Casey White somehow convinced prison guard Vicky White to liquidate everything she had and bust him out of prison. Vicky apparently saw something in the convict who would soon be standing trial for brutally murdering an innocent woman. They took off, intent on building a life together. It didn't last long. Matt talks to Bill about how this went down, and how often prisoners and prison guards get it on.

Ed Kemper was a gigantic ogre who had some mental issues as a child. Minor incidents such as killing some tomcats and both of his grandparents. Then he killed his mother and did some unspeakable things to her corpse while moving on to terrorize the beachside community of Santa Cruz. He then became a favorite subject of forensic psychologists and resumed a second career from behind the closed doors of a mental institution.

It's unclear how many people have the notion to build a hotel for the sole purpose of murdering the guests, but to actually follow through on this is, well, impressive? H.H. Holmes is often labeled as America's first serial killer, but it's a bit more complex than that. Matt and Bill discuss the life of a conman and we learn that history does repeat itself.

We've all heard of this one, but Bill brings some fresh insight unto the actual person behind the lore of Jack the Ripper. He's done the research and the thinks he knows this guy's profession. Perhaps the guys can crack the case. This is Death Row Diaries - the only podcast hosted live from Death Row, literally.

What would you do if you found yourself in a situation where you knew you had to step up? You think about this kind of thing much more often when you're under constant threat of attack. Co-Host William Noguera tells some of his ongoing story.

Jack Unterweger grew up stealing cows in the farmlands of Austria. He made it all the way to Los Angeles, where as a journalist his beat was covering a rash of prostitute killings. As it turned out, he was reporting on his own murders.

John Riccardi was, and maybe still is, a man of some intrigue. He made millions of dollars pulling off international heists as a cat burglar and lived high on the hog as they say, enjoying fine wines, designer clothes, and expensive cars. Then something in his brain went haywire. He began tormenting a woman named Connie Navarro whom he'd had a brief relationship with. He would not leave her alone. Day and night. He'd break into her house, he'd watch her in public. It ended badly, as you'd imagine. William Noguera knew John Riccardi well, as they served time together on San Quentin's Death Row, and he breaks down the mind of one John Riccardi.

John Wayne Gacey was a politician, a member of the local fraternal order, a manager of several Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, and notoriously, a children's party entertainer and prolific serial killer. William Noguera and Matt Ralston break down what led to Gacey becoming this cringeworthy embodiment of evil.

In Part 2 of our story Justin Helzer is sent to San Quentin Prison's Death Row, where his condition deteriorates rapidly. He somehow, almost impossibly, becomes more religious, and sinks deeper into his occult preoccupations. And finally, he commits one of the more bizarre acts of self-mutilation on record. Co-host William Noguera served on Death Row with Helzer, and recounts his experiences with him while analyzing what would lead someone to do what Justin Helzer did.

Justin Helzer and his brother were integral in the founding of a Mormon offshoot cult called Children of Thunder. This endeavor was a failure to thrive, as psychologists like to say. Helzer's brother considered himself a prophet, but instead of converting people and leading them toward salvation, the brothers spent most of their time doing methamphetamines and pursuing sexual relations with models. Eventually Justin left his job at a major brokerage firm and proceeded to steal from and murder several people. This landed both of the brothers in prison, where things got pretty weird.