Born in 1960, Dahmer’s childhood was marked by isolation, emotional withdrawal, and early warning signs that were never fully addressed. As an adult, his life became a cycle of drinking, job loss, arrests, and escalating violence. Between 1978 and 1991, he murdered seventeen men and boys across Ohio and Wisconsin.
This episode traces Dahmer’s life chronologically—from his early years and first homicide, through his repeated brushes with police, to the final moments inside his Milwaukee apartment on North 25th Street. We examine how victims entered his life, how the crimes escalated, and how institutional failures—missed arrests, returned victims, and ignored warnings—allowed the violence to continue.
This is not a mythologized portrait. It is a documented reconstruction of how one of America’s most infamous serial killers operated in plain sight—and how the system repeatedly failed the people he targeted.
Works Cited / Sources
Books
Ressler, Robert K., and Tom Shachtman. Whoever Fights Monsters. St. Martin’s Press, 1992.
Masters, Brian. The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer. Hodder & Stoughton, 1993.
Norris, Joel. Serial Killers. Anchor Books, 1991.
Court Records & Official Documents
State of Wisconsin v. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, Criminal Complaint and Trial Transcripts, Milwaukee County Circuit Court (1992).
Milwaukee Police Department Incident Reports (1991).
Interviews & Primary Sources
FBI Behavioral Science Unit interviews with Jeffrey Dahmer (1991).
Dahmer confession transcripts and videotaped interviews, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
Documentaries
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012), dir. Chris Crowder.
Dahmer on Dahmer: A Serial Killer Speaks (2020), Oxygen Network.
Journalism
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporting (1991–1994).
Associated Press coverage of the Dahmer trial and sentencing.
Jack Unterweger was supposed to be the exception—the proof that rehabilitation worked.
Born into poverty in post-war Austria, raised amid neglect and instability, Unterweger’s early life spiraled quickly into violence. By his mid-20s, he had already murdered a young woman. Sentenced to life in prison, he reinvented himself behind bars as a writer and intellectual, publishing poetry, essays, and an acclaimed autobiography.
Then something unprecedented happened.
Austria embraced him.
Journalists, politicians, artists, and prison reform advocates championed Unterweger as a symbol of redemption. He was paroled, celebrated in elite literary circles, and invited onto television and lecture stages. He traveled internationally as a reporter—while women across Europe and the United States began turning up dead.
This episode follows Unterweger’s life chronologically:
from childhood neglect and early crimes,
to literary fame behind prison walls,
to the devastating realization that his “rehabilitation” coincided with a new, transatlantic killing spree.
We examine how cultural optimism, media influence, and institutional blind spots allowed a convicted murderer unprecedented access—and how long it took investigators to see what was happening in plain sight.
This is the story of Jack Unterweger:
a serial killer who convinced the world he had changed—until the bodies forced the truth back into the light.
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📚 Sources / Works Cited
Books
• Blom, Philipp. Böse Bücher: Der Fall Jack Unterweger. Vienna: Zsolnay Verlag.
• Unterweger, Jack. Fegefeuer oder die Reise ins Zuchthaus. Vienna: edition a.
• Ley, Walter. Der Dichter und der Henker: Jack Unterweger. Vienna: Ueberreuter.
Court & Legal Records
• Landesgericht für Strafsachen Wien (Vienna Regional Criminal Court).
Judgment and sentencing records in the Jack Unterweger homicide cases.
• Austrian Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof).
Appeal and sentencing confirmation documents.
Journalism & Investigative Reporting
• Der Spiegel. “Der Serienmörder als Star.”
• The New York Times. Coverage of Unterweger’s U.S. murders and international arrest.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung. Long-form reporting on Unterweger’s parole and literary fame.
Documentaries
• ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation). Jack Unterweger – Die Geschichte eines Mörders.
• BBC Documentary Archive. The Model Prisoner Myth.
Academic / Criminal Justice Analysis
• Austrian Ministry of Justice reports on parole reform and post-Unterweger policy changes
• Criminological reviews on rehabilitation failure and media influence in violent offenders
For years, women disappeared from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside—one by one, quietly, with little urgency from authorities. Many were Indigenous. Many were living in poverty. Most were reported missing, and then forgotten.
This episode examines the case of Robert Pickton, a pig farmer from Port Coquitlam whose property would later become one of the most disturbing crime scenes in Canadian history. While Pickton was ultimately convicted of six murders, evidence uncovered during the investigation pointed to far more victims, raising questions about how long he was able to operate—and why repeated warnings went unheeded.
We trace the timeline of the disappearances, the culture of neglect surrounding the missing women, and the investigative failures that allowed the killings to continue for years. This is not just the story of a serial killer, but of a system that repeatedly failed the people most in need of protection.
This episode discusses violence against women and systemic neglect. Listener discretion is advised. Also thanks for following us into 2026 have a happy new year and stay with us in 2026 for one amazing journey.
Sources
Cameron, Stevie. On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver’s Missing Women. Knopf Canada, 2010.
Canadian Encyclopedia. “Robert Pickton.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada,
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/robert-pickton.
CBC News. “Robert Pickton Trial and Missing Women Investigation.” CBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, www.cbc.ca.
CTV News. “Pickton Police Interrogation Tapes and Court Coverage.” CTV News, Bell Media, www.ctvnews.ca.
Missing Women Commission of Inquiry. Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry. Province of British Columbia, 2012.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “Robert Pickton Case Summary.” RCMP, Government of Canada, www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Reuters. “Timeline: Canada’s Deadliest Serial Killer Case.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, www.reuters.com.
Swinney, Chris. Pickton: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer. John Blake Publishing, 2014.
The Globe and Mail. “Robert Pickton: Trial, Evidence, and Aftermath.” The Globe and Mail, www.theglobeandmail.com.
The Pig Farm. Directed by Michael Harbauer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011.
Vancouver Sun. “Robert Pickton Murder Trial Coverage.” Vancouver Sun, Postmedia Network, vancouversun.com.
For decades, Jeffrey Epstein moved through elite circles with near-total immunity. He wasn’t hiding—he was hosting. Flying. Donating. Introducing people to one another.
Behind that access was a system built on exploitation.
This episode examines the documented record surrounding Epstein’s trafficking operation: how it functioned, who enabled it, and why early warnings were ignored. We break down the Palm Beach investigation, the federal non-prosecution agreement that stopped a wider case in its tracks, and the civil filings that later reopened questions prosecutors never answered.
Using court documents, sworn depositions, flight records, and victim testimony, we trace how Epstein’s network operated across state and international lines—and how powerful institutions repeatedly failed to intervene.
This is not rumor.
This is not internet speculation.
These are files.
And they raise one unavoidable question:
Who was protected—and why?
Sources
Court Records & Legal Document
• United States v. Jeffrey Epstein (2008) – Federal non-prosecution agreement, Southern District of Florida
• Giuffre v. Maxwell, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (civil filings, depositions, exhibits)
• Epstein Victims’ Rights Act litigation – Eleventh Circuit Court records (Crime Victims’ Rights Act violations)
Investigative Journalism
• Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald —
“Perversion of Justice” investigative series (2018–2019)
• New York Times investigative reporting on Epstein’s finances, arrests, and death
• Washington Post coverage of Epstein’s plea deal, jail death, and federal investigation fallout
Books
• Brown, Julie K. Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story
• Farrow, Ronan. Catch and Kill (context on media suppression and institutional pressure)
Government & Official Records
• U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
Review of the Epstein Non-Prosecution Agreement
• Federal Bureau of Prisons reports related to Epstein’s incarceration and death
Verified Supporting Materials
• Publicly released flight logs and aviation records entered into civil litigation
• Settlement documents and victim affidavits filed in New York and Florida courts
The Tylenol Murders: A Crime That Changed America
In the fall of 1982, people across the Chicago area did something millions of Americans did every day—they took Tylenol.
Within hours, they were dead.
At least seven people were killed after ingesting Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. There was no warning, no visible tampering, and no obvious connection between the victims. What initially appeared to be a medical mystery quickly revealed itself as something far more terrifying: a random, invisible act of murder hiding in plain sight on pharmacy shelves.
In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we reconstruct the Tylenol murders from the first unexplained deaths to the nationwide panic that followed. We examine how investigators traced the poisonings, why the crime was so difficult to solve, and how a single unknown offender forced law enforcement, corporations, and lawmakers to rethink product safety forever.
More than four decades later, the case remains officially unsolved.
No arrest.
No conviction.
Only a legacy of fear—and the safety seals we now take for granted.
Sources & References
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — Case summaries, investigative challenges, and offender profiling
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Epidemiological response and poisoning analysis
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — Regulatory changes and packaging reforms following the murders
• Chicago Tribune — Contemporary reporting, victim timelines, and investigation updates
• The New York Times — National coverage of the panic, recalls, and long-term impact
• Johnson & Johnson — Corporate response, product recall, and crisis management documentation
• Associated Press — Early reporting and nationwide reaction
• Illinois State Police Records — Investigative coordination and evidence handling
• U.S. Congressional Records (1980s) — Legislative response leading to tamper-evident packaging laws
Pedrinho Matador: The Killer Who Claimed Vigilante Justice
For decades, Pedro Rodrigues Filho, known as Pedrinho Matador, told the world a story that was easy to believe—and dangerous to accept.
He said he only killed criminals.
That his victims were rapists, murderers, and abusers.
That he wasn’t a serial killer, but a vigilante doing what the justice system wouldn’t.
But court records, witness testimony, and timelines tell a far more complicated story.
In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we trace Pedro Rodrigues Filho’s life from a violent childhood in rural Brazil to a body count that may exceed seventy victims. We examine how his crimes unfolded, how authorities responded, and how media coverage helped transform a convicted killer into a folk figure for “street justice.”
This is not a story about heroism.
It’s a story about how violence gets justified, how myths are built around brutality, and what happens when someone appoints themselves judge, jury, and executioner.
Because when someone claims to kill for justice, the most important question isn’t why—
it’s who gets to decide.
Sources & References
• BBC News — Coverage of Pedro Rodrigues Filho’s crimes, prison sentences, and public notoriety
• The Guardian — Reporting on his vigilante claims, media myth-making, and later life
• Reuters — Death report and historical overview of crimes and convictions
• Associated Press — Court history, sentencing limits in Brazil, and public reaction
• Folha de S.Paulo — Contemporary Brazilian reporting on arrests, prison years, and interviews
• O Globo — Coverage of his murders, incarceration, and later media presence
• Brazilian Criminal Court Records — Sentencing documentation and incarceration history
• Academic commentary on vigilantism and moral disengagement — Context for public support narratives surrounding violent offenders
At first glance, Belle Gunness seemed like the embodiment of the American Dream — a Norwegian immigrant who built a new life in the United States with a home, a farm, business ventures, and a family. But beneath the surface lay a chilling pattern of mystery, deception, and death that would make her one of the most notorious female serial killers in American history. 
Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth in rural Norway, Belle came to the United States in 1881 seeking opportunity. Over the following decades, multiple husbands, children, suitors, and farmhands died under suspicious circumstances — deaths that continually brought her financial gain through insurance claims, property, and cash from unsuspecting victims. 
By the early 1900s, she was placing personal ads in Midwestern newspapers, seeking companionship and promising a share of her prosperous Indiana farm. The men who answered the call — carrying their life savings — never returned. Investigators later uncovered numerous shallow graves and dismembered remains on her property, suggesting Belle had killed at least 14 people and perhaps many more before vanishing herself. 
In April 1908, a devastating fire destroyed her farmhouse, killing her children and revealing the charred body of a woman believed to be Gunness — but questions about whether it truly was her endured. Some investigators and historians suggest she faked her death and escaped, adding layers of mystery that have persisted for more than a century. 
This episode explores the complex life of Belle Gunness — from her Norwegian roots and early hardships to her calculated crimes in Illinois and Indiana. We examine how she exploited trust, manipulated circumstances for profit, and left behind unanswered questions about her final fate. It’s a story of ambition, betrayal, and the dark side of the American promise. 
📚 Primary & Scholarly Sources
1. Harold Schechter
Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
— One of the most authoritative modern books on Gunness. Deep archival research, letters, insurance fraud, victim list analysis.
2. Ralph Lawson
Belle Gunness: The Lady Bluebeard
— Early 20th-century account using newspaper archives and firsthand reporting. Important for period language and contemporary reactions.
3. Indiana State Library – Indiana Historical Bureau
Belle Gunness / La Porte Murder Farm
— Verified historical summaries, official victim counts, and primary documentation.
4. La Porte County Historical Society (Indiana)
— Local records, coroner reports, farm ownership history, and excavation findings.
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📰 Contemporary Newspaper Archives (Primary Evidence)
5. The Indianapolis Star (1908–1910 coverage)
— Original reporting on the farm fire, body discoveries, and investigation.
6. Chicago Tribune (1908)
— Coverage of missing suitors, insurance fraud, and national reaction.
7. The New York Times (April–May 1908)
— National framing of the case and early speculation.
(Accessed via Newspapers.com, Chronicling America, or ProQuest)
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🏛️ Government & Archival Records
8. La Porte County Coroner’s Inquest Records (1908)
— Victim remains, cause-of-death determinations, and official findings.
9. U.S. Census Records (1880–1910)
— Verified household composition, aliases, and timeline consistency.
10. Insurance Company Records (Mutual Life, etc.)
— Fire insurance and child-death payouts tied to Gunness.
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🌐 Academic & Curated Digital Sources
11. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (Historical Serial Killer Profiles)
— Contextual analysis of early female serial offenders.
12. Smithsonian Magazine
“The Unsolved Mystery of America’s First Female Serial Killer”
13. History.com
— Overview article with vetted summaries (use for background only).
14. Encyclopedia Britannica
— High-level biographical verification.
Charles Manson was not a criminal mastermind hiding in the shadows — he was a drifter, a manipulator, and a deeply damaged man who learned how to weaponize belief, fear, and devotion.
This multi-part series examines Manson’s life from childhood abuse and institutionalization to the formation of the Manson Family and the murders that shocked the world.
Rather than glorifying violence, this series focuses on control, coercion, group psychology, and the systemic failures that allowed Manson to operate in plain sight — and how ordinary people became instruments of murder.
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Sources List
(Same sources for Part 1 and Part 2 — you can copy/paste this under both episodes)
Primary Books
Bugliosi, Vincent, and Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company.
Guinn, Jeff. Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson. Simon & Schuster.
Sanders, Ed. The Family: The Story of Charles Manson’s Dune Buggy Attack Battalion. Thunder’s Mouth Press.
Watson, Tex. Will You Die for Me? — firsthand account from Manson Family member.
Kasabian, Linda. Member of the Family — primary witness perspective.
Court Records & Legal Documents
California v. Charles Milles Manson et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court (1969–1971)
Trial transcripts and sentencing records (Los Angeles Superior Court archives)
Government & Archival Sources
California Department of Corrections inmate records (Charles Manson)
FBI Vault: Manson Family files
Los Angeles Times historical crime archives (1967–1971)
Reputable Journalism
Los Angeles Times investigative series on the Tate–LaBianca murders
Rolling Stone long-form reporting on Manson and cult psychology
Associated Press coverage of trial, sentencing, and parole hearings
Academic & Psychological Analysis
Lifton, Robert Jay — coercive persuasion and cult behavior
Singer, Margaret Thaler — group influence and psychological control
FBI Behavioral Science Unit commentary on cult leaders
Charles Manson was not a criminal mastermind hiding in the shadows — he was a drifter, a manipulator, and a deeply damaged man who learned how to weaponize belief, fear, and devotion.
This multi-part series examines Manson’s life from childhood abuse and institutionalization to the formation of the Manson Family and the murders that shocked the world.
Rather than glorifying violence, this series focuses on control, coercion, group psychology, and the systemic failures that allowed Manson to operate in plain sight — and how ordinary people became instruments of murder.
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Sources List
(Same sources for Part 1 and Part 2 — you can copy/paste this under both episodes)
Primary Books
Court Records & Legal Documents
Government & Archival Sources
Reputable Journalism
Academic & Psychological Analysis
The Cleveland Torso Murders: Ohio’s Headless Horror
Cleveland, Ohio.
The 1930s.
During the depths of the Great Depression, bodies began appearing along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, near rail yards, shantytowns, and forgotten corners of the city. They were dismembered. Often decapitated. Almost always unidentifiable.
The press would name the unknown killer The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
Police called it something colder: the Torso Murders.
Between 1935 and 1938, at least twelve victims—men and women—were murdered, mutilated, and left in public places. Heads removed. Sometimes limbs severed. Bodies cleaned with chemicals. The killer showed anatomical knowledge and a chilling comfort with post-mortem violence.
Most victims were never identified.
As fear spread, the case drew national attention—and landed on the desk of one of the most famous lawmen in American history: Eliot Ness, fresh from taking down Al Capone.
What followed was a mix of aggressive policing, questionable tactics, a prime suspect who was never charged, and a killer who simply… stopped.
To this day, the Cleveland Torso Murders remain unsolved.
This episode tells the full story:
A serial killer walked through Cleveland in plain sight.
And history let him disappear.
SOURCES & RESEARCH REFERENCES
Primary & Historical Sources
• U.S. Department of Justice Archives — Cleveland Torso Murders Case Files
• Cleveland Police Historical Records & Cold Case Unit Materials
• Torso Murders by John Stark Bellamy II
Books
• Bellamy, J. S. (1990). The Torso Murders: The Untold Story of Cleveland’s Mad Butcher. Gray & Company.
• Badal, J. (2015). In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland’s Torso Murders. Kent State University Press.
Newspapers & Contemporary Reporting
• The Cleveland Plain Dealer (1930s archival coverage)
• The Cleveland Press (1934–1938)
Academic & Law Enforcement Analysis
• Ohio History Connection Archives
• FBI Behavioral Analysis references on early serial murder patterns
boarded a routine flight from Portland to Seattle.
He ordered a drink, calmly handed a note to a flight attendant, and claimed he had a bomb. What followed was one of the boldest and most baffling crimes in American history.
After demanding $200,000 in cash and four parachutes, Cooper hijacked the plane, released the passengers, and vanished into the night—leaping from the aircraft somewhere over the Pacific Northwest. No confirmed sightings. No arrest. No body. Just fragments of money found years later along a riverbank.
More than fifty years on, the mystery remains unsolved.
In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we break down every known detail: the timeline of the hijacking, the FBI’s massive manhunt, the suspects who almost fit, the evidence that didn’t, and the theories that still divide investigators. Was D.B. Cooper a trained skydiver? A desperate criminal? Or did he pull off the only unsolved skyjacking in U.S. history?
Sources:
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “The FBI Vault: D.B. Cooper.”
FBI Records & Vault Files (case summaries, evidence, suspect lists).
• Federal Bureau of Investigation. “NORJAK: The D.B. Cooper Hijacking.”
Official FBI case overview and historical context.
• Geoffrey Gray. Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper.
Crown Publishing Group, 2011.
• Robert M. Blevins. Into the Blast: The True Story of D.B. Cooper.
CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2019.
• Bruce A. Smith & Richard Tosaw. D.B. Cooper and Flight 305.
Mountain News Press, 2016.
• The Oregonian. “D.B. Cooper: 40+ Years of Theories.”
Investigative reporting and regional analysis.
• Smithsonian Magazine. “The Unsolved Mystery of D.B. Cooper.”
Historical and forensic discussion.
• History.com Editors. “D.B. Cooper Hijacking.”
A&E Television Networks.
• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Aircraft data and flight-related technical analysis.
The Zodiac Killer is the unidentified serial murderer responsible for a series of attacks in Northern California between 1968 and 1969, followed by years of taunting letters sent to police and newspapers. The case remains officially unsolved, making it one of the most infamous cold cases in American criminal history.
The Zodiac first emerged in December 1968, targeting young couples in secluded areas. His crimes escalated quickly, growing more brazen and public. What set him apart from other killers was not only the violence, but his deliberate effort to control the narrative—writing letters, enclosing cryptograms, and demanding media attention while threatening further bloodshed.
Law enforcement has confirmed five murders and two surviving victims as definitively linked to the Zodiac. However, the killer claimed responsibility for dozens more, a claim that has never been substantiated but added to public fear.
The attacks occurred across multiple jurisdictions:
• Rural lovers’ lanes
• A public lakeside park in daylight
• And finally, an urban street in San Francisco, marking a dramatic shift in confidence and risk
In several letters, the Zodiac provided details only the killer would know, included pieces of victims’ clothing, and mocked police for their inability to catch him. His signature symbol—a circle with crosshairs—became synonymous with the case.
Between 1969 and 1974, the Zodiac sent dozens of letters and cards to newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle. These communications included four cryptographic ciphers, some of which took decades to partially decode. The messages revealed a disturbing fixation on control, notoriety, and the idea of killing as a game. Despite extensive analysis, none of the decoded ciphers conclusively identified the killer.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including local police departments, the California Department of Justice, and the FBI. Over the years, several suspects have been publicly named, but no one has ever been charged, and no definitive forensic evidence has closed the case.
Decades later, the Zodiac Killer remains a symbol of:
• Media manipulation by offenders
• Inter-agency investigative challenges
• The limitations of forensic science in the pre-DNA era
The case continues to attract renewed attention through modern cryptography, amateur investigations, and evolving forensic techniques—but as of today, the Zodiac’s true identity remains unknown.
Sources
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — The Vault: Zodiac Killer (Case File 9-HQ-49911)
• Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Zodiac Killer”
• San Francisco Chronicle (1969–1974 archives) — Original Zodiac letters and reporting
• San Francisco Examiner — Published Zodiac correspondence and investigative coverage
• Vallejo Times-Herald — Early reporting on Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs attacks
• Graysmith, Robert. Zodiac. Chronicle Books, 1986
• Graysmith, Robert. Zodiac Unmasked. Berkley Books, 2002
• Oranchak, David; Blake, Sam; Van Eycke, Jarl.
“Solution of the Zodiac Killer’s 340-Character Cipher” (2020)
• History.com — “The Zodiac Killer: A Timeline”
• California Department of Justice — Historical case references and summaries
In the quiet community of Circleville, residents began receiving anonymous letters filled with intimate secrets, accusations, and threats. Affairs were exposed. Families were torn apart. Reputations were destroyed. And when one man tried to stop the letters, he ended up dead.
Even after an arrest and conviction, the letters didn’t stop.
In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we unravel the chilling mystery of the Circleville Letters — a case involving obsession, small-town paranoia, a suspicious death, and a question that still lingers decades later: Was the real letter writer ever caught… or was the truth hidden in plain sight the entire time?
This isn’t a story about violence at first.
It’s a story about fear, control, and how words alone can ruin lives.
Sources
• Keel, John A. The Circleville Letters: A Mystery of Ohio. Gray Barker Enterprises.
(One of the earliest deep dives into the case; often referenced despite its age.)
• Unsolved Mysteries, Season 4, Episode 5 (1989).
Segment: The Circleville Letters. NBC.
(Widely credited with bringing national attention to the case.)
• Dateline NBC. Secrets of the Poison Pen.
(Explores the letters, the conviction, and lingering doubts.)
• Columbus Dispatch.
Coverage of the Circleville Letters case and Paul Freshour conviction.
(Local reporting provides historical context and court details.)
• Pickaway County Court Records.
State of Ohio v. Paul Freshour.
(Trial, conviction, and sentencing documentation.)
• Ohio Supreme Court & Appellate Court Records.
Appeals filed by Paul Freshour related to the Circleville Letters case.
• FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (Referenced in media).
Profiling discussions on anonymous letter-writing and poison-pen cases.
• History.com.
“The Circleville Letters: Ohio’s Poison Pen Mystery.”
(General overview used by many documentary productions.)
For years, John Wayne Gacy was the kind of man communities trust without question. A local businessman. A political volunteer. A neighbor who hosted parties and shook hands with police officers. Parents let their sons work for him. Politicians posed for photos beside him.
And beneath his house on Summerdale Avenue, dozens of boys and young men were disappearing.
In this episode, we trace Gacy’s life from a violent childhood and early warning signs to the calculated double life that allowed him to murder at least 33 victims while hiding in plain sight. We examine how power, respectability, and institutional failure created the perfect cover — and why so many warning signs were ignored until it was far too late.
This is not the story of a clown costume.
It’s the story of how authority, charm, and silence buried the truth under one ordinary suburban home.
Listener discretion advised.
Sources & Research
• Kolar, John Douglas, The Clown and the Candyman: The Murders of John Wayne Gacy and the Man Who Got Away With It (Dutton, 2021).
• Rule, Ann. Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders (Signet, 1980).
• Sullivan, Kevin. The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer (Doubleday, 1993).
• Illinois Supreme Court Records, People of the State of Illinois v. John Wayne Gacy (1979–1980).
• Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reports and victim identification records.
• Chicago Tribune archival reporting on the Gacy investigation and trial (1978–1994).
• FBI Behavioral Science Unit commentary on John Wayne Gacy (archival interviews and case analyses).
What begins as a small religious movement in rural America slowly transforms into something far more dangerous.
In this episode, we examine the Lebanon cult—a secretive group built on faith, absolute obedience, and psychological control. Behind closed doors, members were isolated from their families, stripped of independence, and taught to fear the outside world. Loyalty was demanded. Doubt was punished.
As allegations of abuse, coercion, and manipulation surfaced, authorities and loved ones struggled to understand how an entire community could fall under the influence of a single belief system—and why so many stayed even when warning signs were everywhere.
We break down:
• How the cult formed and recruited members
• The leader’s methods of control and indoctrination
• Life inside the group—and what leaving really meant
• The investigation that finally exposed the truth
This is a story about belief pushed to the extreme, and the devastating cost when faith becomes power.
Sources
• Lebanon Daily News.
“Children have died from Lebanon’s Faith Tabernacle for 100 years.”
Gannett, March 10, 2017.
(Investigative reporting documenting decades of child deaths tied to Faith Tabernacle’s faith-healing doctrine.)
• Lebanon Daily News.
“Charges refiled against Faith Tabernacle pastor.”
Gannett, May 1, 2017.
(Coverage of felony involuntary manslaughter charges involving the death of a child from untreated pneumonia.)
• Associated Press.
“In sect that shuns medicine, case against pastor is novel.”
AP News, 2017.
(National reporting on the legal implications of prosecuting religious leaders for faith-based medical neglect.)
• People Magazine.
“Faith-Healing Pastor Charged in Granddaughter’s Death.”
People.com, 2017.
(Summary of criminal charges and background on Faith Tabernacle’s beliefs.)
• NBC Philadelphia.
“Faith Healing Churches Linked to Dozens of Child Deaths.”
NBCUniversal, 2017.
(Regional investigative reporting connecting multiple child fatalities to faith-healing congregations in Pennsylvania.)
• TIME Magazine.
“Religion: In Lebanon.”
TIME, 1924.
(Early historical documentation of Faith Tabernacle’s rejection of medical treatment.)
• Children’s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty (CHILD USA).
“Religion-Related Medical Neglect.”
childrenshealthcare.org.
(Contextual analysis on faith-based medical neglect and child-welfare law.)
In April 2011, a quiet home in Nantes, France concealed a crime that would haunt investigators for more than a decade.
Beneath the patio, police discovered the bodies of Agnès Dupont de Ligonnès and her four children, carefully wrapped and buried. There were no signs of forced entry. No struggle reported by neighbors. And one person was already gone.
Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès — husband, father, and the family’s only surviving member — had vanished.
In the days following the murders, Xavier withdrew cash, traveled across southern France, and was last seen on surveillance footage walking toward a remote mountain area. What happened next remains unknown. No body was ever found. No confirmed sightings followed.
Was this a meticulously planned escape? A final act of suicide? Or one of the most successful disappearances in modern criminal history?
In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we reconstruct the timeline leading up to the murders, examine Xavier’s psychology and financial collapse, and trace every confirmed movement before he disappeared — leaving behind six graves and a question that still has no answer.
Sources
Books
• Renaud Pila, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès: La Traque
• Society of Journalists (France), L’Affaire Dupont de Ligonnès (investigative collective reporting)
• Bernard Nicolas, Sans traces: L’énigme Dupont de Ligonnès
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Documentaries / Television
• Netflix – Unsolved Mysteries, Volume 1, Episode: “House of Terror”
• France 2 – L’Affaire Dupont de Ligonnès (Cash Investigation / Envoyé Spécial segments)
• BFMTV – Special reports on the Nantes murders and disappearance
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Newspapers & Investigative Journalism
• Le Monde – In-depth reporting on the murders, disappearance, and false sightings
• Le Figaro – Timeline and investigative analysis
• Libération – Psychological and behavioral profiling coverage
• AFP (Agence France-Presse) – Official police statements and verified developments
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Police & Judicial Sources
• Nantes Public Prosecutor’s Office (Procureur de la République de Nantes)
• French National Police (Police Nationale) press releases and case briefings
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Additional Reporting / Analysis
• BBC News – Coverage of the 2019 Glasgow misidentification and international manhunt
• The Guardian – Long-form analysis on the disappearance and public fascination
On December 30, 2000, an entire family was brutally murdered inside their home in Setagaya, Tokyo.
What makes this case different isn’t just the violence — it’s what happened after.
The killer didn’t rush.
He stayed inside the house for hours.
He ate food from the refrigerator.
He used the bathroom.
He left behind fingerprints, DNA, clothing, and countless clues.
And then he vanished.
More than two decades later, the Setagaya family murders remain one of the most confounding unsolved cases in modern history. Despite overwhelming physical evidence, no arrest has ever been made — and the man responsible has never been identified.
In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we walk through the night of the murders step by step, explore the family’s final hours, examine the unprecedented amount of evidence left behind, and ask the haunting question investigators still can’t answer:
How does someone leave everything… and still disappear?
Sources
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. (n.d.). Setagaya family murder case (Seijo incident). Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/safe_society/wanted/seijo.html
ABC News. (2019, December 29). The killer without a face: Japan’s most baffling unsolved murder. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-29/the-house-of-horrors-in-setagaya-japan/11771304
Japan Today. (2024). Setagaya family murders remain unsolved after more than two decades.
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/setagaya-family-murders-remain-unsolved-after-24-years-1
The Mystery Box. (2021). What we really know about the Setagaya family murder. Medium.
https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/what-we-really-know-about-the-setagaya-family-murder-a87389875e71
Red Web. (2022). What happened in Japan’s most mysterious unsolved crime? YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC4Y8dzvt0E
The Mystorian. (2023). The killer without a face: The Setagaya family murders. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmEmHOeV0lQ
The Monster of Florence is one of Europe’s most disturbing and unsolved serial-killer cases. Between 1968 and 1985, a killer the press nicknamed Il Mostro—“The Monster”—stalked the hills and countryside outside Florence, Italy. His victims were young couples seeking privacy in parked cars, unaware that someone was hunting them in the dark.
This episode takes you through the full timeline, from the first double homicide in 1968 to the final murders in 1985. We break down the killer’s method, the forensic patterns linking each attack, and how investigators pursued suspects ranging from local farmers to voyeurs, to the now-infamous theory of a “Sardinian connection.”
We’ll cover the chaotic police work, political pressure, wrongful convictions, and the massive investigation that spanned decades—yet still ended with no confirmed Monster ever identified.
Why did the killer stop?
Did the police target the wrong men?
And could Il Mostro still be alive?
This is the chilling and complex story of The Monster of Florence, a case that shaped Italy’s criminal history and remains shrouded in mystery to this day.
Sources
• Preston, Douglas & Mario Spezi. The Monster of Florence. Grand Central Publishing, 2008.
• Cornwell, Patricia. The Monster of Florence: A True Story. St. Martin’s Press, 2014.
• The Guardian. “The Monster of Florence: Inside Italy’s Most Notorious Unsolved Serial Killer Case.”
• Time Magazine. “The True Story Behind the Monster of Florence Murders.”
• La Repubblica (Italy). Coverage of the Monster of Florence investigation and trials.
• Corriere della Sera (Italy). Reporting on suspects, court proceedings, and appeals.
• RAI Italian Television – Investigative specials on Il Mostro di Firenze.
• CBS / 48 Hours – “The Monster of Florence” segment.
• Crime Library (Archived) – “Monster of Florence” case overview.
• Murderpedia – Victim list and case summaries.
On a rainy night in Columbus, Ohio, 27-year-old medical student Brian Shaffer walked into a packed bar—and was never seen walking out. No struggle. No panic. Just a man who seemed to erase himself inside a building crawling with people and surrounded by cameras.
In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most baffling disappearances in modern true crime. We walk through Brian’s final hours, the unexplained gaps in surveillance, the clues that went nowhere, and the unsettling theories that have followed this case for nearly two decades.
Was this a calculated escape? A tragic accident? Or something far darker hidden in the blind spots of the early 2000s?
Join us as we explore the timeline, the relationships, the leads investigators chased—and the gaping silence left behind. Brian Shaffer didn’t just go missing… he slipped into a mystery that refuses to give answers.
Sources
• Columbus Police Missing Persons Unit case information
• The Columbus Dispatch – archival reports on Brian Shaffer’s disappearance (2006–present)
• The Lantern (Ohio State University) – coverage of the investigation and campus impact
• Dateline NBC: “Missing in America” – Brian Shaffer segment
• Interviews with friends and family quoted in ABC News and local Columbus media
• FBI ViCAP Bulletin on Brian Shaffer
• Court records connected to follow-up investigative warrants (Franklin County, OH)
• Timeline documents released through public-records requests to Columbus PD
In the early 1970s, California was terrorized by a string of murders committed by a man who believed he was preventing a catastrophe. Herbert Mullin wasn’t killing for pleasure, profit, or power — he was killing because he thought the voices in his mind were warning him of an imminent earthquake, one that would destroy the state if he didn’t offer human sacrifices first.
This episode dives deep into Mullin’s unraveling psyche, tracing his journey from a once-promising student and athlete to a young man consumed by untreated schizophrenia. We examine his early warning signs, his fixation on natural disasters, and the intense delusions that ultimately guided his violent actions.
Inside this episode: