• The Personification of Evil: The Chicago Ripper Crew: Day 12: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 24 2024
    Listener warning: this case is extremely disturbing. It is our final day of the 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. In May 1981, on the outskirts of Chicago, a hotel maid went to work like she did every day. For the most part, the day was uneventful, except when she noticed a horrible smell. The Moonlit Hotel wasn’t exactly a five-star place to stay. It was known as a place for drug deals and quick sex. Even so, the maid had never noticed a smell like this before. This was something new. And all day long, she tried to find the source of the stench but never found it. She returned to work the next day, and the smell was even worse. It is a medical fact that women have a better sense of smell than men. They are also better at identifying a specific odor. And what the maid smelled that day was death. Her gut told her that something was dead on the hotel premises, but no matter how much she looked for the source, she couldn’t find it. The stench was making it almost impossible to work. Finally, she went to the hotel manager, who said that, yeah, now that she mentioned it, he smelled something, too. She told him that she’d already checked all the rooms, so the manager began to search the grounds. The manager came upon a gruesome discovery in an empty field behind the hotel. This would not be the final victim, but the biggest shock was yet to come. Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled ‘The Personification of Evil: The Chicago Ripper Crew.’A huge thank you to Sleep Creme for sponsoring this episode. Order your bottle today at sleepcreme.com. Use the code OTCPODCAST at checkout to save twenty bucks on the first order! Thank you to our team:Written and researched by Lauretta AllenListener Discretion by Edward October from Octoberpod AMExecutive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky PawprintSources:https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/the-ripper-crew-satanic-murderers-thomas-kokoraleishttps://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1989/65229-7.htmlhttps://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/The_Ripper_Crewhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/29/ripper-crew-killer-thomas-kokoraleis-paroled-after-37-years-prison/3308889002/https://www.cracked.com/article_35559_the-ripper-crew-the-scariest-cult-youve-never-heard-of.htmlhttps://mail.murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gecht-robin.htmhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/387761257/?match=1&terms=%22Shui%20Mak%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/387816419/?match=1&terms=%22Shui%20Mak%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/387816597/https://www.newspapers.com/image/387752260/?match=1&terms=%22Shui%20Mak%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/388105253/?match=1&terms=%22Shui%20Mak%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/387746495/?match=1&terms=%22Shui%20Mak%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/387887372/?match=1&terms=%22Lorry%20Borowski%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/388083689/https://www.newspapers.com/image/387753721/ (plus page 2)https://www.newspapers.com/image/387880426/?match=1&terms=%22Lorraine%20Borowski%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/387743330/?match=1&terms=%22Lorraine%20Borowski%22 https://www.newspapers.com/image/388109876/?match=1&terms=%22Angel%20York%22 (how suspect was arrested)https://www.newspapers.com/image/387845914/?match=1&terms=%22Angel%20York%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/73489679/?match=1&terms=%22Sandra%20Delaware%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/919587870/?match=1&terms=%22Rose%20Beck%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/387845914/?match=1&terms=%22Angel%20York%22https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/court-of-appeals-first-appellate-district/2008/1063487.html
    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • Trail of Terror: The Bloody Benders and Their House of Death: Day 11: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 23 2024
    Here is day 11 of the 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. After the American Civil War, the U.S. government decided it would be delightful to shuffle the Osage Indians from Labette County, Kansas, to what would soon be the state of Oklahoma—because who doesn’t love a good game of human chess? As they cleared the land, they rolled out the red carpet for homesteaders, luring them in with shiny promises of opportunity. By October 1870, five families of spiritualists—because obviously, that’s who you want on the frontier—decided to stake their claim on this “untamed paradise.” As noted by the proclamation issued on May 17, 1873, this was far from paradise for many travelers. Several atrocious murders have been recently committed in Labette County, Kansas.

    Join Jen and Cam on this episode entitled ‘Trail of Terror: The Bloody Benders and Their House of Death.’

    Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

    All music by our executive producer and editor @theinkypawprint

    Sources:
    https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2024/10/bloody-benders/

    https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/bloody-benders

    https://www.kctv5.com/2024/07/04/kansas-bloody-benders-digging-clues-century-old-murders/

    https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-benders/

    https://www.ksn.com/news/crime/ku-researchers-dig-deeper-into-the-bloody-benders-site/

    https://www.humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/kansas-stories/people/true-crime-in-kansas-the-mystery-of-the-benders

    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sale-kansas-land-where-bloody-benders-committed-their-crimes-180974121/


    https://open.spotify.com/episode/13godpkiaP4Ile72PYAIL5

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • Ohio's 22 Caliber Killers: The Lewingdon Brothers Day: Day 10: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 22 2024
    We are on day ten of the 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. On a freezing cold night in December of 1977, two women in their mid-thirties were leaving the Forker’s Café at 64 Union Street in Newark, Ohio. At 2:30 a.m., Joyce Vermillion, a barmaid at the café, and Karen Dodrill (dod-rill), a patron and friend of Joyce’s, were preparing to call it a night. Karen had been out celebrating her birthday and had offered to give her friend Joyce a ride home. Since it was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, Karen went out to warm up her car first and was headed back into the bar when she was gunned down by a person waiting in the bushes. Since there was a homemade silencer on the gun, Joyce had no warning of any danger and walked out of the building and was shot and killed as well. (Some sources say they were walking across the parking lot when they were gunned down.) When Joyce failed to return home from work, her husband notified the police. No one knew that there was not just one killer at work; there were two, and they were related.Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast as we discuss ‘Ohio's 22 Caliber Killers: The Lewingdon Brothers.’Thank you to our team:Written and researched by Lauretta AllenListener Discretion by Edward October from Octoberpod AMExecutive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky PawprintSources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_and_Thaddeus_Lewingdonhttps://mail.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/partners/lewingdon_bros/4.htmlhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/288325368/?match=1&terms=Joyce%20Vermillion%20Karen%20Dodrillhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/288325794/?match=1&terms=Joyce%20Vermillion%20Karen%20Dodrillhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/288326901/?match=1&terms=Joyce%20Vermillion%20Karen%20Dodrillhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/288331767/?match=1&terms=Joyce%20Vermillion%20Karen%20Dodrillhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/989648304/?match=1&terms=%22Robert%20McCann%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/601876460/?match=1&terms=%22Robert%20McCann%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/844598598/?match=1&terms=Robert%20Mickey%20McCannhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/406055736/?match=1&terms=Jenkins%20Joneshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/406055736/?match=1&terms=Jenkins%20Joneshttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/5054b15de4b02b42cb2ebd87/t/58aef25a17bffc1271928016/1487860323271/HistTimes201401.pdfhttp://wiki.lickingcountylibrary.info/Murders_and_Homicideshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/863804609/?match=1&terms=%22Claudia%20Yasko%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/825445876/?match=1&terms=%22Claudia%20Yasko%22%20confessedhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/903090856/?match=1&terms=%22Gerald%20Fields%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/297373789/?match=1&terms=%22Gerald%20Fields%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/288468878/?match=1&terms=%22Gerald%20Fields%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/296336484/?match=1&terms=%22Jerry%20Martin%22%20%20Marthahttps://www.newspapers.com/image/288494235/?match=1&terms=%22Jerry%20Martin%22%20%20Marthahttps://www.newspapers.com/image/287438136/?match=1&terms=%22Joseph%20Annick%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/157391755/?match=1&terms=%22Joseph%20Annick%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/295929917/?match=1&terms=%22Claudia%20Yasko%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/287557372/?match=1&terms=Lewingdon%20organized%20crimehttps://www.newspapers.com/image/296705157/?match=1&terms=John%20Vodhanel%20chargeshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/1065476941/?match=1&terms=John%20Vodhanel%20chargeshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/719952673/?match=1&terms=Christine%20Herdmanhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/406056639/?match=1&terms=Christine%20Herdmanhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/395561556/?match=1&terms=%22Jerry%20Martin%22%20obituary
    Show more Show less
    33 mins
  • The Sex Beast: Melvin Rees: Day 9: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 21 2024
    It is day 9 of our 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. On a sweltering June 26, 1957, Margaret Harold, a vibrant young woman, and her boyfriend, a U.S. Army sergeant, were enjoying a rare weekend getaway. As they were making their way, a green Chrysler came barreling toward them. Without warning, the car swerved, forcing them off the road. The driver, a tall, dark-haired man, stepped out with a sinister calmness. He approached their vehicle with a wicked look in his eyes. The stranger demanded that they roll down their window as he brandished a nickel-plated .38 revolver. At first, the man demanded money and then cigarettes. When the couple did not have anything to give him, he shot Margaret point-blank in the face. The horrified soldier, paralyzed by shock, fled the scene, racing through the rural fields that surrounded him. Finally, he reached a farmhouse, where he managed to call the police, relaying the horror he had just witnessed. The sergeant provided a clear description of the man who had attacked them—a man with an average build and somewhat tall stature, marked by dark hair and a clean-shaven face. Before police could find the stranger, he would do a lot more damage.

    Join Cam and Jen on this episode entitled “The Sex Beast: Melvin Rees.”

    Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

    All music is by our executive producer and editor @theinkypawprint

    Sources:

    https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-serial-killer-preys-upon-a-woman-out-for-a-drive

    https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/193/849/1733703/

    https://www.facebook.com/baileysarian1/videos/the-chilling-story-of-melvin-rees/1122503025475063/

    https://murderpedia.org/male.R/r/rees-melvin.htm

    https://www.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/melvin_rees/13.html

    https://www.sharda.ac.in/apply/ed/4c000655-Ay9X2VWw1xs.html

    https://www.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/melvin_rees/12.html

    https://www.tamucc.edu/online/video/video-kMVK9ybIbWB.html

    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • The Roadside Strangler: Michael Bruce Ross: Day 8: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 20 2024
    It is day eight of our 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. At 5:45 a.m. on May 12, 2005, Michael Ross woke up and got out of bed as usual. It was a partly cloudy morning in Somers, Connecticut, and the day would be warm and pleasant. At 6:00 a.m., Michael had oatmeal for breakfast, then watched television and read the newspaper. After reading for a while, he received communion from a Catholic priest. The day was going well—pretty typical for him, actually. He visited with family and friends in the afternoon for a few hours. The only thing unusual about Michael’s dinner of turkey a la king, rice, fruit, mixed vegetables, and white bread was that it would be his last because, a few hours later, Michael Ross was executed by the state of Connecticut. It was the first execution in the state of Connecticut since Joseph “Mad Dog” Taborsky was electrocuted in 1960. Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled 'The Roadside Strangler: Michael Bruce Ross.'Thank you to our team:Written and researched by Lauretta AllenListener Discretion by Edward October from Octoberpod AMExecutive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky PawprintSources:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mAMXqN0Eaw (If you watch or listen to one thing on Michael Ross, watch this one. It's the one Jen spoke about.)https://murderpedia.org/male.R/r1/ross-michael.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bruce_Rosshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/972592729/?match=1&terms=1.%09Dzung%20Ngoc%20Tu%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/254927798/?match=1&terms=1.%09Dzung%20Ngoc%20Tu%20https://web.archive.org/web/20050616003937/http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/14/rossexecution.letter.ap/index.htmlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7144278/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175726038/dzung-ngoc-tuhttps://magazine.nd.edu/stories/my-name-is-michael-ross/ (in his own words)https://www.newspapers.com/image/490184513/?match=1&terms=%22Paula%20Perrera%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/242556358/?match=1&terms=%22Tammy%20Williams%22https://www.crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/michael_ross/index.htmlhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/242699683/?match=1&terms=%22Debra%20Smith%20Taylor%22%20https://www.newspapers.com/image/970513270/?match=1&terms=%22Robin%20Dawn%20Stavinsky%22https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138698281/wendy-lynn-baribeaulthttps://www.newspapers.com/image/369000327/?match=1&terms=Wendy%20Baribeaulthttps://www.newspapers.com/image/970460283/?match=1&terms=Wendy%20Baribeaulthttps://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/crime/2016/05/21/detective-who-stopped-serial-killer/29175692007/
    Show more Show less
    31 mins
  • The Fast Food Murders: Paul Reid: Day 7: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 19 2024
    As we start this episode, it is day seven of our 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. On Sunday, February 16, 1997, around 9:45 to 10:00 a.m., an employee arrived at Captain D’s restaurant on Lebanon Road in Donelson, Tennessee, ready to start another routine day. But as he approached the establishment, an unsettling sight greeted him: the doors were firmly locked, which should not have been the case since two other employees were scheduled to open earlier. He went to a neighboring restaurant to call Captain D’s, and when he received a busy signal, he felt relief. After a few minutes, he tried again, but the phone continued to ring this time. He knew something was wrong. Concerned for his colleagues, he contacted another employee whose father served as a Metro police officer. When the employee’s father arrived at the scene, they entered the restaurant between 11 a.m. and noon. What they found was shocking. In an instant, the routine of a Sunday morning was replaced by an unspeakable tragedy, and the community would soon grapple with the aftermath of this horrific crime. Sadly, this was just the beginning.

    Join Cam and Jen of Our True Crime Podcast on the episode “The Fast Food Murders: Paul Reid.”

    Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

    All music is by our editor and executive producer @theinkypawprint

    Sources:
    https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/2001/m1999-00803-cca-r3-dd.html

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/paul-dennis-reid-never-confessed-230942209.html

    https://www.reddit.com/r/serialkillers/comments/s8rviv/does_anyone_on_here_know_about_paul_dennis_reid/

    https://www.tba.org/journal/the-murders-of-paul-dennis-reid-jr

    https://web.archive.org/web/20060616222357/http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3867

    https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/nashville-serial-killer-paul-dennis-reid

    https://web.archive.org/web/20070127141638/http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_98859.asp

    https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/convicted-mass-murderer-paul-dennis-reid-pronounced-dead/article_782aac80-7223-594f-b2ac-be4105f56968.html

    https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/320079/s02-e05-the-fast-food-killer

    https://web.archive.org/web/20110527105333/http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/4809806.html

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY22n_y5Msg

    https://www.wbir.com/article/news/tennessee-mass-murderer-paul-dennis-reid-dead/51-95431900
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
  • The Polaroid Killer: Volker Eckert: Day 6: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 18 2024
    It is day six of our 12 Nightmares Before Christmas, and we are headed to Germany. After World War II, Germany was divided into four Allied occupation zones, with the Soviet Union controlling East Germany and East Berlin, while the United States, France, and the U.K. managed Western Germany and West Berlin. By 1949, Europe had transformed dramatically, symbolized by the creation of two Germanies. Initially, movement between the two regions was unrestricted, but as East Germans fled westward in droves, the border was sealed in 1961, culminating in the Berlin Wall, a defining emblem of the Cold War. In Plauen, East Germany, young Volker Eckert grew up in a Communist city near the Czech border. As a child, Volker developed a fixation on hair, playing with his sister’s dolls and mother’s wigs, which sparked sexual fantasies he kept secret. By age 14, his obsession with hair escalated into violence. On May 7, 1974, he strangled his classmate Sylvia Unterdörfel in her home under the pretense of needing help with homework, driven by an uncontrollable urge to feel her hair. Fearing exposure, he killed her and staged her death as a suicide. Sadly, Sylvia would not be his only victim. In fact, there would be many more.

    Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled ‘The Polaroid Killer: Volker Eckert.’

    A huge thank you to Sleep Creme for sponsoring this episode. Order your bottle today at sleepcreme.com. Use the code OTCPODCAST at checkout to save twenty bucks on the first order!

    Thank you to our team:
    Written and researched by Lauretta Allen
    Listener Discretion by Edward October from Octoberpod AM
    Executive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky Pawprint


    Sources:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8BLkEZ7zk0&ab_channel=Mia%27sRealityChannel

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volker_Eckert

    https://murderpedia.org/male.E/e/eckert-volker.htm

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/07/crime

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/dec/01/germany.gilestremlett

    https://web.archive.org/web/20120103001441/

    http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_11264.shtml#ixzz5TG24bAlw

    https://www.novinite.com/articles/73211/Bulgarian+Victim+of+German+Sex+Killer+was+Pregnant

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/nov/23/germany.gilestremlett

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • Cold Blooded Killer: Joshua Wade: Day 5: 12 Nightmares Before Christmas
    Dec 17 2024
    For the fifth day of our 12 Nightmares Before Christmas, we are headed north to Anchorage, Alaska, where we meet 52-year-old Mindy Schloss. Mindy had moved to Anchorage back in the 1980s by accident. Mindy came for a visit and never left. Mindy worked as a nurse practitioner in Fairbanks' psychiatric department. The commute from Anchorage to Fairbanks was a long one-hour flight, but Mindy had to make the trip twice a month. Her good friend Gerri would care for her cat Willy while she was gone working. The friends would meet up before Mindy left for work, so when Gerri didn’t hear from Mindy, she called and left a message with Mindy checking in, but Mindy did not return the call, which was unlike Mindy. “Maybe she is just busy’ her friend thought. Mindy’s other friend, Bob Conway, her on-again and off-again boyfriend, reached out to Mindy as well, and when he could not leave a voicemail due to a full mailbox, he knew something was wrong. Bob called Gerri to inquire if she had heard from Mindy. When Gerri said no, they both felt something was wrong.


    Join Cam and Jen of Our True Crime Podcast on the episode “Cold Blooded Killer: Joshua Wade.”

    Listener Discretion is by @octoberpodVHS

    All music is courtesy of our executive producer @theinkypawprint

    Sources:
    https://alaskapublic.org/2024/06/21/alaska-serial-killer-joshua-wade-dies-in-indiana-prison/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Wade

    https://apnews.com/article/alaska-serial-killer-dies-prison-2e292616a49b5cd49eabb2f3256fd412

    https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/anchorage/news/convicted-killer-joshua-wade-claims-responsibilty-for-additional-murders

    https://www.oxygen.com/fatal-frontier-evil-in-alaska/crime-news/serial-killer-joshua-wade-is-found-dead-prison

    https://archive.today/20220506153526/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-alaska-man-sentenced-to-99-years-in-nurses-murder-2010feb17-story.html

    https://archive.today/20210625194748/https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/authorities-joshua-wade-admits-3-additional-killings-0/2014/06/20/

    https://archive.ph/20220506153526/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-alaska-man-sentenced-to-99-years-in-nurses-murder-2010feb17-story.html#selection-2173.1-2201.114

    https://archive.ph/20210625194748/https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/authorities-Joshuaua-wade-admits-3-additional-killings-0/2014/06/20/

    https://archive.ph/20161127222923/https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/we-alaskans/2016/11/27/exceptional-account-traces-path-of-alaska-serial-killer-Joshuaua-wade/
    Show more Show less
    39 mins