On February 8, 1983, a plumbing engineer arrived at an apartment in Cranley Gardens to investigate a blocked drain. When he opened the drain cover, he knew right away that the smell was not anything that would usually be in a pipe . . .and he pulled out large pieces of flesh. It was traced back to the top floor, where lived 27-year-old Dennis Nilsen. When he was arrested, Nilsen was discovered to have murdered at least 13 people - but even Nilsen couldn’t remember how many. 

This episode is sponsored by: 

Raycon

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

SFX by unfa, Leady, limwei, Gidion, Eelke, constructabeat, Almusic34, klankbeeld, pauliep83, and KRISTIANKULTA. Additional sfx from freesfx.co.uk. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

On December 1st, 1996, single father Lee Harvey was murdered on the side of the road. The only person who witnessed what happened was his fiancé, Tracie Andrews, who claimed he had been killed in a road rage incident by strangers. But not long after a tearful plea to the press, Andrews’s story began to fall apart. And she went from the number one witness to the number one suspect.  

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

Sergey Cheremisinov, and  Kevin MacLeod.

SFX by ramston, digifishmusic, Kyster, InspectorJ, Maurice_J_K, luminadii, FedeFrede, and miastodzwiekow.  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

In August 1985, California police officers rescued a man from an angry mod that attacked him as he exited a bus. What they didn't know, was that they had just detained a man the media had dubbed "The Night Stalker". The killer had spent 14 months terrorizing the state of California, claiming 13 victims. After finally getting a good look at the man, police realized they had just made the arrest of the decade, Richard Ramirez.

This episode is sponsored by: Better Help, & SimpliSafe

Original music by Ben Krejci, Kai Engel, Lee Rosevere, Nctrnm, Daniel Birch, Kevin MacLeod, Scott Holmes, and Sergey Cheremisinov.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

In February 1994, in Sunderland, England, a badly burned body of a teenager was found on a plot of land. It was the third in just three months. Despite all three deaths being similar, and suspicious, pathologists initially ruled out murder. Police didn’t know it yet, but there is a serial killer on the loose, and his name, was Steven Grieveson.

This episode is sponsored by: Raycon

Original music by Ben Krejci, Kai Engel, Daniel Birch, Kevin MacLeod, and Scott Holmes.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

On November 25th, 1987 in Paris, France. 87-year old Bertha Finalteri was strangled and robbed. It was the latest in a string of older women being robbed, tortured, and murdered . . . but Bertha survived. The culprits were a pair of young lovers, Thierry Paulin and Jean-Thierry Maturin. And when they split up, Paulin continued to steal from helpless women – and admitted to killing at least 21 people.

This episode is sponsored by:

It was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders Podcast

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

Sergey Cheremisinov, and  Kevin MacLeod.

SFX by CheneWessels_170017, ceberation, maj061785, JPMusic82, burnsie289, volivieri, margotdots and  tim-kahn. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

In November 1988, detectives in Sacramento California discovered the body of a missing man named Burt Montoya. His body was found buried in the yard of the boarding house he had been living in. The woman in charge of the boarding house was shocked by the discovery of her tenant, but as more and more bodies were discovered, it became apparent that the little old landlady was not as innocent as she looked.

Original music by Ben Krejci, Kai Engel, Daniel Birch, and  Kevin MacLeod.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

When we face challenges in life, we seek answers from people we believe can help us. When tragedy strikes an exclusive retreat with a self-help superstar, many people are left to wonder: how far is too far? James Arthur Ray was an Oprah-endorsed self-help teacher who achieved fame, fortune, and influence. But friends and family members of his followers questioned his unorthodox methods, and tried to stop him. From Wondery, the makers of “Dirty John,” “Dr. Death,” and “The Shrink Next Door,” comes a story about the dark side of enlightenment. Hosted by journalist Matt Stroud.

 

Listen today at wondery.fm/whatmakes_guru

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. We’ll hear from family members, survivors, and experts to uncover how they became killers.

On this season, we will cover thirteen killers, each more sinister than the last. Who was the Death House Landlady? And how did the Sunderland Strangler get his name? All this and more will be answered this season. 

What Makes a Killer returns July 2nd. New episodes released every Thursday. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you find your favorite shows.

On the Season finale of What Makes a Killer: On November 17th 2006, police in the German city of Cologne searched the vehicle of a 47-year man suspected of murder. What they found inside the truck was a collection of gruesome memorabilia. That day, police apprehended Volker Eckert, bringing an end to a 32 year career of murder that spanned five European countries. To this day, the exact number of his victims is still unknown.

This episode is sponsored by: 

Kenko

Hello Fresh

Original music by Ben Krejci and Kai Engel.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.

Shortly before midnight on July 22nd, 1991, two Milwaukee police officers were flagged down in their patrol car by a man with a pair of handcuffs dangling from one wrist. The man had escaped from a small one bedroom apartment. When the officers went to investigate, they found themselves in a living nightmare.

Between 1978 and 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 young men and boys by luring them back to his apartment where he would drug and strangle them. But it wasn’t the act of murder that thrilled Dahmer - it was the dead bodies of his victims that he was interested in . . . 

This episode is sponsored by: Hello Fresh

Original music by Ben Krejci and Kai Engel.

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.