Serial Killers

The "Killer Clown" likely contributed to people's fears of makeup-wearing jesters. But the truth is, John Wayne Gacy's personas, "Pogo" or "Patches," didn't harm a soul. It was the successful suburban businessman hiding in plain sight who was preying on young men and boys. This is the second episode in our 5-year anniversary special, looking back on the serial killer boom of the 1970s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been five years since the Serial Killers podcast debuted, and to celebrate the anniversary, we’re reexamining a grisly time in America: the serial killer boom of the 1970s. Edmund Kemper was one of the first serial killers to be profiled by the FBI. His deep-rooted issues with his mother, extremely high IQ, and ability to outsmart police allowed him to kill all the co-eds he wanted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even while on the lam, Gary Ray Bowles continued to kill. The FBI posted flyers in gay communities near Interstate 95. Just as the police closed in, he assumed a new identity and went back into hiding. Detectives had to wait for a mistake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At age 13, he had his first violent outburst. It was a sign of things to come for Gary Ray Bowles, who preyed on men he met in gay communities. When police traced his first murder back to him, he went on the run. From town to town along Interstate 95, he wanted to kill as many people as possible before the law caught up to him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After four horrific murders, a joint task force was no closer to identifying the Last Call Killer. But improvements in crime technology allowed them to send the killer's fingerprints to law enforcement nationwide. The one murder Richard Rogers got away with in Maine wound up putting him behind bars for his other murders. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before he became a cardiac surgical nurse, Richard Rogers killed his grad school roommate and got away with it. Twenty years later, he turned local NYC watering holes into his hunting ground.  Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was the picture of rehabilitation. After serving 13 years in prison, Mark Goudeau re-entered society with a steady construction job, passed every drug test, and checked in with his parole officer. And he used this new reputation to fly under the radar of law enforcement for years. Countdown to the CULTS book release! Parcast’s first book hits shelves July 12th. It’s an unflinching exploration of shame, secrecy, power, exploitation, and destruction. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the relationship with his live-in boyfriend deteriorated, Donald Harvey took it out on the patients at Daniel Drake Memorial Hospital. But he was tired of killing the same old way. So he switched things up, and it ultimately led to his arrest.  Countdown to the CULTS book release! Parcast’s first book hits shelves July 12th. It’s an unflinching exploration of shame, secrecy, power, exploitation, and destruction. Learn more at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After settling into the gay community of Cincinnati, Donald Harvey did his best to live a normal life. He moved in with a boyfriend and held a steady job. But deep down, that urge to control others still pulled at him. And he satisfied that impulse with poison. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more and grab your copy at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He didn’t have control of much growing up in rural Kentucky. His family was poor. His uncle sexually abused him. And his parents were ashamed of his homosexuality. But once Donald Harvey was hired as a hospital orderly, he found he could wield absolute power over the powerless. Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more and grab your copy at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of dead ends and roadblocks, detectives finally tracked down the old man they believed was responsible for kidnapping 10-year-old Grace Budd. His name was Albert Fish, and he would turn out to be one of the most twisted murderers in American history. This is the final episode of a two-part crossover with the hosts of Solved Murders: True Crime Mysteries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a family acquaintance offered to take 10-year-old Grace Budd to his niece’s birthday party, the Budd family warily accepted the old man’s invitation. Little did they know it would be the last time they would see their daughter again. This is a crossover episode with the hosts of Solved Murders, a Parcast show that investigates what it takes to catch a killer.  Parcasters, we have exciting news! Our first book hits bookshelves July 12th. Don’t miss this chilling summer read that takes you deep into the darkest sides of human nature. Learn more and grab your copy at www.parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fritz Honka was a German serial killer who shared drinks with his victims at his local bar before killing and dismembering them in his Hamburg apartment. He might have gotten away with his crimes if not for a building fire that exposed the bodies in 1975.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Los Angeles in the ‘70s was a dangerous place to be. The city was menaced by multiple serial killers, and by 1978, yet another one had emerged on the scene. In Skid Row, nearly a dozen identical murders put the area’s homeless residents on high alert. Police put their prime suspect, Bobby Joe Maxwell, in jail — adamant they’d gotten their guy. But ultimately, the charges wouldn’t stick.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March of 1991, after the murder of three sex workers in four months, Dallas investigators only had one lead: Charles Albright. The problem was that they had no proof he had been involved in any of the crimes. Their only hope was finding somebody on the street who would talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a child, Charles Albright developed a penchant for eyes while learning taxidermy. But his most dangerous trait was always his charm. Able to talk his way out of trouble, he rarely suffered any consequences for his actions. How far could his talk take him? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two families in mid 20th century America became tragic tales of recurring Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Over and over, their babies died without any real explanation. Except there was an explanation. By the time authorities caught on, it was too late.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a common belief that all mothers are inherently good. But these two women have something to say about that misconception. Amelia Dyer ran a business where the more kids she killed, the more money she made. Mary Ann Cotton found that it was hard to support all the extra mouths to feed as a working woman, so she poisoned her family. And for years, authorities were none the wiser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Christie felt alive and in control after his first murder. It's no surprise that he would want to recreate that feeling. So he did. Over and over and over. And the bodies started to pile up at 10 Rillington Place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Christie wasn’t good at very much. Not relationships. Not even petty crime. But one evening in 1943, he strangled a sex worker to death and hid her body under the floorboards of his flat in Notting Hill, London. He’d found what he was good at, and he’d keep doing it for a decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices