Serial Killers

Amy Archer-Gilligan owned and operated a home for elderly residents in Windsor, Connecticut, but fell deeply into debt. Over time, she developed a deadly business model - stealing money from residents, then poisoning them - ultimately killing more than two dozen victims over a two-year span.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy Archer-Gilligan opened a nursing home in Connecticut in 1907. By portraying herself as a kind and religious woman, she was able to recruit new residents. She was beloved in her neighborhood which is exactly why nobody suspected that she was a cold, calculated killer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the summer of 1980, Carol Bundy helped Douglas Clark sexually assault a young girl and murder over a half-dozen women. Her extreme desire to please Clark evolved into a murderous partnership, and finally a killer in her own right.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of abuse as a child at the hands of her parents, Carol Bundy suffered through the same fate as an adult at the hands of various boyfriends. When she met Douglas Clark, she thought things would be different. But he had dark sexual fantasies and she would do anything to stay with him. Even kill.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luis Alfredo Garavito raped, tortured, and killed well over 100 children. Find out how he lured away his victims and avoided detection from authorities before eventually being apprehended and tried.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luis Garavito was born in Colombia in 1957 to an abusive, alcoholic father and a time of civil unrest. At the age of sixteen, Garavito was kicked out of the house. This sparked a transient lifestyle and murder spree during which Garavito raped, tortured, and murdered over one hundred victims.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry Lee Lucas served only 10 years for killing his abusive mother. After being released early due to overcrowding, he longed for a sense of family and befriended fellow murderer Ottis Toole. Lucas moved in with Toole and his family. Once together,they spent most of their time together, working as roofers, and killing innocent victims. Or did they?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry Lee Lucas, is one of history’s greatest liars. After his arrest in the 1980s, Lucas claimed to have murdered over 3,000 people across the U.S. His numerous confessions lead to his moniker, the “Confession Killer.” So what led Lucas to confess to so many different murders? And how many of these supposed crimes did he actually commit?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carl Panzram didn't start out a murderer. He started with smaller crimes like robbery and arson and quickly worked his way up to more violent crimes. But most kids with his background grow up to not be serial killers. What happened to Carl Panzram that pushed him from regular felon to violent serial killer?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even as a child, Carl Panzram often found himself in trouble. He spent his teenage years either homeless, on the run, or imprisoned. From robbing former president Taft to setting churches and jails on fire, Panzram was always on the hunt for trouble. But what made the mischievous teenager turn into a serial killer?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After his girlfriend Maria was murdered by gang members, Pedro Rodrigues Filho made it his mission to avenge her death, and kill as many criminals as possible. In popular culture, this kind of vigilantism is celebrated, in real life it leaves a brutal path of bodies in the wake of a man who appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner. In this episode, we explore the life of “Killer Petey” and his blood soaked search for justice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After being admitted to Bridgewater State Hospital, Albert DeSalvo began confiding in other patients, bragging about his crimes and admitting he was the Boston Strangler. But was that a lie for attention? Or was DeSalvo truly the killer behind the crimes of the Boston Strangler?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a special sense of security within our own homes. But from 1962 to 1964, Albert DeSalvo took advantage of this trust. He swayed women into letting him through the front door, only to leave them as victims of “The Boston Strangler.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After luring in victims using a false sense of security, Patrick Wayne Kearney earned his title as “The Trash Bag Killer” by murdering a confirmed 21 young men and leaving their remains in trash bags along Southern California freeways during the 1970's. But when he targeted 19-year-old Tony Stewart, everything changed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patrick Wayne Kearney was born in Los Angeles, California in 1939. As a child, he was tormented relentlessly by schoolmates, and found happiness in slaughtering animals. We examine how he transitioned from a bullied child to a violent killer who left dozens of men in garbage bags alongside California freeways.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many people innocently dream of having super powers. But Ahmad Suradji’s dreams led him to become a murderous “Sorcerer from Hell” who killed 42 women in his quest to become invincible. We explore Suradji’s path to killing, including a disturbing dream that inspired him to kill women and drink their saliva.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1986, Ahmad Suradji had dreamed of becoming a mystic healer in his community. But this dream also led him to believe he could become invincible… by murdering young women and slurping their saliva. We dive deep into the life of Ahmad Suradji, and examine how he pursued his gruesome dreams to become the Sorcerer from Hell.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During his 25-year medical career, Harold Shipman rose to be a respectable family doctor who treated his patients with outstanding care. But behind closed doors, he operated as Dr. Death, and injected his victims with deadly doses of diamorphine. We look into how this man, who may have killed more than 200 people, managed to get away with it for so long.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when a doctor, someone we should trust, becomes a killer? Harold Shipman, later known as Dr. Death, terrorized Britain for 25 years, killing over 200 of his patients. We look into Shipman’s life to learn how someone who went through years of medical training could become a killer hidden in plain sight.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth Bathory was a cruel, widowed noblewoman who earned the title “The Blood Countess” from the rumors she bathed in the blood of her victims. We continue to dive deep into her torture and murder of young servants, as well as investigate the many accomplices who only helped her fulfill her lust for blood.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices