True Crime Campfire

When we last left you, former Amishman Eli Stutzman was having a little trouble with the law. He’d abandoned the Amish lifestyle after the suspicious death of his wife and was currently going on a tour of the US, sleeping with any man with a pulse. His son, Danny, was starting to show signs of severe abuse, but no one in his life stepped forward to report it. Finally, Eli’s roommate/employee was found murdered in a ditch in Texas. Join us now for the conclusion of this chilling true story. Sources: Gregg Olsen, Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, and Amish Secrets https://amishamerica.com/do-amish-believe-taking-a-photo-captures-their-souls/ https://www.ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/photography-and-the-amish https://www.ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/the-traditional-amish-youth-period-of-rumspringa https://language.mki.wisc.edu/essays/pennsylvania-dutch/#:~:text=While%20most%20Amish%20and%20Old,Lutheran%20or%20German%20Reformed%20affiliation. Investigation Discovery's "Murder in Amish Country," episode "Amish Serial Killer" Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

The thing about serial killers is that it seems so obvious to us after the fact, right? Their behavior is so outrageous and so antisocial that we’re always left wondering why no one noticed. Eli Stutzman’s strange behavior was written off by everyone that knew him. He was quiet and odd, but being raised Amish, who could blame him? To the Amish, his time spent with the Englisch gave him some strange habits. No one really blinked when he stabbed himself in order to get himself out of a sticky situation. No one wondered about why he lied constantly. And perhaps if they did, Eli’s son and at least 4 other people would still be alive. This is part 2 of Left Where God Could Find Him: Amish Serial Killer Eli Stutzman. Heads up that there is some discussion of child abuse and child sexual abuse in this episode. We do not go into deep detail. Sources: Gregg Olsen, Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, and Amish Secrets https://amishamerica.com/do-amish-believe-taking-a-photo-captures-their-souls/ https://www.ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/photography-and-the-amish https://www.ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/the-traditional-amish-youth-period-of-rumspringa https://language.mki.wisc.edu/essays/pennsylvania-dutch/#:~:text=While%20most%20Amish%20and%20Old,Lutheran%20or%20German%20Reformed%20affiliation. Investigation Discovery's "Murder in Amish Country," episode "Amish Serial Killer" Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

Comedian Simon Amstell said, “If you are somebody who is going to at some point be revealed as not like everyone else, then to be in an insular community is a problem.” Here Amstell was discussing how it felt growing up gay and going to a religious school. Insular religious communities shut themselves off from the world in order to keep their views unchanged by the outside. It’s extremely effective. The Amish are one such community. Most of their followers aren’t allowed to use electricity or have indoor plumbing. They view modern conveniences as threatening to their religious beliefs, which are at the center of their lives. Today’s case is about an Amish man who never quite fit in with his brethren. His sexuality, his disposition, and his work ethic all flew in the face of what his community believed. And maybe that’s why he fought so hard to prevent anyone from finding out who he really was, even resorting to murder. NOTE: We had some microphone issues on Katie's end this week--we apologize if the sound isn't as good as usual. Sources: Gregg Olsen, Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, and Amish Secrets https://amishamerica.com/do-amish-believe-taking-a-photo-captures-their-souls/ https://www.ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/photography-and-the-amish https://www.ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/the-traditional-amish-youth-period-of-rumspringa https://language.mki.wisc.edu/essays/pennsylvania-dutch/#:~:text=While%20most%20Amish%20and%20Old,Lutheran%20or%20German%20Reformed%20affiliation. Investigation Discovery's "Murder in Amish Country," episode "Amish Serial Killer" Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

Last week, we did our first-ever live show on the Crimewave true crime cruise! We covered three cases, a sort of "sampler platter" to give new listeners an idea of what kind of stories we usually tell on TCC. Case 1 is the bizarre story of a parody website that ended up bringing dozens of would-be killers to justice. Case 2 is the murder of chef Dan Brophy by his mystery-novelist wife. Case 3 is the true story of Stede Bonnet, bumbling pirate wannabe and possible boyfriend of the dread pirate Blackbeard. Thank you so much to IRL Events for the opportunity to perform live--it was a blast! Thanks too to Royal Caribbean for hosting us all. Note: There were some visual aids that went along with these cases, so sometimes you'll hear the crowd laughing at those. Patreon supporters will also have access to the half-hour Q and A session we hosted after the live show. Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

We tell a lot of wild stories about crimes that happened right here in the States—but it’s worth noting that our cousins across the pond are misbehaving just as badly. Y’know, same crimes, different accent. Today we’ve chosen two cases that each mirror so many of the ones we’ve covered from here: A woman consumed by her toxic obsession for the man she wanted to marry, and a man more interested in playing soldier and spy than he was in building himself a real life. Case 1: Jane Andrews, the murder of Thomas Cressman. Case 2, fantasist Michael Newitt. Sources: Channel 5's "Countdown to Murder," episode "The Duchess, the Killer and Her Lover" The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/21/royal-aide-jane-andrews-prison-release-murder Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14403185/Sarah-Ferguson-killer-aide-Jane-Andrews-sick-animals.html Murderpedia, Jane Andrews (various articles) https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The%2Bspy%2Bwho%2Bfooled%2Bme%3B%2BFAKE%2BMI5%2BAGENT%27S%2BEX-LOVE%2BTELLS%2BOF%2BLIES%2BTHAT...-a0188988173 https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/oct/31/ukcrime-jamesbond https://www.hinckleytimes.net/news/local-news/bond-style-secret-agent-fantasist-jailed-6036157 https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/fantasist-fooled-police-into-believing-he-was-spy-5sd29jd8wpr https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/two-years-in-jail-for-fantasy-james-bond-kqmsrwj8h0t https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21284267.fraudsters-james-bond-lifestyle-exposed/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3330805/Bankrupt-posed-as-James-Bond-style-secret-agent-for-two-years.html?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

It’s hardly a revelation that physical attraction can cloud judgment. It’s one of the oldest traps in human nature—that spark of chemistry that overrides caution, turning common sense into background noise. For most people, the fallout is little more than a red face or a broken heart. But every so often, that same impulse leads someone much farther—into danger. Because behind the charm, the warmth, and the allure, there are those who hide something far darker: a heart devoid of empathy, and intentions that are anything but loving. When desire blinds you to the truth, the price can be more than heartbreak — it can be fatal. Sources: I'll Take Care of You by Caitlin Rother ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/convicted-killers-millionaires-love-triangle-murder-case-maintain/story?id=80014616 OC Register: https://www.ocregister.com/2012/05/18/girlfriend-gets-life-in-millionaires-murder-2/ https://www.ocregister.com/2012/01/11/an-ex-tells-of-a-yes-yes-nanette/ Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

In part one of this story last week, we learned about Utah millionaire Franklin Bradshaw, who over the years had gained both a stupendous fortune and a strained relationship with some of his family—in particular with his youngest and wildest daughter, Frances. Frances had for years been pressuring and manipulating her mom, Berenice, to steer some of the family fortune her way, and whenever Frank got in the way of that, Frances would be furious. At the end of last week’s episode, we met Frances’s own young family, two boys, Marc and Larry, that she was strangely insistent on keeping apart. Marc was the favored son, allowed to stay at home. Frances told him his brother Larry had been sent to a mental institution, but he was in fact just staying with relatives. This was a family of strange pressures and manipulations that would ultimately lead to Franklin Bradshaw being shot dead. This is part two of “The Price of Love: The Murder of Franklin Bradshaw.” Sources: Shana Alexander, “Nutcracker. Money, Madness, Murder: A Family Album” Investigation Discovery's A Crime to Remember, S5E8, “Mother’s Little Helper” Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

All the money in the world can’t buy peace of mind. Family life, with its jealousies and rivalries, carries the same pressures no matter the size of the bank account—but when wealth is measured in millions, those pressures can twist into something far darker. Arguments over favoritism, inheritance, and control—the kind of disputes most families recognize in small ways—become battles with stakes that can determine the course of lives. And when greed collides with resentment, and morality is already thin on the ground, the results can be catastrophic. This week’s story is about what happens when the bonds of family are tested not by love, but by money. Sources: Shana Alexander, “Nutcracker. Money, Madness, Murder: A Family Album” Investigation Discovery's A Crime to Remember, S5E8, “Mother’s Little Helper” Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

The Buddha said, "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense." Ignore that advice, and you might find that you're clouding your vision--that instead of seeing what's really in front of you, you're filtering everything so it fits in with your beliefs. An unwavering, unquestioned belief in anything--a philosophy, an institution, or a person--can lend us strength sometimes, but it can also make us vulnerable. And there are plenty of people out there just waiting to exploit that vulnerability. This story is about two of them, each with a very different MO, and the havoc they wreaked in the lives of the people around them. Sources The German newspaper BZ (translated from German to English): Blackmail Sect: Now Former Members Speak Out by Romeo Regenass, Nov. 12, 2008 Documentary "Seduced and Blackmailed" by Aldo Gugolz and Romeo Regenass Time: https://time.com/archive/6945942/the-swiss-gigolo-and-the-german-billionaire/ NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna29594154 The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/09/bmw-blackmailer-jailed Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/5051613/Religious-leader-denies-blackmailing-woman-in-Swiss-gigolo-case.html Forbes:https://www.forbes.com/2009/03/09/scarbi-klatten-bmw-markets-faces-celebrity-blackmail.html The Standard: https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/gigolo-who-seduced-bmw-heiress-boasted-he-read-women-like-a-map-6824827.html Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

We deal with a lot of real-life horror stories, and because it’s real life, they’re often chaotic and cruel. Justice might ultimately be served, but more often than not, the victims are already cold in the ground. If someone is dead-set on killing you, there’s a very good chance they’ll succeed. In the most satisfying fictional horror stories, of course, there’s a survivor, someone who faces the monster or killer and lives to tell the tale, someone who finds deep wells of courage and resilience inside themself and defeats the horrors the world throws at them. And these stories are not only limited to fiction. Sources: Investigation Discovery's Surviving Evil, S3E7, “The Bathtub Killer” A&E's Cold Case Files, S4E24, “Déjà Vu/Secret in the Well” People: https://people.com/bathtub-killer-dateline-nbc-murders-texas-8659842 Court papers: https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/591471c6add7b04934373412 https://multco.us/news/susan-walters-who-fended-hitman-provides-guidance-multnomah-county-crime-victims-portal Willamette Week: https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/08/17/a-hit-man-came-to-kill-susan-kuhnhausen-she-survived-he-didnt/ Investigation Discovery's Nothing Personal: Murder for Hire, "This Man Brainwashed His Friend into Killing His Pregnant Wife" Oregon Live: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2014/06/portlander_who_hired_hitman_to.html The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

If there’s one constant in the kind of people we cover, it’s this—they’re liars. Con artists trying to scam their way into money, murderers denying their crimes, spouses with secret affairs, liars, all of them. This week’s case is about a man who checks all three of those boxes, a man who learned that, if he didn’t have a conscience, deceit could make him more money that hard work ever did. Once he’d learned that lesson, nothing was going to stop him from lying his way to more and more wealth. Certainly not the continued health and well-being of his wife. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets are on sale now: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2014/11/man_infamous_for_killing_wife.html https://www.cetient.com/case/people-v-davis-1751715 https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-um-2a/75455510/ Bonnie's Blog of Crime: https://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/psycho-for-love-david-davis-killed-his-new-wife-shannon-mohr-for-the-insurance-money/ "Unsolved Mysteries" Wiki: https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/David_Davis A&E's "American Justice," episode "The Shannon Mohr Story" Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

Most of us grew up loving superhero stories. My favorite was always the X-Men. I liked the idea of these people who were born with mutations that initially made them targets of bigotry or fear, then harnessing those differences to do good in the world. I’ve always been a big believer in “give what you’ve got”—if you have a special gift or talent, use it to make the world better. But here’s the thing: Most of us recognize that superheroes are a metaphor for this idea. You’re not supposed to literally dress up in a cape and tights and go around town looking for muggers to fight off, or create a mysterious fake identity to rally people toward a nebulous cause. Evidently, though, some folks never got the memo on that. We’re gonna tell you about a couple of them. Sources: Phoenix New Times: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/penis-man-graffiti-returns-to-phoenix-after-yearslong-absence-15573929 https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/penis-man-grafitti-tagger-sentenced-and-fined-in-tempe-11533751 https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/penis-man-graffiti-tempe-arizona-vandalism-culture-neighborhood-11421292 Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7943525/Penis-Man-tagger-reveals-just-one-vandals-using-slogan-Arizona.html YouTuber Gavin Wants Pizza Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/seattle-superhero-phoenix-jones-charged-after-undercover-drug-bust/ The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/12/the-superhero-complex-masked-man-real-life-inspired-podcast-phoenix-jones Real Life Superheroes Wiki, Phoenix Jones: https://wiki.rlsh.net/wiki/Phoenix_Jones YouTuber Interesting Stuff From Around the World YouTuber Atrocity Guide https://youtu.be/HWo9OchEdg4?si=onwsCoGnBIpAqRg6 https://wiki.rlsh.net/wiki/Rex_Velvet https://komonews.com/news/local/12-year-old-secret-agent-helps-foil-local-villain Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

Cell phones are amazing, aren’t they? You have a little magic box in your pocket that you can look at and use to call halfway across the world. New parents can send photos of their babies to their loved ones that live hours away, best friends can start a podcast even though they don’t live in the same state, and soulmates can meet, even from entirely different countries. Of course, we can’t have good things without someone using it for evil. Some people use phones as a means of harassment, of control. In today’s case, a stalker uses their phone as a weapon of mass destruction in order to try to get the attention of one man. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets are on sale now: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: Stalker, episode The Phonebox Stalker https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/prosecutor-terrified-of-stalker-after-rape-allegations-dropped-kx55hnh279p https://www.lccsa.org.uk/doctors-stalker-had-record-of-lies-and-false-allegations/ https://www.thefreelibrary.com/THE+SHE+DEVIL%3B+She+stalked+a+leading+psychiatrist+and+his+fiancee...-a0158019869 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-399250/My-terrifying-ordeal-victim-fiendishly-clever-stalker.html https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/1136377.text-terror-stalker-is-jailed-for-nine-years/ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/sep/01/u-be-dead-david-morrissey https://crimeline.co.uk/uploads/cases/sentencing/2008ewcacrim389.pdf https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL19421172/ Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

Home is the one place in the world that’s ours and ours alone. It’s the place we’re meant to feel completely safe and comfortable. The warm, beating heart of our lives. So when that sacred space is violated, where does that leave us? Can we ever really feel safe again? This is the story of one of the strangest home invasions ever investigated, and the aftermath that left two innocent people’s lives changed forever. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--there are only a handful of rooms left! CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: Court papers, People v Schmuhl: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/circuit/sites/circuit/files/assets/documents/pdf/opinions/cl-2021-2333-schmuhl-v-clarke-va-doc.pdf Court papers, Schmuhl v Clarke: https://law.justia.com/cases/virginia/supreme-court/2023/211114.html The Washingtonian, Jason Fagone: https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/10/02/schmuhl-home-invasion-torture-session-one-lawyer-nearly-killing-another-washington-suburb-mclean/ True Crime News (formerly Crime Watch Daily): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zTO-3TE_Q NBC Washington: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/ex-lawyer-sentenced-to-45-years-in-home-invasion-torture-attack-of-former-boss-his-wife/18765/ Investigation Discovery's: James Patterson's Murder Is Forever, episode "Home Sweet Murder" Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

No is a powerful word. It can stop a naughty dog in its tracks, it can get you out of a night out with friends when you just want to rot in your bed, and most of all, it’s supposed to mean something when you don’t want anything to do with someone romantically. Unfortunately for society, some people can’t handle being told no. It fills them with unfounded rage because how dare anyone deny them something they want. Today, we’re discussing a case where someone handled rejection so pathetically that it resulted in the murder of 4 people and left a mark on three communities that would last a lifetime. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets on sale now: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: YouTube channel "Explore With Us" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQTJ48TYnzY Investigation Discovery's "Web of Lies," episode "Farmville Horror" https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2009/09/28/singer-slayings-off-limits-to/51852160007/ https://lbhfs.proboards.com/thread/3255/strictly-wicked-2009-festival https://genius.com/Syko-sam-the-voices-lyrics https://www.discogs.com/release/8618519-Serial-Killin-Records-Strictly-for-the-Wicked-2009-The-DVD?srsltid=AfmBOoo_o8xxi3EHZ7zsY8LT1e1i3gfXjAkyh3yjjvZLVtttOGKEDkok https://genius.com/Razakel-watch-out-lyrics https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/horrorcore-syko-sam/ https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2019/june/your-nose-knows-when-it-comes-to-stronger-memories.html Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

Mark Twain, always a good man for a quote, said about getting old: “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” There is generally a broad unspoken societal agreement over what the elderly are supposed to be like, the shape their lives are supposed to have. There are always people who don’t fit into this preconception, of course, I’m sure plenty of you have encountered some weird and wild senior citizens—but probably not as wild as the people in this week’s story., who turned their lives into their own personal mash-up of “Grumpy Old Men” and “Oceans 11.” Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets on sale now, and there's a limited number left: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: Sexy Beasts by Wensley Clarkson Cosmopolitan: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a60809952/hatton-garden-heist/ BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-35126667 The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jan/23/one-last-job-inside-story-of-the-hatton-garden-heist Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

There’s an old saying that if you hear hoofbeats, you should think horses, not zebras. It means that in most situations, the simplest, most likely explanation is probably the right one. But you know we deal in “stranger than fiction” here, folks, and sometimes you turn around expecting horses and you get a stampeding herd of zebras instead. Things are not always what they seem at first glance. And today, we’ll tell you two stories where digging down below the surface pulled investigators through the looking glass, and into the strangest cases they’d ever seen. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets go on sale February 7: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Source: https://fox11online.com/news/local/man-accused-of-faking-his-own-death-to-face-another-status-conference-ryan-borgwardt-green-lake-county-kayak-europe-charges-obstruction-restitution-search-missing https://www.wmtv15news.com/2025/06/04/another-status-conference-scheduled-wisconsin-man-accused-faking-his-death/ https://www.milwaukeemag.com/what-happened-to-the-kayaker-who-faked-his-drowning-in-green-lake/ https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2024/11/21/ryan-borgwardt--wisconsin-kayaker--fake-death Investigation Discovery's "Forensic Files" episode "Grave Danger" NBC's "Dateline," episode "Bodies of Evidence" https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-burned-alive-no-limbs-33703446 Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

There’s a saying that goes, “All regulations are written in blood.” And it’s true. If given the opportunity, companies will cut corners and find loopholes to make their jobs easier or cheaper or skirt some kind of oversight. And when it all goes wrong, when there’s blood on their hands, when there’s a dozen microphones in their face, the people in charge always look contrite. And that’s infuriating, isn’t it? The mundanity of that kind of evil. They wanted to save a couple of bucks and now people are dead and hurt and they’re sorry. Today, we’re talking about two cases where hundreds of people lost their lives because some bigwig at the top didn’t like the idea of spending a little more money. These stories will make your blood boil! Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets go on sale February 7: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErzjQIGit_0 https://bostonfirehistory.org/the-story-of-the-cocoanut-grove-fire/ http://ampoleagle.com/polish-kid-endures-years-of-fire-falsities-p16302-152.htm https://mgriblog.org/2022/11/28/how-the-cocoanut-grove-fire-changed-burn-care-at-mass-general-and-beyond/ https://www.deseret.com/utah/2024/11/28/deseret-news-archives-coconut-grove-nightclub-fire-resulted-in-492-deaths/ https://insights.taylorduma.com/post/102k197/how-bostons-coconut-grove-fire-changed-the-law#:~:text=On%20that%20night%20492%20lives,broken%20bones%20to%20pulmonary%20edema. https://www.jlconline.com/projects/remodeling-historic-preservation/the-cocoanut-grove-fire-lessons-learned_o https://storyfunding.kakao.com/episode/611 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22079499/ https://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/thesis/failures/MKP/failures/failures.wikispaces.com/Sampoong_Department_Store.html http://koreaherald.com/article/3188019 https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/27/seoul-sampoong-department-store-disaster-history-cities-50-buildings Collapse: When Buildings Fall Down by Phillip Wearne https://www.britannica.com/event/Sampoong-Department-Store-collapse https://sandyriverreview.com/2025/04/11/the-sampoong-mall-collapse-how-greed-led-to-south-koreas-largest-peacetime-disaster/ Disastrous History on TikTok https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2003/10/06/economy/Lee-Joon-81-convicted-in-Sampoong-deaths/2040664.html Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

In last week’s episode, we learned about the troubled early life of Earle Nelson, and witnessed his first steps towards becoming one of the most prolific serial killers in North American history. This week, his journey of mayhem across America really kicks into high gear. Join us for part 2 of this terrifying true story. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets go on sale February 7: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: Bestial by Harold Schechter The Laughing Gorilla by Robert Graysmith Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

If you think about the 1920s in the United States, a few things might come to mind—jazz, prohibition, Babe Ruth, and, right at the end, the Wall Street Crash. And if you think of crime, you probably think of Al Capone, bootlegging, and fast-talking wise guys with Tommy guns. But the 1920s were also in some ways the nation’s introduction to crimes that could shock and horrify the entire country. Leopold and Loeb’s thrill killing, the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the utter horror of child-killer and cannibal Albert Fish. And possibly the most prolific killer of the decade was a man whose strange desires sent him on a trail of murder all across a continent. Join Katie and Whitney, plus the hosts of Last Podcast on the Left, Sinisterhood, and Scared to Death, on the very first CRIMEWAVE true crime cruise! Get your fan code now--tickets go on sale February 7: CrimeWaveatSea.com/CAMPFIRE Sources: Bestial by Harold Schechter The Laughing Gorilla by Robert Graysmith Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/ Facebook: True Crime Campfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en Twitter: @TCCampfire https://twitter.com/TCCampfire Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.