True Crime Recaps
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© Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan
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All the crime in half the time!® Because you've got a lot of mysteries to solve. Subscribe so you never miss a recap with Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend. Watch video episodes three times a week @truecrimerecaps on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.
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It was Halloween night, 1973, when 9-year-old Lisa Ann French left her home in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, dressed as a little hobo and carrying a paper sack. She was only three houses away when she disappeared.Three days later, her body was found in a rural field. The killer wasn’t a stranger. It was her neighbor, Gerald Turner, the man everyone thought they could trust. The crime horrified the nation and changed how parents let their children trick-or-treat forever.The murder of Lisa French didn’t just destroy a family; it changed a community. Decades later, Turner remains in state custody, and Fond du Lac still remembers the little girl whose final Halloween changed everything.Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories of the crimes that changed the way we live, celebrate, and trust.
Sometimes truth is far scarier than fiction. In this episode, we uncover the real killers whose crimes inspired some of the most terrifying horror films ever made, proving that true fear often begins long before the opening credits.In Gainesville, Florida, Danny Rolling, the “Gainesville Ripper,” murdered five college students in 1990, leaving behind a trail of brutality and fear. His crimes became the blueprint for a new era of slasher films.Across the Atlantic, Robert Maudsley, dubbed “Hannibal the Cannibal,” killed multiple inmates and was confined to an underground glass cell in the UK. His chilling calm and precise confessions blurred the line between reality and horror fiction.These stories show how real-life crimes have shaped our darkest nightmares. But it raises one haunting question: are we honoring the victims, or turning their killers into legends?Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories where real life is stranger—and more terrifying—than anything Hollywood could imagine.
Tonight, we step inside the minds of killers who crossed the final line—turning murder into a meal. These aren’t movie plots or campfire stories. They are real crimes that shocked the world.Kevin Bacon, a 25-year-old hairstylist from Michigan, trusted someone he met on a dating app and vanished on Christmas Day 2019. What police found in the basement of Mark Latunski’s home was horrifying.In California, rapper Antron “Big Lurch” Singleton’s drug-fueled psychosis led to one of the most disturbing crimes in hip-hop history. And in Paris, Issei Sagawa’s 1981 murder exposed a chilling mix of obsession and fantasy that still fascinates and horrifies the public today.These cases prove that sometimes, the darkest monsters aren’t from horror movies—they’re real people driven by madness and desire.Follow True Crime Recaps for the chilling finale to our Halloween Week series, where we reveal the true crimes that inspired some of your favorite horror films.
In 1984, 16-year-old Theresa Fusco was fired from her job at a Long Island roller rink and vanished while walking home. Weeks later, her body was found brutally murdered. Police arrested three local men—John Kogut, Dennis Halstead, and John Restivo—and despite a lack of physical evidence, all three were convicted. They spent nearly twenty years behind bars for a crime they didn’t commit.Decades later, advances in DNA technology uncovered the truth. Evidence from the crime scene matched Richard Bilodeau, a man who lived near the rink and ran a coffee truck in the area. Detectives confirmed the match using DNA from a discarded smoothie straw Bilodeau used, finally solving the 40-year-old case.After all this time, has justice finally been served for Theresa Fusco?Follow True Crime Recaps for the real stories that prove the truth can take decades to surface.
They are three of the most infamous names in true crime history: Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Menendez Brothers. From Gein’s grave robberies and macabre trophies to Dahmer’s horrific apartment crimes and the Menendez brothers’ shocking family murder, these cases shattered any sense of normalcy and redefined what horror means in real life.Ed Gein’s crimes inspired Hollywood’s darkest creations, from Psycho to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and now he is the subject of a new Netflix series. Jeffrey Dahmer’s story blurred the line between human and monster, while the Menendez brothers’ trial exposed the disturbing mix of privilege, trauma, and violence that lurked behind a mansion’s walls.This is night two of True Crime Recaps’ Halloween Week, and the darkness is only getting deeper. We began with Richard Ramirez, but it all leads to our Halloween Day finale.Which case do you think Netflix should tackle next?
Before he became the “Night Stalker,” Richard Ramirez was already showing signs of the evil that would define his name.While working at a Holiday Inn, he used a master key to sneak into guests’ rooms and was caught attempting to assault a woman before her husband intervened. That early crime was ignored, but it revealed what was coming.In 1984, Ramirez began his first known murder, killing 79-year-old Jennie Vincow in her own home. Over the next year, he unleashed a reign of terror across Los Angeles and San Francisco, breaking into homes at night, attacking strangers, and leaving communities frozen in fear.By 1985, his recklessness left behind evidence that helped police close in. When his face hit the news, it was the public that finally caught him. Convicted of 13 murders and dozens of other crimes, Richard Ramirez became one of America’s most feared serial killers.Follow True Crime Recaps all Halloween week for dark and haunting stories that still keep investigators up at night.
On December 6, 1991, four teenage girls—Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas, and Amy Ayers—were closing up a North Austin yogurt shop when a horrific crime unfolded.Just before midnight, firefighters arrived to find smoke pouring from the store. Inside, they discovered a nightmare: three of the girls were bound, gagged, stripped, and shot execution-style.The case quickly became one of Texas’s most infamous investigations. Police chased dozens of suspects, from local teens to a serial killer on death row. In 1999, two men, Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott, confessed after grueling interrogations. But years later, DNA evidence proved they were innocent, and both were released.Now, more than thirty years later, the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders remain unsolved. With new HBO coverage reigniting interest and advances in DNA technology offering fresh hope, investigators still wonder: is the killer still walking free?Follow True Crime Recaps for the cases that refuse to rest.
In 2014, Russell and Shirley Dermond seemed to have the perfect retirement life in a quiet Georgia lake community. But when neighbors stopped by one morning, they found Russell decapitated in his garage. Shirley was gone.Ten days later, her body surfaced in Lake Oconee, weighed down with concrete blocks. There was no forced entry, no robbery, and no clear motive. Russell’s wallet and Shirley’s jewelry were still in the house. But investigators found gunshot residue on Russell’s collar and signs of a violent struggle before Shirley was drowned.In 2024, a new DNA profile was discovered on Russell’s clothes — the first major lead in a decade. But the killer remains unidentified. Was it a professional hit, a personal vendetta, or someone hiding in plain sight?Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories of unsolved murders and the clues that refuse to fade.
It was supposed to be his masterpiece. A sanctuary where art and love could thrive. But on a summer afternoon in 1914, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin estate, Taliesin, became the scene of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.The cook, Julian Carlton, turned on everyone in the house. Armed with an axe and a can of gasoline, he killed seven people, including Wright’s lover, Mamah Borthwick, and her two children. What followed was fire, panic, and questions that have haunted historians for more than a century.Why did a quiet, polite employee snap so violently? Was it rage, revenge, or madness? Taliesin was rebuilt, but its walls still carry the scars of that terrible day.Follow True Crime Recaps for the stories where genius and tragedy collide.
Sherri Dally was a wife, a mother, and a devoted friend. On a Monday morning, she stopped at a Target in Ventura, California, to run errands. But in the parking lot, someone was waiting with handcuffs and a plan.She thought she was being arrested. In reality, it was an abduction. Behind the plot was her husband’s mistress, Diana Haun, and together with Sherri’s husband, Michael Dally, they conspired to make Sherri disappear.The most haunting part? The woman who murdered Sherri went on to raise her children.Follow True Crime Recaps for stories where love turns into betrayal and family becomes the ultimate crime scene.
Rebecca Schaeffer was just 21 years old and on the brink of Hollywood stardom when a deadly obsession found its way to her doorstep.Her killer, 19-year-old Robert John Bardo, had stalked her for years. He wrote letters, showed up at studios, and finally hired a private investigator to track her down. That investigator obtained Rebecca’s unlisted address from the California DMV for just $250.On July 18, 1989, Bardo rang her doorbell and shot her point-blank in the chest. Her final word was “Why?” The murder shocked Hollywood and led to major changes in U.S. privacy laws.Are today’s protections enough to keep public figures safe from stalkers like him?Follow True Crime Recaps for the cases that changed laws, lives, and the way we think about fame and privacy.
In Argentina, 19-year-old model Johana Casas was shot dead just days before her 20th birthday. Witnesses said her ex-boyfriend, Victor Cingolani, was the shooter. He was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.But behind bars, Victor planned a wedding. His bride? Johana’s identical twin sister, Edith. Their mother begged her to stop, even took her to court, but Edith passed a psych evaluation and married Victor on Valentine’s Day 2013 as protesters threw eggs outside the prison.Then came another twist. A second man, Johana’s controlling boyfriend Marcos Díaz, was also convicted of the same crime. With two men imprisoned for one murder, Victor’s conviction was overturned, and he was set free. Edith welcomed him home, but the marriage later fell apart.So who really killed Johana Casas?Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories where love, betrayal, and murder collide.
In July 1995, 15-year-old Elyse Pahler left home in Arroyo Grande, California, thinking she was meeting friends for a late-night hangout. Instead, she walked into a planned murder.Three teenage boys obsessed with heavy metal and satanic sacrifice believed that killing a virgin would make their band famous. Joseph Fiorella, Jacob Delashmutt, and Royce Casey lured Elyse to a secluded clearing, where they held her down and stabbed her repeatedly as she begged for her life.For eight months, her body lay undiscovered while police assumed she had run away. When one of the killers confessed to a clergyman, the truth finally came out. The story later inspired the horror film Jennifer’s Body, but the real crime is far darker than fiction.Follow True Crime Recaps for stories of obsession, manipulation, and pure evil.
Molly Watson thought she was marrying the love of her life. Days before her wedding, she was found shot in the head on a rural Missouri road.Her fiancé, James Addie, had been living a double life. Molly thought he was a widower. In reality, his fourth wife was still alive, and he had been hiding the truth from everyone.What began as a love story turned into a web of lies, betrayal, and murder. Addie was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. But how did no one see the truth until it was too late?Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories of love, lies, and deadly secrets.
In 2021, Gary and Wendy Spore were ambushed inside their Lake Tahoe home. Investigators say the shooter was their own son-in-law, former MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini. What began as a family feud ended in a calculated double shooting that shocked the quiet community. In 2025, Serafini was found guilty of murder.Follow True Crime Recaps for more real stories that uncover the dark side of greed and revenge.
On February 6, 2021, Yale grad student Kevin Jiang was driving home when he was rear-ended. But this was no accident. Within seconds, the driver pulled out a gun and shot him eight times.Investigators soon uncovered a disturbing motive. The killer, MIT researcher Qinxuan Pan, was secretly obsessed with Kevin’s fiancée, Zion Perry. After the shooting, Pan vanished, sparking a months-long manhunt across multiple states.He was eventually found hiding in Alabama after a suspicious phone call from his mother led police to a hotel. In 2024, Pan pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison with no parole.Does 35 years equal justice for Kevin Jiang’s murder, or is it far from enough?Follow True Crime Recaps for the crimes that expose how obsession can turn deadly.
Two nights before Thanksgiving, Molly Elliott left her New Orleans office expecting a romantic evening with her husband. Instead, she was kidnapped at gunpoint by 18-year-old valet Jessie Hoffman.He forced her to withdraw money, drove her around for at least an hour, and then made her walk barefoot down a dirt path to her own execution. Molly’s body was found on Thanksgiving morning.It took nearly 30 years for justice. In 2025, Jessie Hoffman was executed using nitrogen gas. But the question remains: was justice truly served, or does a case like this leave scars that no sentence can heal?Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories where justice is delayed but never forgotten.
Elizabeth Thomas was just 15 years old when she disappeared with her 50-year-old high school teacher, Tad Cummins, in March 2017. Their disappearance sparked a nationwide manhunt.Investigators later revealed Cummins had spent nearly a year grooming her—flirting, giving her gifts, and convincing her they shared a secret bond. When school officials began investigating, he panicked and abducted her.For 38 days, they hid in a remote cabin in Northern California until police finally tracked them down. Elizabeth had been manipulated into believing she was in love, but when the lies fell apart, so did his control.Follow True Crime Recaps for more stories where trust turned into betrayal.
Angela Sanford told police she stabbed Joel Leyva in self-defense. But when investigators looked at her phone, they found his number saved under a single chilling word: Sacrifice.Joel’s body was discovered in the desert, stabbed 13 times with a ceremonial dagger. What started as a meetup turned into what prosecutors described as a twisted ritual.Angela was convicted and sentenced to 20 years for Joel’s murder. But the case leaves a haunting question behind: how does someone become convinced that human sacrifice is the answer?Follow True Crime Recaps for the darkest true crime stories you’ll never forget.
In 1975, 18-year-old Karen Grammer was abducted outside a Red Lobster in Colorado Springs. She was assaulted and stabbed 42 times, becoming the victim of a violent spree carried out by a group of soldiers.Karen’s brother, actor Kelsey Grammer, has carried the weight of her murder for decades. Now, in a new memoir, he shares how her death nearly broke him and how he has fought to live with the grief.One of Karen’s killers could be eligible for parole in 2027. Can time served ever erase the horror of what he did, or should justice mean life behind bars?Follow True Crime Recaps for the cases that continue to haunt families decades later.
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really need more than 10 mins... please make the podcast longer 🙏
"True crime in half the time" And now half of THAT time is ads!
"......he was also doing a lot of crack..." 😂😂😂
Aw man 😔 Mark should be the dead one. Cheating POS.
Honestly, give these guys a go, I watch their YouTube channel and, you get the salient points, no repetition and their style is really entertaining, well worth a listen
Loved the sarcasm!!