Episode 171: George 'The Penguin' Mitchell, the underworld bagman and the mystery godfather of crime

He's one of the most-notorious serial killers in American history and the inspiration for numerous slasher movies.'Pogo the clown' by day and mass murderer by night, when John Wayne Gacy first killed a man at his Chicago ranch house after sex, he soon realised how easy it would be to hunt, lure and kill his prey.Thirty-three murders later, police finally moved in on the sadistic sexual predator and uncovered his sickening series of crimes. But what turned a seemingly ordinary man into a prolific killer?Clodagh Meaney chats with Brad Hunter, author of 'Inside the mind of John Wayne Gacy, about Gacy's motivations, how his childhood shaped him and why, to this day, some of the victims remain unknown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Aug 202245min

COLIN Howell and Hazel Stewart’s forbidden love drove them to commit the near-perfect crime.To onlookers they were the epitome of respectability – he the successful dentist with a flourishing practice that afforded him a life of luxury, she the glamourous wife of a retired high ranking police officer, regular church goer, pillar of society.To all intents and purposes they were the most unlikely of killers but they went about their daily lives for 19 years hiding the terrible truth oftheir former lives as illicit lovers, and how that love drove them to the ultimate act – murder.This is the story of how the couple plotted the deaths of their respective partners and how a crisis of conscience finally brought the crime to light. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Aug 202230min

COLIN Howell and Hazel Stewart’s forbidden love drove them to commit the near-perfect crime.To onlookers they were the epitome of respectability – he the successful dentist with a flourishing practice that afforded him a life of luxury, she the glamourous wife of a retired high ranking police officer, regular church goer, pillar of society.To all intents and purposes they were the most unlikely of killers but they went about their daily lives for 19 years hiding the terrible truth oftheir former lives as illicit lovers, and how that love drove them to the ultimate act – murder.This is the story of how the couple plotted the deaths of their respective partners and how a crisis of conscience finally brought the crime to light. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Aug 202227min

COLIN Howell and Hazel Stewart’s forbidden love drove them to commit the near-perfect crime.To onlookers they were the epitome of respectability – he the successful dentist with a flourishing practice that afforded him a life of luxury, she the glamourous wife of a retired high ranking police officer, regular church goer, pillar of society.To all intents and purposes they were the most unlikely of killers but they went about their daily lives for 19 years hiding the terrible truth oftheir former lives as illicit lovers, and how that love drove them to the ultimate act – murder.This is the story of how the couple plotted the deaths of their respective partners and how a crisis of conscience finally brought the crime to light. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Aug 202229min

AN Indian woman and her two children strangled with ligatures in their Dublin home. An abusive husband who ended his own life before he could face trial. And a web of lies that attempted to blacken the name of a loving mother.Nicola Tallant chats with with Sunday Independent journalist Ali Bracken about the story of killer Sameer Syed and his tragic wife Seema Banu, who was murdered along with her children - 11-year-old Asfira Riza, six-year-old Faisan Syed - behind the doors of a seemingly ordinary family home.She tells me of the 38-page document penned by Syed before his death while in prison and the truth about a monster who tried to lay blame from beyond the grave against the woman he terrorised and killed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Aug 202225min

IT'S a mystery that spanned decades, full of fake identities, murders, and kidnappings.In April 1990, when Tonya Hughes was killed after a hit-and-run incident in Oklahoma City, the FBI revealed that her so-called husband, Clarence Hughes, was actually her father.Coming forward to tell authorities what she knew, Tonya’s former best friend, Jennifer Fisher, revealed that her pal's real name was Sharon Marshall, her father Warren Marshall.She detailed the heart-breaking life of Tonya and how her creepy father Warren bought her raunchy lingerie and took her to nightclubs.But it was discovered that Warren wasn’t who he said he was, and Sharon, a victim who was taken from her mother as a young child. Today, Crime World researcher and Sunday World journalist Clodagh Meaney talks to Matt Birkbeck, the author of 'A Beautiful Child' and 'Finding Sharon', as well as a producer and contributor to the Netflix documentary on the story 'Girl In The Picture'. He tells of his decades working on the case, how he managed to help unite a family in grief and how the story is far from over. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Aug 20221h 1min

HIS career has seen him head up investigations into terrorism, corruption, human trafficking, drugs and homicide.The one-time head of Organised Crime for the PSNI in Northern Ireland and Deputy Director at the National Crime Agency in the UK, Roy McComb has had a decorated..But still he recalls one case that haunts him today - and one he would do anything to help solve.When a newborn baby girl was found dumped in a plastic bag in his hometown of Carryduff, County Down on March 26, 2002 he became the lead detective and named the child 'Baby Carrie'.Forensics would later determine that she had been stabbed 11 times, her head was crushed and she had been buried elsewhere before the discovery which led to a massive probe.But despite all attempts to find out who she was or where she had come from, the baby's case remains unsolved.Now, Nicola Tallant talks with Roy about the brutality of the crime, the twists and turns of the investigation and his hopes that it will one day be solved by advances in DNA or a witnesses finally coming forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Aug 202247min

Disgraced former garda Paul Moody lost his badge and his image as a womanising charmer when he pleaded guilty to coercive control against his ex-partner.The shocking campaign of harassment, physical and mental abuse, as well as threats and vile messages to the cancer victim, painted him as a deeply devious individual who hid behind his job and his celebrity friends.But behind bars, Moody is now under investigation for historical sexual abuse, while Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has ordered a special case review into how previous complaints about him were handled.Nicola Tallant talks with Sunday Independent journalist Ali Bracken, who paints a picture of Moody as a fun-loving socialite who hid a dark side. She explains the dating sites, gaslighting and the possibility of further victims of the garda who was an unpopular character within the force. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Aug 202231min