The Chalkline

Halloween is one of the best times of the year, especially for true crime. Now, Helen’s not much of a ghost story girl, because she just feels like the real world is creepy enough (valid). So she’s here to bring you a story about a mysterious person, who will send chills down your spine, without any paranormal activity necessary. This week we’re talking about the infamous Watcher.

Sources for this episode:

https://patch.com/new-jersey/westfield/westfield-watcher-letters-revealed-10-creepiest-excerpts

https://www.thecut.com/2018/11/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.html

https://allthatsinteresting.com/the-watcher-house

https://www.today.com/home/watcher-house-new-jersey-finally-sold-new-owners-t160504

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/us/the-watcher-house-stalker-trnd/index.html

https://www.businessinsider.com/new-jersey-watcher-house-creepy-letters-sells-2019-8

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/owner-n-j-watcher-house-admits-he-sent-some-menacing-n936661

https://www.nj.com/union/2017/10/judge_rules_on_njs_infamous_watcher_house_lawsuit.html

On October 6, 2021, the nation was led astray with new revelations pertaining to the infamous Zodiac Killer’s identity. With that theory officially being debunked the world is left wondering, yet again, who is the Zodiac Killer? We are here to give you a list of suspects who we think are a better fit.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/19637651.issue-day-zodiac-killer-identified/

https://zodiackiller.com/zodiac-killer-victims/

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/zodiac-killer-identified/

https://www.the-sun.com/news/3825294/zodiac-killer-dna-found-ignored-by-police-report-claims/

https://www.foxnews.com/us/cold-case-zodiac-killer-identified-murder

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Zodiac-340-cypher-cracked-by-code-expert-51-years-15794943.php

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Zodiac-Killer-case-solved-Case-Breakers-16514228.php

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/zodiac-killer-expert-debunks-identity-theory-1238068/

Over the last few days the nation was led astray with new revelations pertaining to the infamous Zodiac Killer’s identity. We are here to tell you that was a hot pile of crap, but we are also here to dive deep into the Zodiac case and try to make sense of what we actually know for certain.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/19637651.issue-day-zodiac-killer-identified/

https://zodiackiller.com/zodiac-killer-victims/

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/zodiac-killer-identified/

https://www.the-sun.com/news/3825294/zodiac-killer-dna-found-ignored-by-police-report-claims/

https://www.foxnews.com/us/cold-case-zodiac-killer-identified-murder

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Zodiac-340-cypher-cracked-by-code-expert-51-years-15794943.php

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Zodiac-Killer-case-solved-Case-Breakers-16514228.php

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/zodiac-killer-expert-debunks-identity-theory-1238068/

We put our trust into doctors every day. Blindly following them and honoring their opinions often more than our own. For the most part, this pays off in terms of our health. But in some very rare cases, handing over complete control of your life to someone you call doctor can be extremely dangerous.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj0F-5LR0sk

https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/anthony-pignataro/

https://www.oxygen.com/license-to-kill/crime-news/anthony-pignataro-surgeon-resurfacess-florida-new-name

https://buffalonews.com/news/poisoned-plot-prosecutors-speculate-that-anthony-pignataro-concocted-a-bizarre-scheme-to-poison-his-wife/article_27003de6-d0a4-5b8d-a053-c7ae8e824243.html

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2611220/

Every once in a while, things line up. You end up at the right place, right time, and something huge happens. But the crazy thing is, you didn’t even plan for it. It's just a coincidence. Or is it? Well, a group of teenagers put this to the test, when they set out to explore Seattle, Washington and make the biggest discovery. No one can put together how they stumbled across something so traumatic, hidden in what most people consider, simply a carry on.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.bustle.com/life/how-does-randonautica-work-the-creepy-tiktok-famous-app-can-help-you-realize-intentions-27624516

https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/i-was-shocked-says-ex-girlfriend-of-man-arrested-after-bodies-found-in-suitcases-on-west-seattle-beach/281-1bef6aed-0f79-45b4-9543-f80ae66139a3

https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/suspect-arrested-in-connection-to-2-bodies-found-in-bags/281-c39b019b-6f3c-44dd-a384-b2675cc9cd7a

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/style/randonautica-app.html

https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/22/teens-tiktok-video-recorded-moment-found-body-discarded-suitcase-12884091/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53346855

https://www.the-sun.com/news/1362736/landlord-arrested-couple-bodies-found-suitcases-seattle/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/09/seattle-authorities-tiktok-teens-bodies-suitcases/5409503002/

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/somebody-knows-something-family-murdered-couple-found-suitcase-asking-answers-justice/4RFZPTOENZE7LPNCXP6MX7QFNU/

https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/09/bodies-found-suitcase-filmed-tiktok-named-mum-four-boyfriend-12965856/

https://globalnews.ca/news/7158761/tiktok-bodies-found/

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/burien-man-charged-with-murder-in-deaths-of-two-people-found-in-bags-on-west-seattle-beach/

https://www.king5.com/article/news/family-offers-reward-for-information-in-west-seattle-suitcase-murders/281-a93360c7-395e-4458-82cb-30dfa542b56d

The nation is currently swept up in a media spiral, and no one can get enough of the developing story that is the disappearance of Gabby Petito. What seemed to be a picture perfect relationship, may not actually be at all what viewers of Gabby’s vlogs had thought. We are here to tell you what we know as of Tuesday September 21, and discuss a case that has anyone with a daughter, sister, or friend shaken to their core.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/19/us/brian-laundrie-gabrielle-petito-fiance.html

https://nypost.com/2021/09/20/gabby-petito-case-tips-that-may-have-led-to-discovery-of-body/

https://www.foxnews.com/media/gabby-petito-nancy-grace-brian-laundrie-missing

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/hard-drive-found-in-gabby-petito-van-new-last-text-details-emerge-as-brian-laundrie-remains-missing/3282127/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/us/gabby-petito-brian-laundrie-update/index.html

https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/internet-amateur-investigators-attempt-to-solve-gabby-petitos-disappearance/

https://www.foxnews.com/us/gabby-petito-investigation-search-warrant-documents-reveal-odd-texts-disappearance

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/gabby-petito-search-intensifies-for-brian-laundrie

https://people.com/crime/911-caller-said-he-saw-brian-laundrie-hitting-gabby-petito-gentleman-was-slapping-the-girl/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/16/us/gabby-petito-timeline-missing-case/index.html

Since 1963 America has been fumbling to find a rhyme or reason as to why our beloved 35th president met such an early demise. Today, unlike anything we have ever done on our podcast, we are going to put on our tin foil hats and discuss the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/21/us/jfk-assassination-conspiracy-theories-debunked/index.html

https://theconversation.com/jfk-conspiracy-theory-is-debunked-in-mexico-57-years-after-kennedy-assassination-148138

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_assassination_conspiracy_theories

https://crimereads.com/kennedy-assassination-theories-jack-ruby/

https://www.britannica.com/event/assassination-of-John-F-Kennedy/Conspiracy-theories

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a13093037/jfk-assassination-conspiracy-theories/

Buzzfeed Unsolved

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/november-22-1963-death-of-the-president

https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/10/politics/jfk-documents-cia-tip-1962-soviet-chauffeur/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke2t1NV_iaI&t=314s

https://www.jfk.org/the-assassination/jfk-assassination-timeline/

A reverend, a wife, and a babysitter's lives would forever change after crossing paths and their journey would be a long one. Their story has everything a small town in Connecticut needs to cause a media frenzy. Everyone is desperate to figure out the truth and even 150 years later, people are still wondering: how did Mary Stannard’s killer get away with murder?

Sources for this episode:

https://www.courant.com/courant-250/hc-xpm-2014-04-04-hc-250-herbert-hayden-20140403-story.html

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1927/3/mary-stannard-and-the-rev-mr-hayden

https://murderpedia.org/male.H/images/hayden_herbert/revherberthhayden.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison,_Connecticut

https://www.connecticutmag.com/the-connecticut-story/the-ct-files-the-unsolved-murder-of-mary-stannard/article_2db0e015-f60a-551f-933d-31d4c8009a7a.html

It’s February 25, 1957, and someone reports finding the body of a little boy in a box in Philadelphia. This was nearly 64 years ago, yet the boy in the box, or rather “America’s Unknown Child” is still considered one of the most infamous and mind boggling cases to strike our country.

Sources for this episode:

Buzzfeed Unsolved

https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/boy-in-the-box-memphis-clue-could-solve-62-year-old-murder-mystery-across-the-country/989699941/

CBS 3 Philly

It’s new years eve and investigators are quick on the scene when they discover a retired police officer has been shot in his home. Theories start to emerge, but police don't quite yet have all the pieces to this puzzle. With no motive and only one person offering up an explanation, investigators are forced to reexamine everything they thought they know about the McDonnell family.

Sources for this episode:

Forensic Files - Bed of Deceit

https://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2002/20020329-c226401-40-226401-opn.html

https://www.record-eagle.com/archives/mcdonnell-guilty-of-murder/article_60296908-1258-55ce-9046-367890df0b9a.html

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1998/05/13/Traverse-City-officer-dies-in-shooting/9038895032000/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556119/