1980s Washington. One of the most prolific serial killers of all time, Gary Ridgway, preyed on vulnerable young women, runaways and sex workers. With his un-assuming persona and habit of dumping bodies in the nearby Green River, Ridgway was able to commit mass murder for nearly twenty years, and get way with it. The fear that swept across the Pacific Northwest was palpable.

This episode is sponsored by:

Stamps.com - promo code: WHAT

Cerebral

Original music by Ben Krejci, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Daniel Birch. Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

On July 25th, 1994, a suspected murderer entered a small gas station in North Yorkshire, England. As he browsed the store, the owner of the station recognized him. This man was wanted for the murder of four people, and had been on the run for a week. Two weeks prior, this self-proclaimed murderer had brutally killed his girlfriend  and, a week later, her twin sister. He was fueled by drugs, alcohol, and sexual gratification. 

Original music by Ben Krejci, Kai Engel, Sergey Cheremisinov, and Kevin MacLeod. Additional music provided by: Epidemic Sound

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

May 1984, at the Lane County Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon. A mother of three stands accused of murdering her seven year old daughter, and of the attempted murder of her other two children. When her daughter testifies against her mother, it becomes all too clear. This woman wanted her children gone, just so she would be free of the responsibilities of motherhood, and so she could pursue a man she'd been interested in.

Original music by Ben Krejci, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Daniel Birch. Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

On July 14th, 1990, in Stow, Scotland, a 6-year-old girl was walking to her friend’s house when she was suddenly pulled into a car off the side of the road. A local man who had been working in his garden saw the girl disappear into the van and quickly called the police.  By chance, they were able to locate the vehicle, forcing the driver to pull over. When they opened the back of the van, they found the girl, just minutes away from suffocating.

Unaware to the police, the driver was a 43-year-old pedophile. And he was responsible for the abduction and murder of several other young girls. Police had been trying to track him down for years.

Original music by Ben Krejci, Kai Engel, Sergey Cheremisinov, Kevin MacLeod, and Daniel Birch. Additional music provided by: Epidemic Sound

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

It's 1988 in Kansas City, Missouri. Young, vulnerable men are going missing without a trace, and no one can seem to figure out why. A local man named Robert Berdella–known as an upstanding member of the community–has been secretly holding these men in his house, torturing them to their limits, and taking extensive notes. No one has a clue, not even police. After murdering them, he dissects his victims with such precision, that he would become known as the "Kansas City Butcher."

Due to recent events, the order of this season has been changed. The previous episode's teaser may no longer be accurate.

This episode is sponsored by:

Cerebral

Original music by Ben Krejci, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Daniel Birch. Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

In August of 1998, a woman by the name of Christine Smith was picked up from her usual spot on the notorious downtown strip known as "the track" in Spokane, Washington. After providing her services to the man, he shot her in the head. She survived the attack, and thinking that the man had stabbed her, fled the car.    

She would later learn that she would be the only person to ever survive one of this man’s brutal attacks. For over twenty years, Washington State was plagued by an elusive killer targeting female sex-workers. Investigators would have never guessed that the man they were looking for was acting as an upstanding member of the community and model citizen.

Original music by Ben Krejci, Kai Engel, Sergey Cheremisinov, Kevin MacLeod, Chris Zabriskie, and Daniel Birch. Additional music provided by: Epidemic Sound

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

It’s July, 1975 in Manchester, England. One man, dubbed "The Beast of Manchester" was responsible for sparking immense fear across the city. This "beast" was the unpredictable and violent 30-year-old Trevor Hardy. He seemed to truly enjoy the act of killing. But it didn't stop there. The Beast would return to the scene of the crime to mutilate his victims over and over again.

This episode is sponsored by:

Manscaped - promo code: Killer20

Original music by Ben Krejci, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Daniel Birch.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

From 1974-1991, the city of Wichita, Kansas was gripped with fear as a violent serial killer was on the loose. The killer, known to the public by his alias BTK, was an unassuming family-man named Dennis Rader. He would attack people in their own homes before binding, torturing and ultimately killing them, seemingly for self gratification. BTK came in and out of the shadows for 30 years, taunting investigators with miniscule clues. But in a moment of overconfidence, he was finally thrown into the light.

This episode is sponsored by:

Cerebral

Microdose Gummies - Promo code: WHAT

Original music by Ben Krejci, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, Sergey Cheremisinov, Kevin MacLeod, Chris Zabriskie, and Daniel Birch. Additional music provided by: Epidemic Sound

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

What Makes a Killer is a series that chronicles the lives and crimes of the world’s most notorious killers. In every episode, host Jennifer Nittoso will trace a killer’s origins, examine their behavior, and follow their path to bloodshed. As always, this season we’ll hear from family members, survivors, and experts to uncover what led these killers to commit their crimes.

In this season, we will cover thirteen new killers, each more sinister than the last. Diane Downs, The Green River Killer, Ted Bundy, BTK... all their stories will be examined.

What Makes a Killer returns May 12th. New episodes released every Thursday. Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you find your favorite shows.

It's May 1990, and convicted murderer Jack Unterweger is about to charm his way out of prison. After teaching himself how to read and becoming a well-known children's author, Unterweger had convinced the Austrian public that he was a changed, reformed man. But it was a ruse, and his release would only lead to the death of at least nine more women in both Austria and the United States. He was once again on the loose, on top of the world, and not trying to hide it from anyone. But no one suspected it was him.

This episode is sponsored by:

Vodacast

Best Fiends

IPVanish

Original music by Ben Krejci, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Daniel Birch.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.