Cold Case Murder Mysteries

At 11:38pm on the night of December 3, 2003, Assistant US Attorney Jonathan Luna disappeared from his desk at the Baltimore federal courthouse, leaving behind his cell phone and glasses he needed for driving. Moments later, security footage captured his vehicle leaving the parking garage, at which point it embarked on a strange 5-hour journey that seemed to have no clear destination. By 5:30am, however, Jonathan Luna was dead. 15 years later, we still have no answers about what really happened that night inside his car. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of this baffling case in an effort to uncover the truth about one question: suicide ... or murder?

From 1971 to 1983, a madman roamed the remote wilderness outside of Anchorage, Alaska hunting attractive women as his prey. By the end of his reign of terror, Robert Christian Hansen, otherwise known as the Butcher Baker, would commit 30 rapes and at least 17 murders, attributing them to his intense hatred for the girls who rejected him in his youth. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of his younger years in an effort to uncover what really went wrong, and how we can fix these issues moving into the future.

On May 21, 1960, proud parents Lionel and Joyce Dahmer welcomed their baby boy Jeffrey into the world. By 1991, he would become one of the more notorious serial killers of all time. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological journey back in time to Jeff’s childhood to learn what went wrong. Part I of a limited series. Sponsor: Maeltopia - A New World of Horror https://maeltopia.podbean.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Maeltopia Promo: The Murder in My Family https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-murder-in-my-family/id1396717244?mt=2

On April 15, 2005, Centre County, PA District Attorney Ray Gricar told his girlfriend he was taking a day off to go for a scenic drive and check out some antique stores. But as day turns to night, and night becomes the next morning, Ray never comes home. Soon his car is found abandoned next to a bridge, and it seems as though another person may have been inside. As time passes, we learn somebody disposed of his laptop as well. But the trail ends there. Was Ray murdered? Did he commit suicide? Or leave voluntarily to start a new life? Join host Ryan Kraus for an examination of what lies beneath the surface in this case.

On the night of March 31, 1922, six members of a rural Bavarian family were viciously murdered inside their farmstead with a weapon believed to be something akin to a pickaxe. In the aftermath, many suspects came to light, as did rumors that the event was perhaps the result of paranormal activity. To this day, however, the crime remains unsolved. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the truth hidden behind the facade of this perplexing mystery.

On the evening of February 24, 1978, four mentally challenged men set off on a road trip fifty miles from their homes in the Yuba City, CA area to watch a college basketball game in Chico. Expected back only hours later, they never arrive. But soon their car is found abandoned on an isolated road high up in the Plumas National Forest, and before long the spring thaw will reveal their fate. Though one lingering question remains ... What happened to the Yuba County 5? Did they take a wrong turn and get lost? Or was it something much more sinister? Join host Ryan Kraus for a look inside the psychology of this enduring mystery.

Circleville, OH. 1976. A local woman begins receiving threatening letters in the mail that instruct her to end an extramarital affair she swears is a fabrication. But when the letters continue, and the threats grow stronger, things finally come to a head as her husband loses his life trying to confront the writer. And that's just the beginning. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of this fascinating mystery.

At 11:30pm on August 28, 2013, a 19-year-old Sierra College student named Bryce Laspisa got behind the wheel of his SUV heading south on California's Interstate 5 headed in the direction of his parents' home nearly 500 miles away, soon after telling his mother he had something important to talk to her about. But Bryce never makes it home. Throughout one of the strangest road trips in recent memory, one that lasts in excess of 30 hours, Bryce will do everything he can to avoid arriving at his destination, up to and including an attempt on his own life, before disappearing without a trace. Join host Ryan Kraus for a fascinating look at the psychology of the truth hidden within the mystery.

On December 24, 2002, a young pregnant woman named Laci Peterson seemingly vanishes from the face of the earth while walking her dog. In the aftermath, media attention turns to her husband, Scott, who embarks on a series of odd behaviors before the bodies of his wife and unborn son finally turn up. Years later, Scott Peterson sits on California's Death row for the crime. But did he really do it? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological profile of the man convicted of this infamous crime.

Sometime after 2:30am on February 14, 2000, a 9-year-old girl from Shelby, NC named Asha Degree left her parents home in a rainstorm and began walking Highway 18 south toward an unknown destination. 1.3 miles later, and in temperatures barely above freezing, she was spotted by a passing motorist, but fled into the woods when he called out to her. Asha hasn't been seen since. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of her journey in an effort to uncover the origin story that propelled this child to run away.

When 6-year-old Max Shacknai, son of wealthy pharmaceutical executive Jonah Shacknai, plummets to his death in a mysterious fall over a second-floor banister at the Spreckels mansion in Coronado, CA, the family is left in a state of shock. But only two days later, Jonah's live-in girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau, succumbs under equally suspicious circumstances, leaving both deaths begging the question: suicide or murder?

On the evening of December 7, 1993 a 35-year-old Jamaican immigrant named Colin Ferguson boarded the number 3 train at Penn Station in New York City headed for long Island. He took a seat in the third car, among 80 other passengers, and remained silent until they pulled into the Merillon station. Before the train stopped, Colin stood up, revealed a Ruger 9mm pistol accompanied by 160 rounds of ammunition, and began firing.

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1996 a frantic young mother of three from suburban Rowlett, TX makes a frantic call to 911 to report an intruder entered her home and viciously stabbed two of her sons to death. But when police arrive, they begin to notice disparities between the story Darlie Routier tells and the narrative the evidence creates. In the end, she receives the death penalty for her crimes. But one question persists. Was there really an intruder in the house that night?

On the night of August 2, 2006 a 32-year-old Washington, DC-area attorney named Robert Wone went to the home of a college roommate with plans to sleep at the residence in anticipation of arriving at work early the next day. But within an hour of his arrival, 911 received a call that he’d been murdered by an unknown intruder. When police arrived, they found no signs of forced entry, and it seemed Robert had been sexually assaulted. Twelve years later, we’re still asking what happened to Robert Wone.

On the morning of January 24, 2006 a young Orlando, FL woman named Jennifer Kesse failed to show up for work, causing concern among her family, friends, and employer. Hours later, it was apparent nobody could account for her whereabouts, but the scene back at her condo indicated she'd gotten ready for work and left in her car as usual. That is, until security footage from a nearby apartment complex rendered video of an unknown person abandoning her car at noon on the day of her disappearance. Twelve years later, however, there's still no sign of Jennifer Kesse ... or that strange man.

On the night of July 13, 1966 career criminal Richard Speck knocked at the door of a townhome on E. 100th St. in Chicago, IL with bad intentions. What followed changed the psychological landscape of American society forever.

On the evening of November 28, 2012 two police officers discovered a distressed 26-year-old woman named Emma Fillipoff sitting outside the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC clutching her shoes. After a 45-minute interview in which she barely spoke, they decided she was not a threat to herself or anyone else, and went about their business. But Emma Fillipoff was never seen again. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological reconstruction of the narrative present in the final days before her disappearance.

On Thanksgiving Day 2012, 65-year-old Little Falls, MN resident Byron David Smith fatally shoots two burglars in his home, seemingly enacting his right to protect his property by use of deadly force. But when the police arrive, the crime scene suggests something much different took place that afternoon in Byron's basement. Something much more sinister. Join host Ryan Kraus for a journey into the mind of a killer in an attempt to uncover the origin of his evil.

In the early morning hours of December 2, 2011 a young woman named Morgan Ingram was found dead inside her parents’ Carbondale, CO home after several months of reporting terrifying encounters with a vicious stalker. But when the toxicology report returned controversial results in the aftermath, one questioned remained at the center of this heated debate: suicide … or murder?

BONUS EPISODE: In the early morning hours of August 8, 2014 a young woman named Warriena Wright plunged to her death from the hi-rise balcony of an apartment building located along Australia's Gold Coast. In the aftermath, her date for the evening, a local playboy named Gable Tostee, found himself charged with the crime. But one question remained: accident ... or murder? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the events that precipitated the most infamous Tinder hookup in recent memory. **Please note**: All new full-length episodes of Cold Case Murder Mysteries are now available only by premium subscription on www.coldcasemurdermysteries.com PayPal donations made through the link on the website are also greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support!