A series of missed warnings and fatal delays culminate in a massacre that forever changed campus safety in America.
On April 16, 2007, a lone student carried out a coordinated shooting across the Virginia Tech campus, killing 33 people and wounding 17 others. What began as a double homicide in a residence hall escalated into a mass shooting inside Norris Hall, while students and faculty remained unaware of the threat.
In this episode of Murder U, we examine the life and warning signs of the shooter, the investigative failures and administrative decisions that allowed the attack to continue, and the devastating impact on the victims, their families, and the university community. We also explore how the tragedy reshaped campus security, emergency alert systems, and federal gun policy — and why its lessons remain painfully relevant today.

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A 21-year-old student vanishes in Austin… and her family makes a horrifying discovery inside a condo just steps from campus. In August 2005, Jennifer Cave was days away from starting a new job and turning her life around when she went out to help a troubled friend.

Hours later, she was found murdered in a West Campus condominium near the University of Texas — her body brutally mutilated in an act that stunned investigators and traumatized her family.

In this episode of Murder U, we examine the killing of Jennifer Cave, the disturbing post-crime behavior of Colton Pitonyak and Laura Hall, and the unanswered questions that still haunt one of Austin’s most notorious college murder cases. From the frantic search to a shocking crime scene and a twisted cover-up, this case remains a chilling reminder of how empathy and trust can be exploited — with devastating consequences.

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A random encounter in a college-town parking lot leaves an 18-year-old student dead… and a community demanding answers. 

Anna Jones had just graduated high school and was enjoying a summer night out with friends — minutes from the university she planned to attend in the fall. But when a drunk professor approached their car and opened fire, a senseless act of violence ended her future before it began.

Investigators would soon uncover how a night of reckless behavior escalated into tragedy — and how the failures of those who could have intervened allowed a dangerous man to roam free.

In this episode of Murder U, we tell Anna’s story — a young woman full of life, ambition, and compassion — and explore the heartbreaking ripple effects of a tragedy that should never have happened.

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A hardworking high school student in Japan disappears on her way home… and doesn’t return. For weeks, her family searches desperately, unaware that she is trapped in a nightmare unfolding behind closed doors.

When her body is finally discovered—hidden in a concrete drum—the case shocks the world and exposes a terrifying failure of justice.

In this episode of Murder U, we tell the story of seventeen-year-old Junko Furuta, whose bravery in the face of unimaginable cruelty sparked outrage around the world… and raised the question so many still ask: how could anyone get away with something this horrific?

Listen to the full story wherever you get your podcasts.

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A campus already grieving from a student’s murder was about to face a second nightmare.

João Souza came to Binghamton University to study engineering, play soccer, and build the future he dreamed of. But on a quiet April night, he was attacked inside his freshman dorm, sending the campus into panic and confusion.

As detectives began piecing together João’s final hours, they concentrated on the people around him, trying to understand whether anyone had reason to hate him. Interviews, security footage, and early witness accounts slowly narrowed the possibilities, pointing investigators toward someone connected to his daily life — someone whose presence on campus would become central to the case. 

In this episode of Murder U, we trace the steps that led police to a suspect, the shocking events inside the dorm, and the devastating loss felt by everyone who knew João. 

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A campus turned into a killing ground.

In May 2014, the quiet college town of Isla Vista was shattered when a 22-year-old student launched a brutal, premeditated attack inspired by incel ideology and violent misogyny. What began with online rants and a 141-page manifesto exploded into one of the most infamous mass killings of the decade.

In this episode of Murder U, we examine Elliot Rodger’s path from resentment to violence, the online communities that validated his rage, and the grief left behind for the families of six students whose lives were taken. We also explore how this case exposed a dangerous subculture that had been hiding in plain sight — and why experts now consider it a form of extremist violence.

This is the story of the Isla Vista killings… and the warning signs that were missed.

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A teacher murdered over a bad grade. 

When 66-year-old Spanish teacher Nohema Graber disappeared after her afternoon walk in Fairfield, Iowa, police uncovered a crime that shocked the community — planned and carried out by two of her own students.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow how a respected educator’s disappearance unraveled into a story of teenage rage, digital evidence, and a motive almost too petty to believe.

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At Danvers High, a beloved math teacher and the new kid mysteriously vanish after class. And police uncover something more shocking than anyone imagined.

In this episode of Murder U, we examine the 2013 murder of 24-year-old Colleen Ritzer — a teacher who inspired her students and was loved by everyone who knew her. What began as two missing-person reports soon exposed a crime so disturbing it left an entire community searching for answers.

We trace the events from Colleen’s final class to the discovery that shattered Danvers High, the evidence that broke the case open, and the trial that forced Massachusetts to confront one of the darkest crimes ever committed on school grounds.

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Cassie Jo Stoddart was housesitting in Pocatello, Idaho, just days before Halloween — when a quiet weekend took a deadly turn.

In this Halloween episode of Murder U, we revisit the 2006 killing that turned a suburban home into a scene straight out of a horror film. What began as an ordinary weekend quickly spiraled into one of the most unsettling true-crime cases of the decade. As investigators traced Cassie’s final hours, they uncovered evidence of a carefully orchestrated plan — and a chilling fascination that blurred the line between fiction and reality.

It’s the story of a bright, responsible teenager whose trust was betrayed, and of a community left haunted by a crime that felt ripped from the movies.

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Two deaths. Same dorm. Five months apart.

At Gallaudet University — a prestigious school for the deaf — a tight-knit campus is shaken by back-to-back murders inside the same residence hall.

At first, investigators fear a serial killer is targeting LGBTQ+ students. But as evidence unfolds, suspicion turns closer to home… and one of the witnesses becomes the prime suspect in a case that stunned the deaf community and raised urgent questions about safety, trust, and identity.

This is the full story of the Gallaudet University murders — where silence wasn’t safety, and the truth was hiding in plain sight.

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A quiet family home turned into a crime scene.

In the early hours of July 21, 2000, four members of the Flores family were found murdered inside their Pico Rivera house, and the mother was barely alive. Three daughters survived the night — but how? There was no forced entry, nothing stolen, and no clear reason for the slaughter.

Detectives searched for answers in a maze of family ties, teenage secrets, and mounting contradictions. What began as a hunt for intruders soon uncovered something far more unsettling within the walls of the Flores home.

This episode follows the investigation into one of Los Angeles County’s most shocking crimes — the Flores family murders — and the truth that would forever change everyone left behind.


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He was known as the “Co-Ed Killer.”
In the early 1970s, students in Northern California began vanishing while hitchhiking near campus. Behind the disappearances was Edmund Kemper, a towering figure with a history of violence dating back to the murder of his own grandparents at age 15.

Over eleven months, Kemper lured six young women into his car, killed them, and mutilated their bodies. He terrorized the University of California, Santa Cruz community while socializing with local police officers who nicknamed him “Big Ed.” His crimes escalated until he turned his rage against the person he hated most — his abusive mother.

In this episode of Murder U, we trace Kemper’s path from a troubled childhood to one of the most infamous killing sprees in American history. From the manipulation of psychiatrists who released him at 21, to his chilling confessions and his decision to turn himself in, this is the story of Ed Kemper — a serial killer whose calculated violence still haunts true crime history.

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She was just weeks from graduating nursing school. The night before, Haley Anderson spent hours laughing and playing board games with friends. The next day, when she didn’t show up at a poetry reading, her friends tracked her phone to a nearby apartment — and found a scene they will never forget. The man who lived there was already gone, on a flight out of the country.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow the murder of Haley Anderson — a case that began on the campus of Binghamton University and stretched across borders. From her life as a beloved nursing student to the obsessive behavior of Orlando Tercero, from the horrifying discovery inside his apartment to an international trial that ended with a rare femicide conviction, this story reveals how jealousy and control turned deadly.

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A campus wrestling star found strangled in his dorm room. On February 24, 2024, Campbellsville University in Kentucky was shaken by the death of 18-year-old Josiah Kilman. A theology major and standout athlete, Josiah was known for his faith, leadership, and kindness. At first, the case looked like a mystery with no clear answers. But as investigators pieced together the evidence, they uncovered a suspect far closer than anyone on campus could have imagined.

In this episode of Murder U Podcast, we follow Josiah’s journey from Montana to Campbellsville, where his promising future ended far too soon. We trace the frantic manhunt, the stunning confession, and the questions about motive and mental health that still linger. From a community in mourning to a family clinging to faith, this is the story of a young man’s life cut short and a campus forever changed.

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In March 2018, Central Michigan University went into lockdown after reports of gunfire inside a dorm. By the time police reached the scene, two parents were dead — and the suspect was their own son. The killings left the campus reeling and raised urgent questions about mental health, warning signs, and how quickly a crisis can spiral out of control.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow the lives of James Eric and Diva Davis, their son Eric Davis Jr.’s sudden unraveling, and the troubling signs of paranoia and disorientation he displayed before violence tore his family apart. This case revealed not only the heartbreak of a double parricide but also the gaps in how universities respond to students in psychiatric crisis.

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It was one of the most shocking crimes in University of Miami history. In April 1996, linebacker Marlin Barnes and his close friend Timwanika Lumpkins were discovered brutally beaten inside Barnes’ on-campus apartment. At first, students feared a random predator was on the loose. But as detectives pieced together the evidence, the investigation led them to someone much closer — a jealous ex with a violent history.

In this episode of Murder U, we trace Marlin’s journey from Liberty City to the Hurricanes football team, where he became an inspiration to his family and community. We look at the life of Timwanika, remembered by loved ones as “Lil Bit,” and how both were pulled into a tragedy that stunned the campus and made national headlines. From the initial panic, to the trail of evidence, to the courtroom verdict, this is the story of how jealousy and rage destroyed two young lives full of promise.

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On a snowy December night in 2018, 17-year-old Breana Rouhselang left her Mishawaka, Indiana home to meet a classmate—and never came back. By sunrise, her body was found discarded behind a local restaurant, sending shockwaves through her tight-knit community.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Breana’s story from her life as a cheerleader and softball player to the final hours before her death, and the troubling signs her classmate Aaron Trejo displayed as investigators unraveled the truth. This devastating case of teen violence raised haunting questions about secrecy, betrayal, and a future stolen before it began.

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In May 1995, Harvard sophomore Trang Ho was found murdered inside her dorm suite — the attack carried out by someone shockingly close to her. The killing stunned the Harvard campus and left classmates asking how such violence could erupt behind dorm room walls.  

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Trang’s journey from Vietnam to Harvard, her rise as a standout scholar, and the troubling signs of obsession and isolation her roommate Sinedu Tadesse revealed before everything collapsed in violence. Behind the ivy-covered walls, this case revealed painful truths about mental health, cultural isolation, and the consequences of ignoring red flags.

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In April 2008, 22-year-old college student Lola Martinez was found murdered inside her dorm apartment at Purdue University Fort Wayne. At first, investigators feared a random attack. But the truth was far more shocking: the killer was not a stranger, but her roommate’s mother.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Lola’s story from her childhood in New Mexico to her new life in Indiana, and the overlooked red flags in Tina Morris’s past that led to a fatal confrontation. This disturbing case of campus violence exposes the dangers that can arise when rules are ignored and trust is misplaced.

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A Yale graduate student is gunned down just blocks from his fiancée’s apartment.

Kevin Jiang, 26, was an Army veteran, a man of faith, and a rising scholar in environmental science. He had just proposed to the woman he loved, and the couple was planning their future together. But on a February night in 2021, a minor car collision became the opening move in a calculated attack that left Kevin dead in the street.

The investigation that followed would take detectives far beyond the quiet New Haven neighborhood where it happened. Surveillance footage, stolen cars, and a trail of discarded evidence pointed to an unlikely suspect—a former MIT graduate with no connection to Kevin, but a hidden link to his fiancée. What began as a baffling, seemingly random murder unraveled into a manhunt across multiple states for a fugitive who nearly planned the perfect crime.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow the case from the night of the shooting to the dramatic conclusion—and the chilling truth behind a killer driven by obsession.

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