Serial Killers

Carl Panzram didn't start out a murderer. He started with smaller crimes like robbery and arson and quickly worked his way up to more violent crimes. But most kids with his background grow up to not be serial killers. What happened to Carl Panzram that pushed him from regular felon to violent serial killer?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even as a child, Carl Panzram often found himself in trouble. He spent his teenage years either homeless, on the run, or imprisoned. From robbing former president Taft to setting churches and jails on fire, Panzram was always on the hunt for trouble. But what made the mischievous teenager turn into a serial killer?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After his girlfriend Maria was murdered by gang members, Pedro Rodrigues Filho made it his mission to avenge her death, and kill as many criminals as possible. In popular culture, this kind of vigilantism is celebrated, in real life it leaves a brutal path of bodies in the wake of a man who appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner. In this episode, we explore the life of “Killer Petey” and his blood soaked search for justice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After being admitted to Bridgewater State Hospital, Albert DeSalvo began confiding in other patients, bragging about his crimes and admitting he was the Boston Strangler. But was that a lie for attention? Or was DeSalvo truly the killer behind the crimes of the Boston Strangler?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a special sense of security within our own homes. But from 1962 to 1964, Albert DeSalvo took advantage of this trust. He swayed women into letting him through the front door, only to leave them as victims of “The Boston Strangler.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After luring in victims using a false sense of security, Patrick Wayne Kearney earned his title as “The Trash Bag Killer” by murdering a confirmed 21 young men and leaving their remains in trash bags along Southern California freeways during the 1970's. But when he targeted 19-year-old Tony Stewart, everything changed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patrick Wayne Kearney was born in Los Angeles, California in 1939. As a child, he was tormented relentlessly by schoolmates, and found happiness in slaughtering animals. We examine how he transitioned from a bullied child to a violent killer who left dozens of men in garbage bags alongside California freeways.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many people innocently dream of having super powers. But Ahmad Suradji’s dreams led him to become a murderous “Sorcerer from Hell” who killed 42 women in his quest to become invincible. We explore Suradji’s path to killing, including a disturbing dream that inspired him to kill women and drink their saliva.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1986, Ahmad Suradji had dreamed of becoming a mystic healer in his community. But this dream also led him to believe he could become invincible… by murdering young women and slurping their saliva. We dive deep into the life of Ahmad Suradji, and examine how he pursued his gruesome dreams to become the Sorcerer from Hell.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During his 25-year medical career, Harold Shipman rose to be a respectable family doctor who treated his patients with outstanding care. But behind closed doors, he operated as Dr. Death, and injected his victims with deadly doses of diamorphine. We look into how this man, who may have killed more than 200 people, managed to get away with it for so long.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when a doctor, someone we should trust, becomes a killer? Harold Shipman, later known as Dr. Death, terrorized Britain for 25 years, killing over 200 of his patients. We look into Shipman’s life to learn how someone who went through years of medical training could become a killer hidden in plain sight.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth Bathory was a cruel, widowed noblewoman who earned the title “The Blood Countess” from the rumors she bathed in the blood of her victims. We continue to dive deep into her torture and murder of young servants, as well as investigate the many accomplices who only helped her fulfill her lust for blood.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, young peasant girls who went to the Castle Cachtice were being led to death at the hands of the Blood Countess. Although much of her life is shrouded in mystery, it’s no secret that Elizabeth Bathory was a sadist responsible for dozens, perhaps hundreds of murders. Her position as one of the most blood-thirsty, notorious killers of all time has influenced stories for centuries, including the classic Dracula. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After murdering two women, robbing graves, and decorating his home with human body parts, Ed Gein found himself arrested and in the media’s spotlight. We look into his trial, institutionalization, and the public’s fascination with him… a fascination that still lives on today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We explore the twisted mind of Ed Gein, whose gruesome killings inspired horror movies Pyscho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Gein was known for years as the local handyman in Plainfield, until it was uncovered in 1957 that he killed two women and robbed the graves of multiple other women.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a childhood filled with abuse, poverty, and shame, Jane Toppan (born Honora Kelley), left her foster home and pursued nursing. To many, she seemed like a loving nurse who cared deeply for her patients. But for years, she used her nursing skills to experiment with medicines...and kill the people who trusted her the most.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We continue to look into the conflicted identity of John Wayne Gacy, who terrorized Chicago in the 1970s. Known as the “Killer Clown,” Gacy tortured and then murdered at least 33 teenage boys. But for many years, he appeared to be an outstanding member of his community...all while hiding his victims’ bodies underneath his house.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Wayne Gacy, or the “Killer Clown,” was named the worst serial killer in the United States after he murdered 33 teenage boys in the 1970s. Gacy lived a contradicting life as a celebrated community member, who then used his reputation to pursue secret, violent interests. We look into Gacy’s crimes and how the abuse from his father and his own feelings of alienation created a killer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ian Brady & Myra Hindley shared a deep, dark passion for murder that led to the death of multiple children in England from 1963 to 1965. Their horrific actions made them two of the most infamous serial killers in modern history. In part two of the Moors Murders, Greg and Vanessa explore the couple’s crimes and their ultimate demise.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Myra Hindley, an ambitious, yet violent, young woman met Ian Brady, an unemotional man with a twisted mind, their deepening love became a source of tragedy. From 1963 to 1965, the duo acted on their dark desires by murdering children in England. Greg and Vanessa explore the bone-chilling dynamics of serial killer couples like Ian and Myra.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices