What happens when a seemingly ordinary truck driver hides a horrifying secret inside the sleeper of his tractor trailer?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the story of Robert Ben Rhoades, the truck driver suspected of kidnapping, torturing, and murdering women across America while using the highways as his hunting ground.

We’ll follow Rhoades from his troubled childhood and his father’s disturbing criminal history through his time in the Marine Corps, failed marriages, obsession with BDSM and swinging, and his relationship with Debra Davis. What begins as a seemingly loving relationship gradually becomes a nightmare of manipulation, sexual abuse, violence, and control.

We’ll also look at the disturbing world Rhoades created inside his truck, the women he encountered on the road, and the growing evidence that he may have been killing long before police finally caught up with him.

Then we meet Patricia Walsh and Douglas Zyskowski, a young couple hitchhiking across the country whose encounter with Rhoades would become one of the most horrifying chapters of his story. Patricia would remain unidentified for more than a decade.

And this is just the first episode.

Kevin and Dan bring their own particularly dark sense of humor to the story of a man who apparently turned the sleeper of a tractor trailer into a traveling torture chamber.

If you’re interested in serial killers, truck stop murders, true crime, kidnapping, sexual predators, BDSM, torture, American crime history, and some of the darkest crimes committed along America’s highways, then you'll love this first chapter in the story of the Truck Stop Killer.

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What do you get when a Renaissance lawyer decides that the best way to keep someone awake is to slowly shove a pyramid up their ass?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of the Judas Cradle, one of the most infamous torture devices ever associated with interrogation, confession, and punishment.

We’ll travel back to Renaissance Italy and the work of Ippolito Marsili, before following the device into the Spanish Inquisition and the broader history of European torture. We’ll look at the different variations of the Cradle, the ways it was supposedly used, and how the device earned its reputation as one of the most horrifying forms of physical and psychological torture.

But there’s a problem. The Judas Cradle is one of those historical torture devices whose reputation has become almost impossible to separate from the evidence. So we’re also going to dig into the history behind the history and ask how much of what we think we know about the Judas Cradle can actually be proven.

We’ll examine its alleged use in Spain, Germany, Italy, and France, the stories surrounding the Spanish Inquisition, and the claims that modified versions of the device may have continued into the modern era.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own deeply inappropriate sense of humor to a torture device that makes the phrase “take a seat” sound like a genuine threat.

If you’re interested in the Judas Cradle, Spanish Inquisition, Ippolito Marsili, torture devices, interrogation, sleep deprivation, medieval and Renaissance torture, historical myths, dark history, and the bizarre ways torture has been portrayed throughout history, this episode is going to be an extremely uncomfortable to sit and listen.

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What happens when a woman supposedly disappears for 25 years, only to be discovered locked away in her family’s home, naked, starving, and living in her own filth?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the infamous story of Blanche Monnier, the French woman whose discovery in 1901 shocked the world and created one of the most disturbing captivity stories in history.

We’ll tell the story everyone thinks they know, a beautiful young woman allegedly locked in a dark attic by her mother after falling in love with a man her wealthy family considered beneath her. But then we’ll dig deeper into the surviving testimony, court records, family history, and French sources to see what actually happened inside the Monnier household.

Because the popular version of the story leaves out some pretty important details.

We’ll also look at Madame Monnier’s strange relationship with her children, Marcel’s role in the family, the testimony of former servants, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Blanche’s care, and the bizarre details that emerged during Marcel’s trial.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own darkly uncomfortable humor to a story that proves sometimes the truth is considerably stranger, and more complicated, than the version that makes the best headline.

If you’re interested in Blanche Monnier, French true crime, psychological torture, mental illness, family abuse, historical mysteries, captivity stories, Victorian France, and the disturbing history behind one of the most famous cases of alleged imprisonment, this is one mystery you’ll want to look at twice.

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What happens when a woman talks back, spreads gossip, or simply refuses to stay quiet in the medieval UK?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing history of the scold’s bridle, also known as the branks, a punishment designed to silence people, particularly women, by physically restraining the tongue and publicly humiliating the wearer.

We’ll look at why women were labeled “scolds,” how accusations of gossip, arguing, defying authority, and even witchcraft could lead to punishment, and how town councils, kirk sessions, and local courts in Scotland used the bridle despite it never being formally established as a legal punishment.

We’ll follow documented cases including Bessie Telfer, who was branked and chained to Edinburgh’s market cross for allegedly slandering a local official, Dorothy Waugh, the young Quaker preacher subjected to hours in the bridle and then imprisoned and whipped, and a much later case in 1789 where a woman was forced to wear the device while local children mocked her.

We’ll also examine the different versions of the bridle, including those fitted with spikes designed to punish any attempt to move the tongue, the supposed use of the device against men, and why this symbol of public humiliation eventually began disappearing in the 19th century.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own particularly sharp sense of humor to a device whose entire purpose was essentially to tell someone, “You know what? We’ve heard enough from you.”

If you’re interested in the scold’s bridle, branks, Scottish history, women’s history, witchcraft accusations, medieval and early modern punishment, public humiliation, historical torture, and the bizarre ways authorities have tried to shut people up throughout history, this episode is going to leave you speechless.

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What happens when an invading army wants your money, but you refuse to tell them where you hid it?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel back to the chaos of the Thirty Years’ War and explore one of the most infamous tortures associated with the conflict, the Schwedentrunk, or “Swedish Drink.”

We’ll take a quick trip through the Thirty Years’ War, from the Defenestration of Prague and the religious conflicts that set Europe on fire to the Swedish intervention and the brutal occupation of German territories. With armies desperate for supplies and poorly paid soldiers looking for ways to supplement their income, civilian villages became easy targets.

And when people refused to hand over their valuables, soldiers allegedly had a particularly disgusting solution. Victims were restrained and forced to swallow enormous quantities of foul liquid, sometimes described as containing manure, urine, mud, and other filthy substances. In some accounts, the torture went even further, with pressure or blows to the stomach intended to make the experience even more agonizing.

But there’s a problem. How much of the Schwedentrunk actually happened, and how much was wartime propaganda designed to make the Swedish armies look even more barbaric? We’ll dig into the surviving accounts, including descriptions from writers who lived through the Thirty Years’ War, and examine why this bizarre torture became such a lasting part of German historical memory.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own particular brand of disgusting humor to an episode where “Swedish Drink” is definitely not something you want served at happy hour.

If you’re interested in the Thirty Years’ War, Swedish history, German history, medieval and early modern torture, the Holy Roman Empire, the Defenestration of Prague, wartime atrocities, historical torture, and the strange ways propaganda can turn horrific stories into legend, this episode is one hell of a stomachache.

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What happens when one kidnapped woman becomes several, and a basement prison turns into a nightmare of torture, murder, and cannibalism?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the horrifying story of Gary Michael Heidnik and the women he held captive beneath his Philadelphia home.

We’ll follow the arrival of Sandra Lindsay, Lisa Thomas, Deborah Dudley, and Jacqueline Askins as Heidnik continues adding women to his basement prison. We’ll look at the increasingly brutal conditions they endured, the constant threat of violence, the infamous screwdriver attacks, the attempts to keep them isolated from the outside world, and the complicated relationships that developed between the captives as they tried to survive.

Then things take an even darker turn. Sandra Lindsay dies under horrific circumstances, and what follows is one of the most disturbing chapters of the entire story. With her body hidden in the house, Heidnik begins using human flesh as food, while the women downstairs have no idea exactly what they are being fed.

We’ll follow the death of Deborah Dudley, the shocking attempt to dispose of her body, and finally the escape plan that gives Josefina Rivera her chance to get out and bring the police back to 3520 North Marshall Street.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their uniquely inappropriate sense of humor to a story involving dog food sandwiches, Chinese takeout, homemade electrocution, and a man who apparently thought kidnapping women was a perfectly reasonable way to build a family.

We’ll also look at Heidnik’s trial, his claims of insanity, his financial empire, his death sentence, his execution in 1999, and the strange legacy he left behind, including the possible inspiration he provided for Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.

If you’re interested in Philadelphia true crime, serial killers, kidnapping, torture, cannibalism, criminal psychology, The Silence of the Lambs, and some of the darkest crimes in American history, this is the horrifying conclusion to the story of the People Collector.

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What happens when a man who claims he wants a family decides that the best way to build one is to kidnap women and keep them locked in his basement?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan begin the horrifying story of Gary Michael Heidnik, a deeply disturbed man whose childhood, military career, mental illness, obsession with control, and bizarre attempt to create his own church all eventually lead toward something much darker.

We’ll follow Heidnik from his troubled childhood and time in the military to his years in psychiatric hospitals, his relationships with vulnerable women, and the creation of his United Church of the Ministers of God. We’ll also look at the increasingly disturbing behavior that surrounded him, including abuse, violence, sexual assault, and his obsession with having the large family he believed society had denied him.

Then we arrive at the house on North Marshall Street, where Heidnik’s twisted plans finally begin to take shape. On Thanksgiving Eve 1986, Josefina Rivera enters his home expecting a quick transaction. Instead, she becomes the first known victim in a horrifying series of kidnappings.

And that is where things get much, much worse.

Because in the basement, Heidnik has a pit, chains, shackles, and a plan to build the family he has always wanted. And Josefina is going to have to figure out how to survive long enough to escape.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly uncomfortable dark humor to the first chapter of one of the most disturbing true crime stories Philadelphia has ever seen.

If you’re interested in Philadelphia true crime, serial killers, kidnapping, psychological torture, sexual violence, criminal psychology, cults, and some of the darkest crimes in American history, this is only the beginning of the nightmare.

Thank you to True Crime BnB for starting off the show!

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What happens when a doctor decides the cure for your insomnia is to strap you down and drip cold water onto your forehead for hours?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the strange and surprisingly murky history of Chinese water torture, a method that is far less Chinese than its name suggests.

We’ll travel back to Renaissance Italy and the stories surrounding Hippolytus de Marsiliis, then follow the mysterious history of water torture through Spain, European prisons, 19th century asylums, and American prisons. We’ll look at how something as simple as a single drop of water could become a method of psychological torture, as well as the bizarre medical theories that led doctors to use dripping water to treat headaches, insomnia, and supposed congestion of the brain.

Then we’ll find out how this method acquired the name “Chinese water torture,” why that name had more to do with Western ideas about the mysterious and threatening “Orient” than anything actually Chinese, and how Harry Houdini helped make the phrase even more famous with his Chinese Water Torture Cell.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own darkly inappropriate humor to an episode where one tiny drop of water somehow becomes the most annoying alarm clock in human history.

If you’re interested in Chinese water torture, drip torture, Hippolytus de Marsiliis, Renaissance torture, psychiatric history, Victorian asylums, prison torture, Houdini, psychological torture, dark history, and the strange origins behind some of history’s most infamous torture methods, this episode is going to get under your skin one drop at a time.

Michael and Jeremy Steal Your Podcast

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What happens when the punishment for going to prison is being forced to walk up an endless staircase for hours every single day?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the bizarre and brutal history of the treadmill, a machine that turned prisoners into human engines and became one of the most notorious forms of hard labor in 19th century Britain.

We’ll follow the story from engineer Sir William Cubitt’s original design at Brixton Prison to the machines that eventually spread throughout Britain, the colonies, and the United States. Prisoners were forced to spend hours climbing the endless steps, often under brutal conditions, with the work eventually becoming less about productivity and more about punishment.

We’ll look at the prisoners who endured it, the injuries and deaths associated with the machines, Oscar Wilde’s experience with prison labor, the strange variations of the treadmill, and why some prisons eventually decided that making inmates grind away for hours wasn’t quite the brilliant idea everyone had hoped.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own dark sense of humor to an invention that somehow managed to turn “going nowhere” into an actual prison sentence.

If you’re interested in prison history, Victorian punishment, the history of treadmills, hard labor, British prisons, Oscar Wilde, corporal punishment, torture, dark history, and the wonderfully terrible ways humans have invented to make exercise miserable, this episode is going to be a long walk.

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What happens when a government promises to create a perfect new society, then decides millions of people have to suffer, disappear, or die to make it happen?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the story of Saloth Sar, better known as Pol Pot, as the Khmer Rouge takes control of Cambodia and begins transforming the country into its horrifying vision of a communist utopia.

We’ll follow the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh, the creation of Democratic Kampuchea, the destruction of money, religion, education, and family life, and the brutal system of forced labor that left millions starving and exhausted. We’ll also examine the Khmer Rouge’s persecution of ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and other minorities.

Then we enter S-21, the infamous prison where suspected enemies of Angkar were interrogated, tortured, forced to confess to crimes they often never committed, and eventually sent to the Killing Fields. Through the stories of survivors like Chum Mey, Bou Meng, and Vann Nath, we get a firsthand look at what happened inside one of the most notorious prisons of the 20th century.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own grimly inappropriate humor to a story where forced labor, paranoia, torture, genocide, and the occasional art assignment somehow all became part of everyday life.

If you’re interested in Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian genocide, S-21, the Killing Fields, Cambodian history, genocide, political history, torture, true crime, and the darkest chapters of the 20th century, you'll love(?) this is the horrifying conclusion to the story.

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