Dark and Devious

On December 2nd, 2010, Phoebe Handsjuk plummeted 12 stories down a garbage chute in her apartment building located in Melbourne, Australia. She survived the fall, but would not her injuries. It was clear how Phoebe had died, but how did she fall down the chute in the first place? At her own accord, or did someone else drop her ill intentions? To this day, there are still questions unanswered and loved ones who live on in her legacy.

With Patrick off traveling the world we have a very special episode. Chris sits down to talk to his friend and colleague, retired police officer, Ron Jones. Ron has a wealth of experience in law enforcement and shares some stories of his time on the force as well as an insider's perspective of what officers experience.

Amy Lynn Brown had everything going for her in the Spring of 1998. She had just signed a lease for a new apartment, obtained a new and exciting job, and just adopted her very first dog. She and her family embarked on a tropical cruise vacation to celebrate all of her success. However, what started out as a fun filled celebration turned tragic when Amy went missing while at sea. Did she fall overboard, leave at her own volition, or was foul play involved? 27 years later, Amy's family is still asking "What happened to Amy?"

Pier Paolo Pasolini, the celebrated and controversial Italian film director, was murdered 50 years ago this month and the case is still unsolved. We 'll dive into Pasolini's past and try to piece together how his early demise came together.

Trick or Treating is a common, and fun, Halloween activity for children and adults of all ages. It spans from a rich history of culture and is now a global practice. However, one Halloween night in Deer Park Texas, USA, was cursed with a man who had sinister intentions and took advantage of the innocent nature of the beloved Halloween Tradition. Listen now to hear the real-life murder that spawned decades long suspicion on Trick or Treating's safety.

Tillie Klimek wasn't blessed with good looks, but she always managed to have a man on the line. And when she was between men, it was only because the previous one had met an untimely end. Find out what drove this black widow to kill and what happened next.

The practice of embalming human bodies has been around for ages. Bodies are most commonly embalmed for a short term period so loved ones can say their final goodbyes during the funeral practices. That, some bodies are embalmed for much longer periods of time for cultural traditions or a peculiar way of honoring an idol-like figure. However, in the early 1900s, outlaw Edward McCurdy was embalmed and all though his soul was no longer present, his body would travel all over the USA for decades, Listen now to hear this very odd treatment of a human corpse.

For many generations the General Wayne Inn in Marion, Pennsylvania was a place to gather together, but is it possible some of the former guests didn't care to leave? This location that opened at the dawn of the 18th century also bore witness to a murder at the end of the 20th century. Check out this episode that has a balance of supernatural encounters as well as a real life murder.

16 Year Old Adrianna Jones was a well liked, bright young woman with a spark of joy in her eyes. She dreamt of attending Texas A&M University and building a life for herself. However, when she gets caught up in drama between two lovers and aspiring cadets, her life would brutally be cut short. Listen now to the now infamous story of The Texas Cadet Murder.

In 1986, Massachusetts, USA, the Bowen family was going through it. Frank Bowen, along with his two young daughters, lost their wife/mother unexpectedly. At a desperate time of comfort and need, Tina and Karen Bowen attempted to contact their deceased mother using a Ouija Board, a centuries old method for contacting those beyond the veil. Little did they know though, that they had let something, or someone, far more sinister into their home and havoc would ensue.

Cyanide is a poison that has captured our imagination in mysteries and spy novels, but the danger is all too real. In this episode we'll talk a bit about how the poison works and how it has been used in several prominent true crime cases.

Kitty Genovese was a young, bright, charismatic woman with a promising future ahead of her. While living in New York City with her girlfriend, she had dreams of opening a family style Italian restaurant. However, those dreams were snuffed when she was brutally murdered just steps from her front door. Kitty's murder, while not directly responsible for the creation of the 911 system, did contribute to its development and the broader discussion about bystander intervention. Listen now to hear how her unfortunate murder paved the way for the 911 EMS across North America.

Anna Marie Hahn at first glance seems like an angel. She rained her affections on her elderly acquaintances in 1930s Cincinnati. But her sweetness came with a price that multiple people would pay over the course of the decade. Anna was no angel, when it came down to it, she was a devil who cruelly used poison as her M.O. and stole everything of value from her victims.

On July 29th, 2023, O'Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old dancer and choreographer, and his friends were celebrating Queer Black Excellence by dancing together in a Mobil gas station parking lot. However, what was a joyous occasion quickly turned violent and deadly when the group of friends were approached by a group of homophobic and racist teens. This episode was recorded during pride month and on Juneteenth - O'Shae's murder is a reminder that even during times of celebrations, we still need to fight for our rights.

June is LGBT+ Pride Month and we're kicking it off by remembering one of the giants of the Gay Rights Movement: Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay politician elected in the United States and paved the way for other members of the queer community to not only be out and living their lives as their true selves, but leading in a world that can be hostile to their existence.

In January of 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman went on a bike ride with her brother around her neighborhood in Arlington, Texas, but she never returned. Amber's tragic abduction and murder, however, inspired a national response system for missing children that has reunited more than a thousand children with their families thanks to public awareness. The AMBER Alert is a tribute to her in the hopes that one day no child will go missing again.

In the 1890s, Victorian London was just getting over the terrible Jack the Ripper murders, but just a few years after the terrible crimes a new villain roamed the streets to terrorize the city's sex workers: the Lambeth Poisoner.

Vincent Chin was a thriving business man living in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, USA. With the auto industry booming due to foreign parts and models being shipped in from overseas, some Americans felt that Asian companies were to blame. Vincent unfortunately was a victim due to this. Listen now to hear the tragic and unfortunate fate Vincent had, due to racism and economical turmoil.

On November 27, 1928 in the quiet small town of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania Nelson Rehmeyer welcomed three guests into his home including his former farmhand. However, this was no friendly visit. Each man accused Rehmeyer of putting a hex on them and they wanted it lifted by any means necessary.

Andrea Yates: One of the most well known trial where a perpetrator was found not guilty by reasoning of insanity rocked US headlines for years. Join Patrick for a brief overview of her trial and a glimpse into how this method of defense is viewed by the world's public. **Disclaimer: The audio is poor. Please forgive us this week! :)

For more than two centuries a tiny island off the coast of Nova Scotia has been baffling treasure hunters; causing the losses of great fortunes and even deaths. Over these 2+ centuries, traps and mysterious clues have been found indicating that some kind of massive fortune must be buried on the island, but who put it there and why? This mystery leaves us with more questions than answers.

St Paul/Minneapolis are well known for their beautiful parks, lively music and art scene, good food, and always having a white winter. However, during the 1980s, the Twin Cities were making headlines for something different, the growing number of young women found brutally murdered and recorded confessions from the one responsible; The Weepy Voiced Killer.

We're finally back for 2025 and we're kicking off this new year with a Minnesota classic! In June of 1977, wealthy heiress, Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse, Velma Pietila were murdered in the iconic Glensheen Mansion on the shore of Lake Superior. The shocking murders became headline news and the truly devious plot became the stuff of local true crime legend.

The Villisca Ax Murders of June 1912 remain an enduring and unsettling enigma in American criminal history. In this quaint small Iowa town on a pleasant summer’s night, eight unsuspecting victims - including six children - were bludgeoned to death as they slept following a church service. Despite a nationwide manhunt, multiple suspects and two trials, the murder remains unsolved.

For those who call the USA home, Thanksgiving is a much beloved holiday and is enjoyed by being with friends and family as everyone enjoys a delicious meal together and makes memories. However, in the year 2009, Thanksgiving was a horror story for a family in Florida, who all had everything going for them, or so it had seemed.

Where we last left off, Jeremy Bamber appeared to be the clever, scheming relative that orchestrated his family's murder and was justly locked away in prison. However, in this episode, a lot of contradictory evidence comes to light and some of those around Jeremy had a vested interest in him taking the fall for the murders. Was Jeremy framed? Take a listen and decide for yourself.

On August 7, 1985, the well-to-do Bamber family of Tolleshunt D'Arcy in Essex, UK was found murdered in their family home. The only family member left alive was the son, Jeremy Bamber, who was left with the grief of losing his parents, his sister, and his two nephews. But in the period after the murders suspicion soon fell upon Jeremy. This is a classic case of not everything is as it appears.

The evening of October 29th, 2022, was supposed to be a fun night out in the bustling neighborhood of Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea. It was the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that large crowds were allowed to gather again. More than 100,000 people flocked to Itaewon for Halloween parties and festivities. However, the fun night quickly turned to horror as a preventable tragedy unfolded, leaving hundreds dead.

Sources:

The Korean Herald

The Sun

New York times

Wikipedia

Rotten Mango Podcast

In the summer of 2000, Molly Bish, a 16-year-old lifeguard, disappeared from Comins Pond in Warren, Massachusetts on June 27, 2000. Her remains were found years later in the woods of Palmer, a few miles away from the pond. But who killed her, and why? The case remains unsolved, and no one has been charged with her murder. Listen now and make your own conclusions...

In April of 2014, two Dutch tourist and best friends, Kris Kremers and Lissane Froon, set out on a dream adventure in Panama. With the intention of volunteering with children and sightseeing in mind, the two were having the time of their lives. That is, until a fateful mountain hike ended in horror.

In 2017, 21-year-old Brooke Preston was murdered by her friend and roommate Randy Herman Jr. The police, public, and Herman himself all agree that he is the culprit. However, what is not agreed on is as to why Herman committed the crime. He claims it all occurred while he was sleepwalking. Listen now and decide for yourself if you believe this defense!

Ira Einhorn, the one-time hippie intellectual, is often credited as being one of the founders of Earth Day, but in this episode we discuss how that is false and that his true claim to fame is actually quite sinister. Einhorn, who once preached free love, murdered his ex-girlfriend Holly Maddux and then led investigators on an international manhunt. It's a story decades in the making, but luckily no one gave up on getting justice for Holly.

On Christmas day in 2006 a horrific murder occurred in Ryan and Heather's home. the next day, Ryan's father discovered Heather's lifeless body and Ryan alive, but injured, inside the home. Police believed this was a domestic violence situation and that Ryan was the culprit. What next happened is a complete unjust use of power and neglect at the hands of the Phoenix Arizona police department.

*LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED* Junko Furuta was a well liked, responsible, and wholesome 17 year old who resided in Tokyo, Japan. She had big dreams of becoming a star post her graduation and enjoyed spending time with her friends, family, and at work. But her life was tragically cut short after a group of teenage monsters kidnapped her and brutally tortured for over 40 days.

While Patrick is moving his life cross-country Chris has arranged an interview with the author of the book Boys Enter the House: The Victims of John Wayne Gacy and the Lives They Left Behind. The book is now available in paperback in bookstores everywhere.

The imposing gray three-story edifice known as the “haunted house” looms fortress-like on the corner of Royal and Governor Nicholls streets in the French Quarter. Now a famous landmark, the home was once home to Madame Lalaurie who, in the early 1830s, starved and tortured her slaves and was hounded out of town by an angry mob when a fire revealed her misdeeds. Over time the story has been embellished with increasingly gruesome details, but archival research reveals that at least some of it is true.

In suburban Ohio, an entire family goes missing while their house is filled with ominous blood stains. The mystery deepens when it is revealed that the daughter was kidnapped and kept in a house FILLED WITH LEAVES.

In 1968 in the middle of the Cold War, a missing Soviet submarine sparked a daring operation spearheaded by the CIA to retrieve the vessel without being detected. The result was a hail Mary plan that involved innovative technology, a billionaire cover story, and a ship like none other. The plan was called Project Azorian.

On July 13, 1966, Richard Speck unleashed his terror on Chicago by breaking into a building in the neighborhood of South Deering. At the time, this building functioned as a dormitory for student nurses. And tragically, eight women inside would meet horrific ends that night.

Thad is thirteen years old, asleep on his couch when a stranger enters his house and abducts him. What happens for the next 43 hours only occurs in nightmares but he lives to tell the tale and the story is truly unbelievable. 

Between 1971 and 1973, three child murders rocked the community in and around Rochester, New York. All three victims shared numerous similarities, but perhaps most peculiar was that they all had first and last names that started with the same letter. The perpetrator or perpetrators have evaded justice for nearly half a century but perhaps you can figure it out for yourself or prevent a similar incident from happening. The Rochester Police Department is still actively investigating this case so any tips should be directed to 585-428-6720.

On February 11th, 2023, Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old British transgender girl was murdered in a premeditated attack by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe. There are many theories as to why, but an odd obsession and a case of transphobia are most likely to blame. Listen Now!

Leonarda Cianciulli was an Italian poetess and fortune teller. However, when her superstitions got the best of her, she turned to murder for solutions. What she did with the bodies gave her the infamous reputation as the Soap-Maker of Corregio. Listen now!

After a brief mental health break, WE'RE BACK!!!! Chris and Patrick are more than ready to get back into the swing of things and share true crime tales with our loyal (and new) deviants. This week, we cover a variety of recent true crimes that are making "head"lines.

There is an epidemic across North America that has not received nearly enough media attention and that is the murder and disappearance of indigenous women, girls, and two-spirits. Every year thousands of these people disappear often to little or no media coverage. In this episode we will look at a few examples of cases that deserve a closer look and the unique difficulties in investigating these disappearances.

When it comes to the Civil Rights Era, chances are you've heard of the big names like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X and their tragic stories of assassination. But among the many hard working and self-sacrificing members of the movement there is one name that deserves some extra attention and that is Medgar Evers: the first field secretary for the NAACP's Mississippi branch who was assassinated by a white supremacist in 1963.

Familiars. It's hard to think of witches and witchcraft without also thinking of the infamous black cat associated with them. However, the back cat is not the only form familiars that witches possess, they are actually just the tip of the familiar family. So what are familiars exactly? And why do witches posses them? Listen now and find out!

Does the thought of going to the circus strike terror into your heart? Does white face makeup cause your pulse to quicken? Do you flinch with fear when you hear the comical honk of a bicycle horn? Then you may suffer from Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Today's episode talks a little bit about the history of the modern clown as well as a few examples of the clowns that frighten us from Pagliacci to Pennywise.

You wake up in the middle of the night and there it is: a menacing presence that you can first feel and then see when you open your eyes. Scared like the dickens, you try to scream and bolt — but you can’t. It’s like you’re paralyzed or being held down by the evil presence.

What in the world is happening? Three words: sleep paralysis demons.

Listen now as Patrick gets personal and talks about the horrifying experience.

As the legend goes, Bloody Mary is easy to summon. All you have to do is stand in a dimly lit bathroom, stare into the mirror, and chant her name 3 times. “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary…” Then, a ghostly woman is staring at you from within the mirror and she will haunt your forever, or even worse! But how did this Urban Legend get started? Could Bloody Mary have been inspired by a real life woman? Listen now, and decide for yourself.

When an 8-year-old girl started her walk to school, her family could never have imagined the monster that awaited her at a church nearby. Cho Doo-soon became Korea's most hated man, and remain infamous as he moved back into the same neighborhood as his victim years later.

Early Christmas morning, December 25, 1945, tragedy struck the Sodder family in Fayetteville, Wes Virginia, when their house went up in flames. The parents and four children were able to escape, but five children disappeared. Did these kids die in the fire, or are they still out there somewhere? Someone must know something about this cold case from nearly 80 years ago.

Join us this week as Patrick tells the conclusion of the unsolved case of the Burger Chef Murders. In Speedway Indiana, 1978, after a string of uncommon violent crimes had occurred, four young victims were brutally murdered after being abducted from a Burger Chef restaurant. Jayne, Mark, Danny, and Ruth were taken from the restaurant and killed in what is believed to be a robbery gone wrong. Despite eye witness testimony, a potential murder gang, and confessions from inmates, the quadruple homicide has never been solved and remains a mystery to this day.

In Speedway Indiana, 1978, after a string of uncommon violent crimes had occurred, four young victims were brutally murdered after being abducted from a Burger Chef restaurant. Jayne, Mark, Danny, and Ruth were taken from the restaurant and killed in what is believed to be a robbery gone wrong. Despite eye witness testimony, a potential murder gang, and confessions from inmates, the quadruple homicide has never been solved and remains a mystery to this day.

Once again, we have another true tale from the collection Louisville Murder & Mayhem: Historic Crimes of Derby City by Keven McQueen. In 1892 Emma Austin and Eugenia Sherrill sat down to breakfast after a night of entertaining gentlemen callers, but by the afternoon both women were dead. Who killed these women? And what might their amorous neighbor downstairs have to do with it? Buckle up because this case has plenty of twists and turns as well as a heaping helping of DRAMA!

The Dark and Devious team has been doing some traveling lately and we're excited to bring you some tales collected from the road. Chris recently traveled to Louisville, Kentucky and found an excellent true crime volume called Louisville Murder & Mayhem: Historic Crimes of Derby City by Keven McQueen. Today's episode comes from a chapter from that book called "Chestnut Street's House of Horrors" in which a desperate husband develops a habit that puts his whole family in danger.

In the 1890s Upstate New York was shaken by the discovery of three bodies on the Halliday family's farm. Two women and one man were found murdered and what was even more shocking at the time was the prime suspect, the wife of the farm's owner:,Lizzie Halliday. A woman murderer was sensational enough for the time period, but soon enough her sanity became a major sticking point in her prosecution. Was she or wasn't she? You'll have to decide for yourself by the end of this episode.

In the middle ages, torture was used to extract information, force confessions, punish suspects, frighten opponents, and satisfy personal hatred. Modern day interrogation techniques have taken inspiration from Medieval Torture techniques, which itself took inspiration from the Ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures and practices. However, nothing practiced today, even the most extreme techniques, compare to the horrific, barbaric, and excruciating torture practices from the past. Listen now, and we hope you have a strong stomach!

Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a wealthy and powerful Hungarian noblewoman who reigned as supreme ruler throughout the early 1600s' in what now is present day Slovakia. In 1610 she was accused of gruesome acts of torture and serial murders beyond anyone's imagination. She was confined to her home, Castle Čachtice, where she remained until her death in 1614. Bathory is reputed to have killed at least six hundred victims, earning her a Guinness World Record for most prolific female murderer. Her actions resulted in a nickname of the "Blood Countess", but it's possible Bathory was not guilty of all the crimes t...

Starved Rock State Park is a beautiful national park located in the State of Illinois, USA. The park is home to dark historical past, but today flourishes with beauty and awe. However, that dark past seemed to come back to life in the winter of 1960. In March of that year , Frances Murphy, Lillian Oetting, and Mildred Lindquist set off for a girls' trip. Just days later, the three women were found in Starved Rock State Park, bludgeoned to death with their hands and feet bound. After months of investigation, a man was found guilty and sentenced to life in...

In the early 1950s Ann Woodward found herself at the top of the best dressed list and the wife of a banking heir. But her happiness at the top of the social ladder would not be for long. It all came crashing down one fateful night in October of 1954 when booze, pills, and paranoia resulted in a family tragedy. Ann was responsible for her husband's death, but later on she would cross paths with someone who was unsuspectingly dangerous: the legendary writer, Truman Capote. This episode is based on the fantastic book Deliberate Cruelty by Roseanne Montillo.

Betty Williams was a small town girl growing up in Odessa, Texas, in the the 1950's-60's. An outspoken feminist and voice for racial equality; she stuck out in the conformists small town she called home. She dreamed of moving to Hollywood with the intent of becoming s star. However, these dreams would never come true as she was subjected to a family that did not support her and bullying and gossip at school. She chose to end her own life, but lacked the courage to do so; Which brings in Mack. Was Mack a murderer? Or just a...

Tamla Horsford was bright and loving, a devoted wife and mother of six.  She was an avid football fan and was looking forward to a night of fun with her fellow football moms. However, the adult themed slumber party would end in tragedy.  Tamla, was found dead the next morning and suspicion rose quickly as her race became a sticking point in the investigation. Despite multiple attempts to piece together what led up to her death no theory seemed satisfactory. Still, investigators closed the case, leaving behind quite the puzzle -- with missing pieces.  Did she die from an acci...

In the fall of 2013, Gerald and Alice Uden were living comfortably on a farm in rural Missouri, set back a ways from the road and the rest of the world, living happily ever after.  They had both been married multiple times before, but when they found each other they knew it was a match made in Heaven....or was it? For 30 years they lived an ideal life, raising their daughter, Erica and now in their golden years they enjoyed their lives as grandparents.  However, that perfect façade suddenly came crashing down when some sinister, shared family secrets resurfaced. 

In September of 1988, Tara Calico set out on a routine bike ride.  Her route was planned and predictable, yet she never came home.  She vanished, with only a few scraps of evidence left behind pointing to how, and why she was suddenly missing.  34 years later there is still no answer of where Tara went, and what happened on that fateful day. In this episode we'll discuss the case and some of the most prevalent theories.

As we explored on last week's episode, the Dozier School for Boys, located in Florida's panhandle had many accusations leveled against it. Survivors of the school rallied against the institution and it's brutal practices until the school was finally closed in 2011. But the story doesn't end there. When families of deceased children started looking for the remains of their loved ones a whole new battle emerged. It seems that many people in town were more interested in keeping the past buried, but thanks to persistent researchers and advocates, the truth would finally be dug up.

The Arthur G. Dozier School For boys was once America's largest reform school. It operated for more than a century with the goal of setting "troubled" and "delinquent" boys on track to become respectable members of society. But what happened behind the doors of the school was not always well intended. Many suffered cruel punishment and abuse, and some even died while under the school's care. While the school finally shut down operations in 2011, the questions remain; where are the boys who were lost, and what really happened? (Part 1 of 2)

Holidays are generally filled with love, good times, good food, and good cheer.  However not all family gatherings are as joyous as  everyone hopes.  On Christmas Day 1929, Charlie Lawson committed the chilling act of murdering his wife and 6 of his 7 children. What led to this horrific act of familicide and why are there still unanswered questions nearly 100 year later?  Listen to hear the chilling details of this crime and maybe you can crack the case as to why this father, and husband, would murder nearly his entire family.

On the morning after Christmas Day of 1996, 6 year old JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled to death in the basement of her family's home. At the time, the only other people known to be in the home were her parents, Patsy and John, and her brother, Burke. With little signs of forced entry from an intruder and with a very odd ransom note in possession, investigators weren't sure to look into the family or someone else.  With conflicting evidences and a messy investigation the case eventually went cold.  To this day no one has ever been charged and co...

We're not ready for Halloween season to be over yet, so we thought we'd continue on with one more Creepypasta to keep the spooky spirit in our hearts a little longer. This time, Patrick looks into the origins of a famous Creepypasta character that has haunted the internet for many years: Jeff the Killer and we get to hear one take on the killer's origin story.

Happy Halloween from Dark & Devious! Patrick and Chris are starting a new tradition and doing something a little different for today's episode and that is reading some spooky original stories from Creepypasta.com. We think you'll have as much fun as we did with the stories The Bag and Poppy's Peril. It'll be a scream!

It's almost Halloween and one of our favorite traditions here at Dark & Devious is to watch horror movies. These films frighten us by bringing the scariest events imaginable to life, but what happens when real life is just as scary as the movies? On this episode, Patrick shares the real life exorcism that inspired the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and Chris will share stories of "cursed films" The Omen (1976) and The Exorcist (1973).

Forests have been home to countless legends for ages - from folktales warning of evil spirits lurking behind the dark outlines of trees, to tales of innocent camping trips gone awry, the woods of the world can be a spooky place.  Join Chris and Patrick this week as they discuss two spooky woods: The Bennington Triangle in Vermont, USA and the "Suicide Forest" of Aokigahara in Japan.

New York has a little bit of everything, from the sky scrapers of the big apple, to the quiet farms of Upstate, but let's not forget; New York has been inhabited for centuries. And with centuries of inhabitants that's a lot of people who have left their mark. This episode talks about a haunted brownstone, the ghosts of 9/11, a haunted fort, and a good old fashioned spooky asylum.  

Happy Spooktober!!!!  Join us in episode 65 as Patrick and Chris kick off spooky season with a special episode taking Dark and Devious to where it all began; Watseka, Illinois.  Listen as Patrick tells the tale of The Watseka Wonder, also know as America’s first documented demonic possession.

In episode 56, Patrick covered the brutal murder of high school senior Hae Min Lee and the botched trial that put her ex boyfriend, Adnan Syed, behind bars. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.  As recently as September 2022 there has been a big update in the investigation and in Adnan's life.  Listen now as Patrick updates the story to reflect recent happenings, in a case that is near and dear to his heart.

Patrick is away on vacation this week so Chris has invited the marvelous superfan, Hannah Spaid (@nanaj_xo on Instagram) to be a guest on this week's episode. What started as a mini episode ended up being long enough for a full length one and once the two of us got talking about the assassination of one of the architects of the Russian Revolution we just couldn't stop ourselves. There are lots of fascinating facts and a few jokes (at Stalin's expense.) Enjoy!

A series of horrifying events in the late 1880s — better known as the Servant Girl Annihilator or Servant Girl Murders — that first left local citizens of Austin, Texas, paralyzed with fear.

The brutal killings in Austin occurred three years before Jack the Ripper terrorized London's East End (and there are some who believe the Servant Girl Annihilator and Jack the Ripper were the same person). Although these murders happened 75 years before the term serial killer was coined, it still sealed Austin's reputation as the first city in America to have a serial killer.

Listen now for de...

On March 24, 2004, 31-year-old Kevin Clewer is found dead in his Lakeview apartment, located in the historic gay district of Chicago known as Boystown. Kevin has been stabbed 42 times and left on the floor of his bedroom to die. He was last seen with a mysterious man named, “Fernando” and despite forensic evidence left behind the case has since gone cold.

Between February of 1976 and March of 1977 a terrifying wave of child abductions and murders plagued Oakland County, Michigan, one of the wealthiest counties per capita in the country. The resulting investigation was one of the largest in history, but even with hundreds of officers on the ground and thousands of hours of work there has still never been anyone formally charged with the crimes. But in today's episode you may get some ideas of who the perpetrator or perpetrators might have been. The main source for this episode is The Kill Jar by J. Reuben Appelman, which is available...

Recently, record setting droughts have been shrinking the size of Nevada's Lake Meade and as waters recede, secrets emerge. A discovery of a body in a metal barrel has caused local investigators to revisit the Mafia-linked past of nearby Las Vegas. Get a little dose of mobster history with this fascinating story of current events.

The idea behind trash streaming simple: invite a few friends over, get drunk, start a live broadcast and ask viewers to donate in exchange for carrying out the dares they suggest. What really drives trash streams into a subject of concern is the type of dares suggested and carried out.  For Valentina Grigoyeva, the dares and requests would unfortunately cost her her life, and at the hands of her lover and boyfriend.

Sylvia Likens was a happy, beautiful 16-year-old when her parents left her and her sister in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski while they went on the road for work. Within a few short months in Gertrude's care, Sylvia's treatment turned horrifyingly awful. She was beaten, humiliated, and ultimately left to die from neglect and abuse. When all was said and done, Gertrude was not the only one guilty of tormenting the teen; other neighborhood children would ultimately be indicted as well.

In today's minisode we wanted to shed light on hate crimes. We'll discuss two examples of bad dudes who are getting prosecuted for their racist actions. In one, a man in New York is arrested after a road rage incident directed at an off duty police officer (never a good idea). In the other a Wisconsin man faces sentencing after throwing acid in the face of a man at a bus stop. You'll be shaking your head in disbelief when you hear the details from these two articles.

(TW: Violence toward children is mentioned) Father's Day is coming up this week and today's episode looks at two dads that are definitely on the worst end of the spectrum of parents. Ryan Lawrence of Syracuse, NY brutally took the life of his little girl, Maddox after praying for a sign from God not to kill her. And Josh Powell of Puyallup, Washington blew up his house with his two sons, Charlie and Braden, inside after their mother, Susan, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. 

Hailey Christiansen was a single mother of one, a loving family member, and all around kind person.  Sadly her life was cut sort in July, 2020 in a horrific way.  Requested by one of our devoted followers, we will discuss the recent murder of Hailey Christiansen and the truly senseless motives behind the crime.

When a 20-year-old soldier goes missing from one of the largest military bases in the country, her tight-knit family is determined to find her and bring her home. But the investigation into her disappearance uncovers more than anyone bargained for – secrets, lies, and a system that failed to protect the people within it. And it has left everyone asking: what is going on at Fort Hood, Texas?

The websites you visit every day represent just a small fraction of the whole internet. Beyond this “surface web” is the Deep Web, and within the Deep Web is the Dark Web. In this mysterious corner of the internet all sorts of criminal enterprises occur and we will discuss the urban legend of "Red Rooms." Red Rooms supposedly allow viewers to watch real people be harmed in real time and even allow requests, but do these macabre portals really exist? Check out this latest episode as we discuss the darkest and most devious elements of something we use almost ever...

In 1873, the people of Labette County, Kansas were confronted with a horrible crime. A family from the area, the Benders, had spent the last couple of years robbing and murdering travelers in the area and disposed of many of them in the orchard on their small farm. The discovery of the horrible crime set off a cross-country manhunt and set the people of Kansas on edge. Listen to today's case sourced from the fascinating book: Hell's Half-Acre by Susan Jonusas.

Join us this week for a special 'Show n' Tell' Minisode! Listen as Chris tells us about a chain of mysterious Russian "deaths by suicide" involving prominent businessmen and Patrick gives us a brief history of the hate and discrimination towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in the USA.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that the bad guys usually get caught and this week we're talking about some quick true crime cases about some recent dumb criminals. We have a wife who wrote a how-to essay on killing a husband, some battery thieves going after police property, and one guy who just couldn't hold out for the bathroom. These stories will definitely have you shaking your head and wondering what were they thinking!

It's Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappeared sometime after school and before work one day. Six weeks after she disappeared, detectives arrested her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. Syed claimed his innocence, but damning testimony from a close friend quickly put him at the top of the suspects list.  A classmate at Woodlawn High School claims she knows that Adnan's whereabouts prove he couldn't have committed the crime, but others still claim he is responsible.  Who is telling truth and who has the answers to Hae Min's untimely death?  The case remains solved, yet...

On August 5, 2017, Emily Claire Hari (known at the time as Michael Hari), Michael McWhorter, and Joe Morris of Clarence, Illinois, detonated an improvised explosive inside the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center and Mosque in an effort to scare Muslims into leaving the United States. McWhorter and Morris pled guilty to crimes relating to the attack and Hari was convicted of several crimes in a 2020 federal trial. But despite their charges and sentences, what does that say about future religious hate crimes?  What can we do to raise awareness and stop religious / cultural hate crimes?

How far would you go to prevent a damaging truth from getting out? That is the question that centers around this case that includes lost treasures, forged documents, and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Documents from the founders of the Mormon faith are extremely valuable to collectors and the church leadership, so when Mark Hofmann began digging up unbelievably rare pieces, high ranking officials took notice. With increasingly valuable material turning up all around Hofmann the higher the payoffs, the higher the danger. Find out how all of this is linked to the bombing deaths of a Salt...

Join us for our third minisode where Patrick tells the tale of a coroner's office oopsie poopsie and BIG NO NO!

Spring break. It’s time to cut loose. It’s time to party. And like many teenagers, 17 year Brittanee Drexel just wanted to get away and blow off some steam.  She told her parents she was going to stay at a friend's house, but in reality she snuck away to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to party with people she thought were her friends.  She was hundreds of miles away from home with people who did not have her best interests at heart. More importantly, she vanished, never to be seen again. While officials believe they know what happened to her, we may...

A 67-year-old, Idaho man named Duke E. Wilson, who was on the front lines of the insurrection of January 6, 2021, recently plead guilty to attacking United States Capitol Police. Wilson received a 51 month prison sentence, the second longest handed out so far to a rioter from that day. The sentence shows how serious the threat to democracy was and may indicate how future trials may go for other serious offenders.

Shanda Sharer was a bubbly 12-year-old attending Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany, Ind. She was, by all accounts, a normal girl who made friends easily and had fun at school dances. But it was one such dance that set in motion a chain of events that would soon bring Shanda Sharer’s life to a gruesome, torturous end at the hands of four teenage girls. *Listeners Advised: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault and the torture and murder of a child.

Join us for our very first minisode! This will be a quick rundown of a story in the headlines right now to keep things interesting between our bi-weekly longer episodes. Today, Patrick finally has some good news for us, with details on the discovery of 6-year-old Paislee Shultis who was found alive after being missing for 2.5 years.

Welcome back (or for the first time) to Dark and Devious!!  We are very excited to embark on our second year of providing quality, true crime stories. Our first case back is a big one; the story of Aaron Hernandez and the murder of Odin Lloyd. Aaron Hernandez seemed to have it all, a lucrative football career, a beautiful fiancee, a baby girl, and a million plus dollar house in a well-to-do neighborhood, but under the surface, Hernandez was dealing with a hidden violent streak. Brain trauma and abuse added fuel to the fire and the result spelled tragedy fo...