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The Spree Killer, the Drifter, the Lover, and Stranger Danger
The Spree Killer, the Drifter, the Lover, and Stranger DangerThe Spree Killer, the Drifter, the Lover, and Stranger Danger
In my ongoing exploration of the history of homophobia in life and the law, I've been researching the trends, and I do mean trends, of attacks fueled by the targeting of LGBTQ+ folks. one of the things that's begun surface is how an aspect of the use of the homosexual panic defense that's not written about very often.
From the late 1950s through the 1970s in the United States "Rolling a Queer" became such an epidemic that both Democrats and Republicans came together to introduce legislation that would create some minor protections for gay, mostly male, folks. It failed, of course, and the attacks continued at pace.
This crime wave helps to further explain why the "Homosexual Panic Defense" began to be used in the 1960s. A young man defending himself from the advances of a predatory homosexual is much more empathetic than the state claiming a defendant targeted a gay man for profit.
I have many more of these stories and their victims to come. In the meantime...
In this week's episode:
Sam Nordquist left home to visit his online girlfriend. When his mother and other family members couldn't get ahold of him, they begged authorities to help him, but sadly, help came too late.
In September 2024, Zsolt Zsolyomi disabled his leg monitor and disappeared onto the north Florida Island of Miami Beach and Little Havana using an alias to court, rob, batter, and then murder two older men with disabilities. Would the police stop him before he could kill again?
The 1953 murder of bartender Walter Thalen by a drifter who wandered into the bar where Thalen worked the aftermath of a night of drinking would have a devasting impact far and wide.
In March of 2025, Buffalo's Allentown was rocked by the double murder of two beloved men. Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto contributed to their community in art and activism, and they were snatched away senselessly and violently.
I saw this news item about the 1973 murder of a junior high school teacher who had served in the Air Force in World War Two so quietly tucked away that I knew I had to share his story.
I hope you stay with me as I continue to share more of these hidden stories of lives lived and snuffed out. They deserve our loving attention.
If you'd like to watch any of these episodes, you watch them all at:
Please subscribe to the podcast.
View all episodes
By RM
5
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The Spree Killer, the Drifter, the Lover, and Stranger DangerThe Spree Killer, the Drifter, the Lover, and Stranger Danger
In my ongoing exploration of the history of homophobia in life and the law, I've been researching the trends, and I do mean trends, of attacks fueled by the targeting of LGBTQ+ folks. one of the things that's begun surface is how an aspect of the use of the homosexual panic defense that's not written about very often.
From the late 1950s through the 1970s in the United States "Rolling a Queer" became such an epidemic that both Democrats and Republicans came together to introduce legislation that would create some minor protections for gay, mostly male, folks. It failed, of course, and the attacks continued at pace.
This crime wave helps to further explain why the "Homosexual Panic Defense" began to be used in the 1960s. A young man defending himself from the advances of a predatory homosexual is much more empathetic than the state claiming a defendant targeted a gay man for profit.
I have many more of these stories and their victims to come. In the meantime...
In this week's episode:
Sam Nordquist left home to visit his online girlfriend. When his mother and other family members couldn't get ahold of him, they begged authorities to help him, but sadly, help came too late.
In September 2024, Zsolt Zsolyomi disabled his leg monitor and disappeared onto the north Florida Island of Miami Beach and Little Havana using an alias to court, rob, batter, and then murder two older men with disabilities. Would the police stop him before he could kill again?
The 1953 murder of bartender Walter Thalen by a drifter who wandered into the bar where Thalen worked the aftermath of a night of drinking would have a devasting impact far and wide.
In March of 2025, Buffalo's Allentown was rocked by the double murder of two beloved men. Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto contributed to their community in art and activism, and they were snatched away senselessly and violently.
I saw this news item about the 1973 murder of a junior high school teacher who had served in the Air Force in World War Two so quietly tucked away that I knew I had to share his story.
I hope you stay with me as I continue to share more of these hidden stories of lives lived and snuffed out. They deserve our loving attention.
If you'd like to watch any of these episodes, you watch them all at:
Please subscribe to the podcast.