131. Behind Closed Doors: The Kansas City Butcher Robert Berdella

The second week of 1977, England saw the coldest January in 14 years. Low pressure carried from northern Europe brought heavy snowfall across the UK. On January 12th, 1977, 28-year-old Billy Hughes was to appear at Chesterfield Magistrates Court on charges of rape and assault. Hughes had other plans. He wasn't going back to prison no matter what the cost. Pulling a stolen knife out from his boots, Billy stabs the guards, orders them out of the car, and makes his escape. Due to high speed and cold, wet roads, he crashed the car. Hughes wasted no time running across the moors in search of a place to hide.As police officers were scrambling to find him with the help of sniffer dogs, Hughes had stumbled upon a house called Pottery Cottage, isolated in rural Eastmoor. Hughes would hold a family of five hostage for the next few days. Only one would survive.Join Cam and Jen as they discuss the Pottery Cottage Murders. Thank you to our friend and listener Louise for requesting this case.*****Warning***** Jen talks about an oven fire and if she should thro flour on the flames. DO NOT do this. The flour will catch fire and make things worse. This was bad advice that was passed down to her. Be safe. Thank you Neville for correcting us. Edward from OctoberpodVHS voices our listener discretion.Check out his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/octoberpodhomevideoResearched and written by Eileen MacFarlaneNico from wetalkofdreams.com is our producer in charge of sound and editing. Check out the promos for Nico's new podcast entitled ConnectionsandKevin from The Jury Room has a new podcast called Addictedmake sure you listenSources:Newsbank Daily Mail (London, England), August 28, 1999: 16. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1787D5CA1A40EAB0. Independent, The/The Independent on Sunday: Web Edition Articles (London, England), March 24, 2017. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1665BF5247AA91F8. Derbyshire Times (England), May 17, 2017. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/164720CDD2F2BD10. Derby Telegraph (England), November 23, 2017: 6-7. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1685794905694CB8. Daily Mail, The/The Mail on Sunday (London, England) (London, England), February 29, 2020: 53. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=image/v2%3A1754FD5BCC041490%40AWNB-1796685B8BD41210%402458909-179668A82DFD90D8%4052. Daily Mail (London, England), March 2, 2020: 30,31,32. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/17975D211D5FB2F8. Daily Mail, The/The Mail on Sunday (London, England) (London, England), March 3, 2020: 28. NewsBank: Access World News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Feb 202250min

Today we are venturing back to a time when small towns had small-town doctors. These doctors were not only fixtures of the community, these men and women made house calls and knew all their patients and all their ailments. If Mr. Smith couldn’t pay, no problem. If Mrs. Robert’s’ infant spiked a fever, the doctor would be there within the hour. Doctors took an oath. ‘first do no harm’ but maybe just maybe not all doctors are good. In fact, maybe there are a few doctors whose bedside manner is more like dead side manner. This is one such doctor. Join Jen and Cam as we discuss ‘Dead Side Manner: Dr. Dale Cavaness’ on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast. The listener discretion is courtesy of our friend Edward October from @octoberpodVHSThe music is by our executive producer Nico @wetalkofdreamsSources:Murder in Little Egypt by Darcy O’Brienhttps://discover.hubpages.com/politics/Dr-John-Dale-Cavanesshttps://www.themidwestcrimefiles.com/post/the-deadly-doctor-of-eldoradohttps://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/illinois-doctor-killed-2-sons-collect-insurance-money-article-1.2490995https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-06-mn-13464-story.htmlhttps://thesouthern.com/news/years-after-killings-dr-cavaness-remembered-differently/article_6c59c547-3ac8-5672-bffa-085c4b48c22b.htmlhttps://mysteryu.com/high-cost-life-insurance/8/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/11/17/Cavaness-kills-himself-on-death-row/1293532587600/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Feb 202241min

On November 2nd, 1987, paramedics responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive 6-year-old Lisa.Upon arrival at the Greenwich Village apartment in New York, they found the little girl unconscious and nude on the floor.The apartment was filthy, and another child, a 16-month-old little boy, was found tied to a playpen by a rope around his waist. He was lying in his own filth with spoiled milk available for him to drink. When investigators speak with the parents, Joel Steinberg and his common-law wife, Hedda Nussbaum, they realize the kids weren't the only ones that suffered abuse.Join Cam and Jen as we talk about A House of Horrors: Lisa Steinberg and Hedda NussbaumIf you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please callThe National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by chat at https://www.thehotline.org/or The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) or go online at www.childhelp.orgPromo by our friends at Dealing Justice @dealing_justice. Thank you for supporting Indie Podcasts!Listener Discretion by @OctoberpodVHS. His next big episode comes on on Feb 15th. Go subscribe so you won't miss it!https://www.youtube.com/c/octoberpodhomevideoProducer and theme music by Nico Vettese @wetalksofdreams. He's one of the best young composers out there.Research and writing by Eileen MacFarlane. She's amazing!Due to the number of sources, they cannot all be listed here.Please email us at ourtruecrimepodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Feb 20221h 6min

We are headed to North Liberty, Iowa, population 18,000 plus. This Midwest town is not unlike others. Most of the members know each other where they work and live together. It is February 1999, When one of their own, is murdered in his home, the community is stunned. With little to no evidence, investigators look to an unusual witness and hope, even though she can’t speak, she will lead them to the killer. Join Jen and Cam on Our True Crime Podcast as we discuss ‘Off the Leash: John Helble and Keisha.’As always our listener discretion is by the omniscient @octoberpodVHS.All our music as well as the show executive producer is none other than Nico @wetalkofdreams.Sources:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2609150/https://www.woofersandco.com/blogs/unleashed/the-dog-who-helped-catch-a-killerhttps://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/wyo-man-pleads-guilty-in-iowa/article_ca1131d3-d08a-5be6-96df-b1e374288bea.htmlhttps://medium.com/the-criminalist/mans-dog-helps-to-catch-his-killer-adcd045e7ab4https://kileystruecrime.squarespace.com/kileystruecrimeaddict-blog/the-murder-of-john-helblehttps://quizlet.com/452196425/hair-and-fiber-analysis-flash-cards/https://ceadstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cead-images/NewsReportreRich.pdfhttps://medium.com/the-criminalist/mans-dog-helps-to-catch-his-killer-adcd045e7ab4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Feb 202227min

Around 10:25 AM on February 13th, 2018, a 911 call came in on Lake Couer d’Alene in Idaho. The woman identified herself as Lori Isenberg, told the dispatcher; “I need help. I’m on the lake but I don’t know where. My husband has had a stroke and he fell over ...he fell overboard” That same morning, many of the couple's friends and neighbors would be opening the local paper to discover Lori was leading a double life.Join Cam and Jen as we discuss Still Waters: The Murder of Larry IsenbergA thank you to those that helped us put this episode together!Researched and written by the talented Eileen MacFarlaneListener Discretion by the master of horror Edward OctoberpodVHS--You can subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/c/octoberpodhomevideoProducer and editing by the one and only Nico Vettese Promo by Weird Distractions! Go check them out! Resources Find the complete list on ourtruecrimepodcast.comhttps://www.justice.gov/usao-id/pr/lori-isenberg-pleads-guilty-over-570000-wire-fraud-and-federal-program-theft https://www.inlander.com/spokane/a-north-idaho-womans-husband-is-dead-and-she-is-on-the-lam-wanted-for-allegedly-embezzling-half-a-million-dollars/Content?oid=10210637 https://www.khq.com/news/new-court-documents-show-north-idaho-man-may-have-been-murdered/article_561fb668-d783-5565-bf41-206e4fde8a78.html https://www.khq.com/news/500k-bench-warrant-issued-for-lori-isenberg-after-missing-2nd-arraignment/article_92bde7c4-34a0-53bf-a3be-7ed79a889cb1.html https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/northwest/idaho/article240786156.html https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/mar/04/kootenai-county-detectives-want-to-interview-frien/https://apnews.com/article/coeur-dalene-spokane-idaho-7e7b0875f8863fcad010935545e0e60d https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/may/24/isenberg-sentenced-to-life-for-drugging-husband-on/ https://www.eastidahonews.com/2021/05/i-knew-my-life-was-over-idaho-woman-gets-life-in-prison-for-murdering-husband-with-medicine/ https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/03/idaho-woman-indicted-for-murder-in-connection-to-the-2018-death-of-her-husband/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Jan 202254min

It is October 20, 2007, when a woman calls 911. She is hysterical and crying, barely able to get out the words. She relays to the operator that when she got to her parent's house, she found her mother shot, her father shot, and her brother home and unharmed. Police rush to the scene, but as they are heading to the crime scene, 16-year-old Daniel jumps in his parent's car and takes off. Soon a chase erupts, but Daniel loses control of the vehicle, and officers contain him. Daniel tells officers that his father shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself. Daniel is crying and is put into the patrol car until officers can figure out what just happened. With confusion and adrenaline, no one knows what just occurred, but someone is responsible, and that person is the one no one would suspect, but the reason is even more unbelievable. Join Jen and Cam on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Gaming, Obsession, and Murder: Daniel Petric. LD is by the man who does it best Edward October from @octoberpodVHS The music is done by our executive producer Nico @wetalkofdreams Sources:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7826663.stmhttps://www.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/_lorain_lorain_county.htmlhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/game-over-for-teen-who-killed-mother-over-video-gamehttps://www.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/lorain_county_teen_who_killed.htmlhttps://www.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/trial_of_boy_accused_of_killin.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Petrichttps://www.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQH9N5SCDX4Signs of a Psychopath: Season 2, EP 5. https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-daniel-petric-now/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Jan 202235min

This episode is more graphic than usual. Listener discretion is strongly advised . The corpses of five young women were found in and around several small villages in West Germany. Each woman had been raped, stabbed, or strangled. Even worse, they had been mutilated. Nearly two decades would pass, and many more women would lose their lives. When police finally arrested the man responsible for all these gruesome murders, there was a stew brewing on the stove with, well, you can’t imagine. Join Jen and Cam as we discuss “Duisburg Man-Eater: Joachim Kroll” on Day 12 of the 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. We didn't cover all the victims' names in this episode so we wanted to list them here. They deserve to be remembered.Joachim Kroll’s VictimsIrmgard Strehl, 19,Erika Schuletter, 12,Klara Frieda Tesmer, 24, Heinrich Ott, was arrested for the crime. He hanged himself in jail.Manuela Knodt, 16, Petra Giese, 13, Vinzenz Kuehn was arrested and convicted.Monika Tafel, 12, Walter Quicker was arrested for the crime. He was later released but was driven to suicide due to relentless neighbors.Barbara Bruder, 12, Her body was never found.Hermann Schmitz, 25,Ursula Rohling, 20 Her boyfriend Adolf Schickel was falsely accused of killing her and he completed suicide Ilona Harke, 5Maria Hettgen, 61, Jutta Rahn, 13Karin Toepfer, 10Marion Ketter, 4Edward October from @octoberpodVHS does all our listener discretion warnings. Nico @wetalkofdreams provides all original music and is our executive producer.Sources:https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ganze-masse-a-f1af7b2a-0002-0001-0000-000040942727https://kulturmeister.com/notorious-serial-killers-en/joachim-kroll/?lang=enhttps://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2opfxahttps://killer.cloud/serial-killers/show/72/joachim-krollhttps://www-focus-de.translate.goog/panorama/welt/bernd-jaegers-im-focus-online-interview-duisburger-kannibale-toetete-frauen-und-kinder-er-wollte-seine-opfer-sterben-sehen_id_13350216.html?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=nui,schttps://books.google.de/books?id=srw2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT74&lpg=PT74&dq=how+many+siblings+to+joachim+kroll+have&source=bl&ots=uX-o2d03EQ&sig=ACfU3U279iPjAkWP_VzJgY_flvUUMIMKjA&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjGqc-fkYL0AhXiyIsBHXtcAO8Q6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=how%20many%20siblings%20to%20joachim%20kroll%20have&f=falsehttps://www.dieterwunderlich.de/Joachim-Kroll.htmhttps://www.derwesten.de/staedte/duisburg/horror-duisburg-kannibale-mord-id213090825.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Dec 202147min

On September the 15th, 1990, people were walking along a river near Prague when they stumbled up what they thought was a mannequin. As they got closer, they realized it was the body of a young woman. Her body, nude, was left in a vulgar display. Her stocking was wrapped around her neck. The killer had tried to cover her with leaves and debris as if to hide his crime. The woman would turn out to be Blanka Bockova. Blanka had gone out the night before with friends to have drinks. The group decided to leave just before midnight, but Blanka was having fun and decided to stay for just one more. Her friends would say she was talking with a man who looked nearly 40 years of age, but that is all the information they could provide. What authorities could not yet know was that an international serial killer was just getting started, and he was no stranger to police. Join Jen and Cam as we discuss “A Way with Words and Murder: Jack Unterweger” on Day 11 of the 12 Nightmares Before Christmas. Edward October from @octoberpodVHS does our magical listener discretion. Nico is our bestie. Nico @wetalkofdreams makes all our music and just happens to be our EP too. Sources:https://allthatsinteresting.com/jack-unterwegerhttps://www.ranker.com/list/jack-unterweger-facts/cat-mcauliffehttps://www.moviemaker.com/jack-unterweger-austrian-serial-killer-netflix-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel/https://killer.cloud/serial-killers/show/103/jack-unterwegerhttp://jimshelley.com/crime/jack-unterweher/https://www.hayvine.com/entertainment/5-shocking-facts-of-jack-unterwegers-dark-history-of-grisly-murders-and-crimeshttps://www.biography.com/crime-figure/jack-unterweger Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Dec 202127min