Helen Anderson and Danni Howard travel to 1970s Austria to dive into the world of famous writer and not so reformed murderer Jack Unterweger. After serving time in prison for one horrendous murder, Jack’s writing hobby spiralled into an illustrious career… so illustrious that he was let out of prison early… triggering one of the worst killing sprees modern Europe and America have ever seen. Expect eerie radio plays for children, an infamous stay at the Los Angeles Cecil Hotel, and one of the biggest blunders of the prison reform system ever seen. Devils in The Dark contains graphic details of sexual assault and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is strongly advised.  

00:00 - Introduction

06:00 - Where Jack’s story begins

08:23 - The murder of Margret Schäfer 

12:52 - Jack goes to prison

13:50 - Jack gets a book deal

19:08 - Celebrity writer Jack Unterweger gets released

29:30 - The murder of Blanka Bockova

31:22 - The murders of Brunhilde Masser, Heide Hammerer and Elfriede Schrempf 

35:04 - The one surviving victim

36:00 - Jack moonlights as a news reporter

39:20 - Jack goes to the USA

40:49 - The murders of Shannon Exley, Irene Rodriguez, Sherri Ann Long

44:32 - Jack Unterweger is on the run

46:21 - The trial of Jack Unterweger

55:18 - Outro 

This episode is sponsored by: 

BetterHelp. Go to www.betterhelp.com/DITD for 10% off your first month.

StitchFix. Head to www.stitchfix.co.uk/DEVILS20 to get 20% when you keep all 5 items in your fix.

Follow Helen Anderson at @helenanderz and Danni Howard at @thatdannihoward. Special thanks to Woodcut Media. See audioboom.com/about/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Produced by Alexandra Jueno at Audioboom Studios. 

If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode please consider contacting the following resources:

The Samaritans helpline: 116 123

Rape Crisis Helpline: 0808 802 9999 (help is also available at live chat at https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/live-chat-helpline/ *times apply)

Sexual Assault Support Line: 01708 765200