Every week host Dan Zupansky will interview the authors that have written about the most shocking killers of all time.
Murder on His Mind Serial Killer is the true crime story of the Original Night Stalker aka East Area Rapist who first terrorized Rancho Cordova/Sacramento areas in Northern California as a serial rapist. Moving on to Southern California he became the serial killer and rapist he had worked to become. The Original Night Stalker carried out the murders of at least 12 people in and around Southern California. This serial rapist and murderer moved about freely as law enforcement has been unable to catch a break and have to this date been unable to apprehend him. A very deadly criminal this man was prepared to do whatever it took to be free. Many active and retired law enforcement still work the case that had become cold. The FBI has once again joined in the chase. It has been 40 years since the first known attacks in Northern California. It has been 30 years since the last senseless murder of a young woman in Irvine California. How much longer will the families have to wait for justice in this case? Will we ever match his DNA to a name? Will we ever see who has been under the mask? MURDER ON HIS MIND SERIAL KILLER: Anne Penn
Peter Kurten, a German who'd been sent to prison for deserting his comrades, sat in a cell contemplating what to do when he got out. He had no control within the prison walls and it drove him mad. The things that happened to him while in custody, unlocked oppressed sadistic feelings within Peter, and forced him to unleash a level of sexual deviancy on innocent victims in and around Dusseldorf, Germany, that no one will ever forget. Young girls, women, and men would succumb to horrific attacks including being bludgeoned by a hammer and stabbed to death. In several instances, Peter admitted to drinking blood from his victims and needing the act of rape and murder to reach orgasm. Oddly, the man lived a double life and his love for his wife drove him to turn himself in. Had he not done so, 'The Monster' would have continued to keep the country locked in fear. for many more years. MONSTER: The True Story of Serial Killer Peter Kurten-C.L. Swinney
On Nov. 28, 1969, Betsy Aardsma, a 22-year-old graduate student in English at Penn State, was stabbed to death in the stacks of Pattee Library at the university’s main campus in State College. For more than forty years, her murder went unsolved, though detectives with the Pennsylvania State Police and local citizens worked tirelessly to find her killer. The mystery was eventually solved—after the death of the murderer. This book will reveal the story behind what has been a scary mystery for generations of Penn State students and explain why the Pennsylvania State Police failed to bring her killer to justice.More than a simple true crime story, the book weaves together the events, culture, and attitudes of the late 1960s, memorializing Betsy Aardsma and her time and place in history. MURDER IN THE STACKS: Penn State, Betsy Aarsdma, And The Killer That Got Away-David DeKok
IN SEPTEMBER 1970, two boys met in the playground on their first day at secondary school in North London. They formed what would be described at the Old Bailey thirty years later as 'a unique and wicked bond'. Between 1982 and 1986, striking near lonely railway stations in London and the Home Counties, their partnership took them from rape to murder. Three police forces pooled their resources to catch them in the biggest criminal manhunt since the Yorkshire Ripper Enquiry. A Dangerous Place is the first full-length account of the crimes of John Duffy and David Mulcahy. Told by the son of one of the police officers who led the enquiry, exhaustively researched and with unprecedented access, this is the story of two of the most notorious serial killers of the twentieth century and the times they operated in. It is the story of the women who died at their hands. It is the story of the women who survived them, and who had the courage to ensure justice was done. And it is the story of a father, told by a son. A DANGEROUS PLACE: The Story of The Railway Murders-Simon Farquhar
Losing a loved one to murder is life's ultimate tragedy. But when the killer is never captured, a family's paralyzing grief only compounds. Years pass. Pain grows. Time heals nothing. Parents, spouses, and children of the victims never find peace. Investigators continue to lie awake night after night, year after year, thinking, "If only..." Cold cases fascinate us because of the endless possibilities. What if Alice Hochhausler hadn't driven her daughter home from work while a strangler was running loose? What if Oda Apple's wife hadn't sent him to the corner drugstore? What if Linda Bricca hadn't been so beautiful - and her husband not a workaholic? J. T. Townsend takes us on a sinister journey through thirteen cases, which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, between 1904 and 1971. You'll meet Frances Brady, a pretty bride-to-be gunned down at her own front door. Tommy Coby, age eight, who arrived home to an empty house, and learned later his parents were lying dead in their car. Patty Rebholz, a popular cheerleader, who was bludgeoned in a neighbor's backyard while walking to break up with her teenage boyfriend. What do these cases have in common? A fleeting, irrational act of violence with no resolution. Somebody literally got away with murder. Each episode took place in sheer moments--but hundreds of innocent people still remember, still mourn, and are still haunted by horrible, unbearable images. Townsend's riveting accounts include never-before-published details from police files and insights from both investigators and witnesses. Whodunit? We'll never know for sure--but we can certainly make some informed, calculated guesses. Meanwhile, on these pages, each victim returns to vibrant life, becomes as real to us as to those loved ones they left behind--and still cries out for justice. QUEEN CITY GOTHIC: Cincinnati's Most Infamous Murder Mysteries-J.T. Townsend
That woman is evil. She is evil!” Ejaz Ahmad was handsome, charismatic, and a self-made businessman. He arrived in the United States from Pakistan determined to fulfill his mother’s dying wish: to come to America, complete his education, and make his mark in the world. Settling in Memphis, Tennessee, Ejaz became owner of several businesses, father to a handsome boy, and a devout Muslim. The only thing missing in his life was a wife, someone special to protect, honor, and love. Leah Ward was a pretty girl, but a prison parolee with a history of drug charges, petty crime, and a questionable past. She led a flotsam life, drifting from town to city to state. When she was introduced to Ejaz Ahmad, she believed she had found the ultimate answer: a place to live, someone to take care of her, and money to spend. But what began idyllic soon became abusive and then dangerous for Ejaz. His friends and family warned him. And in May of 2003 Ejaz paid the ultimate price when family members found his mutilated body in a shed. SHE IS EVIL is a story of trust, abuse, religion, and murder. Of a kind man who tried to help a troubled woman and became the victim of abuse and, eventually, a heinous murder. SHE IS EVIL: Madness and Murder in Memphis-Judith A. Yates
Cleveland Strangler's best-kept secrets revealed! A man fights for justice and closure for an ex-girlfriend, an unknown survivor, the first to report to the authorities her brutal attack, by the then nameless emerging Cleveland Strangler. Sadly, her case was suspended in 4-months. A year later, Anthony Sowell, would begin his killing spree, the infamous 11-Women of Imperial Avenue, all strangled and stashed in and around his home. Why didn't the Cleveland Sex Crimes Unit show her his recently registered sex offender photo? Did the City of Cleveland fail to comply with federal "Megan's Law?" Was there Community Notification when a registered sex offender moved into the neighborhood? Is the County Psychiatric Court liable for a faulty sexual evaluation predictor? "Mr. Sowell is a low risk. A 6% chance to re-offend?" (September 2005) The Cleveland Strangler lured and attacked Ms. Crutcher June 2006 and the Imperial Avenue murders occurred in 2007-2009. Was this cold case covered-up? Never seen photos, serial killer letters to the author, compelling documents, and phone transcripts. A gripping true crime memoir and captivating legal thriller. MY SISTER'S KEEPER: The Cleveland Serial Killer Untold Story-CD Newton
They thought about their evil fantasy for months. Then wound up like clockwork toys ... they acted. In April 1997, pretty, 22-year-old Jacine Gielinski stopped her car at a red light in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She had no idea that the two young men looking at her from the car next to hers would in that moment decide she would be their target for unspeakable horrors. George Woldt and Lucas Salmon were an unlikely pair of best friends, much less killers. Woldt was a fast-talking, well-dressed ladies’ man who boasted of his sexual conquests. Salmon was deeply religious, and socially misfit, obsessed with losing his virginity. Woldt was the leader, Salmon his willing follower, but neither had been in serious trouble with the law. However, inspired by the cult movie, A Clockwork Orange, with its dystopian violence, they fantasized for months what it would be like to abduct, rape, torture and murder a woman. Then, aroused by watching ultra-violent ography, they decided to act upon their evil thoughts. Revised and updated with a new afterword from the author, A CLOCKWORK MURDER recounts the steps that led to an unthinkable crime and its impact on a community, as well as the friends and especially the parents of an innocent young woman who paid with her life for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. From The True Crime Library of New York Times Bestselling Author Steve Jackson comes A CLOCKWORK MURDER-The Night A Twisted Fantasy Became A Demented Reality-Steve Jackson.
A narcissistic professional photographer lived a dangerous double life as a serial killer. He'd focus his rage on prostitutes mostly. It wasn't uncommon for him to bring them home then try to explain why they were there to his wife. Sexual urges met, the killer would strangle his victims and dump their bodies in places he knew the police would eventually find them. The evil murderer needed the world to know that he was smarter than the police and women meant nothing to him but a necessary sexual inconvenience. Then, by a stroke of chance and aggressive police work, the wheels of justice stumbled upon a lead. It was nothing more than a lined sheet of paper that read, "List of 10," but shortly after its discovery, a task force was created and a serial killer was nabbed. This book is about the victims he left behind, not the person who took their lives. I will never condone such actions, nor will I try to rationalize his behavior. He will go to the grave, hopefully sooner rather than later, knowing the identity of four women from his fabled List of 10. It's his sick way of showing people he's still in charge. His name is Joseph Naso, and this book will grip you from the beginning and won't let you go until the final word. LIST OF TEN: The True Story of Serial Killer Joseph Naso-C.L. Swinney
Known as the 'Vampire Rapist' or 'Strangler Bill' for his distinctive modus operandi, Wayne Boden would rape, strangle and bite the breasts of his victims. His murdering rampage would continue in two cities over three years; he was only caught by superior evidence gathering and the help of an orthodontist. This book asks the question: How do we really know people when we don’t want to ask the questions, not only because we don’t want to know the answers for what it will tell us about them, but because of what it tells us about ourselves? True Crime Author Alan R. Warren takes you through the details of the case including the dental impressions used in court to convict Boden, a first in Canadian history, as well as Boden's escape from a maximum-security prison. BLOOD THIRST: True Story of Wayne Boden-Vampire, Rapist, Serial Killer-Alan R. Warren
