Charles Howard Schmid Jr., known as “The Pied Piper of Tucson,” was an American serial killer whose crimes shocked Arizona in the mid-1960s. Born in 1942 and raised in Tucson, Schmid cultivated an eccentric persona—wearing makeup, dyeing his hair jet-black, stuffing his boots to appear taller, and imitating Elvis Presley. Charismatic to many teenagers yet deeply insecure, he manipulated a group of younger followers who admired his rebellious image. Schmid committed his first known murder in 1964, killing 15-year-old Aileen Rowe with the help of teenage accomplices. For months, the crime remained hidden. In 1965, he murdered Gretchen Fritz, an 18-year-old girlfriend who knew of his earlier crime, and her younger sister Wendy, fearing she would expose him. Their bodies were buried in the desert outside Tucson. The charismatic façade began to crumble as those around Schmid grew uneasy, and rumors circulated. Eventually, one of his close acquaintances went to police. Schmid was arrested, tried, and convicted of multiple murders, receiving a death sentence that was later commuted to 50 years to life after Arizona briefly abolished capital punishment. While in prison, Schmid attempted escape and was later severely injured by fellow inmates. He died in 1975 from wounds inflicted during a prison attack, at age 32. Schmid’s case drew national media attention, inspiring magazine features—most notably a 1966 article in Life—and influencing pop culture, including Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” His story remains a disturbing example of charm weaponized as manipulation and the dark side of teenage idolization.

Audio version:

Video version:

Please support us on Patreon! Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram. Also check out Jenny’s horror channel, The Scare Salon, and her true crime channel, Crime Immemorial. Check out Fright On Cue, a cool horror writing journal with image and text prompts.

Please try out TubeBuddy!

And check out our cool merch at our Zazzle store, and some board and card games designed by Jenny at Giallo Games!

Visit Jenny’s Amazon author page! And check out our awesome cookbook!

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS! The show is made possible by: Allison, Amanda, Amanda O., Amber, Ambition Writing, Amy H., Anthony, Antonio, Arezo, Arif, Armand, Ashley, Austin, Ben, BlackMarigold, Blake, Brad, Brandon, Brian, Bryce, Bunjip, Bunny, Cady, Calexico Mom, Cami, Chris, Christopher, Ciarra, Cody, Corinthian, creepy crepes, D. Newton, Dae, Damian, Dan, Darkskull, Darren, Dave B., David P., Dean, Denise, Dermot, Dominic, Duncan, Dwayne, Ed, Elizabeth, Elliot, Eric, Erin, Esther, Fade, Feeky, Gareth, Geare, Ginger, Gramthars Hammer, Greg, Gwen, Gwendoline, Hanna, Hayden, Heather, HoboNasty, Holly, Hugo, Iain, Ilse, Ima Shrew, Jaime, Jake A., Jake S., James, James H., Jamin, Jana & Scott, Janet, Jason, Jason W., Jeanette, Jen, Jessica, Jesus, Jill, Joanie, Jocifer, Joe, John A. Brown, John H., John M., Jon R., Jonathan, Jonathan H., Joseph, Juli, Juliana, Justin, Justyn, Karin, Kat, Katrina, Keith, Kelley G., Ken, Kieron, Klaus, Knothead Studios, Kool Kitty, Lana, Lars, Leander, Liam, Lindsey, Logan, Lonna, Lynx_13, Macy, Marcus, Mark, Mary Ellen, Master of Dungeons, Matt, Matthew, Maximillian, Melanie, Melissa, Melissa G., Michael, Miguel, Mike, Mother of Beasts, Natalia, Nathalie, Nicodemus, Nilay, Noah, Oddcatt, Oli, out_running_erins, Paul, Poppa77 Morrison, Rabbit, Rachel, Rebecca, Rebecca L., Rebecca M., Richard J., Richard & Sheena, Rik, Rob, Robina, Ryan, Samantha, Sandra, Saul, Scarlett, Scott, Sean, seven lines, Shaebie, Shae-Nicole, Sheena, Sophie, Stephanie, Steven Vincent, Stop Prop, Sydney, Tabitha, Tammie, Tanja, Tara, Terrie, TheMysteryGamer, Thomas, Thomm, Tiffany, Timothy, Tina, Travon, Trevor, Trey, Tyran, Valtrina, Vashti, Veronica, Via, Victor, Victoria, Victoria E., Virginia, Weaponsandstuff93, Will S., and Xánada.

Channel art and audio & video editing by Jenny Ashford. Music & sound effects courtesy of freesound.org users jamespotterboy, corsica-s, enjoypa, capturedlv, luffy, kiddpark, and justkiddink. Video clips courtesy of Videezy & Videvo.