What drives seemingly devoted fathers and husbands to annihilate their entire families in an act of ultimate betrayal and horror?

Get the Darkness Syndicate version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
IN THIS EPISODE: Weirdo family member, Katie Jo, tells us that as a child she saw something similar to glitter – but in a very supernatural form! (Sparkles) *** An old man opens up to something that happened to him over six decades ago that he has never told anyone before – something that he says ruined his life. (Something Happened 63 Years Ago) *** A woman in bed is startled awake in the middle of the night when she feels someone pull her arm out from under her head – but she’s the only one in her apartment. (Someone Or Something Moved My Hand) *** Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors everywhere. The more mirrors Lucida had the more she could admire herself.  She even is said to have made a deal with the devil in order to maintain her youthful beauty. (The Creepy Story of Lucida Mansi) *** Village life in Lemont, Illinois was as peaceful as it could be, and the Willmans farm was one of the collection of typical sleepy homesteads in the region. Until the day the demon came. (The Demon of Lemont) *** Chillingly, statistics suggest that a child is more likely to be killed by a parent than by a stranger and in most cases, the killer takes his own life after the act. We’ll look into the disturbing psychology of family annihilators. (The Psychology of Familicide)

YOUTUBE CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:03:27.691 = Show Open
00:05:43.393 = Sparkles
00:07:29.864 = Someone Or Something Moved My Hand
00:10:27.289 = Something Happened 63 Years Ago
00:30:17.973 = The Demon of Lemont
00:41:50.985 = The Creepy Story of Lucida Mansi
00:47:30.025 = The Psychology of Familicide, Part 1
01:05:06.190 = The Psychology of Familicide, Part 2
01:15:48.492 = The Psychology of Familicide, Part 3
01:28:13.325 = Show Close
01:30:05.752 = BLOOPERS

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Sparkles” by Weirdo family member, Katie Jo
“Someone Or Something Moved My Hand” by Mirandra for Your Ghost Stories: http://bit.ly/37muJPH
“The Creepy Story of Lucida Mansi” by Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages: http://bit.ly/2DgFrcK
“The Demon of Lemont” by Ursula Bielski for Chicago Hauntings: http://bit.ly/2rnR9zG
“The Psychology of Familicide” by Fiona Guy for Crime Traveller: http://bit.ly/2rmEOM2
“The List Family Massacre” from All That’s Interesting: http://bit.ly/34itO0I
=====
(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
=====
Originally aired: November 2018
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/JohnList
TAGS: John List, familicide, family annihilators, family murder, mass murder, murder-suicide, criminology, true crime, family tragedy, domestic violence, family homicide, family annihilation cases, familicide research, murder psychology, family murderers, true crime stories, family annihilation motives, crime analysis, mental health and crime, murder case studies, family violence, family crime patterns, true crime podcast, criminal psychology, family killers, shocking crimes, dark true crime stories