Sinister Crimes and Cocktails: A True Crime Podcast

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From July of 1976 to July of 1977, one of America’s most notorious serial killers, David Berkowitz, better known by his moniker, The Son of Sam, swept panic through the streets and boroughs of New York City with a murder spree that captivated the nation and ignited a media frenzy. Over the course of that year, in three of the city’s boroughs, Berkowitz, using a.44 caliber Bulldog revolver randomly shot New York citizens, leaving six dead and seven wounded. He left handwritten letters at some of the crime scenes, in which he taunted and insulted the police for their fruitless efforts to capture him and expressed his determination to continue his work. Berkowitz’s deadly shooting rampage spawned one of the biggest manhunts in New York City’s history, ending in August of 1977, with the capture of the 24-year-old, finally putting to rest New York City’s notorious “summers of fear”. Berkowitz’s confessed to the string of brutal attacks claiming that he had received orders to kill from his neighbor Sam Carr, which had been communicated through Sam’s black Labrador retriever that had become possessed by a 6,000-year-old demon. Despite Berkowitz’s story of devils, demons, and possession, numerous psychological evaluations declared him “competent” to stand trial. So, was The Son of Sam just a sinister mind who had a lust for killing or was he suffering from serve mental health issues that had been the catalyst into creating a serial killer.
References:
‘I want people to understand what really happened’: did the Son of Sam serial killer act alone? | Documentary | The Guardian

Where Is David Berkowitz Now? Everything We Know About the "Son of Sam" (distractify.com)

The Son of Sam: A Timeline of the Killings that Terrorized New York City (biography.com)

David Berkowitz, "Son of Sam": America's Most Infamous Serial Killer - The CrimeWire

David Berkowitz | Son of Sam Killer - Crime Museum

Inside the Son of Sam Case (biography.com)

David Berkowitz - Crimes, Letters & Facts (biography.com)

Son of Sam serial killer is arrested | August 10, 1977 | HISTORY

David Berkowitz | Biography, Crimes, & Facts | Britannica

Where Is David Berkowitz Now in 2021? Is Son of Sam Killer Still Alive? (menshealth.com)

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In Anchorage, Alaska on February 22, 2024, 53-year-old South African immigrant Brian Steven Smith was convicted in 14 charges including first and second-degree murder, sexual assault, tampering with physical evidence and misconduct involving a corpse for the murders of 52-year-old Veronica Abouchuk and 30-year-old Kathleen Jo Henry. Both women were from small villages in western Alaska and had experienced homelessness and addiction. Smith was connected to the murders in September of 2019, when a stolen phone containing gruesome photos and videos spanning over a five-day period, which included the brutal beating and strangulation of a woman was turned over to the Anchorage police. Strangely enough, the police recognized the voice in the videos as that of Brian Steven Smith, a South African native they knew from a previous investigation. So, what would make a man without a criminal history to become such a sinister monster.
References:
Alaska Serial Killer Secretly Records Murders: ‘In My Movies, Everybody Dies’ (people.com)

Alaska Memory Card Murders: AK v. Brian Steven Smith | Court TV

As Smith murder trial begins, a new explanation of how digital card showing killing got to Anchorage police - Anchorage Daily News (adn.com)

How a Stolen Memory Card Became Key Evidence in a Double-Murder Case (people.com)

Brian Steven Smith: What we know about the SA-born Alaskan killer (thesouthafrican.com)

A woman stole a memory card from a truck. The gruesome footage is now key to an Alaska murder trial. (boston.com)

Jury returns verdict in violent murder seen on stolen memory card | Court TV

After Brian Smith's Anchorage murder conviction, MMIP advocates hope for change - Alaska Public Media

Jury watches video of killer singing AC/DC while killing woman | Court TV

Trial of Brian Smith, accused of murdering two Alaska Native women, enters third week - Alaska Public Media

Jury makes quick decision in the Brian Smith murder trial, convicting him in the deaths of two Native women (knba.org)

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The most infamous serial killer in the history of North Carolina is that of Henry Lewis Wallace, also known as “The Charolette Strangler or “The Taco Bell Killer. During the early-90’s Wallace murdered nearly a dozen black women, who almost all had one thing in common, they knew him. For several years he remained at large, causing hysteria in the city of Charolette, especially amongst the minority community where a large number of the murders had taken place. A lack of adequate police patrolling in that area of Charlotte and the fact that the police were simply not equipped in handling a serial killer, allowed Wallace’s rampant murdering spree to continue for so long. He would eventually be caught and during his confession, explained how he raped and strangled each of his victims to death, even attending some of his victims’ funerals. When Wallace was finally convicted of raping and murdering 10 black women, he was sentenced to death, where he still remains on death row. So, what would cause such a sinister mind to commit such horrific murders.
References:
Henry Wallace leaves kids motherless, one NC woman steps in | Charlotte Observer

The Serial Killer the Cops Ignored: The Henry Louis Wallace Murders Crime Magazine

Son of serial killer victim reflects on loss 30 years later | Charlotte Observer

The arrest of Charlotte serial killer Henry Louis Wallace | Charlotte Observer

How Henry Louis Wallace killed so long without getting caught | Charlotte Observer

Timeline of Henry Louis Wallace’s killing of 11 women | Charlotte Observer

'20/20' Exclusive Clip Explores Serial Murders of Henry Louis Wallace (people.com)

Henry Louis Wallace: A Calamity Waiting to Happen (charlotte.edu)

‘20/20′: Jailhouse interview with ‘Taco Bell Strangler,’ 1990s Charlotte serial killer – WSOC TV

Families of victims of serial killer Henry Wallace remember loved ones, challenges with investigation - ABC News (go.com)

Why Did It Take 11 Victims to Catch Serial Killer Henry Louis Wallace? - A&E True Crime (aetv.com)

Henry Louis Wallace Now: Where is the Serial Killer Today? Update (thecinemaholic.com)

Profile of Serial Killer and Rapist Henry Louis Wallace (thoughtco.com)

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For most of us when we think of Easter, we think of church services, the Easter bunny, dyed eggs, family gatherings, and Easter egg hunts. However, for one country their most common Easter tradition is something altogether more sinister.
References:
Easter Traditions in Norway - Life in Norway

Easter crime: Norwegian Easter equals brutal murders | The Norwegian phenomenon påskekrim (visitnorway.com)

Norway’s Weird 100-Year-Old Easter Tradition Of Crime Fiction (forbes.com)

How did crime fiction become a Norwegian Easter tradition? (sciencenorway.no)

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A small English community in Cornwall, England would be shaken to its core when in 1952 the battered bodies of a wealthy and well-respected married couple were discovered on Porthpean Beach near St Austell, England. The investigation of the double murder would lead authorities to the couple’s only living son, Miles William Giffard, who was eventually found guilty of murdering his parents and hung to death in 1953. So, what caused Miles Giffard to kill his parents and were their other sinister forces at play?
References:
Miles Giffard - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Miles Giffard Biography | HowOld.co

05 Feb 1953 - GIRL FASCINATED HIM - Trove (nla.gov.au)

British Executions - Execution of Miles William Giffard - 1953 murder - Capital Punishment - Miles William Giffard

The double murder shocked a West Country village after son threw parents off cliff - Somerset Live

Murder by the Sea: Miles Giffard | Robin Jarossi

'Bad’ not ‘mad’ Miles Giffard who was hanged for the brutal murder of his parents in Cornwall - Cornwall Live

Miles Giffard | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

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In December of 2010, along a remote stretch of sand on the South Shore of Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York, a police officer and his dog would discover human remains while searching for a missing woman. Just a few days later, the police would find the remains of three other women. Like the first victim, they were petite, in their 20s and worked as escorts. In the following weeks, six other bodies were discovered, including that of a man and a 2-year-old girl who have never identified. The discovery of the bodies terrified residents of Long Island and led to a 12-year investigation marked by dysfunction, disarray and even corruption. For a decade, the police did not seem to have a single suspect or person of interest and refused to discuss the case. In February of 2023, DNA would link Rex A. Heuermann to the first four women's remains that were found. Heuermann lived in Massapequa Park, Long Island, about a 20-minute drive from Gilgo Beach where the bodies were discovered. So, could Rex Heuerman be responsible for other sinister crimes?
References:
The Gilgo Beach Serial-Killing Case: What We Know - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

The Gilgo Beach Murders Were a Cold Case. Then a New Police Chief Arrived. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

Gilgo Beach serial killings: A complete timeline of events (nbcnews.com) 

New York authorities identify another Gilgo Beach murder victim. She was previously known as ‘Fire Island Jane Doe’ | CNN 

Evidence against Gilgo Beach suspect includes surveillance videos and 2,500 pages of documents, prosecution says (nbcnews.com) 

New York authorities identify another Gilgo Beach murder victim. She was previously known as ‘Fire Island Jane Doe’ | CNN 

What We Know About the Gilgo Beach Murders Case | TIME 

Inside the Hunt for the Gilgo Beach Serial Killer - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

Gilgo Beach killings: A timeline of the case and investigation | CNN 

A flood of evidence has come in since suspect’s arrest in Gilgo Beach serial killings cold case, DA says | CNN 

Gilgo Beach murders: 'A demon that walks amongst us' charged in Long Island serial killings (nbcnews.com) 

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Irish newlyweds Colin Whelan and Mary Gough had been married just six months when on March 1, 2001, Colin called for an ambulance claiming that his wife had fallen down the stairs of their home in Balbriggan Co Dublin and wasn’t breathing. Mary was pronounced dead at the hospital but when her autopsy examination revealed she died of asphyxiation, a murder investigation quickly ensued. Police would soon learn that Colin had been planning his wife’s brutal murder for almost a year. He would be released on bail as he awaited his murder trial but, seven months before his trial was to begin, Colin faked his own death and fled to Majorca, an island in Spain. However, his new life would not last long. In July of 2004, Colin would be arrested and extradited back to Ireland after an Irish couple on holiday recognized him from seeing is picture in the news. So, what was the reason that Colin Whelan became such a sinister killer?
References:
https://magill.ie/archive/colin-whelan-murder-trial

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/killer-agrees-to-hand-back-dead-wife-s-jewellery-1.1182695

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-admits-murder-of-wife-four-years-ago-1.431100

https://www.independent.ie/

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-gets-life-for-callous-killing-of-his-wife-1.431427

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20106814/who-is-colin-whelan-where-is-he-now/

https://www.thesun.ie/news/11538113/wife-killer-colin-whelan-psychopathic-garda-mary-gough/

https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220330136696/getting-away-with-murder-where-is-colin-whelan-now-channel-5-documentary/

https://www.independent.ie/opinion

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/wife-killer-faked-death-fled-32204568

https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/irish-sunday-mirror/20231105/281754159028839

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20071819/mary-gough-and-what-happened-to-her/ 

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Welsh serial killer John Cooper, a diagnosed psychopath committed two double murders, one in 1985 and the other in 1989 in the Pembrokeshire area of Wales. The murders became known as the "Pembrokeshire Murders" or the "Coastal Murders" with Cooper earning the name the "Bullseye Killer" after his appearance on a game show that would eventually help led to his arrest. Now these were not Cooper's only sinister misdoings, he had a long history of violent crimes that included armed robbery and sexual assault. So, could John Cooper possibly be responsible for other sinister crimes?
References:
https://peoplepill.com/i/john-cooper-3/
https://www.entertainmentdaily.com/news/the-pembrokeshire-murders-on-itv-where-is-serial-killer-john-cooper-now/
https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/cooper-john.htm
https://heavy.com/entertainment/serial-killer-john-cooper/
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/pembrokeshire-murders-john-cooper-wife-b1786770.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-13562724
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2021-01-11/the-pembrokeshire-murders-the-true-story-behind-the-notorious-double-murders-that-shook-west-wales
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-13409516
https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/john-cooper-now-true-story-pembrokeshire-murders-what-happened-serial-killer-824596
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/pembrokeshire-murders-bullseye-john-cooper-b1786300.html
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bullseye-killer-unknowingly-exposed-wifes-23229019
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/pembrokeshire-murders-john-cooper-background-19625857

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In August of 2004, in the small coastal town of Jenner, California 22-year-old Lindsay Cutshall and her fiancé 26-year-old Jason Allen, where found shot to death in their sleeping bags on Fish Head Beach with little evidence being left at the crime scene. The couple’s murder investigation would span over 13 years with countless conspiracy theories spurred before their killer was identified. In 2017, self-proclaimed survivalist Shaun Michael Gallon was arrested for the murder of his brother and in a twist of fate, he would be linked to the murders of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen. So, were there reasons behind Shaun Michael Gallon committing murder or was he just a sinister mind.
References:
Confessed Jenner Beach Killer Given 3 Life Sentences Without Parole - CBS San Francisco (cbsnews.com)
A young couple was shot dead on a Jenner beach. 15 years later, the mystery is finally solved (sfgate.com)
Sonoma County survivalist charged with mysterious killings on Jenner beach (sfgate.com)
Final Moments on Oxygen: Evidence from the 2004 Jenner Beach slayings explored (msn.com)
Final Moments on Oxygen: Where is Shaun Gallon now? (msn.com)
Parents get new details about Jenner Beach murders as Shaun Michael Gallon sentenced to life in prison - ABC7 San Francisco (abc7news.com)

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The first public arrest through genetic genealogy was the April 2018 identification of the suspected "Golden State Killer." Since then, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than three dozen suspects in violent crimes, with one of those being the murder of Pamela Cahanes. In August of 1984, Orlando Navy recruit 25-year-old Pamela Cahanes was found beaten and strangled to death in Sanford, Florida. Almost 40 years later DNA and genetic genealogy would link Thomas Lewis Garner, a former naval classmate of Pamela’s, to her 1984 murder. Garner was arrested and convicted of Pamela’s murder. However, tis would not be his only killing. In 2021 he was linked to the death of 25-year-old Kathy Hicks who was murdered in September of 1982. So, could Thomas Lewis Garner be responsible for other unsolved murders.
References:
DNA links Navy classmate to 1984 cold case murder of 25-year-old Pamela Cahanes: Officials - ABC News (go.com)

Suspect in Hawaii cold case from 1982 pleads not guilty to murder; already serving life sentence for Florida murder (khon2.com)

Man reacts with disbelief after DNA links him to decades-old killing: ‘This is almost like the Twilight Zone’ – Orlando Sentinel

34 years later, police make arrest in cold case murder of Navy recruit | kare11.com

DNA evidence leads to Jacksonville man's arrest in 1984 cold case – Action News Jax

Thomas Garner Indicted in Murder of Kathy Hicks (lawandcrime.com)

Florida man arrested, extradited in connection with 1982 murder in Honolulu | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com)

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