How much of who we become is shaped before we can even remember it?

In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I sit down with clinical and forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Judy Ho to talk about attachment—how our earliest relationships shape the way we see ourselves, connect with other people, and respond to the world around us.

We break down attachment theory, the different attachment styles, what happens when those early bonds are disrupted, and how childhood experiences can continue influencing behavior decades later.

#TrueCrime #Psychology #AttachmentTheory #SerialKillers #DrJudyHo #CaseNotes 

A shocking case is entering a new chapter as Nick Reiner appears in court for a pre-trial hearing in the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. Prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty, while questions over sealed grand jury evidence and what comes next in the case continue to unfold.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the pre-trial hearing of the Nick Reiner case and what happens next. 

Then we get into your questions:  Why did Lizzie Borden kill her parents?, Was Gary Heidnik really insane, and Buddy’s favourite kind of movie projects. 

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

What if everything we think we know about Lizzie Borden is wrong?

With Netflix once again turning Lizzie Borden into a monster, we're going back to the woman behind the legend. In 1892, Lizzie stood trial for the brutal murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, inside their Fall River home. She was acquitted—but more than 130 years later, we're still trying to explain who she was and what could have driven her to kill, if she did.

This week on UNMARKED, I’m joined by Dr. Cara Robertson, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden and one of the foremost researchers on the case, to separate the historical Lizzie from the character we've created around her.

We reconstruct the morning of the murders, examine the evidence against Lizzie, the alleged attempt to purchase poison, the disputed murder weapon, the Borden family's simmering resentments, and the psychology of parricide. And we trace how each generation has reinvented Lizzie—from Victorian spinster to abused daughter to cold-blooded heiress and, now, Netflix monster.

Research in This Episode:

Heide KM. Patricide and steppatricide victims and offenders: an empirical analysis of U.S. arrest data. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2014 Nov;58(11):1261-78.

Show Notes:

If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. 

Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7

If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/

For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.

Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast

UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 

I’m joined by Brandi Churchwell, host of the 13th Juror Podcast, to break down the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case. We talk about what happened in the courtroom, the reaction to the decision, what the jury actually decided—and some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the case.

We also dig into the difficult questions at the heart of this trial: mental illness, criminal responsibility, and why this case has produced such dramatically different reactions from people following it.

#LindsayClancy #TrueCrime #CaseNotes #podcast #UNMARKED

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

A controversial case has taken another dramatic turn in Massachusetts, where a mistrial was declared after jurors deadlocked in Lindsay Clancy’s trial for the deaths of her three children. Now, prosecutors must decide whether to try the case again—while the debate over mental illness, accountability and what happened in the days leading up to the tragedy continues.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the mistrial in the Lindsey Clancy case and what happens next. 

Then we get into your questions:  Gary Heidnik and his connect to Silence of the Lambs, Clifford Olson’s adaptability, and a review of Charlie Hunnam’s performance of Ed Gein. 

Was Gary Heidnik legally insane—or did he know exactly what he was doing?

The crimes committed inside Gary Heidnik’s North Philadelphia home became infamous for their brutality—and would later draw comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs. But beneath the mythology of the so-called “Monster Preacher” is a much more difficult question about mental illness, culpability, and the way the law defines sanity.

Heidnik had a documented history of severe mental illness stretching back decades. He experienced delusions, believed God had given him a mission, and constructed an elaborate fantasy that ultimately helped drive his crimes. Yet prosecutors pointed to his ability to plan, manipulate, conceal evidence, and evade police as proof that he understood exactly what he was doing.

In this episode of UNMARKED, I speak with legendary Philadelphia defense attorney Chuck Peruto, who represented Heidnik at trial, to reconstruct the case and examine the insanity defense that nearly saved him from a death sentence.

Research in This Episode:

Bryant, B. R., et al. (2022). “Behavioral and Emotional Dyscontrol Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review of Neuroimaging and Electrophysiological Correlates.” Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, 63(5), 434–449.

Show Notes:

If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. 

Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7

If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/

For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.

Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast

UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 

How many serial killers are operating right now—and how many murders are we failing to connect?

This week on Case Notes, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Arntfield of the Murder Accountability Project to talk about the enormous amount of homicide data hiding in plain sight—and what it can tell us about serial murder in America.

We get into why homicides are underreported and misclassified, how the Murder Accountability Project uses data to identify suspicious clusters of killings, and what the numbers suggest about the serial killers who may still be operating today.

We also explore something I find particularly fascinating: the relationship between serial killers and the culture surrounding them. Drawing from his new book, Dr. Arntfield explains how killers consume true crime, movies, books, and stories about other murderers—and how that media can become part of the way they understand themselves and their crimes.

Show Notes:

Murder Accountability Project ⬇️
https://www.murderdata.org

Please Bring Me Home ⬇️
https://pleasebringmehome.com

Dr. Michael Arntfield ⬇️
https://michaelarntfield.com

Cop TV: The Extraordinary Untold Story of Television Police Shows ⬇️
https://www.amazon.in/Cop-TV-Extraordinary-Stories-Television-ebook/dp/B0H99WGYFH

A controversial case is entering a new chapter as Bryan Kohberger’s appeal moves forward. The challenge has reignited debate over the investigation, the evidence, and whether the justice system got it right—while the families of the victims continue to face the painful question of whether the case will ever truly be over.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Bryan Kohberger plea agreement and how he is able to attempt to change his plea after pleading guilty. 

Then we get into your questions: What made Richard Ramirez such a terrifying predator, what Ed Kemper thought of his sisters, and did the FBI under estimate Israel Keyes?

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

Was Richard Ramirez born to become the Night Stalker—or was he created?

Before Richard Ramirez terrorized California as the Night Stalker, he was a quiet kid from El Paso who showed few of the early warning signs we associate with psychopathy. But over time, the ingredients began to accumulate: possible prenatal toxic exposure, neurological problems, violence at home, drugs, sexual fantasy, and the extraordinary influence of a cousin who introduced him to images and stories of rape, torture and murder.

In this episode, I’m joined by forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston to retrace Ramirez’s life and examine how those influences came together. We follow his progression from childhood to burglary, sexual violence and ultimately murder, while exploring the psychology behind his crimes, his seemingly unpredictable choice of victims, and the Satanic persona that helped turn him into one of the most feared serial killers in American history.

Show Notes:

If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. 

Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7

If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/

For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.

Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast

UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. 

What is it like to survive an encounter with a serial killer—and then learn what he did to the men who came after you?
In this episode of UNMARKED Case Notes, I sit down with Mark Henderson, a survivor of Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur.

Mark takes us inside his encounter with McArthur: how they met, what happened between them, the details that have stayed with him, and what it was like to later discover that McArthur had murdered eight men.

We also talk about the Bruce McArthur investigation, the warning signs that were missed, and what Mark’s experience reveals about the man behind one of Canada’s most notorious serial murder cases.

This is a firsthand account of Bruce McArthur from someone who encountered him—and survived.

#BruceMcArthur #TrueCrime #SerialKiller #SurvivorStory #CaseNotes