Serial Killers

By Spotify Studios

Education History

What's Serial Killers about?

Get a rare glimpse into the minds and methods of sadistic murderers. From notorious names like Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy to lesser-known killers like “Death House Landlady” Dorothea Puente, what turns a regular person into a predator? Serial Killers is a Spotify Original. New episodes Mondays.

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The Jacksonville Strangler

10.02.2023

In the early 2000s, a serial killer attacked at least six young women around Jacksonville, Florida. Though we’re still awaiting official justice, authorities have strong suspicion around convicted murderer Paul Durousseau. Today, Vanessa analyzes how well the Strangler’s crimes line ...

Serial Killers episodes:

10.02.2023 The Jacksonville Strangler In the early 2000s, a serial killer attacked at least six young women around Jacksonville, Florida. Though we’re still awaiting official justice, authorities have strong suspicion around convicted murderer Paul Durousseau. Today, Vanessa analyzes how well the Strangler’s crimes line ...
09.25.2023 The Grifts of Sante Kimes Pt. 3 You may have heard of ‘boy moms’, but we promise you’ve never heard of one like Sante Kimes. In the final part of our story you’ll hear about how Kimes’ grifts grew in scale and complexity, and how the only ...
09.18.2023 The Grifts of Sante Kimes Pt. 2 What would you steal if you knew you could get away with it? After years of robbery and fraud Sante Kimes moved on to steal something much more sinister than coats and cash: people’s freedom. Specifically, the freedom of service ...
09.11.2023 The Grifts of Sante Kimes Pt. 1 Sante Kimes grew up with very little, so after she moved in with millionaire real-estate investor Kenneth Kimes, she took advantage of all that his wealth had to offer. Enough was never enough: and once she got what she wanted, ...
09.04.2023 The Railway Revenge Killer Rudy Bladel claimed he murdered his coworkers in an act of revenge — but most of his victims were complete strangers. Vanessa examines his life and crimes to understand Bladel’s twisted logic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
08.28.2023 Harvey Miguel Robinson Harvey Miguel Robinson committed his first murder when he was just 17. As the son of a convicted murderer and violent abuser, did he ever have a chance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
08.21.2023 Who Killed Jane Mixer? In 1969, a 23-year-old law student at the University of Michigan was found murdered in a cemetery outside of Ann Arbor. Jane Mixer’s death was considered part of a string of violent killings known as the Michigan murders, thought to ...
08.14.2023 The Cleveland Torso Murders Pt. 2 Eliot Ness went to the grave in 1957 without ever convicting the Cleveland Torso Murderer. Decades later, his family would reveal a secret suspect hidden within his notes, that was too well-connected to be accused publicly. This episode originally aired ...
08.07.2023 The Cleveland Torso Murders Pt. 1 When a torso washed up on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in 1937, the police initially assumed a crime of passion. But when the next torso was found, they knew they had a serial murderer on their hands. Nicknamed ...
07.31.2023 "The Molalla Forest Murderer" Dayton Leroy Rogers Pt. 2 In the 1980s, after decades of snowballing violent impulses, Dayton Leroy Rogers began murdering women and leaving their bodies in the Molalla forest in Oregon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.24.2023 "The Molalla Forest Murderer" Dayton Leroy Rogers Pt. 1 After a repressive religious upbringing filled with abuse from his fundamentalist father, Dayton Leroy Rogers grew into a rage-filled young man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.17.2023 The Axeman of New Orleans Pt. 2 After a 7-month hiatus between 1918 and 1919, the Axeman jumped back into his killing spree. City officials tried to track down the mysterious killer, but their hunt led to nothing but dead ends and wrongful convictions. To this day, ...
07.10.2023 The Axeman of New Orleans Pt. 1 While the U.S. was wrapped up in the final days of World War I, New Orleans was facing an enemy right in their own backyard. In the early 20th century, a wave of fear rolled through Crescent City as a ...
07.03.2023 The Monster of Florence Pt. 2 By 1985, the Monster of Florence had claimed 16 lives—but authorities were no closer to catching the killer than when they'd started their investigation, and the trail was getting colder every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.26.2023 The Monster of Florence Pt. 1 One of Italy’s most notorious serial killers has never (definitively) been identified. The mysterious Monster of Florence murdered couples in their cars, beginning in 1974. The crimes were so horrific that all of Florence was on edge, and the hunt ...
06.19.2023 Terry Childs In the so-called murder capital of the world, Terry Childs grew up in the shadows of infamous serial killers. Until he became one himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.12.2023 Cracking the Code: The Zodiac Pt. 2 Following a string of brutal murders throughout the 1960s, the Zodiac Killer continues to write letters taunting the press and police. This episode originally aired in February 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.05.2023 Cracking the Code: The Zodiac Pt. 1 In the summer of 1969, newspapers in San Francisco began receiving coded letters from a man who would come to identify himself as "the Zodiac." The killer confessed to a string of brutal murders and would go on to terrorize ...
06.01.2023 “The Grim Reaper” Gregory Scarpa Pt. 2 Some hitmen must walk the line between being a family man at home and a killer at work. But Greg Scarpa wasn't your ordinary hitman. He was paid by the FBI as a Criminal Informant and was instrumental in helping ...
05.29.2023 “The Grim Reaper” Gregory Scarpa Pt. 1 Starting in the 1950s, Greg Scarpa killed his way up the ladder to become the Colombo family's main hitman. By the mid-1980s, his children were in on the family secret. And the only thing more surprising than the number of ...
05.25.2023 “The Jersey Shore Thrill Killer” Richard Biegenwald Pt. 2 In 1982, while Richard Biegenwald was on a killing spree along the Jersey Shore, he also groomed a young woman he lived with to be his protégé. But when she ultimately wasn't up to the task, it meant Biegenwald's secret ...
05.22.2023 “The Jersey Shore Thrill Killer” Richard Biegenwald Pt. 1 Before he was even five years old, Richard Biegenwald was diagnosed with schizophrenia. After more than a decade in institutions and reform schools, he finally got the freedom he longed for. But once out in the world, he reverted to ...
05.18.2023 Mafia Madman: Thomas Pitera During his twenties, he spent his free time reading books about how to kill a human being. Naturally, a job as a mafia hitman was perfect for Thomas Pitera. But when he went from a cold, calculated killer to slowly ...
05.15.2023 Judge Killer: Charles Harrelson While many know his son, Oscar-nominated actor Woody Harrelson, Charles Harrelson spent most of his adult life on the wrong side of the law. As a contract killer, he successfully killed his first two targets but went to trial for ...
05.11.2023 "The Buried Bodies Killer" Robert Garrow Pt. 2 After Robert Garrow committed his first murder, he retreated to Adirondack Park to hide in the wilderness. But the peaceful atmosphere of the woods only agitated him more, leading him to go on a gruesome murder spree in the Adirondack ...
05.08.2023 "The Buried Bodies Killer" Robert Garrow Pt. 1 He grew up without any friends and suffered severe head injuries due to abuse from his parents. As Robert Garrow got older, he turned to crimes like larceny and burglary. But eventually, he gave way to darker and more twisted ...
05.04.2023 The Killer Brothers Pt. 2 Hitmen need a certain level of detachment to do their job. They typically think of their victims as targets, not people. So when brothers Steve and Robert Homick were hired to kill Gerald and Vera Woodman, their inability to be ...
05.01.2023 The Killer Brothers Pt. 1 There is an old saying that blood is thicker than water. But on Sept. 25, 1985, Gerald and Vera Woodman were gunned down in the parking garage of their condo — victims of a hit put on them by two ...
04.27.2023 The Backpacker Murders Pt. 2 By the end of 1993, seven decomposed bodies had been pulled from Australia's Belanglo State Forest. The nation was terrified, and the police force was put on notice: There was a serial killer on the loose. This episode became a ...
04.24.2023 The Backpacker Murders Pt. 1 The bodies of two missing backpackers were recovered from Australia’s Belanglo State Forest in 1992. They weren’t the last. This episode became a Parcast Instant Classic when it initially aired in November, 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
04.20.2023 “The National Forest Serial Killer” Gary Michael Hilton Pt. 2 Being outside with nature is where he felt most comfortable. That’s why Gary Michael Hilton targeted avid hikers in peaceful, wooded areas. But while he chose his victims carefully, he didn't give the same type of thought to getting away ...
04.17.2023 “The National Forest Serial Killer” Gary Michael Hilton Pt. 1 Out in nature, alone with only the trees for company, Gary Michael Hilton found a peace that always eluded him in day-to-day life. Numerous run-ins with landlords, spouses, and law enforcement complicated things in the city. And in October of ...
04.13.2023 “The Unicorn Killer” Ira Einhorn Pt. 2 Philadelphia’s first Earth Day celebration made him a minor celebrity. When he met 25-year-old Holly Maddux, he knew he had to be with her. They lived together for a few years before Holly started to see the real Ira Einhorn. ...
04.10.2023 "The Unicorn Killer" Ira Einhorn Pt. 1 If you were in Philadelphia during the 1960s and interested in the counterculture movement, you probably saw Ira Einhorn storm the stage at the city’s very first Earth Day. While peace and love were the mainstays of his belief system, ...
04.06.2023 "The Route 40 Killer" Steven Brian Pennell Pt. 2 By early July 1988, he had already tortured, mutilated, and killed two women. Police were stumped until they sent in one of their own undercover. And while his wife and children slept, 30-year-old Steven Brian Pennell took the bait. Learn ...
04.03.2023 "The Route 40 Killer" Steven Brian Pennell Pt. 1 With fear of confrontation and anxiety about disappointing loved ones, Steven Brian Pennell pent up his rage. He'd often drive along Highway 40 in Delaware to clear his head. After killing his first hitchhiker, he realized there was only one ...
04.01.2023 Thanks Greg ...or should we say "Thanks baby giraffe"? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
03.30.2023 “The PICU Killer” Genene Jones Pt. 2 While she was a pediatric nurse at Bexar County Hospital, Genene Jones' colleagues were alarmed by how many babies were dying during her shift. When evidence was presented to the hospital's medical director, an investigation was launched. But during that ...
03.27.2023 “The PICU Killer” Genene Jones Pt. 1 She had experienced her share of tragedy, losing her father and a brother to cancer. That's why Genene Jones went into nursing. She wanted to make a difference. And while she was very devoted to her job in the pediatric ...
03.23.2023 “The Pennsylvania Passion Slayer" Peter Kudzinowski His family says that a traumatic brain injury when he was 13 changed Peter Kudzinowski's behavior. But alcohol always made him aggressive. When he was 25 years old, he was found intoxicated on the street in Detroit and put in ...
03.20.2023 The Family Court Killer (ft. Vanessa Richardson) Imagine knowing who a serial killer is for years but not having enough evidence to prove it. This is what happened to police in Sydney, Australia. During the 1980s, Leonard Warwick was angry when he lost custody of his daughter ...
03.16.2023 “CIA Shooter” Mir Aimal Kansi Pt. 2 With Mir Aimal Kansi safely back in Pakistan, the FBI had to try to find him and bring him home. After a raid on Kansi's family home yielded nothing, authorities realized they were in over their heads, until a raise ...
03.13.2023 “CIA Shooter” Mir Aimal Kansi Pt. 1 On the morning of January 25th, 1993, Mir Aimal Kansi carried out an assault on members of the CIA without ever stepping onto the grounds. After killing two and injuring three others, Kansi left the scene and waited to be ...
03.09.2023 “Death Row Romeo” Manuel Pardo Before he earned his nickname in prison, Manuel Pardo Jr was a corrupt cop in Florida during the 1980s. But when law enforcement didn’t let him get the justice he wanted, he took the law into his own hands. Learn ...
03.06.2023 Dyatlov Pass In February 1959, nine people disappeared while hiking through the Ural Mountains. When a search team reached the campsite, the tents still had clothes inside, and footprints showed the hikers moved away from the camp in a single file line. ...
03.02.2023 “Killer Ex-Cop” Christopher Dorner Pt. 2 Holed up in a cabin in Big Bear, California, Christopher Dorner was trapped. A perimeter of 40 officers with guns drawn was waiting in the snowy forest. Police wanted the standoff to end sooner than later. But the method they ...
02.27.2023 “Killer Ex-Cop” Christopher Dorner Pt. 1 In February 2013, a former police officer fired by the LAPD, had a score to settle. His name was Christopher Dorner and his manifesto included a list of people he wanted to kill, many of them cops. But before authorities ...
02.22.2023 Bass Reeves: No Master But Duty \| Episode 1 Our friends over at Solved Murders have a new true crime special! Over the next four weeks, discover the true story of a legendary figure of the Wild West… The man widely believed to have inspired the Lone Ranger… Who ...
02.20.2023 “The Chameleon Killer” Terry Peder Rasmussen He found a way to fit into his new surroundings everywhere he moved. Terry Rasmussen would change his name, marry someone new, then brutally murder them – only to move somewhere else and do it all over again. Learn more ...
02.16.2023 The Pitchfork Murder of Charles Walton Pt. 2 Even though Chief Inspector Robert Fabian had always looked at cases from a scientific and logical perspective, he couldn't help acknowledging that Charles Walton's death differed from any case he had ever seen. And the more he learned, the more ...

Older episodes

Serial Killers

What's Serial Killers about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Serial Killers episodes:

The Jacksonville Strangler

The Grifts of Sante Kimes Pt. 3

The Grifts of Sante Kimes Pt. 2

The Grifts of Sante Kimes Pt. 1

The Railway Revenge Killer

Harvey Miguel Robinson

Who Killed Jane Mixer?

The Cleveland Torso Murders Pt. 2

The Cleveland Torso Murders Pt. 1

"The Molalla Forest Murderer" Dayton Leroy Rogers Pt. 2

"The Molalla Forest Murderer" Dayton Leroy Rogers Pt. 1

The Axeman of New Orleans Pt. 2

The Axeman of New Orleans Pt. 1

The Monster of Florence Pt. 2

The Monster of Florence Pt. 1

Terry Childs

Cracking the Code: The Zodiac Pt. 2

Cracking the Code: The Zodiac Pt. 1

“The Grim Reaper” Gregory Scarpa Pt. 2

“The Grim Reaper” Gregory Scarpa Pt. 1

“The Jersey Shore Thrill Killer” Richard Biegenwald Pt. 2

“The Jersey Shore Thrill Killer” Richard Biegenwald Pt. 1

Mafia Madman: Thomas Pitera

Judge Killer: Charles Harrelson

"The Buried Bodies Killer" Robert Garrow Pt. 2

"The Buried Bodies Killer" Robert Garrow Pt. 1

The Killer Brothers Pt. 2

The Killer Brothers Pt. 1

The Backpacker Murders Pt. 2

The Backpacker Murders Pt. 1

“The National Forest Serial Killer” Gary Michael Hilton Pt. 2

“The National Forest Serial Killer” Gary Michael Hilton Pt. 1

“The Unicorn Killer” Ira Einhorn Pt. 2

"The Unicorn Killer" Ira Einhorn Pt. 1

"The Route 40 Killer" Steven Brian Pennell Pt. 2

"The Route 40 Killer" Steven Brian Pennell Pt. 1

Thanks Greg

“The PICU Killer” Genene Jones Pt. 2

“The PICU Killer” Genene Jones Pt. 1

“The Pennsylvania Passion Slayer" Peter Kudzinowski

The Family Court Killer (ft. Vanessa Richardson)

“CIA Shooter” Mir Aimal Kansi Pt. 2

“CIA Shooter” Mir Aimal Kansi Pt. 1

“Death Row Romeo” Manuel Pardo

Dyatlov Pass

“Killer Ex-Cop” Christopher Dorner Pt. 2

“Killer Ex-Cop” Christopher Dorner Pt. 1

Bass Reeves: No Master But Duty | Episode 1

“The Chameleon Killer” Terry Peder Rasmussen

The Pitchfork Murder of Charles Walton Pt. 2