Dark Origins

Silence of the Lambs is arguably one of the best psychological thrillers of all time and sadly many aspects of the movie are inspired by real people and events. Buffalo Bill in particular is based on a few different serial killers including Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Gary Heidnik. Most people are familiar with Bundy and Dahmer, but Heidnik's crimes haven't received the same amount of attention. In this episode we discuss Heidnik's life and crimes, as well as the lives of his victims. We talk at length about what he did, why he did it, and how his victims were let down by the justice system too many times. He was a sadistic man who brutally tortured his victims, so please listen with caution.

Sources

“Gary Heidnik.” Criminal Minds Wiki, criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Gary_Heidnik.

“Gary M. Heidnik.” Wikipedia, 25 Aug. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_M._Heidnik.

Janos, Adam. “Gary Heidnik’s Unspeakable Crimes: An Interview with the Serial Killer’s Attorney.” A&E, 14 Jan. 2021, www.aetv.com/real-crime/gary-heidnik.

Karimi, Faith. “His Gruesome Crimes Were a Basis for “Silence of the Lambs.” the Sister of One of His Victims Has Mixed Feelings about His Execution.” CNN, 19 Mar. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/03/19/us/gary-heidnik-pennsylvania-death-penalty-cec/index.html.

Oliver, Mark. “Serial Killer Gary Heidnik: The Real-Life Buffalo Bill Who Fed One of His Victims to His Prisoners.” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 24 Jan. 2019, allthatsinteresting.com/gary-heidnik.

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A group of hikers was traveling down a logging road on their way to a rentable hut, located in the remote Canadian wilderness, when they stumbled upon a burnt truck with personal belongings scattered around it. Feeling as though they had discovered a crime scene, the hikers decided to take pictures before turning back, calling police as they drove. It took RCMP Officers two days to get to the scene and they noticed that things had been moved since the hikers had been there. They found that the truck belonged to a man named Marshall Iwaasa, who was nowhere to be found. His family told police that the last time they saw him was six days before his car was found at the end of the logging road. They told officers that on that night he had driven two hours from his house to his mom’s house in order to help her with something. He didn’t stay for too long and he told his mom that he planned to stop at his local storage unit before driving back to his place. He never mentioned plans to drive FOURTEEN HOURS to Pemberton, British Columbia. So how did his truck get there? And why? Nobody knows and he has not been seen since. As if the case wasn’t strange enough, evidence was uncovered that linked Marshall’s disappearance to another man, named Daniel Reoch… who had also gone missing. Despite the bizarre circumstances, the RCMP stated they do not believe any foul play occurred. 

Sources:

Barely Sociable. “The Pemberton Incident - an Unsolved Mystery.” YouTube, 30 Oct. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yueni460aM. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.

Thuncher, Jennifer. “Squamish Vigil Aims to Keep Daniel Reoch’s Memory Alive.” Squamish Chief, Squamish Chief, 27 Nov. 2023, www.squamishchief.com/local-news/nov-26-squamish-vigil-aims-to-keep-daniel-reochs-memory-alive-7837653. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Disappearance of Marshal Iwaasa.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Aug. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Marshal_Iwaasa. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.

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Keishla Rodriguez Ortiz met Felix Verdejo when the two of them were very young, because they attended the same school growing up. Their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship when they were in high school. Keishla loyally supported Félix as he chased his dreams to become a professional boxer. At 18 years old Félix qualified for the 2012 olympics. He didn’t end up medaling but a professional spot was waiting for him when he got home to Puerto Rico. The beginning of his professional career was explosive. He held the WBO lightweight title for multiple years. He was expected to be the next big boxing star. Unfortunately he got in his own way and ultimately ruined his career and his life. The beginning of the end began to cheat on Kieshla with an underage girl named Elisa Maria Santiago Sierra. She was 14 and he was 18. He broke up with Kieshla to “date” Elisa, but he never actually stopped seeing Kieshla. When Elisa turned 18, Félix proposed and she said yes. I assume she was not aware of his transgressions with not only Keishla, but several women. Elisa became pregnant with Félix’s daughter and Félix took full advantage of the situation - crafting his image to make him look like a devoted husband and father. But cracks in his image started to appear to the public when Elisa found out about his cheating and threw him out of the house. She did take him back after he promised to change his ways, but it would take a lot longer to patch up his public image. When Kieshla ended up pregnant, Félix knew it was all falling apart. He tried to convince her to get an abortion, but Kieshla refused. She wanted the baby even if Félix didn’t want to step up and be a father. This caused Félix to spiral into planning the murder of his first love and their unborn child,. 

Sources:

Acevedo, nicole. “An Ex-Boxer Is Convicted in Heinous Killing of His Pregnant Girlfriend.” NBC News, 31 July 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-femicide-focus-verdejo-conviction-killing-pregnant-keishla-rcna97304.

Daily, Juan. “Keishla Rodríguez’s Sister: Verdejo Expressed No Emotion When Hearing Guilty Verdict.” San Juan Daily Star, San Juan Daily Star, 31 July 2023, www.sanjuandailystar.com/post/keishla-rodr%C3%ADguez-s-sister-verdejo-expressed-no-emotion-when-hearing-guilty-verdict#:~:text=Keishla%20Rodr%C3%ADguez%20Ortiz. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.

“District of Puerto Rico | Félix Verdejo-Sánchez Sentenced to Life in Prison for Kidnapping Resulting in Death, and Intentionally Killing an Unborn Child | United States Department of Justice.” Www.justice.gov, 3 Nov. 2023, www.justice.gov/usao-pr/pr/felix-verdejo-sanchez-sentenced-life-prison-kidnapping-resulting-death-and-intentionally.

Ghost of Crime. “The Double Life of Felix Verdejo - Boxing Star and Murderer || True Crime Documentary.” YouTube, 23 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCaimYSeaOs. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.

https://www.facebook.com/peoplemag. “Olympic Boxer Félix Verdejo Gets Life for Throwing Girlfriend off Bridge after Pressuring Her to Get Abortion.” Peoplemag, 2021, people.com/olympic-boxer-felix-verdejo-gets-life-murdering-girlfriend-8391294. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.

Rafael, Dan. “Felix Verdejo Named ESPN.com Prospect of the Year - ESPN.” ESPN.com, ESPN, 24 Dec. 2014, www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/12075915/felix-verdejo-named-prospect-year. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.

Victor Torres Montalvo. “MOCION SENTENCIA LUIS CADIZ MARTINEZ.” Scribd, 2022, www.scribd.com/document/741021823/MOCION-SENTENCIA-LUIS-CADIZ-MARTINEZ. Accessed 14 Aug. 2024.

Wikipedia Contributors. “F.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.

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Dr. James Snook had accomplished a lot in his life. He not only carved out his presence as a well-respected veterinarian and professor of veterinary science, even creating a tool called the Snook Hook that vets still use today, but he also competed and won two gold medals in the 1920 Olympics as a marksman. Six years after winning gold, and despite the fact that he had a wife and a young baby, he became enamored with a young medical student named Theora Hix. She began working at the veterinary building, Dr. Snook’s place of work, in 1926 to pay for her tuition. The feeling was mutual and they began having an affair only three weeks after meeting each other. They carried on the affair for three years until Dr. Snook ended Theora’s life with a hammer to the head and a knife to her jugular, then he ironically left her body near his favorite rifle range.

Sources:

Drake, Amy. “The Strange Case of Dr. Snook and Theora Hix: A Roaring Twenties Murder.” Medium, Medium, 23 July 2021, medium.com/@draketheatrical/the-strange-case-of-dr-snook-and-theora-hix-a-roaring-twenties-murder-ad1b9e797949. Accessed 31 July 2024.

Patzer, Nancy. “Snook.” Www.shortnorth.com, July 2019, www.shortnorth.com/Snook.html. Accessed 31 July 2024.

“The Trial of Dr. Snook (1929).” The Columbus Dispatch, www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2012/02/27/the-trial-of-dr-snook/543866007/. Accessed 31 July 2024.

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On July 23, 2024 Wade Wilson, known for his white supremacist and joker face tattoos, will face a judge as they decide whether to sentence him to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Wilson was convicted of murdering Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz back in 2019. Both murders seemingly came out nowhere- he had just met Melton the night prior at local club before murdering her the nest morning and stealing her car. While riding around in the stolen car, he came upon Ruiz who was walking to work. After attacking Ruiz, he ran over her body 10-20 times. On this episode we discuss the case from the beginning up to where it stands today.

Sources:

Braun, Michael. “White Supremacy Gang May Have Had a Role in Escape Attempt Thwarted at Lee County Jail.” The News-Press, 7 Oct. 20AD, www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2020/10/07/lee-jail-inmates-gang-connection-may-have-played-role-escape-attempt/5908922002/. Accessed 21 July 2024.

COURT TV. ““He Bit My Face”: Wade Wilson’s Ex-Girlfriend Describes Alarming Attack.” YouTube, 5 July 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MIX2q_vapA. Accessed 21 July 2024.

Luciani, Kim. “Will Wade Wilson Get Death Sentence? FL Killer Seeks New Trial as Death Penalty Decision Nears.” The News-Press, 10 July 2024, www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2024/07/10/wade-wilson-florida-killer-sentence-new-trial-motion/74338462007/. Accessed 21 July 2024.

Potter, Will. “Murderer with Face Tattoos Flashes Eerie Hand Signal at Sentencing.” Mail Online, 1 July 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13588033/wade-wilson-deadpool-crime-tattoo-murder-death-sentence-hand-signal.html. Accessed 21 July 2024.

Reporter, Erin Keller. “Wade Wilson’s Ex-Girlfriend Breaks Silence on TikTok: “Police Failed Me.”” Newsweek, 5 July 2024, www.newsweek.com/wade-wilson-killer-girlfriend-crimes-florida-tiktok-1921729. Accessed 21 July 2024.

Rodriguez, Kim Luciani and Tomas. “Florida Killer Wade Wilson’s Father Steven Testasecca Was Key to His Arrest.” The News-Press, 8 July 2024, www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2024/07/08/wade-wilson-murders-florida-killer-arrest-steve-testasecca/74308734007/. Accessed 21 July 2024.

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Yoo Young Chul grew up in a poor family with little stability. The economic hardships that his family faced caused him to develop a deep-seeded hatred for wealthy individuals and he also developed an ever-growing resentment towards women. Yoo was driven by these emotions, and he couldn't seem to get ahold of them which caused him to start committing crimes at an early age. He spent many years in and out of jail, as his crimes continued to escalate. Eventually he began committing murder, targeting wealthy people initially and then redirecting his focus towards women, particularly sex workers. He killed over twenty people before he was caught, and it's likely he killed more than we know about. His crimes have been the topic of both western and eastern media. But the biggest movie to date is The Chaser, a South Korean film that was heavily inspired by his crimes. This episode covers the story from beginning to the "end" (Yoo is still alive on death row in South Korea).

Palestinian Family GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-dr-sanads-familys-urgent-evacuation?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Sources:

Farley, Adam. “The Grisly Story of the “Raincoat Killer” Who Murdered 20 People with a Custom-Made Hammer.” All That’s Interesting, 5 Nov. 2021, allthatsinteresting.com/yoo-young-chul.

Min-kyung, Jung. “[Korean History] in 2004, Serial Murderer with Goal to Kill 100 Was Stopped at 20.” The Korea Herald, 6 Nov. 2023, www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20231106000814.

Serial Killers Documentaries. “Serial Killer Documentary: Yoo Young-Chul (the Raincoat Killer).” YouTube, 6 Sept. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgslZ9NHhIY.

“Yoo Young-Chul.” Wikipedia, 29 Jan. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoo_Young-chul.

“Yoo Young-Chul.” Criminal Minds Wiki, criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Yoo_Young-chul.

''. “Woman-Hating Cannibal Dubbed Raincoat Killer Was Caught after Phone Blunder.” The US Sun, 2 Feb. 2024, www.the-sun.com/news/10273266/yoo-young-chul-raincoat-killer-serial-south-korea/. Accessed 9 July 2024.

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When Elyse Pahler, a teenager from Arroyo Grande, went missing, her parents reached out to the police for help. Unfortunately, they weren't able to make much headway over the course of several months until they got a tip from an unlikely source. A clergyman from a local church called in to tell investigators that a teenaged congregant told him that he and two of his friends sacrificed Elyse to gain favor with the devil and become successful metal musicians. In this episode we discuss the entire case and the aftermath of it, including a lawsuit Elyse's parents filed against the band Slayer in relation to their daughter's murder.

GoFundMe for Palestinian family mentioned in episode: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hope-help-little-elen-fetch-a-brighter-future?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Sources:

Buccio, claudia. “Local Judge Grants Parole to Royce Casey, Man Convicted of Killing Arroyo Grande Teen.” KSBY News, 16 June 2022, www.ksby.com/news/local-news/local-judge-grants-parole-to-royce-casey-man-convicted-of-killing-arroyo-grande-teen. Accessed 27 May 2024.

fountain, Matt. “Elyse Pahler Murder Case: Here’s a Timeline of the 1995 Satanic Killing in SLO County Read More At: Https://Www.sanluisobispo.com/News/Local/Crime/Article252167488.Html#Storylink=Cpy.” The Tribune, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 18 June 2021, www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article252167488.html.

“Murder of Elyse Pahler.” Wikipedia, 11 Jan. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Elyse_Pahler.

Waxman, Sharon. “Did “Death Metal” Music Incite Murder?” Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2001, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2001/01/23/did-death-metal-music-incite-murder/63cf6de7-fdd1-4067-a49f-9946f111e6a2/.

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Many of the diss tracks that have been released by Kendrick Lamar over the past week contain lines that clearly have dark origins. In this episode we focus on one line from Euphoria that took inspiration from the case of YNW Melly AKA Jamell Demons. We cover the allegations that Jamell shot and killed two of his best friends with the help of another friend named YNW Bortlen AKA Cortlen Henry, and we discuss the first trial that ended in a mistrial. I also detail another murder that Jamell and Cortlen are suspected to be involved in.

Sources:

Cowen, Trace William. “YNW Melly Reportedly Now a Suspect in Deputy’s Shooting Death.” Complex, 22 Feb. 2019, www.complex.com/music/a/tracewilliamcowen/ynw-melly-suspect-deputy-shooting-death. Accessed 6 May 2024.

Elibert, Mark. “Texts from Young Thug, French Montana, and More Brought up during YNW Melly Trial.” Complex, www.complex.com/music/a/markelibert/texts-from-young-thug-french-montana-ynw-melly-trial. Accessed 6 May 2024.

Holsman, Melissa E. “Double Murder Retrial of Famed Gifford Rapper Jamell Demons, Known as YNW Melly, on Hold.” Treasure Coast, 3 May 2024,

www.tcpalm.com/story/news/crime/indian-river-county/2024/05/03/retrial-of-gifford-rapper-jamell-demons-known-as-ynw-melly-pushed-off/73544244007/. Accessed 6 May 2024.

“Murder Trial of Rapper YNW Melly Ends in Mistrial after Jury Deadlocks; Retrial Likely.” AP News, 22 July 2023, apnews.com/article/ynw-melly-murder-trial-florida-70a72f2f6d095e89a43f65eff94536c1. Staff, Michael Saponara,Billboard, et al. “A Timeline of YNW Melly’s Career & Legal Troubles: From “Murder on My Mind” to Murder Charges.” Billboard, 15 July 2022,

www.billboard.com/lists/ynw-melly-career-legal-troubles-timeline/legal-history/.

“YNW Melly Killed Best Friends in Angry, Greed-Fueled Murder Plot, State Says in Closing Argument.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OK46bTz_lc. Accessed 6 May 2024.

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Most violence isn’t related to the moon or the sun, but the violence that took place on April 8, 2024 might have been. The 8th was the day of the total solar eclipse and two different women committed murder/attempted murder that may have been connected to the phenomena. Danielle Johnson, an astrology. Influencer, killed her partner before throwing her two daughters out of the car (killing one and injuring the other) , before taking her own life by crashing into a tree at 100 mph. Detectives aren’t sure how much of a role the eclipse played, if any, but they are seriously investigating it since Danielle wrote some conspiratorial eclipse tweets in the days leading up to the 8th. We discuss the timeline of events and what the investigation has revealed so far. We also discuss the random shooting spree carried out by Taylor Celestine after she left a hotel, telling the employees that God was telling her to go on the spree in relation to the eclipse. We discuss all of the details that have been released so far. 

Sources:

“Family Dispute Turns into Double-Murder Suicide NR24117kt/Cm.” LAPD Online, 9 Apr. 24AD, www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/family-dispute-turns-into-double-murder-suicide-nr24117kt-cm/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.

Mayes-Osterman, Cybele. “Astrologer Suspected of Double Murder-Suicide on Eclipse Day Thought “Apocalypse Is Here.”” USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024,

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/11/astrologer-murder-suicide-eclipse-danielle-johnson-jaelen-chaney/73287141007/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.

Neumann, sean. “Astrology Influencer Disturbed by Eclipse Posted “the APOCALYPSE IS HERE” before Killing Partner, Baby, Herself.” Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024, people.com/astrology-influencer-disturbed-by-eclipse-posted-the-apocalypse-is-here-before-killing-partner-baby-herself-8631523. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.

Twitter, et al. “Mom Who Pushed Kids from Moving Car Was Astrology Influencer Disturbed by Eclipse.” Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024, www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-10/woman-who-threw-child-from-car-on-405-was-controversial-astrology-influencer.

“Woman Claiming God Told Her to Go on Shooting Spree because of Solar Eclipse Shoots Drivers on Florida Interstate, Police Say - CBS News.” Www.cbsnews.com, 9 Apr. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/solar-eclipse-shooting-spree-taylon-celestine-shoots-drivers-claims-god-told-her-to/.

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TW: eating disorders, suicide, and child abuse. Everything we say is alleged, with the exception of the individuals found guilty of crimes.

Gwen Shamblin had a Master's Degree in Food and Nutrition, yet she still fell down the pipeline of food and wellness guru to religious cult leader pipeline. Usually this pipeline is reserved for people who don't actually have extensive educations and degrees in the things they claim to be experts of, because it requires them to ignore the science to tout some alternative science/product that usually harms more than it helps. But Gwen was able to throw away everything she learned in favor of a more religious/restrictive approach to eating, which she called The Weigh Down Program. The program was offered alongside a book, that sold over one million copies and the success of both made Gwen a millionaire. Many individuals in her program developed eating disorders and things got even worse when Gwen launched her church, called Remnant Fellowship Church- where Gwen touted herself as something akin to a prophet. The Weigh Down Program was the foundation of Remnant, but the ideology expanded to involve even more problematic rhetoric. Gwen didn't believe in mental illness, so she advised many members to get off their medications (which led some to the psych unit, and others to take their own lives). And she was a big proponent of corporal punishment for children, which caused at least one child to be murdered. We discuss all of the details in this weeks episode.

Sources:

“Georgia v. Smith.” Wikipedia, 12 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_v._Smith. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

“Gwen Shamblin Lara.” Wikipedia, 2 Oct. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwen_Shamblin_Lara.

“Joe Lara.” Wikipedia, 28 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Lara. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

Pasquini, maria. “Plane Crash That Killed Christian Diet Guru Gwen Shamblin Caused by “Spatial Disorientation” of Pilot Husband.” Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023, people.com/human-interest/plane-crash-killed-diet-guru-gwen-shamblin-caused-by-spatial-disorientation-pilot-husband/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

Williams, Phil. ““What Were We Doing?” Gwen Shamblin’s Son Breaks Silence about Life inside Her Brentwood “Cult.”” News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF), 12 Feb. 2024,

www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/what-were-we-doing-gwen-shamblins-son-breaks-silence-about-life-inside-her-brentwood-cult. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

Williams, phil. ““Take the Damn Filter Off.” Former Remnant Leader Says Church Needs to Admit Role in Child’s Death.” News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF), 19 Feb. 2024,

www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/take-the-damn-filter-off-former-remnant-leader-says-church-needs-to-admit-role-in-childs-death.

zenovich, Marina. The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin. HBO, 28 Apr. 2022, play.max.com/show/1e47a6d6-955c-4ce4-92b0-bc170075432a, disc 1-5. TV Show.

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