Deliver Us Some Evil

What's the difference between a podcast host who researches serial killers as a hobby and a budding psychopath who researches serial killers as a hobby? Motivation? Destiny? Being in the right place at the wrong time? Seriously, we're asking you. We don't know. What we do know is that Eli and Mel have been doing the DUSE for three years! The only casualty has been a few marbles here and there, which is more than we can say for this episode's criminal mind: Israel Keyes. Raised in isolation in the Pacific Northwest, Keyes grew up an uber-religious White separatist who rapidly became the family's black sheep. It wasn't his grotesque acts of sadism that drove a wedge between them, or even his friendship with junior domestic terrorist Chevie Kehoe, but his declaration of atheism. That was the last straw. Shunned by the only people willing to put up with him, Keyes took his show on the road, criss-crossing the country to set things on fire, rob banks, kidnap, rape, torture, murder, and... fish? Yep. Fish. We may never know how many victims he took with him to the grave between Alaska, New York, Washington, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, and Florida, but he definitely did some fishing in... Vermont!

The DUSE turns the turntables on this week's episode of Fifty States of Murder as they destroy the reputation of the one state in the union that never fails to put the capital T in capital punishment. It wasn't mercy that opened the prison door for convicted murderer Kenneth McDuff, but paperwork shuffling bean-counters who wanted to flood the streets with criminals. Can you guess what was on his bucket list as soon as he became a free man? That's right, folks, keeping a murderer behind bars just might have saved a few lives in... Texas!

Buckle up for another marathon episode of Fifty States of Murder as The DUSE takes a page from the dictionary under the word... GROSS! The case of Robert Berdella is the poster child for the ugly underbelly of the 1980's from the drug-fueled gay sub-culture that definitely wasn't its own worst enemy to the trash "journalism" of Geraldo Rivera that was determined to link every possible (and impossible) situation to the Satanic Panic. We're not opening Al Capone's vault here, but we deliver on our promise when it comes to pure evil in... Missouri!

Fifty States of Murder rolls on as Eli stumps Mel with trivia questions (seriously, aren't Warsaw and Notre Dame in Europe??) before getting too close for comfort with one of America's most notorious murderers: Gertrude Baniszewski. This chain-smoking mother of seven could have done a lot of things in the summer of 1965 -- hosted a block party, learned to crochet, started a book club for single ladies, you know, normal stuff. Instead she tortured sixteen-year-old Sylvia Likens to death. They say it takes a village, and that's just what old Gerty did, recruiting her own children and a handful of neighborhood kids to destroy the life of a girl whose only crime was not hating herself in... Indiana!

Want to get away with murder? Make sure no one can spell your name! That's the secret of New Jersey's famous freelance hit man, Richard Kuklinski, known as the Ice Man, the Devil, or that really big guy over there with the bad temper and the baseball bat. The DUSE leaves no murder behind as Eli and Mel go the distance with a marathon episode that covers everything from Kuklinski's nightmare childhood and his teenage gang angst to a web of seedy mob connections, a meet cute at a urinal with a fellow psychopath, and the famous hit man's downfall by way of hubris, betrayal, and a cop in a bad wig in... New Jersey!

The DUSE heads north for some anaphylactic shock and the tragic story of a family torn apart by mental illness and murder -- TWICE! Constance Fisher was considered "moody" back in the 1950's but today she'd be a prime target for all those pharmaceutical ads you see on TV. Paranoid? Check. Depressed? Check. Hearing the voice of God telling you to do evil things to your children? Check! Side effects may include paranoia, depression, auditory hallucinations, and cold-blooded murder in... Maine!

The Wild Wild West is back! Saddle up as Eli and Mel hit the wagon trail headed for Oklahoma and the shocking story of the Rufus Buck Gang! It's a match made in Hell when five cowboys join forces to settle scores, take out random travelers, and strike a blow against American westward expansion in an eleven day rampage. Liberals want you to believe these were good men pushed too far, but The DUSE doesn't take too kindly to retconning the lives of scoundrels. So tune in as we load up two boots of ammo and try to avoid dying of dysentery in... Oklahoma!

Extra! Extra! It's an extra-special episode of Fifty States of Murder! Eli, Mel, and Ashley join forces to tackle the disturbing case of the notorious Toy Box Killer: David Parker Ray, a man who invested his entire life into kidnapping, torture, and murder. How many women suffered inside the toy box? No one knows for sure. What we do know is that Eli has the deets, Mel has the heebie-jeebies, and Ashley has more questions than answers in... New Mexico!

Guess who's taking you on a wild trip from wholesome to explosive in the latest episode of Fifty States of Murder! Take a seat right here in the Heart of Dixie and let Eli and Mel school you on the difference between a separatist and a supremacist, and how the road not taken might lead to something far worse than a quiet rural homestead. There might be a quiz, so make sure you take notes on the case of Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, a man whose convictions led him to mayhem, murder, and a life sentence in federal prison, proving that it's possible to find common ground with a man's beliefs and still condemn his actions in... Sweet Home Alabama!

What do bikers, bus stops, and Blockbuster have in common? Find out as Eli and Mel throw down with the beach bums to give you the gruesome details of Hawaii's first serial murders, a mid-80's nightmare that left five women dead and the cops without a single lead. Was it a sleazy patron of the local video store? Was it a mainland killer taking a vacation? Was it the guy in the super suspicious creepy van whose name was literally on a post-it note found on a victim's desk and who went to the police to show them exactly where the last body could be found? Who knows! Unsolved for decades, the Honolulu Strangler might never be identified, not even by a psychic in... Hawaii!

Welcome to the next pit stop on the D.U.S.E.'s road trip across the Fifty States of Murder! Eli and Mel find themselves entering the state of Dungeness crabs, "culture," pinot noir, and of course the Gorilla Man! An infamous turn of the century mad-man who strangled his way across the country and into Canada to escape invisible assassins and his pilgrim upbringing. From Oregon to New York the bumbling police detectives were hot on his trail discovering one woman after another who mysteriously offed herself in the strangest ways. IGNORE THE WOMEN WHO SAY OTHERWISE! This story proves that even when the coroner does get it right it takes Canada not giving a fuck to catch a gorilla in....Oregon!

It's time to hit the Hershey highway as The DUSE tackles the bizarre tale of Pennsylvania's very own unicorn killer! (Disclaimer: No unicorns were harmed in the making of this episode.) It's a bad hair day for the final girl when her Aquanet gets banned and her eco-warrior incel ex-boyfriend decides to do some canceling of his own. The cops take his word that she went out for sprouts and tofu and never came back, but the neighbors complain about a peculiar odor. His new girl has her suspicions too, but does she investigate the reeking box of soup in their bedroom? Of course not! She does what every good college-educated feminist does and makes an art film about how she's being traumatized by the situation. You could look it up and watch it yourself, or sit back and let Eli and Mel grab the unicorn by the Ira Einhorn in... Pennsylvania!

Care for an iced tea? The DUSE hits the road again for a Fifty States of Murder crime spree along the bloodthirsty highways of Arizona! One wrong turn leads to another in the early 1970's as petty theft and forgery takes a pair of drifters down a dark road to assault, robbery, carjacking, and the murder of friends, neighbors, and complete strangers that can only be explained by copious amounts of drugs. Willie Steelman and Douglas Gretzler made a name for themselves in the worst way possible, their reign of terror only coming to an end after a brutal massacre. Eli and Mel fire up the darkest of humor to light the way through this tale of senseless slaughter, demanding justice for Miss Tiddies and her homeless kitties in... Arizona!

The time-traveling twosome slide into their bell bottoms for a Fifty States of Murder field trip to the mean streets of Atlanta, Georgia... circa 1979! The kids definitely aren't all right as a string of abductions end in murder and no one knows where the killer will strike next as families are advised not to let their children out of sight even for a moment. When a suspect is finally arrested, it's hardly an open and shut case. Wayne Williams took the fall, but why did the police ignore eyewitness reports of brutal attacks? How did photographic evidence mysteriously disappear? Who was the other man seen during the kidnappings? And get your tinfoil hats ready as Eli connects the gruesome dots between local Atlanta scumbags, East Coast mob bosses, powerful political figures, and even the JonBenet Ramsey case! So hang on to your peaches as we shine a spotlight on the Atlanta child murders in... Georgia!

Do you know the difference between Hoodoo and Voodoo? How about a cult and a church? Well, you're about to learn! So pack your trunk and join Eli and Mel on an educational ride along Louisiana's terrifying turn of the century railway for a lesson on the strange case of Clementine Barnabet, a woman who took her devotion a little too seriously. Murder, mayhem, and mystery follow in her wake as one neighborhood family after another are brutally slaughtered. Was it religious zealotry or divine vengeance? Was she working alone? Or was she part of a cult that preyed on the innocent? Find out as The DUSE punches your ticket for a one-way trip to a whole lot of dark and stormy nights in... Louisiana!

In a state far, far away, there once lived a Karen... but not just any Karen... THE Karen. Yes, we're talking about South Carolina's Homecoming Queen and Mother of the Year, Susan Smith! Way back in 1994 the country was held captive by the gripping story of a pair of missing toddlers and the tearful press conference of their grieving parents, except one of them was already under suspicion and couldn't quite get her facts straight. Was she carjacked by an imaginary black man? Or did she just sort of, you know, change her mind and decide she didn't want to be a mother anymore? If you think fate is cruel, you haven't met Mrs. Smith! Just remember, when life gives you lemons, insist on speaking to the manager in... South Carolina!

Did anyone ever warn you not to take candy from strangers? Good thing that doesn't apply to chocolate! Eli and Mel have outdone themselves this time as they unwrap a suspicious package in Delaware and make sure everyone gets a piece of this foil-wrapped story of 19th Century drunken debauchery! This love nest is fully loaded with infidelity, naughty photos, mommy issues, public lewdness, and of course... murder! At the heart of it all is the only thing that mattered to the infamous Cordelia Botkin, more than family, more than money, more than her reputation, the one thing that drove her mad with unconquerable desire and animalistic lust: CHEESECAKE! I mean, can you blame her? Mmmm... cheesecake... So slip into your best frilly dress and show us a little ankle in... Delaware!

What do ladies panties and dynamite have in common? Tune in to the latest episode of Fifty States of Murder to find out as Eli and Mel make a pit stop in the Liberal Hell known as Colorado! Even back in the day, the feminist agenda was making the world a better place as moms were encouraged to drop off their responsibilities at the nearest orphanage. Take the story of John Gilbert Graham, a little boy who got the short end of the stick and went without a mother's love until he was a grown man with a job, a family, and a criminal record. In walks Mommy Dearest and things suddenly blow up: his marriage, his career, and other kinds of explody things. It all comes down to a vending machine, a handful of newspaper clippings, and a beet field in the middle of nowhere in... Colorado!

Fifty States of Murder hits the Great Plains (or is it the Rocky Mountains?) with a trip to North Dakota! All aboard the Way-Back-and-Way-Whacked Machine as Eli and Mel share the tale of a quiet farming community transformed into a film noir by a double-barreled massacre that sends the neighbors running for the hills. Was it a homicidal maniac or a gang of sentient pigs? Was the hired boy a target or collateral damage? Will the sheriff get his man before the lynch mob does? Just how much rope is too much rope for a man to hang himself? Tune in as the DUSE shines a light on this dark day in the history of... North Dakota!

The DUSE drives straight through Arkansas before noticing that it's the topic of this week's Fifty States of Murder! (Sorry, not sorry.) If you've ever been to the state that has another state's name in it, or you know, heard of it, you'll get a kick out of the case of Ricky Ray Rector, a man who turned a three-dollar cover charge into a crime spree that led to one of the most controversial trials in American history. This episode's like a hearty meal at a franchise buffet. We've got a generous helping of dark humor to go with your chicken-fried steak, delicious tangents about mysterious mouse meat, and a big ol' slice of pecan pie that might just take your appetite away. So join us on the short bus for a true-crime tour of... Arkansas!