True Crime Campfire

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Stranger Than Fiction, Vol. IV: Couples Edition Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

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Satisfaction: The Murder of Cory Voss Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

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

Show notes

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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