Serial Killers

Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe claimed he was directed by voices of God to kill innocent women. Naturally, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the charges that he slaughtered over a dozen women. Was his psychosis real or did he develop a deep hatred of women in childhood? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California. She had perfected a technique of taking in tenants who were on government assistance, murdering them, and then fraudulently cash the checks. All the while, neighbors had no idea that dead bodies were being buried in her backyard.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a crossover special with the hosts of Serial Killers and Female Criminals. Dorothea Puente didn’t set out to become Sacramento, California’s most notorious female serial killer. But she did have a criminal streak that grew more sinister, culminating in the deaths of almost a dozen residents of the boarding house she ran. How was she able to evade detection from family members and social workers? And how did she get away with her first murder? Listen to part 2 now on the Female Criminals feed. Part 2 will not be on the Serial Killers feed. Thanks!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From summer of 1976 through summer of 1977, David Berkowitz went on a year long killing spree that terrorized the New York City boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Young women with dark hair were being targeted and anybody near them was in harms way. Find out how David Berkowitz got his nickname “Son of Sam” and how he was ultimately caught by police.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plagued by the voices of monsters and demons since adolescence, serial killer David Berkowitz set over a thousand small fires throughout his youth and early adulthood. But his later involvement in devil worship and the occult, paired with his deep hatred for women, ultimately led him down the gruesome path to murder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like many serial killers, Maury Travis became over-confident. In the summer of 2002, after reading a story in the newspaper about one of his victims, he mailed a letter to the local newspaper offering them information on the location of another. He was careful not to leave any fingerprints or DNA evidence before mailing it, so how did they track him down?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There was no evidence in Maury Travis’ childhood of arson or animal abuse, often seen as early warning signs for serial killers. And he didn’t appear to have been a victim of abuse from either of his parents. So what made this seemingly normal kid turn into a man who would rape, torture and murder as many as twenty women?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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