It was a Wednesday evening on June 17, 2015, when 14 parishioners gathered for bible study at the Mother Emmanuel historic church in Charleston, South Carolina.  As good Christians, none of them questioned when a newcomer showed up that evening, saying he wanted to join them.  They welcomed him with open arms, not knowing that his presence would forever change their and their families’ lives.  In this episode, Hav covers the initial details of domestic terrorist and (wannabe) white supremacist, Dylann Roof, leading up to his decision to maliciously attack this peaceful bible study group. 

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Ethan

Music By: Skane

Socials/Contact:Follow on Instagram: @seeminglyinnocuouspodEmail us your suggested cases/events! [email protected]

Ultimate Serial Killer Trivia Book:Rosewood, Jack. The Ultimate Serial Killer Trivia Book:Interesting Facts and Random Trivia About the World’s Most Notorious Serial Killers. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.

Primary Resources:

1.       https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/us/charleston-shooting-dylann-roof-troubled-past.html#

2.       https://time.com/time-magazine-charleston-shooting-cover-story/

3.       https://www.today.com/news/charleston-church-shooting-10-years-later-rcna213268

4.       https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct74mr

5.       https://archive.is/KeAK3

6.       https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2017/the-miseducation-of-dylann-roof

7.       https://abcnews.go.com/US/key-moments-charleston-church-shooting-case-dylann-roof/story?id=46701033

8.       https://www.counton2.com/news/attorneys-for-dylann-roof-file-motion-to-vacate-sentence/

9.       https://www.postandcourier.com/news/how-polly-sheppard-a-survivor-of-the-emanuel-mass-shooting-carries-on/article_821cfd64-e83c-11ec-b4fb-dfea62becc73.html

10.  https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/21/520978841/joey-meek-who-knew-of-dylann-roofs-plan-sentenced-to-27-months-in-prison

11. 

https://www.counterextremism.com/extremists/dylann-roof

12. 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/29/hundreds-honour-charleston-church-shooting-victim-myra-thompson

13. 

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/14/nx-s1-5391851/kevin-sack-mother-emanuel

14. 

https://www.gq.com/story/dylann-roof-making-of-an-american-terrorist

15. 

https://abcnews.com/US/charleston-shooting-suspects-childhood-friend-details-upbringing/story?id=31903211

16. 

https://today.citadel.edu/remembering-myra-thompson-one-of-the-emanuel-9-and-a-citadel-alumna/

17. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/10/508363607/what-happened-when-dylann-roof-asked-google-for-information-about-race

18. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/dylann-roof-wrote-white-supremacist-manifestos-prosecutors-idUSKCN10X299/

19. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/20/416024920/photos-possible-manifesto-of-dylann-roof-surface-on-website

Welcome to Part 2 of Tyler Hadley’s SlaughterHouse Party where Tyler’s mental state unravels just as quickly as the party itself.   Hav and Suzie conclude the case in this week’s episode, picking up from last week just as Mary Jo and Blake were starting to think Tyler’s treatment was finally paying off.  Tyler was acting more like his old self with each passing day but little did his parents know that this was all just a façade and everything was about to come crashing down. 

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Suzie

Music By: Skane

Socials/Contact:Follow on Instagram: @seeminglyinnocuouspodEmail us your suggested cases/events! [email protected]

Primary References:

1. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/tyler-hadleys-killer-party-54270/

2.  https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/tyler-hadley-killer-parents-interview-b2650607.html

3.  https://abcnews.com/blogs/headlines/2014/04/teen-took-selfie-with-best-friend-after-learning-the-friend-was-a-murderer

4.  https://www.wpbf.com/article/tyler-hadley-friends-say-he-just-wanted-to-party-do-drugs/1321299

5. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/fla-teen-killed-parents-had-house-party-say-cops/4/

6.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/19/police-say-teenager-bludgeoned-parents

7.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-14212640

8. https://abcnews.com/US/best-friend-ruined-life-killed-parents/story

9.  https://people.com/tyler-hadley-teen-kills-parents-throws-house-party-11787003

10.  https://www.tcpalm.com/picture-gallery/news/crime/2017/08/08/evidence-from-2011-murder-case-against-tyler-hadley/104412024/

11.  https://murderpedia.org/male.H/h/hadley-tyler-evidence-1.htm

12.  https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/tyler-hadley-teenager-killed-parents

13.  https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/us/23murder.html

14.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck5N6C6gfTQ

15.  https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/friend-fla-teen-confessed-to-murdering-parents-at-party/

16.  https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/teen-accused-of-beating-parents-to-death-with-hammer-denied-bond/

17.  https://abcnews.com/US/best-friend-ruined-life-killed-parents/story?id=23189582

18.  https://archive.tcpalm.com/news/day-5-of-hearing-psychiatrist-says-tyler-hadley-had-severe-mental-illness--photo-galleries-vide-ep-3-340230211.html/

19.  https://archive.tcpalm.com/news/prosecutor-questions-whether-tyler-hadley-telling-truth-about-hearing-voice--photos-video-ep-3495875-340237441.html

Blake and Mary Jo Hadley had been married for 25 years and had the idyllic American Dream life up until this point.  Both had stable careers they really enjoyed, a nice house in quiet Port St. Lucie, Florida, and 2 sons they loved immensely.  Although their youngest son, Tyler (17), had struggled during his teen years, neither Blake nor Mary Jo had any idea how dark the thoughts were brewing in his head.  Tyler made plans to throw an epic house party and not even his best friend, Michael Mandell, would ever think Tyler was capable of the brutality he put his parents through…..and even more so, what he chose to do after.  Join Hav and Suzie for Part 1 of Tyler Hadley’s SlaughterHouse Party

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Suzie

Music By: Skane

Socials/Contact:
Follow on Instagram: @seeminglyinnocuouspod
Email us your suggested cases/events! [email protected]

Ultimate Serial Killer Trivia Book:
Rosewood, Jack. The Ultimate Serial Killer Trivia Book: Interesting Facts and Random Trivia About the World’s Most Notorious Serial Killers. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.

Primary References:

1.       https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/tyler-hadleys-killer-party-54270/

2.       https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/tyler-hadley-killer-parents-interview-b2650607.html

3.       https://abcnews.com/blogs/headlines/2014/04/teen-took-selfie-with-best-friend-after-learning-the-friend-was-a-murderer

4.       https://www.wpbf.com/article/tyler-hadley-friends-say-he-just-wanted-to-party-do-drugs/1321299

5.       https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/fla-teen-killed-parents-had-house-party-say-cops/4/

6.       https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/19/police-say-teenager-bludgeoned-parents

7.       https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-142126408.       https://abcnews.com/US/best-friend-ruined-life-killed-parents/story

9.       https://people.com/tyler-hadley-teen-kills-parents-throws-house-party-11787003

10.  https://www.tcpalm.com/picture-gallery/news/crime/2017/08/08/evidence-from-2011-murder-case-against-tyler-hadley/104412024/

11.  https://murderpedia.org/male.H/h/hadley-tyler-evidence-1.htm

12.  https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/tyler-hadley-teenager-killed-parents

13.  https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/us/23murder.html

14.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck5N6C6gfTQ15.  https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/teen-accused-of-beating-parents-to-death-with-hammer-denied-bond/

On a hot summer day, 7000 people gathered at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s traveling circus in Hartford, Connecticut, for what was sure to be a spectacle.  Little did any of the patrons know just how memorable that day was going to be and how absolutely tragic!  Join Hav this week as he covers this disastrous event and discusses many attendees who were forced to make split decisions not knowing what their fate truly held for them.  This is a tough one but I hope you enjoy this week’s episode (as much as one could enjoy it….)

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Jackie

Music By: Skane

Socials/Contact:
Follow on Instagram: @seeminglyinnocuouspod
Email us! [email protected]

Primary References:

1. O’Nan, Stewart. The Circus Fire: A True Story of an AmericanTragedy. 2000

2. https://www.circusfire1944.com/

3. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/08/05/85043468.pdf

4. https://www.guilfordfire.com/single-post/remembering-the-tragic-hartford-circus-fire-77-years-later

5. https://www.nytimes.com/1942/08/05/archives/fifty-animals-die-in-fire-at-circus-ringling-menagerie-burns-in.html

6. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-rich-tragic-history-of-daredevil-wallendas/

7. https://fee.org/articles/the-myth-of-us-prosperity-during-world-war-ii/

8. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1991/rt9103/910310/03100173.htm

9. https://youthjournalism.org/inferno-under-big-top-survivors/

10.https://www.circusesandsideshows.com/circuses/ringlingbrosbbcircus.html

11.  https://connecticuthistory.org/hartford-circus-fire-the-tents-on-fire-who-knew/

12.  https://www.hartfordhistory.net/circusfire.html

13.  https://toomuchbrudders.com/2020/07/03/the-hartford-circus-fire/

14.  https://dnadoeproject.org/case/hartford-circus-fire-victims/

15.  https://blog.qrfs.com/294-the-deadliest-fires-in-u-s-history-lessons-learned-from-the-hartford-circus-fire/

16.  https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2024-07-01/80-years-ago-a-gas-soaked-roof-and-wwii-created-a-perfect-storm-for-the-hartford-circus-tragedy17.  https://www.thestacksreader.com/the-little-girl-in-grave-1565/

At the top of this week’s episode, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was likely thrilled from beyond the grave about what the future of the Zeppelin name was likely to become.  After all, rigid airships were looking like they might be the chosen form of air travel, especially for transcontinental flights.  The Hindenburg had a highly successful first season and with expansion of passenger capacity during the winter of ’36, she was bound to continue on her successful path and lead the charge for many more airships to come.  Unfortunately, this would all come crashing down, quite literally, in a fiery blaze.  Little did anyone know how their lives would change or possibly end as a result of being on the Hindenburg during her last voyage across the Atlantic.

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Ethan

Music By: Skane

Primary Resources:

1.       https://www.airships.net/zeppelins/

2.       https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/lz129-hindenburg-detailed-history/

3.       https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/

4.       https://www.airships.net/airship-people/captain-max-pruss/

5.       https://www.airships.net/hydrogen-airship-accidents/

6.       https://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/

7.       https://www.zeppelinhistory.com/list-of-zeppelins/lz-127-graf-zeppelin/

8.       https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1956/july/zeppelins-german-navy-1914-18

9.       https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/zeppelin-raids/

10.  https://isopolar.com/history-the-zeppelin-age/

11.  https://www.zeppelinhistory.com/rigid-airships-history/timeline-of-zeppelins/

12.  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-6/the-hindenburg-disaster

13.  https://www.airships.net/hindenburg-survivors/

14.  https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/eyewitness/html.php?section=5

15.  https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/flight-schedule/hindenburg-flight-passenger-diary/

16.  https://www.historytoday.com/hindenburg-disaster-and-end-airship-era

17.  https://www.airships.net/airship-people/hugo-eckener/

18.  https://www.airships.net/us-navy-rigid-airships/uss-los-angeles/

19.  https://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/size-speed-statistics/

20.  https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/size-speed/

21.  https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/the-foote-files-wls-chicago-and-the-hindenburg/

22.  https://facesofthehindenburg.blogspot.com/2009/10/passengers-aboard-lz-129-hindenburg-may.html

23.  Joseph Spah as “Ben Dova” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg9gh9P4TT0

Months after the turn of the 20th century, a visionary was determined to make history with the creation of his design, albeit possibly borrowed, of a massive ship that he felt would change the travel and shipping industries forever. In this episode of Seemingly Innocuous, Hav a co-host talk about the rise (pun intended) of rigid airships designed and built by a German inventor whose name Zeppelin would forever go down in history, and sadly not exactly in the illustrious way that he had hoped.

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Ethan

Music by: Skane

Primary Resources:

1.       https://www.airships.net/zeppelins/

2.       https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/lz129-hindenburg-detailed-history/

3.       https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/

4.       https://www.airships.net/airship-people/captain-max-pruss/

5.       https://www.airships.net/hydrogen-airship-accidents/

6.       https://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/

7.       https://www.zeppelinhistory.com/list-of-zeppelins/lz-127-graf-zeppelin/

8.       https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1956/july/zeppelins-german-navy-1914-18

9.       https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/zeppelin-raids/

10.  https://isopolar.com/history-the-zeppelin-age/

11.  https://www.zeppelinhistory.com/rigid-airships-history/timeline-of-zeppelins/

12.  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-6/the-hindenburg-disaster

13.  https://www.airships.net/hindenburg-survivors/

14.  https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/eyewitness/html.php?section=5

15.  https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/flight-schedule/hindenburg-flight-passenger-diary/

16.  https://www.historytoday.com/hindenburg-disaster-and-end-airship-era

17.  https://www.airships.net/airship-people/hugo-eckener/

18.  https://www.airships.net/us-navy-rigid-airships/uss-los-angeles/

19.  https://www.airships.net/lz127-graf-zeppelin/size-speed-statistics/

20.  https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/size-speed/

21.  https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/the-foote-files-wls-chicago-and-the-hindenburg/

22.  https://facesofthehindenburg.blogspot.com/2009/10/passengers-aboard-lz-129-hindenburg-may.html

In this episode, we conclude the case of Charles "Charlie" Whitman and discuss how his vile actions on August 1, 1966 ended several lives and forever altered the life of Claire Wilson and numerous others! We also discuss the heroic actions of not only law enforcement but also fellow bystanders and how Charlie was finally able to be taken down from his perch on the UT Texas Tower.

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by: Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Suzie

Music by: Skane

Primary Resources:

1.       https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2016/09/03/claire-james-survived-whitmans-bullet-the-baby-she-carried-didnt/10100433007/

2.       https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/01/texas-tower-shooting-myth-good-guy-with-gun/

3.       https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Whitman

4.       https://www.garylavergne.com/whitman-why.htm

5.       http://behindthetower.org/the-victims/

6.       https://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/McCoy-story.html

7.       https://towerhistory.org/profiles/claire-wilson-james/

8.       Green, Ryan. The Texas Tower Sniper: The Terrifying TrueStory of Charles Whitman.

On August 1, 1966, students and faculty were going about their typical routines on the University of Texas campus in Austin. Little did anyone know that Charles "Charlie" Whitman had been planning for weeks to carry out one of the most widely known early instances of a mass shooting in the U.S. In this very first episode of Seemingly Innocuous, a true crime and disaster podcast that examines how the universe sometimes has more control over our destiny than we realize, we discuss how effectively meaningless choices sometimes leads to the difference between life and death.

Written by: Hav Martinez

Research by: Hav Martinez

Produced and Edited by Hav Martinez

Episode Co-Host: Suzie

Musicy by: Skane

Primary Resources:

1.       https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2016/09/03/claire-james-survived-whitmans-bullet-the-baby-she-carried-didnt/10100433007/

2.       https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/01/texas-tower-shooting-myth-good-guy-with-gun/

3.       https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Whitman

4.       https://www.garylavergne.com/whitman-why.htm

5.       http://behindthetower.org/the-victims/

6.       https://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/McCoy-story.html

7.       https://towerhistory.org/profiles/claire-wilson-james/