

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers
Dan Zupansky
Every week host Dan Zupansky will interview the true crime authors that have written about the most shocking killers of all time.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 10, 2017 • 1h 30min
MEMBER OF THE FAMILY-Dianne Lake
In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth century’s most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls."At age fourteen Dianne Lake—with little more than a note in her pocket from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them—became one of "Charlie’s girls," a devoted acolyte of cult leader Charles Manson. Over the course of two years, the impressionable teenager endured manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Manson’s true nature revealed itself. From Spahn ranch and the group acid trips, to the Beatles’ White Album and Manson’s dangerous messiah-complex, Dianne tells the riveting story of the group’s descent into madness as she lived it.Though she never participated in any of the group’s gruesome crimes and was purposely insulated from them, Dianne was arrested with the rest of the Manson Family, and eventually learned enough to join the prosecution’s case against them. With the help of good Samaritans, including the cop who first arrested her and later adopted her, the courageous young woman eventually found redemption and grew up to lead an ordinary life.While much has been written about Charles Manson, this riveting account from an actual Family member is a chilling portrait that recreates in vivid detail one of the most horrifying and fascinating chapters in modern American history. MEMBER OF THE FAMILY: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside his Cult and the Darkness that ended the Sixties-Dianne Lake Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Nov 2, 2017 • 1h 9min
DEATH IN THE AIR-Kate Winkler Dawson
A real-life thriller in the vein of The Devil in the White City, Kate Winkler Dawson's debut Death in the Air is a gripping, historical narrative of a serial killer, an environmental disaster, and an iconic city struggling to regain its footing. In winter 1952, London automobiles and thousands of coal-burning hearths belched particulate matter into the air. But the smog that descended on December 5th of 1952 was different; it was a type that held the city hostage for five long days. Mass transit ground to a halt, criminals roamed the streets, and 12,000 people died. That same month, there was another killer at large in London: John Reginald Christie, who murdered at least six women. In a braided narrative that draws on extensive interviews, never-before-published material, and archival research, Dawson captivatingly recounts the intersecting stories of the these two killers and their longstanding impact on modern history. DEATH IN THE AIR: The True Story of a Serial Killer, The Great London Smog, And The Strangling of A City-Kate Winkler Dawson Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Oct 31, 2017 • 1h 4min
TARGETED-M.William Phelps
When her missing boyfriend is found murdered, his body encased in cement inside a watering trough and dumped in a cattle field, a local sheriff’s deputy is arrested and charged with his murder. But as New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist M. William Phelps digs in, the truth leads to questions about her guilt. In his first full-length, original true-crime book for WildBlue Press, Phelps delivers a hard-hitting, unique reading experience, immersing readers in the life of the first female deputy in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, who claims a sexual harassment suit she filed against the sheriff led to a murder charge. Is Tracy Fortson guilty or innocent? You read and decide. TARGETED: A Deputy, Her Love Affairs, A Brutal Murder-M.William Phelps Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Oct 25, 2017 • 1h 25min
THE LAST CHICAGO BOSS-Kerrie Droban
A legend in the biker community, Peter “Big Pete” James was the most revered gangster in the Outlaw Nation. He first perfected his skills with the Hells Angels, the Outlaws’ chief rival, before persuading thousands of disgruntled members from splintered Outlaws chapters to unite. Together, they formed a powerful criminal syndicate involved in extortion, contract murders, drugs and arms trafficking, money laundering and assassinations. Then a shocking medical diagnosis knocked James sideways, forcing him to face a new life on the outside of the organization he built, dodging snitches, federal law enforcement, and contract hits.In The Last Chicago Boss, James provides a startling and unprecedented expose into the inner workings of the Outlaw Nation from the unique perspective of its renowned leader, all brought to life through never-before-revealed interviews, police files, wiretaps, recordings, and trial transcripts. THE LAST CHICAGO BOSS: My Life With the Chicago Outlaws-Kerrie Droban Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Oct 18, 2017 • 1h 38min
DEADLY VOICES-C.L. Swinney
Serial Killer Herbert Mullin terrorized the Santa Cruz, California, area at the same time the infamous Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper, was active. Unlike Kemper, Mullin killed anyone. Young, old, men, women, children, and even a priest in a confession booth. He didn’t adhere to a particular MO. The deadly voices told him to kill… and he killed. DEADLY VOICES: The True Story of Serial Killer Herbert Mullins-C.L. Swinney Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Oct 12, 2017 • 1h 30min
THE BAYOU STRANGLER-Fred Rosen
In 1997, the bodies of young African American men began turning up in the cane fields of New Orleans suburbs. The victims-many of them transient street hustlers-had been brutally raped and strangled, leaving Louisiana's gay community rattled. When no leads were found and the murders continued, detectives Dennis Thornton and Dawn Bergeron came together as task-force partners and were indefatigable in their decade-long effort to track down the killer. In 2006, DNA evidence finally linked the murders to a suspect: the unassuming Ronald Joseph Dominique, who had lived under the radar for years, working as a pizza deliveryman and a meter reader. But who was he, and what led him to commit such heinous crimes? With direct access to the investigation, Dominique's confession, and all the sites where bodies were dumped, author Fred Rosen enters the warped mind of the murderer, providing a horrifying and fascinating account of his troubled, disturbing, broken life and his brutal crimes. THE BAYOU STRANGLER: Louisiana's Most Gruesome Serial Killer-Fred Rosen Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Oct 6, 2017 • 1h 36min
STEVEN AVERY RETRIAL DENIED-Chad Keller and Juan Tescrue
Chad Spencer Keller, author of Beyond Avery Road: Buting and the Beast, joins us tonight for Part 2 of his interview alongside Wisconsin Political Insider using the Pseudonym of "Juan Tescrue." Tonight's discussion will detail the recent denial of Steven Avery's new trial in Manitowoc County, as they speak about what happens next from here with defense attorney Kathleen Zellner. Going forward, "Juan Tescrue" and Keller will deliver evidence as to the importance of why all eyes need to be diverted to the politics stemming from Avery's 2003 exoneration and what was happening in Madison at the State Capitol during Teresa Halbach's alleged death in 2005. Keller states, "The case is political, the deck was stacked. It basically became a bi-partisan effort by both parties that leaves Steven Avery in the situation he is in. "Juan Tescrue" will be vouching for the severe "Conflict of Interest" that Keller presents in his book and hopes the two can shed light that Steven Avery never had a chance to begin with. It takes us back to the $36 million question, "Was Steven Avery framed?" Keller also exposes how the Electronic Monitoring of Juveniles Law could have protected Brendan Dassey and released him the very same month that he was arrested in, for his alleged confession on March 1, 2006. Joining us right now are my very special guests Chad Spencer Keller and "Juan Tescrue"... Can their evidence expose a factual miscarriage of justice inside of the Wisconsin DOJ and free Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey? STEVEN AVERY RETRIAL DENIED: Beyond Avery Road-Chad Keller and Juan Tescrue. Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Oct 3, 2017 • 1h 25min
A SOCIALITE SCORNED-Kerrie Droban
The victim was Gary Triano, a Tucson real estate developer with influential friends?and enemies. After finishing a round of golf at a country club, he went to the parking lot and found a gift in his car: a crudely made pipe-bomb that blew him to pieces.The bomb-maker was Ron Young, a Colorado "bad guy" wanted on weapons and fraud charges. The prosecution claimed that the woman he was dating at the time promised to pay him $400,000 to murder her ex-husband.Her name was Pamela Phillips, an Aspen socialite, divorcée, and mother of Triano's two children. She received two million dollars upon his death but evaded suspicion for more than a decade. Finally, halfway across the globe in Austria, authorities caught up with the blonde bombshell?igniting one of the most explosive cases in Arizona history. A SOCIALITE SCORNED: The Murder of a Tucson High Roller-Kerrie Droban Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Sep 28, 2017 • 1h 33min
DEATH ROW ROMEO-J.T. Hunter
Three young women abducted and brutally murdered. For years, their killer remained a mystery as the cases turned cold. Then a Crime Stoppers call led to his arrest. Charming and handsome, serial killer Oscar Ray Bolin married a member of his legal defense team, and he toyed with the criminal courts for decades while on Death Row. This is the first book about Bolin and his victims. DEATH ROW ROMEO: The True Story of Oscar Ray Bolin-J.T. Hunter Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com

Sep 22, 2017 • 1h 2min
DADDY'S LITTLE SECRET-Denise Wallace
DADDY'S LITTLE SECRET:A Daughter's Quest To Solve Her Father's Brutal Murder is the poignant true crime story about a daughter who, upon her father's murder, learns of his secret double-life. She had looked the other way about other hidden facets of his life - deadly secrets that could help his killer escape the death penalty, should she come forward. An inside look at the complex and fascinating psyche of a father who shared an uncommon bond with his daughter.Denise had spent years hiding deadly secrets about her enigmatic father, Wesley Wallace. Wes was a trusted security guard of the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach. He was supposed to protect those who found themselves in his care. But a closer look into his brutal murder revealed a split personality -- one that his daughter may have seen but tried to ignore. However, detectives assigned to the case persuaded her to assist them in the capture of her father's killer. The trail would lead from the glitz of Palm Beach to the murky streets of Dixie Highway and end in a courtroom where her father's secret life, and his dangerous penchant for sex slaves, would be revealed. DADDY'S LITTLE SECRET: A Daughter's Quest to Solve Her Father's Brutal Murder-Denise Wallace Follow and comment on Facebook-TRUE MURDER: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime History https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697978510Check out TRUE MURDER PODCAST @ truemurderpodcast.com