In 1966, Anita Taylor was murdered inside her home in Springfield, Ohio. Her husband came home from work to find her clinging to life and their infant son in his crib, alive, but with a broken leg. Anita was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The investigation into Anita's murder began and a number of persons of interest were ruled.
Join Mike and Morf as they dive into this baffling case. Anita's son, Aaron, who as a baby survived the attack that killed his mother, joins us for this episode and provides his insight into the case. Aaron has been searching for his mother's killer for many years. Over time, some revelations have come to light, and they have provided additional insight into possible motives for Anita's murder.
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The Murder of Anita Taylor

Two young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs set out to rid the world of smoking with an incredible new product. The device stands to disrupt the tobacco industry and make them rich, until it falls into the wrong hands and lives are ruined. From classrooms to hospitals, boardrooms to the Oval Office, what can be done to protect teenagers and is it too late? From Laura Beil, the reporter behind Dr Death and Bad Batch, comes The Vaping Fix, the inside story of the rise of Juul and the making of a crisis.
Listen to THE VAPING FIX at: http://wondery.fm/VF_Criminology
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Introducing: The Vaping Fix

Serial killer Richard Cottingham earned the moniker of "The Torso Killer" for his crimes. To the outside world, Richard seemed like a professional and a family man. But, he was unfaithful to his wife and he had urges deep inside that eventually resulted in a number of murders.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss serial killer Richard Cottingham. He operated in his home state of New Jersey but also ventured into New York to select his victims. Papers began calling him "The Torso Killer" when two victims were found missing their heads and hands. Richard targeted sex workers and later said that violence was the only thing that aroused him. After he was caught, he began confessing to murders that he committed in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
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The Torso Killer

Nick and Lisa Masee were living what appeared to those around them to be a great life in Vancouver, Canada. But, even though they brought in a substantial income, they were deeply in debt. In 1994, the two began acting strangely in ways that were noticeable to those around them. In August of that year, they disappeared and have never been heard from or located.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious disappearance of Nick and Lisa Masee. Some of the details of their actions before they disappeared are troubling. This is a case that many people have speculated on over the years. Those speculations run the gamut from the Masees being killed over a business deal to them running off and setting up new lives somewhere in the world. Hear the facts for yourself and try to answer the burning question: What happened to Nick and Lisa Masee?
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Nick and Lisa Masee

The events of April 20th, 1999 shaped our nation and altered the American narrative. One of America’s deadliest school shootings took place in a small town in Colorado, leaving thirteen dead and another twenty-one severely injured. And it was all broadcast over national tv for the nation to see. The second season of Confronting takes on one of the most prolific tragedies in American history: the Columbine High School massacre. It was a devastating example of how easily a place of learning, familiarity and peace can descend into a war zone of chaos in a moment, the teenagers present that day are now adults who bear the mental and physical scars of the carnage they lived through.
Amy Over, a Columbine survivor who is still living with its aftermath and raising her own children in its shadow, confronts many of the realities, questions and myths that surround the massacre to this day. Amy, through her own experience and by speaking with survivors, investigators, classmates, reporters on the scene and other important voices, brings a first-person account of the physical, emotional and spiritual journey that comes along with confronting the worst day of her life.
Listen Here: wondery.fm/CC_Criminology
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Introducing Confronting: Columbine

Baby Hope was the name given to a four-year-old little girl found dead in a cooler near the Henry Hudson Parkway. Baby Hope's body was found by construction workers in Manhattan, New York, in 1991. Authorities found witnesses but were unable to figure out who Baby Hope was or what exactly had happened to her. It wasn't until 2013 that police caught a break in the case and the pieces started to fall into place.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the case of Baby Hope. Police learned that her real name was Anjelica Castillo. As they unraveled the mystery of her identity, they also zeroed in a suspect in her murder. It turned out that Baby Hope was victimized by relatives, the very people that should be there to help keep a little girl like Anjelica safe.
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Baby Hope

In 2019, Canadian teenagers Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod embarked on a deadly crime spree. They told their families that they were headed to the Yukon territory to look for work. But, after stopping to buy a semi-automatic rifle, they started their killing spree. Their victims were selected at random and included a young couple whose van broke down on a road trip to Alaska and a botany professor and husband in his sixties.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss these two Canadian killers. It later surfaced that they had been thinking about murder. At first, the authorities believed they were in danger. But, as more information surfaced, it became clear that they were the killers and one of the largest manhunts in Canadian history began. Authorities were shocked when they finally caught up with the teenagers.
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The Canadian Spree Killers

A woman named Becki is lounging by the pool at the Fontainebleau Hotel when she decides to proposition a strapping pool attendant. Go on a date with her...and her husband. What begins as an unconventional proposition will soon throw them all into the international spotlight. And that’s because the couple is none other than Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki, two of the most powerful figures in Evangelical America.
Wondery presents In God We Lust, hosted by Brooke Siffrin and Aricia Skidmore-Williams of Even the Rich. A story of an alluring sex scandal, power, money and a very public fall from grace. When word of their affair fell into the wrong hands it led to political extortion and a public outing that brought Jerry Falwell Jr.’s empire crashing down.
Listen at http://wondery.fm/IGWL_Criminology
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Wondery: In God We Lust

In 1987, the small town of Ina, Illinois was rocked by the senseless and brutal murders of the Dardeen family. When 29-year-old Keith Dardeen failed to show up for work, his parents called the police. The police made a shocking discovery at the Dardeen home. Keith's wife Elaine, who was seven months pregnant, and their 3-year-old son Peter were found bludgeoned to death. Elaine delivered a baby girl during the attack and police found the infant deceased as well.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss this infamous case out of the Midwest. Keith was nowhere to be found and he was initially thought of as a suspect in the murders by police. That thought disappeared, however, when Keith's body was found in a field not far from the home. He had been shot in the head and his genitals had been mutilated. Police scrambled to try to figure out who could have committed these heinous murders. One serial killer took credit but police don't believe he had anything to do with the case. But who did?
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The Dardeen Family Murders

In Nevada, Interstate 80 runs through stretches of desert. The desert can be a very unforgiving place with temperature swings and dangers that await those who venture through it. There have been a large number of unexplained disappearances and deaths along a certain stretch of I-80. Pumpernickel Valley's Exit 205 is extremely interesting because it leads to nowhere. But, there have been some very mysterious disappearances that appear to have occurred at this exit.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss a number of mysterious deaths and disappearances. The details of these cases are as fascinating as they are mysterious. In many of them no body was ever found, although one was ruled a suicide. Did these cases involve a predator along I-80 or even multiple predators, or, were these cases where individuals ventured into the desert, got disoriented, and succumbed to the elements.
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Danger Lurks on Interstate 80

In 1976, residents of Circleville, Ohio began receiving obscene and threatening letters that contained details and rumors regarding some of the residents in town. For residents of Circleville, it wasn’t a serial killer that shattered their sense of safety and neighborly closeness. It was a serial writer - a writer who by the time he or she was done, had sent over 1000 letters targeting many of Circleville’s residents, but seemingly targeting one resident more than the rest. 
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious and fascinating case of the Circleville writer. One man, Paul Freshour, was convicted of attempted murder and sent off to prison. It was thought that he was the Circleville writer, and handwriting analysis of some of the letters seemed to back that up. But, people continued receiving letters after Paul went to prison, something that the warden insists was impossible. Who was the original writer of the letters and just how many writers were there. One man died under mysterious circumstances. And, a woman who seemingly was the focus of early letters was seen as a target. How much misdirection was there in this case and did one or more persons conspire to frame Paul Freshour.
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The Circleville Letter Writer

A charismatic Russian woman arrives in the US on a mission to improve relations between the two countries, and she soon makes some powerful friends. But who is Maria Butina? And who is she working for? As Maria gets closer to the rich and connected she also attracts the attention of the FBI. In the politically charged world of US-Russia relations, everyone has secrets and almost nothing is what it seems. From Wondery, the makers of The Shrink Next Door and Dr. Death comes SPY AFFAIR a story about deception, appearances, and betrayal.
Hosted by Celia Aniskovich.
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Introducing: Spy Affair

High school senior Holly Branagan was murdered inside her Bethlehem, Pennsylvania home on March 28, 1979. She was brutally stabbed to death in a horrific manner, but, her murder case was overshadowed by the partial meltdown that same day at Three Mile Island. The police pieced together the timeline of Holly's murder through phone calls that she made that day. But, they have been unable to catch her killer.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the brutal murder of Holly Branagan. The police believe that Holly's killer used her home as an advantage. The two-story home had a strange layout and it was very secluded and sat away from the road. There were no signs of a sexual assault and this teenager didn't have to seem to have any enemies, so, developing a motive has been difficult. The one thing that seemed to be true is that, from the manner of the stab wounds, this murder appeared to be very personal. But, the question still remains over 40 years later, who killed Holly Branagan?
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Holly Branagan

In 2018, an unidentified hiker, which many began called Mostly Harmless, was found in Florida and what followed was a search for his identity. It was discovered that the hiker had been traveling the Appalachian Trail. People began to come forward with information about their encounters with Mostly Harmless after the story took hold on social media and people around the world started working on the mystery.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious case of the man known to many as Mostly Harmless. It took a lot of work by law enforcement, journalists, and amateur online detectives to help solve the question of the man's identity. It was announced in early 2021 that Mostly Harmless was a man named Vance Rodriguez. But, that wasn't the end of the story. Vance led an interesting life and the stories that emerged didn't always line up with the man that many hikers had met on their journeys. Also, many questions remain including exactly what happened to Vance Rodriguez on his long hike that ended with his death?
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Mostly Harmless

MAN-Slaughter tells intertwining stories about how one gunshot on a cold Wisconsin night in 1970 dramatically changed multiple lives. A bullet brutally tore through decorated law enforcement veteran LaVerne Stordock. Decades later, his niece, Dorothy Marcic, transformed herself into an amateur detective in a quest for truth and closure about that night. At the center of Dorothy’s investigation is Suzanne Brandon, LaVerne’s second wife, who confessed to the shooting -- and who Dorothy believes completely escaped justice. As it follows Dorothy’s discoveries, MAN-Slaughter explores questions around the psychology of crime, the ways women are made responsible in families, and the lasting impact of trauma. A final encounter between Suzanne and Dorothy reveals a complex connection that even that gunshot cannot shatter. Listen today at wondery.fm/MS_Criminology
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Introuducing: MAN-Slaughter

In 1982, 29-year-old Barbara Jo Oberholtzer and 21-year-old Annette Kay Schnee were both last seen in the town of Breckinridge, Colorado. Both were found murdered and their cases were linked by a pair of orange socks. A matching orange sock was found on or near each of the murdered women's bodies.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss these tragic murders out of Colorado. Investigators were stumped for years as to the murderer's identity. It took advancements in the area of forensic genetic genealogy to match DNA to a suspect. Alan Lee Phillips was arrested earlier this year and has been charged with both murders.
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The Orange Sock Murders

Between 2005 and 2009, 8 women were found murdered in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. There were eight women from Jennings, Louisiana who were murdered in those four years and they are referred to collectively as "The Jennings 8” or "The Jeff Davis 8.” 14 agencies from the federal level down to the local level worked together to hunt a serial killer operating in Jefferson Davis Parish.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss this infamous unsolved series. Many thought that a serial killer was operating in Jennings and was responsible for these murders. But, as details began to emerge, it came to light that there were many connections between the victims and a number of persons of interest. Reports of corruption and malfeasance began to surface within the law enforcement of Jefferson Davis Parish. This has led many to speculate what involvement if any, the police played in the deaths of these 8 women. There remains a lot of unanswered questions in this series of murders. Did these women all know something that was so damning that someone felt they had to be silenced? And if so, who was it?
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The Jeff Davis 8

The Tiede family spent quality family time each year at their cabin in Oakley, Utah. Rolf and Kay Tiede had two daughters, Linae and Tricia, and a son named Shaun. In December 1990, The Tiede family went to their cabin and were joined by Kaye's mother, Beth Potts, and a number of other family members. 
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the Tiede family murders. Their 1990 Christmas at the cabin was interrupted by two men intent on murder. 26-year-old Von Taylor and 23-year-old Edward Deli had both been recently paroled and were living in the same halfway house. They both decided to flee and eventually ended up in the Tiede's cabin, waiting for the family to come back.
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The Tiede Family Murders

On January 21, 1998, 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe was found dead in her bedroom. She had been fatally stabbed multiple times while her family slept. Multiple people would eventually be charged with her murder, including members of Stephanie's own family.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious murder of Stephanie Crowe. Police initially suspected Stephanie's brother and some of his friends. The tactics used by investigators against these young boys were ruthless and caused them to say what they had to after hours of food and sleep deprivation. They should have been looking at a 28-year-old man named Richard Tuite who was in the Crowe neighborhood that night. Blood evidence would later send Tuite to trial for Stephanie's murder. But, could prosecutors make a case against Richard Tuite stick?
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The Murder of Stephanie Crowe

The Thanksgiving holiday in 2018 should have been a joyous time for 29-year-old mother, Kelsey Berreth. She was engaged to be married and had a little girl with her fiance Patrick Frazee. But, Kelsey went missing and the police began to suspect that Patrick was somehow involved.
Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the disappearance and murder of Kelsey Berreth. The details that emerged were so salacious that some seem almost made up. Patrick had reunited with an old flamed named Krystal Kenney. She was a nurse from Idaho who had an on-and-off relationship with Patrick for years. Prior to that fateful Thanksgiving, Patrick had been telling anyone that would listen that Kelsey was unstable. But, it's the fact that he was able to manipulate Krystal into helping him with his murderous plans that shocked everyone.
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