Don't Blame The Mom

We continue our deep dive into the brutal murder of 2 year old James Bulger, who was taken from his mother’s side in broad daylight from a shopping centre in LiverpoolEngland .

We look at how his two 10 year old killers Jon Venables & Robert Thompson reacted to their interrogations & changed their stories when arrested for their wicked crimes.

They became two of only four criminals in British history to receive lifelong anonymity orders, meaning that their true identities after being released from prison will never be revealed to the public .

As it has been discovered that after his release Jon Venables could not stop re-offending & has landed himself back in prison for serious child sexual abuse images, we question is the British justice system broken?

Does it protect dangerous perpetrators rights more than those of the general publics?

How safe is it for the public if a child killer who has continued to re-offend is granted parole again.

James mum Denise fought so hard for justice for her little boy, setting up foundations in his name that continue to let his memory live on. James was an innocent young victim whose life was cruelly stolen from him.

His murder will forever be remembered as one of Britain’s most heinous & evil crimes...

This is episode 57, Kids Who Kill: The Murder Of James Bulger Part 2.

Crime Talk Timestamp: 8:10 mins

Sources: Wikipedia / bbcnews/ sky news/ murderpedia/ crimes that shook Britain.

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The 12th February 1993 was a day like any other as Denise Bulger took her 2 year old son to a local shopping centre in Liverpool,England. As she went about her errands, momentarily letting go of James hand to pay for her shopping, she looks down again & to her horror little sandy haired blue eyed James had disappeared in broad daylight . As a frantic search ensued & time passes a tragic discovery was made . A tiny body was located by some train tracks . It was revealed that James had been subjected to a horrific death, the terrible injuries which had been inflicted on this innocent child reached a level of depravity the UK had never before seen . Soon, the outrage about James death turned to utter shock when police reviewed CCTV, leading to his killers being arrested . In a crime that shocked people around the world to their core, 2 ten year old boys Robert Thompson & John Venables were responsible for & charged with James murder . The pair were imprisoned for only 8 years before being released back into society with lifelong anonymity orders . Now aged 41 Jon Venables is back in prison for committing further crimes including possession of masses of child porn . As we wait until his next parole review date in 2 years time, we take a look deep into this unprecedented case. It leaves us asking some unsettling but necessary questions… How many times should a child killer be freed at the taxpayers expense & allowed to re-offend before they potentially commit another serious crime? When is enough enough ? Can a 10 year old child who premeditatedly tortured & murdered a 2 year old really be rehabilitated enough to be freed as an adult to walk the streets & live a normal life? Or do they infact forever pose a threat to society & most importantly to the children of Britain ? This is a case that was so heinous, so unbelievably wicked & cruel that it still haunts many of us even decades later as the nation continues to mourn for little James.

This is episode 56: Kids Who Kill - The Murder Of James Bulger

Crime Talk Timestamp:13:47 mins

Sources : the guardian.com/ Wikipedia/ bbc.co.uk/ for James.org /https://blogcrimeroom.wordpress.com/ sky news/murderpedia

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In August 2023 a 911 operator received a call from a shaken man in Washington County, Utah. He said that a malnourished 12 year old boy had turned up on his doorstep begging for food, water & help. The boy had clear injuries to his wrists & ankles . When he told police he had jumped out of a window to escape they went to search the home he had fled from & to locate his abusers. After rescuing his siblings & making two arrests they were surprised to find that one one of the perpetrators was actually well known. Ruby Franke was a famous vlogger, her YouTube channel “8 Passengers” had racked up more than 2 million subscribers when she started it in 2015. This parenting based channel had come under public scrutiny recently for her harsh rules & punishments towards her children. Now she had been caught subjecting her children to terrible abuse along with her business manager Jodi Hildebrandt. The two cruel women each received four terms of 1-15 years in prison, & thankfully they will now have to pay for the wicked punishments they subjected these innocent children to . The treatment the children received at the hands of those who they should have been able to trust was horrific & inhumane , both physically and psychologically. Justice caught up with Ruby, and as she now sits in prison serving out her long well deserved sentence, we take a look at how it all went so wrong for the Franke family. Here we explore how an intelligent, normal mom who on the surface had it all, fame wealth & a gorgeous family, had gradually let her fake, wholesome veneer slip. Her ego & vanity allowed the public to watch on in shock as she turned into the mother from hell, joining up with an equally disturbed woman to aid her in her cruelty. As the Franke children are finally freed from their mothers evil ways & can now start new lives away from her dark influence we look at how child abuse can take place in any home & sometimes right In Front of our very eyes ….

This is episode 55: Ruby Franke.

Crime Talk Timestamp: 9:25 mins

Sources: YouTube/People.com/ Wikipedia/ independent.co.uk/ Indy100.com/ bbc news / Fox News

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It was May 26th 2016 when police return to a plush apartment complex in West Hollywood after being called to carry out a welfare check. The frantic mother of 30 year old Ukrainian model & translator Iana Kasian hadn’t heard from her daughter in days after she’d left to meet her troubled fiancé. Her mom Olga knew she was still inside the building with this man, but no one was responding. When police finally gain entry after breaking through the barricaded door, what they find inside was worse than anyone could have ever imagined. They were met with a scene straight out of a gory & bloody horror movie. Tragically Iana had been tortured, mutilated, scalped & killed by her 42 year old fiance who was also the father of her 3 week old child. In today’s episode we will see how despite being born into privilege, wealth, status, & seemingly having everything going for them, some people can still turn into sadistic, psychopathic monsters. And as we will see that is exactly what became of this eccentric Canadian wannabe director….

This is episode 54: A Hollywood horror story - Blake Leibel.

Crime talk timestamp: 13:52 mins

Sources : Law & crime network/ Wikipedia / Hollywoodreporter.com/ Reddit

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Today’s episode is the concluding part to the case of 19 year old Californian Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, who disappeared after a party in 1996. After she was supposed to be escorted back to her dorm by fellow student Paul Flores Kristin was never seen alive again. For years her heartbroken yet determined family campaigned to keep Kristin’s story & memory alive, hoping & praying that the man everyone suspected was responsible for her disappearance & consequent murder would one day face justice . More than two decades passed, when a local journalist decided to deep dive into Kristin’s story & make a podcast series about it. Suddenly her cold case began to heat up & soared back into the headlines after so many years. With the whole world wanting to help, more victims of Flores’ coming forward, more searches being carried out, & more investigators keen to solve the mystery finally Kristin’s killer was arrested & charged with her murder. In 2021 Paul Flores along with his father Ruben who was suspected to have helped him cover up his crime were both charged , and Paul Flores was sentenced to life behind bars . Finally the murderer & sexual predator whom the judge called a “cancer to society” was off the streets for good and would pay for his sick, evil crimes. The day finally came for Kristin’s family to see justice for their beloved daughter. Still they hold out hope that one day her remains will be located, & that they can bring her back home to have the proper burial she so deserves and to finally let her rest in peace …

This is episode 53: The Case Of Kristin Smart (part 2).

Crime talk timestamp: 4:50 mins

Sources: Your Own Backyard Podcast, Wikipedia , abc news , sky news . Murderpedia, Fox News, Sanluisobispo.com.

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On May 25th 1996, a 19 year old student at Cal Poly state university attended a party to let her hair down just like any normal student does . However, this night was not going to end in a normal way for Kristin Smart. In fact,it would be a party that many of the students in attendance would remember for the rest of their lives. But only for tragic reasons … In the early hours of the morning, Kristin seemed uncharacteristically intoxicated and unable to walk home alone. This is when a student at the party steps out of the shadows & offers to escort her to her dorm which was apparently en route to his. Her friends agreed & sadly after this, Kristin was never seen alive again. Ever since her disappearance, & despite her being declared legally dead years later the location of her remains are still unknown to this day. Initial searches for her proved fruitless not helped by the fact her college took a long time to report her missing or take her disappearance seriously . For years Kristin’s case remained cold, & it seemed like it was nearly all but forgotten in the public eye & by investigators as it was becoming ‘just another’ unsolved missing persons file collecting dust on the shelf. Strong suspicions had rightly fallen on the student who insisted on walking her home ,Paul Flores. Investigators believed he had sexually assaulted Kristin & killed her, & that his parents helped him cover up the crime afterwards . But due to lack of evidence, police had left it at that, only strong suspicion…. Not giving up hope her parents put up billboards & posters in the hope of keeping their beloved daughter’s disappearance & story alive. It wasn’t until a journalist who grew up locally to Kristin took an interest in the case that suddenly his podcast series made her case finally soar back into the headlines. And now everyone was taking notice . After years people across the world were now talking about her disappearance again , desperately wanting to bring Kristin home & finally get her the justice she so deserved . Due to the public & media outcry evidence was reinvestigated, & the number one suspect was re-interviewed leading to Paul Flores & his father Ruben facing charges in court. Now with Paul finally found guilty of murder & languishing in prison the burning question still remains….. What happened to Kristin Smart on that fateful walk to her dorm, where does she lay to rest today? Today’s case takes a look at how an innocent night out can go tragically & horribly wrong, especially when there are sexual predators around like evil Paul Flores.

This is episode 52: The case of Kristin Smart pt1…….

Crime talk timestamp: 11:22 mins

Sources:NY Times article/ KSBY.com/ sanluisobispo.com/ Wikipedia/ The Independent/ The Atascadero News/ Your Own Backyard Podcast by Chris Lambert / NPR.Org/

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On the 17th February 2014 police received a very disturbing phone call. An 18-year-old boy named Lewis Daynes was claiming that he had just killed his friend, 14-year-old Breck Bednar in self defence.. But as police turn up to his flat in Grays Essex UK, they realise very quickly that in actual fact this was not self-defence. It was cold-blooded murder.. So how did 18 year old Lewis come to meet his young victim? How did he lure him over to his flat & ultimately to his death ? As they investigate police realise Breck’s mum Lorin had voiced her very real concerns about Daynes to them just two months before. She had been so worried about this controlling person her son was talking to via an online gaming community. A boy who for months was fabricating who he really was, feeding Breck all sorts of lies & fake stories about himself to impress & manipulate him. The detrimental effect & sudden changes it was having on her teenage son was so worrying & her mother’s instinct told her that her son was being groomed online . Had police listened to her concerns, & looked at Daynes record when Lorin had asked for help, they would have seen he had been arrested in the past for alleged sexual offences including rape against another young boy. He was a sexual predator . Which leaves us asking the question, how safe are teenagers & children when they interact with others online? Just who are they talking to that’s lurking comfortably & anonymously behind that computer screen? The internet which is such an important, huge part of most of our daily lives also has a very dark side. It offers a cloak of anonymity, that when in the wrong hands can allow someone to pretend to be whoever they want to be & to create a false reality . It gives predators daily access to children in their bedrooms, & access to them where their guard is down. In places they feel the most comfortable & protected like in the safety of their own homes . Today’s utterly tragic case shows just how common online grooming has become, & in some circumstances just how deadly it can be. Sadly for one young boy who had his whole life ahead of him he realised this when it was already too late …..

This is episode 51: ‘The Murder of Breck Bednar’.

Crime talk timestamp: 13:40 mins

Sources: Surrey Live, Wikipedia , Murder games the life and death of Breck Bednar BBC, Sky News ,

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In may 1972 a string of horrific & brutal murders were about to shock the county of Santa Cruz, California when young women suddenly started to disappear. As the bodies of 6 young female co-eds are found discarded & dismembered in different locations, the horrifying discoveries show these poor victims suffered violent, & grisly deaths . Sadly, the only mistake the girls had made was unwittingly getting into a car with an evil psychopath who came across as just a gentle giant . This towering hulk of a killer was intelligent, polite, & to all intents & purposes a nice guy who was liked by all who met him. This even included the local police who he would occasionally accompany on car rides & join for drinks at a local bar . When law enforcement one day receive a phone call from Big Ed confessing to murdering his mother & her friend, the dubious cops are about to discover who the illusive Co Ed killer is. They realise they personally knew this savage killer that they’d been hunting all along . Shockingly these weren’t his first murders, he had also killed his grandparents as a teenage boy . As a result of his notoriety Ed became one of the main subjects & case study for the worlds most famous FBI agents due to his willingness to talk openly, honestly & in depth about serial killing & his crimes . Consequently leading the FBI to coin the phrase “ serial killer “ something that was an almost unknown phenomenon to the public back then. The savagery of his murders & candid openness to discuss them secured his place as one of the most Infamous and renowned serial killers in American history ….

This is episode 50: Edmund Kemper - The Co-Ed Killer

Crime talk timestamp: 9:01 mins

Sources: Wikipedia / Ranker.com/ murderpedia/ The A-Z of Serial Killers/ academic.com, The Co Ed Killer Mind Of. A Killer ,

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In the early hours of January 14th 2018 a 911 operator in Perris California receives a worrying phone call from a terrified young girl. As the courageous 17 year old frantically starts to talk to the operator the horrific truth of what she’s just escaped from begins to unravel and it is so shocking it was almost unbelievable. Jordan Turpin explains how she, along with her 12 siblings ranging in ages from 2 to 29 had been systematically abused their entire lives by their parents David & Louise. She reveals that some of the children were still chained to their beds back in the house that she had just secretly fled from. As officers quickly calls for back up & they arrive at the Turpin family home announcing they’re here to carry out a welfare check they start to bang loudly on the door . That noise was to represent the moment the Turpin siblings lives were finally about to change forever. Finally after suffering through years of hell, after being starved, chained up , beaten, isolated, only being allowed to wash once a year & being tormented daily at the hands of their parents they were at last going to be rescued . And as officers enter the home what they discovered inside will haunt them for the rest of their lives . It was a dark & filthy house of horrors where they found young emaciated children and young adults kept in the most inhuman conditions some chained to beds, & all having to survive amongst squalor. Thankfully although they were sickly they were alive although the filthy conditions and years of malnourishment meant they physically wouldn’t escape totally unscathed as we’ll find out . Thanks to Jordan’s incredible bravery in the face of utter despair, her sister Jennifers tenacity, & all of the siblings refusal to give up they have been freed from the evil clutches of their parents for good . It seems like they were finally released from the fear, isolation & abuse they’d endured for so long . Sadly the neglect didn’t completely end there, as unbelievably some of the Turpin children were placed into foster care leaving them in an extremely abusive household. This epic failure left people questioning did the child protective care system fail them once again ? However, despite all the odds the Turpin siblings are now rebuilding their lives & have taken steps to overcome the most horrendous, nightmarish ordeal. Their resilience & strong will to survive continues to amaze people around the world, leaving us in awe at their strength, inspirational bravery & ability to overcome evil .

This is episode 49 The Turpin 13 …..

Crime talk timestamp: 14:50 mins

Sources: Wikipedia, The Turpin 13 documentary Hayu, ABC News , Reddit

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