Murderland Chicago: A Deep Dish of Death

Jonathan Sanchez Leos and Meridith Halsey

An exploration of how Chicago has created some of the most notorious serial killers and murders in America. Unpacking the "socio" in "sociopath," Jonathan Sanchez Leos and Meridith Halsey investigate how the ecological urban landscape of Chicago provided the perfect background for some of the most heinous crimes ever.

  1. 1D AGO

    28: Ted Kaczynski Part III

    Part 3 of our discussion about Ted Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber); in this episode we discuss the timeline of Kaczynski’s attacks, how Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Oklahoma City helped to escalate his madness, and his imprisonment and death. Additional topics include the similarities between Kaczynski’s isolation and current instances of AI psychosis. TW: Death by suicide, AI psychosis, terrorism Notes: The Daily: Trapped in a ChatGPT Spiral: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/podcasts/the-daily/chatgpt-ai-delusions.html “AI Psychosis”: Emerging Cases of Delusion Amplification Associated with ChatGPT and LLM Chatbot Use – A Psychiatric Review: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/psychiatry-psychotherapy-podcast/episode-253-ai-psychosis-emerging-cases-of-delusion-amplification-associated-with-chatgpt-and-llm-chatbot Research sources include: Cruz Lat, Emelyn. “ Kaczynski: Childhood of Rage.” SFGate, 2 Nov. 1997, https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Kaczynski-Childhood-of-rage-3091103.php. “Hospital Incident Haunts Unabomber Suspect’s Mother.” Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/06/17/hospital-incident-haunts-unabomber-suspect-s-mother/. Accessed 22 June 2025. “David Kaczynski: ‘Every Last Tie: The Story Of The Unabomber And His Family.’” Diane Rehm, https://dianerehm.org/shows/2016-01-28/david-kaczynski-every-last-tie-the-story-of-the-unabomber-and-his-family. Accessed 22 June 2025. Theodore Richard “Turk” Kaczynski (1912-1990) -... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213155567/theodore_richard-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Wanda Teresa Dombek Kaczynski (1917-2011) - Find... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207475370/wanda_teresa-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Jakub Kaczynski (1865-1943) - Find a Grave... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108871364/jakub-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Helen Alchimowicz Kaczynski (1886-1976) - Find a... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182219271/helen-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Editors, HISTORY com. “Unabomber (Ted Kaczynski) - Manifesto, Cabin, Victims.” HISTORY, 14 May 2018, https://www.history.com/articles/unabomber-ted-kaczynski. “‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Died by Suicide, Official Says.” NBC News, 12 June 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unabomber-cause-death-rcna88737. “‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Had Late-Stage Rectal Cancer and Was ‘Depressed’ before Prison Suicide, Autopsy Says.” NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-late-stage-rectal-cancer-was-depressed-prison-rcna147819. Follow us on Instagram @deepdishofdeath_podcast Find us on BlueSky @deepdishofdeath.bsky.social Email us at deepdishofdeath@gmail.com

    1h 7m
  2. MAR 31

    27: Ted Kaczynski Part II

    Part 2 of our discussion about  Ted Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber); in this episode we discuss Kaczynski’s abandonment of his career, rejection of society, and what he got up to in that secluded Montana cabin. “No man is more unhappy than he who has never faced adversities”—Seneca TW: Death by suicide Research sources include: Cruz Lat, Emelyn. “ Kaczynski: Childhood of Rage.” SFGate, 2 Nov. 1997, https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Kaczynski-Childhood-of-rage-3091103.php. “Hospital Incident Haunts Unabomber Suspect’s Mother.” Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/06/17/hospital-incident-haunts-unabomber-suspect-s-mother/. Accessed 22 June 2025. “David Kaczynski: ‘Every Last Tie: The Story Of The Unabomber And His Family.’” Diane Rehm, https://dianerehm.org/shows/2016-01-28/david-kaczynski-every-last-tie-the-story-of-the-unabomber-and-his-family. Accessed 22 June 2025. Theodore Richard “Turk” Kaczynski (1912-1990) -... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213155567/theodore_richard-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Wanda Teresa Dombek Kaczynski (1917-2011) - Find... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207475370/wanda_teresa-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Jakub Kaczynski (1865-1943) - Find a Grave... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108871364/jakub-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Helen Alchimowicz Kaczynski (1886-1976) - Find a... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182219271/helen-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Editors, HISTORY com. “Unabomber (Ted Kaczynski) - Manifesto, Cabin, Victims.” HISTORY, 14 May 2018, https://www.history.com/articles/unabomber-ted-kaczynski. “‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Died by Suicide, Official Says.” NBC News, 12 June 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unabomber-cause-death-rcna88737. “‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Had Late-Stage Rectal Cancer and Was ‘Depressed’ before Prison Suicide, Autopsy Says.” NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-late-stage-rectal-cancer-was-depressed-prison-rcna147819. Follow us on Instagram @deepdishofdeath_podcast Find us on BlueSky @deepdishofdeath.bsky.social Email us at deepdishofdeath@gmail.com

    1h 42m
  3. MAR 24

    26: Ted Kaczynski Part I

    We kick off season 4 with the first of a multi-part series on Ted Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber); in this episode we discuss Kaczynski’s working class roots as a member of the Polish community on the South Side of Chicago and his journey through the academic world (Harvard —> UMich —> UCBerkley).  TW: Death by suicide Recommended reading / watching: The Jungle by Upton SinclairThe Manchurian Candidate, directed by John Frankenheimer Research sources include: Cruz Lat, Emelyn. “ Kaczynski: Childhood of Rage.” SFGate, 2 Nov. 1997, https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Kaczynski-Childhood-of-rage-3091103.php. “Hospital Incident Haunts Unabomber Suspect’s Mother.” Tampa Bay Times, https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/06/17/hospital-incident-haunts-unabomber-suspect-s-mother/. Accessed 22 June 2025. “David Kaczynski: ‘Every Last Tie: The Story Of The Unabomber And His Family.’” Diane Rehm, https://dianerehm.org/shows/2016-01-28/david-kaczynski-every-last-tie-the-story-of-the-unabomber-and-his-family. Accessed 22 June 2025. Theodore Richard “Turk” Kaczynski (1912-1990) -... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213155567/theodore_richard-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Wanda Teresa Dombek Kaczynski (1917-2011) - Find... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207475370/wanda_teresa-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Jakub Kaczynski (1865-1943) - Find a Grave... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108871364/jakub-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Helen Alchimowicz Kaczynski (1886-1976) - Find a... https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182219271/helen-kaczynski. Accessed 23 June 2025. Editors, HISTORY com. “Unabomber (Ted Kaczynski) - Manifesto, Cabin, Victims.” HISTORY, 14 May 2018, https://www.history.com/articles/unabomber-ted-kaczynski. “‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Died by Suicide, Official Says.” NBC News, 12 June 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unabomber-cause-death-rcna88737. “‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Had Late-Stage Rectal Cancer and Was ‘Depressed’ before Prison Suicide, Autopsy Says.” NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-late-stage-rectal-cancer-was-depressed-prison-rcna147819. Follow us on Instagram @deepdishofdeath_podcast Find us on BlueSky @deepdishofdeath.bsky.social Email us at deepdishofdeath@gmail.com

    1h 60m
  4. 12/31/2024

    23: Englewood Part III

    This is the part 3 of our 3-parter on the south side neighborhood of Englewood, which harbored 3 active serials killers at the same time in the 1990s. This episode focuses on the the police torture that led to an unknowable number of false confessions, the ongoing legacy of that torture, and how it contributed to the difficulty in identifying and prosecuting the murderers who were killing women in Englewood throughout the 1990s. TW: Police brutality, torture, forced confessions, sexual assault, murder Research sources include: Clarno, Andy, et al. Imperial Policing: Weaponized Data in Carceral Chicago. University of Minnesota Press, 2024. Facts and Fictions About Serial Killers | Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201907/facts-and-fictions-about-serial-killers. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024. Peres, Judy: "Trial Begins for Geralds in Engelwood Slayings" Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 1997, https://www.proquest.com/chicagotribune/docview/418426962/8C243852CCA41A0PQ/1?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers Mills, Steve and Wilson, Terry. “State Says It Convicted The Wrong Serial Killer” Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2011, https://chipublib.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/chicagotribune/newspapers/state-says-convicted-wrong-serial-killer/docview/419124122/sem-2?accountid=303 Possley, Maurice. “Rape Victim Tells of Attack in Englewood Strangler Trial” Chicago Tribune, 05 Nov. 1997, https://www.proquest.com/chicagotribune/docview/418482281/8298720921094831PQ/1?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers Exoneree, Center on Wrongful Convictions: Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/il/hubert-geralds-jr.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024. Hubert Geralds, Jr. - National Registry of Exonerations. https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3795. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024. Terry, Don. “In a Chicago Neighborhood Overrun With Crime, a Serial Killer Almost Walks Away.” The New York Times, 26 June 1995. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/26/us/in-a-chicago-neighborhood-overrun-with-crime-a-serial-killer-almost-walks-away.html. Roberts, Sam. “Jon Burge, 70, Ex-Commander in Chicago Police Torture Cases, Dies.” The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2018. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/obituaries/jon-burge-dead.html. Swartz, Tracy. “Chicago Serial Killer Andre Crawford Back in the Spotlight 4 Years After His Death.” Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2021, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/2511951706/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/2?accountid=303&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites Marshall, Andrew. "DNA Leads Police to Chicago mass-killer suspect." The Independent, 01 Feb. 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/311647560/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/3?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers “Chicago Police Charge Man.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/261034599/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/4?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers “Man Admits Serial Killings, Police Say.” The New York Times, 01 Feb. 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/431372834/EAEBAD8401C341D0PQ/1?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers Sabrina L Miller and Terry Wilson, Tribune Staff Writers Tribune staff writers Evan Osnos, Noreen Ahmed. "Suspect Glad he's Caught, Cops Say Taped Confessions, DNA Help Make Case." Chicago Tribune, Feb 01 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/419082971/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/6?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers# Follow us on Instagram @deepdishofdeath_podcast Find us on BlueSky @deepdishofdeath.bsky.social Email us at deepdishofdeath@gmail.com

    1h 37m
  5. 12/24/2024

    22: Englewood Part II

    This is the part 2 of our 3-parter on the south side neighborhood of Englewood, which harbored 3 active serials killers at the same time in the 1990s. This episode focuses on the similarity of the crimes committed by all three of these killers, and how the conditions in Englewood promoted these similarities. TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, murder Research sources include: Facts and Fictions About Serial Killers | Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201907/facts-and-fictions-about-serial-killers. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024. Peres, Judy: "Trial Begins for Geralds in Engelwood Slayings" Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 1997, https://www.proquest.com/chicagotribune/docview/418426962/8C243852CCA41A0PQ/1?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers Mills, Steve and Wilson, Terry. “State Says It Convicted The Wrong Serial Killer” Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2011, https://chipublib.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/chicagotribune/newspapers/state-says-convicted-wrong-serial-killer/docview/419124122/sem-2?accountid=303 Possley, Maurice. “Rape Victim Tells of Attack in Englewood Strangler Trial” Chicago Tribune, 05 Nov. 1997, https://www.proquest.com/chicagotribune/docview/418482281/8298720921094831PQ/1?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers Exoneree, Center on Wrongful Convictions: Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/il/hubert-geralds-jr.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024. Hubert Geralds, Jr. - National Registry of Exonerations. https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3795. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024. Terry, Don. “In a Chicago Neighborhood Overrun With Crime, a Serial Killer Almost Walks Away.” The New York Times, 26 June 1995. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/26/us/in-a-chicago-neighborhood-overrun-with-crime-a-serial-killer-almost-walks-away.html. Roberts, Sam. “Jon Burge, 70, Ex-Commander in Chicago Police Torture Cases, Dies.” The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2018. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/obituaries/jon-burge-dead.html. Swartz, Tracy. “Chicago Serial Killer Andre Crawford Back in the Spotlight 4 Years After His Death.” Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2021, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/2511951706/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/2?accountid=303&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites Marshall, Andrew. "DNA Leads Police to Chicago mass-killer suspect." The Independent, 01 Feb. 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/311647560/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/3?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers “Chicago Police Charge Man.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/261034599/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/4?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers “Man Admits Serial Killings, Police Say.” The New York Times, 01 Feb. 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/431372834/EAEBAD8401C341D0PQ/1?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers Sabrina L Miller and Terry Wilson, Tribune Staff Writers Tribune staff writers Evan Osnos, Noreen Ahmed. "Suspect Glad he's Caught, Cops Say Taped Confessions, DNA Help Make Case." Chicago Tribune, Feb 01 2000, https://www.proquest.com/globalnews/docview/419082971/1628F5932BC3430EPQ/6?accountid=303&sourcetype=Newspapers# Follow us on Instagram @deepdishofdeath_podcast Find us on BlueSky @deepdishofdeath.bsky.social Email us at deepdishofdeath@gmail.com

    49 min
4
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

An exploration of how Chicago has created some of the most notorious serial killers and murders in America. Unpacking the "socio" in "sociopath," Jonathan Sanchez Leos and Meridith Halsey investigate how the ecological urban landscape of Chicago provided the perfect background for some of the most heinous crimes ever.

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