Murd Up Podcast

Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Edward Smith had very different childhoods, but they had one thing in common: both had been in serious automobile accidents in their early 20s and both suffered severe head injuries as a result. Dick and Perry both lived a life of petty crime, mainly writing bad checks, and had met when they ended up cellmates at the Kansas State Prison. It was there that Dick was told about the Clutter Farm where allegedly Mr. Clutter who ran a very lucrative business; had a safe full of money...all in cash. Dick and Perry put a plan into action but they over looked one thing...what happened if the safe wasn't real or there was no cash? This case perked Truman Capote's interest and ended up being the subject of "In Cold Blood", which went on to be the second best-selling true crime novel of all time.

We made it through one year of the show! To celebrate, Daniel made a music mix to go along with the episode. Thank you to everyone who has supported the show!

James Ruppert was hated by his family, simply for being born. His mother wanted a daughter and was unhappy when James ended up being a boy and his father just disliked his own life and decided to take it out on his younger son. James's brother, Leonard Jr., was the shining example of the person child and James couldn't live up to the expectations set because his family never provided him with love or affection. As an adult, James moved from job to job with no direction, continued living with his mother, and developed a paranoia that his brother was out to sabotage him at any cost. Eventually, James became fully convinced that everyone in his life was in on the plan and also believed that he was being followed constantly, by numerous different government agencies. All came to a breaking point around James's 41st birthday, when his mother gave him an ultimatum which included an eviction notice. Easter was also that weekend and the family gathering, which was normally a joyous occasion, was suddenly not something that James looked forward to.

Winnie Ruth Judd was known for being a liar, self-center and immature, even as an adult. At the age of 17 she met and quickly married a doctor named William Judd, who had a morphine addiction due to injuries sustained in WW1, in addition to being an alcoholic. Because of this, William was unable to keep a job for very long, and the couple moved often. William also refused to have babies, which was something that Winnie had desperately wanted her entire life. After a forced abortion, followed by another pregnancy which ultimately ended in a miscarriage, Winnie contracted Tuberculosis and the couple separated with Winnie moving to Phoenix, Arizona. There, Winnie met and started dating playboy and wealthy 43 year old Happy Jack Halloran, but things got messy when Winnie started getting jealous of Jack’s attention towards other women, namely her friends Annie and Sammy. Ultimately an argument over Jack ensued and Winnie’s decision was to pack up a couple of trunks and head to LA. Unfortunately, this plan didn’t work out as smoothly as Winnie would have hoped.

Winnie Ruth Judd was known for being a liar, self-center and immature, even as an adult. At the age of 17 she met and quickly married a doctor named William Judd, who had a morphine addiction due to injuries sustained in WW1, in addition to being an alcoholic. Because of this, William was unable to keep a job for very long, and the couple moved often. William also refused to have babies, which was something that Winnie had desperately wanted her entire life. After a forced abortion, followed by another pregnancy which ultimately ended in a miscarriage, Winnie contracted Tuberculosis and the couple separated with Winnie moving to Phoenix, Arizona. There, Winnie met and started dating playboy and wealthy 43 year old Happy Jack Halloran, but things got messy when Winnie started getting jealous of Jack’s attention towards other women, namely her friends Annie and Sammy. Ultimately an argument over Jack ensued and Winnie’s decision was to pack up a couple of trunks and head to LA. Unfortunately, this plan didn’t work out as smoothly as Winnie would have hoped.

Between March and April 1996 in Fort Myers, Florida, Kevin “God” Foster, Peter “Fried” Magnotti, Chris “Slim” Black and Derek “Mob” Shields, along with the occasional help from Chris "Red" Burnett, Tom "Dog" Torrone, Brad Young, and later Craig Lesh; went on a vandalism and arson spree to wreak havoc and make headlines.

Going by the name “Lords of Chaos”, they destroyed a historic Coca-Cola building, stole several cars, and robbed a few people, including Derek’s landlord who owned a restaurant in town.

The majority of the group was intelligent with high IQs, but as teenagers they eventually made mistakes and one night, while vandalizing they high school auditorium, the LOC was caught by a teacher, Mark Schwebes. Recognizing a couple of the gang members, Mark informed them that they would be visited by the police the next morning about the incident. The Lords of Chaos couldn’t allow this as the third rule of the LOC was: any outsider who threatened the group would be killed.

Between March and April 1996 in Fort Myers, Florida, Kevin “God” Foster, Peter “Fried” Magnotti, Chris “Slim” Black and Derek “Mob” Shields, along with the occasional help from Chris "Red" Burnett, Tom "Dog" Torrone, Brad Young, and later Craig Lesh; went on a vandalism and arson spree to wreak havoc and make headlines.

Going by the name “Lords of Chaos”, they destroyed a historic Coca-Cola building, stole several cars, and robbed a few people, including Derek’s landlord who owned a restaurant in town.

The majority of the group was intelligent with high IQs, but as teenagers they eventually made mistakes and one night, while vandalizing they high school auditorium, the LOC was caught by a teacher, Mark Schwebes. Recognizing a couple of the gang members, Mark informed them that they would be visited by the police the next morning about the incident. The Lords of Chaos couldn’t allow this as the third rule of the LOC was: any outsider who threatened the group would be killed.

Robert Alton Harris was abused before he was even born. Both his parents were alcoholics and despite having 9 children, they seemed to like using Robert as a punching bag. By the time he was 6, he had a constant shake to his hands and he would throw up his arms to protect his head anytime his mother or father entered a room. At 14, he was abandoned by his family and ended up in a reformatory until he was 19. After that, Robert tried normal life but ended up somewhat of an alcoholic himself and by 25, he was robbing banks and stealing cars. Robert was also charged with manslaughter after lighting a neighbor on fire, and after doing time for that, he and brother Daniel, decided bank robbing was their next goal. But to achieve it, they needed a getaway car and coming by that would cost a life...or two.

Ronnie Lee Gardner was neglected a child and basically raised by his older siblings. By the age of 10, Ronnie was on drugs, huffing glue and gas and drinking alcohol. By 14, he had been in and out of reform schools and institutions, and was living with his brother and a guy named Jack, whom he was having a sexual relationship with. By 19, he was the father of two. Ronnie spent several years in and out of jail, breaking free several times, before being arrested for murder.

However, Ronnie was determined to never be fully incarcerated and made plans for one final escape, which he would stop at no costs to achieve.

What Chris “Jerry” Hightower experienced during childhood drove him to have an entitled attitude, where he felt like he did everything right and if he failed, it was because of someone else. Jerry strived to be a Doctor but never wanted to put the time and effort into achieving the dream, especially after getting married and having children. Jerry spent his entire life chasing after the thing he wanted most: money. Eventually this path lead him to only one conclusion-murder.