On December 6, 1991, four teenage girls were found murdered inside an Austin, Texas yogurt shop. They had been shot execution-style. The building was set on fire. And almost everything about what happened next went wrong.

In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we examine the Yogurt Shop Murders, one of the most haunting unsolved cases in American history. We walk through the lives of Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Harbison, and Jennifer Harbison, the ordinary end-of-day routines that brought them to the shop that night, and the brutal events investigators believe unfolded after closing.

From there, we follow the investigation as it spiraled—lost evidence, tunnel vision, and a set of teenage confessions that would later collapse under scrutiny. Years later, DNA testing would confirm what many already feared: the wrong people had been accused, and the real killer—or killers—were still free.

More than three decades later, the case remains officially unsolved. A new suspect has been publicly named. Families are still waiting. And the question that has haunted Austin since 1991 remains unanswered:

Who killed the girls at the yogurt shop—and why has justice never come?

Listener discretion advised.

This episode discusses the murder of minors and sexual violence in a factual, non-graphic, documentary context.

Sources

Primary / Law Enforcement

• Austin Police Department. Yogurt Shop Murders Case Overview & Public Updates.

• Texas Court of Appeals records related to the 1999–2002 prosecutions.

Investigative Journalism

• Pamela Colloff, Texas Monthly

• “The Yogurt Shop Murders”

• “Who Killed the Yogurt Shop Girls?”

• Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman — investigative reporting on the arrests, confessions, and dismissals.

Books

• Beverly Lowry, Who Killed These Girls? Cold Case: The Yogurt Shop Murders (Knopf, 2016).

Documentaries

• Who Killed the Yogurt Shop Girls? (HBO, 2020).

Court & Confession Analysis

• False confession analysis cited in Texas appellate rulings (re: coerced juvenile confessions).

• DNA exclusion findings reported by APD and Texas Monthly.

Secondary Reporting

• Associated Press — coverage of the case dismissals and later suspect identification.

• CNN — summaries of the HBO documentary findings and ongoing status.

The Tylenol Murders: A Crime That Changed America

In the fall of 1982, people across the Chicago area did something millions of Americans did every day—they took Tylenol.

Within hours, they were dead.

At least seven people were killed after ingesting Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. There was no warning, no visible tampering, and no obvious connection between the victims. What initially appeared to be a medical mystery quickly revealed itself as something far more terrifying: a random, invisible act of murder hiding in plain sight on pharmacy shelves.

In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we reconstruct the Tylenol murders from the first unexplained deaths to the nationwide panic that followed. We examine how investigators traced the poisonings, why the crime was so difficult to solve, and how a single unknown offender forced law enforcement, corporations, and lawmakers to rethink product safety forever.

More than four decades later, the case remains officially unsolved.

No arrest.

No conviction.

Only a legacy of fear—and the safety seals we now take for granted.

Sources & References

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — Case summaries, investigative challenges, and offender profiling

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Epidemiological response and poisoning analysis

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — Regulatory changes and packaging reforms following the murders

• Chicago Tribune — Contemporary reporting, victim timelines, and investigation updates

• The New York Times — National coverage of the panic, recalls, and long-term impact

• Johnson & Johnson — Corporate response, product recall, and crisis management documentation

• Associated Press — Early reporting and nationwide reaction

• Illinois State Police Records — Investigative coordination and evidence handling

• U.S. Congressional Records (1980s) — Legislative response leading to tamper-evident packaging laws

Pedrinho Matador: The Killer Who Claimed Vigilante Justice

For decades, Pedro Rodrigues Filho, known as Pedrinho Matador, told the world a story that was easy to believe—and dangerous to accept.

He said he only killed criminals.

That his victims were rapists, murderers, and abusers.

That he wasn’t a serial killer, but a vigilante doing what the justice system wouldn’t.

But court records, witness testimony, and timelines tell a far more complicated story.

In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we trace Pedro Rodrigues Filho’s life from a violent childhood in rural Brazil to a body count that may exceed seventy victims. We examine how his crimes unfolded, how authorities responded, and how media coverage helped transform a convicted killer into a folk figure for “street justice.”

This is not a story about heroism.

It’s a story about how violence gets justified, how myths are built around brutality, and what happens when someone appoints themselves judge, jury, and executioner.

Because when someone claims to kill for justice, the most important question isn’t why—

it’s who gets to decide.

Sources & References

• BBC News — Coverage of Pedro Rodrigues Filho’s crimes, prison sentences, and public notoriety

• The Guardian — Reporting on his vigilante claims, media myth-making, and later life

• Reuters — Death report and historical overview of crimes and convictions

• Associated Press — Court history, sentencing limits in Brazil, and public reaction

• Folha de S.Paulo — Contemporary Brazilian reporting on arrests, prison years, and interviews

• O Globo — Coverage of his murders, incarceration, and later media presence

• Brazilian Criminal Court Records — Sentencing documentation and incarceration history

• Academic commentary on vigilantism and moral disengagement — Context for public support narratives surrounding violent offenders

At first glance, Belle Gunness seemed like the embodiment of the American Dream — a Norwegian immigrant who built a new life in the United States with a home, a farm, business ventures, and a family. But beneath the surface lay a chilling pattern of mystery, deception, and death that would make her one of the most notorious female serial killers in American history. 

Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth in rural Norway, Belle came to the United States in 1881 seeking opportunity. Over the following decades, multiple husbands, children, suitors, and farmhands died under suspicious circumstances — deaths that continually brought her financial gain through insurance claims, property, and cash from unsuspecting victims. 

By the early 1900s, she was placing personal ads in Midwestern newspapers, seeking companionship and promising a share of her prosperous Indiana farm. The men who answered the call — carrying their life savings — never returned. Investigators later uncovered numerous shallow graves and dismembered remains on her property, suggesting Belle had killed at least 14 people and perhaps many more before vanishing herself. 

In April 1908, a devastating fire destroyed her farmhouse, killing her children and revealing the charred body of a woman believed to be Gunness — but questions about whether it truly was her endured. Some investigators and historians suggest she faked her death and escaped, adding layers of mystery that have persisted for more than a century. 

This episode explores the complex life of Belle Gunness — from her Norwegian roots and early hardships to her calculated crimes in Illinois and Indiana. We examine how she exploited trust, manipulated circumstances for profit, and left behind unanswered questions about her final fate. It’s a story of ambition, betrayal, and the dark side of the American promise. 

📚 Primary & Scholarly Sources

1. Harold Schechter

Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men

— One of the most authoritative modern books on Gunness. Deep archival research, letters, insurance fraud, victim list analysis.

2. Ralph Lawson

Belle Gunness: The Lady Bluebeard

— Early 20th-century account using newspaper archives and firsthand reporting. Important for period language and contemporary reactions.

3. Indiana State Library – Indiana Historical Bureau

Belle Gunness / La Porte Murder Farm

— Verified historical summaries, official victim counts, and primary documentation.

4. La Porte County Historical Society (Indiana)

— Local records, coroner reports, farm ownership history, and excavation findings.

⸻

📰 Contemporary Newspaper Archives (Primary Evidence)

5. The Indianapolis Star (1908–1910 coverage)

— Original reporting on the farm fire, body discoveries, and investigation.

6. Chicago Tribune (1908)

— Coverage of missing suitors, insurance fraud, and national reaction.

7. The New York Times (April–May 1908)

— National framing of the case and early speculation.

(Accessed via Newspapers.com, Chronicling America, or ProQuest)

⸻

🏛️ Government & Archival Records

8. La Porte County Coroner’s Inquest Records (1908)

— Victim remains, cause-of-death determinations, and official findings.

9. U.S. Census Records (1880–1910)

— Verified household composition, aliases, and timeline consistency.

10. Insurance Company Records (Mutual Life, etc.)

— Fire insurance and child-death payouts tied to Gunness.

⸻

🌐 Academic & Curated Digital Sources

11. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (Historical Serial Killer Profiles)

— Contextual analysis of early female serial offenders.

12. Smithsonian Magazine

“The Unsolved Mystery of America’s First Female Serial Killer”

13. History.com

— Overview article with vetted summaries (use for background only).

14. Encyclopedia Britannica

— High-level biographical verification.

Charles Manson was not a criminal mastermind hiding in the shadows — he was a drifter, a manipulator, and a deeply damaged man who learned how to weaponize belief, fear, and devotion.

This multi-part series examines Manson’s life from childhood abuse and institutionalization to the formation of the Manson Family and the murders that shocked the world.

Rather than glorifying violence, this series focuses on control, coercion, group psychology, and the systemic failures that allowed Manson to operate in plain sight — and how ordinary people became instruments of murder.

⸻

Sources List

(Same sources for Part 1 and Part 2 — you can copy/paste this under both episodes)

Primary Books

​Bugliosi, Vincent, and Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company.

​Guinn, Jeff. Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson. Simon & Schuster.

​Sanders, Ed. The Family: The Story of Charles Manson’s Dune Buggy Attack Battalion. Thunder’s Mouth Press.

​Watson, Tex. Will You Die for Me? — firsthand account from Manson Family member.

​Kasabian, Linda. Member of the Family — primary witness perspective.

Court Records & Legal Documents

​California v. Charles Milles Manson et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court (1969–1971)

​Trial transcripts and sentencing records (Los Angeles Superior Court archives)

Government & Archival Sources

​California Department of Corrections inmate records (Charles Manson)

​FBI Vault: Manson Family files

​Los Angeles Times historical crime archives (1967–1971)

Reputable Journalism

​Los Angeles Times investigative series on the Tate–LaBianca murders

​Rolling Stone long-form reporting on Manson and cult psychology

​Associated Press coverage of trial, sentencing, and parole hearings

Academic & Psychological Analysis

​Lifton, Robert Jay — coercive persuasion and cult behavior

​Singer, Margaret Thaler — group influence and psychological control

​FBI Behavioral Science Unit commentary on cult leaders

Charles Manson was not a criminal mastermind hiding in the shadows — he was a drifter, a manipulator, and a deeply damaged man who learned how to weaponize belief, fear, and devotion.

This multi-part series examines Manson’s life from childhood abuse and institutionalization to the formation of the Manson Family and the murders that shocked the world.

Rather than glorifying violence, this series focuses on control, coercion, group psychology, and the systemic failures that allowed Manson to operate in plain sight — and how ordinary people became instruments of murder.

⸻

Sources List

(Same sources for Part 1 and Part 2 — you can copy/paste this under both episodes)

Primary Books

• ​Bugliosi, Vincent, and Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company.
• ​Guinn, Jeff. Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson. Simon & Schuster.
• ​Sanders, Ed. The Family: The Story of Charles Manson’s Dune Buggy Attack Battalion. Thunder’s Mouth Press.
• ​Watson, Tex. Will You Die for Me? — firsthand account from Manson Family member.
• ​Kasabian, Linda. Member of the Family — primary witness perspective.

Court Records & Legal Documents

• ​California v. Charles Milles Manson et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court (1969–1971)
• ​Trial transcripts and sentencing records (Los Angeles Superior Court archives)

Government & Archival Sources

• ​California Department of Corrections inmate records (Charles Manson)
• ​FBI Vault: Manson Family files
• ​Los Angeles Times historical crime archives (1967–1971)

Reputable Journalism

• ​Los Angeles Times investigative series on the Tate–LaBianca murders
• ​Rolling Stone long-form reporting on Manson and cult psychology
• ​Associated Press coverage of trial, sentencing, and parole hearings

Academic & Psychological Analysis

• ​Lifton, Robert Jay — coercive persuasion and cult behavior
• ​Singer, Margaret Thaler — group influence and psychological control
• ​FBI Behavioral Science Unit commentary on cult leaders

The Cleveland Torso Murders: Ohio’s Headless Horror

Cleveland, Ohio.

The 1930s.

During the depths of the Great Depression, bodies began appearing along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, near rail yards, shantytowns, and forgotten corners of the city. They were dismembered. Often decapitated. Almost always unidentifiable.

The press would name the unknown killer The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.

Police called it something colder: the Torso Murders.

Between 1935 and 1938, at least twelve victims—men and women—were murdered, mutilated, and left in public places. Heads removed. Sometimes limbs severed. Bodies cleaned with chemicals. The killer showed anatomical knowledge and a chilling comfort with post-mortem violence.

Most victims were never identified.

As fear spread, the case drew national attention—and landed on the desk of one of the most famous lawmen in American history: Eliot Ness, fresh from taking down Al Capone.

What followed was a mix of aggressive policing, questionable tactics, a prime suspect who was never charged, and a killer who simply… stopped.

To this day, the Cleveland Torso Murders remain unsolved.

This episode tells the full story:

• ​ The victims and how they lived
• ​ Where the bodies were found and how they were mutilated
• ​ The forensic details that linked the murders
• ​ Eliot Ness’s investigation and failures
• ​ The main suspect—and why he was never arrested
• ​ And why the killer was never caught

A serial killer walked through Cleveland in plain sight.

And history let him disappear.

SOURCES & RESEARCH REFERENCES

Primary & Historical Sources

• U.S. Department of Justice Archives — Cleveland Torso Murders Case Files

• Cleveland Police Historical Records & Cold Case Unit Materials

• Torso Murders by John Stark Bellamy II

Books

• Bellamy, J. S. (1990). The Torso Murders: The Untold Story of Cleveland’s Mad Butcher. Gray & Company.

• Badal, J. (2015). In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland’s Torso Murders. Kent State University Press.

Newspapers & Contemporary Reporting

• The Cleveland Plain Dealer (1930s archival coverage)

• The Cleveland Press (1934–1938)

Academic & Law Enforcement Analysis

• Ohio History Connection Archives

• FBI Behavioral Analysis references on early serial murder patterns

boarded a routine flight from Portland to Seattle.

He ordered a drink, calmly handed a note to a flight attendant, and claimed he had a bomb. What followed was one of the boldest and most baffling crimes in American history.

After demanding $200,000 in cash and four parachutes, Cooper hijacked the plane, released the passengers, and vanished into the night—leaping from the aircraft somewhere over the Pacific Northwest. No confirmed sightings. No arrest. No body. Just fragments of money found years later along a riverbank.

More than fifty years on, the mystery remains unsolved.

In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we break down every known detail: the timeline of the hijacking, the FBI’s massive manhunt, the suspects who almost fit, the evidence that didn’t, and the theories that still divide investigators. Was D.B. Cooper a trained skydiver? A desperate criminal? Or did he pull off the only unsolved skyjacking in U.S. history?

Sources:

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “The FBI Vault: D.B. Cooper.”

FBI Records & Vault Files (case summaries, evidence, suspect lists).

• Federal Bureau of Investigation. “NORJAK: The D.B. Cooper Hijacking.”

Official FBI case overview and historical context.

• Geoffrey Gray. Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper.

Crown Publishing Group, 2011.

• Robert M. Blevins. Into the Blast: The True Story of D.B. Cooper.

CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2019.

• Bruce A. Smith & Richard Tosaw. D.B. Cooper and Flight 305.

Mountain News Press, 2016.

• The Oregonian. “D.B. Cooper: 40+ Years of Theories.”

Investigative reporting and regional analysis.

• Smithsonian Magazine. “The Unsolved Mystery of D.B. Cooper.”

Historical and forensic discussion.

• History.com Editors. “D.B. Cooper Hijacking.”

A&E Television Networks.

• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Aircraft data and flight-related technical analysis.

The Zodiac Killer is the unidentified serial murderer responsible for a series of attacks in Northern California between 1968 and 1969, followed by years of taunting letters sent to police and newspapers. The case remains officially unsolved, making it one of the most infamous cold cases in American criminal history.

The Zodiac first emerged in December 1968, targeting young couples in secluded areas. His crimes escalated quickly, growing more brazen and public. What set him apart from other killers was not only the violence, but his deliberate effort to control the narrative—writing letters, enclosing cryptograms, and demanding media attention while threatening further bloodshed.

Law enforcement has confirmed five murders and two surviving victims as definitively linked to the Zodiac. However, the killer claimed responsibility for dozens more, a claim that has never been substantiated but added to public fear.

The attacks occurred across multiple jurisdictions:

• Rural lovers’ lanes

• A public lakeside park in daylight

• And finally, an urban street in San Francisco, marking a dramatic shift in confidence and risk

In several letters, the Zodiac provided details only the killer would know, included pieces of victims’ clothing, and mocked police for their inability to catch him. His signature symbol—a circle with crosshairs—became synonymous with the case.

Between 1969 and 1974, the Zodiac sent dozens of letters and cards to newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle. These communications included four cryptographic ciphers, some of which took decades to partially decode. The messages revealed a disturbing fixation on control, notoriety, and the idea of killing as a game. Despite extensive analysis, none of the decoded ciphers conclusively identified the killer.

The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including local police departments, the California Department of Justice, and the FBI. Over the years, several suspects have been publicly named, but no one has ever been charged, and no definitive forensic evidence has closed the case.

Decades later, the Zodiac Killer remains a symbol of:

• Media manipulation by offenders

• Inter-agency investigative challenges

• The limitations of forensic science in the pre-DNA era

The case continues to attract renewed attention through modern cryptography, amateur investigations, and evolving forensic techniques—but as of today, the Zodiac’s true identity remains unknown.

Sources

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — The Vault: Zodiac Killer (Case File 9-HQ-49911)

• Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Zodiac Killer”

• San Francisco Chronicle (1969–1974 archives) — Original Zodiac letters and reporting

• San Francisco Examiner — Published Zodiac correspondence and investigative coverage

• Vallejo Times-Herald — Early reporting on Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs attacks

• Graysmith, Robert. Zodiac. Chronicle Books, 1986

• Graysmith, Robert. Zodiac Unmasked. Berkley Books, 2002

• Oranchak, David; Blake, Sam; Van Eycke, Jarl.

“Solution of the Zodiac Killer’s 340-Character Cipher” (2020)

• History.com — “The Zodiac Killer: A Timeline”

• California Department of Justice — Historical case references and summaries

In the quiet community of Circleville, residents began receiving anonymous letters filled with intimate secrets, accusations, and threats. Affairs were exposed. Families were torn apart. Reputations were destroyed. And when one man tried to stop the letters, he ended up dead.

Even after an arrest and conviction, the letters didn’t stop.

In this episode of Three Voices One Crime, we unravel the chilling mystery of the Circleville Letters — a case involving obsession, small-town paranoia, a suspicious death, and a question that still lingers decades later: Was the real letter writer ever caught… or was the truth hidden in plain sight the entire time?

This isn’t a story about violence at first.

It’s a story about fear, control, and how words alone can ruin lives.

Sources

• Keel, John A. The Circleville Letters: A Mystery of Ohio. Gray Barker Enterprises.

(One of the earliest deep dives into the case; often referenced despite its age.)

• Unsolved Mysteries, Season 4, Episode 5 (1989).

Segment: The Circleville Letters. NBC.

(Widely credited with bringing national attention to the case.)

• Dateline NBC. Secrets of the Poison Pen.

(Explores the letters, the conviction, and lingering doubts.)

• Columbus Dispatch.

Coverage of the Circleville Letters case and Paul Freshour conviction.

(Local reporting provides historical context and court details.)

• Pickaway County Court Records.

State of Ohio v. Paul Freshour.

(Trial, conviction, and sentencing documentation.)

• Ohio Supreme Court & Appellate Court Records.

Appeals filed by Paul Freshour related to the Circleville Letters case.

• FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (Referenced in media).

Profiling discussions on anonymous letter-writing and poison-pen cases.

• History.com.

“The Circleville Letters: Ohio’s Poison Pen Mystery.”

(General overview used by many documentary productions.)