This is a three-part podcast series dedicated to understanding how serial killers form, and how we can stop them before they strike again. Hosted by award-winning crime scene investigator Sheryl McCollum, each episode features a guest expert who brings unique expertise into the psychology, behavior, and patterns of serial offenders.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, sits down with Phil Chalmers, a seasoned criminal profiler whose life’s work has taken him face-to-face with some of the most notorious killers in American history. Phil shares what it’s really like to sit across from people like Charles Manson and David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam. Today, Sheryl and Phil go deeper than infamous names; it’s about understanding why people kill. Phil breaks down the roots of violent behavior, pointing to patterns like fatherlessness, childhood trauma, and relentless bullying. He also challenges long-held assumptions about what a serial killer looks like, arguing that the modern offender is often far from the stereotypical white male.

Guest Bio and Links:

Phil Chalmers is a 40 year American Criminal Profiler, true crime writer, and host of the Dennis Quaid owned podcast “Where The Bodies Are Buried.” His live trainings are legendary in the law enforcement world, as he trains police officers, the FBI, probation officers, school administrators, and many other professionals. You may have seen Phil on A&E’s Killer Kids, or Fox’s Crime Watch Daily. He has interviewed hundreds of violent killers, including serial killers, school shooters, mass murderers, family annihilators, and spree killers. Names you might know on his interview list include Charles Manson, The Son of Sam, BTK, The Hillside Strangler, The Gainesville Ripper, The Zodiac Copycat, The Smiley Face Killer, and the Amityville Horror Killer.

Listeners can learn more about at Phil Chalmers at his website, on IG @philechalmerprofiler and his podcast - Where The Bodies Are Buried  

Resources:

Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer

Serial Killers: The Experience Tour

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum  
• (0:20) Sheryl introduces guest,  Phil Chalmers to the listeners 
• (2:00) Phil gives a brief background of himself and his work
• (3:00) Inside the mind of a serial killer
• (5:00) Twelve myths of serial killers 
• (11:00) Bullying and the path to school shootings
• (12:00) 13 reasons kids kill
• (13:30) The number one reason teens kill
• (15:00) Myths in serial killer profiling
• (18:30) Phil discusses reasons he works with serial killers
• (20:30) Background of Amon Pressley 
• (23:30) What to look for to connect serial killer cases
• (25:30) The signature vs. MO distinction 
• (30:15)  ”The MO changes.” - Phil Chalmers 
• Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving the show and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review! 

---

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.  

Social Links:

• Email: [email protected]
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.