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The Trick-or-Treat Murder
A knock at the door. A bowl of candy. And one Halloween night in 1957 that turned deadly. In this episode, we unwrap the story of Peter and Betty Fabiano, the so-called “Trick-or-Treat Murder”, and trace how the sugary ritual behind it evolved from ancient offerings to candy corn.
Sources include:
Los Angeles Times archives (1957–1958)
True Crime Edition, “The Trick-or-Treat Murder”
Medium / @CrimeBeatChronicles, “Halloween Homicide: The Story of Peter and Betty Fabiano”
Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002
Santino, Jack. Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life. University of Tennessee Press, 1994
Smithsonian Magazine, “How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition” (2021)
History.com Editors, “Trick-or-Treating: How Halloween’s Sweet Tradition Evolved” (updated 2023)
National Museum of Scotland, “Souling, Guising, and the Origins of Trick or Treat”
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By Leah LlachA knock at the door. A bowl of candy. And one Halloween night in 1957 that turned deadly. In this episode, we unwrap the story of Peter and Betty Fabiano, the so-called “Trick-or-Treat Murder”, and trace how the sugary ritual behind it evolved from ancient offerings to candy corn.
Sources include:
Los Angeles Times archives (1957–1958)
True Crime Edition, “The Trick-or-Treat Murder”
Medium / @CrimeBeatChronicles, “Halloween Homicide: The Story of Peter and Betty Fabiano”
Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002
Santino, Jack. Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life. University of Tennessee Press, 1994
Smithsonian Magazine, “How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition” (2021)
History.com Editors, “Trick-or-Treating: How Halloween’s Sweet Tradition Evolved” (updated 2023)
National Museum of Scotland, “Souling, Guising, and the Origins of Trick or Treat”