Two Girls, One Murder

This week, we have a crime that made headlines as 'the texting suicide case'.

Conrad Henri Roy III was a high achieving, family oriented teenager who committed suicide at the age of 18 with encouragement from his long distance girlfriend. The evidence uncovered shocked detectives running an investigation on this death, and lead to a charge against the girlfriend, Michelle Carter, for her involvement. Join us in discussing Conrad's life and whether Michelle was morally and/or legally culpable for her actions.

Show notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq7IrvicvKc (Dateline - Reckless Feb 2019) Contains interviews with family members.

Music from https://filmmusic.io:"Hor Hor" by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/)Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

12 year-old Polly Hannah Klaas made national headlines in 1993, when a sleepover with her friends went terribly wrong. An intruder entered Polly's house and abducted her from her own bedroom. This was one of the first examples of the internet being used to spread information about a missing child. Join us in discussing how police and FBI worked together to solve the case, the legacy left behind, and the story of an innocent girl that needs to be remembered. 

Show notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9txHu1CZO4 - Interview with Marc Klaas featured in intro.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20otab - The FBI Files S01E01 - 'Polly Klaas Kidnapped.'

https://web.archive.org/web/20060613211945/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/klaas/1.html - Archived pages from Crime Library about Polly's case.

Today we're talking extended investigation, legal proceedings, and sentencing.

Between 2010 and 2017, a series of men disappeared in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Bruce McArthur was a well liked, friendly gardener and occasional mall Santa. He is also convicted in the killings of 8 Toronto residents, something that has prompted police to reopen 25 cold murders cases dating back to the 70s. Today we discuss a predator that terrified the local gay community for over a decade, raising tough questions about the historic relationship held between Toronto’s gay village and law enforcement.

Show notes - Sean Cribbin interview: https://youtu.be/jMmgMEXjWHc

Matt MacKinnon interview: https://youtu.be/Ubk5adpA1J0

Karen Fraser interview (owner of Mallory Crescent home): http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1330293827824/

'How alleged Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur went unnoticed' (The Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/23/bruce-mcarthur-toronto-gay-serial-killer

'What we know about the 8 men killed by Bruce McArthur' (CBC): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bruce-mcarthur-victims-sentencing-remembered-1.5003393

Between 2010 and 2017, a series of men disappeared in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Bruce McArthur was a well liked, friendly gardener and occasional mall Santa. He is also convicted in the killings of 8 Toronto residents, something that has prompted police to reopen 25 cold murders cases dating back to the 70s. Today we discuss a predator that terrified the local gay community for over a decade, raising tough questions about the historic relationship held between Toronto’s gay village and law enforcement.

Show notes - Sean Cribbin interview: https://youtu.be/jMmgMEXjWHc

Matt MacKinnon interview: https://youtu.be/Ubk5adpA1J0

Karen Fraser interview (owner of Mallory Crescent home): http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1330293827824/

'How alleged Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur went unnoticed' (The Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/23/bruce-mcarthur-toronto-gay-serial-killer

'What we know about the 8 men killed by Bruce McArthur' (CBC): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bruce-mcarthur-victims-sentencing-remembered-1.5003393

Today we're discussing organised crime and murder, 17th century-style.

In 1659 Rome, a woman named Giulia Tofana received a secret warning. Tofana was wanted by the Papal Authorities. She fled her home for a nearby church, desperate and begging for sanctuary. Clergy could see she was afraid for her life, and agreed to shelter Tofana from the danger and violence outside. To shelter one of the most prolific female assassins in history, thought to have hundreds of accomplices. This is a story about the power of the humble apothecary, subterfuge, and a network of professional assassins.

Mentioned: Women, Church and State (1893) - Matilda Joslyn Gage; Toxicology in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Chapter 6, Aqua Tofana) - Mike Dash; History of Toxicology and Environmental Health (2017) Pages 63-69; https://mikedashhistory.com/2015/04/06/aqua-tofana-slow-poisoning-and-husband-killing-in-17th-century-italy/

In December 2006, a suspicious house fire nearly took the lives of a whole family. Just weeks later, husband Michael Ratley is violently attacked and his wife Effie found dead. Who could have such a vendetta?

This episode looks at the brutal murder of 29 year-old Effie Ratley, which took place on January 27, 2007 in her own home.