True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Dan Zupansky -
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True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Every week host Dan Zupansky will interview the true crime authors that have written about the most shocking killers of all time.

  1. 14 HR AGO

    THE 'BABY DOLL' SERIAL KILLER-B.R. Bates and Jerry Cliff

    He was unassuming, sweet, and friendly. “Saved” in church as a teen, he never caused trouble. In the Navy, they called him Opie. Though he was a big guy, he had a soft, boyish demeanor. “The boy next door,” said those who worked with and knew him. But John Eric Armstrong had a dark secret—hidden even from those closest to him. Prowling Detroit's well-known pocket of prostitution on historic Michigan Ave, this young husband and father picked up unsuspecting women who thought they were simply meeting a john. He seemed innocent, even driving a Jeep with a front plate reading "Baby Doll." But they soon discovered, he could turn on a dime and fly into a rage. Some of his victims survived to tell the tale of their near death encounter, and when police finally elicited the serial killer's confession —details emerged regarding necrophilia. In THE 'BABY DOLL’ SERIAL KILLER: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides, journalist B.R. Bates lays out the gripping story of this chameleon of a serial killer—through his horrific crimes, with a compassionate look at the life of each one of his victims – and the heroic efforts of law enforcement to catch him. THE 'BABY DOLL’ SERIAL KILLER: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides-B.R. Bates and Jerry Cliff.

    1h 10m
  2. Introducing the Jordan Harbinger Show

    15 HR AGO

    Introducing the Jordan Harbinger Show

    Follow the award-winning Jordan Harbinger Show wherever you get your podcasts!

    2 min

  3. 4 NOV

    DARK TIDE-Edna Cowell Martin and Megan Atkinson

    Including never-before-seen photos and handwritten letters from Ted Bundy, Dark Tide’s message is as gut-wrenching as it is clear, asking the question: how well do we know those we trust most? Edna’s world turned upside down when her close cousin, Ted Bundy, was linked to the gruesome murders that had plagued her hometown of Seattle. Both devastating and dangerous, she reveals her journey of discovering the truth about her cousin who was more like a sibling, a man she loved, admired, and thought she knew so well. Edna delves into the unbelievable and chilling episodes she experienced, from confronting Ted and discovering a side of him she never suspected to waking to the FBI at her door after he escaped jail. Whether searching memories for signs she’d missed or detailing scenes of life under the radar in a world still fixated on her cousin, Edna’s account tells the Ted Bundy story from a critical, new perspective: someone who called him family. DARK TIDE: Growing Up With Ted Bundy-Edna Cowell Martin and Megan Atkinson

    1h 29m

  4. 28 OCT

    MURDER! MOLLY AND THE MOB-Rod Kackley

    Murder! Molly And The Mob: A (1950's) Shocking True Crime Story by Rod Kackley delves into one of the most chilling unsolved mysteries from the heart of 1950's America. Set against the gritty backdrop of Joliet, Illinois—a suburban outpost of Chicago’s criminal underworld—this true crime narrative follows the life and sudden disappearance of Molly Zelko, a fearless journalist whose scathing pen became her weapon against corruption, organized crime, and the rampant gambling that threatened to poison her community. Molly Zelko was no ordinary woman. As the editor and publisher of The Spectator, a small but fiercely independent weekly newspaper, she made it her mission to expose the sinister ties between local politicians and the Chicago mobsters who were bringing gambling dens and criminal enterprises into Joliet. Her editorials were hard-hitting, unflinching, and deeply personal—so much so that they earned her powerful enemies. In an era when women were expected to remain silent, Molly’s boldness stood out, and her voice became a rallying cry for those who shared her vision of a safer, more just community. But crusading against the mob came with a price. On the night of September 25, 1957, Molly Zelko left the offices of The Spectator, telling her colleagues, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” But that tomorrow never came. Molly vanished without a trace. At its core, this is a story about courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Molly Zelko knew the risks of standing up to the mob, but she never wavered in her commitment to her community and her principles.Murder! Molly And The Mob is a gripping, suspenseful journey through one of America’s most enduring unsolved mysteries, shining a spotlight on a woman whose legacy remains as powerful as the questions surrounding her disappearance. Was she a victim of her own relentless pursuit of justice? Or did she know too much, becoming a target in a game she couldn’t win? MURDER! MOLLY AND THE MOB: A (1950's) Shocking True Crime Story-Rod Kackley

    1h 12m

  5. 21 OCT

    THE VELVET HAMMER-Judge Belvin Perry Jr. & Amy Mitchell

    After retiring from twenty-five years on the bench, former chief judge, Belvin Perry Jr., reveals a rare and disturbingly vivid first-hand perspective of the most gruesome death penalty cases in which he played a key role, including the infamous Casey Marie Anthony, who was dubbed “America’s Most Hated Mom” after her shocking acquittal. The Velvet Hammer is the gripping, true crime memoir of former Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr., who sentenced some of Florida’s most evil and notorious murderers to death, fulfilling his oath to uphold justice. Perry provides a clear, accurate description of America’s criminal justice system and explains why the death penalty can, and should, work and how it was applied to certain capital murder cases he either prosecuted or presided over. Perry discusses his journey as an African American growing up in the segregated South, his life as a prosecutor and chief judge, and how he ended up presiding over one of the world’s most intriguing capital murder trials of the century: State of Florida v. Casey Marie Anthony. From the widow who slowly poisoned her lovers; to the lust murderer who mutilated his victim while she was still alive; to the serial killer who slayed a family of four, including his own child; as well as several other violent and frightening murders, Perry spares none of the gory details when bringing each case back to life in his debut, true crime memoir. THE VELVET HAMMER: Judge Belvin Perry Jr,'s Capital Murder Cases-Amy Mitchell and Judge Belvin Perry Jr.

    1 hr

  6. 21 OCT

    Listen Now: Kill List

    In the depths of the dark net, tech journalist Carl Miller makes a disturbing discovery: a secret Kill List targeting hundreds of innocent people on a murder for hire website. When the police decide not to investigate, Carl is thrown into a race against time to warn those in danger and uncover the truth about the people who want them dead. From Wondery and Novel, comes a true story about obsession, control and the price of life and death. Listen to Kill List on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts: Wondery.fmKillList_TM You can listen to Kill List and more Exhibit C true crime shows like Morbid early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. Check out Exhibit C in the Wondery App for all your true crime listening.

    6 min

  7. 14 OCT

    THE MENENDEZ MURDERS-UPDATED EDITION-Robert Rand

    Listen to Robert Rand, the investigative journalist the definitive book on the Menendez case—and the disquieting true story behind Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.A successful entertainment executive making $2 million a year. His former beauty queen wife. Their two sons on the fast track to success. But it was all a façade.The Menendez saga has captivated the American public since 1989. The killing of José and Kitty Menendez on a quiet Sunday evening in Beverly Hills didn’t make the cover of People magazine until the arrest of their sons seven months later, when the case developed an intense cult following. By the time the first Menendez trial began in July 1993, the public was convinced that Lyle and Erik were a pair of greedy rich kids who had killed loving, devoted parents.The real story remained buried beneath years of dark secrets.A culmination of more than 30 years of journalist Robert Rand’s relentless reporting, this updated edition of The Menendez Murders shares these intimate, breakthrough findings, including a deeply disturbing history of child abuse and sexual molestation in the Menendez family going back generations, as well as exclusive new revelations linking the 1980s boy band Menudo and the Menendez family, a first-hand account of the emotional reunion between Erik and Lyle Menendez, and surprising insights into how the Menendez brothers remain resilient and live with purpose despite a life sentence without parole.Journalist and author Robert Rand has followed the Menendez murders from the beginning and is the only reporter who covered the original investigation as well as both trials. With a unique vantage and unparalleled access to the Menendez family and their history, including interviews with both brothers before and after their arrest, and to this day. In 2023, Rand uncovered extraordinary material evidence that would certainly have changed the fate of the brothers’ first-degree murder conviction in 1996. He and the Menendez family hoped his discoveries would give the brothers new hope for reopening the case.The Netflix film series MONSTERS was released September 19th-with over 20 million viewers, and much controversy-with Netflix also releasing their documentary The Menendez Brothers, featuring Robert Rand, to be released October 7. On October 3rd, Los Angeles D.A. George Gascon made an announcement that his office is reviewing the convictions of the Menendez brothers to determine whether they should be resentenced and potentially released. A hearing has been scheduled for November 26th. Robert Rand joins me to discuss The Menendez Murders Updated Edition, Netflix's Monster and The Menedez Brothers documentary—and his incredible role in the latest developments in the historic Menendez murder case. THE MENENDEZ MURDERS UPDATED EDITION-Robert Rand.

    1h 3m

  8. 7 OCT

    EDEN UNDONE-Abbott Kahler

    At the height of the Great Depression, Los Angeles oil mogul George Allan Hancock and his crew of Smithsonian scientists came upon a gruesome scene: two bodies, mummified by the searing heat, on the shore of a remote Galápagos island. For the past four years Hancock and other American elites had traveled the South Seas to collect specimens for scientific research. On one trip to the Galápagos, Hancock was surprised to discover an equally exotic group of humans: European exiles who had fled political and economic unrest, hoping to create a utopian paradise. One was so devoted to a life of isolation that he’d had his teeth extracted and replaced with a set of steel dentures.As Hancock and his fellow American explorers would witness, paradise had turned into chaos. The three sets of exiles—a Berlin doctor and his lover, a traumatized World War I veteran and his young family, and an Austrian baroness with two adoring paramours—were riven by conflict. Petty slights led to angry confrontations. The baroness, wielding a riding crop and pearl-handled revolver, staged physical fights between her two lovers and unabashedly seduced American tourists. The conclusion was deadly: with two exiles missing and two others dead, the survivors hurled accusations of murder.Using never-before-published archives, Abbott Kahler weaves a chilling, stranger-than-fiction tale worthy of Agatha Christie. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the march to World War II, with a mystery as alluring and curious as the Galápagos itself, Eden Undone explores the universal and timeless desire to seek utopia—and lays bare the human fallibility that, inevitably, renders such a quest doomed. EDEN UNDONE: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of Word War ll-Abbott Kahler

    1h 18m
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Every week host Dan Zupansky will interview the true crime authors that have written about the most shocking killers of all time.

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