In late August 1978, two men hid in a cornfield in Chester County, Pennsylvania. They were waiting for 15-year-old Robin Miller and her boyfriend Bruce Johnston, Jr. When the couple arrived, the ambush began. This brazen, murderous attack crossed a line. The leaders of the Johnston Gang didn’t know it yet, but their family crime empire began to crumble that night.

In late August 1978, two men hid in a cornfield in Chester County, Pennsylvania. They were waiting for 15-year-old Robin Miller and her boyfriend Bruce Johnston, Jr. When the couple arrived, the ambush began. This brazen, murderous attack crossed a line. The leaders of the Johnston Gang didn’t know it yet, but their family crime empire began to crumble that night.

E1 | The Ambush

The events that took place in Chester County, Pennsylvania in August 1978 were unthinkable. Family killing family. A father calling for the murder of his own son. For years The Johnston Gang got away with everything&mdash;theft, burglary, violence&mdash;until the brazen attacks of August 1978 crossed a line, and the family crime empire began to crumble. Host and writer Amanda Lamb shares her own memories of the murders and the trials that followed. Her father was the lead prosecutor who helped bring the killers to justice. A fictional account of The Johnston Gang&rsquo;s downfall was portrayed in the 1986 movie &ldquo;At Close Range,&rdquo; but this is the real story of a violent family crime operation and the long task of bringing its leaders to justice.&nbsp;The Killing Month August 1978 is a production of WRAL News in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Society & Culture

Documentary

True Crime

The events that took place in Chester County, Pennsylvania in August 1978 were unthinkable. Family killing family. A father calling for the murder of his own son. For years The Johnston Gang got away with everything—theft, burglary, violence—until the brazen attacks of August 1978 crossed a line, and the family crime empire began to crumble. Host and writer Amanda Lamb shares her own memories of the murders and the trials that followed. Her father was the lead prosecutor who helped bring the killers to justice. A fictional account of The Johnston Gang’s downfall was portrayed in the 1986 movie “At Close Range,” but this is the real story of a violent family crime operation and the long task of bringing its leaders to justice. The Killing Month August 1978 is a production of WRAL News in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The events that took place in Chester County, Pennsylvania in August 1978 were unthinkable. Family killing family. A father calling for the murder of his own son. For years The Johnston Gang got away with everything—theft, burglary, violence—until the brazen attacks of August 1978 crossed a line, and the family crime empire began to crumble. Host and writer Amanda Lamb shares her own memories of the murders and the trials that followed. Her father was the lead prosecutor who helped bring the killers to justice. A fictional account of The Johnston Gang’s downfall was portrayed in the 1986 movie “At Close Range,” but this is the real story of a violent family crime operation and the long task of bringing its leaders to justice.&nbsp;The Killing Month August 1978 is a production of WRAL News in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Share E1 | The Ambush

Sign up to save your podcasts

E1 | The Ambush

E1 | The Ambush

More shows like The Killing Month August 1978

This Is Actually Happening

Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled

How I Built This with Guy Raz

The Black Dahlia Serial Killers

I Hate My Boss

Business Wars

Felonious Florida

Hollywood & Crime

FRAMED: An Investigative Story

Legal Wars

The Shrink Next Door

The Binge Cases: Where is Daniel Morcombe?

Do No Harm

The Apology Line

Secret Sauce

British Scandal

Uncommon Ground with Van Jones

Devil in the Dorm

In the Shadows

Diss and Tell

Oh What A Time...

Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University

Men in Blazers: Early Kick Off

Severed Affair: The Gruesome Murder of Shad Thyrion

Over the Top with Beadle and Rosenberg

Firecracker: The Murder of Carol Ryan

Sins of the Child

Lemme Say This

The Disturbing Truth

Head Number 7

Black Swan Murder