Los Angeles. Fall of 1977.
What began as a single, heartbreaking homicide would soon become one of the most infamous serial murder investigations in California history.
In Part 1, we step back into a city on the edge and focus on the lives of the first three known victims: Yolanda Washington, Judith Ann Miller, and Elissa "Lissa" Kastin. Together, we'll explore who they were, the dreams they had, and the haunting similarities that first caught detectives' attention.
As investigators begin comparing evidence, an unsettling pattern starts to emerge. Witnesses come forward, theories begin to form, and Los Angeles slowly realizes these tragedies may not be isolated after all.
Because before there was a nickname...
Before there were suspects...
There were victims.
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of murder, sexual assault, violence against women, and crimes involving a minor. Listener discretion is advised.
🎙️ Follow A Dime of Crime so you don't miss Part 2, where the investigation takes an even darker turn and detectives begin uncovering the terrifying truth behind the case.
📚 Research & Sources
This episode was researched using a combination of court records, newspaper archives, documentaries, and historical reporting, including:
- The Hillside Stranglers by Darcy O'Brien (1981)
- The Playboy Murders
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Behavioral Science Unit historical resources
- Los Angeles Police Department historical case information
- Contemporary reporting from the Los Angeles Times
- Contemporary reporting from the The New York Times
- Associated Press archives
- People Magazine historical reporting
- A&E documentary resources
- Historical court records and publicly available trial documents
Additional research was cross-referenced with archived newspaper articles and publicly available historical records to verify dates, victim information, and investigative timelines.