The Smiley Face Murder Theory

Growing up in the California town of Solvang, Thor Nis Christiansen was the quiet son of Danish immigrants. As he grew older, Thor began harboring dark, disturbing fantasies about women. Before his 20th birthday, he would strike for the first time—and it wouldn't be the last... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

29 Juni 202041min

He endured extreme childhood abuse, served in the Marines, and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. Between 1986 and 1996, Andrew Urdiales turned his anger into murder, taking the lives of eight women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Juni 202039min

He spent his life trying to escape jails, mental hospitals, and his urge to kill. From 1961 to 1982, Charles Ray Hatcher murdered at least four people, but he claims to have killed as many as 16 in Missouri, California, and Illinois. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Juni 202040min

Sent to a reform school for the remainder of his childhood, Jesse Pomeroy, and his distraught mother, had one shared goal in mind: early release. After only 17 months away, they'd got their wish. And by 1874, Jesse was free to continue his attacks—and this time, he was ready to kill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Juni 202037min

Born in 1859 with a cleft palate, Jesse Pomeroy's father looked upon his son as weak, and brutally abused him throughout his childhood. Tormented at home and at school, Jesse began to entertain violent fantasies about torturing prisoners. By the time he was 12, simply fantasizing wasn't enough—and the “Boy Torturer of Boston” emerged... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Juni 202039min

He claimed to be Sweden's first serial killer. Throughout the 1990s, Sture Bergwall made shocking confessions to dozens of brutal murders across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. But his final confession was the most surprising of them all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Juni 202043min

Growing up as one of the few black kids in Warwick, Rhode Island was not easy. By the time Craig Price transitioned from child to teen, the years of racism and bullying had already made a huge impact on his developing psyche. By the time he was 13-years-old in 1986, his anger had reached a boiling point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Juni 202036min

In 1942, Marcel Petiot's fake escape network, Fly-Tox, was operating at full steam. He took his victim's payment, and instead of helping them start new lives in South America, he murdered them and stored the bodies in his basement. But his scheme couldn't escape the attention of the Nazis for long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Juni 202038min