Murder Coaster

Episode 41: Daniel LaPlante a Ghost in the Walls

In 1986 Tina Bowen and her best friend held a séance to contact Tina’s dead mother.
Instead, they made contact with something much more terrifying than any ghost or demon, for within their very walls lurked a monster: a deeply disturbed rapist and murderer by the name of Daniel LaPlante who was haunting the family and literally living in their walls .
 
Daniel LaPlante is known today as “the boy in the walls,” and has become a sort of urban myth, but his story is very true, and much more horrific and disturbing than most realize. He did much more than just haunt the Bowen family and make their life hell, he would go on to commit a string of brutal and horrific crimes, and would hold siege over an entire town, resulting in the largest manhunt in the history of Townsend, Massachusetts.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for one of the strangest and most terrifying stories you’ve ever heard, so bizarre it’s passed from true crime reality and into the realm of urban myth and spooky legend: the story of Daniel LaPlante, a ghost in the walls.
 
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Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.
 
References:
 
Phrogging: Hider in My House. A&E television series, Season One Episode Two, “Footsteps in the Attic.”
 
Daniel LaPlante's Murder of the Gustafson Family Revisited | Crime News (oxygen.com)
 
Gustafson Murders - Newspapers.com™
 
The Elm Street Nightmare (celticssentinel.com)
 
Convicted triple-murderer Daniel LaPlante apologizes in bid for reduced sentence – Lowell Sun
 
Court denies early parole bid of Daniel LaPlante, convicted in '87 triple slaying in Townsend (telegram.com)

Episode 40: ISSEI SAGAWA Scholar, Necrophile, Cannibal, Porn star

Renee Hartevelt was a beautiful 22-year-old college student studying French poetry when fellow student Issei Sagawa shot her in the back of the head, assaulted and mutilated her corpse, and ate large parts of her.Though quickly apprehended, Issei would never go to trial, in fact he would become a celebrated author, painter and porn star, exploiting his crimes and turning them into a profitable cottage industry.Today, ladies and gentlemen, we bring you the terrifying, disgusting, and truly bizarre tale of Issei Sagawa, the Kobe Cannibal. Scholar, necrophile, cannibal, pornstar.His story is both disturbing and deeply fascinating, a journey from sickly, introverted child indulging in the worst fantasies, to Shakespearean scholar, to murderer and cannibal, to celebrity.Buckle up, we’ll bring you all the gut-wrenching details, exploring Japanese folklore and the psychology of vorarephilia along the way. Keep your hands and feet in the ride, it’s a doozy!Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Canniba 2017 documentary film by Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing TaylorInterview with a Cannibal - VICE Video: Documentaries, Films, News VideosThe Cannibal That Walked Free - video DailymotionUwakizuma: Chijokuzeme (1992) [Uncut] – rarefilmm | The Cave of Forgotten FilmsTHE CELEBRITY CANNIBAL: ISSEI SAGAWA THE MAN THAT ATE HIS CLASSMATE AND WALKED FREELY by Aaya Al-shukriEat Thy Neighbor: A History of Cannibalism by Daniel Diehl and Mark P. DonnellyCannibals: True Stories of the Horrifying Killers Who Feast on Human Flesh by Jimmy Lee ShreeveThe Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told: 20 Unforgettable and Twisted True Crime Cases that Will Haunt You by Jack RosewoodJapanese Cannibal Who Got Away With Eating and Raping a Dutch Woman Is Dead (vice.com)Issei Sagawa Dead: Why Notorious Cannibal Killer Never Saw Jail (newsweek.com)

Episode 39: Armin and Bernd the Cannibal Soulmates

Many lost souls find each other on the internet, bonding over common interests and shared fantasies. But never in the history of the internet have two lonely hearts ever made the type of connection that Armin Meiwes and Bernd Brandes made. Their brief love affair would be one of unbridled passion, wild and untamed fantasy fulfillment and dark savage urges, as well as murder and cannibalism. Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for the chilling tale of the Rotenburg Cannibal, for today we bring you the story of the master butcher, Armin Meiwes, and his willing meal, Bernd Brandes.Buckle up, keep your hands and feet in the ride, and get ready for a journey into the wildest, weirdest, and grossest episode we've ever presented: THE CANNIBAL SOULMATESWebsite: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References: Cannibal: The True Story of the Maneater of Rotenberg by Lois Jones Interview With a Cannibal: The Secret life of the Monster of Rottenberg by Gunter Stampf Cannibal Killers: Murders Who Kill and Eat their Victims by Peter Haining Eat Thy Neighbor: A History of Cannibalism by Daniel Diehl and Mark P. Donnelly Cannibals: True Stories of the Horrifying Killers Who Feast on Human Flesh by Jimmy Lee Shreeve The Most Bizarre True Crime Stories Ever Told: 20 Unforgettable and Twisted True Crime Cases that Will Haunt You by Jack RosewoodConvicted cannibal gets supervised day trips in disguise (nypost.com)Victim of cannibal agreed to be eaten | World news | The GuardianGerman Cannibal Sentenced to Life in Prison – DW – 05/09/2006The Trial | Crime + Investigation UK (crimeandinvestigation.co.uk)Armin Meiwes - WikipediaGerman court finds cannibal guilty of murder | World news | The Guardian

Episode 38: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Revisited

Greetings dear listeners. As many of you may know, Gypsy Rose Blanchard will be released from prison tomorrow, December 28, 2023, after serving eight and a half years for the murder of her mother.So, we've gone back to a previous episode and added our thoughts on the case with a special introduction. Enjoy and thank you so much for listening.The Story of Gypsy Rose BlanchardEveryone 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/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Amazon.com: Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom eBook : Blanchard, Gypsy-Rose, Moore, Melissa, Matrisciani, Michele: Kindle StoreMommy 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 37: MERCY BROWN and the Vampires of New England

New England in the 1800s was gripped with a vampire panic. Belief in the undead rising from their graves at night to feed off the living, spreading pestilence and disease, was rampant, and as families watched their children grow sickly and pale, struggling to breathe and withering away, they saw no choice but to seek out the offending creatures of the night, by digging up their corpses, hacking out their hearts and livers, burning them, and then consuming the ashes. It was seen as the only way to cure the affliction.In reality, tuberculosis was spreading throughout the small farms and villages, a disease that was then known as consumption, as it consumed one from the inside out. But before the concept of airborne germs spreading contagious disease was understood, villagers were marching out into the night with shovels in hand, and under the light of lanterns and torches, digging up the dead and desecrating their bodies in the hopes curing sick family members.How this ghoulish phenomenon became known to historians is an unsettling tale in itself.Today, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you haunting tales of New England Vampires, culminating in the most famous case of all, that of Mercy Lena Brown, a nineteen-year-old farm girl whose body was desecrated in the hopes of curing her brother from the vampire curse.The legend of Mercy Brown lives on so much so that her gravestone has been stolen and now must be guarded by police on Halloween night. Her story has inspired countless tales of horror, from H.P. Lovecraft and Bram Stroker to modern writers such as Paul Tremblay.But who was the real Mercy Brown? And what circumstances led to the disinterment of her corpse and the removal and cremation of her heart?Listen and find out!Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Food for the Dead: On the Trail of new England’s Vampires by Michael BellThe Belief in Vampires in Rhode Island by Sidney S. RiderVampire Legends of Rhode Island by Christopher RondinaA History of Vampires in New England by D'Agostino, ThomasThe Great New England Vampire Panic | History| Smithsonian MagazineNew England 'Vampire' Was Likely a Farmer Named John | Smart News| Smithsonian MagazineThe Vampires of Rhode Island: Not Unfamiliar With This Plague. Ruth Ellen Rose, 15, Exeter 1874 – The Avocado (the-avocado.org)

Episode 36: Lizzie Borden

Lizzie Borden. The name has been etched into the American consciousness through countless books, movies, even a heavy metal band and a haunting and disturbing children’s rhyme which you can hear on playgrounds to this day. She was the first, modern American Psycho, a woman of class and privilege who caved her parent’s heads in with an axe. Theories over her innocence or guilt, as well as the vicious and brutal murders themselves, abound, titillating tales of lesbian affairs, incestual sex, and bloody killings committed in the nude. Today, ladies and gentlemen, we break it all down for you: the strange Borden family, their weird house, the details of the gruesome murder and all the wild conspiracy theories explored and explained.So, buckle up into the murder coaster, for off we go, with the tale of Lizzie Borden.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References: A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight by Victoria Lincoln The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller Lizzie Borden. The Trial, the Truth, the Final Chapter by Arnold R. Brown Goodbye Lizzie Borden. The Story of the Trial of America’s Most Famous Murderess by Robert Sullivan The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson Lizzie 2018 American biographical thriller film directed by Craig William Macneill, written by Bryce Kass, and starring Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart. The Curse of Lizzie Borden 2022 documentary by Dave Schrader The Legend of Lizzie Borden 1975 television film directed by Paul Wendkos and starring Elizabeth Montgomery Official Lizzie Borden House (lizzie-borden.com)Lizzie Borden House – Haunted HousesLizzie Borden House: One Of The Most Haunted Places In Massachusetts (onlyinyourstate.com)

Episode 35: BATHSHEBA and the Truth Behind the Conjuring Haunting

Learn the disturbing truth behind the Conjuring Haunting.There’s a legend of a murderous and devil-worshipping witch that once dwelled in Rhode Island in the early eighteen hundreds by the name of Bathsheba who sacrificed babies to Satan and whose ghost is said to haunt the land.The legend has become so pervasive that the Burrillville cemetery, where her grave is located, has become a tourist destination for the occult obsessed, some of whom have vandalized the grave and defaced the gravestone.And the real issue at hand, is that these myths and legends of a demonic witch who murdered children and inspired the Conjuring films, appear to be complete bullshit. These bizarre accusations and rumors didn’t even exist at all until the 1970s, a hundred and forty years after the death of the real Bathsheba.So how did an innocent woman become the subject of slander and urban myth? We'll lay it all out for you, ladies and gentlemen, as we bring you the legend of Bathsheba and truth behind the Conjuring Haunting.Website: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:House of Darkness House of Light Volumes 1,2 and 3 by Andrea PerronStories of the Forgotten: Infamous, Famous and Unremembered by J'aime RubioCorrecting the Conjuring House History | Skeptical InquirerRestoring the reputation of Bathsheba Sherman after ‘The Conjuring’ (bostonglobe.com)https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/05/26/metro/rhode-islands-conjuring-house-sold-with-one-stipulation-no-one-can-live-there-year-round/The real Conjuring house in Rhode Island and its 300-year history (fancypantshomes.com)https://www.forbes.com/sites/brendarichardson/2022/05/26/the-conjuring-house-in-rhode-island-sells-for-1525-million/Home | The Conjuring House

BONUS: An Interview with Author Christa Carmen

Happy release day to THE DAUGHTERS OF BLOCK ISLAND and congratulations to cohost Christa Carmen!!Christa tells us all about her love of Gothic horror and her new book THE DAUGHTERS OF BLOCK ISLAND.It is a book filled with mystery, murder, intrigue, ghosts, red herrings, twists and turns, an underground labyrinth of dungeons and tunnels, and a haunted mansion, everything a Murder Coaster listener would want in a spooky and Gothic tale of crime and deception. It’s already being lavished with praise. Book List calls it, "A compelling and atmospheric thriller." Kirkus Reviews calls it, "Great fun." And Cemetary Dance says, "The gothic horror novel just received a massive shot of adrenaline to its bleak-but-beautiful-heart and readers will be smiling under candlelight for years to come. An exceptional new talent has arrived."Get THE DAUGHTERS OF BLOCK ISLAND everywhere you buy fine books, including:Barnes and Noble: The Daughters of Block Island: A Novel by Christa Carmen, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)Amazon: Amazon.com: The Daughters of Block Island: A Novel: 9781662512988: Carmen, Christa: BooksKindle: Amazon.com: The Daughters of Block Island: A Novel eBook : Carmen, Christa: BooksChrista's Website: Christa CarmenMURDER COASTERWebsite: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.

Episode 34: SID AND NANCY Part 2 Love Kills

Welcome back to our second and final episode on Sid and Nancy, the Romeo and Juliette of punk rock. Today we will explore the tumultuous relationship of these two star-crossed lovers, the implosion of the Sex Pistols, and then get into the mysteries surrounding this infamous case. Who killed Nancy Spungen? And was the death of Sid Vicious an overdose or suicide? Ladies and Gentlemen, we present to you, Sid and Nancy, part two: Love Kills.And be sure to check out I’LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU’RE DEAD‘s Indigogo campaign, links:https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2818884/x/31547703?secret_perk_token=f5d68533https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2818884/x/31547703?secret_perk_token=3a92ebadMURDER COASTERWebsite: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk book edited by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCainAnd I Don’t Want to Live This Life: A Mother’s Story of Her Daughter’s Murder book by Deborah SpungenSid Vicious: No One Is Innocent book by Alan ParkerPretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk book by Phil StrongmanThe Filth and the Fury: A Sex Pistols Film directed by Julian TempleSad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy documentary written by Brett Dunford and directed by Danny GarciaLove Kills: The Story of Sid and the Sex Pistols documentarySid and Nancy film directed by Alex Cox(336) Sid Vicious - My Way (Original and Complete Version) - YouTube

Episode 33: SID AND NANCY Part One Star-Crossed Lovers

Sid and Nancy. They were the Romeo and Juliette of punk rock, star-crossed lovers, each despised and hated by the other's friends and family, bound together by fate and passion into a forlorn and doomed romance that would see them both dead in the prime of their youth.Their relationship is the stuff of legend, of films, books, songs, and poems, a tumultuous and violent affair riddled with drugs and fighting, but an affair of deep love and unbridled passion nonetheless that would end in murder and a possible suicide.Today we explore the childhood of these two ill-fated rockers, as well as the formation of the Sex Pistols and the roads that led to their forlorn meeting.Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you the story of punk rock’s most infamous couple Sid and Nancy, Part One: The Star-Crossed Lovers.And be sure to check out I’LL BE GLAD WHEN YOU’RE DEAD‘s Indigogo campaign, links:https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2818884/x/31547703?secret_perk_token=f5d68533https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2818884/x/31547703?secret_perk_token=3a92ebadMURDER COASTERWebsite: www.murdercoasterpodcast.comFacebook: Murder CoasterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/murdercoasterpodcast/Creepy Amusement Park theme by Brandon Fiechter and Derek Fiechter, used by permission and with many thanks.References:Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk book edited by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCainAnd I Don't Want to Live This Life: A Mother's Story of Her Daughter's Murder book by Deborah SpungenSid Vicious: No One Is Innocent book by Alan ParkerPretty Vacant: A History of UK Punk book by Phil StrongmanThe Filth and the Fury: A Sex Pistols Film directed by Julian TempleSad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy documentary written by Brett Dunford and directed by Danny GarciaLove Kills: The Story of Sid and the Sex Pistols documentarySid and Nancy film directed by Alex Cox