Leonard Lake and Charles Ng

In 1976, residents of Circleville, Ohio began receiving obscene and threatening letters that contained details and rumors regarding some of the residents in town. For residents of Circleville, it wasn’t a serial killer that shattered their sense of safety and neighborly closeness. It was a serial writer - a writer who by the time he or she was done, had sent over 1000 letters targeting many of Circleville’s residents, but seemingly targeting one resident more than the rest.  Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious and fascinating case of the Circleville writer. One man, Paul Freshour, was convicted of attempted murder and sent off to prison. It was thought that he was the Circleville writer, and handwriting analysis of some of the letters seemed to back that up. But, people continued receiving letters after Paul went to prison, something that the warden insists was impossible. Who was the original writer of the letters and just how many writers were there. One man died under mysterious circumstances. And, a woman who seemingly was the focus of early letters was seen as a target. How much misdirection was there in this case and did one or more persons conspire to frame Paul Freshour. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology An Emash Digital production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Apr 20211h 1min

High school senior Holly Branagan was murdered inside her Bethlehem, Pennsylvania home on March 28, 1979. She was brutally stabbed to death in a horrific manner, but, her murder case was overshadowed by the partial meltdown that same day at Three Mile Island. The police pieced together the timeline of Holly's murder through phone calls that she made that day. But, they have been unable to catch her killer. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the brutal murder of Holly Branagan. The police believe that Holly's killer used her home as an advantage. The two-story home had a strange layout and it was very secluded and sat away from the road. There were no signs of a sexual assault and this teenager didn't have to seem to have any enemies, so, developing a motive has been difficult. The one thing that seemed to be true is that, from the manner of the stab wounds, this murder appeared to be very personal. But, the question still remains over 40 years later, who killed Holly Branagan? You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology An Emash Digital production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Mar 202146min

In 2018, an unidentified hiker, which many began called Mostly Harmless, was found in Florida and what followed was a search for his identity. It was discovered that the hiker had been traveling the Appalachian Trail. People began to come forward with information about their encounters with Mostly Harmless after the story took hold on social media and people around the world started working on the mystery. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious case of the man known to many as Mostly Harmless. It took a lot of work by law enforcement, journalists, and amateur online detectives to help solve the question of the man's identity. It was announced in early 2021 that Mostly Harmless was a man named Vance Rodriguez. But, that wasn't the end of the story. Vance led an interesting life and the stories that emerged didn't always line up with the man that many hikers had met on their journeys. Also, many questions remain including exactly what happened to Vance Rodriguez on his long hike that ended with his death? You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Mar 202152min

In 1982, 29-year-old Barbara Jo Oberholtzer and 21-year-old Annette Kay Schnee were both last seen in the town of Breckinridge, Colorado. Both were found murdered and their cases were linked by a pair of orange socks. A matching orange sock was found on or near each of the murdered women's bodies. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss these tragic murders out of Colorado. Investigators were stumped for years as to the murderer's identity. It took advancements in the area of forensic genetic genealogy to match DNA to a suspect. Alan Lee Phillips was arrested earlier this year and has been charged with both murders. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology An Emash Digital production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Mar 202155min

Between 2005 and 2009, 8 women were found murdered in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. There were eight women from Jennings, Louisiana who were murdered in those four years and they are referred to collectively as "The Jennings 8” or "The Jeff Davis 8.” 14 agencies from the federal level down to the local level worked together to hunt a serial killer operating in Jefferson Davis Parish. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss this infamous unsolved series. Many thought that a serial killer was operating in Jennings and was responsible for these murders. But, as details began to emerge, it came to light that there were many connections between the victims and a number of persons of interest. Reports of corruption and malfeasance began to surface within the law enforcement of Jefferson Davis Parish. This has led many to speculate what involvement if any, the police played in the deaths of these 8 women. There remains a lot of unanswered questions in this series of murders. Did these women all know something that was so damning that someone felt they had to be silenced? And if so, who was it? You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology An Emash Digital production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Mar 20211h 1min

The Tiede family spent quality family time each year at their cabin in Oakley, Utah. Rolf and Kay Tiede had two daughters, Linae and Tricia, and a son named Shaun. In December 1990, The Tiede family went to their cabin and were joined by Kaye's mother, Beth Potts, and a number of other family members.  Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Tiede family murders. Their 1990 Christmas at the cabin was interrupted by two men intent on murder. 26-year-old Von Taylor and 23-year-old Edward Deli had both been recently paroled and were living in the same halfway house. They both decided to flee and eventually ended up in the Tiede's cabin, waiting for the family to come back. You can support the show at patreon.com/criminology   An Emash Digital Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

27 Feb 202151min

On January 21, 1998, 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe was found dead in her bedroom. She had been fatally stabbed multiple times while her family slept. Multiple people would eventually be charged with her murder, including members of Stephanie's own family. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious murder of Stephanie Crowe. Police initially suspected Stephanie's brother and some of his friends. The tactics used by investigators against these young boys were ruthless and caused them to say what they had to after hours of food and sleep deprivation. They should have been looking at a 28-year-old man named Richard Tuite who was in the Crowe neighborhood that night. Blood evidence would later send Tuite to trial for Stephanie's murder. But, could prosecutors make a case against Richard Tuite stick? You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology   An Emash Digital Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

20 Feb 20211h 7min

The Thanksgiving holiday in 2018 should have been a joyous time for 29-year-old mother, Kelsey Berreth. She was engaged to be married and had a little girl with her fiance Patrick Frazee. But, Kelsey went missing and the police began to suspect that Patrick was somehow involved. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the disappearance and murder of Kelsey Berreth. The details that emerged were so salacious that some seem almost made up. Patrick had reunited with an old flamed named Krystal Kenney. She was a nurse from Idaho who had an on-and-off relationship with Patrick for years. Prior to that fateful Thanksgiving, Patrick had been telling anyone that would listen that Kelsey was unstable. But, it's the fact that he was able to manipulate Krystal into helping him with his murderous plans that shocked everyone. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology   An Emash Digital Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Feb 202159min