Pretty Wicked

Settle in, friends, because this Halloween, the vampires are real, or at least they believed they were. In the summer of 2001, police in a small city in western Germany walked into an apartment draped in black, with a coffin in the living room, a dead body, a message in blood on the window, and a list of names warning that the people on it were next. The newlyweds who lived there were gone, and the race was on to find them before anyone on that list got hurt. SHOW NOTES 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is written, researched, and hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES TIME - The Devil Made Us Do It TIME - What's Another Year for Satan's Recruiting Sergeants? CNN - German satanic couple sentenced The Irish Times - Satanist couple jailed for killing Irish Examiner - Satanic murder couple sent to psychiatric hospital UPI Archives - Analysis: Murder at the Devil's command IOL - Bloodsucking Satanist killer grips Germany kath.net - Satanisten-Paar gesteht: Der Teufel gab den Auftrag zum Morden VICE Germany - Der "Satanist von Witten" soll einen neuen Mord geplant haben VICE Germany - Drei Jahrzehnte satanistischer Verbrechen im Überblick Infoportal Rituelle Gewalt - Der sogenannte "Satansmord" von Witten: Daniel und Manuela Ruda Berliner Zeitung - Ruhe sanft, Freund Presseportal (ZDF press release) - Als Mörderin verurteilte Satanistin Manuela Ruda bereut ihre Tat t-online (dpa) - Bochum: Satanist von Witten freigesprochen t-online - Freispruch im Prozess gegen früheren Satanisten von Witten Allmystery (reposted 2001 and 2002 trial reports and a 2011 Der Westen article) - Satans Mord?, Seite 5 Allmystery (reposted trial reports, verdict, and the Federal Court of Justice press release) - Satans Mord?, Seite 6 Crime Library - Team Killers, Part Three Crime Library - Vampires: Manuela and Daniel Ruda Rafa.at (archive of 2001 and 2002 German press reports, Daniel Ruda's book, and a transcript of TV news clips used in a 2003 song) - Mord in Witten These Last Days Ministries (reprint of 2002 British trial coverage) - The horror of a 'vampire' murder case Websleuths (excerpts of 2011 London Evening Standard and Telegraph coverage) - Germany: Daniel Ruda, Satanic killer up for release podcast.de (Mord hoch zwei episode notes) - Teuflische Verbindung: der Satansmord von Witten, Teil 1 📚 BOOKS Goodreads - Fehlercode 211: Der Satansmord von Witten, was wirklich geschah, by Daniel Ruda (2004), quoted through the sources above Goodreads - Der Satan von Witten: Und andere fanatische Ritualmörder, by Guido Grandt, quoted through the sources above 🎬 DOCS YouTube (WAZ, Der Gerichtsreporter) - Der teuflische Mord von Witten, Teil 1 Apple Podcasts (WAZ, Der Gerichtsreporter) - Der teuflische Mord von Witten, Teil 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Settle in, friends, because this week we're heading into the misty mountains of 1800s Spain for a werewolf story... that really happened. In a little village in Galicia, a gentle little shopkeeper offered to walk the local women and their children over the mountains to good jobs up north. One by one, they went with him. One by one, he came home alone, with good news and happy letters. Then a brother noticed what the shopkeeper was using to cut his bread. What followed was a chance sighting hundreds of miles from home, a confession no Spanish court had ever heard before, a mysterious hypnotist, a Queen who stepped in, and a mystery about the shopkeeper's fate that took more than 150 years to solve. 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is written, researched, and hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES The Black Spain - Manuel Blanco Romasanta: The Werewolf of Allariz Revista Quadernos de Criminología - Romasanta, el hombre lobo gallego GCiencia - Que foi Manuel(a) Blanco Romasanta? 1: o 'home do unto' que puido nacer muller GCiencia - Que foi Manuel (a) Blanco Romasanta? 2: A detención, a confesión e o xuízo GCiencia - Que foi Manuel (a) Blanco Romasanta? e 3: A morte e os misterios sen resolver La Senda del Crimen - Crónica negra: la leyenda de "El Hombre Lobo de Allariz" Mundo Enfermo (reprinting Interviú) - Manuel Blanco Romasanta: El único "hombre lobo" procesado judicialmente en España El Faro de Ceuta - ¿Dónde descansa el Hombre Lobo de Allariz? Diario de León - Hermanos Castro Vicente: "Manuel Romasanta, 'El hombre-lobo', tuvo mucha relación con León y el Bierzo" Diario de León - La pista berciana del hombre lobo Diario de León - El enigma de la tumba de Romasanta, asesino en serie y 'hombre lobo' El Español - Cuando el pueblo toledano de Nombela pensó que convivía con un hombre lobo La Mañana - Una mala fada Ribeira Sacra Tourism - The Galician Werewolf Wikipedia - Manuel Blanco Romasanta Wikipedia (Spanish) - Manuel Blanco Romasanta La Agenda del Crimen - Romasanta, el Hombre Lobo de Allariz El Español - Romasanta: La historia real de un hombre lobo gallego 📚 BOOKS Simón Lorda et al., in VI Jornadas Internacionais de História da Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental (2016), via AGSM - El Dr. Joseph Durand de Gros y el caso del hombre lobo Blanco Romasanta (1853): ¿Un "braidista" en la corte de Isabel II? 🎬 DOCS Netflix - Netflix Presents Our 2026 Series and Films and Announces New Projects Vaca Films - Netflix announces the series LOBO, produced by Vaca Films Xunta de Galicia - López Campos visita el equipo de la serie 'Lobo' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Settle in, friends, because today's story starts with something that should have been completely ordinary: responding to a babysitting ad. In October 2007, Katherine Ann Olson met a mom named Amy in Savage, Minnesota. Amy needed someone to watch her 5-year-old, and Katherine said yes. She told her roommate Amy seemed a little strange. She went anyway. The next morning, a purse turned up in a park trash can, and a suburban police department started pulling on a thread that led somewhere nobody in Minnesota was ready for. This is the story of who Katherine really was, who was actually behind those emails, and how her case gave the internet a brand new and terrible nickname. 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is written, researched, and hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES FindLaw - State v. Anderson, Supreme Court of Minnesota (2010) MPR News - Teen charged in death of Minn. woman who answered Craigslist ad MPR News - Victim in Craigslist murder remembered for warmth, energy MPR News - Indictments made in Craigslist killing MPR News - Craigslist founder helps memorialize murder victim CBS News - Teen Charged In Craigslist Nanny Slaying CBS News - Craigslist Killer Gets Life Without Parole NBC News - Police: Woman inquires about online ad, killed NBC News - Teen charged with killing woman seeking job NBC News - Killer who lured victim with online ad gets life Fox News - 19 year old charged in death of woman answering craigslist ad ABC News - Ad for Online Nanny Lured Woman to Her Death ABC News - Craigslist Killer Lured Victim With Baby Sitter Ad Minnesota Daily - Coverage of Katherine Olson's death and the criminal complaint, October 2007 Arizona Daily Wildcat (U-Wire) - Murder brings Craigslist safety in question Star Tribune - Asperger's diagnosis is rejected in Craigslist trial Star Tribune - Defense: Shy youth's desire for sex led to 'Craigslist' killing The Village Voice - Craig Newmark Speaks at Victim's Memorial in Wake of Craigslist Killings The Village Voice - Craigslist Founder Speaks on Minneapolis "Craigslist Killer" Victim Savage Pacer - Family finds solace 10 years after Craigslist murder Worldwide Faith News (ELCA News Service) - Memorial concert on May 3 to benefit ELCA's St. Olaf scholarship Crime Library - Katherine Ann Olson Lured to Her Death by Internet Classifieds Crime Library - Katherine Ann Olson Lured to Her Death by Internet Classifieds, continued Crime Library - Police Have Strong Evidence That Michael John Anderson Was Katherine Ann Olson's Killer Crime Library - Police Have Strong Evidence, continued Crime Library - The Illicit List: Minnesota Murder, No Mystery Crime Library - The Illicit List: The Death of Katherine Olson Westword - Letters, from the week of May 14, 2009 A&E - Richard Beasley, Philip Markoff and Others: The Many Faces of the Craigslist Killer Wikipedia - Murder of Katherine Ann Olson 📚 BOOKS No books were used to research this episode. 🎬 DOCS CNN - Nancy Grace, broadcast transcript, October 29, 2007 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They say Friday the 13th is unlucky for a reason. Well, on one Friday the 13th back in 1980, in a quiet Texas suburb where everybody goes to the same church and everybody knows everybody's business, that superstition came true in the worst way. Because that morning, a young mom and Sunday school teacher was found dead in her own home, and nobody could make sense of it. She had the husband, the two girls, the whole life. So who would do this? Well, friends, the answer had been sitting in the next pew the whole time. This week, a friendship, a secret, and one summer morning that turned a quiet Texas town upside down. SHOW NOTES 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES Texas Monthly - Love and Death in Silicon Prairie, Part I: Candy Montgomery's Affair A&E - The Betty Gore Murder: Could 41 Axe Blows Be Self-Defense? TODAY - The true story of Candy Montgomery that inspired 'Love and Death' TODAY - Where are Candy and Pat Montgomery from 'Love and Death' now? Oxygen - What Happened To Candy Montgomery, Betty Gore? Newsweek - What Happened to Candy Montgomery and Where Is She Now? Biography - Where Is Acquitted Murderer Candy Montgomery Now? 📚 BOOKS Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs - John Bloom and Jim Atkinson (Open Road Media, 1984) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In August 2006, a young woman fell to her death from one of the most famous cliffs in the American national park system while hiking with her husband, the only witness. It was ruled an accident. Twenty years later, two phone calls changed everything and in June 2026, the case ended in a way nobody saw coming. SHOW NOTES 🖤 FOLLOW PRETTY WICKED New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Instagram: @prettywickedthepodcast If you loved this episode, leaving a review means the world and helps other listeners find the show. Pretty Wicked is written, researched, and hosted by Megan Alda. 🖤 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Here is everything used to research this episode. 🔗 WEB SOURCES NBC News - Former Vegas youth pastor charged with murder 20 years after his wife's deadly fall at Zion National Park NBC News - David Vander Meer, former Vegas youth pastor charged in wife's murder, dies before court appearance NBC News - Ex-youth pastor accused in wife's 2006 death lived lavishly after insurance payout, authorities allege CNN - 20 years after his wife fell to her death in Utah, a youth pastor's story unravels PEOPLE (via AOL) - Cheating pastor sent teenage mistress to confront wife during church tryst months before murder Las Vegas Review-Journal - Las Vegas man David Vander Meer arrested in 2006 death of wife at Zion National Park Las Vegas Review-Journal - Bernadette Vander Meer's family reacts to arrest of her ex-husband Las Vegas Review-Journal - David Vander Meer dies before hearing in 2006 case involving wife's death Las Vegas Review-Journal - Las Vegas school where Vander Meer counseled issues statement; 'not enough,' parent says Las Vegas Review-Journal - Bombshell murder charge renews questions about other deaths at Angels Landing Las Vegas Review-Journal - 'No winners in any of this,' former pastor says of Vander Meer death Las Vegas Review-Journal - Clark County sheriff addresses Vander Meer case, calls in-custody death 'unique' Las Vegas Review-Journal - 'A real angelic being': Friend reflects on Bernadette Vander Meer's life and death Las Vegas Review-Journal - Las Vegas church rehired David Vander Meer as youth pastor despite hearing concerns, former staff say Las Vegas Review-Journal - Hiker falls to death at Angels Landing in Zion National Park (April 2026) Las Vegas Review-Journal - Bernadette Vander Meer obituary, published Aug. 26, 2006 (via Legacy.com) KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas - 20 years later: What led investigators to charge an ex-Las Vegas youth pastor with murder in his wife's death KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas - Family of Las Vegas woman speaks out after husband charged with her murder nearly 20 years later ABC News - Former youth pastor dies day he was set to appear in court for the 2006 death of his wife News 3 Las Vegas (KSNV) - 'Suspected him all along': Parents react to arrest of Las Vegas man for wife's death News 3 Las Vegas (KSNV) - 'She's been vindicated': Family reflects after 2006 Zion murder suspect's death News 3 Las Vegas (KSNV) - Former youth pastor in Las Vegas arrested in wife's 20-year-old murder case 8 News Now (KLAS) - 'Vindicated': Henderson family of woman killed in 2006 rejoice over former husband's arrest 8 News Now (KLAS) - Family of Zion NP murder victim reacts to suspect's jailhouse suicide 8 News Now (KLAS) - Inside the relationship of Vander Meer and teen girl: Affidavit outlines timeline 8 News Now (KLAS) - Charges filed against Las Vegas man for allegedly murdering wife during Angels Landing hike in 2006 KSL - Husband charged in 2006 death of wife in Angel's Landing fall KUTV - Former youth pastor charged in wife's death accused of relationship with underage girl ABC4 Utah - Charges filed against Las Vegas man for allegedly murdering wife during Angels Landing hike in 2006 Fox 13 Utah - Man charged with wife's murder at Zion allegedly had affair with underage girl Fox News - Former Las Vegas youth pastor accused of murder in death of wife at Zion National Park St. George News - Details emerge in cold case alleging husband pushed wife to her death at Zion National Park Backpacker - Man accused of pushing wife off of Angels Landing found dead before court date The Washington Times - Former Las Vegas pastor dies in custody after being charged in wife's murder at Zion National Park Deseret News - Texas man identified as hiker who fell at Angels Landing at Zion National Park 📚 BOOKS None for this episode, this case broke in June 2026, so all research comes from court documents and news coverage. 🎬 DOCS None yet - this story is only weeks old. Expect coverage to follow! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices