Murder Coaster

Episode 22: Leslie Van Houten Part 1

From Homecoming Queen to Acid Orgies: The Leslie Van Houten Story Part 1After 53 years in prison, former Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten is now a free woman. This is her story.Leslie sang in the choir as a little girl and lived to dance, sliding across the wooden floors of the Harmony Ballroom in Anaheim to the surf rock sounds of Dick Dale.As a teenager she heard the hippie call to turn on, tune in, and drop out, so she did, wandering up to Haight Ashbury in San Fran where she met the travelling minstrel Bobby Beausoleil, the love of her life.It was Bobby who introduced her to Charlie Manson and the Family. Within a year she'd participated in a double homicide and abandoned the flower power lifestyle to scavenge the desert as a violent marauder against society.Join us for part one of our two-part series detailing the fascinating, and at times horrifying and mind-boggling, life of the iconic Lulu, Leslie Van Houten.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’NeillThe Shadow Over Santa Susana: Black Magic, Mind Control And The Manson Family Mythos by Adam GorightlyHelter Skelter: the True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi, and Curt GentryManson in His Own Words: The Shocking Confessions of ‘The Most Dangerous Man Alive’ by Charles Manson and Nuel EmmonsThe Garbage People: The Trip to Helter Skelter and Beyond with Charlie Manson and The Family by John Gilmore and Ron KennerThe Family by Ed Sanders Dick Dale at the Harmony Ballroom in Anaheim:https://youtu.be/cztu-juq1mw Bobby and Gypsy in RAMROD: (199) Gypsy and Cupid Charles Manson Family Filmed At Spahn Ranch Backporch Tapes - YouTubeLeslie Van Houten: A Friendship, Part 1 of 5 | HuffPost Latest NewsLeslie Van Houten, Ex-Manson Follower, Approved for Parole (nbcnews.com)

Episode 21: The Mall Passer Mike DeBardeleben

The craziest suspected serial killer you probably never heard of!In 1982 Treasury Department agents were hot on the trail of a counterfeiter traveling across the country passing off fake twenties at shopping malls, earning him the monicker “The Mall Passer.”Authorities would eventually apprehend Mike DeBardeleben, and the horrors they would uncover when they searched his many storage compartments was like something straight out of a horror movie.Far from just a counterfeiter, DeBardeleben was a sadistic rapist, torturer and serial killer, who documented his crimes with photographs and tape recordings.Take a thrilling and soul-chilling ride into the world of Mike DeBardeleben, the wild story of his capture for counterfeiting and the terrifying secrets that were revealed.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.Resources:Beyond Cruel: The Chilling True Story of America's Most Sadistic Killer by Stephen G. Michaud(196) James "Mike" DeBardeleben Recordings - YouTubeMike DeBardeleben - Wikipedia

Episode 20: The Kentucky Cannibal Levi Boone Helm

Get ready for a rootin-tootin, true-crime good time, as we get into the life of notorious Wild West outlaw, gunslinger, and old-time serial killer Levi Boone Helm: The Kentucky Cannibal. The American Frontier of the 1800s was a ruthless, brutal and lawless place where might made right and violence reigned, and no one epitomized this savagery better than Boone Helms. Boone Helms’s reign of terror and bloodshed is the stuff of Wild West legend. In his murderous journeys across the American Frontier, from Missouri to San Francisco, from Oregon and Utah to the Montana territories, he escaped prisons and mental asylums, was a paid assassin, was a member of the infamous Innocents Gang, and in order to survive often resorted to cannibalism. Join us as we take you on a wild historical journey that is often so crazy it’s hard to even believe. But it’s all true, as we document the life, crimes and utterly insane death of the Kentucky Cannibal, Levi Boone Helms, one of America’s most notorious and blood thirst gunslingers. Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.com Facebook: Murder Coaster Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoaster Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks. References:The Kentucky Cannibal by Ryan Green American frontier - Wikipedia Levi Boone Helm – Murderer, Cannibal & Thief – Legends of America

Episode 19: Amusement Park Murder and Terror

Every abandoned place is haunted, if not by the ghosts of the dead, then by the relics of the past. And no place appears more eerie and forlorn than the abandoned amusement park.Today we will be covering two abandoned and haunted amusement parks.First there's the Rocky Point Amusement Park in Rhode Island.Most locals scoff at the supposed Gypsy curse that's said to be upon Rocky Point Amusement Park, but there can be no denying the strange events that have happened there, including suicide and murder most foul.In 1893 Frank Sheffield, an opium addict prescribed cocaine by his doctor, took his five-year-old daughter to Rocky Point Amusement Park for their world-famous clam cakes, and by the shore of the bay, caved her head in with a rock for seemingly no reason.Bizarre occurrences would continue to befall the amusement park until its closing in 1996.The second is the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, widely considered to be one of the most haunted places in the world.The story of Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is truly epic and mind-blowing, a tragic and American story of ghosts, sacred Native American burial grounds, and doom.Join us as we take you on a ride through two of the most haunted and infamous American amusement parks.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Murder at Rocky Point Park: Tragedy in Rhode Island's Summer Paradise by Kelly Sullivan PezzaHaunted America by Michael Norman and Beth ScottShawnee attacked, murdered children of Mitchell Clay in 1783 | Wyoming County History | wycoreport.comMitchell Clay (anamericanfamilyhistory.com)A Brief History of the Lake Shawnee Amusement... | Culture Trip (theculturetrip.com)

Episode 18: The Dooms Day Cult of Lori Vallow Daybell

What were the real beliefs of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell? We get nitty-gritty and trace it back to an 1860 Mormon offshoot group called The Church of the Firstborn, a dooms-day cult that believed in reincarnation and started a war. We also take a deep dive into the entire twisted tale of Lori Vallow, detailing the lives of both Lori and Chad, how they met and came to hold the bizarre beliefs that led to multiple murders, including the ritualist killing of Lori’s own daughter and adopted son. We also see how sex, money and power went hand-in-hand with the rituals and beliefs. Surprise, surprise!And author and filmmaker Aaron Crocker joins us today to help tell the story, and afterwards discusses his thoughts on religious cults, having been in one himself. So, be sure to listen afterwards for an in-depth discussion on the belief systems cults use to ensnare.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.Website for author and filmmaker Aaron Crocker: www.aaronkcrocker.comFacebook page for Aaron's film Poison Tree: https://www.facebook.com/poisontreethemovie?mibextid=LQQJ4dAaron's Production Company: http://www.669productions.comReferences:Under The Banner of Heaven by Jon KrakauerMelanie Gibb court testimony (includes taped phone call):https://youtu.be/UHQRpc9LukkMelanie Gibb interview with Nate Eaton (must watch) https://youtu.be/n173Cv1BWB0Feel The Fire Podcast (Lori and Melanie interviewing Chad) (166) "Feel The Fire" Podcast - Full Audio - [MELANIE GIBB/ LORI VALLOW DAYBELL/ CHAD DAYBELL] - YouTubeSins of the Mother Netflix DocumentaryChurch of the Firstborn (Morrisite) - Wikipedia

Episode 17: Freeway Killers Pt 3: Randy Kraft

Randy Kraft was one of the most prolific serial killers in American history, and also one of the most brutal, cruel and sadistic. It is believed he killed at least 67 young men and boys from 1971 to 1983, marking each victim down in code on a score card.Join us for the third and final installment in our Freeway Killers series, where we have taken deep dives into the methodologies, histories and psychologies of Patrick Kearney, William Bonin and Randy Kraft, three men who became known as the Freeway Killer. Three men who were all killing the same victim profile, in the same place at the same time.Today we will be studying Randy Kraft, also known as the Score Card Killer and the Southern California Strangler, as well as taking a look at the pervasive homophobia present in law enforcement at the time that enabled to him to kill for so long, including having the murder of male sex workers considered a “misdemeanor homicide” by detectives.By day Randy Kraft was a successful computer analyst, in a healthy, committed and long-term relationship, but by night he was one of the most savagely cruel and sadistic killers the world has ever seen. How was he able to commit so many brutal crimes? Did he have an accomplice? Why weren’t homicide detectives ever able to track him down? These are but some of the questions we will delve into today on the finale of our thought-provoking, disturbing and truly terrifying series: The Freeway Killers.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:ANGEL OF DARKNESS by Dennis McDougalTHE SCORE CARD KILLER: Life of Serial Killer Randy Steven Kraft by Jack Smith

Episode 16: Freeway Killer Pt 2: William George Bonin

William “Billy” Bonin would be described by prosecutors as, “the most arch evil person who has ever existed.”A decorated Vietnam War hero, he was also a sexually sadistic serial killer who murdered over 21 young men and boys in a death van with an accomplice dressed as Darth Vader who performed magic tricks to subdue their victims. He would become the first person put to death by lethal injection in the state of California.Join us for part two of our Freeway Killer series, where we compare and contrast the history, methodologies and psychology of the three men who became known as The Freeway Killer: Patrick Kearney, William Bonin and Randy Kraft.All three of these brutal murderers were targeting the same victim type, at the same place and the same time, yet each were very distinct killers. By studying them and their differences we hope to uncover some of what it is that creates a human monster.In this riveting series we also explore the culture of Southern California in the late 1970s, a freewheeling and accepting time of hitchhiking and sexual liberation that unfortunately made it possible for the three men to kill for so long with such a prolific number of victims.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:William Bonin: The True Story of the Freeway Killer by Jack RosewoodThe Freeway Killer: The Shocking True Story of Serial Killer William Bonin by Rodger HarringtonProfile of Serial Killer William Bonin, The Freeway Killer (thoughtco.com)

Episode 15: Freeway Killers Pt 1: Patrick Wayne Kearney

There were upward of twenty serial killers at work in Southern California in the late seventies and early eighties, earning Los Angeles the title “Serial Killer Capital of the World.”Three of these brutal killers were targeting young men and boys, leaving their bodies strewn over roadways, each of them becoming known as the Freeway Killer.Over the next three episodes we will take deep looks at each of the Freeway Killers, comparing and contrasting their methodologies, backgrounds and psychological profiles in an attempt to further our understanding of what makes one a human monster.In this first episode we cover Patrick Wayne Kearney, also known as the Trash Bag Killer. Kearney had a genius level IQ of 180 and was employed in the development of military space satellites. He murdered a minimum of twenty-one young men and boys over a fifteen-year period, from 1962 to 1977.Join us for a disturbing yet fascinating look into the mind, methods and history of a terrifying killer as well as the culture and times of Southern California in the sixties and seventies that allowed him to kill for over fifteen years.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.Resources:Patrick Kearney: The True Story of the Freeway Killer by Jack RosewoodThe Trash Bag Murderer by Tony StewartPatrick Kearney: Unauthorized and Uncensored by TJ CarlsonPatrick Kearney Was A Genius -- And Also A Necrophiliac Serial Killer (allthatsinteresting.com)Patrick Kearney | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Episode 14: Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Everyone in the small community of Springfield, Missouri adored Dee Dee Blanchard and her disabled daughter Gypsy Rose. They were survivors of hurricane Katrina and had been through so much. Gypsy was quadriplegic, had been in a wheelchair most her short life, and suffered from a host of ailments, including leukemia, epilepsy, and muscular dystrophy, she was also severely mentally handicapped, but she braved all her struggles stoically, with a smile on her face.Then in June 2015, after a series of incredibly disturbing Facebook posts, authorities went to their home to discover Dee Dee dead. She’d been murdered, stabbed to death in her bed. And Gypsy was missing.What followed was a series of twists and turns wilder than anyone could ever have imagined, where absolutely nothing was as it seems.Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s story is a haunting tale of manipulation, abuse and a web of lies that unraveled in the most horrifying way. In this episode we peel back the layers of deception to reveal the dark secrets hidden behind closed doors. We’ll unravel the complex psychology behind Munchausen syndrome by proxy as we examine the shocking details of this bizarre case. Brace yourself for an episode that will challenge your perceptions of truth, trust and love, and shed light on the darkness that can lurk behind the most heroic appearing facades. Join us as we venture into the chilling world of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and uncover the shocking secrets that lay hidden for far too long.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoasterCreepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Mommy Dead and Dearest HBO Documentary directed by Erin Lee CarrGypsy's Revenge documentary directed by Jesse Vile.Gypsy Rose Blanchard is now married despite still being in prison (msn.com)

Episode 13 Elizabeth Bathory: Vampiric Blood Countess or Iron-fisted Matriarch?

The legend of Countess Elizabeth Bathory has inspired countless horror movies and heavy metal bands. This enigmatic woman has come to be seen by modern culture as a vampiric monster obsessed with youth and beauty who bathed in the blood of virgin servant girls as a means of staying young. Yet there is no historical record of this and these bizarre accusations came a hundred years after her death. History does show us a cruel and sadistic widow who ruled her empire with an iron fist and delighted in the torture of her servants, yet some historians claim even this isn't true, and that she is completely innocent of these crimes. They claim she was the victim of a complex geopolitical conspiracy. So which is it? Murderess Blood Countess or innocent victim of a conspiracy? Today we will sift through the legends, rumors and historical facts to try to discover the truth behind the infamous and enigmatic Elizabeth Bathory. Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.com Facebook: Murder Coaster Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderCoaster Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks. REFERENCES:Countess Dracula: Life and Times of Elisabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess by Tony ThorneInfamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory by Kimberly L. CraftThe Private Letters of Countess Erzsébet Báthory by Kimberly L. CraftCountess Elizabeth Bathory: The Life and Legacy of History's Most Prolific Female Serial Killer by Charles River Editors