A true crime podcast that recalls the brutal slaying of BETTY ANN SULLIVAN on a snowy night in January of 1988, a night that, more than 30 years later, the small town of Jefferson Township, New Jersey has yet to fully recover from. The violence of that evening shocked the nation for the perpetrator... was her own son, a boy of fourteen who would take his own life only hours later. What the investigation revealed left a community in tatters, unwilling to believe the evil that had befallen them.
The Devil Within is a meticulously researched and professionally produced podcast that delves into the intriguing story of a murder-suicide in West Milford. As someone who grew up in the area, I found this podcast to be a particularly well-told account of the events surrounding the crime. The deep dive into local history was a fascinating aspect of the podcast that added depth and context to the story. The host did an excellent job of presenting various theories, including paranormal explanations, in a relevant and thoughtful manner. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed each episode and felt that it brought me closer to home.
One of the best aspects of The Devil Within is its ability to stick with you long after you finish listening. The tragic nature of the story and the lingering questions about the murder create a sense of intrigue that stays with you. The podcast also does a great job of incorporating the paranormal aspects of the case, adding an extra layer of mystery to the story. I particularly appreciated how well-researched and well-produced each episode was, making for a compelling listen.
While there were many positive aspects to this podcast, some reviewers have criticized it for its speculative nature and inclusion of paranormal explanations. However, I believe that these elements are entirely relevant given the circumstances surrounding the crime. It is important to remember that this is true crime storytelling, not just investigative reporting. With real-life occurrences like this, there are often unknown details that are open to interpretation. It is refreshing to hear alternative viewpoints and explore different perspectives on what happened.
In conclusion, The Devil Within is an engaging and thought-provoking podcast that offers a unique perspective on a true crime story. Despite some negative reviews criticizing its speculative nature, I believe that this podcast successfully presents multiple viewpoints while maintaining an intriguing narrative throughout each episode. From its meticulous research to its professional production quality, this podcast stands out as one of my favorites in the true crime genre. Whether or not you're a fan of paranormal aspects or speculative theories, I highly recommend giving The Devil Within a chance. It may just leave you captivated and wanting more.
THE DEVIL WITHIN — The Wrong Road (Part One) Five young men leave a college basketball game on February 24, 1978—excited for the Special Olympics tournament waiting the next morning. They should have been home within hours. Instead, they drive into the Sierra Nevada foothills… and the road begins to climb. In Part One, we follow the Yuba County Five—Gary Mathias, Bill Sterling, Ted Weiher, Jack Huett, and Jack Madruga—as the night quietly turns hostile. A familiar drive becomes unfamiliar territory. A dependable car becomes a stranded shelter. And the most unsettling part isn't what happened to them… …it's what they did next. The Mercury Montego wasn't wrecked. It wasn't empty. It could have kept them alive. But they abandoned it—walking uphill into the darkness, away from help, into a forest that swallowed logic and sound. This isn't the story of a killer hiding in the trees. It's a story about panic, cold, and how winter can turn the human mind against itself. Part Two is coming next—deep in the forest, where the real questions begin.
The Devil's Ledger — January 12, 2026 The Dead Time of WinterWelcome back to The Devil's Ledger — and to the cold dead heart of winter. For the next six weeks, the world slows down, the nights stretch longer, and the quiet gets louder. Stay alert, stay calm… and stay inside. This week, on The Devil Within, we launch a two-part series on one of the most haunting disappearances in American true crime: The Yuba County Five. Five young men leave a basketball game in 1978 and take the wrong road into the mountains. Their car is found abandoned — functional, not wrecked, and capable of sheltering them — but they left it behind and walked uphill into the snow. No killer. No chase. Just winter, fear, and the terrible power of confusion. On The Ides of April, we conclude The Quiet Death of an Empire with Part Two of the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II, and examine the enduring controversy that Anastasia may have survived the bloodbath. This week on Criminal Mischief, Carolyn delivers an update on the so-called Torso Killer case from New York and New Jersey in the 1970s — including a new jailhouse confession and an exclusive interview with Dr. Peter Vronsky, the author and expert who literally wrote the book on the Golden Age of serial killers. The boys from Taboo Treasures are still on winter break, but they'll be back soon. In This Week in Horror, we recommend We Bury the Dead — a chilling zombie film where a military mistake sparks catastrophe… and the cover-up doesn't go as planned. And don't miss our new daily show on the network: Finding Me with Josh Wolf — honest, hilarious, and quickly becoming a must-listen. See you this week across the Evio universe.
⭐️ EPISODE 2 SHOW NOTES The Kelly–Hopkinsville Goblins, Part Two: What We Brought Into the Dark Daylight was supposed to explain everything. Instead, the sheriff found shattered glass, bullet-scarred walls, shaken witnesses — and almost no evidence that anything had ever been there. As investigators, skeptics, neighbors, and UFO hunters descended on the Sutton farm, a new explanation crept into the story: meteor trails… unusual bird behavior… and the unsettling truth about how fear spreads through a room like wildfire. In Part Two, we walk the property again — slowly, carefully — and ask the question no one really wants to face: What if the attack came not from the sky… …but from inside the human mind? Because if the monsters weren't real — then something far more disturbing was. Stay through the closing thought. This one lingers.
The Kelly–Hopkinsville Goblins, Part One: The Things at the Window On a sweltering Kentucky night in 1955, a family on a rural farm claimed they were surrounded by small, shining “beings” that moved through the yard, climbed onto the roof, and pressed their faces against the windows. They fired round after round into the dark. And nothing — and no one — fell. This isn't really a story about “goblins.” It's about fear, perception, and the split second when reality stops behaving the way we expect it to. In Part One, we step inside that farmhouse and live the night as they did: the lights in the sky, the barking dogs, the guns, and the single moment that turned unease into terror — the face at the window. Because sometimes, the real monster isn't outside the house. It's what the human mind creates when darkness refuses to explain itself. Listen to the end — the cliffhanger will pull you straight into Part Two. And remember: The dark doesn't have to be empty… for it to be terrifying.
THE IDES OF APRIL Episode One: The End of the Romanovs — Power, Abdication, and Inevitability In this first episode, we trace how the fall of the Romanov dynasty began long before gunfire echoed in a basement. From battlefield catastrophe to political collapse, this is the story of how abdication ended authority—but not danger. CHAPTERS Chapter One — The Abdication The Russian Empire collapses under the weight of war, famine, and failed leadership. Nicholas II abdicates the throne in 1917, believing surrendering power will save his family and stabilize the nation. Instead, it seals his fate. Chapter Two — Five Children and a Dynasty Behind the crown stood a family: five children, a sickly heir, and a court defined by secrecy and ritual. Fabergé Easter eggs become symbols of continuity, illusion, and imperial fragility as the Romanovs slip from rulers to prisoners. Chapter Three — Why the Bolsheviks Could Not Let Him Live As civil war erupts, the Bolsheviks confront a brutal reality: Nicholas no longer rules—but he still represents. Alive, he remains a rallying point, a bargaining chip, and a threat. The decision is not vengeance—it is preemption. Abdication ends power. It does not end meaning. And revolutions cannot tolerate symbols that still breathe.
The Devil's Ledger — January 5, 2026 Happy New Year — and welcome back. We're kicking off 2026 with a chilling slate across the Evio universe. We start with The Creepiest Thing I Heard This Week — a winter nightmare from Japan about the Yuki-onna, the mysterious “snow woman” who appears during blizzards… and quietly breathes the warmth out of anyone who helps her. Then, on The Devil Within, we open a two-part investigation into the 1955 Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter — the farmhouse siege that helped shape modern alien mythology. Over on The Ides of April, we begin our deep dive into the fall of Tsar Nicholas II and the brutal end of the Romanov dynasty. History turns fast — and it doesn't look back. The guys from Taboo Treasures are still shaking off the holidays — they'll be back next week with something wild. This week on Criminal Mischief, we examine the disappearance of Anna Walshe — a mother of three whose New Year's Day “work emergency” unraveled into something far darker. A true can't-miss. And in This Week in Horror, we're talking PRIMATE — the pet-turned-predator creature feature that feels like CUJO's unhinged cousin.
On a quiet winter afternoon in Bogota, New Jersey, Patricia “Patty” Viola stepped out of her home and vanished. No forced entry. No sign of struggle. Nothing left behind but silence — until years later, when the river returned part of her story. This isn't a case about villains lurking in the shadows. It's about the invisible weight people carry, the questions that haunt families, and the quiet breaking points we almost never see coming. Sometimes, the devil within isn't outside the door. It's inside us. In this episode, we revisit Patricia's final known moments, the search that stretched on for years, the discovery that reopened old wounds, and the deeper truth hiding beneath the surface — grief, mental health, and the human need for answers that may never fully arrive. This is not sensational. It's human — and that may be the hardest part. ❗ If you or someone you love is struggling Please reach out. In the U.S., dial or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You're not alone. LISTEN NEXT If you connected with this episode, you may also appreciate: • The Ley Lines of New Jersey • The Holiday Horror Series • The Legend of the Yeti
The Devil Within The Woodchipper and the New Year: The Murder of Helle Crafts In the final days of 1986, while the world was preparing resolutions and fresh starts, one woman quietly vanished from her Connecticut home — and her disappearance would force American justice to confront an impossible question: Can you prove a murder when there is no body? This episode follows the chilling, meticulously documented case of Helle Crafts — a Danish flight attendant, mother of three, and woman who clearly saw danger coming… and tried to warn the people around her. What investigators would eventually uncover — a missing freezer, strange purchases, the shoreline of a frozen lake, and fragments almost too small to comprehend — changed forensic history, legal precedent, and the way investigators think about “no-body” homicides forever. HELLE CRAFTS This isn't a story about spectacle. It's a story about erasure — and the relentless people who refused to let that erasure hold. ⭐ RATE & REVIEW Ratings and reviews genuinely help independent shows grow. If you have a moment, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more than you think, and yes, we read them.
The Devil's Ledger — Year's End Episode Standing at the doorway between what was… and whatever comes next. We close out the year with a New Year's wish, a reflection on winter, and a few stories that feel colder the longer you sit with them.
THE DEVIL WITHIN — CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Episode Two: Merry Christmas, You're Barely Holding It Together Christmas movies aren't comforting because they're gentle. They're comforting because they tell the truth—quietly, sideways, and usually with jokes.
THE IDES OF APRIL A Christmas Assassination: The Death of Rasputin Christmas 1916. Russia is starving. The First World War is grinding the empire into dust. Faith, monarchy, and legitimacy are collapsing in real time. And inside a candlelit palace, a small group of aristocrats convinces itself that killing one man might still save the nation. In this stand-alone holiday episode of The Ides of April, we examine the assassination of Grigori Rasputin—a murder born of fear, myth, and desperation, carried out just days before Christmas, and destined to change nothing.
Blood on the Bluegrass, Part Two (Chapters 4–6) Episode Title: Blood on the Bluegrass — Part Two In the conclusion of this two-part series, fantasy collapses into murder, the manhunt and trial reshape the lives of everyone involved, and the lingering aftermath reveals the true cost of a story believed too deeply. CHAPTERS Chapter Four — “The Double Murder Inside the Wendorf Home” Rod steps into a quiet Florida home and commits an act of violence that shatters two families and destroys the world his followers thought they understood. Chapter Five — “The Vampire on Trial” The justice system confronts Rod's mythmaking as prosecutors dismantle the Vesago persona and seek the harshest penalty allowed. Chapter Six — “The Appeal of the Damned” From death row to life without parole, Rod's myth erodes under the weight of time as the surviving clan members search for lives beyond the story that defined their youth.
Blood on the Bluegrass Part One (Chapters 1–3) Episode Title: Blood on the Bluegrass — Part One We begin the story of Rod Ferrell and the so-called Vampire Clan by exploring the myth he built, the vulnerable teenagers he pulled into it, and the road trip that carried them from fantasy into imminent tragedy. CHAPTERS Chapter One — “The Vampire of Murray, Kentucky” A lonely teenager crafts an identity powerful enough to mask his wounds and attract followers who see him as something larger than life. Chapter Two — “The Lost and the Searching” Rod gathers a circle of fragile, impressionable teens who mistake his certainty for purpose and mistake his mythology for truth. Chapter Three — “Crossing the Threshold” The clan leaves Kentucky for Florida on what they believe is a rescue mission, unaware that they are driving toward irrevocable violence.
The Devil's Ledger — Week of December 15 Welcome back—and happy holidays. It's that special time of year filled with forced cheer, soft lighting, and quietly wondering whether leftovers have crossed from festive into forensic. Whether you're decking halls, dodging relatives, or just surviving December, we're glad you're here. This week's Ledger is packed with folklore, fanaticism, lost idealism, and a reminder that some remakes exist solely to make us feel ancient.
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER Week of December 8th Welcome back to The Devil's Ledger — and happy holidays! This week we're unwrapping a lineup that's equal parts chilling, mysterious, and deeply fascinating.
PART ONE The Assassination of President James A. Garfield (Part One) The Scholar and the Madman — Chapters 1–3 In Part One of our two-episode event, we enter the final summer of the 19th century and watch the American Republic stand on the edge of transformation. President James Abram Garfield, a reluctant leader with a brilliant mind, rises from obscurity to the highest office in the nation. But as he steps into a presidency full of promise, another man —Charles Julius Guiteau, failed preacher, failed lawyer, failed everything—begins interpreting his own delusions as divine instruction. This episode explores: • Garfield's improbable rise from canal boat laborer to scholar, general, and president • The vicious fracture inside the Republican Party between the Stalwarts and Half-Breeds • The spoils system that corrupted Washington and set the stage for tragedy • Guiteau's descent into delusion, religious mania, and political obsession • The 36-ballot convention meltdown that accidentally created a president • Whitman and Longfellow's poems that echo the spiritual tension of the era • The slow collision of two men whose fates were already entwined Part One ends on the morning of July 2nd, 1881 inside the Baltimore & Potomac Station—where history will soon change direction in an instant. ➡ Part Two continues with the seventy-nine-day national vigil, the medical disaster, and thetrial of the assassin who believed God had chosen him. If this story moved you, please follow, rate, and review The Ides of April. Your support brings the next historical saga into the world. Explore more shows from the Evio Creative Network — The Devil Within, Taboo Treasures, Criminal Mischief, and The Devil's Ledger — at eviocreative.com. Follow us on Instagram: @idesofaprilpod, @thedevilwithinpod, @taboo_treasures, and @eviocreative. SPONSORS: OLLIE — Human-grade dog food delivered to your door
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER — Week of November 17th Featuring: The Creepiest Thing I Heard This Week — “The Empty Place Setting” Welcome back to The Devil's Ledger, your weekly tour through everything happening across the Evio Creative Network. With Thanksgiving around the corner, we begin—as always—with The Creepiest Thing I Heard This Week. This time, we're telling a story pulled straight from Midwestern legend: The Empty Place Setting — a Thanksgiving tradition kept alive by a family haunted by loss, ritual, and three slow knocks that return every year without fail. From there, we travel across the Evio network for a packed week of new episodes, deep dives, historical reckonings, and true-crime investigations.
⛪ Blood and Papal Gold – Part One Presented by the Evio Creative Podcast Network Before the Vatican was marble and gold… before the Church had armies and crowns… there was Rome — a ruin with a heartbeat. In this first half of The Keys of Blood: The Assassination of Pope John VIII, we enter the smoke and silence of the ninth century — a time when popes ruled by letter instead of sword, when faith was a fragile currency, and when the empire that once conquered the world had been reduced to a city clinging to its own memory. ⚜️ Episode I: The Broken Empire Europe is in fragments. Charlemagne's heirs bicker over borders while Viking and Saracen raiders carve the continent apart. Into this chaos steps Pope John VIII, a scholar forced into kingship. His Rome is a relic surrounded by wolves, and his only weapon is diplomacy — or what's left of it. But when he dares to pay tribute to Saracen pirates to spare the city, his mercy is mistaken for weakness, and whispers of betrayal begin to echo through the marble halls of the Lateran. ⚓ Episode II: The Pope and the Pirates As the raiders tighten their grip, John is forced to choose between faith and survival. His decision to ransom Rome with gold saves lives but shatters his reputation. The Frankish kings mock him; the clergy call him coward; the nobles begin to conspire. When he crowns Charles the Bald as Holy Roman Emperor, hoping for salvation, the emperor dies within months — leaving the papacy more isolated than ever. Rome's enemies circle closer, and John's greatest fear becomes clear: the Church will not fall to pagans, but to its own believers.
Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening: REDUX (Part Two) The darkest night of the year. A chilling poem by Robert Frost. And a teenager walking into the woods of Jefferson Township, never to return the same. In this REDUX edition of The Devil Within, we return to Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening, exploring how Frost's poetry of solitude and dread became an eerie mirror for the life and death of Tommy Sullivan. With added commentary and deeper analysis, Branden Morgan traces how the winter solstice, ancient folklore, and occult historyconverged in the Pine Barrens—and how one boy's story still resonates nearly four decades later. This re-release comes in support of the MGM+ documentary series Let the Devil In, currently the #1 show on the platform, expanding the story of Season One into a chilling new visual dimension. Support & Connect • Stream Let the Devil In now, only on MGM+. • Visit http://www.quince.com/devilwithin for free shipping and 365-day returns. • Go to www.mood.com/devilwithin and use promo code DEVILWITHIN for 20% off your first order. • Follow us on Instagram: @thedevilwithinpod (https://instagram.com/thedevilwithinpod). • For press & inquiries: info@eviocreative.com. • Don't forget to rate, review, and follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts.
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