True Crime Campfire

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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"
Follow us, campers!
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Facebook: True Crime Campfire
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Farewell My Lovely: A Real-Life Detective Noir May 20, 2022

Show notes

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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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
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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The Ties that Bind: The Story of Pamela Buchbinder May 13, 2022

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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
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
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Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
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Shadow of Death: Sinister Minister James Flanders Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

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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