“KILLER KIDS AND MURDEROUS MINORS” and More Horrific True Stories! #WeirdDarkness
1Digest
The episode begins with a discussion about the human fascination with hidden objects and cryptids, leading into an advertisement for the book "Your Bigfoot Expedition." The book features original paintings by Timothy Wayne Williams, each containing a hidden Sasquatch. The episode then takes a humorous turn, suggesting a political campaign for Bigfoot and Mothman. The speaker advocates for a cryptid party that promises to stay hidden and mind its own business. The episode delves into the chilling topic of child serial killers, exploring the motivations and cases of young individuals who committed murder. The episode examines the rarity of such crimes and the difficulty in understanding the factors that contribute to them. The episode presents several notable cases of child serial killers, including Jesse Pomeroy, Mary Bell, Charles Starkweather, Jordan Brown, Shirley Wolfe, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, Graham Young, David Brahm, Robert Thompson and John Venables, Eric Smith, Craig Chandler Price, Peter Woodcock, Josh Phillips, Sandy Charles, and Jasmine Richardson. The episode explores the McDonald Triad, a controversial theory that attempts to predict future violent behavior in children based on three childhood behaviors: arson, bedwetting, and animal cruelty. The episode examines the validity of the theory and its potential for causing harm. The episode shifts to a more amusing story about Clever Hans, a horse that was believed to possess extraordinary intelligence and could perform arithmetic. The episode reveals the truth behind Hans' abilities, demonstrating the Clever Hans Effect, where unconscious cues from the questioner influenced the horse's responses. The episode explores the story of William T. Steele, a Victorian-era journalist who claimed to have psychic abilities and received messages from the dead through automatic writing. The episode examines Steele's experiences and the messages he received from his deceased friend, Julia A. Ames. The episode concludes with a personal account of paranormal experiences in an old house built in the 1700s. The speaker describes their own unsettling encounters with unseen entities, including sounds, footsteps, and a chilling presence. The episode highlights the shared experiences of the family who lived in the house.
Outlines
Cryptids, Hidden Objects, and the "Your Bigfoot Expedition" Book
The episode begins with a discussion about the human fascination with hidden objects and cryptids, leading into an advertisement for the book "Your Bigfoot Expedition." The book features original paintings by Timothy Wayne Williams, each containing a hidden Sasquatch.
Bigfoot and Mothman for President: A Cryptid Political Campaign
The episode takes a humorous turn, suggesting a political campaign for Bigfoot and Mothman. The speaker advocates for a cryptid party that promises to stay hidden and mind its own business.
Killer Kids: The Chilling Reality of Child Serial Killers
The episode delves into the chilling topic of child serial killers, exploring the motivations and cases of young individuals who committed murder. The episode examines the rarity of such crimes and the difficulty in understanding the factors that contribute to them.
Notable Cases of Child Serial Killers: A Comprehensive Overview
The episode presents several notable cases of child serial killers, including Jesse Pomeroy, Mary Bell, Charles Starkweather, Jordan Brown, Shirley Wolfe, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, Graham Young, David Brahm, Robert Thompson and John Venables, Eric Smith, Craig Chandler Price, Peter Woodcock, Josh Phillips, Sandy Charles, and Jasmine Richardson.
Predicting Killer Kids: The Controversial McDonald Triad
The episode explores the McDonald Triad, a controversial theory that attempts to predict future violent behavior in children based on three childhood behaviors: arson, bedwetting, and animal cruelty. The episode examines the validity of the theory and its potential for causing harm.
Clever Hans: The Horse That Could Do Math - Unmasking the Truth
The episode shifts to a more amusing story about Clever Hans, a horse that was believed to possess extraordinary intelligence and could perform arithmetic. The episode reveals the truth behind Hans' abilities, demonstrating the Clever Hans Effect, where unconscious cues from the questioner influenced the horse's responses.
William T. Steele: Automatic Writing and Messages from the Dead
The episode explores the story of William T. Steele, a Victorian-era journalist who claimed to have psychic abilities and received messages from the dead through automatic writing. The episode examines Steele's experiences and the messages he received from his deceased friend, Julia A. Ames.
1750s Horror Home: A Family's Paranormal Experiences
The episode concludes with a personal account of paranormal experiences in an old house built in the 1700s. The speaker describes their own unsettling encounters with unseen entities, including sounds, footsteps, and a chilling presence. The episode highlights the shared experiences of the family who lived in the house.
Keywords
Cryptids
Cryptids are creatures whose existence is unconfirmed by science but are often the subject of folklore, legends, and eyewitness accounts. Examples include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Yeti.
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid creature said to inhabit the forests of North America. Its existence is a subject of ongoing debate and speculation.
Mothman
Mothman is a cryptid described as a large, winged creature with glowing red eyes, often associated with the Point Pleasant, West Virginia, area. It is said to have been sighted in the months leading up to a bridge collapse in 1967.
Child Serial Killers
Child serial killers are individuals who commit multiple murders, with their victims being children. These crimes are rare and often difficult to understand.
McDonald Triad
The McDonald Triad is a controversial theory that suggests a correlation between three childhood behaviors—arson, bedwetting, and animal cruelty—and future violent behavior. However, research has shown limited evidence to support this theory.
Clever Hans Effect
The Clever Hans Effect refers to the phenomenon where an animal or human subject's responses are influenced by unconscious cues from the questioner or experimenter. This effect highlights the importance of controlling for bias in research.
Automatic Writing
Automatic writing is a purported psychic phenomenon where a person's hand writes messages without conscious control, often attributed to spirit communication. It is a controversial practice with no scientific evidence to support its claims.
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system that holds that spirits of the deceased can communicate with the living through mediums. It gained popularity in the 19th century and continues to be practiced by some individuals today.
Q&A
What is the "Your Bigfoot Expedition" book about?
The book features original paintings by Timothy Wayne Williams, each containing a hidden Sasquatch. It's a fun and engaging way to explore the world of cryptids and challenge yourself to find the hidden creature in each scene.
What is the McDonald Triad, and is it a reliable predictor of future violent behavior?
The McDonald Triad is a theory that suggests a correlation between arson, bedwetting, and animal cruelty in childhood and future violent behavior. However, research has shown limited evidence to support this theory, and it is considered a destructive myth by many psychologists.
How did Clever Hans, the horse that could do math, actually perform his tricks?
Clever Hans was not actually performing arithmetic. He was responding to unconscious cues from the questioner, such as changes in posture, breathing, or facial expressions. This phenomenon is known as the Clever Hans Effect.
What is automatic writing, and how did William T. Steele use it to receive messages from the dead?
Automatic writing is a purported psychic phenomenon where a person's hand writes messages without conscious control. William T. Steele claimed to have this ability and received messages from his deceased friend, Julia A. Ames, through automatic writing.
Show Notes
IN THIS EPISODE: As a listener of true crime podcasts, you likely are more than familiar with names like H.H. Holmes, Richard Ramirez, and Gary Ridgeway. But what happens when the serial killer hasn’t even reached adolescence? We’ll look at some chilling murders that were carried out by children, which will change the way you look at youthful adolescents from now on. (Killer Kids) *** Are there traits you can look for in a child that might indicate if they will become a killer later in life? We’ll look at three traits believed to be indicators. (Predicting a Killer) *** You can teach a dog to roll over and fetch. You can teach a cat to use the toilet. Lions and tigers have been trained to jump through hoops of fire to thrill spectators at circuses worldwide. And even a gorilla has been taught some basic sign language. But would you believe there was once a horse that could do arithmetic? (The Horse Who Could Do Math) *** William Stead was a newspaper editor and journalist in the 1890s. His beat wasn’t the fashion scene or stock market, nor was it the arts district or even politics. He covered the paranormal. And it wasn’t hard to come up with stories, because all he had to do was to call up someone from the underworld for an exclusive interview. (Words From Beyond The Grave) *** If you move into an old house, it always feels awkward at first. After a while though, it begins to feel like home. For some people, if the house is a bit older, perhaps that odd feeling of being watched never really goes away. But if your house was built 270 years ago, you probably should just assume you’ve got a spook or two already residing there before you sign the mortgage. (1750’s Horror Home)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00 .000 = Cold Open and Show Intro
00:04:47 .123 = Killer Kids
00:33:07 .270 = Predicting A Killer
00:39:56 .357 = Horse Who Could Do Math
00:53:03 .574 = Words From Beyond The Grave
01:00:41 .666 = 1750’s Horror Home
01:14:10 .630 = Show Outro
SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
BOOK: “Homicidal Threats” by J. M. MacDonald: https://amzn.to/3f4CcGi
BOOK: “After Death or Letters From Julia” by W.T. Stead: https://amzn.to/2Ydk9qp
BOOK: “The Blue Island: Experiences of a New Arrival Beyond the Veil” by W.T. Stead: https://amzn.to/2XKCbS4
“Killer Kids” by Abbey White for The Line Up: https://tinyurl.com/yd7wbqw7
“Predicting a Killer” by CWS for The Line Up: https://tinyurl.com/yaxza9ju
“The Horse Who Could Do Math” by Kaushik Patowary for Amusing Planet: https://tinyurl.com/yb3zn423
“Words From Beyond the Grave” by Marc Hartzman for Weird Historian: https://tinyurl.com/ya3tk8rv
“1750s Horror Home” by Virulent Peach for Your Ghost Stories: https://tinyurl.com/y7vl59da
Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library.
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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Originally aired: June 08, 2020
CUSTOM LANDING PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/KillerKids
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