Death Row Diaries

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.

There were several factors working against Jeffrey Dahmer once he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. He was maybe the most notorious serial killer America has seen, and many convicts like to kill serial killers. He also had made a habit of killing and eating African American men, which didn't go over well either. Co-host William Noguera talks to Matt Ralston about Dahmer's demise behind the prison walls.

William Noguera talks live from San Quentin's Death Row about what motivates a guy like Dahmer to become one of the more freakish ghouls in modern history.

William Noguera talks to co-host Matt Ralston about the historical progression of the methods by which prisoners are executed. Noguera has been given an execution date in the past, so it's something he's spent a lot of time thinking about while on Death Row. Hangings, firing squads, the electric chair, maybe even a pack of rabid hyenas? They get into all of it.

Luis Romero was up for parole in a month and things were looking relatively good, until a freakish little imp named Jaime Osuna walked into his cell. The pair had just been assigned as cellmates. Romero likely noticed the satanic tattoos covering Osuna's entire face and body, but that's a common thing in prison. It's uncertain what happened next, but Osuna would wind up wearing a necklace made of Romero's bones.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has announced he will be turning San Quentin Prison's Death Row into a Positive Healing Environment. This is big news, but what does it mean? William Noguera, who is on Death Row, weighs in on this development.