The Bad Taste Crime Podcast

4.3 (75)
Society & Culture
Updated Bimonthly

Do you enjoy tales of serial killers, insane crimes, and occasional conspiracies? Then join Vicky and Rachel every other week to talk about all of this and more! As long as it's in Bad Taste... Hosts: Vicky Walters and Rachel Bauman Sound and Editing: Tiff Weech Theme Music: Jason Zakrzewski

4d ago

Episode 229 - Five Nights at Rachel's

Accidents happen, natural causes take their toll, and history marches on. Unless, of course, you are dealing with the internet's favorite pastime: refusing to believe anyone ever actually dies normally. This week, we are diving headfirst into the chaotic rabbit hole of death conspiracies. Forget the rich and famous—we are looking at the everyday mysterious exits, institutional cover-ups, and the sheer human need to believe that a botched life insurance scam or a rogue shadow government is behind every tombstone. Grab your tinfoil hat and your favorite skeptical side-eye. It is time to ask: was it a tragedy, or are they currently running a cash-only laundromat in scenic Idaho under the name "Bob" Research links below!: Variety - "A Dandy, a Charmer, a Bar Room Singer, a Murderer and a Cocaine Cook for Augusto Pinochet: Mad, Bad and Sad Eugenio Berrios Is Profiled in Sandic Industria Title 'Black Cocaine'" The Guardian - "Pinochet accused over murder of ex-president" Panacea - "La identificación de los restos del Dr. Eugenio Berríos" The Guardian - "Pinochet 'sold cocaine to Europe and US'" The Guardian - "Chile court overturns convictions for 1982 murder of former president Frei" Memoria Viva - "Eugenio Antonio Berríos Sagredo" In Focus - "From Perpetrator to Victim: The Case of Eugenio Berrios Sagredo" San Diego County - "Coronado Death Investigation" Fox5 San Diego - "14 years later, Rebecca Zahau's death at a Coronado mansion still a mystery" Greer & Associates - "Zahau Case" Mainorwirth - "Key Facts About Rebecca Zahau's Mysterious Death" People - "A Boy and His Dad's Girlfriend Were Found Dead at Calif. Mansion Days Apart. Was Her Death a Suicide or Murder?"
Aug 5

Episode 228 - Pretend to be a Mule

Some people take "until death do us part" as a challenge rather than a vow. Join us this week as we dive into the dark, twisted world of spouses who decided divorce was simply too much paperwork. Grab a drink, lock your doors, and listen in on the ultimate cautionary tale about picking your life partner very, very carefully. Research links below!: POMC - "Robert Curley 'Bobby' 32 Years Old" Yahoo! News - "Taking a look back at how a wife poisoned and killed husband" Standard Speaker - "Bobby Curley remembered 30 years after his murder" Criminal - "Joann Curley's Tortuous Murder Plot" The Citizens' Voice - "Timeline of the Curley case" Times Leader - "Convicted killer Joann Curley finishes 20-year sentence, apparently returned to NEPA" Britannica - "Hawley Harvey Crippen" The History Press - "The notorious case of Dr. Crippen" PBS - "Executed in Error" Gettyimages - "Hawley Harvey Crippen" Crime + Investigation - "Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen" National Library of Medicine - "Solanaceae III: henbane, hags and Hawley Harvey Crippen"
Jun 25

Episode 227 - Way to Be Rational

Pack your bags and leave your worries behind—or better yet, leave them for the local authorities to find. This week, the ladies are trading paradise for peril. From "lost in the woods" to "never seen again," join us as we explore the darker side of wanderlust and the vacation getaways that turned into permanent departures. Don’t forget your sunscreen, because these stories are about to get uncomfortably hot. Research links below! All That's Interesting - "What Happened To Lars Mittank, The German Tourist Who Vanished Near A Bulgarian Airport?" People - "Lars Mittank Was Last Seen Sprinting Toward a Forest 11 Years Ago. Revisit the 'Most Famous Missing Person on YouTube' Case" Mirror - "Chilling mystery of the 'most famous missing person on YouTube' who vanished into forest never to be seen again" BKA - "Search for missing MITTANK, Lars Joachim" Mel Magazine - "The Mystery of the Most Famous Missing Person on YouTube" new.com.au - "People who mysteriously vanished from airports" Spiegel Panorama - "Looking for Lars Mittank" Al Jazeera - "Timeline: Case of Charles Sobhraj - 'Bikini Killer', 'Serpent'" Britannica - "Charles Sobhraj" CNN - "From diplomat to detective, this man helped bring Asia's notorious 'Serpent' killer to justice" Oxygen - "Why Was Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj Nicknamed the Bikini Killer and The Serpent?"
Jun 13

Episode 226 - Speaking of Socialism...

They say there’s honor among thieves, but these heists prove that’s mostly just a myth. From botched getaways and amateur slip-ups to the chilling, unintended consequences of a "simple" job, we’re cracking open the files on crimes that went sideways. Research links below! Argon - "The Goiânia Incident: Lessons from a Radiological Disaster" History - "The True Story Behind Brazil's Radioactive Emergency" Britannica - "Goiânia accident" PubMed - "The Goiânia incident, the semiotics of danger, and the next 10,000 years" IAEA - "Goiânia's Legacy Two Decades On" Hibakusha Worldwide - "Goiânia, Brazil" All That's Interesting - "Inside David Ghantt's Infamous Loomis Fargo Heist In October 1997" Levine Museum of the New South - "Loomis Fargo and Company" WCNC Charlotte - "25 years later: The Loomis Fargo heist" CNN - "Suspect in $22 million armored-car heist arrested"
May 29

Episode 225 - Touch the Mule

They say "if it bleeds, it leads," but what happens when the blood is eclipsed by the spectacle? In this episode, we’re peeling back the curtain on the cases that stopped being about justice and started being about the ratings. From cable news talking heads to the digital mob, we examine how media frenzies distort the truth, turn victims into props, and transform crime scenes into pop culture events. Grab your popcorn—the court of public opinion is now in session. Research links below! EBSCO - "Halls-Mills murder case" A Little History - "New revelations in the Hall-Mills murder mystery" TIME - "Under The Crabapple Tree" The New York Times - "J.E. STRICKER DIES AFTER AND OPERATION; Former Middlesex Prosecutor Began Investigation of Hall-Mills Mystery. SIXTH DEATH DURING INQUIRY Rumor of Suicide Unfounded -- Death In Hospital Due to Peritonitis" Evening Courier - "All Charges Dropped in Hall-Mills Case" Press of Atlantic City - "Henry Carpender Dies; Was In Hall-Mills Case" The New York Times - "'Not Guilty' is Verdict in Hall Case: Plan to Free Prisoners on Bail Today and Probably Quash All Other Charges" Library of Congress - "Trials of the Century: 1900 to 1950" PBS - "Murder of the Century" Famous Trials - "The Trials of Harry Thaw for the Murder of Stanford White" Historical Society of the New York Courts - "Harry Kendall Thaw Had A Problem" EBSCO - "Harry Kendall Thaw" Murderpedia - "Harry Kendall Thaw"
May 18

Episode 224 - Do We Still Get to See the Birds?

Think Hawaii is all pristine beaches and postcard-perfect sunsets? Think again. This week, we’re swapping our beach towels for crime scene tape as we dive headfirst into the dark underbelly of the Aloha State. From high-stakes island syndicates to mysteries buried deep beneath the volcanic soil, we’re proving that even paradise has a body count. Pack your sunscreen—and your skepticism—because it’s about to get shady in the sun. Research links below! SFGate - "The FBI warned Hawaii serial killers were coming. Then one struck." Serial Killer Calendar - "Murders in Paradise" PBS Hawai'i - "The Honolulu Strangler with Robbie Dingeman" Medium - "The Honolulu Strangler" Ke Alaka'i - "The tragic deaths of five women and an escaped murderer known as the 'Honolulu Strangler'" Hawaii News Now - "20 years ago, a killer shattered the morning calm and changed Hawaii forever" khon2 - "Xerox Murders" Star Bulletin - "Carlisle: Uyesugi was in control" Star Bulletin - "Grand jury indicts Uyesugi for first-degree murder" Star Bulletin - "7 dead in Nimitz Hwy. Xerox shooting" Star Bulletin - "Uyesugi's father, brother tell of torment in his head" State of Hawaii vs. Byrab Uyesugi
May 1

Episode 223 - Immediately, Embezzlement

The white coat is the perfect camouflage for a killer. This week, we’re exploring the chilling world of medical murders, where the bedside manner is lethal and the "God Complex" is a literal diagnosis. We’re scrubbing in to find out why the person meant to save your life is sometimes the one taking it. One part medicine, two parts malice—no anesthesia required. Research links below! National Library of Medicine - "'Doctor' Marcel Petiot: Serial Murderer" Britannica - "Marcel Petiot" EBSCO - "Marcel Petiot" Getty Images - "Marcel Petiot" TIME - "FRANCE: Long Shot" All That's Interesting - "Marcel Petiot May Be The Most Despicable Serial Killer Ever" Murderpedia - "Dr. Morris Bolber" Billy Penn at WHYY - "Pasta. Arsenic. Mass murder: South Philly's infamous 1930s poison ring" Find a Grave - "Morris Bolber" MSN - "A South Philly man was convicted in a prolific arsenic-murder ring on this week in Philly history"
Apr 16

Episode 222 - Doctor Rumspringa

The files are thick, but the leads are paper-thin. This week, we’re ditching the tidy endings for the cases that keep us up at night. No handcuffs, no DNA breakthroughs, and zero closure—just the chilling anatomy of the unsolved. We’re exploring why some mysteries refuse to die and how a trail goes from red-hot to ice-cold. Research links below! The Guardian - "The mysterious lunching of Frank Little: activist who fought inequality and lost" Story of Butte - "The Murder of Frank Little" Frank's Little Farm - "Who is Frank Little?" UFCW324 - "Frank Little: A Murder in Butte" BBC - "MI6 'body-in-a-bag': No new DNA in Gareth Williams review, says Met" Mirror - "'Unbreakable' code baffled detectives investigating mystery of MI6 spy found dead in bag" Crime and Investigation - "The bag in the bath: What happened to Gareth Williams?" The Independent - "Police claim to have solved London 'spy in the bag' mystery" Firecracker - "The spy in the bag: New revelations - Channel 5" The Guardian - "Gareth Williams: the key unanswered questions" "The Independent - "MI6 spy Gareth Williams was 'killed by Russia for refusing to become double agent', former KGB man claims"

See All (234)

4.3

out of 5

75 Ratings

Such a great podcast

11/25/2022

GhostlyPodcast.com

I saw Bad Taste at Elgin Fringe. I really enjoyed the show. So I started listening. I love their show and the hosts. Great way to make a commute into work feel exciting. Who doesn’t want to listen to True Crime? Those are people I’m not sure I want to know.
Oh no! I’ve binged them all!

11/15/2021

Horro Floral

Thank you both for amazing stories and insight! I started listening maybe a month or so ago and just finished everything, now that I’m caught up I don’t know what to do… this is why I can’t have nice things. I can’t wait for more🖤
Matthew Shephard

06/30/2022

Cedar Falls

Please educate yourself on this case by reading The Guardian article about it. Also, Janelle’s ‘punk rock’ schtick has gotten really old. We get it already, and no one’s impressed. You also frequently sound smug and condescending, despite consistently getting facts and pronunciations wrong.
Fantastic

10/07/2021

miami5045

Love you Vicky!

Do you enjoy tales of serial killers, insane crimes, and occasional conspiracies? Then join Vicky and Rachel every other week to talk about all of this and more! As long as it's in Bad Taste... Hosts: Vicky Walters and Rachel Bauman Sound and Editing: Tiff Weech Theme Music: Jason Zakrzewski