Violent Ends

For nearly a month, a picturesque cabin on northern Lake Michigan hid a ghastly secret. The bodies of wealthy ad executive Dick Robison, his wife Shirley, and their four children lay waiting for someone to find them following a brutal attack on a summer afternoon. From the moment a caretaker stumbled upon the murder scene while investigating reports of a foul odor coming from the property, nothing would ever be the same in the small town of Good Hart.

From haunted neighborhoods built atop cemeteries to sweet afterlife connections and more, our Halloween episode once again features listener stories. Violent Ends is sponsored by BetterHelp. To learn more about microdosing THC, visit microdose.com and enter code violentends for free shipping and 30% off your first order.

In 1903 Chicago, a peculiar murder unfolded on the city's south side. Despite her insistence that a burglar broke in and shot her husband in bed, authorities immediately suspected Jane Quinn, who was covered from head to toe in blood. And that was BEFORE they found out about the pile of dead bodies Jane left behind when she fled Michigan years earlier. Violent Ends is sponsored by BetterHelp.

In 1981, a 23-year-old woman was dragged kicking and screaming from her East Lansing apartment in front of an entire building full of onlookers. In 1982, a rebellious teen vanished while hitchhiking in a Detroit suburb. In 1983, almost exactly one year later, another pretty brunette teenager disappeared while hitchhiking in the same neighborhood. Three years, three murdered women, three cold cases. One would become the first case in Ingham County to use DNA as evidence. One would be solved through new advancements in DNA technology decades later. And one would be solved by a team of eagle-eyed students at Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice. But for decades, their grieving families waited for invisible strings to connect and lead to justice. To learn more about microdosing THC, visit microdose.com and enter code violentends for free shipping and 30% off your first order.

On a Monday afternoon in May of 1930, the world's first set of identical quadruplets were born in Lansing, Michigan- even though nobody knew they were coming. Instant celebrities, the Morlok quads were treated like a sideshow attraction by the community that insisted on naming them and claiming them as their own. While the girls were paraded around the country in matching dresses performing adorable song-and-dance routines as they racked up Guiness World Records, their sweet smiles hid ghastly secrets. Behind the picture of a wholesome American family was a house of horrors. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/violentends and get on your way to being your best self. To learn more about microdosing THC, visit microdose.com and enter code violentends for free shipping and 30% off your first order.

When a young boy vanished from a small Northern Michigan town, authorities believed he'd run away with the circus. As outlandish as that sounded, it was more plausible than the awful truth- that he'd fallen victim to a killer clown hiding in plain sight.

It's been 100 years since a Lansing socialite was murdered inside the brand new manor her politician husband built for her. Was she the victim of a traveling carnival run by outlaws? Targeted by an enemy of her husband's? Or was the police department's wide-reaching witch hunt an attempt to cover up something much more diabolical?

The only thing they had in common was their love of the ice. One was from the east coast, the other from the west coast. One was blonde haired and blue eyed, while the other resembled Snow White with her fair skin and dark features. One came from a loving family, while the other suffered horrors no child should have to endure. When their paths collided on the road to Olympic Gold, the result was one of the biggest scandals the world of sports has ever seen. MICRODOSE GUMMIES: For 30% off your first order and free shipping, visit microdose.com and enter promo code: violentends

Since opening its doors in 1850, The University of Michigan's School of Medicine has been one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country. But not all of its pupils perfected the art of saving lives. Some of them went on to do the exact opposite. In 1882, two men with similar names and matching handlebar mustaches entered the program. One went on to become America's first serial killer, while the other became the subject of the most infamous transatlantic manhunt in history. Both men would eventually be sent to the gallows and hanged for murder. But not before each, separately, was accused of being Jack the Ripper. Did the world's most infamous unknown serial killer get his start at Michigan's most infamous college?

On March 8, 1994, residents in 42 of Michigan's 82 counties reported seeing an unidentified flying object in the night sky. One of the best-documented UFO sightings in history, a lighted chrome aircraft with capabilities beyond any technology known to man was spotted hovering over the Great Lakes by law enforcement agencies, pilots, government officials, scientists, and hundreds of frightened civilians. To this day, no answers have been provided as to what happened that night. The crazy part? It wasn't the first well-documented alien encounter in Michigan. Do you believe? By the end of this episode, you just might.

In honor of 100 episodes, we celebrated with a live show at The Robin Theatre. Special guests included Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice, author Rod Sadler, and the co-host with the most, our old friend Dani Fairman.

What do America's original aviatrix, the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, a seductive government spy, and an unorthodox civil rights icon have in common? They were all trailblazing women from Michigan whose lives ended tragically. Their stories deserve to be remembered.

It was 35 below, the wind was howling, and the snow was waist-deep when three young men burst through the door of Hotel St. James in the remote town of Ironwood, Michigan during the early morning hours of Feb 1, 1959. They were inadequately dressed for the dangerous weather, disheveled, and visibly shaken from a near-death experience. Even still…there was something about them. They were handsome. Charming. Special, even. That much, the townsfolk knew. What they didn’t know, couldn’t have known, was that the events that unfolded on the desolate highway that separates Northern Wisconsin from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula started a chain reaction, leading to an unspeakable tragedy that rocked the world less than 48 hours later. (And yes, I said toin coss.) Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code VIOLENT to save $50 at lomi.com/VIOLENT. Read more about what foods can be used with Lomi HERE.

An episode I never fathomed I'd have to record, but I suppose was inevitable. Because when it comes to mass shootings, it's no longer a question of "if," but "when." This is what it's like when it happens at home. Donate to the Spartan Strong Fund HERE. Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code VIOLENT to save $50 at lomi.com/VIOLENT. Read more about what foods can be used with Lomi HERE.

With a blood lust so strong no prison could hold him, a Michigan man preyed on a coastal California town still reeling from the Bundy murders. And even with the world's most infamous serial killer behind bars, pretty young girls with long, brown hair parted down the middle still weren't safe. Turn your food waste into dirt with the press of a button with Lomi. Use the code VIOLENT to save $50 at lomi.com/VIOLENT. Read more about what foods can be used with Lomi HERE.

Season five begins February 7th! Listen in for a big announcement.

The Vanished is a true crime podcast that explores the stories of those who have gone missing. The Vanished goes beyond conventional news reports to take a deep dive into the story of a different missing person each week. Host Marissa Jones brings you exclusive interviews with family members, friends, law enforcement and experts on mainstream cases, as well as little known ones. Listen in to hear what The Vanished will uncover next: http://wondery.fm/thevanished.

The news was shocking. Occult obsessed cult leader Benny Evangelist, his wife, and their four young children had been murdered in their lavish Detroit home by an ax-wielding maniac. Beheaded. Dismembered. As police ran down the long list of suspects, an unfathomable possibility emerged. Was Benny himself behind the murders? The 1929 St. Aubin Street Massacre is one of Detroit’s oldest and most notorious cold cases, but it is not alone in its tragedy. In 1990, it happened again. And while the circumstances were very, very different, the end result was the same- six lives lost, and many more destroyed in a massacre on St. Aubin Street.

Listener ghost stories, including the haunting of a town with a tragic past.

As the Great Depression sunk its teeth into America, a Lansing man's fortune was on the rise- literally. Auto magnate R.E. Olds built a decadent sky scraper, the tallest building in Michigan's capital city, to house his bank. But less than a year after the Olds Tower opened its doors, blood and bullets tarnished its immaculate reputation. What drove a pillar of the community to a shooting rampage? Deak Mead wasn't motivated by money. He was after revenge. To pledge Creepy Kawaii's Mothman Kickstarter, visit here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/creepykawaii/mothman-plush?ref=1swpf2