis hears rumors of people suffering horrible side effects from a trendy diet she springs into action. Armed with over a hundred thousand Instagram followers, Emily launches a social media crusade to expose F-Factor and its founder, Tanya Zuckerbrot. It’s the start of a feud that will attract trolls, lawyers, and, eventually, national media all because of fiber. From Wondery, this is a story about wealth, wellness, and influence hosted by Casey Wilson.
Listen to Fed Up: wondery.fm/TCC_FedUp

Magick Money: Greed Goblin Dawn Bennett Aug 12, 2022

I read a book once about the inner workings of Wall Street. I don’t really like to talk about it—I still get a little nauseous when I think about it. Yechh. One of the most memorable bits, though, was an interview with an investment banker who said, with a total lack of irony, “What good does it do me to make ten million if the guy down the hall is making twenty?” When the author said, “Well…okay, but when is it enough?” the guy looked at him like he’d just grown a second head. “Enough? It’s never enough.” That right there, campers, is the engine that drives some of the worst stuff in the world. And there’s no shortage of assholes in the clown car—some of whom are more than willing to resort to fraud to get there. Join us for the story of Dawn Bennett, a woman who rose to fame as one of the "best" financial advisors in the country, then crashed and burned spectacularly, despite her efforts to put curses on the SEC agents coming after her for fraud. Yeah, you read that right: Curses.
Sources:
CNBC's "American Greed," episode "The Luxury Curse Scam"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dawn-bennett-ponzi-scheme-suspect-paid-720k-for-prayers-by-hindu-priests-in-india/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2019/10/04/when-a-financial-advisor-turned-to-hoodoo-spells/?sh=514afa3146bb
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/dj-bennett-brings-luxury-to-sporting-goods/2012/12/23/3c9a365e-43cc-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html
https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/former-financial-advisor-sentenced-20-years-federal-prison-her-conviction-17-federal
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-cr-maryland-investment-adviser-sentenced-0801-20190801-ueewer72wnglvdpwimudumebje-story.html
https://www.sec.gov/alj/aljdec/2016/id1033jeg.pdf
https://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2017/comp23922.pdf
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/07/how-to-find-a-financial-advisor-who-wont-make-your-money-disappear.html
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Lady Judas: Serial Killer Judy Buenoaño Aug 05, 2022

We’ve seen it a hundred times by now—evil comes in many different forms. Sometimes, you can see it coming a mile away. But sometimes it’ll look like a million dollars, dressed to the nines and fluttering its eyelashes at you, making you feel like you’re the only guy in the room. Stay frosty out there, fellas. Evil comes in many shapes, and sometimes they’re extra pleasing. Join us for the story of one of America's scariest female serial killers, a woman whose sophisticated exterior hid a heart of blackest darkness.
Sources:
Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-11-14-8503180695-story.html
Michael Newton, An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers: Hunting Humans
Investigation Discovery's "Diabolical," Episode "The Devil Wears False Eyelashes"
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/state/2019/08/23/last-meals-of-gary-ray-bowles-danny-rolling-and-others-executed-by-state-of-florida/4395061007/
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1998-03-31-9803310252-story.html
http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/buenoano450.htm
https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/buenoano-judy.htm
https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1988/68091-0.html
https://casetext.com/case/buenoano-v-state-1
https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1671479/state-v-buenoano/?
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Cleansed: An Amish Murder Story Jul 29, 2022

It’s become a cliché in the telling of murder stories that someone will always say “This kind of thing just doesn’t happen here.” Somehow, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, we’re good at convincing ourselves that there are safe zones…places that are immune to the darker shades of the human soul. Most of us—at least, the ones who make a study of darkness—know better by now. But even for us, there are some communities that do seem unlikely to wind up on a true crime podcast. Unlikely, maybe. But nevertheless, here we are. Join us for a story of devotion, deception, lust and betrayal, against the unexpected backdrop of the Amish country.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery, A Murder in Amish Country, ep. A Twisted Confession
Inmate profile and criminal complaint against Samuel Borntreger: https://www.insideprison.com/state-inmate-search.asp?lnam=Borntreger&fnam=Samuel%20H&county=&st_abb=MO&id=2025969725
Horror History: https://horrorhistory.net/2020/12/04/man-kills-his-wife-with-antifreeze-and-battery-acid/
https://www.scribd.com/doc/295500611/Samuel-Borntreger-Criminal-Complaint?irclickid=35FTDSWZszbEW4P3jgQVdWKAUkD3r7z1sxfsw40&irpid=10078&utm_source=impact&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=affiliate_pdm_acquisition_Skimbit%20Ltd.&sharedid=huffpost.com&irgwc=1
KTTN news: https://www.kttn.com/samuel-borntreger-could-face-additional-charges-of-child-abuse-and-sexual-misconduct/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amish-minister-confesses-to-killing-wife-9-years-ago-cops_n_5697cf0de4b0b4eb759d6db3
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The Time Traveler's Girlfriend: The Murder of Anna Repkina Jul 22, 2022

David Foster Wallace once wrote that the truth will set you free, but not until it’s finished with you. Every time we tell a lie, we put it on our tab. That may work out for a while, but eventually the bill is gonna come due. And when that time comes, you better make sure you’ve got the money in the bank. Otherwise, your whole life’s gonna get repo’ed, and you’ll be there just standing in the wreckage. Especially if, like the guy in this week’s story, you’ve built your whole life on a lie.
Sources:
CBS' 48 Hours, Episode The Murder of Anna Repkina
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anna-repkina-murder-william-hargrove-love-triangle-ultimatum-48-hours/
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/11/04/william-chase-hargrove-anna-repkina-oregon-murder/
Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8898317/Man-serving-life-sentence-killing-Russian-bride-researched-time-travel-death.html
Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/man-convicted-murder-fiancee-william-hargrove-anna-repkina-alsea-oregon-time-travel-b1454490.html
https://nypost.com/2019/11/24/man-found-guilty-in-fiancees-murder-after-kfc-receipt-links-him-to-slaying/
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Out of the Picture: A Story of Murder for Hire Jul 15, 2022

It takes a special kind of narcissism to feel entitled to murder somebody. Especially when the motive is just to get them out of your way, because they’re inconveniencing you. And it takes an even bigger ego to decide that you’re not gonna do your dirty work yourself—you’re gonna outsource it instead. We’ve seen plenty of murder for hire schemes before on this show, and as you’ve probably noticed, they don’t tend to go real well. And you usually find, at their center, a person so self-involved that they view the world as their own personal chessboard to manipulate as they choose. What’s unusual about this week’s story is that it involves not one of these narcissistic little gremlins—but two. It offers us a tantalizing peek at what happens when two people get together to bring out each other’s darkest desires. Join us for the bizarre story of Drs. Leon Jacob and Valerie McDaniel, who conspired together to murder their exes. Although the plan was to eliminate two people, only one life was ultimately lost, and it's probably not the one you're expecting.
CWs: Suicide, domestic violence
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/operation-murder-1/#x
https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/playback/vod/GMO_00000000375791_01/e01627d5-a717-34b3-8a7e-f64ffb972d60?paused=true
https://abcnews.go.com/US/happened-bizarre-murder-hire-plot-led-veterinarians-suicide/story?id=54092867
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Failed-Houston-doctor-Leon-Jacob-sentenced-to-12781963.php
https://www.fox26houston.com/news/leon-jacob-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-in-murder-for-hire-case
https://abc13.com/murder-for-hire-trial-case-plot-leon-jacob/3263581/
https://media.click2houston.com/document_dev/2017/03/21/Leon%20Jacob%20Youngstown%20Hospital%201_9189482_ver1.0.pdf
https://media.click2houston.com/document_dev/2017/03/21/Leon%20Jacob%20Ohio%20Burglary%203_9189481_ver1.0.pdf
https://media.click2houston.com/document_dev/2017/03/21/Leon%20Jacob%20Divorce%204_9189477_ver1.0.pdf
https://media.click2houston.com/document_dev/2017/03/21/Leon%20Jacob%20Harris%20County%20Assault%20Case%207_9189478_ver1.0.pdf
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Out of Luck: A Murder at the Mansion Jul 08, 2022

We all wish we could win the lottery. I mean, who doesn’t love the idea of a life-changing financial windfall? The chance to pursue your real passions, get all your loved ones out of debt, travel, just…not have to worry anymore? But for the tiny percentage of people who actually do win the lottery, against almost impossible odds, the reality often ends up a lot more complicated than they expect. According to the NY Daily News, about 70 percent of lottery winners end up flat broke within 7 years. Worse than that, some believe there’s a curse attached to winning. Take the case of Jeffery Dampier, who won a 20 million dollar jackpot in the 90s, started a popcorn business, and ended up brutally murdered by his sister in law and her boyfriend. And we all remember Abraham Shakespeare from an earlier season of TCC, a man who used his lottery winnings to revitalize his community—until he was manipulated into signing over his fortune, then murdered by a scam artist named DeeDee Moore. These are just two examples of many. It’s one of those “careful what you wish for” things—a lesson the people in this week’s story had to learn the hard way. Join us for a true whodunnit, a twisting, turning story of ambition, deception, secrets and betrayal.
Sources:
https://www.the-sun.com/news/3890533/lotto-winner-fatally-injected-husband-squandered-cash/#:~:text=Joseph%20Roncaioli%2C%2072%2C%20was%20found,she%20split%20with%20her%20friend.&text=Prosecutors%20told%20his%20trial%20he,retirement%2C%20the%20Toronto%20Star%20reported.
https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2011/05/16/md_convicted_of_poisoning_wife_loses_appeal.html
https://www.lottoanalyst.com/lottery-winner-ibi-roncaioli
http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2017/09/legends-of-team-canada-stelio-zupancich.html
Investigation Discovery's "Your Number's Up," episode "Cruel Hand of Fate"
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Thieves Like Us: The Greatest Art Heist of the 21st Century Jul 01, 2022

Some people are born for a certain vocation. Mozart, for music. Shakespeare, for drama. Steven Hawking, for physics, and...let's say...Machine Gun Kelly? for rap music. Vjeran Tomic was born for the steal—as comfortable scaling the side of a tightly-guarded museum as a leopard is, stalking through the jungle. He says he’s in it for the love of art—a modern-day Robin Hood. But we seem to remember something about Robin Hood giving the money away…hmm.
Sources:
The New Yorker, Jake Halpern: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/14/the-french-burglar-who-pulled-off-his-generations-biggest-art-heist
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/arts/design/vjeran-tomic-paris-spiderman-sentenced-to-8-years-for-art-heist.html
The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-spiderman-art-heist-and-the-five-missing-masterpieces
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Designing Murder: The Disappearance of Billy McGrath Jun 24, 2022

Everybody has a skeleton or two in the closet, and most of us are able to leave it right where it is, cover it up with old coats and mothballs and forget all about it. But some skeletons are bigger and meaner than others, and for the man at the center of this story, it would be hard to imagine one worse. And he was living in fear that it was about to come busting out of there and trample all over his life. He thought he was doing everything he needed to do to prepare for it. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t his past he had to worry about. It was a threat he never saw coming. Join us for a twisting story of greed and betrayal, and a missing persons case that turned into a truly heartbreaking murder.
Sources:
Court paperwork, State v. Tocker: https://www.leagle.com/decision/inazco20121002008
https://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/william-mcgrath-murder-august-2009-phoenix-az-bradley-tocker-convicted-of-his-murder/
https://disappearedblog.com/william-mcgrath/
Investigation Discovery's "Disappeared," episode "Murder by Design"
Oxygen's "Buried in the Backyard," episode "Living in Fear"
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Introducing: Hollywood & Crime, The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley Jun 20, 2022

On May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley was found fatally shot in a car on a dark North Hollywood street. The prime suspect was her husband, famed actor Robert Blake. But Bonny, a longtime con artist, had plenty of enemies. She left behind a trail of men she’d scammed, and she had a volatile relationship with Christian Brando, the troubled son of movie star Marlon Brando.
Not since the O.J. Simpson case had the eyes of the nation been so fixated on a homicide. The search for Bonny’s killer took detectives on an eleven-month odyssey across the country and through Hollywood's underbelly of hustlers, drug addicts, and would-be hitmen. It would be the most expensive murder investigation in LAPD history to date.
This is the story of Robert and Bonny’s toxic relationship, her shocking murder, and his chaotic trial. Did actor Robert Blake kill his wife? Or was the murder someone else's vendetta?
From Wondery, and the team behind the hit series Hollywood & Crime (The Dating Game Killer, The Wonderland Murders, Death of Starlet) comes a six-part series about love, obsession and fame gone wrong. Co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Josh Lucas.
Listen at wondery.fm/TCC_TEOBLB

Mr. Never Was: The Story of Dr. Gerald Barnes Jun 17, 2022

No matter how many apples you eat in a day, you’re gonna eventually have to go see the doctor. It’s an unfortunate but necessary part of the human experience to go into that cold little room, put on a gown with no back, try not to gag on the tongue depressor, and hold your breath while they stick a needle in your arm. It’s not fun. And it’s bad enough without having to worry about whether the doctor who’s doing it to you is qualified to be there. We put a lot of faith in our healthcare providers. Sometimes we put our actual lives in their hands. It’s high-stakes stuff. But as stories like “Dr. Death” have taught us, our faith isn’t always well-placed. Join us for one of the most audacious cases of medical malpractice we’ve ever heard of, and forgive us in advance if it haunts your nightmares.
Sources:
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1096465.html
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "The Impostor"
Investigation Discovery's "Who the BLEEP," episode "Bad Medicine"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Barnbaum
New York Times, Kenneth B. Noble: https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/17/us/doctor-s-specialty-turns-out-to-be-masquerade.html
San Francisco Chronicle, Elizabeth Fernandez: https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bizarre-Medical-Masquerade-Determined-con-man-2950633.php
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Slow Burn: The Murder of Jimmy Michael Jun 10, 2022

Prey animals sometimes use camouflage to protect themselves from predators. But over millions of years of evolution, some predators have learned to do the same. Take the ghost mantis, a crafty little bug who masquerades as a leaf to get close to unsuspecting crickets. If you want to move in for a kill, there’s real value in blending in—whether you’re a leopard stalking a hare, or a cute pediatric nurse and former cheerleader who’s getting tired of her middle-class life and dreaming of bigger things. Michelle Michael: a woman whose perky personality and magazine-perfect lifestyle hid a heart as black as midnight. Join us for the true story of one of the cruelest, most brutal murders we've ever covered.
Sources:
John Glatt, Playing With Fire (St. Martin's True Crime)
CBS' 48 Hours Mystery: Episode "Death Without Mercy"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-without-mercy/
https://writingdeadlyaffairs.blogspot.com/2019/12/sudden-death-michelle-michael-james.html
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Introducing: Persona: The French Deception Jun 06, 2022

Introducing the true crime podcast Persona: The French Deception— the story of Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time. What does it feel like to pick up the phone and scam someone out of $50 million? Host and award-winning journalist, Evan Ratliff, investigates how Chikli successfully duped some of the world’s most powerful people into handing over their fortunes. He explores how Chikli evaded the law for years and became a Robin Hood-like hero. More than just a tale of criminal genius, this is a show about the moment we’re living in right now — the golden age of scammers — and the power of seduction. But what happens when the fantasy we’ve been lured into finally crumbles away? For all that and more, follow “Persona: The French Deception” wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen early on Amazon Music or early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app: wondery.fm/TCC_Persona

When Jocks Attack: The Sun Gym Gang, Pt 2 Jun 03, 2022

When we left you at the end of part 1, the brawny-yet-dimwitted Sun Gym gang, led by smooth-talker Danny Lugo and his bestie Adrian Doorbal were trying to figure out whether to kill their captive, Marc Schiller. They’d already drained most of his assets, set up shop in his house, stolen his cars, and sent his family fleeing in terror to Colombia. So now it was time to wrap up the plan and ride off into the sunset. But as you can probably anticipate, based on the general incompetence of these guys, that it might not go according to plan. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre true story.
Sources:
Miami New Times, Pete Collins: https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/pain-and-gain-6396870
CBS' "48 Hours," episode "Pain and Gain"
Various articles, Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/lugo-daniel.htm
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When Jocks Attack: The Sun Gym Gang, Pt 1 May 27, 2022

Teamwork makes the dream work. But what if your dream is a get-rich-quick scheme involving kidnapping and murder? And what if your team is a ragtag squad of steroid-swollen gym rats sharing about sixteen brain cells between them? This is the story of what happens when ego meets incompetence, with a generous handful of evil thrown in. Plus: Abs. Lots and lots of abs. Join us for the story of the Sun Gym gang--a case so strange, Hollywood turned it into the movie "Pain & Gain."
Sources:
Pete Collins, Pain and Gain (3-part longform article) https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/pain-and-gain-6396870
Murderpedia, various articles: https://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/lugo-daniel.htm
CBS' "48 Hours," episode "Pain and Gain"
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Farewell My Lovely: A Real-Life Detective Noir May 20, 2022

It was a cold one out there the day she walked into his life—gray, like the color of her eyes. She showed up like a shiny silver dollar in the path of a starving man—exactly what he needed, at exactly the right time. Blonde. Young. Full of big ideas. She was a small-town dame in the big city, ready to take the place by storm. She was a perfect pearl. And he knew she’d believe whatever he told her. He was about to teach the girl a hard lesson: That in the big city, you can’t trust anyone. Sometimes, not even yourself.
Join us for a true story that could have come straight out of the pages of a Raymond Chandler novel, a fascinating vintage story about a young woman who inadvertently became a tool in the hands of a clever kidnapper-killer. We bet you've never heard of this one!
Sources:
St. Clair McKelway, The New Yorker, 1953: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1953/08/08/the-perils-of-pearl-and-olga
https://uselessinformation.org/pearl-lusk-x-ray-camera/
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The Ties that Bind: The Story of Pamela Buchbinder May 13, 2022

In the story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet dreams of becoming a real boy—a real son to his maker, Geppetto. He’s a bit of a mess—always getting into mischief, lying and hanging around with the wrong crowd. But when he learns how to really care about people, the good fairy finally grants his wish, making him fully human. It’s a pretty powerful lesson: That what makes us whole, a lot of the time, is learning how to care for other people. Protect the people we love. Sacrifice our own comfort for theirs. It’s a noble impulse. But in the hands of a manipulator with ulterior motives, it can get twisted in all kinds of terrible ways. And the puppet can end up not a full-fledged human being, but a tangled mess of wood and string. Join us for the disturbing story of Dr. Pamela Buchbinder, a prominent New York psychiatrist who manipulated her troubled young cousin, Jake Nolan, into the attempted murder of her ex.
Sources:
Various articles, NY Post: https://nypost.com/tag/pamela-buchbinder/
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-pamela-buchbinder-jacob-nolan-did-psychiatrist-brainwash-cousin-to-kill-ex-lover/
https://demo.socastcms.com/2021/05/08/new-development-in-case-of-a-man-who-claims-psychiatrist-convinced-him-to-kill/
CBS's "48 Hours Mystery," Episode "The Psychiatrist and the Selfie"
Court documents: https://casetext.com/case/buchbinder-v-hochul-2
Court documents: https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/appellate-division-first-department/2018/30222-17-30207-17-3160-17-101651-17-101532-17.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/jacob-nolan-michael-weiss-crime-scene-photos-nyc-sledgehammer-attack/11/
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/nyregion/jurors-reject-brainwashing-defense-in-attempted-murder-trial.html
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"So I Can Stop:" The Murder of Lovisa Lindh May 06, 2022

Elle Newmark wrote, “Unrequited love does not die; it’s only beaten down to a secret place where it hides, curled and wounded.” Most of us have felt that special kind of pain that comes from pining after somebody who’s not pining after you. Most of us manage to take the hit and move on. But a few take…another path. This is the story of Jonna Henningsson, a bright, outgoing young woman who loved animals and caring for others. Jonna seemed to have everything going for her. Most people knew nothing about the darkness coiled up inside her, a darkness that lay sleeping most of the time. But when she fell obsessively in love with a man who couldn’t seem to choose between her and his other girlfriend, that darkness opened its eyes and stretched.
Sources:
A BIG thank you to our patron, who chooses to remain anonymous, for translating these Swedish-language sources for us!
Swedish podcast "Rättegångspodden," episode "Styckmordet i Askersund:" https://aca.st/a8d2fb
A stack of Swedish-language court documents
YouTube channel "The Fear Files," Episode "The Case of Jonna Henningsson:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUm3eYL5nQ
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Random Act: The Murder of Yancy Noll Apr 29, 2022

John Adams once wrote that genius is sorrow’s child. A couple years ago, The Economist published an article called “The Curse of Genius” about the tumultuous lives of child prodigies. And how many times has Mensa come up on this show by now? About half a dozen, at least? Genius, it seems, is a double-edged sword. Some people are able to harness it to make spectacular leaps forward in art or science or technology. But for some, the expectations that come with that scary-high IQ can be like an anvil around their necks. Insecurity starts to fight with arrogance in those sharp-as-diamond minds, and resentment starts to brew. Combine a brilliant mind with a grudge against the world and you start to open some really dangerous doors. Join us for the story of Dinh Bowman, a guy with the potential to do anything he set his mind to, but chose to study murder instead.
Sources:
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-yancy-noll-death-dinh-bowman-student-of-murder/
48 Hours Mystery: Episode "Student of Murder"
The Sun: https://www.the-sun.com/news/4555033/who-yancy-noll-what-happened-to-him/
Court papers: https://casetext.com/case/in-re-pers-restraint-of-bowman-1
"Bunny and Snuggles" phone calls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLZMMK4Nd0
ABC News, Bryan Robinson: https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96770&page=1
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Shadow of Death: Sinister Minister James Flanders Apr 22, 2022

In the Bible, First Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” It’s actually a pretty good definition of love—the kind most of us hope to have in our lives someday. And it's a definition you’d expect a man of God to live by. A pastor is called to be an example to his congregation. Not to be perfect, but at least transparent—sincere—and a soft place to fall for anyone who’s struggling. But for one congregation in Florida, their leader’s charm and charisma was nothing more than a trap. Join us for the story of Pastor James Flanders, the dynamic head of the Calvary Emerald Coast church in Fort Walton Beach--and Marie Carlson, the lovely young mother he lured into a web of lust, lies and murder.
Sources:
https://thecinemaholic.com/marie-carlson-murder-where-is-james-flanders-now/
https://www.nwfdailynews.com/story/entertainment/local/2018/03/03/dateline-nbc-to-feature-local-murder-mystery-photos/13769313007/
NBC's "Dateline," Episode “Secrets on the Emerald Coast”
https://www.sheriff-okaloosa.org/former-fwb-pastor-arrested-in-connection-with-disappearance-and-murder-of-marie-carlson/
https://www.nwfdailynews.com/story/news/2015/12/02/pastor-charged-with-murder-granted/32912916007/
https://2paragraphs.com/2018/03/dateline-marie-carlsons-daughter-6-in-custody-of-james-flanders-wife/
https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/willcox/mom-murdered-by-dad-custody-granted-to-murderers-cochise-county-family/article_440eb8a0-d936-5f04-b1b3-eca75ca6cccf.html
https://www.destinchamber.com/news/details/eccac-board-welcomes-lt-nesli-suhi-moore
TV show "Cold Justice," Episode “Devoted”
*Thanks to patron and friend Megan for her help with this episode
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Classified: The Murder of Walter Sartory Apr 15, 2022

There’s an old saying that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get ya. For one brilliant yet troubled mind, living in fear was pretty much the norm for most of his adult life. His friends had come to take his worries with a grain of salt. Some of them seemed like the kind of bizarre fantasies you’d find in an episode of the X-Files. Nobody really took them seriously. That is, until their paranoid friend went missing. Join us for one of the strangest cases we’ve ever covered—a twisting, turning story of greed and secrets: both government and personal.
Sources:
Cincinnati Magazine: https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/death-and-the-maid/
https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/blanc-willa.htm
Investigation Discovery's "Killer Instinct with Chris Hansen," episode "Death of a Genius"
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Fake Fiction: The Story of J.T. LeRoy Apr 08, 2022

So, this might seem like a weird question, but hear me out. Does authenticity matter? Let me be more specific. Does art need to be authentic? What if you found out, for example, that your favorite writer—somebody whose traumatic life story you related to, somebody whose identity was a living, breathing part of the power of the stories they told—was a fake? Not the person they presented themselves to be at all? Would you be fine with it, or would you feel kind of…betrayed? And how would you feel about the stories? Would they hit a little different if you knew the person who wrote them was a big, stinky fraud? Join us for the story of an audacious literary con, a scam that made its mastermind a pile of money and a whole entourage of celebrity fans—and rocked the early 2000s literary scene to its core.
Sources:
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/20/jt-leroy-story-modern-literary-hoax-
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/23/my-life-as-jt-leroy-savannah-knoop-on-playing-the-great-literary-hoaxer
New York Magazine: https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718/
Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/08/jt-leroy-documentary-interview
Documentary "The Cult of J.T. LeRoy"
Investigation Discovery's "Impostors," episode "The Heart Is Deceitful"
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One Night in Hell: The Richmond Hill Explosion Apr 01, 2022

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed—only transferred from one form to another. For example, dynamite explodes when chemical energy is converted to kinetic energy. It’s an interesting metaphor for a kind of killer we see a lot on True Crime Campfire: the smart, dynamic charmer with everything going for them, who throws it all away by putting their energy into all the wrong stuff: Revenge, or greed, or a lust for power. And like a stick of dynamite, when these people go off, they tend to take innocent people with them. Monserrate Shirley was a bright, attractive ICU nurse with a loving daughter and a beautiful home. She had the potential to do anything she wanted to do. What she did instead was hook up with a guy named Mark Leonard, a con artist with a faux tan and a whole lot of bad ideas about how to get rich quick. Join us for the bizarre true story of a plan gone horribly wrong.
Sources:
CNBC's "American Greed," episode "Neighborhood Inferno"
Oxygen's "Killer Couples," episode "Monserrate Shirley and Mark Leonard"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Hill_explosion
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/monserrate-shirley-sentencing-starts-monday/531-c1efed7f-5eff-4f1f-b989-d88067ee5a51
https://www.wrtv.com/longform/but-for-monserrate-shirley-she-was-a-neighbor-a-friend-a-nurse-she-betrayed-it-all
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiYqL-BnKD2AhU0JEQIHVx5AcQQFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indystar.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2F2016%2F12%2F20%2Frichmond-hill-suspect-monserrate-shirley-gets-50-years%2F95657520%2F&usg=AOvVaw3jMrZL-YLV1R88znU7pUaj
https://fox59.com/news/richmond-hill-explosion-culprit-mark-leonard-dies-at-indy-hospital/
https://fox59.com/news/cause-of-death-of-richmond-hill-conspirator-mark-leonard-determined/
https://www.in.gov/apps/indcorrection/ofs/ofs?lname=Shirley&fname=Monserrate&search1.x=40&search1.y=12
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Bad Neighbors: The Murder of Kay Parsons Mar 25, 2022

Becky Sears and Kay Parsons were not only next door neighbors, but best friends, too. Their sons were in Little League together, and their husbands liked to join them both for dinner, drinks, and games of mixed doubles tennis. But secrets and lies would soon rip their friendship apart, and the consequences would reverberate throughout their small Georgia community for years to come. Join us for one of the twisty-turniest murder cases we've ever covered, a story of sex, lies, and stunning personal betrayal of the very deadliest kind.
Sources:
NBC's "Dateline," episode "Murder on Hot Springs Drive"
ABC's "20/20"
Investigation Discovery's "Evil Kin," episode "For Sale by Owner"
https://www.monstersandcritics.com/tv/becky-sears-had-her-son-christopher-bowers-beat-neighbor-kay-parsons-to-death-with-a-hammer/
https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/sears-rebecca.htm
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Golden Boy: The Story of Brian Blackwell Mar 18, 2022

Lying is an essential human activity—everybody does it sometimes. And there are a few different reasons people do it. Sometimes it’s an innocent attempt to spare somebody’s feelings: Y’know, “It’s not you, it’s me,” or “Oh no, Gramma, I loved that sweater you made me! It’s just um…it was stolen. Yeah, stolen!” Sometimes it’s to avoid accountability. “I didn’t kill that guy,” or “That vase was shattered when I got here.” Sometimes it’s to cause somebody else pain. “I never loved you.” And sometimes, it’s about creating a fantasy version of ourselves, because we don’t like who we see in the mirror. For a small percentage of these people, the big lie they build around themselves becomes their greatest treasure—something to guard with everything they have. And anyone who threatens it might not make it out alive. Join us for the story of "perfect son" Brian Blackwell, who built an elaborate web of lies to impress his girlfriend--that he was an up and coming professional tennis player, that he'd just closed on a 450,000 pound flat in the same complex as a famous footballer, that he could afford to give her anything and everything she wanted. When his parents threatened to put a stop to his fraud, he committed one of the most shocking crimes in British history.
Sources:
The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1493035/Psychological-time-bomb-that-turned-teenage-son-into-frenzied-killer.html
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jun/30/ukcrime.helencarter
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/4634401.stm
BBC's "Real Crime," episode "A Perfect Son"
BBC's "Killing Mum and Dad," episode "Brian Blackwell"
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Full-Tilt Boogie: The Crimes of Peter Braunstein Mar 11, 2022

T.S. Eliot ends his poem “The Hollow Men” with the line “This is the way the world ends…not with a bang, but a whimper.” Spree criminals are always after the bang. Many see themselves going out in a blaze of glory, taking as many people with them as they can. Going down in history as some kind of dark antihero, shaking up the way we think, making us question our most basic values—leaving a big, smoking crater in the earth on their way out of it. These guys are legends in their own minds. Funnily enough, though, as hard as they try for the big bang, they often end up with the whimper. And there’s no better example of that than Peter Braunstein, a former playwright and fashion writer who--after being fired from his job at Women's Wear Daily--embarked on an outrageous crime spree. His ultimate goal? Kill Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Join us for the bizarre story of a grudge that spun out of control.
Sources:
"Friend of the Devil" by Aaron Gell: https://humanparts.medium.com/friend-of-the-devil-3726bd1ddc1c
Investigation Discovery, "I Almost Got Away With It," Episode "I Got to Pose as a Firefighter"
Gothamist: https://gothamist.com/news/peter-braunstein-endures-fellow-prisoners-teasing-you-didnt-even-rape-her
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Braunstein
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Introducing: American Hostage Mar 08, 2022

In the series premiere, radio DJ Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm) receives an unexpected call from a listener that turns his life upside down.
Follow American Hostage on Amazon Music, to hear all 8 episodes right now: wondery.fm/TCC_AmericanHostage

Red Wine, White Lies: Wine Fraudster Rudy Kurniawan Mar 04, 2022

In the old Hans Christian Anderson tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes, the emperor was the kind of clothes horse who’d make Anna Wintour look like a frump in a burlap sack. This guy was all about the fashion, and the more extravagant the better. So one day, a couple of con men came blazin’ into town, pretending to be the best tailors in the biz. They swept into the emperor’s castle, bragging about the spectacular wardrobe they could make for him…for the right price. And it got even better than that. These tailors had magic powers. They could create a fabric that could only be seen by those who are good enough, smart enough, and powerful enough. Well of course our boy and his ego couldn’t resist, and he set the two “tailors” to work, creating the kind of threads that would blow the roof off of any room he strutted into. Of course the tailors weren’t tailors at all, and they had no magic powers. They just wanted the cash…and the cache. So when the day of the big reveal came along, they finessed it. Rolled in a fancy garment rack full of empty hangers, and presented them as the finest wardrobe in the land. When the emperor saw the empty rack, of course, his first thought was…oh no…oh God…I can’t see it! I’m not good enough! Presumably everybody else was thinking the same thing—oh no, why can’t I see it? There was a moment of panicky silence. And then, the emperor gasped the fakest gasp he’d ever gasped, and said “I LOVE IT!” And later that day, the whole kingdom was treated to the sight of their ruler, catwalking down the main street in the buff. And everybody clapped, and everybody had something to say about how beautiful the clothes were. Better that than admit ya got got. This is one of those stories that never goes stale. We see it every day, that essential human urge to save face, even at great personal expense. Today we’ll tell you about a fraudster who knew this all too well, and decided to try his hand at faking out one of the wealthiest, most discerning crowds in the world: the wine snobs.
Sources:
2016 Documentary "Sour Grapes" by Jerry Rothwell, Reuben Atlas
CNBC's "American Greed," episode "Vintage Wine Fraud"
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/sep/11/the-great-wine-fraud-a-vintage-swindle
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Possession: The Story of Bart Corbin, Pt 2 Feb 25, 2022

When we left you at the end of part 1, we had just learned one of Bart Corbin’s best-kept secrets: that, 14 years before the murder of Jennifer Corbin, his ex-girlfriend Dolly Hearn had died from a gunshot wound to the head. A gunshot wound eerily similar to Jenn’s—and a death that had been ruled a suicide, to the disbelief of the people closest to the victim. Now, Dolly’s parents were determined to make contact with the investigators in Jenn Corbin’s case, and finally bring to light a truth they had always been sure of: that Bart Corbin killed their daughter. Join us now for part 2 of this twisting tale.
Sources:
Ann Rule, Too Late to Say Goodbye
CBS "48 Hours," episode "Love and Lies"
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15253153
https://www.oxygen.com/a-wedding-and-a-murder/crime-news/dentist-bart-corbin-pleads-guilty-murdering-girlfriend-wife
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/archive/dentist-gets-life-for-killing-two-women/article_4b206d69-70ac-5cfc-9555-22cfe9e0c145.html
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Possession: The Story of Bart Corbin, Pt 1 Feb 18, 2022

A little mystery can be fun in a relationship. It keeps things interesting. You don’t have to share every thought that passes through your head, or tell all your best stories on the first or second date. Keeping your partner guessing about a few things can add a little spice. You shouldn’t feel like you have to make your life an open book. But if you end up with someone who won’t even let you take a peek at the very first page, that’s a red flag. This is the twisting, turning story of a marriage built on secrets—some of them so potent, so poisonous, that they began to eat at the relationship from the inside out. Some secrets can be harmless, but some you take to the grave. Join us for the story of Dr. Bart Corbin, a dentist whose charming exterior hid a dark past, and a smoldering rage so powerful that it swallowed the lives of at least two women.
Sources:
Ann Rule, Too Late to Say Goodbye
CBS "48 Hours," episode "Love and Lies"
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15253153
https://www.oxygen.com/a-wedding-and-a-murder/crime-news/dentist-bart-corbin-pleads-guilty-murdering-girlfriend-wife
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Blind Love: The Murder of Linda Curry Feb 11, 2022

I always loved the old “Twilight Zone” series. In most of the stories, ordinary people would wake up one morning and find themselves in a world that had changed in some crucial, baffling way. Everybody else would be in on the change, going around like nothing had happened, and the hero would have to figure out how to navigate this scary new reality. It’s fun to watch, when it’s fiction. But what if you woke up one morning and realized you were living your own version of that story? That all the trappings of your comfortable life were as flimsy as a sheet of painted canvas, hiding a nightmare underneath? What if the person you loved and trusted most had been in on the joke all along…and the joke is on you? Join us for the story of Paul Curry, a Mensa member and two-time Jeopardy champ whose charms were only skin deep.
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/timeline-investigating-the-death-of-linda-curry/11/
https://www.grunge.com/493987/the-truth-about-the-jeopardy-winner-who-murdered-his-wife/
https://www.leagle.com/decision/incaco20170629061
CBS's "48 Hours," episode "To Catch a Genius"
CNBC's "American Greed," episode "Recipe for Murder"
Investigation Discovery's "Charmed to Death," episode "A Life in Jeopardy"
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

When Nerds Attack: The Bellevue Murders Feb 04, 2022

We’ve said it before on True Crime Campfire: We’re nerds. And so are most of our friends. Nerds can be the very best people. All most of us want to do is to read our comics or cosplay our favorite characters from Final Fantasy VII, or learn to speak Klingon. We’re harmless. Most of us. But every category of person has its dark element. And for some people, fantasy is anything but harmless. For them, it can fuel a sense of superiority and separateness from ordinary life—provide a sort of storyline for them to follow, where they become the dark hero of their own little movie. When two such nerds come together, it can make for some toxic dynamics. Especially since human beings tend to do things in groups that they might NEVER have the nerve to do alone. Join us for the story of one of the Seattle area's most horrifying multiple murders--the 1997 slaughter of the entire Wilson family, by a pair of teenage killers who just...kinda wanted to see what it felt like.

Every Breath You Take: The Stalking of Dr. Brennan Jan 28, 2022

Love, hate and obsession have always been pretty close relatives. Anybody who’s ever picked up a Harlequin romance novel or watched a ridiculous rom-com knows that we don’t really get the best guidance from society on how to manage our love lives. Some of us just kinda wing it until we figure it out. Some of us go from train wreck to train wreck, and some decide we’d rather skip the whole thing and focus on hobbies and pets and learning how to keep indoor plants alive. But then there are the ones who—so desperate to latch on to another person that they feel empty without it—weave an elaborate fantasy of the Perfect Love. And when they meet someone who seems to match the dream, they latch on. Even if it turns out that the object of their desire doesn’t want to be latched anymore. The more the dream-partner pulls away, the more feverish the fantasy becomes. And things can get dangerous, fast. Join us for the strange true story of Diane Schaefer, a woman whose obsession with a famous cancer doctor took over her life, and the lives of many others.
Sources:
Marie Brenner, "Erotomania: The Haunting of Dr. Brennan," Vanity Fair, Sept. 1991
The Village Voice: "Stalking the Stalkers" https://www.villagevoice.com/2001/07/03/stalking-the-stalkers/
Investigation Discovery's "Tabloid," episode "Love You to Death"
Lifetime, "Obsessed," 2002
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Stranger Than Fiction: Vol. 2 Jan 21, 2022

“Stranger than fiction” is one of our guiding forces here at True Crime Campfire. We always try to find the kind of stories that will live rent-free in your head for the rest of your life. But of all the weird stories we’ve encountered in our decades of true crime obsession, there are a few that stand out far above the crowd. In our first case, a quirky professor known for his unorthodox views on fast food comes home from a conference and walks into a nightmare. A day later, detectives walk in on the weirdest, most brutal crime scene they’ve ever seen. And in the second, a teenage boy is forced to confront a kind of betrayal worse than he ever could have imagined—and investigators will have to puzzle through a maze of bizarre clues to work out what happened.
Sources:
https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/appledorf
https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/education/campus/2018/04/04/35-years-after-murder-appledorfs-memory-lives-on-in-popular-uf-course/12823197007/
Investigation Discovery's "Tabloid," episodes "Deadly D-List" and "Devils in Disguise"
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/22/us/2-sentenced-in-slaying-of-professor-in-florida.html
http://truecrimediscussions.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-assault-of-charles-hardeman.html
https://www.actionnews5.com/story/17590194/teen-recovering-after-surviving-fire-car-crash-and-attempted-drowning/
https://wreg.com/news/sister-of-kidnapping-victim-arrested-in-case/
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Do No Harm: The Story of the Creighton Killer, Pt 2 Jan 14, 2022

When we left you at the end of part 1, Omaha homicide detectives had just put a new suspect on their radar for the brutal murders of Tom Hunter, Shirlee Sherman, and Roger and Mary Brumback: Dr. Anthony Garcia, a former resident in the pathology department at Creighton University Hospital. Garcia had been terminated from his residency after a series of bad evaluations. Now, years later, the doctors who fired him were in the crosshairs, and investigators were desperate to find him before he struck again. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre true story.
Sources:
Pathological by Cordes and Cooper
Various articles: https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/garcia-anthony.htm
CBS' "48 Hours," https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anthony-garcia-case-was-revenge-motive-behind-omaha-double-murders/
NBC's "Dateline," episode "Haunted"
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Do No Harm: The Story of the Creighton Killer, Pt 1 Jan 07, 2022

In 2008, a tranquil neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska was stunned by the vicious double murder of an eleven year old boy—the son of two prominent local doctors—and their much-beloved housekeeper. No one could imagine who was behind the killings, and the case went colder and colder…until the same thing happened again, five years later, and the motive became clear. Join us for a classic whodunnit, the story of a desperate race to uncover the secrets behind these brutal and seemingly senseless murders.
Sources:
Pathological by Cordes and Cooper
Various articles: https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/garcia-anthony.htm
CBS' "48 Hours," https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anthony-garcia-case-was-revenge-motive-behind-omaha-double-murders/
NBC's "Dateline," episode "Haunted"
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Introducing Families Who Kill: The Donut Shop Murders Jan 04, 2022

In the era of some of the most heinous serial killers of all time, one murderous family went curiously unnoticed: The McCrarys. Led by a psychopathic patriarch and his cunning son-in-law, this Texas clan roamed the country robbing, kidnapping, and killing up to 20 people, most of them taken from donut shops. “Families Who Kill: The Donut Shop Murders” recounts the wild and deeply disturbing story of an unhinged American family and the terrible brutality they unleashed. The podcast features the taped confessions of one of the killers, given when he was serving a life term in Colorado.
Listen Here: wondery.fm/DSM_TCCampfirePod

Can't Buy Me Love: Master Con Man Steven J. Russell Dec 31, 2021

In every great love story, there’s some degree of risk. We risk our hearts, at the very least. We risk getting hurt. But one thing we DON’T usually risk is prison time. This is the story of one of America’s tricksiest con men. An ingenious thief, a master impersonator, and the most prolific prison escapee in U.S. history. One of the fascinating things about him is the motivation behind his many crimes and escapes. Not so much money…but love. Or so he claims. Join us for a made-for-Hollywood tale of obsessive love and intricate fraud--the subject of the movie "I Love You, Phillip Morris" with Jim Carrey and Ewan MacGregor.
Sources:
I Love You, Phillip Morris by Steve McVicker
Esquire Magazine, The Great Escapee by Alex Hannaford
The Guardian, Elizabeth Day: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/06/steven-russell-elizabeth-day-jim-carrey
TodayIFoundOut.com, Karl Smallwood: King Con: The Con Man Who Simply Walked Out of Prison Four Times
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Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Patreon Upcycle: Con College Dec 24, 2021

Since it's the holidays and we both have family to see and things to bake, we decided to give everybody another peek at one of our past Patreon-exclusive episodes. Sometimes these patron-exclusives are just regular TCC episodes—extra cases. But sometimes we like to mix things up and do something a little different. In this episode, we decided to walk our patrons through some of the most common, most classic cons and scams—we’ll give you a little history on each, tell you how they work, and how to avoid them. Just about anybody can get got, so this is good info to have. So put on your pjs, grab your snacks, and let’s hang out and talk about griftin’.
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Introducing: American Scandal Dec 20, 2021

American Scandal is a podcast from Wondery that explores the darker stories that have shaped the United States. From the Unabomber to Bernie Madoff, these are stories that reveal the underbelly of America: ruthless, secretive, and power-hungry. The new season of American Scandal looks at the controversial decision made by a young government official named Daniel Ellsburg to leak the Pentagon Papers, the documents that led Americans to demand an end to the catastrophic Vietnam War. Once Ellsburg realized this terrible truth, he made the bold decision to leak the documents, and the consequences altered the course of American history. This is just a preview of American Scandal, but you can listen to the full episode at wondery.fm/AS_TCCampfire

Wicked Web: The Tennessee Facebook Murders Dec 17, 2021

There’s a Danish proverb that says, “If envy were a fever, then the whole world would be ill.” It’s probably true. I mean, everybody feels that poisonous little pang now and then. We all occasionally want something that somebody else has, maybe even resent them a little for having it. We learn to get past it, focus on the good in our own lives instead of obsessing about everyone else. But sometimes, envy can take over—spread through the soul like a kudzu vine, smothering and strangling and covering everything else. You can get trapped in it. And you can convince yourself that the only way out is destruction. Join us for a Southern gothic tale for the social media age: a story about love, family, betrayal, envy and manipulation.
Sources:
Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee by Dennis Brooks
Medium: https://medium.com/serial-napper/jenelle-potter-the-killer-catfish-51c0626cec7
ABC's 20/20, Episode "Unfriended"
Investigation Discovery special, "Too Pretty To Live"
https://www.timesnews.net/one-of-three-facebook-murder-convictions-overturned-mother-granted-new-trial/article_4aea9524-0618-11ec-a093-8b71991a842d.html
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Succubus: Killer Con-Woman Dena Thompson Dec 10, 2021

We all think of charm and good looks as a good thing, right? Something we all wish we had goin’ on. But for some people, a silver tongue and a knockout bod are nothing more than tools to help them hurt and manipulate. Tools that make it easier for them to wreak six kinds of havoc on the lives of everyone they meet. Some people are just forces of destruction, determined to take everything they can get their hands on and not worried about who they destroy in the process. We’ve covered some bad bitches on this show before—Dante Sutorius, Tracey Richter—and we think this li’l English rose we’re about to tell you about could hold her own with the worst of them. Join us for a twisting tale of fraud, outrageous deception, greed, attempted murder and murder, all at the hands of one of our worst "bad bitches" yet: Dena Thompson.
Sources:
BBC Channel 4 documentary "Black Widow"
The Argus: https://web.archive.org/web/20140907164935/http://www.theargus.co.uk/archive/2003/12/16/5099453.Black_Widow__Inside_the_mind_of_a_predator/
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/5060737.interpol-hunt-for-missing-lover-of-sussexs-black-widow/
Guy Toyn: https://web.archive.org/web/20140704134021/http://www.courtnewsuk.co.uk/c_murderers/a_dena_thompson/crime_vaults/
Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257751/Black-Widow-new-probe-vanished-lover.html
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/true-crime-campfire/

Introducing: The Vanished Dec 06, 2021

Few things are more devastating than a loved one going missing. On The Vanished podcast from Wondery, host Marissa Jones tells stories of missing persons that have gone overlooked by mainstream media. In a recent episode, Marissa looks into the disappearance of James Foster Chance. The 48-year-old man from Texas went missing in March of 2021. Devastated and without any leads, James’ family began searching for him. But in their search they began uncovering clues that James was not the man they thought he was. And worse -- that he may have disappeared on purpose. Listen to The Vanished at wondery.fm/TV_truecrimecampfire

'Til Death: A Grab Bag of Newlywed Murders, with Nina Jones from Twisted Mirror Dec 03, 2021

Marriage. It might not be for everybody, but for a lot of us, it’s great stuff. You get to join up with your best friend, the love of your life, somebody you can just be you around, somebody who feels like home. And of course most of us begin that journey with a wedding: a beautiful ceremony where you pledge to hang together for better or worse, then throw down and join your best buds for some cake. Most of the time, the worst case scenario with all this stuff is divorce. But in the stories we’re about to tell you, that would have been a walk in the park. First, a startling case from Brazil in which a brand-new groom murders his bride and best man during the wedding reception--then the story of a new bride who pushed her husband off a cliff just eight days after they wed.
Sources:
Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-brazil-groom-who-killed-his-wedding-party
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rogerio-damascena-shoots-his-bride-best-man-then-self-at-brazilian-wedding-after-announcing-surprise/
NPR News
University of Sao Paolo
Flathead Beacon, Justin Franz: https://justinfranz.com/writing/a-murder-in-glacier-park/
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Jordan Graham"
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/true-crime-campfire/
Nina's podcast, "Twisted Mirror:"
https://www.twistedmirrorpodcast.com
Facebook @twistedmirrorpod
IG: Twistedmirrorpodcast

Patreon Upcycle: Red Hand - The Murder of Jennifer Levin Nov 26, 2021

Since it's Thanksgiving, we're giving you a sneak peek at one of our Patreon subscriber exclusive episodes this week! This one is the story of one of New York City's most notorious murders: A beautiful, privileged young woman brutally strangled in Central Park after a night out with friends. The crime initially looked to be sexually motivated, but the experienced detectives felt something was amiss--the scene was almost a caricature of a sex crime, as though the killer had staged it to look that way. What was this murder really about? Join us for a story of envy, greed, revenge and ego--one that illustrates the way media narrative can shape a murder case, for better or for worse.
Sources:
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/news/a7587/jennifer-levin-robert-chambers-preppy-killer/#:~:text=Thirty%20years%20ago%20today%2C%20on,Central%20Park%20by%20Robert%20Chambers.&text=They'd%20walked%20into%20Central,marks%20of%20a%20violent%20struggle.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a29712185/robert-chambers-preppy-murder-central-park/
https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/the-preppy-murder-how-robert-chambers-defense-victim-blamed-jennifer-levin
Documentary: "The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park"
CBS "48 Hours," "The Preppy Killer"
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Introducing: The Shrink Next Door Nov 22, 2021

Veteran journalist Joe Nocera’s neighbor in the Hamptons was a therapist named Ike. Ike counted celebrities and Manhattan elites as his patients. He’d host star-studded parties at his eccentric vacation house. But one summer, Joe discovered that Ike was gone and everything he’d thought he’d known about his neighbor -- and the house next door -- was wrong. From Wondery, the company behind Dirty John and Dr. Death, and Bloomberg, “The Shrink Next Door” is a story about power, control and turning to the wrong person for help for three decades. Written and hosted by Joe Nocera, a columnist for Bloomberg. The Shrink Next Door is now an Apple Original series, starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. Watch now only on Apple TV+.
Listen to the Shrink Next Door now! https://link.chtbl.com/shrink_next_door?sid=Audio-Shrink_Next_Door_2021-True_Crime_Campfire

Bad Sport: A Grab Bag of Parents From Hell Nov 19, 2021

Parenthood, or so we hear, is full of a kind of transcendent joy, the kind you can only experience by watching your offspring learn and grow. That is, when they’re not making you want to hop in the car and keep driving until you run out of road. There are some ups and downs, for sure. But you’ll hardly ever find a parent who wouldn’t do almost anything for their kids. Notice we said “almost” anything. Because there have to be limits, right? Well…for the parents in today’s story, not so much. First we have Texas mom Wanda Holloway, who in 1990 tried to hire a hit man to take out her daughter's cheerleading rivals. Then we have French dad Christophe Fauviau, who dosed his kids' tennis opponents to make sure his little angels won every match.
Sources:
Texas Monthly, Mimi Swartz: https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/the-cheerleader-murder-plot/
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1680047&page=1
https://www.wistv.com/story/4609148/eight-years-in-prison-for-dad-who-drugged-his-kids-tennis-rivals/
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/mar/01/france.mainsection
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2006/03/04/for-french-tennis-dad-deadly-obsession-to-win/2b80701d-a3fe-442c-a72d-08f858f9eee5/
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Pygmalion: Dr. Anthony Pignataro Nov 12, 2021

In 1997, a 26 year old woman named Sarah Smith went in for a routine breast augmentation procedure. It should have been an easy, outpatient surgery for this healthy young woman, but it didn't turn out that way. Sarah went into cardiac and respiratory arrest on the operating table, slipped into a coma, and died a few days later. Investigators soon discovered that Sarah wasn't the first of cosmetic surgeon Dr. Anthony Pignataro's patients to die after routine surgery. And the more they investigated this flashy, Lamborghini-driving, safari-hunting doctor, the more skeletons they found in his closet--from a long list of butchered patients to an audacious fraud. Pignataro would face justice for Sarah Smith's death, but that wouldn't be the end of his story. There was an even darker chapter still to be written, this time much closer to home. Join us for a twisting tale reminiscent of "Dr. Death," a stark example of what happens when narcissism and recklessness meet greed.
Sources:
Ann Rule, Last Dance Last Chance
Buffalo News: https://subscribe.buffalonews.com/e/limit-reached-bn?returnURL=https://buffalonews.com/news/pignataro-a-profile-in-deceit-how-the-failed-west-seneca-surgeons-disastrous-professional-life-brought/article_3ec7b800-b1d0-5287-a981-c9790c18380f.html
WSVN News: https://wsvn.com/news/investigations/disgraced-doctor-who-poisoned-wife-spotted-on-elder-care-website/
Oxygen: https://www.oxygen.com/license-to-kill/crime-news/anthony-pignataro-surgeon-resurfacess-florida-new-name
Forensic Files Now: https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/anthony-pignataro/
Oxygen's "License to Kill," episode "Killer Surgeon"
"Forensic Files," Episode "Bad Medicine"
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Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Introducing: Killer Psyche Nov 08, 2021

Killer Psyche is a new weekly true crime podcast from Wondery that explores the minds behind infamous killers and criminals. They cover high-profile cases that have shocked the world, and host Candice Delong uses her five decades of experience as a clinical psychiatric nurse and FBI Criminal Profiler to dissect the motivations and behaviors of the most terrifying felons in history. In a recent episode, Candace examines the mind of Ed Gein, the notorious murderer who inspired the movies "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Candace dives deep into Gein’s mind — and how his mental illnesses led to his obsession with grave-robbing and murder. This is just a preview of Killer Psyche, but you can listen to the full episode at http://wondery.fm/KP_TCCampfire

The Millionaire That Wasn't: The Tale of the Lottery Liar Nov 05, 2021

In 1998, South Yorkshire residents Howard Walmsley and his wife Kathy were on top of the world. After years of financial struggle as they tried to get Howard's painting and decorating business off the ground, they finally hit a stroke of luck: Howard won the lottery. Kathy was thrilled at the thought of being able to get out from under their bills, take a lavish holiday, and spoil their friends and family. But there was one thing that plucked at the back of her mind: Howard would never be specific about how much he'd won. Why was that? Well, campers, Howard was lying through his teeth. He hadn't really won a single pound. He was about to drag his wife along on a bizarre, years-long con, a lie that got bigger and bigger by the day before finally crashing down around them. Join us for the story of one of England's most audacious scammers, a man who is currently a fugitive, wanted by the South Yorkshire police for fraud.
Sources:
Documentary film "The Lottery Liar"
https://www.lottoexposed.com/lottery-conman-john-eric-wells-continues-pursuing-the-easy-life-in-vietnam/
https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/i-was-conned-out-of-my-life-savings
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10015394/lotto-faked-jackpot-hunted-conning/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7515013/Lottery-conman-accused-tricking-three-grandmothers-400-000-living-Vietnam.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-70362/Three-years-liar-invented-8m-lottery-win.html
https://www.lottoanalyst.com/howard-walmsley-the-man-who-faked-winning-the-lottery
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Last Supper: The Murder of Joe Cinque Oct 29, 2021

In 1997, 20-somethings Anu Singh and Joe Cinque were an up and coming young couple--Joe a successful civil engineer, Anu a law student at Australian National University, both smart and gorgeous. From the outside looking in, they seemed to be on top of the world. But there was a storm brewing behind the scenes. Anu was becoming more and more obsessed with a myriad of health problems that no doctors seemed to be able to find any evidence of. She was becoming more and more controlling and needy, demanding more than any partner could possibly provide. And the more she perceived Joe falling short of her expectations, the angrier she got. And when she got wind that he might be thinking of leaving her, a poisonous rage bubbled up inside her. This is the story of one of Australia's most bizarre murder cases, one that you'll be tempted to think we made up. But unfortunately, we didn't. Join us for a story of love, betrayal, revenge...and the starkest example of the "bystander effect" you may ever see.
Sources:
VICE: https://www.vice.com/en/article/nneypm/why-a-beautiful-promising-law-student-killed-her-boyfriend-by-forced-heroin-overdose
Murderpedia: https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/singh-anu.htm
NZ Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/joe-cinque-murder-law-students-chilling-warning-before-fatal-canberra-dinner-party/IIMCHOGQTVRCLOZ52BJYHESMOY/
TV show "Poisonous Liaisons," Episode "Toxic Affairs"
TV show "Crimes that Shook Australia," Episode "Anu Singh"
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Introducing: Shadow of Truth Oct 27, 2021

It’s one of the most haunting murder cases you’ll ever hear about, and it takes place in a small town in Israel. Tair Rada was only 13-years-old when her body was found inside a locked bathroom stall. She was viciously murdered during a school day, and yet no one saw or heard a thing. The police arrested the janitor, Roman Zadorov, and he eventually confessed, but this was far from being the end of it. Based on the hit true-crime series from Netflix, the podcast "Shadow of Truth" will take you on a journey into one of the wildest and most contested murder cases in the history of Israel, as it reaches its final resolution, 15 years after it all started.
Listen to Shadow of Truth http://wondery.fm/SOT_TrueCrimeCampfir

Scare You Round the Campfire, Vol. 2: A Halloween Special Event with Shelby Scott Oct 22, 2021

For our third annual Halloween special, we have the gorgeous and talented Shelby Scott, velvet-voiced host of Scare You to Sleep, a podcast that, while beautifully produced and hugely entertaining, might just make you wet yourself a little bit. Just a little bit, no big deal. It’s worth it. Shelby’s show is the gold standard in horror podcasts, but she’s also a true crime buff. So since it’s Halloween, and we have the Princess of Darkness gracing us with her presence today, we decided to pick two extra-terrifying cases to do together. We’re not gonna lie to you, campers. These are dark. First is one of the most horrifying cases we've ever heard of--a ritualistic, random double murder in one of the most tranquil neighborhoods in Hollywood. Next is the still-unsolved abduction and murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. Dorothy disappeared from a parking lot after weeks of creepy phone calls from a stalker who threatened to "cut her into bits."
You also get a bonus at the end of this episode: A peek at our "TCC Unplugged" post-show chat, normally for Patreon subscribers only. It's unedited, unscripted--just Katie and Whitney recapping the episodes.
Sources:
Reelz' "Demons in the City of Angels," Episode "The Studio Steps"
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152966332/morley-hal-engelson
https://www.dailybreeze.com/2008/04/05/ex-marine-sentenced-to-life-for-slayings/
https://www.hermistonherald.com/news/suspect-in-grisly-murders-had-troubled-history/article_f57e82d9-2487-5616-b602-e73a79d616f5.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-04-05/former-marine-jailed-for-beheading-screenwriter/2393828
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lees
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dorothy_Jane_Scott
https://www.crimetraveller.org/2020/10/the-tragic-death-of-dorothy-jane-scott/
https://www.talkmurderwithme.com/blog/2020/2/22/dorothy-jane-scott
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10010932/dorothy-jane-scott/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_John_Bardo
Shelby Scott's shows:
Scare You to Sleep: https://open.spotify.com/show/2sNFsS8B0qvIg1jK0Vo7Ns?si=d31eb69f48f14d97&fbclid=IwAR0bnwXFmuZdAbWgavvZpQfa246OFQITjVu_mnLU7T0mIp4P0tZyKso4iWM&nd=1
Mediums: https://open.spotify.com/show/3uxUNb7B8L8IMyywbkmUdL?si=ac1a1bb1e9f340f8&fbclid=IwAR1vos1y_QA_FEIOtId_al-s9owKRiRSmxsOykPWx-aXo-2vHk4zV-OIs6M&nd=1
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Eye of the Beholder: Serial Killer Charles Albright, Pt. 2 Oct 15, 2021

When we left you at the end of part 1, taxidermy enthusiast, landlord and former bullfighter Charles Albright had begun living a double life. By day, a loving and gentlemanly boyfriend, a considerate friend and a fun-loving softball teammate. By night, a regular in the red-light districts of Dallas—sometimes kind and generous to the sex workers he encountered, sometimes cruel and sadistic. And in December of 1990, the brutal murder of one of those woman had just rocked the community to its core. Mary Pratt had been beaten and shot, and her killer had left a disturbing signature: He’d removed her eyes with surgical precision. As Dallas investigators began their hunt for the killer, they had the sinking feeling that a monster like this doesn’t tend to stop with just one. And they were about to find out how right they were. Join us now for part two of this bizarre true story.
Sources:
Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/see-no-evil-3/
Mara Bovson, Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/dallas-eyeball-killer-murdered-women-removed-eyes-article-1.3769218
https://murderpedia.org/male.A/a/albright-charles.htm
https://www.oxygen.com/mark-of-a-killer/charles-albright-eyeball-killer-serial-killer-sex-workersdallas-texas-90s
British true crime show "Born to Kill," episode "Charles Albright"
Oxygen's "Mark of a Killer," episode "An Eye for Murder"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Albright
https://www.audacy.com/krld/articles/news/dallas-historys-notorious-killer-of-prostitutes-has-died
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/dallas-eyeball-killer-murdered-women-removed-eyes-article-1.3769218
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/lucille-baller-rapping-dallas-police-lt-regina-smith-suspended/2070872/
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Introducing: Over My Dead Body Oct 11, 2021

A small town cop known as “GI Joe” is gunned down in a swamp in the summer of 2015 and quickly becomes a martyr in the national media. But when a dogged investigator and his team set out to get justice, they uncover unsettling secrets about Joe, the local police department, and the village of Fox Lake. From Wondery, the makers of The Shrink Next Door and Dr. Death comes the third season of Over My Dead Body: Fox Lake. Hosted by Matt Baglio.
Listen to Over My Dead Body: https://wondery.com/shows/over-my-dead-body/

Eye of the Beholder: Serial Killer Charles Albright, Pt. 1 Oct 08, 2021

In the early 90s, the city of Dallas was thrown into a nightmare. Women started turning up murdered, with a bizarre signature facial mutilation unlike anything detectives had ever seen before. As fear grew in the streets, the killer moved confidently among his pool of potential victims—savvy but vulnerable women who had turned to sex work to survive. No one could have predicted that the predator they were hunting was anything but the typical profile of a killer. A Renaissance man, a brilliant pianist and painter with a reputation as an old-school gentleman…and an astute student of human anatomy. This is the story of one of the most unexpected monsters in U.S. history.
Sources:
Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/see-no-evil-3/
Mara Bovson, Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/dallas-eyeball-killer-murdered-women-removed-eyes-article-1.3769218
https://murderpedia.org/male.A/a/albright-charles.htm
https://www.oxygen.com/mark-of-a-killer/charles-albright-eyeball-killer-serial-killer-sex-workersdallas-texas-90s
British true crime show "Born to Kill," episode "Charles Albright"
Oxygen's "Mark of a Killer," episode "An Eye for Murder"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Albright
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No Harm: The Case of Dr. Richard Karpf Oct 01, 2021

In the winter of 2002, Dennis White suddenly found himself in a bizarre predicament. His prominent Long Island psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Karpf, seemed to be unraveling: showing up to appointments looking disheveled and distracted. Dennis was concerned about the doctor he'd come to trust over the past six years. But he had no way of knowing what would happen when, one afternoon, he offered Dr. Karpf a listening ear. Seething over a recent conflict with a female patient--and still angry about a whole series of grudges from his past--Karpf began to pull Dennis into an elaborate and terrifying revenge plot involving a gun, a silencer, a murderous dinner party, ravenous sharks, and a bizarre theory of murder as a therapeutic tool.
Sources:
NBC's "Dateline," Episode "Murder on the Mind"
NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/10/nyregion/authorities-say-li-psychiatrist-told-patient-of-plot-to-kill-6.html
http://psychwatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/
NY Post: https://nypost.com/2004/07/02/psycho-shrink-guilty-l-i-doctor-avoids-jail-in-slay-plot/
https://psychrapereporter.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/ny-state-refuses-to-reinstate-psychiatrist-richard-karpf/
https://www.legalrightsadvice.com/psychiatrist-threatens-rampage/
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Introducing: The Vanished Sep 28, 2021

Few things are more devastating than a loved one going missing. On The Vanished podcast from Wondery, host Marissa Jones tells stories of missing persons that have gone overlooked by mainstream media. She gets the story from friends and family of the missing person, and frequently talks with law enforcement and others close to the case. This is just a preview of The Vanished, but you can listen to the full episode at https://open.spotify.com/show/2yOiTki10BkHXkDisfTPT9

Patreon Upcycle - No Bones About It: Two True Crime-Ish Tales from the Weird Wide Web Sep 24, 2021

This week, we're giving you a sneak peek at another one of our Patreon-exclusive episodes! This was our patrons-only from July. Usually we just do regular TCC episodes for our Patreon extras, but sometimes we like to mix things up and do something different.
For this episode, we decided to let Katie take a dive into her very favorite pool--weird internet drama. We bring you two true crime-adjacent stories: Tumblr blogger Sixpenceee, who got into hot water with her fans for an array of reasons, including offering unqualified mental health counseling, and admitting that her family owned child slaves in India. And a dust-up in the online witch community that participants ended up calling Boneghazi--a New Orleans witch picking up actual human remains at a local cemetery and offering to ship the bones to anyone who might be interested in using them for "curse work." Wow.
The internet is a mad, mad world, innit?
Sources:
●https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/boneghazi-tumblr-witch-arrested-human-bones/
●https://www.saveourcemeteries.org/
●https://www.nola.com/news/courts/article_c0486bc0-2698-5dae-a810-0713f75d8db3.html
●https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/stealing-human-bones-boneghazi
●https://softyuri.tumblr.com/post/135415156346/no-i-am-not-digging-up-fucking-graves-jfc
●https://www.vice.com/en/article/vv7mk3/tumblr-devolves-into-literal-witchhunt-over-alleged-bone-thief
●https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/03/cops-bust-tumblr-witch-over-boneghazi.html
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Wicked: The Murder of Martre Coles Sep 17, 2021

Nineteen year old Martre Coles was an aspiring artist with dreams of designing video games and making a life with his girlfriend Ashlynn. He'd had a rough few years since the sudden death of his mom, but things started looking up in the spring of 2017, when he found out he'd been accepted to a prestigious art and design program at Florida's Full Sail University. Martre was ready to leave home and take off full speed in the direction of his dreams. But then, on the day he was scheduled to leave, he disappeared without a trace. As the investigation unfolded, it became increasingly clear that someone had been luring Martre into a trap. Secrets were about to come to light that would stun everyone who knew and loved Martre, and reveal one of the strangest, most elaborate murder plots the state of Virginia had ever seen.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Killer Motive," Episode "The Art of Death"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Women," Episode "Dangerous Liaisons"
https://roanoke.com/13-year-old-witness-testifies-in-case-where-victim-was-suffocated-and-stuffed-in-rubber/article_6e3ac164-5356-553e-87dd-8cbfeadaeae0.html
https://www.oxygen.com/killer-motive/crime-news/denise-gay-kills-and-dump-body-of-boyfriends-son-martre-coles
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People You May Know: The Murder of Sheila Hachmeister Sep 10, 2021

In the fall of 2011, Jason Hachmeister came home to find his 58 year old mother, Sheila, brutally murdered on her bedroom floor. Detectives quickly discovered that Sheila had been living something of a double life over the past few months, chatting with a much-younger online boyfriend who seemed almost too good to be true. She had also been seeing another boyfriend in real life--one her family much preferred to the mysterious Mr. Perfect from the internet. But Sheila couldn't seem to tear herself away from her online love. As they began to unravel Sheila's personal life, investigators would have to determine which part of her life had turned deadly: her internet romance, or the "real" people around her.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Web of Lies," episode "Divorced and In Danger"
https://www.kscourts.org/KSCourts/media/KsCourts/Advance%20Sheets/SupremeCourtVol311No3.pdf
cjonline.com/article/20150721/NEWS/307219789
https://www.kake.com/story/34846002/kansas-supreme-court-hears-convicted-killers-child-porn-appeal
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Silent Fear: The Murders at Gallaudet University Sep 03, 2021

Gallaudet University is one of the world’s most prestigious schools for the deaf and hard of hearing. For the gifted few who pass the exclusive admissions process, Gallaudet is an oasis—a center of learning, a place of infinite possibilities, a home away from home. It’s a place where they can celebrate deaf culture, network with some of the best minds in the country, and feel a deep sense of belonging. But during a four-month period in the fall and winter of 2000-2001, that sense of security was shattered, as a brutal killer stalked the dormitory halls. Everyone at Gallaudet was forced to confront the terrifying possibility that the killer was one of their own. Before the nightmare ended, two students would be dead, lives and reputations would be ruined, and a killer no one saw coming would be unmasked.
Sources:
David Van Biema, Time magazine, "Murder in a Silent Place": http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,130940,00.html
Jeff Truesdell, People Magazine, "Who Killed Two Students at a Famed College for the Deaf?"
Investigation Discovery's "People Magazine Investigates," episode "The Sound of Silence"
Investigation Discovery's "Murder U," Episode "Signs of Murder"
Investigation Discovery's "On the Case with Paula Zahn," episode "Gallaudet Murders"
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Introducing: Suspect Aug 31, 2021

A big Halloween party at an apartment complex in Redmond, Washington. Themed rooms and costumed partygoers. But by the end of the party, one of the hosts is dead. The police look to the partiers as the prime suspects: was it the guy in the devil mask, the bank robber, the construction worker? As investigators comb through forensic evidence, witness testimony, DNA, and even consult with a psychic, they zero in on one suspect in particular. But for what reason? Host and reporter Matthew Shaer (Over My Dead Body) returns to the scene of the crime, speaks with everyone about a night that still haunts them years later. It’s a series about race and policing, mislaid justice, cutting-edge science, and the kinds of weighty choices that cops and prosecutors make every day -- choices that, once made, are difficult to reverse.
https://wondery.com/shows/suspect/

Survivor: Debra Newell Moves Past Dirty John Aug 27, 2021

So, campers, today we’re excited to have a special guest with us. I’m sure most of you are familiar by now with the “Dirty John” story, either because of the six-part LA Times podcast or the TV series with Eric Bana and Connie Britton. They tell the story of con man and serial predator John Meehan, who seems to have devoted his entire life to using and abusing other people, especially women, to satisfy his drug addiction and his sadistic desire for control. Today we’re joined by Debra Newell, whose life with John Meehan inspired the podcast and the miniseries. Debra has written a new book, along with veteran true crime writer M. William Phelps. It’s called Surviving Dirty John: My True Story of Love, Lies, and Murder, and Debra is a woman on a mission: To educate us about predators like John and how to protect ourselves from them. That is a goal that is dear to our hearts here at True Crime Campfire, so we’re thrilled to do what we can to help her get her message out.
Sources:
Surviving Dirty John: My True Story of Love, Lies, and Murder by Debra Newell, with M. William Phelps
Podcast "Dirty John," LA Times
Documentary "Dirty John: The Dirty Truth"
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Prince of Thieves: Con Man Anthony Gignac Aug 20, 2021

There’s a Latin phrase, “Fortune favors the bold.” Con artists understand that better than anyone, I think. It always takes some degree of boldness to do what they do, from Bernie Madoff’s billion dollar Ponzi scheme to the three-card Monte guy on the street. But once in a while, we get ourselves a true master of the art—a con artist so audacious, so arrogant, so bold that they leave everyone they meet feeling like they just got swept up in a hurricane. We’re about to tell the story of one of the most outrageous con games ever played in this country—an unlikely con made even more bizarre by how completely people fell for it.
Sources:
Mark Seal, Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/10/how-the-fake-saudi-prince-anthony-gignac-was-exposed
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/10/he-actually-believes-he-is-khalid-the-odyssey-of-a-counterfeit-saudi-prince
Tom Huddleston Jr. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/06/how-fake-saudi-prince-anthony-gignac-conned-investors-out-of-millions.html
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "The Fake Prince's Royal Scam"
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Witches' Brew: The Philadelphia Poison Ring Aug 13, 2021

In 1930s Philadelphia, men all over town were dying—some in strange accidents, and some of a swift, excruciating illness. Their widows were devastated, of course—but it being the Great Depression and all, they were somewhat comforted by the substantial payouts they received from their late husbands’ life insurance plans. In medical examiners’ offices across the city, one death certificate after another was stamped “Natural Death” or “Accident.” One family doctor after another signed off: So sad, but these things happen. Nothing suspicious here. And in the cellar of one tailor shop, candles and skulls lined the walls. Incantations whispered through the air as little glass vials were carefully filled with deadly poison. The City of Brotherly Love? Not today.
Sources:
Poison Widows by George Cooper
Rachel Snyder: https://vtuhr.org/articles/10.21061/vtuhr.v5i1.43/print/
David Lohr, True TV, "Philadelphia's Poison Ring"
Jim Goad, Thought Catalog: https://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/2019/12/witchs-brew-how-the-philadelphia-poison-ring-exploited-unhappy-wives-and-killed-100-people/
https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bolbermorris1.htm
Investigation Discovery's "Most Evil," Episode "Gangs"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Women," Episode "Brutal Brides"
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Counterfeit: The Murder of Viola Drath Aug 06, 2021

Washington, D.C. has a long history of frauds and fantasists, people who showed up out of nowhere claiming to be somebody important, somebody rich, somebody royal. And people believed them—let them into the inner circle, invested money with them, gave them a seat at the table—only to find out later that they’d been had. That’s bad enough when all you lose is money, or a little bit of your pride. Far worse when your heart is involved. This is the bizarre story of Viola Drath, one of D.C.’s most respected players, a brilliant woman who was ahead of her time. Not the sort of woman you’d expect to fall victim to a breathtaking fraud. But as we’ve seen before on True Crime Campfire, even the smartest people can be taken in by clever acting and relentless charm.
Join us for this true story, recently made into the movie "Georgetown" with Annette Bening, Vanessa Redgrave and Christoph Waltz.
Sources:
NY Times, Franklin Foer. The Worst Marriage in Georgetown. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/magazine/albrecht-muth-and-viola-drath-georgetowns-worst-marriage.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_Herms_Drath
Investigation Discovery's "Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall," Episode "The House on Q Street"
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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: The Real Thelma & Louise Jul 30, 2021

In the mid-90s, a spate of bizarre robberies caught the attention of police in Houston, Galveston, and Las Vegas. The perpetrators were a pair of 30something women who met their victims through dating ads. The women forced the men to strip at gunpoint, handcuffed or tied them up, then ransacked their homes. In only two months' time, they amassed nearly a quarter of a million dollars in cash and stolen goods.
Who were these lady bandits, and what motivated them to drop their seemingly normal lives for a secret life as outlaws? Join us now for a wild story of robbery, revenge, and rebellion.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/13/us/unlikely-suspects-are-sought-in-thelma-and-louise-robberies.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-03-mn-41917-story.html
https://www.houstonpress.com/news/thelma-louise-and-sybil-6572010
Canadian Broadcasting Service (CBC), "72 Hours True Crime," Episode "The Game"
Investigation Discovery's "Tabloid," S1, Episode "Dressed for Revenge"
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When Jocks Attack: Power Corrupts - A Bizarre Story of Murder for Hire Jul 23, 2021

George Bernard Shaw once said that it’s not really power that corrupts people. It’s the other way around. Well, he said it fancier than that, but that was the gist. We all want power, to some degree. Physical strength, sexual prowess, political sway. Most of us don’t let it control our lives, eat away at our humanity to the point where it’s all we care about. But for some of us, power is kinda like steroids. It makes us big and strong, but it’s addictive and the side effects can be murder.
Sources:
Scoundrels to the Hoosegow by Morley Swingle, chapter "Millionaire Murderer"
https://law.justia.com/cases/missouri/court-of-appeals/1994/17970-1.html
Investigation Discovery's "Killer Bods," episode "Fit for Murder"
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Caustic: The Murder of Timothy Schuster Jul 16, 2021

Anger is a double-edged sword. When it’s justified, and properly channeled, it can be a powerful force for positive change. But often, anger is like a strangling vine, winding its way around us, choking us with rage until we can’t see straight, can’t think straight, can’t tell right from wrong. It’s powerful stuff. And when anger flames out of control, it doesn’t matter how smart we are, or how much good we may have done in our lives up til now. If we let it overtake us, we’re going to leave ashes in our wake.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Sins and Secrets," Episode "Fresno"
Lifetime's "Deadly Wives," Episode "Acid Lady"
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Larissa Schuster"
https://www.nydailynews.com/true-crime-justice-story/ny-acid-queen-murder-larissa-schuster-20201203-l3sgjjhjf5htnj3ponl2k76zva-story.html
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1557281.html
https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/schuster-larissa.htm
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When Nerds Attack: Influencer - The Murder of Susan Bailey, Pt 2 Jul 09, 2021

So campers, when we left you at the end of part 1, college-bound Jennifer Bailey, her boyfriend, high school senior, reincarnated executioner and wannabe vampire Paul Henson, Jr., and best friend Merrilee, were hatching a plot to murder their parents. In their minds, this was the only way for them to stay together in this life and the next—and y’know, avoid homework and chores. Hardworking single mom Susan Bailey had no idea what they were planning as she worked double shifts to pay for Jennifer’s school. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre true story.
Sources:
Let's Kill Mom by Donna Fielder
Investigation Discovery special, "Let's Kill Mom'
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/affidavits_4_teens_planned_to_kill_n_texas_mom/1838185/
https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/lets-kill-mom-behind-the-disturbing-susan-bailey-murder
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When Nerds Attack: Influencer - The Murder of Susan Bailey, Pt 1 Jul 02, 2021

Adolescence is a pretty wild ride. On the one hand, we’re starting to move past childhood, where make-believe takes up a ton of our time. But we’re still far enough out from adulthood that we can still get pretty wrapped up in fantasy. And when you combine a child’s ability to blur the line between real and make-believe with a young adult’s hormonal grumpiness and frantic desire for independence, you can end up with a recipe for nastiness.
Sources:
Let's Kill Mom by Donna Fielder
Investigation Discovery special "Let's Kill Mom"
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/affidavits_4_teens_planned_to_kill_n_texas_mom/1838185/
https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/crime-history/lets-kill-mom-behind-the-disturbing-susan-bailey-murder
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Unenlightened: The Toxic Cult of James Arthur Ray Jun 25, 2021

Osho said of enlightenment, “You have to walk, and create the way by your walking; you will not find a ready-made path. It is just like the sky: the birds fly, but they don't leave any footprints. You cannot follow them.” I think this is probably true. But that doesn’t stop us from trying our damnedest to find that ready-made road to the truth. And as we’ve seen before on True Crime Campfire, there’s no shortage of self-proclaimed gurus, teachers and self-help experts who claim they can lead us there. Sometimes, following them is harmless. Sometimes it’s even beneficial. But sometimes, if we get swept up in the teachings of the wrong kind of person, we can end up following the leader right over a cliff.
Sources:
Documentary "Enlighten Us"
Oxygen's "Deadly Cults," Episode "Spiritual Warriors"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Devotion," Episode "Fatal Healing"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Arthur_Ray
https://nypost.com/2009/10/19/mystics-past-is-guru-some/
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Compos Mentis: The Murder of Lauren Giddings Jun 18, 2021

Our neighbors. We see them every day, usually just for a few moments—long enough to say hi as we head inside with our groceries, or out to walk the dog. For those of us who live in apartments, we’re sometimes uncomfortably close to each other’s lives: sharing cooking smells, overhearing intimate moments, getting annoyed by small inconveniences. Such close proximity, for total strangers. And as much as we may come to know about the small details of our neighbors’ lives—which night of the week they make curry, which day they wash their clothes—we have no way of knowing what’s going on behind closed doors. Or behind their eyes. Usually it’s nothing to worry about. But sometimes…
Sources:
https://abovethelaw.com/2011/08/the-collected-writings-of-stephen-mcdaniel/
https://www.macon.com/news/special-reports/lauren-giddings-murder/article28616875.html
https://abovethelaw.com/2011/08/the-plot-thickens-say-hello-to-hacksaw-mcdaniel/?rf=1
https://abovethelaw.com/2014/04/you-are-the-devil-law-grad-pleads-guilty-to-dismembering-classmate/?rf=1
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/ga-police-seek-remains-of-dismembered-law-grad/article_5a7a38c9-d8b5-59aa-ab38-ee9ac93758bc.html
https://www.macon.com/news/special-reports/lauren-giddings-murder/article28616902.html
https://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article222386260.html
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Tangled Web: The Murder of Bernie James Jun 11, 2021

Do you believe in love at first sight? What about love at first sound? The sound of a soft, sexy voice, that is. There's something uniquely intimate about a phone conversation, especially when you're having it late at night. There's anonymity because you can't see each other, but there's intimacy too. You can bond quickly, share secrets you'd be too scared to share face to face. How many of us have had one of those marathon, up-til-dawn phone sessions with a new love interest? How many of us have fallen asleep while still on the line? Soo sexy. Sexy enough, perhaps, to cloud your judgment. The guy in tonight's story found that out the hard way. Join us for a wild story about a manipulator who was years ahead of her time.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Evil Stepmothers," Episode "Deadly Role Play"
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1988-11-02-8803040310-story.html
http://miamiheraldstore.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1980532&CategoryID=58643&ListSubAlbums=0
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Sharpening Your Spidey-Sense: De Becker's Gift of Fear Jun 04, 2021

Today you get a sneak peek at what our Patreon-exclusive episodes are like. This was last June's patrons-only offering. We do one of these every month, just for our Patreon angels!
Today we've decided to zero in on a subject that comes up all the time on our show: Intuition. That “gut feeling” that tells us our best friend’s new boyfriend is a wrong ‘un, our kid’s new basketball coach is creepy, we should have this Uber driver pull over and let us out…right now. I’m sure you’ve heard us mention former Secret Service agent and security expert Gavin de Becker’s book The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect Us from Violence. It’s basically the True Crime Campfire sacred text, and today’s episode will be a sort of “Cliffs Notes” version, with some true crime tie-ins and personal stories mixed in.
Sources:
The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
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Check Mate: The Murder of Bill Stout May 28, 2021

The longest tournament chess match ever recorded happened in Belgrade in 1989. It lasted 269 moves and took over 20 hours to complete. Strategy can take time. Some killers lash out in the heat of passion, but others take their time. They may want to toy with their victim for a while first, ratcheting up the torment bit by bit until finally it’s time to pounce. Or they may be biding their time to make sure every game piece is perfectly placed before they make their final move. Whatever the reasons, sometimes murder is a long game. Sometimes all this strategizing pays off, and the killers walk away free. But other times, a player might be supremely confident that she’s made all the right moves, but overlook something crucial and end up losing big. Join us for a bizarre story of stalking and murder.
Sources:
https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/stout-anne.htm#:~:text=Supreme%20Court%20upholds%20Stout%20murder%20conviction&text=Stout%20was%20convicted%20following%20a,term%20later%20that%20same%20year.
https://missoulian.com/news/local/darby-woman-charged-with-murder-takes-the-stand/article_1f5286ef-913f-5969-ba4a-7a0763ccc66d.html
NBC's "Dateline," Episode "The Box"
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Anne Stout"
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Stung: Two Failed Murders for Hire May 21, 2021

There’s an old saying that if you want something done right, you better do it yourself. But for some people, DIY murder just isn’t right for them. Maybe they’re afraid to get their own hands dirty, maybe they know they’d be the prime suspect if their target were to meet with an unfortunate incident—there are any number of reasons why a prospective killer might turn to a hitman. But as we’ve said before on True Crime Campfire, there are some real pitfalls to contracting out your murder plots. We’re about to tell you two stories that illustrate that in vivid technicolor.
Sources:
https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/dalia-dippolito-may-have-tried-to-kill-him-but-michael-dippolito-is-no-saint-6343534
https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20170722/16-year-sentence-follows-emotional-grueling-dalia-dippolito-hearing/1
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/official-murder-for-hire-coralville-inmate-died-of-heart-disease
ABC's "20/20," Episode "Down Payment on Death"
Oxygen's "Murder For Hire," Episodes "Crocodile Tears" and "All or Nothing"
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Killer Club: A Bizarre Story of Multiple Murder May 14, 2021

The legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin is generally known as a fun story—a court jester-looking dude in bright colored clothes, playing a flute and jauntily leading the town’s children off into the sunset. Y’know, good times. Dancing and singing and whatnot. The real story may be a lot grimmer—in fact, some historians think the Piper led the youths of Hamelin to be abducted or slaughtered. We don’t really know for sure. But we’re pretty sure about this: When a full-grown adult starts collecting troubled kids around him, telling them tall tales and making them wild promises, alarm bells ought to start ringin’.
Sources:
Orlando Sentinel: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-09-04-9009040217-story.html
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1998-04-13-9804130053-story.html
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1998-03-11-9803110636-story.html
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," episode "Kosta Fotopoulos and Deidre Hunt"
https://medium.com/true-crime-addiction/the-hunter-killer-club-narcissist-true-crime-bb501e3854ef
https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/fotopoulos-konstantinos.htm
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When Nerds Attack: Badfellas - The Murder of Jared Whaley May 07, 2021

On the HBO series The Sopranos, retired mob boss Uncle Jun says, “Some people are so far behind in a race that they actually believe they’re leading.” He was talking about hubris, I think, the temptation to convince yourself you’re king of the mountain, when really everybody’s snickering behind your back. What goes hand in hand with that kind of arrogance, of course, is a seething well of jealousy and paranoia. Commit the unforgivable sin of being cooler, or smarter, or stronger than me, and I won’t be able to rest until I’ve cut you down to size.
Sources:
Movie "Casino"
Movie "Goodfellas"
Movie "The Godfather"
Salon, "Killing Jared" by Vanessa Grigoriadis
Investigation Discovery's "Murder Among Friends," Episode "Dead Lift"
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Cabbage Shakes and Energy Snakes: Three Bizarre New Cults Apr 30, 2021

Humans have always been seekers of truth. We’re not always great at finding it, but we’re always lookin’. And however noble that quest might be, our desire to understand the hows and whys of human existence can sometimes leave us open to scams, cons, and cults. Give us a confident, charismatic personality with the right buzzwords and promises of enlightenment, and we’re much too eager to hand over our judgment…and our wallets. Today, our special guest Noah Lugeons—cohost of God-Awful Movies—will help us pull the lid off three especially noxious cults. Well, two cults and one cult-lite.
Sources:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nidhisubbaraman/facebook-jilly-juice-cabbage-epperly
Dr. Phil show, Episode “Jilly Juice: Claims to Cure Cancer, Regrow Limbs”
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/candida-and-fake-illnesses/
https://mylespower.co.uk/2018/09/30/the-science-behind-the-jilly-juice-protocol-2/
https://au.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/australian-cults-universal-medicine-14682/
Australian show "Sunday Night," Episode "The Cult"
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/universal-medicine-cult-founder-exposed-as-charlatan/news-story/626fe650621ee65ba16b1a7af2f62aa7
https://www.universalmedicine.com.au/questions/why-it-quite-clear-unimed-not-cult
https://www.docdroid.net/nkbk7PV/an-introduction-to-mother-of-all-creation-with-the-first-contact-ground-crew-pdf#page=3
https://gurumag.com/crestone-cult-love-has-won-leaves-man-to-die-in-desert/
Dr Phil show, Episode "Love Has Won Exposed"
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/11/love-has-won-cult-protests-hawaii/
Lovehaswon.org
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Venus Flytrap: Ye Olde Bad Bitch Belle Gunness, Pt 2 Apr 23, 2021

So campers, when we left you at the end of part 1, Belle Gunness’ 16 year old daughter Jennie had just gone missing, along with a revolving door of mysterious male “cousins.” She used her beautiful La Porte Indiana farm to lure bachelors to their eventual doom. It seemed like nothing could stop her. Join us for part 2 of this bizarre true story--you won't see the ending coming.

Venus Flytrap: Ye Olde Bad Bitch Belle Gunness, Pt 1 Apr 16, 2021

Margaret Atwood wrote, “When we think of the past it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” I think that rings true. To many, the thought of the past evokes nostalgia. Some might look at a black and white photo of a poodle skirted girl sharing a milkshake with her beau and they might yearn for a simple time, but they’re missing the “whites only” sign just out of frame. Human history is filled with just as much strife and injustice as we see on the news today. The killer we’re discussing today is a reminder that brutality is not a modern problem, it’s a human one.
Sources:
Hell's Princess by Harold Schechter
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Haunted: The Strange Death of Colonel Phillip Shue Apr 09, 2021

Imagine trying to go about your life with the knowledge that somebody wants you dead. What would it do to you, day in and day out? Could you go for a walk without fearing that your enemy might be around the next corner? Could you drive home from work without startling at every flash of new headlights behind you? Could you sleep without nightmares? This is the controversial, bizarre, confounding story of a good man hounded by fear. Whichever side of the debate you end up on, that’s what you’ll find at the center. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll be thinking about this one long after the episode is over.
Sources:
Autopsy report: https://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/BCME_autopsy.pdf
CBS "48 Hours" transcript: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-curious-case-of-col-shue-26-03-2009/4/
"Psychological autopsy:" https://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/psychological_autopsy.pdf
John Lordan's "BrainScratch" coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJQy_21POv4&t=4s
People magazine coverage: https://people.com/archive/mishap-or-murder-vol-60-no-7/
WebSleuths: https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/tx-col-philip-shue-54-san-antonio-16-april-2003.95137/
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Sex, Lies and Audiotape: The Murder of Denita Smith Apr 02, 2021

Some murders are born of sudden passion. Rage leaps up like a flame and then subsides, too late to undo the bloody damage done in that moment. But other murders are more of a slow burn--weeks or months of smoldering anger, stoked by careful planning. Every detail meticulously considered, for maximum damage, minimum risk. This is the story of one of those murders, and of a killer so clever, they came within the barest whisper of getting away with it.
Sources:
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Shannon Crawley"
Investigation Discovery's "Hear No Evil"
NBC's Dateline, Episode "Internal Affairs"
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nc-court-of-appeals/1589180.html
https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/7092468/
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Ride or Die: The Murder of Jennifer Cave, Pt 2 Mar 26, 2021

When we left you at the end of Part 1, Colton “the Goshfather” Pitonyak was awaiting sentencing on a drug possession charge, partying like his plane was going down, and trying to coax Jennifer Cave back into his life. Colton’s new hookup buddy/ego fluffer, Laura Hall, was none too pleased about that. But Colton had never managed to squelch his obsession with Jennifer. And as he descended further and further into a life of speed addiction and violent fantasies, and Jennifer tried harder and harder to save him, they both drew closer to the point of no return. Join us for part 2 of this bizarre true story.
Sources:
Descent Into Hell by Kathryn Casey
CBS's "48 Hours Mystery," Episode "In Too Deep"
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/tx-court-of-appeals/1578792.html
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/15th-anniversary-of-murder-of-jennifer-cave
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/person-involved-in-2005-murder-of-jennifer-cave-released-on-parole/269-527943075
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Ride or Die: The Murder of Jennifer Cave, Pt 1 Mar 19, 2021

One of the famous lines from the movie Fight Club’s tortured protagonist is “I felt like destroying something beautiful.” Most of us would never want to do such a thing. We see something beautiful and we want to draw closer to it, encourage it to grow, remember it forever. But for a certain kind of damaged soul—jealous, angry, resentful—it goes another way. They’re drawn to beauty, sure, but in the way a moth is drawn to a flame. When they get too close, they can’t handle it. It burns them. Makes them painfully aware of their own insecurities. They want to be close to it, but they resent it, too. And if they can’t possess the beautiful thing, they need to see it broken. It’s the only thing that will put out that raging fire inside them.
Sources:
Descent Into Hell by Kathryn Casey
CBS's 48 Hours Mystery, Episode "In Too Deep"
https://www.aymag.com/murder-mystery-the-murder-of-jennifer-cave/
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Devious: The Murder of Tami Reay Mar 12, 2021

When I was little, I collected holograms. I was fascinated by how their iridescent images could change depending on the angle of the light. It seemed like magic. It’s less fun when real life starts to imitate this specific kind of art, though. When you start confidently down a path based on information you believe is solid…and then you find the path shifting and changing beneath your feet. Suddenly, you can’t trust anything you believed in an hour ago. You can’t even trust your own eyes. How do you solve a murder when everywhere you look, it’s smoke and mirrors?
Sources:
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/sd-supreme-court/1431479.html
https://www.yankton.net/news/article_fe14cf00-d1dc-51f1-9e78-152e30fa15ab.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29125204
https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/state-and-regional/twin-brothers-sentenced-in-pierre-womans-death/article_6f108ddc-b574-534f-b557-cc39cf809631.html
Oxygen's "Framed By the Killer," Episode "A Lover's Frame"
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That Girl is Poison: The Murder of Dr. Mary Yoder Mar 05, 2021

Campers, normally I would use this time to philosophize about the case we’re about to cover. But this week, all I can think to tell you is, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes the fiction in question is a Lifetime movie. This case…is a Lifetime movie. Not literally, although I wouldn’t put it past them to turn this story into a movie sometime. I just mean that in all my years of true crime obsession, I have never come across a case that seems more like a made for TV movie. Just when you think it can’t get weirder, it gets fifty-seven times weirder. So I strongly suggest you keep both hands inside the podcast until this episode comes to a complete stop, and buckle UP.
Sources:
You Thought You Knew Me by M. William Phelps
Investigation Discovery's "Someone You Thought You Knew," episode "Pick Your Poison"
NBC's "Dateline," episode "Poisoned"
Oxygen's "Killer Motive," episode "A Healthy Dose of Murder"
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2017/05/kaitlyn_conley_trial_closing_arguments_prosecution.html
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2017/10/kaitlyn_conley_accused_murder_victims_son_of_rape_hitting_her_he_thinks_she_trie.html
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Scorched Earth: Chris Watts and the Family Annihilator Feb 26, 2021

In the summer of 2018, the whole country was riveted to the story of a young, pregnant mom named Shan’ann Watts. Shan’ann and her two little daughters, Bella and Cece, went missing from their comfortable Colorado home one morning. And as the story unfolded, it became increasingly obvious that Shan’ann’s husband Chris was responsible for their disappearance. As bad as we all thought it might be at the time, we had no idea how bad it really was. Turned out, Chris had murdered his wife and two daughters, in pretty much the most appalling way imaginable. The Chris Watts case has been a national obsession ever since, but Chris is by no means the only example of this kind of horror. There have been many others, and sadly, there will probably be many more. And when we start to unravel these cases, a chilling pattern begins to emerge. What could possibly motivate a person to murder their whole family?
Sources:
https://www.insider.com/chris-watts-murder-timeline-2018-12
https://www.biography.com/news/chris-watts-wife-daughters-murder-mistress-confession-timeline
Live Abuse Free, Chris Watts playlist (multiple videos): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyndzKXJdMA&list=PLbXDQtH_u9kxjZVPzIFFbmyx5YP3FlSGp
Investigation Discovery's "Family Man, Family Murderer," documentary about the Watts case
One Last Kiss by Michael W. Cuneo
Investigation Discovery's "American Monster," Episode "Live By the Sword"
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/characteristics-of-family-killers-revealed-by-first-classification-study
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/nov/22/christopher-foster-news-crime
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/neil-entwistle-sex-lies-how-2480709
British television show "Faking It: Tears of a Crime," Episode "Neil Entwistle"
True Story by Michael Finkel
https://www.laurarichards.co.uk/what-are-the-signs-of-coercive-control/
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Gilded Cage: The Murder of Lita Sullivan Feb 19, 2021

Eric Maisel once said that ambition is vital, but dangerous—capable of driving people over the edge. That’s especially true when you add greed to the equation, and a relentless desire for status. For some, what other people think of them is the only thing that matters. That tiny little inner voice that never felt good enough starts to drown out all the other voices, even the ones who say “I love you.” Nothing’s more important than looking like you have more stuff than anybody else. Nothing matters more than having a seat at the table with the “right” sort of people. And if the “wrong” sort try and get in your way, well—things can get dangerous.
Sources:
The Palm Beach Murder by Marion Collins
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12009956
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1990-07-15-9002040058-story.html
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1998-04-29-9804280344-story.html
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/triggerman-socialite-sullivan-murder-released-from-prison/Pwc3DKaD8LzVfzYu5JiNVN/
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/article/20150607/NEWS/812063065
https://www.e-reading-lib.com/chapter-amp.php/147530/50/the-best-american-crime-writing-2005.html
https://blackthen.com/lita-mcclinton-murdered-white-husband-attempt-reach-social-elite-status/
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

In Disguise: Serial Wife Emma Raine Feb 12, 2021

In nature, there’s a phenomenon called disruptive coloration. It’s when an animal or insect is multicolored to match its environment—thereby camouflaging itself. It’s especially useful, as I’m sure you can imagine, for predators. For example, the orange and black on a tiger allows it to blend in with the scenery and lie in wait for prey. Humans haven’t evolved this nifty little trick, but some of us have mastered something pretty similar. If you’re a predatory human, you might decide to adopt a disguise to put potential victims at ease. A preacher’s wife, for example. Or a prominent, well dressed business owner. You might develop your people skills, so that anybody who visits your home will feel like royalty. And all the while, behind your smiling eyes, the predator is waiting to pounce.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Secrets," Episode "The Truth Hurts"
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Emma Raine"
BET's "Murder in the Thirst," Episode "Who Killed the Preacher?"
Sun-Herald, Robin Fitzgerald: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article110147657.html
AP News, Kevin McGill: https://apnews.com/article/7651272f4d04427dbf3e8315a77c5b60
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Bishop's Gambit: A Story of Rage and Revenge Feb 05, 2021

Richard Rohr once wrote, “The human ego prefers anything, just about anything, to failing or changing or dying.” And he was just talking about your garden variety, Joe Average ego. Not the supercharged, steroid-pumped kind that our villain today was cursed with. What’s at the core of an ego like that is a quivering little wad of insecurity, so fragile that the tiniest disagreement can feel like a humiliating slight. And all the ego can do to make its sad little wad feel better is get angry…or maybe take revenge. And if it decides to carjack the rest of the brain and go on a joyride, everybody within a hundred miles better run.
Sources:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/02/11/a-loaded-gun
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/us/21bishop.html
https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/bishop-amy.htm
Investigation Discovery's "Fatal Encounters," episode "Deadly Genius"
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Mad Science: The Murder of Paul Maasland Jan 29, 2021

Michel de Montaigne once wrote that obsession is the wellspring of genius and madness. If today’s story isn’t a flawless example of that, then I don’t think there’s ever been one. It’s almost a cliché that genius is often tinged with something dark. Geniuses do tend to be obsessive people, and surely by now we true crime fans have seen what obsession can do to human morality. It can squash it like a bug, more or less. In the story we’re about to tell you, obsessive genius crashes head-on into naïve idealism, and eleven years later, the people who witnessed it are still picking the shrapnel out of their hair.
Sources:
https://torontolife.com/city/todd-howley-the-killer-inside-muskoka/
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/algae-at-centre-of-mysterious-crime/article29578436/
ID’s “A Lie to Die For,” episode “Killer Inventor”
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Fox Hollow: Serial Killer Herb Baumeister, Part 2 Jan 22, 2021

In Part 1 we introduced you to Herb Baumeister: Husband, father of three, prominent Indianapolis businessman…secret necrophile. By the early 1990s, Herb and his wife Julie were practically printing money with their chain of thrift stores, and they’d recently moved into a spectacular mansion on acres of beautiful woodland. It was the perfect place for the kids to run and play…and even more perfect for Herb’s favorite form of recreation. And in the summer, when Julie and the kids left for their vacation house in Lake Wawasee and Herb took to the Indy gay scene under the fake name “Brian Smart,” men started to go missing at an alarming rate. Join us now for part 2 of this chilling true story.
Sources:
You Think You Know Me by Ryan Green
A&E's "Investigative Reports with Bill Kurtis," episode "Secret Life of a Serial Killer"
Various articles from this collection: https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baumeister-herbert.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Baumeister
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Fox Hollow: Serial Killer Herb Baumeister, Part 1 Jan 15, 2021

We talk a lot about masks on our show. Most people wear them sometimes. We have our professional mask, our “make a good first impression” mask, our “fake it til you make it” one, when we don’t want anybody to know how anxious we are…But for most of us, the masks aren’t that different from our real personalities. Just a little more polished, maybe. Most of us don’t absolutely need the masks to survive. To avoid the horror and revulsion of our peers. To avoid prison. We hear it all the time on news reports about horror-movie style atrocities: He seemed like such a nice guy. He seemed so normal. He never even raised his voice. It’s unsettling, to realize how convincing a mask can be…even when what lies behind it is nothing short of monstrous.
Sources:
You Think You Know Me by Ryan Green
A&E's "Investigative Reports with Bill Kurtis," episode "Secret Life of a Serial Killer"
Various articles from this collection: https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baumeister-herbert.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Baumeister
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Neighborhood Watch: The Kidnapping of Doe Roberts Jan 08, 2021

Small towns are interesting places. Everybody acts like they’re the “real” America—simple, safe places where life moves at a slower pace and everybody can trust everybody else. As true crime shows never tire of telling us, small town folks don’t even lock their doors. Crime just doesn’t happen there. Except of course, when it does. And then everybody talks about how the town has lost its innocence, and things will never be the same again. Not that some of that doesn’t have a basis in truth. But if you grew up in a small town, you know that’s not the whole story. See, people are people, no matter where they call home. And in a small town, where everybody tends to keep a close eye on everybody else’s business, and gossip can ruin a reputation faster than a summer storm can wreck a cookout, people can have an awful lot of incentive to keep their secrets…well, good and secret. And when something threatens to dredge up an inconvenient truth that they want to keep hidden, people can get desperate. And a desperate person is one of the most dangerous creatures on earth.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Hometown Homicide," Episode "Hold the Line"
Discovery's "FBI Files," Episode "Fatal Friendship"
https://www.leagle.com/decision/19941206894sw2d31211197
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Martha_Doe_Roberts
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Bad, Bad Choices: Dipshits Grab Bag Jan 01, 2021

The movie “The Room” is an interesting study. If you’ve never seen it, you should. Director (and I put that in air quotes) Tommy Wiseau, who may actually be an alien or some kind of undead creature from a parallel universe, managed to create a movie so bad it’s almost good. Or at least, it’s so bad it’s vastly entertaining, and not like any other movie you’ve seen. You could probably say the same about the famously bad Hollywood filmmaker Ed Wood. Some people are just dipshits—but once in a while, somebody comes along who elevates dipshittery to a whole new level. And all we can do is marvel at the spectacular, flaming train wreck they created.
Sources:
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Heather Miller"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Teresa Stone"
https://people.com/archive/love-her-to-death-vol-54-no-22/?xid=popsugar&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=feed&utm_content=link_2
https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2000-11-14-3332610-story.html
https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Practical-Magic-Inspires-Real-Murder-Plot-43463671
https://abcnews.go.com/US/marines-murder-exposes-wifes-affair-pastor/story?id=20373010
https://www.examiner.net/article/20120621/NEWS/306219710
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A Spider's Web: A Killer Who Almost Got Away Dec 25, 2020

We like to think we can trust ourselves—that our read on a situation, whatever that situation may be, is correct. We need to believe we’ve got this, we’re seeing the world as it really is, nobody’s gonna get the drop on us. But sometimes, we find ourselves through the looking glass. Sometimes, just when we think we’ve got a handle on a situation, everything shifts like the changing images of a hologram, and our whole world rocks on its foundations. Sometimes we have to face the fact that nothing is what it looks like. Sometimes we have to admit we were wrong—and if we don’t right that wrong, it will spell disaster for everyone around us. One of the people in this story found that out the hard way.
Sources:
Invitation to Murder by Gail Abbott Zimmerman
CBS's "48 Hours," episode "Invitation to Murder"
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Mommy Darkest: Sante and Kenny Kimes, Part 2 Dec 18, 2020

So, campers. Last week we introduced you to Sante Kimes: Liz Taylor lookalike, scammer, arsonist, sadist, and mother of Kenny Kimes, a promising young man she groomed as her partner in crime from the moment he was born. After spending the early part of her childhood in poverty, Sante was determined to be fantastically rich, and she was willing to do anything to accomplish that goal. And we do mean anything, as you’re just about to see. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre true story.
Sources:
Son of a Grifter by Kent Walker with Mark Schone
Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2000/03/sante-kimes-mother-murderer-criminal-mastermind
https://www.alixkirsta.com/articles/silverman/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sante_Kimes
NBC's "Dateline," episode "Missing Millionaire"
A&E's "Biography," episode "Sante Kimes"
A&E's "American Justice with Bill Kurtis," episode "Like Mother Like Son"
Investigation Discovery's "Vanity Fair Confidential," episode "Sins of the Mother"
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Mommy Darkest: Sante and Kenny Kimes, Part 1 Dec 11, 2020

A wise man once said, “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Oh, wait. That was actually Norman Bates, wasn’t it? Sorry. But a mother’s love IS one of the most powerful forces on earth. At its best, it’s unconditional, selfless, kind, protective. Willing to throw itself between its young and whatever danger threatens them. At its worst, well…you’re about to find out. This is the story of what happens when a mother decides that instead of nurturing her young, she’ll make him a tool instead…and when the mother in question is an unstoppable, unmerciless force of greed. And what happens when a boy’s love for his mother turns from tender to toxic, from admiring to obsessive, from protective to partner in crime.
Sources:
Son of a Grifter by Kent Walker with Mark Schone
Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2000/03/sante-kimes-mother-murderer-criminal-mastermind
https://www.alixkirsta.com/articles/silverman/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sante_Kimes
NBC's "Dateline," episode "Missing Millionaire"
A&E's "Biography," episode "Sante Kimes"
A&E's "American Justice with Bill Kurtis," episode "Like Mother Like Son"
Investigation Discovery's "Vanity Fair Confidential," episode "Sins of the Mother"
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The Resurrection of Loserus: Canoe Man John Darwin Dec 04, 2020

In every human civilization I can think of, we’ve had—y’know—rules. Granted, some of them have been silly, or downright wrong, and should have been scrapped. But by and large, rules help keep the weave nice and tight on the fabric of society. Without them, well, you’ve basically got The Purge. Nobody wants that, if for no other reason than all those masks would be creepy. Most people have no problem following most of the rules, but once in a while you get a person who thinks he’s above them. Whether because of arrogance, desperation, inspiration, boredom, or some combination of them all, these folks decide they don’t have to stick to the plan. The sky’s the limit for them, because they are such special little shooting stars. Sometimes that works out okay—we get our rebels with a cause, leaders who change our way of thinking, being, or governing. But just as often, we get a rebel without a clue, instead. If we’re unlucky enough, that can end in tragedy. If we’re lucky, we just get a good laugh, and a wild story like this one.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/canoe
https://social.shorthand.com/TheNorthernEcho/3gttWa568j/john-canoe-man-darwin-the-full-story
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/canoe-mans-lover-darwin-the-druid-is-psychotic-and-i-was-terrified-of-him-6659149.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Darwin_disappearance_case
Documentary "Back from the Dead: The John Darwin Story" by Real Crime UK
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Machiavelli in Manolos: Jill and Kent Easter Nov 20, 2020

In his seminal work The Prince, philosopher and father of modern political science Nicolo Machiavelli wrote, “In the actions of all men, and especially of princes, where there is no court to appeal to, one looks to the end. So let the prince win and maintain his state: the means will always be judged honorable, and will be praised by everyone.” Many people have taken this to mean that Machiavelli was giving advice—that if you’re pursuing a goal, you should use whatever means necessary to achieve it. But I think if you read that line more closely, what he was really saying was that when a powerful person achieves a desirable end, people tend to decide after the fact that whatever he did to get there was a-okay. Seems more about perception than reality—which is almost scarier, if you think about it. Because whether this is true or not, people in positions of power often seem to think it is. Narcissists are prone to that kind of magical thinking—that whatever they try will turn out great, and everybody will stand up and applaud. For the baddies in today’s story, that didn’t work out so great.
Sources:
ABC's 20/20
LA Times, Framed by Christopher Goffard: https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-framed/#chapter1
Dr. Phil episode
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Blood Ties: An Asian-American Gothic Nov 13, 2020

Have you ever wished you could undo one moment in your life? One harsh word you can’t take back? One horribly wrong turn? One zig that should have been a zag? I think we probably all have. There’s a theory that there are infinite universes, kind of like the reflections you see in an elevator with mirrors on both sides. But in every universe, ONE little thing is different. One choice went the opposite way—and the effects of that choice bloomed out into time, changing lots of other things in the process. Some big, some small. In one universe, your decision not to stop for that McFlurry means you didn’t get killed in a car crash. Your boyfriend didn’t marry someone else a few years later. They didn’t have kids. One of those kids didn’t grow up to be president, or cure cancer, or blow up a building. You get the idea. In the story we’re about to tell you, one choice made in anger and pain changed the course of several people’s lives, and ended several others’.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonian.com/2005/02/01/love-and-murder-in-great-falls/
Investigation Discovery's "Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall," episode "Ghost of Great Falls"
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Hate Crime: The Murder of Nazish Noorani Nov 06, 2020

Hate can take many forms. There’s the kind that’s just fear and bigotry—the ugliest human failings—in disguise. There’s the kind that’s really just the dark mirror image of love. I loved you, you hurt me, I hate you. There’s the kind that’s born of envy. And then there’s the kind of hate that’s all about selfishness. “You’re in the way of something I want.” Each of these incarnations is dangerous in its own way. In the story we’re about to tell you, a brutal murder seems at first to be about one very specific kind of hate. But as secrets come to light, it turns out to be about another kind entirely.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall," Episode "Witness to Murder"
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," Episode "Kashif Parvaiz and Antoinette Stephen"
https://www.nj.com/morris/2015/06/ex-girlfriend_describes_moms_last_words_after_she.html
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Unusual Suspects: A Halloween Horror Story Oct 30, 2020

We’re all pretty aware of the big, obvious dangers in our lives. We look both ways before we cross the street. We lock our doors at night (at least I hope we do, after listening to a year’s worth of True Crime Campfire). We take our vitamins. We don’t walk down dark alleys alone if we can avoid it. But the real kick in the kidney is, sometimes the worst dangers are the ones we never see coming. Sometimes they sneak into our lives cloaked in darkness, but sometimes we invite them in with a smile. What happens when danger slips past us, wearing a friendly face?
Sources:
Nightmare in Napa: The Wine Country Murders by Paul LaRosa
CBS' 48 Hours Mystery: Nightmare in Napa
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Do You Like Scary Movies? The Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart Oct 23, 2020

What is it we like so much about scary movies? Is it the adrenaline rush, the excitement?
That’s part of it, for sure. But it’s also the fact that unlike the screaming victims running for
their lives on screen, we know we’re safe. Michael Myers might be relentlessly evil and
impossible to kill, but he’s also stuck over there in movie-land where he can’t get us. I think
that’s why stories like the one we’re about to tell you are so unsettling. When a killer decides
to bring a horror movie plot to life, it’s like he’s…breaking an unwritten code. Leaving us
nowhere to run. No safe place. This is Do You Like Scary Movies? The Murder of Cassie Jo
Stoddart.
Your Worst Nightmare, "When The Lights Go Out"
Copycat Killers, "Scream"
Murder Among Friends, Stick to the Plan
Unmasked, "The Final Scream"
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/supreme-court-upholds-adamciks-sentence-releases-transcripts-of-video-made-by-killers/article_d1fe0af6-5082-56d8-a7e6-bfb31de13844.html
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Halloween Special: Scare You Round the Campfire, with Scare You to Sleep Host Shelby Scott Oct 16, 2020

Hey, guess what? BOO! Haha, gotcha. Welcome to our second annual True Crime Campfire Halloween Special! As if 2020 hasn’t been scary enough by itself, right? We’re especially excited about this year’s Halloween episode, campers, because we have a very special guest joining us: The gorgeous and talented Shelby Scott, honey-voiced host of Scare You to Sleep, a podcast that, while beautifully produced and vastly entertaining, miiiight just make you wet yourself a little now and then. So just…y’know, be aware. Shelby’s stock and trade is fictional horror, but she’s also a true crime buff. So we decided that for this episode, we’d each pick a case. And for some reason we all ended up picking vintage ones, which I think adds to the spookiness. So grab your big bowl of Halloween candy, dim your lights, and enjoy three bizarre stories of murder and mayhem.
Scare You to Sleep: https://open.spotify.com/show/2sNFsS8B0qvIg1jK0Vo7Ns?fbclid=IwAR2EwLp6Prat1z3xc9RZJQOHsCHWFxi-uPRiPcxgx1eH-O6xm-X0IXyOH_Q
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "True Nightmares," Episode "Seeing Stars"
https://malefactorsregister.com/wp/the-fault-is-in-ourselves/
Amazon's "Lore," Episode "Ghosts in the Attic"
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article39122823.html https://medium.com/true-crime-addiction/a-dead-body-lying-next-to-mine-satanic-murder-5687c4b9aabe https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article39122823.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2001/01/23/did-death-metal-music-incite-murder/63cf6de7-fdd1-4067-a49f-9946f111e6a2/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502044/chilling-story-hinterkaifeck-killings-germanys-most-famous-unsolved-crime
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Viper: The Story of Celeste Beard Johnson Oct 09, 2020

Most people have at least some degree of appreciation for what they have. They know how to count their blessings, as they say. Most people, if given a beautiful home and beautiful clothes, lavish trips and the love of a sincere, kindly partner, would probably feel like they’d done pretty well for themselves. But then you’ve got people like the bad bitch in today’s story. To a greed goblin like her, the world and everyone in it exist to serve. Everything else life has to offer takes a backseat to the relentless pursuit of More. More money, more stuff, more attention…more everything. You might remember our girl Dante Sutorius from our episode “Inferno” a while back. And when you listened to that story, you might have thought you’d encountered the scariest broad to ever draw breath. Ha. Well that was nothin’.
Sources:
She Wanted It All by Kathryn Casey
CBS "48 Hours Mystery," Episode "For Love or Money"
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Celeste Beard Johnson"
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Poisonous: The Story of Marie Hilley Oct 02, 2020

Family. Whether it’s the family you choose for yourself or the one you’re born into, family is vital. When we’re with our families, we’re supposed to feel safe, loved, supported. A family should be a soft place to fall, for everybody in it. A shelter from the storm. But when the nucleus of the family is a parent like the one in this week’s story, home becomes a cesspit of paranoia and fear. Your protector is revealed to be a predator instead—and you soon come to realize that any storm that might be raging outside can’t be half as bad as the one you’re already in.
Sources:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1987-03-09-0110350063-story.html
TV show "Unsolved Mysteries"
Investigation Discovery's "American Monster," Episode "Alabama Murder Mystery"
Investigation Discovery's "Southern Fried Homicide," Episode "The Perfect Poisoner"
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Marie Hilley"
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Demon in Disguise: The Cult at Angels Landing Sep 25, 2020

Most of us go looking, at one point or another in our lives, for something…more. Something to give us a purpose. Make us feel like we belong here. For some of us, it’s friends or family. For some, it’s art, or music, or helping people. But then, some of us take a wrong turn on that quest for fulfillment. Come up against just the right kind of charismatic personality—one who makes us feel loved, needed, special…chosen…and we can lose our compass. It’s scary, how much sway one person can have over another. And how quickly we can give up our own sense of reality for somebody else’s dark vision.
Sources:
NBC's Dateline: Angels and Demons
Oxygen's "Deadly Cults," Episode "Angels Landing"
Investigation Discovery's "My Murder Story," Episode "The Devil's Angels"
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2015/02/20/358230.htm
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The Gift of Grift: With Pickpocket Magician James Harrison Sep 18, 2020

Join us for our very first special guest episode! The first half of the episode is a lot of talk about cool tricks and cons, and the second half is more traditional TCC--and of course we give you a great villain to hate on in the last story. It wouldn't be TCC without that.
As long as there have been humans, there have been scams. We’ve been perfecting the art of the steal for thousands of years. From the cutpurses and pickpockets of ancient times to the faux Nigerian princes of today, we’ve been robbin’ and scammin’ and griftin’ our way across the millenia, and we show no signs of stopping. Different hustles require different skills, of course, and different levels of skill. Today we welcome our first special guest on True Crime Campfire, a guy who’s something of an expert on artful thievery. He’ll teach us a bit about the skills involved, and we’ll tell you some wild stories about people who were blessed with the gift of grift.
James Harrison's Instagram--check out his amazing videos: https://www.instagram.com/pickpocketjames/?hl=en
Sources:
https://forzonimagic.com/mindreaders-history/alexander-man-knows/
https://www.lybrary.com/modern-magic-p-121.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lily-dale-spiritualist-community
https://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php?title=Thomas_Nelson_Downs
https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/spirit-painting-2/
Breaking Vegas: The True Story of the MIT Blackjack Team (documentary)
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "Psychic Fiend's Network"
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Perfect Mask: The Murder of Laci Peterson, Part 2 Sep 11, 2020

In part 1, we told you about the disappearance of Laci Peterson, a bright and vibrant young woman who was due any day to give birth to her first child, a son she’d already named Connor. In the days and weeks following Laci’s disappearance, the whole world began to turn its attention to her handsome salesman husband Scott—first because, well, you always suspect the husband, and he didn’t seem to be behaving like a grieving man—and then because of the explosive revelation that Scott had been cheating on Laci with a young massage therapist named Amber Frey. Slowly, Scott’s double life was brought to light, and the intricate web of lies he’d woven began to unravel, thread by thread. When we left you at the end of part 1, Laci’s and Connor’s bodies had washed up on the beach near the spot where Scott had been “fishing” on the day of the disappearance, and Scott had been arrested after a high speed chase. But Scott maintained his innocence, as he still does today. And we were all about to get a look at his defense.
Sources:
A Deadly Game by Catherine Crier
Blood Brother by Anne Bird
Witness for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson by Amber Frey
A&E's docuseries "The Murder of Laci Peterson"
Investigation Discovery's "Truth and Lies: The Murder of Laci Peterson"
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Perfect Mask: The Murder of Laci Peterson, Part 1 Sep 04, 2020

It’s our first anniversary at True Crime Campfire, y’all, and we decided we wanted to do something special. So this week and next, we’re doing a deep dive into the much-requested case of Scott Peterson, whose death sentence for the murder of his wife was recently overturned. If you’re not familiar, here’s a thumbnail sketch. In 2003, a radiantly beautiful young woman named Laci went missing on Christmas Eve. She was 8 and ½ months pregnant, and her disappearance immediately captured the attention of the nation. As the case unfolded, it became increasingly clear to most that Laci’s husband, handsome salesman Scott Peterson, knew more than he was saying about the case. For months, revelation after revelation popped up about Scott’s double life, and the many lies he told to cover it up. Finally, the bodies of Laci and her unborn son, Connor, washed up on the beach at the San Francisco Bay, and Scott was arrested, tried and convicted for murder. Now, in the years since, Scott has acquired some very vocal supporters. A documentary series on A&E theorizes that the jury may have gotten it wrong—that Scott might actually be innocent.
Yeah, not so much, in our opinion. We’re not going to pretend we don’t have a stance on this, because we wouldn’t be us if we did—we have pretty strong opinions on this case, because both of us have been obsessed with it for years. I watched the trial gavel to gavel in real time. But we do want to give Scott’s supporters their due—so here’s the plan. We’re doing this one over two weeks. This first part will be your basic TCC format—we’re going to tell you the story as we believe it went down, and based on the jury’s guilty verdict. But next week, we’ll get into the trial, including the arguments on both sides, and we’ll examine Scott’s defense in detail. And hey—if you end up disagreeing with us on this one, we’re not mad at you. Just don’t break up with us over it. We hope you’ll reserve judgment until we’ve released both parts.
Sources:
A Deadly Game by Catherine Crier
Blood Brother by Anne Bird
Witness for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson by Amber Frey
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Apt Pupil: The Murder of Richard Carno Aug 28, 2020

There’s an old saying that if you’re not where you want to be in your life—or who—you should “fake it til you make it.” And it can work great. For example, let’s say you’re terrified of public speaking. And inside you feel like you’re about to either pee yourself, barf up everything you’ve ever eaten, just turn around and flee, or possibly all three. But instead of letting the audience see your nerves, you straighten your shoulders and stride out to the podium in your best outfit, with a big, fake, confident smile on your face. Chances are, people will never know how scared you were, and you’ll actually start to FEEL confident after a while. But…what if you never get to the “til you make it” part? What if the core of your being is so dark, so abhorrent, so contrary to everything that makes us truly human, that your only option is to fake it, all the time? I bet you’d get real good at it. William Saroyan once wrote, “It takes a lot of rehearsing for a man to be himself.” For the villain in this story, it was just the opposite. The rehearsal was all about hiding the self.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Diabolical," Episode "Teach Me to Kill"
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/jan/22/siblings-facing-off-against-each-other-in-murder-t/
https://www.newsbreak.com/nevada/las-vegas/news/1547024008696/susanne-carno-paid-her-brother-to-murder-husband-richard-carno-so-she-could-pocket-the-life-insurance
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/mar/12/carno-insists-shes-innocent-at-sentencing/
http://www.jailhouse-babes.com/personals/f094/f09-497.htm
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

With Friends Like These: The Murder of Matthew Silliman Aug 21, 2020

Helen Keller once said “I would rather walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light.” Friendship, when it’s done right, is one of the joys of life. Most of us hope to find a group of true friends, people who will be happy for us when we’re happy and, like Helen says, walk through our darkest times with us. Most of us would never expect to be confronted with a life or death situation that we needed our friends to pull us out of. But for the people in this case, that’s exactly what happened. Would you put your life in your best friends’ hands?
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Murder Among Friends," Episode "Murder Circle"
Masters of True Crime: Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre, R. Barri Flowers, Ed.
https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8291262/
https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/2gm3bc/i_almost_attended_my_friends_murder/
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Toxic: Poisoners Grab Bag Aug 07, 2020

“Teacup Poisoner” Graham Young began his creepy career when he was still a child, slipping poison to members of his family. Before he was finally caught and sentenced to Broadmoor in 1962, he’d poisoned more than a dozen people and killed at least three. Family, coworkers, friends. And he didn’t stop even after he was incarcerated. A couple of his fellow inmates at Broadmoor fell victim to his deadly chemistry, too. Then there’s Dr. Michael Swango, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. He started young, too. When he was just a kid, he created a scrapbook full of gory newspaper clippings about accidents and murders. And once he started poisoning, he didn’t stop until hundreds of victims lay in his wake. Poisoners fall in love with poison. With watching from a distance as their victims sicken and die. The power is intoxicating. The fact that they can stay hidden in the shadows with the power of life and death in their hands. We’re about to tell you two stories about two very different poisoners.
Sources, Trepal Case:
Poison Mind by Susan Goreck and Jeffrey Good
A&E's "American Justice," episode "Kill Thy Neighbor"
HLN's "Vengeance," episode "George Trepal"
Sources, Castor case:
ABC's 20/20, "Black Widow"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Stacey Castor"
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When Nerds Attack: Prince of Dorkness Rod Ferrell Jul 31, 2020

Fantasy is part of being human. Sometimes we all need to tell ourselves stories, escape from the ordinary everyday. We spend luxurious amounts of time and money on this--in daydreams, books, movies, games, music—it’s something both quintessentially human and tantalizingly magical to give ourselves over to fantasy. And most of us have no trouble knowing where to stop. For those of us who haven’t figured that out, though, things can get sticky. Our real lives, real responsibilities, real relationships can begin to recede into the background. The things that once mattered most can start to pale in comparison to the fairy tale we’ve woven. The people who love us can start to seem like people in a story, people in a dream. And as Shakespeare once put it, that way lies madness. We’re about to tell you a story about a group of people who fell into this trap. Some of them never got out again.
Sources:
The Embrace by Aphrodite Jones
Oxygen's "Deadly Cults," Episode "Vampire Clan"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tQAUxMh1Kg
Documentary "Kentucky Teenage Vampires," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWclRSulGFQ
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Chameleon: Bad Bitch Cindy McKay Jul 24, 2020

Chameleons are known for their ability to change color. Some species can achieve incredibly intricate, beautiful colors and patterns. Most people believe chameleons change color in order to blend in with their environments and make themselves less visible to predators, but that’s a misconception. In reality, they change their colors according to mood—reinventing themselves at their own whims. People like to do this too, every once in a while. Most of us have, at some point in our lives, played around with different looks, different hobbies, different friend groups. It’s fun. I mean, how many of us are on our third quarantine hairstyle by now? But some people are chameleons as a way of life. Lacking a strong, cohesive inner core, and lacking the emotional connection to other people that inspires us to make real commitments, they reinvent themselves in order to manipulate. To make people easier to fool, to use, to discard. We’re about to tell you the story of a woman like this. Who is she, in her deepest heart of hearts? By the end of the story, you might agree with us…that not even she really knows.
Sources:
Justin Fenton, 3-part series on Cindy McKay in The Baltimore Sun, 2008: Part 1, "A Trail of Deception;" Part 2, "For Police Detective, an Intriguing Suspect;" Part 3: "A Fatal Romance"
Investigation Discovery's "Diabolical," Episode "Weeping Widow"
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Deadly Encounter: The Killing of Betty Gore Jul 17, 2020

The human brain is an exquisitely complex organ, and it’s capable of some pretty bizarre stuff. Take couvade’s syndrome, otherwise known as sympathetic pregnancy—where a non-pregnant partner is so in tune with their pregnant one that they start showing signs of pregnancy themselves: morning sickness, weight gain, mood swings. I can relate to this—whenever my husband has a kidney stone, I always feel pain in exactly the same place. Then there’s the whole wide world of wild stuff that can happen to people when they come out of comas. People can wake up with totally different accents than they had before. People have been known to wake up speaking foreign languages that they never actually learned. My point is, our minds are amazing, and they’re not always on our team. There’s a lot we still don’t understand about them, and sometimes they can sabotage us pretty spectacularly. Are you wondering why I’m telling you this? Well, you’re about to hear one of the oddest true crime stories you’ll ever hear, and it raises some fascinating questions about the capabilities of the human mind.
Sources:
Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson
Investigation Discovery's "The 1980s: The Deadliest Decade," episode "Friday the 13th"
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Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: The Stalking of Joy Silverman Jul 10, 2020

Imagine waking up each morning with a knot in your stomach—a sense of creeping dread. Imagine knowing that there is someone out there who is obsessed with you in the most unhealthy way imaginable. You are their full time job, the sole focus of their life. They’re always lurking there. Thinking of new ways to force their way into your most private spaces. They may call or text you incessantly. They may veer wildly back and forth between cajoling and threatening, between telling you how beautiful you are, and promising to gut you like a fish. They may post about you on social media—spreading lies, acting as though the two of you are intimately connected. People may believe them. They may communicate with your family, your friends, your employers, your colleagues. They may share humiliating stories or pictures. They may send you things, leave notes on your car or in your mailbox. They may vandalize your property—key your car, throw a rock through your window. They may hire someone to find information about you. They may follow you. You may or may not know they are there. They may threaten to kill you. They may do worse.
According to the Stalking Resource Center at the National Center for Victims of Crime, 7.5 million people in the U.S. are stalked every year. For over 85% of them, the stalker is someone they know—for just under 15%, it’s a total stranger. And this one’s really scary: About 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for five years or more. Stalkers can have incredible staying power.
People of all genders can be victims of stalking, and whether it results in violence or not, being stalked has a devastating effect on the victim. Today we’re going to tell you about one of the most fascinating, most bizarre stalking cases we’ve ever heard of.
Sources:
Double Life: The Shattering Affair Between Chief Judge Sol Wachtler and Socialite Joy Silverman, by Linda Wolfe
Investigation Discovery's "Vanity Fair Confidential," Episode "Love and Obsession"
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Cobra: A Bizarre Story of Murder in the Gay Porn Industry Jul 03, 2020

We all roll our eyes at a spoiled brat—that kind of kid who, no matter how much they have, can never get enough. The kid who snatches toys out of other kids’ hands. For that kid, it’s all about ME. What *I* want is all that matters, all that’s real. Good thing we all outgrow that as adults, right? Ha. Yeah. Well, turns out, some of us don’t. Today we’ll learn about two guys who never aged out of the “if I want it, I’ll take it” phase. Somebody else had something they wanted, and they were determined to snatch it away, no matter what it took.
Sources:
Cobra Killer: Gay Porn, Murder, and the Manhunt to Bring the Killers to Justice, by Andrew Stoner and Peter Conway
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," episode "Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes"
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Artful Conviction: The Murder of Peggy Hettrick Jun 26, 2020

Pride. When it’s channeled right, it’s a good thing. Pride in our accomplishments, or those of our loved ones, is great. But it’s not for nothin’ that pride is one of the seven deadly sins. When it goes unchecked, ya see, it tends to create a particular kind of tunnel vision. A lens through which you can only see what you want to see, and anything that doesn’t fit within that view becomes too threatening. Gets ignored, or denied…or covered up. Apply that to a homicide investigation, and you’ve got a disaster in the making. We’re about to hear about a case like that, where justice fell victim to pride. A case where one detective’s arrogant one-sightedness stole ten years of a young man’s life, and left a grieving family without answers.
Sources:
https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2017/02/08/peggy-hettrick-murder-cold-case-fort-collins/97378070/
https://www.5280.com/2011/12/presumed-guilty/
https://www.greeleytribune.com/windsor/the-two-lives-of-dr-richard-hammond/
http://freetimmastersbecause.blogspot.com/search/label/Matt%20Zoellner
CBS' "48 Hours Mystery," episode "Drawn to Murder"
Drawn to Injustice by Steve Lehto and Tim Masters
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Bad Bitches 2-Pack Jun 19, 2020

Women, campers. Make no mistake about it—we can be assholes too. And when women kill, we tend to get creative about it. Today’s episode is a two-pack of stories. Stories about women who seemed to have it together—loving husbands, great kids, beautiful homes. But underneath that “Live Laugh Love” exterior, storms were a-brewin’. Jealousy. Resentment. Greed. A lust for freedom. Both of these women sought a quick, elegant solution to their problems. Both women chose murder. This is your Bad Bitches 2-Pack: Double the Trouble.
Case 1 - Liar, Liar: The Murder of Michael Giles. A bizarre, twisting story of shifting identities, betrayed loyalties, and murder.
Case 2 - In Sickness: The Murder of David Mueller. A disturbing story that shows how the people closest to us can be our deadliest enemies.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery, "Diabolical," episode "Lie for Me"
Oxygen, "Snapped," episode "Kwaneta Harris"
Oxygen, "Snapped," episode "Cynthia Mueller"
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2016/04/15/killer-who-had-lover-buried-in-backyard-tried-to-flee-prison-by-forging-dallas-judge-s-signature/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/05/23/prescott-woman-trial-husband/27847971/
https://www.azfamily.com/arizona-co-defendant-in-husband-murder-case-sentenced-to-prison/article_ec25018a-598e-532a-93bc-47efa73df069.html
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Dungeons & Dipshits: The Murder of Jane Bashara, Pt 2 Jun 12, 2020

In part 1, we introduced you to Bob and Jane Bashara, a Grosse Point power couple with a picture perfect marriage on the outside—not so picture perfect on the inside. Not only had Bob run his real estate business into the ground, forcing Jane to forego retirement and carry the family’s financial weight by herself—Bob was also deeply into the BDSM scene, something Jane had no interest in, and he was cheating on her left and right. Especially with his favorite mistress, Rachel, who thought he was already divorced and had begun planning a life with him. When we left you, Bob and Rachel had struck up a relationship with Janet, a woman in Oregon who they hoped would be willing to move to Grosse Point and be their “third” in a relationship where “Master Bob” would rule and the two women would be sexually and financially submissive to him. Bob flew out to Oregon to meet Janet, who was turned off by him from pretty much minute one. Janet was about to get an up-close look at what “Master Bob” was capable of. And so was Bob’s wife Jane. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre true story.
Note to our campers: This episode includes discussion of BDSM, abusive relationship dynamics, and non-consensual sexual violence. Please use discretion when choosing whether to listen, and please skip this one if you're under 18.
Sources:
Murder in Grosse Pointe Park: Privilege, Adultery, and the Killing of Jane Bashara by Steve Miller
CNBC's "Deadly Rich," Episode "The Dungeon Master"
Judge Vonda Evans' scathing sentencing of Bob Bashara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaOakftTMDE
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Dungeons & Dipshits: The Murder of Jane Bashara, Pt 1 Jun 12, 2020

Power and control. For some people, it’s the most important thing in the world—an essential element of any relationship. If they’re going to get involved with you, there’s a price of admission. If you want to be with them, you have to give them the reins to your life. And there’s an interesting thing about that: Some of these people, despite their constant obsession with controlling their partners, can’t seem to control themselves a damn. We’re about to learn about one of these people. For him, power was the ultimate prize. The ultimate aphrodisiac. The endgame in every interaction. And one woman was about to face the consequences of refusing to yield.
Note: This episode involves discussions of BDSM, abusive relationship dynamics and non-consensual sexual violence. Please use discretion when choosing whether to listen, and please skip this one if you're under 18.
Sources:
Murder in Grosse Pointe Park: Privilege, Adultery, and the Killing of Jane Bashara by Steve Miller
CNBC's "Deadly Rich," Episode "The Dungeon Master"
Judge Vonda Evans' scathing sentencing of Bob Bashara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaOakftTMDE
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Stranger than Fiction: Vol. I Jun 05, 2020

They say that truth is stranger than fiction. We can forget that sometimes when we see some outrageous viral story on Reddit and decide it must be fake—just a writing exercise, right? Isn’t that what people always say? And sometimes it’s true. But the thing is, it’s been proven true countless times over the centuries—weird shit happens every day. Especially when a particular human failing rears its creepy little snout. I’m talking of course about obsession. Obsession is a wild card. It can take a seemingly normal, well adjusted person and turn them into someone even they wouldn’t usually recognize. Both of the stories we’re about to tell you involve obsession in one form or another. Two very different killers, two very different motives…two very weird stories.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Your Worst Nightmare," Episode "Bump in the Night"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Women," Mary Jane Fonder segment
Investigation Discovery's "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones," Episode "Broken Commandments"
http://www.parkaman.com/strange-case-daniel-laplante-real-night-horror-story/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_LaPlante
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Perfect Stranger: The Murder of Jamie Laiaddee May 29, 2020

How well do we know the people in our lives? Our coworkers, our friends, the loved ones we sleep next to at night? Everyone decides for themselves how much to share about their private lives. Some of us are over-sharers, posting screenshots of our breakup texts and lunches. Others are closed books, only sharing personal info on a need-to-know basis—and even then, reluctantly. But it’s an almost universal truth that everyone has secrets. We can only know another person as well as they let themselves be known. Most of the time, the secrets we keep are pretty mundane. But once in a while, they’re earth-shattering. Once in a while, we may dig into the life of someone we care about and find something we would never have imagined in our worst nightmares. Once in a while, a secret can be deadly.
Sources:
CBS "48 Hours Mystery," episode "The Stranger Beside Me"
Investigation Discovery "Grave Secrets," episode "Ten Weeks Later"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/remains-found-in-arizona-idd-as-long-missing-woman-jamie-laiaddee/
https://www.azfamily.com/archives/jamie-laiaddees-convicted-killer-speaks-from-prison-after-her-remains-identified/article_2b4a4a0b-e526-5f7d-9de8-6f87d5eb5d5d.html
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

A Catfish, a Kill Room, and a House of Cards: "Dexter" Killer Mark Twitchell Pt 2 May 22, 2020

In part 1, we introduced you to Mark Twitchell. Aspiring filmmaker—though he’s stealing from his own production company and making up outrageous lies to lure investors…New husband and father—though he’s cheating on his wife and showing little interest in fatherhood…And Dexter wannabe. As Twitchell got more and more engrossed in “Dexter” and started researching psychopathy, an “epiphany” began to take shape in his mind. He believed in fate. He believed he was an instrument of it. And now, he felt he knew what fate had in store for him. He would become a serial killer. He was about to move from the realm of fantasy where he’d spent most of his life up til now, to the cold, dark reality of murder. He was making plans. And a whole lot of lives were about to change forever. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre story.
Sources:
The Devil's Cinema by Steve Lillibuen
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/twitchell-found-guilty-of-1st-degree-murder-1.998969
CBS's, "48 Hours Mystery," Episode "Screenplay for Murder"
NBC's "Dateline," Episode "Deadly House of Cards"
"SK Confessions" manuscript: https://www.scribd.com/doc/202712564/51755869-WARNING-GRAPHIC-Alleged-Diary-From-Twitchell-s-Computer
http://www.stevelillebuen.com/crime-and-justice/the-question-of-mark-twitchell-dexter-killer/
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A Catfish, a Kill Room, & a House of Cards: "Dexter" Killer Mark Twitchell Pt 1 May 22, 2020

The builders of the Titanic were so sure they’d crafted an unsinkable ship that—in addition to bragging about it all over the media, they opted not to include enough lifeboats to rescue all the passengers in the event of a problem. We all know how that worked out. In Greek mythology, Icarus needed to get off the island of Crete—so he crafted wings out of feathers and wax so he could fly himself on out of there. His dad tried to tell him—Icarus, don’t try to fly too high with those things. You’re not a god—you’ll fall flat on your face. But Icarus didn’t want to hear that, and when he flew a scoach too close to the sun, the wax melted and…well, we know the rest of the story. We could give you lots of other examples from history and literature: Dr. Frankenstein, who was so proud of himself that he’d figured out how to reanimate human tissue that he never stopped to think about whether this was a good idea in the first place. General Custer, and his unwinnable fight at Little Big Horn. What do all these folks have in common? HUBRIS. That tempting little tendency to feel like we’re better than everybody else and the rules don’t apply to us. For some people, hubris just pops up in an occasional moment of weakness. But for others, this kind of arrogance is the organizing principle of their lives. We’re about to learn the story of one of these people.
Sources:
The Devil's Cinema by Steve Lillibuen
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/twitchell-found-guilty-of-1st-degree-murder-1.998969
CBS's, "48 Hours Mystery," Episode "Screenplay for Murder"
NBC's "Dateline," Episode "Deadly House of Cards"
"SK Confessions" manuscript: https://www.scribd.com/doc/202712564/51755869-WARNING-GRAPHIC-Alleged-Diary-From-Twitchell-s-Computer
http://www.stevelillebuen.com/crime-and-justice/the-question-of-mark-twitchell-dexter-killer/
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Cradle to Grave: Three Stories of Killer Kids May 15, 2020

Most parents will tell you that parenthood is one of the greatest joys in life. And for most parents, that’s undoubtedly true. Having a child is an intense experience in both joyful times and bad, and it tends to change you in ways you can’t possibly anticipate. A parent’s love is eternal and unconditional, and it goes without saying that there’s pretty much nothing a child can do that a parent can’t forgive. Most of the time all this works out just fine. Buuuut…there’s also this. According to the FBI, hundreds of parents are murdered by their kids each year in the US. And in the overwhelming majority of these cases, the parents didn’t even almost see it coming. We’re about to look at a handful of cases where the family’s most golden children—the ones on whom their parents had pinned their greatest dreams—turned on the people who loved them most. Join us for three chilling stories of killer kids.
Sources:
CBS "48 Hours Mystery," episode "Memory of Murder"
Documentary "The Christopher Porco Case, 15 Years Later"
Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Women," episode "Killer Kids"
Book: The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother: The True Story of Canada's Infamous Bathtub Girls"
"Crime Investigation Australia," episode "The Gonzales Family Murders"
https://7news.com.au/original-fyi/crime-story-investigator/australias-grisliest-murders-money-lies-and-alibis-bring-down-a-baby-faced-killer-c-531469
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

No Fury: Bad Bitch Cherrylle Dell Pt 2 May 08, 2020

In Part 1, we introduced you to Cherrylle Dell, a beautiful and manipulative woman whose ex-girlfriend, Nancy Fillmore, says murdered her ex husband Scott. Scott’s had died a couple of years earlier after drinking a bottle of wine laced with antifreeze, and the circumstances of his death led police to rule it a suicide. Now, Nancy was at the Killaloe, Ontario police station claiming it was murder. Not long before Scott died, Cherrylle had left him for a woman and immediately set about accusing him of various kinds of abuse, charges that were all found to be baseless. She seemed to be determined to ruin him and take everything: Their kids, their farmhouse, all the property they’d bought together in their 20 years of marriage. Things were about to get real nasty—and not just for Scott. Join us now for part 2 of this wild story.
Sources:
TV show "The Case That Haunts Me," episode "The Murder of Scott Dell"
"Killer Stripper" by Jessi Dillman
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/no-early-parole-for-ottawa-woman-who-laced-her-estranged-husbands-wine-with-anti-freeze-in-1995-killing
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/dells-daughter-tells-of-weird-conversation/article4169567/
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No Fury: Bad Bitch Cherrylle Dell, Pt 1 May 08, 2020

Fire is an awesome force. If you don’t take steps to keep it under control, it can rip through the landscape with a fury that’s almost surreal to behold. And once in a great while, you find a person like that—every bit as relentless and indiscriminate as a wildfire, and every bit as determined to devastate anything that tries to get in the way. Just like fire, these people can be beautiful, captivating, hypnotic. We can fool ourselves into thinking we can keep them under control—let them brighten and warm us, but not burn us. Sometimes we make that mistake at our peril.
Sources:
TV show "The Case that Haunts Me," episode "The Murder of Scott Dell"
"Killer Stripper" by Jessi Dillman
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/dells-daughter-tells-of-weird-conversation/article4169567/
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/no-early-parole-for-ottawa-woman-who-laced-her-estranged-husbands-wine-with-anti-freeze-in-1995-killing
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Unsolved: Three Dark Mysteries May 01, 2020

There are few things more irresistible, more frustrating, more fascinating than an unsolved mystery. Today, we have three of them for you: One modern, two vintage. Each of these stories is terrifying and disturbing in its own way. For each, the answer lies tantalizingly just out of reach. We have to admit that we can never know it for sure. But we doubt you’ll be able to resist the lure of these mysteries and the theories that surround them.
Sources:
https://www.historicmysteries.com/roland-t-owen-murder-room-1046/
Buzzfeed "Unsolved," Episodes "Murder in Room 1046," "The Tromp Family's Bizarre Journey," and "The Ghastly Cleveland Torso Murders"
"Unsolved Mysteries" (TV show), Episode featuring Cleveland Torso Murders
https://www.cleveland.com/life-and-culture/erry-2018/10/55d2b5ea596983/clevelands-infamous-torso-murd.html
https://www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org/collections/torso-murders/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-37293494
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/60elhm/update_on_the_tromp_familyaustralian_case_of/
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Love Bomb: The Murder of Marcus Toney, Pt. 2 Apr 24, 2020

In Part 1, we told you about the horrific bombing murder of Marcus Toney. Before he was murdered, Marcus had recently been the victim of identity theft, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. And he, his attorney, and the private investigator he’d hired to look into the theft, suspected his estranged wife Lisa and her mysterious new boyfriend, whose name Marcus didn’t know. We know, though, don’t we campers? It’s Sienky Lallemand, a career con man and identity thief who seems to have romanced Lisa Toney into feeding him her husband’s personal information and using it to buy designer jewelry and luxury cars. It didn’t seem like a coincidence that Marcus ended up murdered right as he was starting to figure out who was responsible for ruining his credit and throwing him into six figures worth of fraudulent debt. Investigators were starting to zero in on Lisa and Sienky, and things were about to get real interesting. Join us now for part 2 of this bizarre story.
Sources:
"Seduced" by Joy Bergmann. Chicago Reader, May 2002.
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/seduced/Content?oid=908545
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," Episode "Sienky Lallemand and Lisa Toney"
Investigation Discovery's "Wicked Attraction," Episode "Lust for Life"
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Love Bomb: The Murder of Marcus Toney, Pt. 1 Apr 24, 2020

Identity. The core of who we are. For some of us, we’re connected to it from our earliest days onward. Our interests may change, but our core never does. For others, identity is more fluid. We may change because of the people we encounter, the things we experience, the lessons we learn. Some of us are never in any doubt about who we are. For others, it’s a lifelong journey to find out. But whichever category we fall into, identity is central to being. Unfortunately, some people never develop their own identity. For them, there is no core; there is no essential “I.” So they tend to be chameleons—whoever you want them to be. They may pick up and discard new identities as easily as some of us put on a new dress. This can make them very seductive…sometimes prone to seeing people as tools to help them get what they want…and sometimes, very dangerous.
Sources:
"Seduced" by Joy Bergmann. Chicago Reader, May 2002.
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/seduced/Content?oid=908545
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," Episode "Sienky Lallemand and Lisa Toney"
Investigation Discovery's "Wicked Attraction," Episode "Lust for Life"
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When Nerds Attack: The Murder of Lieth von Stein Pt 2 Apr 17, 2020

In part 1, we introduced you to a trio of Dungeons and Dragons loving nerds: Chris, Bart, and Neal. All kids who had great potential: Smart, talented, well loved by their families, friends, and teachers. But these three guys each had a dark side, and that darkness was soon to culminate in the worst murder and attempted murder a small North Carolina community has ever seen. Join us now for part 2 of this chilling true story.
Sources:
Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe
Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinness
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When Nerds Attack: The Murder of Lieth von Stein, Pt 1 Apr 17, 2020

Nerds are usually pretty harmless. We know, because we are nerds. More often than not, we’re just smart people who are passionate about our interests. Gaming, or comics, or sci fi, or putting on cool costumes and going to cons. Most of us don’t want any trouble. But once in a while, as we’ve seen on this show once before, you get yourself a bad nerd. Join us for a chilling story of greed, fantasy, and murder.
Sources:
Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe
Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinness
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Breaking Dawn: The Murder of Susan Fassett Apr 10, 2020

Aung San Suu Kyi once said, “It is not power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” In this episode, we’ll tell you the story of a man who was desperately afraid of losing the stranglehold he had on his little domain, and a woman who was afraid of what he’d do if she didn’t help him keep it.
Sources:
Deadly Secrets by M. William Phelps
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False Profit: A Folk Hero's Fall from Grace Apr 03, 2020

Greed can come in many forms. It’s not always about money. Some of us get greedy for attention, or drama, or sweets, or sex. In fact, there are probably as many faces of greed as there are people. But because we tend to think of greed as an insatiable hunger for money, it can be easy for the other kinds to fly right under our radar. And that can make us vulnerable. In the story we’re about to tell you, we have two kinds of greed. There’s that traditional, wolfish desire for cash—especially somebody else’s. But then there’s a subtle, insidious greed—a single-minded, self-centered obsession with enlightenment. A quest for spiritual growth that would end up destroying scores of lives, and toppling a beloved folk hero.
Sources:
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "Lights! Camera! Fraud!"
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/albany/press-releases/2013/conspirators-sentenced-to-84-months-and-55-months-in-fraud-conspiracy-regarding-the-birth-of-innocence-movie-project
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/is-mac-parker-the-hero-or-the-villain-in-his-film-financing-drama/Content?oid=2139947
https://www.ramtha.com/
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The Art of the Steal: The Murder of Clifford Lambert Mar 27, 2020

We all like to think we’d see a scam coming. We all like to think we’d never get got. We’re more familiar these days than we’ve ever been with catfish and Nigerian princes and “arrest warrants” supposedly issued for us based on our social security numbers. That last one never fails to crack me up. But although we might be pretty savvy when it comes to these classic cons, there’s one place where we all might be vulnerable. Our hearts. Our desire to love and be loved. Love scams have grown exponentially in recent years, with millions of dollars lost to fantasy romances that began on dating sites and ended with empty bank accounts, heartache, and humiliation. We all know the saying “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” But people are also really good at convincing themselves of the things they WANT to be true. Quite a few people learned that lesson in this story.
Sources:
TV show "Forbidden," Episode "Prince of Darkness"
https://www.sfweekly.com/news/the-dark-prince/
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/I-am-a-predator-ruin-follows-him-everywhere-3187513.php
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2017/11/01/judges-secretly-recorded-hiv-insult-could-undo-palm-springs-killers-convictions/797205001/
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The Letter: The Murder of Julie Jensen, Pt 2 Mar 20, 2020

In part 1, we introduced you to Mark and Julie Jensen, two opposite personalities whose initially loving relationship had descended into a toxic mess of abuse and mistrust. Mark had become cold and distant, and Julie felt trapped, afraid that if she tried to leave him, Mark would make good on his threats to take away the kids and “make her look crazy” to the courts. When we left you, unbeknownst to Julie, Mark had just begun a flirtation with a woman in his office, Kelly LeBonte. This mess is about to get worse, campers. Join us now for part 2 of this chilling story.
Sources:
ABC's "20/20," Episode "A Murder Foreseen"
CBS's "48 Hours," Episode "The Letter"
https://murderpedia.org/male.J/j/jensen-mark.htm
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The Letter: The Murder of Julie Jensen, Pt 1 Mar 20, 2020

We don’t write them quite as often as we used to, but a well-crafted letter can be a real treasure. There’s something intimate about opening an envelope addressed to you and unfolding the paper inside to find the letter writer’s unique handwriting, unique voice, little drawings. Plus anything they might have dropped into the envelope as an extra surprise—a pressed flower, a photograph, a folded up twenty dollar bill. Letters can carry gossip, jokes, professions of undying love…and of course, letters can carry secrets. And in the story we’re about to tell you, a letter was the key to unlocking a mystery so dark, so poisonous, that no one who read it would ever be quite the same again.
Sources:
ABC's "20/20," Episode "A Murder Foreseen"
https://murderpedia.org/male.J/j/jensen-mark.htm
CBS's "48 Hours," Episode "The Letter"
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Bad Luck: The Murder of Abraham Shakespeare, Pt 2 Mar 13, 2020

In part 1, we began the story of Abraham Shakespeare, a fun-loving, good hearted guy who, at age 40, won 17 million dollars in the Florida lottery and immediately began using it to benefit his community. In fact, in just a couple of years, he spent all but $1.5 million of his winnings, and he was starting to realize that if he wasn’t careful, he could be broke again before long. It was weighing on his mind. We also started telling you about a serial con artist and thief named DeeDee Moore, whose driving force in life was greed. DeeDee dreamed of living the good life, and she seemed determined to do it on other people’s dime. And despite committing crime after crime, DeeDee had never experienced any consequences beyond probation. And when people like DeeDee don’t have to face consequences, they get the message that they can get away with absolutely anything. Sadly, the paths of these two very different people are about to cross, with devastating results. Join us now for part two of this bizarre true crime story.
Sources:
Book, Unlucky Number by Deborah Mathis
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "The Lady Killer"
ABC's "20/20," Episode "Lotto Hangover: Big Money, Big Problems"
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Bad Luck: The Murder of Abraham Shakespeare, Pt 1 Mar 13, 2020

In his play King John, William Shakespeare wrote, “There is no sure foundation set on blood; no certain life achieved by others’ death.” It’s a shame the killer in today’s story didn’t get the memo on that. Money is one of the oldest, most common motives for murder, and in our opinion, one of the coldest. It requires the killer to look at a living, laughing, vital human being and break that life—all the likes and loves and pet peeves, all the dad jokes and kindnesses and little heartbreaks—into dollars and cents. I mean, most of us like money. Most of us daydream of scoring big someday so we can live out our passions, support the people we love, see the world, not have to worry any more. But a sudden change in fortune often brings more trouble than it’s worth. Most people would never consider hurting anyone else just to add some zeros to their bank balance. But for one kindhearted man, all his sudden windfall did for him was put a target on his back.
Sources:
Book, Unlucky Number by Deborah Mathis
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "The Lady Killer"
ABC's "20/20," Episode "Lotto Hangover: Big Money, Big Problems"
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Ctrl + Alt + Delete: Serial Killer John Edward Robinson Pt 2 Mar 06, 2020

In part one we introduced you to the rather creative and varied criminal career of John Edward Robinson, a man whose mask of respectability hid a scheming mind and a heart as cold as needles. Robinson spent his entire young adulthood going from con to con, scamming everyone from corporations to mayors to young single mothers. For the first half of this episode, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a story about a con man. But when we left you at the end of part 1, things were beginning to take a much darker turn. A young woman named Paula, who had accepted a “job offer” from Robinson, had disappeared. Her family suspected Johnny boy was involved, but the police didn’t feel they had any justification to start a missing persons case, so Paula’s family was left with nothing but worry and unanswered questions. And campers, it’s about to get much worse. Join us now for part 2 of this chilling story.

Ctrl + Alt + Delete: Serial Killer John Edward Robinson Pt 1 Mar 06, 2020

Serial killers have most likely been around as long as people have, long before we had the term. In fact, some scholars believe that the early stories about vampires, werewolves, and other such creatures were actually created to explain the kinds of violence people didn’t have any other way to explain. The kind of violence perpetrated by what we now call “serial killer.” Ugh. Even that term is chilling, isn’t it? This is the first time we’ve told the story of one of these killers, and we’ve chosen one who—although his crimes aren’t that different from those of BTK or some of those other infamous names—is unique in at least one aspect. He was the first serial killer to find his victims via the brand-new internet. And the way he wooed them was so methodical, so cold, so premeditated, that we struggle to imagine what it would be like to live inside a mind like that. He was a consummate scammer, too, a criminal to the core.

Episode 42: Stunning: A Very 80s Story of Love, Lies and Murder, Pt 2 Feb 28, 2020

In part 1, we introduced you to John Hawkins, a movie-star handsome young party guy with an endless appetite for sex and scamming—and Gene Hanson, his much older friend/business partner/possible lover. After a few years of unsuccessful scams, the two men had finally launched a successful, legitimate business selling workout gear. But then it all went to hell when, after a year of supposed health problems, Gene turned up dead of a heart attack on his doctor’s exam room floor. John Hawkins was left to pick up the pieces and move on, albeit $1.5 million richer from Gene’s life insurance policies. However, when we left you at the end of part 1, a routine investigation by the life insurance company had alerted detectives to the astounding fact that the man who had died in that doctor’s office was NOT Gene Hanson after all. Now investigators were scrambling to figure out who the hell he was—and where the hell Gene Hanson was hiding.
Sources:
Vanity Fair, "The Murder Hustle" by Ann Bardach. October 1989.
Timeline of the case from "Forensic Files Now:" https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/2017/06/29/just-sweats-fraud-murder/
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-14-me-56965-story.html
AP News: https://apnews.com/6056d3bf876f8f4989241f55f32b3831
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," episode "John Hawkins and Gene Hanson"
Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/article/20140521/NEWS/305219823
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 41: Stunning: A Very 80s Story of Love, Lies and Murder, Pt 1 Feb 28, 2020

Oil and water. Ammonia and bleach. Vinegar and baking soda. Mentos and Diet Coke. There are some substances which, though benign by themselves, can be toxic or explosive when they come together. People can be like that too. Relationship dynamics can be every bit as volatile as chemistry. And when the wrong two people come together, it can start them on a path that leads them—and everyone in their path—to a big BOOM.
Sources:
Vanity Fair, "The Murder Hustle" by Ann Bardach. October 1989.
Timeline of the case from "Forensic Files Now:" https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/2017/06/29/just-sweats-fraud-murder/
LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-14-me-56965-story.html
AP News: https://apnews.com/6056d3bf876f8f4989241f55f32b3831
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," episode "John Hawkins and Gene Hanson"
Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/article/20140521/NEWS/305219823
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 40: Paranoia: The Abduction and Murder of Rick Post, Pt. 2 Feb 21, 2020

In part 1, we introduced you to missing private investigator/FBI informant/cult expert Rick Post. Rick’s family had been trying in vain for months to get the police interested in his disappearance, but they had no luck until a defense attorney called in with an anonymous tip given to her by one of her clients. The client had told her that a man matching Rick’s description had been kidnapped and murdered in Mexico. The FBI jumped into the investigation when they realized that the missing man was one of their informants, and when they started interviewing the people closest to Rick, they soon realized that the anonymous tipster was none other than Rick’s best friend and business partner, John Krueger. And in the process of investigating him, they did some digging into Rick’s girlfriend Kim Bailey, too—a self made woman running a multimillion dollar company that peddled quack medicine. And when we left you, a conversation with Kim Bailey’s best friend Lana had revealed a disturbing conspiracy between Krueger and Kim Bailey—Krueger was mad that Rick wouldn’t give him more control over their PI agency, and Kim thought Rick had been cheating on her and embezzling from her company. They were about to hatch a seriously unpleasant plan.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Murder in Paradise," Episode "Spies, Lies, and Alibis"
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-aug-21-me-torture21-story.html
https://www.devicewatch.org/reports/rife/pretrial_memo.shtml
https://www.casewatch.net/doj/bailey/trial_memo.pdf?_ga=2.48969062.1959969553.1582257756-2053706941.1582257756
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4041dmca.html
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 39: Paranoia: The Abduction and Murder of Rick Post, Pt. 1 Feb 21, 2020

We all have paranoid moments sometimes. We catch our significant other looking at us funny and we wonder, “Uh oh, is he mad at me? What did I say?” Or we walk into the break room and a huddle of coworkers suddenly stops talking—and we think “Oh my God, they were talking about ME. I must be about to be fired!” We all do it, and more often than not we’re wrong. Usually, the consequence of that is nothing more serious than feeling like a doofus for a second. But paranoia was the most dangerous force on earth for the major players in the story we’re about to tell you. It began as the thinnest tendril of a whisper. But soon that tendril branched out, black and cold as a strangling vine, and a whole circle of people would fall victim to its lies.
Sources:
Investigation Discovery's "Murder in Paradise," Episode "Spies, Lies, and Alibis"
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-aug-21-me-torture21-story.html
https://www.devicewatch.org/reports/rife/pretrial_memo.shtml
https://www.casewatch.net/doj/bailey/trial_memo.pdf?_ga=2.48969062.1959969553.1582257756-2053706941.1582257756
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4041dmca.html
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 38: Inferno: The Story of Dante Sutorius, Part 2 Feb 14, 2020

In Part 1, we introduced you to Della “Dante” Sutorius, a woman determined to land herself a rich husband and spread as much destruction as possible in the process. A few of Dante’s cute little pranks include setting a boyfriend on fire, sending the same boyfriend to prison for drugs and tax crimes, and burning down another dude’s house. When we left you we were right in the middle of giving you the run-down on some of this dear lady’s most interesting escapades, which as I’m sure you’ve already predicted, are going to culminate one day in murder. Join us now for part 2 of this wild ride of a story.
Sources:
Book: Della's Web by Aphrodite Jones
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Dante Sutorius"
The Canadian Global Television Network's "Pretty Dangerous," Episode "Della Dante Sutorius"
https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/sutorius-della.htm
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 37: Inferno: The Story of Dante Sutorius, Part 1 Feb 14, 2020

Happy Valentine's Day, campers, and welcome to the Season 3 premiere of True Crime Campfire! We went round and round about which case to cover for our new season premiere, because you want those to be special. And after briefly considering a few other bananapants stories, we realized it HAD to be Dante Sutorius. This woman was a Tazmanian devil, leaving a trail of destruction and bafflement wherever she went—from childhood onward. We talk about stranger than fiction stories—well this one would probably get laughed out of the room at any Hollywood studio as waaay too over the top. “This woman is a cartoon villain,” they’d say. Nobody’s really this bad.
Oh, campers. You’re about to find out. There’s a murder in this story, it’s true, and that is the sad, probably inevitable endgame in this case. But the reason we named the episode after the villain rather than the victim is that the story is about so much more than its gruesome, tragic ending. It’s a road trip through Thunderdome. It’s the path of a hurricane. It’s one damn thing after another.
Sources:
Book: Della's Web by Aphrodite Jones
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Dante Sutorius"
The Canadian Global Television Network's "Pretty Dangerous," Episode "Della Dante Sutorius"
https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/sutorius-della.htm
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 36: Stagecraft: A Wild Story of Double Murder, Part 2 Feb 07, 2020

In part 1 we began the disturbing story of the murder of Julie Kibuishi, who had been shot and left in a pool of blood in her good friend Sam Herr’s bed. Sam, a military vet who had been suffering from PTSD and confiding in Julie about his struggles, was now nowhere to be found, and his car and passport were missing. As police dug into Sam’s bank records to try to locate him, they traced his ATM card to a teenage kid named Wesley who told them a strange story. A family friend named Dan Wozniak had given him the card, he said. Wozniak had told him he was working for a bail bonds company and Sam Herr owed them a lot of money. Could Wesley do them a favor and withdraw the money with the fugitive’s bank card? When we left you, police had just discovered that Dan Wozniak and his fiancée Rachel were neighbors and friends of Sam Herr, and they suspected that Wozniak might have been helping Sam run. So they hauled Danny boy out of his own bachelor party to question him. Why did he have Sam Herr’s bank card? What, if anything, did he know about Julie’s murder? Who was this Dan Wozniak, anyway?
Sources:
CBS "48 Hours Mystery," episode "Killer Performance"
NBC "Dateline," episode "Plot Twist"
ABC "20/20," "The Final Act"
https://abcnews.go.com/US/actress-convicted-lying-police-fiances-double-murder-pleads/story?id=63234575
https://heavy.com/news/2019/05/sam-herr-death-murder-daniel-wozniak/
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 35: Stagecraft: A Wild Story of Double Murder, Part 1 Feb 07, 2020

All the world’s a stage, or so Shakespeare once told us, and all the people in it merely players. That’s a nice idea if we’re just talking allegory, but in real life it’s a dangerous way to view the world. Because when you run across the type of person who thinks this way, they tend to think of themselves as the star of the show, and everybody else as disposable extras. That’s not an outlook that lends itself to “playing well with others.” In this episode, we bring you the true story of a killer who saw himself as the star of the show. And in his mind, the show had to go on, no matter who got hurt in the process.
Sources:
CBS "48 Hours Mystery," episode "Killer Performance"
NBC "Dateline," episode "Plot Twist"
ABC "20/20," "The Final Act"
https://abcnews.go.com/US/actress-convicted-lying-police-fiances-double-murder-pleads/story?id=63234575
https://heavy.com/news/2019/05/sam-herr-death-murder-daniel-wozniak/
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 34: Try, Try Again: The Murder of Frank Rodriguez, Part 2 Jan 31, 2020

In part one we learned about Angelina Rodriguez, a greedy opportunist with a heart of darkness. Angie’s first marriage crumbled after the tragic “accidental” death of their baby daughter Alicia, and after cashing in on the $50,000 life insurance policy she’d taken out on the baby the DAY before she died—not to mention the nearly $800,000 settlement from suing the company that made the pacifier that caused Alicia’s death—Angie lived high on the hog for a while. But that money ran out, much faster than anyone would have expected, and Angie soon moved on to a new target—I mean, husband—Frank Rodriguez, whom she snagged by carefully molding herself into the image of the pious Christian family woman Frank had always dreamed of. But when healthy, 41 year old Frank died of unknown causes not long after he and Angie married, investigators began to suspect that this “grieving widow” might not be grieving after all. And when we left you at the end of part 1, detectives were about to get an earful from Angie’s best friend Palmira. Join us now for part 2.
Sources:
A Taste for Murder by Burl Barer and Frank C. Girardot
Investigation Discovery, "Epic Mysteries," episode "A Taste for Murder"
https://writeaprisoner.com/inmates/angelina-rodriguez-x-02712/penpal
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 33: Try, Try Again: The Murder of Frank Rodriguez, Part 1 Jan 31, 2020

We believe people are basically good. We realize that sounds far-fetched, because people can also be a-holes on a truly epic scale, but hear us out. We think most people have good intentions most of the time and will do the right thing when called upon. However. There are people in this world who are predators, every bit as much as the black widow spiders that sometimes haunt our nightmares. People whose gears are always turning, whose minds are always scanning about for an advantage. A way to come out on top, often at others’ expense. This is the story of a pure predator, a woman with a heart as cold and empty as space. A woman who will likely be a danger to those around her for as long as she draws breath.
Sources:
A Taste for Murder by Burl Barer and Frank C. Girardot
Investigation Discovery, "Epic Mysteries," episode "A Taste for Murder"
https://writeaprisoner.com/inmates/angelina-rodriguez-x-02712/penpal
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 32: Riding HAI: The Murder of Sherri Dally, Part 2 Jan 24, 2020

In part 1, we began the story of Michael and Sherry Dally, high school sweethearts with two kids and one of those “from the outside, everything looked perfect” kind of marriages. But as so often happens in these cases, behind closed doors Sherry Dally was suffering emotional abuse and infidelity at the hands of her attractive husband. Michael had a mistress—former model and current Vons employee Diana Haun, and Diana was IN LOOOVE with Michael. Obsessed with Michael. Made Michael a body pillow with her PICTURE on it with Michael. Yeeikes. When we left you, Michael had made an abortive attempt to leave Sherry and move in with Diana, an attempt that fell flat when he realized how expensive a separation and divorce was going to be. He moved back in with Sherry, and Diana was NOT HAPPY. She was not happy at ALL.
Sources:
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," Episode "Michael Dally and Diana Haun"
"Forensic Files," Episode "Sign Here"
"Wicked Attraction," Episode "A Lover's Betrayal"
https://apnews.com/11b6e6509ca4ac57c3abe1847f9115d9
https://medium.com/@ashleyhorsfall/ventura-crimes-the-murder-of-sherri-dally-38d12c7137de
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-09-28-9709280200-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-19-me-30460-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-01-me-34881-story.html
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/columnists/2018/09/08/colleen-cason-sensational-ventura-murder-case-back-news/1213689002/
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (patrons get episodes a day early, an extra episode per month, and a free sticker): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 31: Riding HAI: The Murder of Sherri Dally, Part 1 Jan 24, 2020

The late, great British author Sir Terry Pratchett once wrote that treating people as things is the only sin there is. To a narcissist, people are things. If you’re a narcissist, you’re the only one who matters—the only one who’s really real. So other people exist to fluff up your ego and help you get what you want. Even if what you want is something so dark that it will destroy the lives of everyone around you, including the eager little puppet you manipulate into the job.
Sources:
Oxygen's "Snapped: Killer Couples," Episode "Michael Dally and Diana Haun"
"Forensic Files," Episode "Sign Here"
"Wicked Attraction," Episode "A Lover's Betrayal"
https://apnews.com/11b6e6509ca4ac57c3abe1847f9115d9
https://medium.com/@ashleyhorsfall/ventura-crimes-the-murder-of-sherri-dally-38d12c7137de
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-09-28-9709280200-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-19-me-30460-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-01-me-34881-story.html
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/columnists/2018/09/08/colleen-cason-sensational-ventura-murder-case-back-news/1213689002/
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (patrons get episodes a day early, an extra episode per month, and a free sticker): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 30: Trouble 0-7: A Wannabe Spy and the Con Man Who Loved Him, Pt. 2 Jan 17, 2020

In Part 1 we introduced you to chronic spendaholic and solider-boy wannabe Mark Avery, who should have been happy as an ocean full of clams with his INHERITED, 600k a year job as trustee of the Smith family trust, but who instead managed to hemorrhage money so badly that he sunk himself into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt in the first six months of the gig. And his buddy Rob Kane, or should I say “COMMANDER” Rob Kane, a wannabe Jason Bourne who liked to spin wild stories about his alleged “covert ops” work with the CIA and FBI. When these two put their knuckle-heads together and started fantasizing about creating their very own air force, they set about bilking the Smith trust for all they could bilk, and the employees at their newly acquired aviation company were starting to feel like they were living in a bad movie. Suddenly there were guns everywhere, state of the art security, and talk of safe houses and terrorists and interrogations. It was all a bit…much. And nobody could figure out how much of it was real and how much was just a very expensive game of “Soldier Boy.” Join us now for Part 2 of this wild story.
Sources:
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "Top Gun of Fraud"
https://smithct.org/about-the-trust/may-and-stanley-smith
https://www.courthousenews.com/13-years-for-52m-milking-of-widows-trust/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/former-anchorage-prosecutor-sentenced-over-13-years-prison-massive-wire-fraud-and-money
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Wealth-prestige-gone-a-lawyer-2588112.php
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 29: Trouble 0-7: A Wannabe Spy and the Con Man Who Loved Him, Pt. 1 Jan 17, 2020

Greed can be an unstoppable force. For some, money can become an addiction, just as insidious as the gnawing need for heroin or crack—and just as liable to send the addict into a headspace where nothing and no one else matters. Today we bring you the story of two greedy men. They were greedy for money, for sure. But for these guys, the money was just the beginning. Just the fuel they needed to keep their main obsession going: A fantasy life in which two losery schlubs got to play solider and spy. These guys wanted—NEEDED—to play “Top Gun.” Just like a couple of kids on the playground. The only difference was, these guys were playing with real airplanes. And millions of dollars of stolen money.
Sources:
CNBC's "American Greed," Episode "Top Gun of Fraud"
https://smithct.org/about-the-trust/may-and-stanley-smith
https://www.courthousenews.com/13-years-for-52m-milking-of-widows-trust/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/former-anchorage-prosecutor-sentenced-over-13-years-prison-massive-wire-fraud-and-money
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Wealth-prestige-gone-a-lawyer-2588112.php
Follow us, campers!
Patreon (join to get all episodes a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 28: Twisted: A Story of Stalking and Murder, Part 2 Jan 10, 2020

In part 1 we began the terrifying story of a campaign of stalking, harassment and threats against Dave Kroupa and his ex-girlfriend Liz Golyar. Dave had met a smart, confident woman named Cari, and they were getting along great with a casual, mutually-agreed upon “no strings” relationship. But when Cari texted Dave to ask him to move in with her and he refused, the angry harassment began. And it escalated to a horrifying level when Cari burned down Liz’s house. Cari seemed to have abandoned her whole life in pursuit of her obsession with Dave—so much so that her family stopped hearing from her except for a few sporadic emails and texts. The only silver lining was that the stalking seemed to have brought exes Dave and Liz closer together, as their relationship reignited in the midst of their shared terror. How will all this end? Join us now for part 2 of Twisted: A Story of Stalking and Murder.
Sources:
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Liz Golyar"
NBC's "Dateline," Episode "Scorned"
https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/judge-finds-shanna-golyar-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-in/article_50c7fec2-4089-11e7-9a4e-8f0f741d814f.html
https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/woman-convicted-of-killing-impersonating-romantic-rival-asks-nebraska-supreme/article_104e6d58-6918-5fda-930c-d79d938ae511.html
https://www.kearneyhub.com/news/state/supreme-court-rejects-appeal-in-bizarre-case-of-woman-who/article_ce39913e-e4fe-11e8-b0ec-5f51cd7e3668.html
Follow us, campers!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 27: Twisted: A Story of Stalking and Murder Jan 10, 2020

Love is one of the greatest things there is. But sometimes love can get warped into something else—something angry and possessive and tunnel-visioned. That something is obsession. And when true obsession takes root in the mind of a certain type of personality, everything else fades into the background and loses all importance. Anybody and anything in the way of the object of that obsession is gonna get whomped. Things can get real dark, real fast. Join us for a story about an obsession that left a big smoking crater in the lives of everyone involved.
Sources:
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Liz Golyar"
NBC's "Dateline," Episode "Scorned"
https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/judge-finds-shanna-golyar-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-in/article_50c7fec2-4089-11e7-9a4e-8f0f741d814f.html
https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/woman-convicted-of-killing-impersonating-romantic-rival-asks-nebraska-supreme/article_104e6d58-6918-5fda-930c-d79d938ae511.html
https://www.kearneyhub.com/news/state/supreme-court-rejects-appeal-in-bizarre-case-of-woman-who/article_ce39913e-e4fe-11e8-b0ec-5f51cd7e3668.html
Follow us, campers!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 26: Bad Karma: The Cult of Conscious Development of Body, Mind, and Soul, Pt. 2 Jan 03, 2020

Join us for part 2 of this epic and disturbing story.
Sources:
https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1982/december/rise-and-fall-of-a-north-dallas-cult-conscious-development/
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2014/06/d-magazines-40-greatest-stories-death-in-a-north-dallas-cult/
https://truenoirstories.wordpress.com/2016/12/31/terri-hoffman/#:~:targetText=Murder%20of%20Jill%20Bounds,and%20became%20a%20popular%20psychologist.
https://unsolved.com/gallery/charles-southern/
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 25: Bad Karma: The Cult of Conscious Development of Body, Mind, and Soul, Pt. 1 Jan 03, 2020

Cults are fascinating. Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, NXIVM. So often, people end up in these groups because they’re seekers, and they genuinely want to work toward a better world. Contrary to popular belief, people who end up in cults are often smart and well educated. Good people who march to a different drumbeat and have only the best intentions. But unfortunately, when a group dynamic forms around a charismatic and narcissistic leader, and people start molding their own realities to fit theirs, utopian visions can turn into dystopian realities. This is the bizarre story of a vision gone horribly wrong.
Terri Hoffman didn't seem like a prophet, at first glance. She looked more like somebody's grandma. But for decades, Hoffman ran a cult called Conscious Development of Body, Mind, and Soul--but many of her followers ended up disenchanted with her. They couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be enriching her bank account more than she enriched people's lives. And it went deeper than that. Before Conscious Development finally fizzled out, Terri and the cult would be linked to sixteen murders, suicides, APPARENT suicides and disappearances. Was Hoffman responsible? Was she a prophet, or a predator?
Sources:
https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1982/december/rise-and-fall-of-a-north-dallas-cult-conscious-development/
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2014/06/d-magazines-40-greatest-stories-death-in-a-north-dallas-cult/
https://truenoirstories.wordpress.com/2016/12/31/terri-hoffman/#:~:targetText=Murder%20of%20Jill%20Bounds,and%20became%20a%20popular%20psychologist.
https://unsolved.com/gallery/charles-southern/
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 24: They Brought Work Home: 3 Killer Morticians, Pt 2 Dec 27, 2019

Join us for part 2 of this macabre grab-bag of three cases.
Book: Love Her to Death by M. William Phelps
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Rose Vincent and Mark Bowling"
Investigation Discovery's "The Perfect Murder," Episode "Silent Killer"
http://jimfishertruecrime.blogspot.com/2012/08/robert-girts-four-marriages-pair-of.html
https://fox8.com/2015/12/18/former-parma-funeral-director-admits-to-poisoning-wife-will-be-released/
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 23: They Brought Work Home: 3 Killer Morticians, Pt 1 Dec 27, 2019

Morticians. The gatekeepers to the ever-after. The ones who comfort our families, help plan our funerals, and spruce us up to face the world one last time. The vast majority of them are kind professionals who took up this tough line of work because they want to be there for people in their darkest hours. A small handful probably got into it because they enjoy the spooky atmosphere. Still harmless. But a tiny number of morticians have taken it upon themselves to create their own business rather than waiting for nature to take its course. Join Katie and Whitney for a grab-bag of three wild stories.
Sources:
Book: Love Her to Death by M. William Phelps
Oxygen's "Snapped," Episode "Rose Vincent and Mark Bowling"
Investigation Discovery's "The Perfect Murder," Episode "Silent Killer"
http://jimfishertruecrime.blogspot.com/2012/08/robert-girts-four-marriages-pair-of.html
https://fox8.com/2015/12/18/former-parma-funeral-director-admits-to-poisoning-wife-will-be-released/
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 22: Bad Romance Part 2 Dec 20, 2019

Join us for part 2 of "Bad Romance: Three Cases of Love Gone Wrong." We continue the story of David Meza and Jay Merendino, and move on to the truly bizarre story of Sheila Davalloo, a woman who makes Glenn Close's Alex from "Fatal Attraction" look stable and relaxed.
Sources:
Books: Obsession by M. William Phelps
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-doctor-ana-maria-gonzalez-angulo-gets-10-years-poisoning-n214221
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Ana-Maria Gonzales-Angulo"
https://truecrimedaily.com/2017/12/20/gay-porn-model-convicted-of-murder-and-conspiracy-with-pregnant-girlfriend-in-killing-of-wealthy-businessman/
https://www.courthousenews.com/personal-lives-display-love-gone-bad-murder-trial/
CNBC's "Deadly Rich," episode "The Boy Toy Killer"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Sheila Davalloo"
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 21: Bad Romance Part 1 Dec 20, 2019

Love is grand, or so they say. When it works out, it can be one of the greatest things in the human experience. Unfortunately, a lot of the time it doesn't work out. Sometimes it fails to work out in truly spectacular fashion. Join Katie and Whitney for three true stories of love gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Case 1, "The Doctor," involves a level of deviousness we rarely see in would-be killers. This is a scary story of near-fatal attraction--and perhaps a bit of a cautionary tale about infidelity.
Case 2, "The Con Man," is a nightmarish story of large-scale manipulation and personal betrayal on a truly breathtaking scale.
Case 3, "The Schemer," is a story about obsession in its purest and most dangerous form.
We hope you enjoy this first "grab-bag" episode!
Sources:
Books: Obsession by M. William Phelps
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-doctor-ana-maria-gonzalez-angulo-gets-10-years-poisoning-n214221
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Ana-Maria Gonzales-Angulo"
https://truecrimedaily.com/2017/12/20/gay-porn-model-convicted-of-murder-and-conspiracy-with-pregnant-girlfriend-in-killing-of-wealthy-businessman/
https://www.courthousenews.com/personal-lives-display-love-gone-bad-murder-trial/
CNBC's "Deadly Rich," episode "The Boy Toy Killer"
Oxygen's "Snapped," episode "Sheila Davalloo"
Follow us, campers!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://gramha.net/profile/truecrimecampfire/19093397079
Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 20: Dr. Martin MacNeill: The Doctor's Wife Part 2 Dec 13, 2019

Join Katie and Whitney for the conclusion of the twisting tale of Dr. Martin MacNeill.
See description of Part 1 for list of sources.
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Episode 19: Dr. Martin MacNeill: The Doctor's Wife Part 1 Dec 13, 2019

The MacNeill family was, to all appearances, perfect. There was beautiful and kindhearted mom Michelle. There were EIGHT bright and accomplished kids--some biological, some adopted. And there was the famiy patriarch, Dr. Martin MacNeill. A doctor AND a lawyer, Martin was handsome, brilliant, wealthy, and a devout Mormon--a bishop in his church.
But behind closed doors, there was a toxic mess getting more poisonous every day. Dr. MacNeill had always had a dark side, ever since he was a kid. Now that dark side was starting to eclipse all remaining light. And Dr. MacNeill's secrets were about to make themselves known in the most sinister way. Join Katie and Whitney for a twisting tale of love, lust, fraud, and premeditated murder.
Sources:
Book: The Stranger She Loved by Shanna Hogan
ABC's "20/20": The Perfect Nanny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bw41mu251M
https://www.deseret.com/2017/7/21/20616225/martin-macneill-s-prison-death-officially-ruled-a-suicide
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 18: Clara Schwartz: When Nerds Attack Pt. 2 Dec 06, 2019

Join Katie and Whitney for part 2 of this bizarre story of manipulation and murder.
Sources:
Book: I'd Kill for You by M. William Phelps
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/va-court-of-appeals/1204421.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-16-na-sword16-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/09/09/va-scientists-killer-gets-life-sentence/97617817-bcd2-43e9-a806-168d8a18173c/
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 17: Clara Schwartz: When Nerds Attack Pt. 1 Dec 06, 2019

December 10, 2001. Leesburg, Virginia. Neighbors find the body of Dr. Robert Schwartz, a brilliant DNA researcher, lying in a pool of blood on his living room floor. He had been stabbed more than 25 times with a very large blade, and an X was carved into the back of his neck. Dr. Schwartz was, by all accounts, a quiet and mild-mannered scientist. Who could possibly hate him enough to do this? The investigation into this beyond-brutal murder would soon take a turn no one could have predicted. Detectives would soon find themselves delving into the lives of a group of fantasy-obsessed teenagers, the leader of which was the victim's own daughter. Join us for a wild-but-true story of vampire assassins, dragons, poison, and plotting.
Sources:
Book: I'd Kill for You by M. William Phelps
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/va-court-of-appeals/1204421.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-16-na-sword16-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/09/09/va-scientists-killer-gets-life-sentence/97617817-bcd2-43e9-a806-168d8a18173c/
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 16: Diazien Hossencofft: Aliens, Con Games and Murder Pt. 2 Nov 29, 2019

Join Katie and Whitney for the conclusion of this bizarre story, the first in our "Just Bananas" category.
Sources:
Book: September Sacrifice by Mark Horner
Television shows: "Sins and Secrets," Episode "Albuquerque"
"Snapped," Episode "Linda Henning"
"I'd Kill for You," Episode "Killer Alien"
"American Justice," Episode "Traces in Blood"
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 15: Diazien Hossencofft: Aliens, Con Games and Murder Pt. 1 Nov 29, 2019

Albuquerque, New Mexico. September 11, 1999. Employees at a local bank call police in a panic. Their coworker and friend, Girly Chew Hossencofft, hasn't shown up for work that morning. Girly is in the midst of a nasty split from her abusive husband Diazien, and she recently asked her coworkers to call the police if she was even five minutes late to work. "If I don't show up," she said, "it means Diazien has done something to me." When police arrive at Girly's apartment, they find worrying signs--Girly isn't there, but her purse and keys are. And there's a big wet bleach stain on the carpet, and some blood spatter on the wall. When they try to locate her soon to be ex husband Diazien, they can't find him either.
Join Katie and Whitney for a bizarre story of manipulation and murder. This one has every element of a movie-like murder case, and a few extras you'd never expect: Fringe science, aliens, conspiracy theories, scams, and a trio of killers so dumb that we'll all run out of marshmallows roasting them.
Sources:
Book: September Sacrifice by Mark Horner
Television shows: "Sins and Secrets," Episode "Albuquerque"
"Snapped," Episode "Linda Henning"
"I'd Kill for You," Episode "Killer Alien"
"American Justice," Episode "Traces in Blood"
Follow us, campers!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 14: Matt Baker: Sinister Minister Part 2 Nov 22, 2019

Join us as we conclude the story of Matt Baker, a Baptist preacher with some seriously scary inner demons.
Sources:
Book: Deadly Little Secrets by Kathryn Casey
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Killer-s-in-laws-win-custody-fight-1468405.php
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-mystery-dirty-little-secrets/
https://www.wacotrib.com/news/crime/mistress-testifies-that-matt-baker-told-her-how-he-killed/article_07715ba9-d27f-576d-a040-e92024871725.html
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 13: Matt Baker: Sinister Minister Part 1 Nov 22, 2019

To his congregants at Crossroads First Baptist, Matt Baker was their charming, relatable young pastor. He was energetic, he was great at firing up the young people, and he was married to an equally energetic and charming young woman, Kari. They had two beautiful daughters. A picture perfect young family.
But as every true crime obsessive knows, looks can be deceiving--and a mask of Christian piety can hide a dark heart, capable of unimaginable horror. Join us for part 1 of this incredible story of lust, lies, and murder.
Sources:
Book: Deadly Little Secrets by Kathryn Casey
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Killer-s-in-laws-win-custody-fight-1468405.php
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-mystery-dirty-little-secrets/
https://www.wacotrib.com/news/crime/mistress-testifies-that-matt-baker-told-her-how-he-killed/article_07715ba9-d27f-576d-a040-e92024871725.html
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 11: Tracey Richter: Trust Games, Part 1 Nov 15, 2019

December 2001. The tiny town of Early, Iowa. Police respond to a 911 call from an eleven year old boy who said his mom, Tracey Richter Pitman Roberts, had just been attacked by two intruders while her husband was out of town on business. They had choked her unconscious, and when she came to she managed to get to her gun safe and take one of them down while the other fled out the back door. At first glance, it looked like an amazing "hero mom" story, and Tracey became a local hero. But when police started looking into the identity of the dead intruder, this clear-cut narrative started to seem a lot fuzzier. The dead man was 19 year old Dustin Wehde, a local special-needs kid (and family friend of Tracey and her husband) who didn't seem to have a violent bone in his body. And when police got a look inside a pink notebook they found in Dustin's car, the story got even weirder.
Join us for part 1 of this twisting tale about one of the most intelligent and devious killers you'll ever encounter.
Sources:
Book: Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps
Investigation Discovery's "Pandora's Box," Season 1, "A Murder, She Wrote"
https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tracey-richter-wrote-to-wis-sex-offender-in-attempt-to/article_90c1d272-5258-5b01-9e77-d7ad9b85ff19.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hero-claim-rejected-iowa-mom-guilty-of-murder/
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 12: Tracey Richter: Trust Games, Part 2 Nov 15, 2019

Join us for part 2 of the Tracey Richter story. The cold case investigation heats up as Special Agent Trent Vileta and Prosecutor Ben Smith take over, and Tracey starts to sweat. And when Tracey sweats, she tends to engage in some truly bizarre behavior.
Sources:
Book: Beautifully Cruel by M. William Phelps
Investigation Discovery's "Pandora's Box," Season 1, "A Murder, She Wrote"
https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tracey-richter-wrote-to-wis-sex-offender-in-attempt-to/article_90c1d272-5258-5b01-9e77-d7ad9b85ff19.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hero-claim-rejected-iowa-mom-guilty-of-murder/
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com

Episode 10: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 10: Loose Threads Nov 08, 2019

Join us as we tie up some loose ends: a spot of bother for Prosecutor Rick Guida, a shocking legal development for Jay C. Smith (and our extreeeemely irate reaction to it), Bill Bradfield's Prison Daze, and our theory of how this crime happened. Season 1 ends with a bang--and we can't wait for Season 2!
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Halloween Special: The Baffling Case of Cindy James Oct 31, 2019

For our first Halloween special episode, we tackle one of the creepiest, most confounding, most fascinating cases we've ever encountered. For six and a half years, Vancouver nurse Cindy James was the victim of stalking, threats, vandalism, physical attacks and terrifying phone calls. Several times she was discovered unconscious and bruised with a black nylon stocking tied tightly around her neck. Her tormenter left notes that said things like BEHEAD; CINDY, SOON; and WE ARE WATCHING. Her house was set ablaze. Dead animals were left hanging in her front yard.
And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police couldn't find out who was doing any of it. Eventually, they came to a shocking conclusion--Cindy was doing it herself, possibly without realizing it. This stunned and infuriated Cindy's family, friends, private investigator and psychiatrist, but the police were convinced. The investigation stalled. And then, one afternoon in May 1989, Cindy went missing. Her car was found in a shopping center parking lot, blood on the driver's side door, signs of a struggle strewn about. Two weeks later, her body was found in the yard of an abandoned house, hog tied and barefoot with a stocking tied around her neck. Was Cindy the victim of murder? Was it a suicide staged to look like a murder? Or was something else going on?
This case is bizarre from start to finish; this description barely scratches the surface! We can't wait to hear your theories.
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Sources (also available on social media):
http://www.melaniehack.com/
http://thetroublewithjustice.com/2014/07/05/who-killed-nurse-cindy-james/
https://unsolved.com/gallery/cindy-james/
https://49thshelf.com/Books/C/Canada-s-Greatest-Unsolved-Mysteries?fbclid=IwAR0H8RxwRWMJhyysjUwEmTLkRz1CrR1gxO5g1bqQMYpsNZUZheUoTSbNO68
Unsolved Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yJUBUF0s0U
News report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbrAggQE2EA&t=7s
News report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljymSSBqflU
A Current Affair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPZ-G5bFEek

Episode 9: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 9: Reckoning Oct 25, 2019

Bill Bradfield is in prison at last, convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Susan, Karen and Michael Reinert. Now the investigators turn their attention to "Prince of Darkness" Jay C. Smith, who is still sitting in prison for the Sears robberies. Enter two unlikely allies--the P of D's prison buddies. He's been having some VERY interesting conversations with these guys, and they have a lot to tell investigators. Follow us through the final days of the investigation into the Main Line Murders, and the arrest and trial of Jay C. Smith.
Sources available on social media.
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Episode 8: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 8: Changing of the Guard Oct 18, 2019

In this episode, the investigators close in on Bill Bradfield, and he is finally arrested for conspiracy to commit murder. His arrest is one of the top 10 best-ever arrest stories, complete with night vision goggles and a cute dog. Bill goes to trial, and of COURSE insists on testifying on his own behalf.
Sources available on social media.
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Episode 7: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 7: Recoil Oct 11, 2019

In this episode, the investigation into Susan Reinert's murder and the disappearance of her two children continues. The investigators dig into the lives of Bill Bradfield and his entourage, and they begin to zero in on Dr. Jay Smith as well. Bill's posse begin dropping him, one by one, and Bill does NOT handle these "betrayals" well. Some key evidence surfaces. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place, and justice is on the horizon.
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Episode 6: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 6: The Hunting Horn Calls Oct 04, 2019

In this episode, we learn about the early days of what would become the most extensive police investigation in American history. We learn a bit about the lead detectives, Joe Van Nort and Jack Holtz, and we watch as Bill Bradfield and his entourage begin to crack under the strain. Dr. Jay Smith heads to prison for the Sears robbery. And some compelling pieces of evidence begin to emerge, as the first threads of this intricately woven murder plot begin to unravel.
Sources available on social media.
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Episode 5: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 5: The Skies Open Up Sep 27, 2019

In this episode, Bill Bradfield shares more details about his private "hit man lessons" with Dr. Smith. Smith is out on bail awaiting sentencing for the Sears robbery, and Bill tells his entourage that Susan Reinert is in more danger now than ever. If Smith is going to strike, it will be before his sentencing. As for Susan herself, she was stunned when she realized that Bill had testified in Dr. Smith's Sears robbery trial. She had evidence that Bill's testimony was perjured, and she couldn't figure out why a man like Bill, a man of such perfect integrity, would lie on the stand. She knew he must have had a good reason, and she was determined to get it out of him--it was, she told her friends, a dealbreaker. And Susan's actions leading up to her murder become more and more secretive and strange.
Upper Merion is about to be rocked to its core by the worst murder case it has ever seen.
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Episode 4: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 4: Lemmings Sep 20, 2019

In this episode, we learn a LOT more about the supposed "hit man lessons" going on between Bill and Dr. Smith, and Bill tells his entourage some dark secrets about both Smith and Susan Reinert. Bill does a few very suspicious favors for Smith. Smith goes on trial for the Sears robbery, and Bill testifies on his behalf, despite his new knowledge of Smith's murderous proclivities. Upper Merion is headed over a cliff, and no one seems interested in doing anything to stop it.
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Episode 3: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 3: Puppeteering Sep 12, 2019

We learn what police found in "Prince of Darkness" Dr. Jay C. Smith's car and basement after his arrest for the Sears robberies. And Ezra Pound-obsessed English teacher Bill Bradfield lets his nearest and dearest in on an explosive secret. The lives of our key players are about to get much more complicated--and much more dangerous.
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Episode 2: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 2: Storm's Brewin' Sep 06, 2019

Odd things are beginning to happen in and around the town of Upper Merion. First, a man dressed as a Brinks armored car courier robs one Sears store, then attempts to rob another and gets away before security can stop him. Then, "Prince of Darkness" Dr. Jay Smith's daughter Stephanie and her husband Eddie go missing under odd and suspicious circumstances. Bill Bradfield is busy romancing his various lady friends, and for reasons no one understands, he seems to be cozying up to Dr. Smith. Last but not least, the man responsible for the Sears robberies gets caught red-handed in the middle of yet another crime, and the secret life of one of our major players is about to burst wide open, to the shock of everyone in town.
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Episode 1: The Puppet Master and the Prince of Darkness, Part 1: Puppet Theater Sep 06, 2019

In episode 1, we learn about the major players in this bizarre true story. There's William Sidney Bradfield, a.k.a. Bill--a handsome, charismatic teacher of English, Latin and Greek at Upper Merion High School. Adored by students and colleagues alike, Bill is a larger than life figure with larger than life stories that may or may not be true. And there's Dr. Jay C. Smith, retired Army Colonel and principal of Upper Merion High. Nicknamed The Prince of Darkness by colleagues, Dr. Smith is unlike anything this respectable community has ever seen, with his eccentric habits and unsettling eyes. He may make people uncomfortable with his perverted jokes and bizarre conversation, but no one knows (yet) about Dr. Smith's dark secret life. Then there's Susan Reinert, a kindhearted teacher and mother of two whose deadly mistake will be to put her trust in the hands of the wrong man. Join Katie and Whitney for the beginning of this epic story of love, greed, manipulation and murder.
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