When Killers Get Caught with Brittany Ransom

"How many lives could have been saved if the warning signs had been connected sooner?"

In the mid-1980s, a wave of unprecedented terror gripped Southern California. Windows were nailed shut, lights were on throughout the night, and ordinary communities found themselves at the mercy of a predatory phantom. The media gave him a moniker that froze the blood of millions: "The Night Stalker." But away from the sensational headlines, a devastating reality was unfolding; one marked by fragmented police jurisdictions, catastrophic political blunders, and an analog system entirely unequipped to track a transient killer.

In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, host Brittany Ransom shifts the lens away from the killer's dark celebrity to honor the real people behind the statistics. We strip away the mythology of Richard Ramirez to examine the human cost of the tragedy, the structural failures that kept him on the streets for 14 terrifying months, and the ordinary East L.A. citizens who finally refused to let him disappear again.

• The Victims Before the Headlines: Restoring the names, lives, and humanity of those targeted, including Jennie Vincow, Maxon and Lela Kneiding, Vincent and Maxine Zazzara, and the brave young survivors like six-year-old Anastasia Hronas.

• The Anatomy of a Ghost: How Ramirez’s unmapped, transient status allowed him to exploit the margins of Los Angeles and slip between the cracks of a fragmented legal system.

• Investigative Blunders & Political Egos: A deep dive into the shocking missteps that compromised the hunt. Including the infamous Dianne Feinstein shoe press conference and the live media leak of the killer's stolen getaway vehicle.

• The Streets Take Back Control: The visceral moment a neighborhood cornered a monster, proving the manhunt wouldn’t end with a SWAT raid, but with ordinary people shouting “¡El Matón!”

• The Endless Trial & Death Row Gridlock: An exploration of the toxic courtroom spectacle, the "Night Stalker Groupies," and the philosophical failure of a 24-year death row sentence that was ultimately beaten by cancer.

A Note from Brittany: When Killers Get Caught will be taking a brief mid-summer production break for the month of July to prepare our next season of deep dives. Brand-new episodes will return on August 6th!

Connect with the Show: In the meantime, catch regular updates, true crime discussions, and short-form video breakdowns by following us on social media:

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  Music featured in this episode is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

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When ballroom icon Dorian Corey died in 1993, friends packing her closet made a horrifying discovery: a mummified body hidden inside a vintage trunk. For 25 years, a secret had been sitting just feet from where she slept. Who was the man in the dark?

This week on When Killers Get Caught, host Brittany Ransom pulls back the heavy layers of sequins, fabric, and history to dissect one of the strangest and most claustrophobic hidden-body cases in modern true-crime history.

When investigators opened that green steamer trunk labeled "Halloween," they uncovered a meticulously concealed crime scene: the remains of Robert Worley, a man who had vanished off the face of the earth in 1968, shot a single time in the back of the head.

How did a prominent cultural icon and star of the groundbreaking documentary Paris Is Burning hide a body in plain sight for a quarter of a century while hosting parties, mentoring youth, and living a highly public life?

In this episode, we explore:

• The Mother of the House: The immense cultural legacy, brilliant fashion design work, and unmatched wisdom of Dorian Corey.

• Centering Robert Worley: Reclaiming the identity, struggles, and history of a victim who became a 25-year secret.

• The Parallel World of 1968: A deep look into the mechanics of justice, and why a marginalized person in mid-century Manhattan would make the morally impossible choice to hide a body rather than call the police.

• The Final Artifact: The unsettling fictional manuscript found in Dorian’s apartment that mirrored the real-world crime.

Because justice isn't always delivered in a courtroom. Sometimes, it's delivered by time.

Join the Case Closers Community:

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End credit music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF?

How does a child genius who enters Harvard at sixteen end up becoming one of the most notorious domestic terrorists in American history?

In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom examines the life of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. From his childhood as a gifted student in Chicago to his years at Harvard, his isolation in a remote Montana cabin, and the anti-technology ideology that fueled a seventeen-year bombing campaign, we explore the events that shaped one of the FBI's longest and most expensive investigations.

This episode covers:

• Ted Kaczynski's childhood and early intelligence

• Harvard University and the controversial Henry Murray experiments

• His career as a mathematician and professor at UC Berkeley

• Life in the Montana wilderness

• The evolution of the Unabomber bombing campaign

• Victims Hugh Scrutton, Thomas Mosser, and Gilbert Murray

• The publication of Industrial Society and Its Future

• How David Kaczynski and Linda Patrik helped identify the Unabomber

• The FBI raid, trial, imprisonment, and death

• The lasting debate over technology, extremism, and violence

Was Ted Kaczynski a misunderstood critic of technology, a domestic terrorist, or both? And what can his story teach us about the dangers of turning ideology into justification for violence?

Listen now to discover how one of America's most elusive killers was finally caught.

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: @caughtpodcast on TikTok 📸 Instagram: @whenkillersgetcaught on Instagram 🛒 Merch: https://caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to [email protected] and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected].

In 1991, a suburban Texas mother was arrested for allegedly trying to hire a hitman over a middle school cheerleading competition.

This week on When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom examines the shocking case of Wanda Holloway, better known as the "Texas Cheerleader Mom." What began as a disappointing cheerleading tryout in Channelview, Texas spiraled into one of the most bizarre murder-for-hire plots in American true crime history.

Through recorded wiretap conversations, courtroom drama, media obsession, and the lasting impact on the children caught in the middle, we explore how parental ambition, social status, and vicarious living transformed a school rivalry into a national scandal.

Was this ever really about cheerleading? Or was it a cautionary tale about what happens when a parent's identity becomes intertwined with a child's success?

Join us as we uncover the story behind the Texas Cheerleader Murder Plot, the infamous "Cheerleader Mom" case, and the psychological dangers of living through someone else's dreams.

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: @caughtpodcast on TikTok 📸 Instagram: @whenkillersgetcaught on Instagram 🛒 Merch: https://caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com/

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to [email protected] and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

Intro Music: Tensions Run High by Soundridemusic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly9H63SLJJo 

End credit music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu.https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF?utm_source=chatgpt.com

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected].

In 1971, a quiet suburban home in Westfield became the center of one of the most chilling family annihilation cases in American history.

This is the story of John List, a deeply religious, seemingly respectable accountant, husband, and father who methodically murdered his entire family inside their mansion, then disappeared without a trace.

For nearly 18 years, he lived under a new identity while authorities had no clear idea what he looked like, where he went, or how he managed to evade capture for so long.

This episode explores:

• The financial collapse that triggered the unraveling of the List household

• The psychological and religious justification behind the murders

• The calculated, step-by-step execution of the crime

• How List successfully erased himself from his own identity

• The breakthrough involving forensic sculptor Frank Bender and America's Most Wanted •

The final capture and conviction after nearly two decades on the run

This case isn’t just about murder it’s about shame, control, identity, and how outward respectability can conceal unimaginable violence.

Because sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones no one ever suspects.

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok: @caughtpodcast on TikTok

📸 Instagram: @whenkillersgetcaught on Instagram

🛒 Merch: Caught Podcast Shop

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to [email protected] and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

Opening music featured in this episode: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major by Alexander Borodin.

This recording is used under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal (CC PDM 1.0). This work has been identified as free of known copyright restrictions, including all related and neighboring rights.

End credit music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. Myuu on Spotify

For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected].

In May 2005, eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished during a graduation trip to Aruba , a disappearance that would become one of the most infamous true crime cases in modern history.

What began as a carefree senior trip quickly spiraled into an international media frenzy involving shifting stories, failed investigations, public obsession, and nearly two decades of unanswered questions surrounding Joran van der Sloot.

But beneath the headlines and speculation was a real young woman whose life had barely begun.

In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom examines the investigation, the media pressure that shaped the case, the emotional devastation of ambiguous loss, and the 2023 confession that finally changed everything. More importantly, this episode restores focus to Natalee herself , the daughter, friend, student, and teenager at the center of a story the world too often turned into mythology.

This episode discusses:

• ​The Aruba disappearance timeline
• ​The initial investigation and arrests
• ​Media frenzy and “missing white woman syndrome”
• ​Years of false confessions and dead ends
• ​The federal extortion case
• ​Beth Holloway’s fight for answers
• ​Natalee Holloway’s lasting legacy

When Killers Get Caught is a true crime podcast focused on the people, psychology, and moments behind violent crimes and what happens when the darkness finally meets the light.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🛒 Merch: caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

• ​Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF
• ​For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected]

In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom revisits one of the most infamous figures in New Orleans history Delphine LaLaurie, also known as The Beast of Royal Street.

Long before the fire that exposed her mansion in 1834, Madame LaLaurie was a wealthy Creole socialite living at the center of elite New Orleans society. But behind the elegance, dinner parties, and political connections, neighbors whispered about missing servants, unexplained injuries, and a house that felt increasingly disturbing to those around it.

This episode breaks down the full timeline of the LaLaurie case from her rise in high society and powerful marriages, to the growing allegations of abuse inside her Royal Street mansion, and ultimately the night everything changed.

We cover:

• Her elite Creole upbringing and powerful family connections in New Orleans

• The three marriages that expanded her wealth and influence

• Early red flags reported by neighbors and enslaved workers

• The 1834 Royal Street fire and what was discovered inside the attic

• The violent public response and her escape from New Orleans

• What is fact, what is legend, and how her story became mythologized over time

We also examine how the LaLaurie case reflects broader systems of power, slavery, and legal protection in 19th-century Louisiana and why her story continues to be retold nearly 200 years later.

Some say she was a monster. Others say she was a product of her time. But the truth, as always, is more complicated  and far more unsettling than fiction.

Because in cases like this… the truth always leaves a trail.

Follow and join the conversation: 📱 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🛒 Merch: caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

• Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

• For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected]

In this landmark 100th episode of When Killers Get Caught, we step beyond the moment of arrest and into something deeper: a reckoning.

The case of Gisèle Pelicot shocked the world. For nearly a decade, her husband, Dominique Pelicot, drugged her into unconsciousness and invited dozens of men into their home meticulously documenting the abuse along the way. What began as a seemingly minor incident in a French supermarket unraveled into one of the most disturbing cases of systemic betrayal in recent history.

But this story is not about him.

It is about Gisèle, who refused to remain anonymous and who made one thing clear: Shame must change sides.

In this milestone episode, we examine:

• The Pelicot Timeline: From the first red flags to the historic trial in Avignon.

• The Digital Blueprint: How forensic evidence exposed a hidden, global network of “everyday” perpetrators.

• The Lived Aftermath: Firsthand insights into the experiences of survivors like Zoe Watts, Amanda Stanhope, and Valentina.

• The "Pelicot Effect": How this case is fundamentally reshaping the legal definition of consent.

This episode is dedicated to the survivors, to those who have had to reclaim their bodies, their autonomy, and their stories from the shadows.

Content Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of sexual assault and drug-facilitated abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🛒 Merch: caught-podcast-shop.fourthwall.com

Be Part of the Next 100 Episodes: Have a case, story, or idea you’d like Brittany to explore? Submit it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and help shape the future of the show.

Credits & Inquiries:

• Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu. https://youtu.be/2qqTU7zc1As?si=sK2n6FnKLc1mtQwN https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF

• For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Brittany Ransom at [email protected]

In 1981, a man was shot in broad daylight on Main Street in Skidmore, Missouri in front of dozens of witnesses.

Yet, no one was ever arrested.

This is the story of Ken Rex McElroy, a man accused of violence, intimidation, and terrorizing a small town for years… and the moment that town stopped waiting for the system to act.

This episode of When Killers Get Caught explores what happens when justice fails, fear takes over, and silence becomes a community decision.

When everyone knows what happened… and no one speaks up, is it still murder?

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠

📸 Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠

Have a case suggestion or question?📩 Case submissions: [email protected]

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF⁠

Business inquiries / sponsorships:📧 [email protected] (Brittany Ransom)

In 2006, Susan Kuhnhausen came home after a long shift as an emergency room nurse and walked straight into a violent ambush inside her own home.

A man was waiting for her with a hammer. He had a job to do and she was the target.

What he didn’t know was that Susan wasn’t just a victim. She was a veteran ER nurse trained to assess crisis in seconds, make decisions under pressure, and survive moments most people never prepare for.

By the end of the night, the intruder, Ed Haffey, was dead.

And what initially looked like a random home invasion quickly unraveled into something far more disturbing: a murder-for-hire plot allegedly tied to Susan’s husband, Mike Kuhnhausen.

This episode of When Killers Get Caught breaks down:

• The brutal home invasion and fight for survival

• The forensic investigation that revealed intent, not randomness

• The financial and personal paper trail behind the attack

• And the rare true crime outcome where the intended victim survived and fought back

This is not just a story about violence.

It’s a story about instinct, survival, and what happens when a carefully planned murder collapses in real time.

Because sometimes the person chosen to die… refuses.

Follow and join the conversation:

📱 TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@caughtpodcast⁠

📸 Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/whenkillersgetcaught⁠

Have a case suggestion or question?📩 Case submissions: [email protected]

Music featured in this podcast is used with permission from Myuu:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sP3ci0jwrXUBo76t8pGTF⁠

Business inquiries / sponsorships:📧 [email protected] (Brittany Ransom)