True Crime Campfire

Latest Episodes:

When Nerds Attack: Influencer - The Murder of Susan Bailey, Pt 2 Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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"
Follow us, campers!
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