True Crime thread

[jnday]

A local case (for me) involving a 13yo boy who killed a 4yo in 1993...

Anyway the killer has been granted parole.


ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Eric M. Smith, who was 13 when he killed a 4-year-old boy with a rock in western New York, has been granted parole, corrections officials said on Saturday.

Smith, now 41, appeared for the 11th time before the Board of Parole on October 5 and was granted release as early as Nov. 17, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said in an emailed statement.


https://news.yahoo.com/now-41-killer-4-old-143242635.html

I saw that on one of Facebook news articles. It is hard to condemn a child to so much prison time, but you never know if the child really understands what he has done. For him to appear 11 times in front of the parole board, he must not have showed any remorse even as an adult.

 

[jnday]

Yes, it's very interesting.

I'm waiting to see if more information is released.

I saw a story a few days ago that said the police is not accepting the findings that they have found the identity of the Zodiac for whatever reason. Sounds like ego to me.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I saw that on one of Facebook news articles. It is hard to condemn a child to so much prison time, but you never know if the child really understands what he has done. For him to appear 11 times in front of the parole board, he must not have showed any remorse even as an adult.

I remember when this occurred. Quite often the James Bulger case from the UK, which happened only months before our local case, was often brought in discussions of our local case.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I saw a story a few days ago that said the police is not accepting the findings that they have found the identity of the Zodiac for whatever reason. Sounds like ego to me.

Yeah.

I think the authorities have a love/hate relationship with the modern era of arm-chair crime sleuths, TV shows dedicated to true crime and podcasts.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

From time to time let's talk about some true crime as it relates to crimes that have been solved or serial killers who were captured...

Let's start off with Edmund Kemper.

Edmund Kemper, at age 15, killed both his grandparents to "see what it felt like." Upon release, he drifted, picking up and releasing female hitchhikers. But he soon stopped letting them go, killing six young women in the Santa Cruz, California, area in the 1970s. In 1973 he killed his mother and her friend before turning himself in.

Lot's of stuff about Edmund.

First off the guy is huge! At the time of arrest he was 6'9" and about 270lbs.

And he was bright... Some would say brilliant.

He's also one of the earliest serial killers– killing his grandparents in 1964.

Even though it seems that Edmund had a lot going for him, the relationship with his mother was beyond toxic. And it was this relationship that Edmund believed triggered his urge to kill.

In one interview Edmund said, that if his mother was his first victim, then he probably would have not killed anymore.

Edmund is also unusual in that after he finally killed his mother (victim #9) and her best friend (victim #10) he fled his home base (Santa Cruz, CA), drove to Colorado and subsequently called the Santa Cruz police department and essentially turned himself in.

Found guilty, Edmund has been in prison since 1973.

Reportedly he's been a model prisoner and had been interviewed by the FBI in order to better understand the mind of the serial killer.

Found on Youtube is this video that combines two different interviews Kemper had in prison. One in 1984 and one in 1991.

If you have the time to watch, it's fascinating stuff.

 

[jnday]

From time to time let's talk about some true crime as it relates to crimes that have been solved or serial killers who were captured...

Let's start off with Edmund Kemper.

Edmund Kemper, at age 15, killed both his grandparents to "see what it felt like." Upon release, he drifted, picking up and releasing female hitchhikers. But he soon stopped letting them go, killing six young women in the Santa Cruz, California, area in the 1970s. In 1973 he killed his mother and her friend before turning himself in.

Lot's of stuff about Edmund.

First off the guy is huge! At the time of arrest he was 6'9" and about 270lbs.

And he was bright... Some would say brilliant.

He's also one of the earliest serial killers– killing his grandparents in 1964.

Even though it seems that Edmund had a lot going for him, the relationship with his mother was beyond toxic. And it was this relationship that Edmund believed triggered his urge to kill.

In one interview Edmund said, that if his mother was his first victim, then he probably would have not killed anymore.

Edmund is also unusual in that after he finally killed his mother (victim #9) and her best friend (victim #10) he fled his home base (Santa Cruz, CA), drove to Colorado and subsequently called the Santa Cruz police department and essentially turned himself in.

Found guilty, Edmund has been in prison since 1973.

Reportedly he's been a model prisoner and had been interviewed by the FBI in order to better understand the mind of the serial killer.

Found on Youtube is this video that combines two different interviews Kemper had in prison. One in 1984 and one in 1991.

If you have the time to watch, it's fascinating stuff.

Keeper is the one serial killer that I would like to meet in person. He’s really smart and well-spoken.

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

From time to time let's talk about some true crime as it relates to crimes that have been solved or serial killers who were captured...

Let's start off with Edmund Kemper.

Edmund Kemper, at age 15, killed both his grandparents to "see what it felt like." Upon release, he drifted, picking up and releasing female hitchhikers. But he soon stopped letting them go, killing six young women in the Santa Cruz, California, area in the 1970s. In 1973 he killed his mother and her friend before turning himself in.

Lot's of stuff about Edmund.

First off the guy is huge! At the time of arrest he was 6'9" and about 270lbs.

And he was bright... Some would say brilliant.

He's also one of the earliest serial killers– killing his grandparents in 1964.

Even though it seems that Edmund had a lot going for him, the relationship with his mother was beyond toxic. And it was this relationship that Edmund believed triggered his urge to kill.

In one interview Edmund said, that if his mother was his first victim, then he probably would have not killed anymore.

Edmund is also unusual in that after he finally killed his mother (victim #9) and her best friend (victim #10) he fled his home base (Santa Cruz, CA), drove to Colorado and subsequently called the Santa Cruz police department and essentially turned himself in.

Found guilty, Edmund has been in prison since 1973.

Reportedly he's been a model prisoner and had been interviewed by the FBI in order to better understand the mind of the serial killer.

Found on Youtube is this video that combines two different interviews Kemper had in prison. One in 1984 and one in 1991.

If you have the time to watch, it's fascinating stuff.

Scary dude. The portrayal of him on the Mind Hunter series was interesting.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Looks like the boyfriend may have off'd himself?

Brian Laundrie: FBI says human remains, items found in Florida park - CNN

 

[jnday]

Looks like the boyfriend may have off'd himself?

Brian Laundrie: FBI says human remains, items found in Florida park - CNN

I hope so. Dog the bounty hunter is too old to chase him.

 

[SlammedZero]

Looks like the boyfriend may have off'd himself?

Brian Laundrie: FBI says human remains, items found in Florida park - CNN

Yup, official now. Still think the way his parents handled this whole thing is very suspicious.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...found-dead-fbi-confirms/ar-AAPNYMl?li=BBnb7Kz

 

[MichaelWinicki]

September 12, 1987. Bradford, Pennsylvania. 50-year old Dale Kerstetter shows up to work the overnight shift as a security guard at the Corning Glassworks plant. The following morning, Dale is discovered to be missing and he is never heard from again. A check of the security tape uncovers footage of Dale walking through the plant alongside an unidentified masked intruder and it turns out that $250,000 worth of platinum was stolen that night. The ambiguous nature of the footage causes some debate: was Dale an innocent victim of this masked stranger, or was he actually a willing participant in the theft before he decided to skip town?

If you watched the original run of "Unsolved Mysteries" you probably remember this case.

Interestingly enough it occurred just across the state line from me.

At the time of the "Unsolved Mysteries" segment, which was about 2 years after the actual crime it appeared more likely he was part of the crime, meaning an inside job that he participated in.

Several factors pointed in that direction:

-He was a long-time employee but was recently bumped from his production job to this overnight security position (which he didn't like) and it cost him several thousand a year in wages.
-He was divorced and was several thousand dollars in debt.
-The video footage of him in the plant shows him not necessarily either afraid of or collaborating with the masked intruder.
-Only someone familiar with the plant would have known about the platinum (it was a few days later when it was discovered the platinum was missing)
-$250K of platinum (remember 1987 dollars) was HEAVY and it was probably going to take more than one person to help transport it.

But there were several factors that pointed in the direction that Dale was a victim in this case.

-His plant keys and uneaten lunch were left in the plant.
-His relatively new truck was left in the parking lot with the keys in the ignition and 3 cartons of cigs (Dale was a smoker) were left in the truck.
-He left behind 6 kids and according to most, they had a good relationship and there was no animosity between Dale and his family.
-Even though Dale had debts (the new truck) it wasn't a ridiculous amount (reportedly somewhere around $30K) and his family could help him out if necessary but it wasn't like he was swimming in debt.

It's been 30-some years later and no one has heard anything from Dale.

Speculation way back then was that after statute of limitations expired on the theft that Dale would turn up, but he never did, further driving home the thought that he was a victim in the crime and not a participant.

More on Dale's story:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dale_Kerstetter

 

[HungryLion]

September 12, 1987. Bradford, Pennsylvania. 50-year old Dale Kerstetter shows up to work the overnight shift as a security guard at the Corning Glassworks plant. The following morning, Dale is discovered to be missing and he is never heard from again. A check of the security tape uncovers footage of Dale walking through the plant alongside an unidentified masked intruder and it turns out that $250,000 worth of platinum was stolen that night. The ambiguous nature of the footage causes some debate: was Dale an innocent victim of this masked stranger, or was he actually a willing participant in the theft before he decided to skip town?

If you watched the original run of "Unsolved Mysteries" you probably remember this case.

Interestingly enough it occurred just across the state line from me.

At the time of the "Unsolved Mysteries" segment, which was about 2 years after the actual crime it appeared more likely he was part of the crime, meaning an inside job that he participated in.

Several factors pointed in that direction:

-He was a long-time employee but was recently bumped from his production job to this overnight security position (which he didn't like) and it cost him several thousand a year in wages.
-He was divorced and was several thousand dollars in debt.
-The video footage of him in the plant shows him not necessarily either afraid of or collaborating with the masked intruder.
-Only someone familiar with the plant would have known about the platinum (it was a few days later when it was discovered the platinum was missing)
-$250K of platinum (remember 1987 dollars) was HEAVY and it was probably going to take more than one person to help transport it.

But there were several factors that pointed in the direction that Dale was a victim in this case.

-His plant keys and uneaten lunch were left in the plant.
-His relatively new truck was left in the parking lot with the keys in the ignition and 3 cartons of cigs (Dale was a smoker) were left in the truck.
-He left behind 6 kids and according to most, they had a good relationship and there was no animosity between Dale and his family.
-Even though Dale had debts (the new truck) it wasn't a ridiculous amount (reportedly somewhere around $30K) and his family could help him out if necessary but it wasn't like he was swimming in debt.

It's been 30-some years later and no one has heard anything from Dale.

Speculation way back then was that after statute of limitations expired on the theft that Dale would turn up, but he never did, further driving home the thought that he was a victim in the crime and not a participant.

More on Dale's story:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dale_Kerstetter

wow. That a fascinating case.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

wow. That a fascinating case.

Yes it is.

I know at least one of his kids has posted on a couple different forums talking about the case.

 

[Bizwah]

September 12, 1987. Bradford, Pennsylvania. 50-year old Dale Kerstetter shows up to work the overnight shift as a security guard at the Corning Glassworks plant. The following morning, Dale is discovered to be missing and he is never heard from again. A check of the security tape uncovers footage of Dale walking through the plant alongside an unidentified masked intruder and it turns out that $250,000 worth of platinum was stolen that night. The ambiguous nature of the footage causes some debate: was Dale an innocent victim of this masked stranger, or was he actually a willing participant in the theft before he decided to skip town?

If you watched the original run of "Unsolved Mysteries" you probably remember this case.

Interestingly enough it occurred just across the state line from me.

At the time of the "Unsolved Mysteries" segment, which was about 2 years after the actual crime it appeared more likely he was part of the crime, meaning an inside job that he participated in.

Several factors pointed in that direction:

-He was a long-time employee but was recently bumped from his production job to this overnight security position (which he didn't like) and it cost him several thousand a year in wages.
-He was divorced and was several thousand dollars in debt.
-The video footage of him in the plant shows him not necessarily either afraid of or collaborating with the masked intruder.
-Only someone familiar with the plant would have known about the platinum (it was a few days later when it was discovered the platinum was missing)
-$250K of platinum (remember 1987 dollars) was HEAVY and it was probably going to take more than one person to help transport it.

But there were several factors that pointed in the direction that Dale was a victim in this case.

-His plant keys and uneaten lunch were left in the plant.
-His relatively new truck was left in the parking lot with the keys in the ignition and 3 cartons of cigs (Dale was a smoker) were left in the truck.
-He left behind 6 kids and according to most, they had a good relationship and there was no animosity between Dale and his family.
-Even though Dale had debts (the new truck) it wasn't a ridiculous amount (reportedly somewhere around $30K) and his family could help him out if necessary but it wasn't like he was swimming in debt.

It's been 30-some years later and no one has heard anything from Dale.

Speculation way back then was that after statute of limitations expired on the theft that Dale would turn up, but he never did, further driving home the thought that he was a victim in the crime and not a participant.

More on Dale's story:

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dale_Kerstetter

I remember this on Unsolved Mysteries!

It was such a haunting episode.

 

[HungryLion]

I remember this on Unsolved Mysteries!

It was such a haunting episode.

Not gonna lie, my dad used to watch unsolved mysteries all the time when I was a young kid. (I was ages 3-12 during its original run)


Man I cannot tell you how many nights of sleep I lost thanks to watching that show lol

 

[VaqueroTD]

Not gonna lie, my dad used to watch unsolved mysteries all the time when I was a young kid. (I was ages 3-12 during its original run)


Man I cannot tell you how many nights of sleep I lost thanks to watching that show lol

HAHAH

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one scared stiff by that.

Never had any problems with slasher flix, haunted houses, heights, you name it.. but show me the unsolved craziness of humanity and it's over.

I saw the Netflix remakes and that music still creeps me out.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

A true-crime for Halloween...

Lets talk the Villisca Axe Murders.

Yeah, we've talked about Villisca somewhat before, but let's pitch into it even more.

The crimes occurred over Sunday night June 9th, 1912 and Monday morning June 10th in Villisca, Iowa.

There were 8 people in the home at the time:

(parents)
Josiah B. Moore
Sarah Montgomery (Moore)

(their children)
Herman
Katherine
Boyd
Paul

(friends of Katherine)
Lena Gertrude Stillinger
Ina May Stillinger

The Stillinger girls slept in the downstairs bedroom which was off of the Parlor:

The other 6 victims slept upstairs:

It was estimated the crime took place after midnight on the morning of June 10th.

It was also estimated that the killer entered the home, went upstairs and killed the parents first. The wife, Sarah was the only one hit with the sharp edge of the axe. All others were struck with the blunt end.

Here are some other notes related to the crime as taken from https://www.villiscaiowa.com/the-crime.php:

• Curtains were drawn on all of the windows in the house except two, which did not have curtains. Those windows were covered with clothing belonging to the Moore's.
• All of the victims faces were covered with the bedclothes after they were killed.
• A kerosene lamp was found at the foot of the bed of Josiah and Sarah. The chimney was off and the wick had been turned back. The chimney was found under the dresser.
• A similar lamp was found at the foot of the bed of the Stillinger girls, the chimney was also off.
• The axe was found in the room occupied by the Stillinger girls. It was bloody but an attempt had been made to wipe it off. The axe belonged to Josiah Moore.
• The ceilings in the parent's bedroom and the children's room showed gouge marks apparently made by the upswing of the axe.
• A piece of a keychain was found on the floor in the downstairs bedroom.
• A pan of bloody water was discovered on the kitchen table as well as a plate of uneaten food.
• The doors were all locked.

Also a 2lb slab of bacon-wrapped in a dish towel was found near the downstairs bedroom– Why the bacon wrapped in a dish towel? There seems to be a popular explanation for this... I'll let you think out it!

 

[MichaelWinicki]

A previously unknow John Wayne Gacy victim has been identified...

(CNN)Francis Wayne Alexander's remains were found more than 40 years ago in the crawl space of infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy's home.

For decades their identity was a mystery, but through the work of a non-profit group called the DNA Doe Project (DDP) and police in the Chicago area, genetic genealogy helped solve the case.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/25/us/john-wayne-gacy-victim-id/index.html

 

[Wolfpack]

Here are two great very detailed podcasts:

1. Murder in Alliance: I grew up in the area and Alliance is an armpit of a town. Lots of questions in this one with a brutal murder.
2. Murdaugh Murders (by Mandy Matney): This is a current on going saga of a Southern family that has a very dark history. I live in the area currently and know some of the people, its all true.

 

[Mannix]

Yep.

I remember doing a lot of research on Bonnie & Clyde and it was surprising how well the final ambush was set-up.

When I was a kid, one of the stores here in town brought in the car they were shot-up in... Left a big impression on me.

But anyway, the problem was not much changed in either police procedures or their communication from the era you're talking about until what? The last 20 years?

My wife and I drove out to see the site when we went to Shreveport years ago....it was about 50 miles or so east of Shreveport....pretty cool. So was seeing the old school house in town where they towed the death car to with the bodies still in it....little kids actually came out side to see the bodies in the car.