She stumbled out of the woods, barefoot and bloodied. What she claimed happened didn’t match the evidence.

Ezra McCandless was a young artist with a shifting sense of self and a complicated love life. In 2018, she became the center of a bizarre murder case after the body of Alex Woodworth—her former lover—was found stabbed to death in the woods of Wisconsin. Ezra told police she acted in self-defense, but investigators soon uncovered a tangled web of jealousy, manipulation, and obsession.

This episode explores a queer-coded case where nothing is what it seems. Was Ezra a victim—or a calculating killer hiding behind vulnerability and identity?

Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers brings chilling crimes, queer stories, and twisted justice to light—all with a cold one in hand.

Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ history.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBQ1epY0Ce4

https://www.courttv.com/title/10-28-19-wi-v-mccandless-defendant-cross-examination/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She was bold, beautiful, and proud of who she was. Then someone decided that was reason enough to kill her.

In 2019, 17-year-old trans teen Nikki Kuhnhausen went missing after a night out in Vancouver, Washington. Her remains were found six months later, hidden in the woods. As police investigated, a horrifying motive emerged: a man lured her in, then killed her after learning she was transgender. But Nikki’s story didn’t end there. Her death sparked a wave of activism that helped change the law—and inspired the Nikki Kuhnhausen Act, banning the use of the “trans panic” defense in Washington State.

This episode is a tribute to Nikki’s life, a reckoning with hate-fueled violence, and a call for justice long overdue.

Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers brings chilling crimes, queer stories, and twisted justice to light—all with a cold one in hand.

Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ history.

Sources

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikki-kuhnhausen-david-bogdanov-transgender-teens-murder-new-law/

https://www.kgw.com/article/syndication/podcasts/should-be-alive/nikki-kuhnhausen-investigation-timeline-should-be-alive/283-42431d81-7d19-4bc0-8d1e-883f54cfb180

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A diplomat’s son vanished in Vienna without a trace. Authorities shrugged. A mother refused to let his memory fade.

In 2007, Aeryn Gillern—a U.S. citizen working for the United Nations—disappeared after leaving a gay sauna in Austria’s capital. Despite his prominent position and international ties, local police dismissed his case almost immediately. Rumors of anti-gay bias, institutional indifference, and political cover-ups began to swirl. Was his disappearance a tragic accident, a hate crime, or something more sinister? And why did the system seem determined to look the other way?

This is more than a missing persons case—it’s a chilling look at how power, privilege, and prejudice collide. A story of queer erasure with no ending in sight.

Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers brings chilling crimes, queer stories, and twisted justice to light—all with a cold one in hand.

Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ history.

Sources

http://www.aeryngillern.com/Aeryn_Gillern/Cobra_Team_Searches_Canal.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7pU9apQKhU

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The deeper investigators dug, the darker it got.

In Part 2, we pick up where the horrors left off—exploring the full scope of Herb Baumeister’s crimes, the men who vanished, and the unanswered questions that still linger today. Was he the I-70 Strangler? Or was someone else responsible for those earlier killings?

Despite the mounting evidence, no one has ever been officially charged for the I-70 murders. And Baumeister took many of his secrets to the grave.

This episode connects the dots between two chilling serial murder sprees and the queer lives lost along the way. It’s a story of silence, denial, and the justice that never came.

Pour a drink. Press play. And uncover what still lies beneath Fox Hollow Farm.

Sources

https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baumeister-herbert.htm

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/fbi-commits-thousands-of-dollars-to-renewed-serial-killer-herb-baumeister-investigation/531-02ce5c93-f9e3-4e54-a2cf-25a65bc38fe7

"Where The Bodies Are Buried" By Fannie Weinstein 

"You Think You Know Me" By Ryan Green

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was a successful businessman. A suburban dad. And a suspected serial killer hiding in plain sight.

In the 1990s, police investigating the disappearance of multiple gay men were led to the sprawling estate of Herb Baumeister, just outside Indianapolis. There, buried beneath a manicured lawn, were the remains of nearly a dozen men.

But the story doesn’t stop at his backyard. Part 1 uncovers Baumeister’s double life, his connection to the unsolved I-70 murders, and how queer victims were ignored for far too long.

This episode peels back the clean-cut image of a man who may have been one of the Midwest’s most prolific serial killers—and how systemic bias let him go undetected.

Grab a drink. Press play. And follow the trail of bones and lies.

Sources

https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baumeister-herbert.htm

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/fbi-commits-thousands-of-dollars-to-renewed-serial-killer-herb-baumeister-investigation/531-02ce5c93-f9e3-4e54-a2cf-25a65bc38fe7

"Where The Bodies Are Buried" By Fannie Weinstein

"You Think You Know Me" By Ryan Green

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some spirits never rest—especially the queer ones.

From haunted theaters to spectral drag queens and ghostly lovers separated by time, Queer Hauntings: Volume 1 takes listeners on a chilling journey through the paranormal side of LGBTQ+ history. These aren’t just ghost stories—they’re echoes of lives erased, loves forbidden, and communities that refused to be forgotten.

This episode explores tales of unexplained phenomena rooted in real-life tragedy, prejudice, and resistance. We ask: what happens when queer stories aren’t just left out of the history books—but come back to haunt them?

Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, this one’s fabulously eerie.

Light a candle. Pour a drink. Press play. And meet the ghosts that dance where queerness once thrived.

Sources

https://provincetownmagazine.com/index.php/2018/10/24/ghost-in-a-gown/

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/ghost-hunting-americas-oldest-gay-bar/

https://www.them.us/story/where-to-find-gay-queer-ghosts-ladies-of-llangollen-montgomery-clift

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She claimed she needed blood. Then someone died for it.

In 1989 Brisbane, Tracey Wigginton lured a man into her car and stabbed him more than two dozen times, leaving his body drained of blood near the river. The press dubbed her “The Lesbian Vampire Killer,” and the case quickly spiraled into a media circus.

But behind the headlines was something even stranger: a coven of self-proclaimed witches, occult rituals, and a killer who seemed to believe she had been chosen to consume blood.

This episode explores one of Australia’s most infamous queer crimes, blending sensationalism, mental illness, and violent identity crisis into a story that’s as unsettling as it is unforgettable.

Pour a drink. Press play. And enter the darkness with the woman who believed she was a vampire.

Sources-

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/lesbian-vampire-killer-who-drank-victims-blood/news-story/09102844937bc5d7f8ae57a6ecaa7d23

https://murderpedia.org/female.W/w/wigginton-tracey.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Killer-Ron-Hicks/dp/1409261905

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was Christmas Eve, and The Drama Club—Houma, Louisiana’s only gay bar—was full of holiday cheer. The celebration doubled as a birthday bash for Robert LeCompte, the bar’s beloved manager and local queer icon. But by morning, joy turned to horror. Robert was found brutally murdered inside the very space he helped make a sanctuary.

The shock of his killing tore through the tight-knit LGBTQ+ community. And as investigators searched for answers, suspicion circled those closest to the bar—coworkers, regulars, even friends.

This episode dives deep into the unsolved murder of a man who meant everything to his community, exploring the grief, fear, and unanswered questions that still haunt Houma.

Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers shines a spotlight on small-town queer stories that demand to be heard.

Grab a drink. Press play. And remember the life—and mystery—of Robert LeCompte.

Sources

https://www.houmatoday.com/story/news/2012/11/30/former-bartender-guilty-in-drama-club-killing/27034939007/

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/society/2014/01/murder-drama-club-louisiana

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He was smart, charismatic, and unafraid to live openly—until someone decided he should be silenced.

In 2004, University of Missouri student Jesse Valencia was found dead near campus. His throat had been slashed with surgical precision. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a forbidden relationship with a closeted cop—and a motive rooted in secrecy, shame, and power.

This episode examines how internalized homophobia and abuse of authority led to one of the most heartbreaking queer murders in college campus history. It’s a case about trust, coercion, and the price of being out when others will kill to stay hidden.

Pour a drink. Press play. And remember the life and legacy of Jesse Valencia.

Sources

https://www.themidwestcrimefiles.com/post/keeping-secrets-the-murder-of-jesse-valencia

https://www.the-sun.com/news/7484383/who-jesse-valencia-murder-missouri/

https://www.oxygen.com/an-unexpected-killer/crime-news/patrolman-steven-rios-kills-lover-jesse-valencia-affair

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He cruised highways with a smile—and left dozens of dead young men in his wake.

Larry Eyler was a charming figure with a sinister secret. Between the late 1970s and early 1980s, he murdered at least 20 young men across the American Midwest, many of them gay or perceived to be. Known as “The Highway Killer,” he lured victims with offers of rides or companionship, then carried out horrific acts of violence.

But behind the media frenzy was something far more sinister: a justice system that often ignored the disappearances of queer youth, dismissing them as throwaways. Eyler’s killing spree became not just a case study in serial murder—but a brutal reflection of how society failed its most vulnerable.

In this episode, Jordi and Brad confront one of America’s most terrifying—and deeply queer—serial killers.

Grab a drink. Press play. And hit the road with a monster who should’ve been stopped far sooner.

Sources

https://allthatsinteresting.com/larry-eyler

https://www.amazon.com/Freed-Kill-Story-Serial-Murderer/dp/0380715465

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.