Real Monsters

“The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing.” — Publilius Syrus Fear compelled her heart to build up to a terrifying and deadly 100 mph crescendo… Shallow, rapid half gasps emanated from the 62-year-old widow as her skin turned a pallid blue… the Monster garroting her with steel wire from her kitchen. Slow… FAST! … Slow… FAST! … Slow. The hands of the Monster were possessed by the brute strength of a seasoned bare-knuckle boxer and the dexterity of an accomplished concert pianist — completely enveloped by fury spawned in the latter circles of hell. FAST! (and sustained as the widow squirmed, trying in vain to fight back) Lieselotte Schlenger expired on the floor of her beloved kitchen that day in 1993. Her death marked the opening of the Pandora's box that was the Phantom of Heilbronn case — though no one would realize this for another eight years. The Phantom of Heilbronn case exposed glaring problems in forensic science and what happens when universal cognitive biases taint an investigation — all wrapped up in a tale that rivals the best crime fiction. Like a malevolent Proteus in Greek mythology, the Phantom was a ghostly, shapeshifting boogeyman (or woman) terrorizing the populations of three countries. The Phantom changed and became lesser known when (s)he was pursued by law enforcement. It would take more than mere mortals to catch this Monster. Law enforcement would have to use the best of science at the time, combined with questioning their own cognitive biases and the deepest logical connections between both forensic and behavioral evidence. That last part gets even harder when one of your own is assassinated while eating and the alt-right hurls itself — Nazi salutes first — into your investigation. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Enjoy these episodes on Death Cults! Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice BNhqG3A7GuGCz03UfR0o --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The rare breed: 2 blood-related serial killers, one Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The deadly sarin gas released by a death cult headquartered in Japan. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The first in our death cult series. There's a lot you may not know about Jonestown. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Our look at Wisconsin's most infamous cannibal. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Real Monsters: The Oldest Motive, Murder for Money Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Real Monsters: Lethal Ladies Mary Tudor and Empress Wu, with special guest Kelly Evans Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The most prolific serial killer in US history? Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

One of the sickest southern aristocrats ever. The brutality of the story of how she treated her slaves so enraged the citizens of New Orleans they ran her out of town. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Quite possibly the most clinical psychopath we've ever dealt with. This one, as most RM cases, is not for the faint of heart. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Our episode on one of the most enduring mysteries in the annals of American crime, the Zodiac Killer. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, on patreon or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Or tip us via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Sorting bullshit from non-bullshit in the saga of "the Confession Killer". BNhqG3A7GuGCz03UfR0o --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Did Wayne Williams kill 28+ children in the Atlanta, Georgia metro area? Or is he a wrongly convicted man? Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about infamous (and not so infamous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters​ https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster​ http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast​ https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters​ Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime​ #truecrimepodcast​ #history​ #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Indiana family business man and gay serial lust killer Herb Baumeister. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about infamous (and not so infamous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters​ https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster​ http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast​ https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters​ Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime​ #truecrimepodcast​ #history​ #justice​ #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Another installment of British killers. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about infamous (and not so infamous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

A smattering of the best of Florida Man. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

One of France's worst... the story is bizarre on so many levels (yes, it even includes buried treasure). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Did David Berkowitz act alone when he brought terror to NYC as "the Son of Sam"? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Samantha's crying cranked in David's aching head like a Dante-esque buzzsaw from one of the inner Circles of Hell that Friday night April 13, 1973. He. Could. Not. Take. It. His week was hard enough. “Oh, WHY did I drink so much tonight?” he thought as he tried to get much-needed rest in the next room while waiting on the children's parents Clive and Elsie to arrive home from Elsie's shift as a popular local bartender. They should be only about 20 minutes, David thought, pillow over his head to try to keep out the loud machinations of the demon spawn in the next room. The incessant wailing made him glad his relationship fell apart – that he was 21 and not saddled with kids. Then that one moment's bliss was obliterated again by the crying in the next room. The Kids. Kids. Kids. Unemployment was making David feel (generously) “neutered” in having to lean on good friends like this – even though he rather liked the children: Paul (5), Dawn Maria (2), and Samantha (almost 1). Still, like rusted nails on a chalkboard, the high-pitched crying made his skin crawl. The sound was visceral, lighting a fire in his bones – all-consuming, hellish, and causing flashes of sharp pain in his forehead and behind his eyes. KIDS-The KIDS-KIDS It felt like some unseen force was impaling his organs from the inside. He yearned to jump out of his skin and escape because… He. Could. Not. Take. It. That was when an idea hit what was left of his brain: still taking trips off the diving board into the pool of warm beer and Irish whiskey that his liver and brain were floating in. The Kids. THE Kids. THE KIDS! (the cadence and volume of the word echoing in his ears like a siren's song from Hades.) He stumbled down the basement stairs looking for a blunt instrument. Something had to be done… (his heart going into overdrive – adrenaline powering it like a spark plug! The pain was intensifying! Sharp like a pickaxe split his skull!) THE KIDS-KIDS-KIDS! KIIIIIIDDDSS! What resulted from the drunken actions of one man would tear Great Britain apart in grappling with an unspeakable national tragedy. Yet, David McGreavy did not just kill three children as we shall see. It would also stir profound existential questions about human nature as a whole; specifically, what can drive a normal man to become the “Monster of Worcester” by engaging in a psychotic level of bloodshed that will forever be known in England as the Friday the 13th Murders? The answer is a case study on what may be the single most important and unseen motivator for seemingly unexplainable violence from people with no prior history of it... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

A couple crimes that really shook the idea of societal perfection in 1950's America. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_...​ https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters​ https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster​ http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast​ https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters​ Follow the Show on Facebook here Twitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime​ #truecrimepodcast​ #history​ #justice​ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

On this episode, we examine the crimes of a monster who was infamous enough to garner his own Billy Joel lyric ("starkweather homicide" in "We Didn't Start the Fire"). Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Tip Wess via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

We take a look at Robert Hansen, the man who hunted women like game in the wilds of Alaska. We also find out why Wess REALLY dislikes this monster especially. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Tip Wess via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The crime that rocked Post-WWII America and spawned "true crime" as a genre in being the source of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood". Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading/listening! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.live Tip Wess via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

We take a look at stoopid defenses and even stoopider ways to die in this elongated episode. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examines the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous (and not so famous but equally weird) crimes and their unseen motivations. Thanks for reading! You can also support the Real Monsters' podcast Wess does to get even deeper into these cases. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or here: http://www.realmonsters.com/live Tip Wess via Vocal Media too by heading to this link. Make a donation here to keep the podcast running at any of these links: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters We are also on Venmo! (message us for further details) Follow the Show on Facebook hereTwitter here. We're also on Instagram and Snapchat. #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Tanzen in the Dark: The Phantom of the Heilbronn The case exposed glaring problems in forensic science and what happens when biases taint an investigation. “The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing.” — Publilius Syrus Fear compelled her heart to build up to a terrifying and deadly 100 mph crescendo… Shallow, rapid half gasps emanated from the 62-year-old widow as her skin turned a pallid blue… the Monster garroting her with steel wire from her kitchen. Slow… FAST! … Slow… FAST! … Slow. The hands of the Monster were possessed by the brute strength of a seasoned bare-knuckle boxer and the dexterity of an accomplished concert pianist — completely enveloped by fury spawned in the latter circles of hell. FAST! (and sustained as the widow squirmed, trying in vain to fight back) Lieselotte Schlenger expired on the floor of her beloved kitchen that day in 1993. Her death marked the opening of the Pandora's box that was the Phantom of Heilbronn case — though no one would realize this for another eight years. The Phantom of Heilbronn case exposed glaring problems in forensic science and what happens when universal cognitive biases taint an investigation — all wrapped up in a tale that rivals the best crime fiction. Like a malevolent Proteus in Greek mythology, the Phantom was a ghostly, shapeshifting boogeyman (or woman) terrorizing the populations of three countries. The Phantom changed and became lesser known when (s)he was pursued by law enforcement. It would take more than mere mortals to catch this Monster. Law enforcement would have to use the best of science at the time, combined with questioning their own cognitive biases and the deepest logical connections between both forensic and behavioral evidence. That last part gets even harder when one of your own is assassinated while eating and the alt-right hurls itself — Nazi salutes first — into your investigation... https://medium.com/the-true-crime-edition/tanzen-in-the-dark-the-phantom-of-heilbronn-faf534abc27f Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examining the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The deep and sadistic psychosis of Vampire of Brooklyn Albert Fish. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examining the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examining the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The Houston Mass Murders sent the Lone Star State and the world reeling in a spiral of moral repulsion and righteous anger. The case also exposed a rabid, multi-tentacled monster hiding in 3 men showing signs of an under-reported psychological curiosity. Six rapid-fire thunder bolts rocked the tiny hallway in the house on Lamar Drive. All finding their mark. Trigger cocking hammer igniting primer firing round. One fluid motion, six times. All coldly mechanized in the lean, metal death machine 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. wielded like a fierce, adrenaline-possessed Zeus atop Mount Olympus. As the God of Lightning slew the typhon — and Hercules the hydra — Henley battled his own salivating, feral beast of many tentacles in that tiny house in Pasadena, Texas late on the night of August 8, 1973. The blood and sinister ambiguity of the battle's aftermath would shake the Lone Star State — indeed, the nation — to their foundations, while exposing a bizarre psychological curiosity, still misunderstood — and not covered — by the media almost 50 years later... https://medium.com/the-true-crime-edition/the-houston-mass-murders-40365f4dad Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examining the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

4 installments of our shows on cults, including the Satanic Panic. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examining the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Kelly Evans drops by to take a look at it crimes related to art: art forgery, art theft, and the history of the Third Reich pillaging Europe's museums. Journalist and dogged student of all things forensic, Wess Haubrich, examining the nitty, gritty details you didn't know about famous crimes and their unseen motivations. Likes, comments, and subscriptions to the channel are always appreciated! Or, help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The darkest spawn of hell can sometimes be lurking in harmless, safe, innocent, social disguises. Such was the case of 17-year-old Elisabeth Friztl who was kidnapped, raped 3,000 times, and kept as a sex slave by her own father for 24 years. She would rear several “basement” children by him in the mean time. Her harrowing escape from her private hell and the incredible gravitas she showed in the face of her abuser is something we can all learn from. The 17-year old opened her eyes in the pitch black. Her head spun like the wheels on the bus she had hopped to Vienna some time ago. Pain coursed through every vein, muscle and neuron as she attempted to steady herself and get off the cold concrete floor; it's grit soiling her beautiful rust-colored hair. She could not see in the dark, humid cellar. When she blindly tried to get up, she was yanked back down with a tremendous force echoed by the cacophonous clank of chains attached to a metal loop in the floor. She heard the slow dripping of water in another room, and the scurry of rats and roaches somewhere close. Then the cellar's lock slowly started to turn. The sound of heavy steps on the creaking wooden stairs filled her with profound terror as a flash light beam blinded her… causing her adrenaline to pump 100 miles an hour, not knowing exactly what to expect. Little did Elisabeth know what happened next was but the start of her 24 year personal hell at the hands of the man she loathed most in the whole world: her own father, the Monster of Amstetten, Josef Fritzl... https://medium.com/the-true-crime-edition/josef-fritzl-87eac97c0837 Help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice UjM0yN1d2rTYbtdo44fE --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

The sky rained lead for Ken Rex McElroy that morning of July 10 in front of the D & G Tavern in the tiny town of Skidmore, Missouri. Three different calibers were present at the scene. One round went through the rear window of the chevy, striking Ken Rex in the head; another round penetrated his neck; two more found their mark in his back. At least 30 people saw the shooting. Not a single witness has said a word about the shooting since. Neither state nor federal law enforcement, subpoenas, or empaneled grand juries could turn a single Skidmorite into state's witness. Not even FBI agents — swarming like the plague of locusts the preachers give wrath-of-God sermons about at the two churches in this “buckle of the Bible Belt” town — could get a word out of them. But these stories aren't about Ken Rex. Or the witnesses. Or the shooters. These stories are the tip of the iceberg of something stranger, more nihilistic, and deeply existential — something echoing through the generations into something primordial, something karmic — something just as visceral as the rifle round penetrating Ken Rex's brain that July day in 1981... https://medium.com/chameleon/a-history-of-violence-the-little-covered-around-skidmore-2c8b12589c63 Help the podcast run! Make a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=WLPEMHK7SH43Y https://www.patreon.com/realmonsters https://www.buymeacoff.ee/realmonster http://www.cash.app/$RMPodcast https://www.givebutter.com/realmonsters #crime #truecrimepodcast #history #justice --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message

Five mail bomb packages delivered to five different recipients who did not know each other. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/realmonsters/message