Panic True Queer Crime

When I started telling these stories, I understood the organized efforts to shame homosexuality out of existence. What I didn't expect was the level of criminality that would grow out of the demonizing of LGBTQ+ people. In the 1960s, Chicago police officer John J. Pyne began to organize a group of criminals and con men in an extortion ring that would go on to scam more than 1,000 men out of a million dollars across the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The FBI called the Chicken and the Bull extortion scheme the largest scheme of its kind up to that time. It is, in fact, the largest organized extortion of gay men ever. It is also another example of the depths and cold brutality of homophobia unchecked. Here's the link to the fantastic article William McGown wrote for Slate. The article has become one of the few references to this scandal. To watch this episode: https://youtu.be/qSvPhDqNXKU William McGowan's 2012 article in Slate: https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/07/the-chickens-and-the-bulls-the-rise-and-incredible-fall-of-a-vicious-extortion-ring-that-preyed-on-prominent-gay-men-in-the-1960s.html

In my ongoing exploration of the history of homophobia in life and the law, I've been researching the trends, and I do mean trends, of attacks fueled by the targeting of LGBTQ+ folks. One of the things that's begun to surface is how an aspect of the use of the homosexual panic defense that's not written about very often. From the late 1950s through the 1970s in the United States, "Rolling a Queer" became such an epidemic that both Democrats and Republicans came together to introduce legislation that would create some minor protections for gay, mostly male, folks. It failed, of course, and the attacks continued at pace. This crime wave helps to explain why the "Homosexual Panic Defense" began to be used in the 1960s. A young man defending himself from the advances of a predatory homosexual is much more empathetic than the state claiming a defendant targeted a gay man for profit. I have many more of these stories and their victims to come. Please subscribe. In this week's episode: Sam Nordquist left home to visit his online girlfriend. When his mother and other family members couldn't get ahold of him, they begged authorities to help him, but sadly, help came too late. In September 2024, Zsolt Zsolyomi disabled his leg monitor and disappeared onto the north Florida Island of Miami Beach and Little Havana using an alias to court, rob, batter, and then murder two older men with disabilities. Would the police stop him before he could kill again? In 1973, the Long Beach murder of a World War II veteran and beloved school teacher, Hollis Voas, exposed the escalating cycle of rolling a queer that spiked during the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. Law enforcement quickly tracked down the suspects Don James Myers and Kenneth Evans, after discovering the victim tied to his blood-soaked bedroom. Thirty-nine pieces of evidence, a stolen Cadillac, and a childhood friend would lead police to the perpetrators a few hours after the murder. I saw this 1973 news item so quietly tucked away in a newspaper that I knew I had to share his story. Thanks to one of Mr. Voas' relatives for sharing a picture of him for the YouTube coverage. The 1953 murder of bartender Walter Thalen by a drifter who wandered into the bar where Thalen worked the aftermath of a night of drinking would have a devasting impact far and wide. In March of 2025, Buffalo, New York, Allentown was rocked by the double murder of two beloved men. Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto contributed to their community in art and activism, and they were snatched away senselessly and violently. 49, California Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi and 53, Yolanda Olejniczak-Marodi, began dating in 2018, marrying in 2022. By February 2025, Marodi was ready to end what friends called a controlling and isolating marriage, but she would never get the chance. This wasn't the first time Yolanda Olejniczak-Marodi was involved in a murder. Reports of intimate partner violence among lesbians are the most underreported. If you or anyone you know needs help, use the resources below. Finally, an update on cases we've covered on the channel and a cold case. I hope you stay with me as I continue to share more of these hidden stories of lives lived and snuffed out. They deserve our loving attention. If you'd like to watch any of these episodes, you watch them all at: https://www.youtube.com/@panicqueertruecrime DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger, call 9-1-1 immediately. Thanks to Mystic Magazine for the global resource guide, one of the first to be compiled. https://www.mysticmag.com/psychic-reading/domestic-violence-resource-guide/ Please subscribe to the podcast.

Recently, I began to research the trends of attacks fueled by "Homosexual Panic." What I've learned has changed my understanding of the use of the history of the homosexual panic defense, but I'll get back to that later. I will just say that in the late 1950s through the 1970s in the United States "Rolling a Queer" became such an epidemic that both Democrats and Republicans came together to introduce legislation that would create some minor protections for queer folks. It failed of course and so the attacks rolled on. In this week's episode: Sam Nordquist left home to visit his online girlfriend. When his mother and other family members couldn't get ahold of him, they begged authorities to help him, but sadly, help came too late. In September 2024, Zsolt Zsolyomi disabled his leg monitor and disappeared onto the north Florida Island of Miami Beach and Little Havana using an alias to court, rob, batter, and then murder two older men with disabilities. Would the police stop him before he could kill again? The 1953 murder of bartender Walter Thalen by a drifter who wandered into the bar where Thalen worked the aftermath of a night of drinking would have a devasting impact far and wide. In March of 2025, Buffalo's Allentown was rocked by the double murder of two beloved men. Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto contributed to their community in art and activism, and they were snatched away senselessly and violently. I saw this news item about the 1973 murder of a high school teacher who had served in the Air Force in World War Two so quietly tucked away that I knew I had to share his story. I hope you stay with me as I continue to share more of these hidden stories of lives lived and snuffed out. They deserve our loving attention. If you'd like to watch any of these episodes, you watch them all at: Please subscribe to the podcast.

In this episode, five cases of homophobic rage, mental illness, alcohol abuse, and murder. Dream City Fire: One of the worst fires in modern London that you've probably never heard of. A combination of alcohol and anger sparked a series of events that ended in the death of 11 men in an unlicensed and uninspected second and third-floor cinema. Ashia Davis: On June 01, 2023, Carlos Scotland and Ashia Davis met at the Woodward Inn in Highland Park, Michigan. By the end of the evening, Ashia Davis would be dead, and the search for her killer would lead to a young killer whose motives remain unclear. Jake Kelly: On August 27, 2023, 49-year-old Jake Kelly was brutally beaten in his Phoenix, Arizona home. Instead of calling for medical assistance, his roommates, Shannon Higgins (37) and Corey Young (44), moved him into a bathtub, delaying any hope of help. This tragic case raises questions about justice, accountability, and the events leading to Jake’s untimely death. Gerald Declan Radford: An update to the 2024 Florida case of the murder of John Walter Lay. After a six-day trial and a quick verdict 66, Gerald Declan Radford, under the banner of the stand-your-ground law, left John Walter Lay's family in pieces. Kevin Baker: On March 8, 1977, having left his New Jersey home looking for adventure, 18-year-old Kevin Baker would find himself in a Las Cruces, New Mexico courtroom accused of murdering 47 Charles Thompson, a South Dakota truck driver on his way to a new life. Baker's trial would be filled with questions of sanity and, of course, homosexual panic.

In the television show The Sopranos, the character of "Big P*ssy" was based on a New York or New Jersey mobster targeted because of his sexual antics, but in Italy, there was a similar situation involving a highly respected hitman who stepped out of line by loving and wanting to make a life with the man he loved. Anthony “Bubbles” Torres was a character, a creation. He tended to amuse and sometimes irritate people. On the night he was killed, witnesses saw the beginnings of a confrontation and Torres's murder. Years later, police struggle to solve the case. In my research into the history of indecent proposals and indecent advances and the role of the homosexual panic used in court to explain murder, I've learned something new. In the later 1960s and all of the 1970s, there was a rash of robberies targeting gay men. It became so excessive that both Democratic and Republican politicians sought to cool the temperature when it came to some of the laws and rhetoric around homosexuality. Those efforts were shot down, of course, but the awareness on the part of defense lawyers that their clients might just be seen as a thief attempting to exploit a gay man made the homosexual panic defense even more urgently needed. The cases based on people meeting up on apps are an ever-evolving story. Is it any more dangerous than meeting someone at a bar at 3 am? When imagining an open relationship, neither Scott nor his husband couldn't possibly imagine how it would end. Filippo Gangitano - Gay in the mob Anthony “Bubbles” Torres -Murdered on a San Francisco street Harold St. John - AWOL, Kidnapping, and Homosexual panic Bobby Scott - Murdered on a Date

While researching a story for the next episode I found a 1960 article examinign the growth of homophobic attacks on mostly gey men for financial gain. Rolling a Queer crimes grow to such a degree that lawmakers across the country sought to minimize legal prohibitons agaisnt LGBTQ folks as a partial remedy. Most of these efforts failed contributing to the mid-sixties appearance of homosexual panic as a legal defense. The fisrt two stories in this episode involve murders that resulted from attempts to rob a gay man. Steve Marose story is one of murder but of the lingering effects of the governments pink scare that started in the 1950s when President Eisenhower signed on over ridding the governnment and the military of lesbians and gay men. Marose was thrown out of the military in the 1990s after spending eight months in a military priison for the crime of being gay. Fulfilling a promise, President Biden issued a pardon for many of these men and women but the process is anything but easy and Marose remains without his pension and without having his name cleared. If you know anyone in the same position pass along these links that might set them on the path to having their rights restored. The Murder of Patricia Malone Patricia Malone was a lesbian women working the London streets as a sex worker when she met and was killed by a police officier. The officier came in for a beating in the press but so did Ms. Malone whom they dobbed, "Pasty Butch Malone." Her treatment in the press and the twist to the story give you a glimpse into the times in which her murder took place. The Murders of Page Cegelski and Paula O'Connor The two women were discovered in a Green Bay, Wisconsin duplex. The killer would confess to the murders with an evolving story. Peter Sotka's long history of intimate partner violence and his contradictory statements make his confession suspect. There is no record of either woman's state of undress and there is no evidence from family and friends that the women who were best friends were having an intimate relationship. Using a version of gay panic as the setting for a double murder is worth noting. Resources: Resources chrome- APPLICATION-FOR-PARDON Legal Services and Information https://ptsdlawyers.com/lgbtq-military-pardon-va-benefits/

Molotov Cocktail of Hate Pamela Cobbas, Mercedes Roxana Figueroa, Andrea Amarante, Sofía Castro Riglos Intimate Partner Violence The Murder of Chen Chen Fei The Murder of Quanesha Shantel The Murder of William Nicholas Abraham Disappearance The Murder of Levi Davis? Ex Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries Charged: Human Trafficking and Assault The Shocking Murder Of Eduardo Xol Ex-Partners, a Mysterious Friend, and Two Bodies Found in Suitcases on Bristol's Clifton Bridge Kasim Omar: Escaped to America Seeking Safety, Only to Face a Horrific Tragedy The Murder of Paul Taylor The Murder of Howard Bresendine Mental Health Resources SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline LGBTQ & Gay-Friendly Rehabs: Statistics, Risk Factors & Treatment (888) 402-1504 https://www.addicted.org/ DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. Thanks to MysticMag for the global resource guide. One of the first to be compiled. https://www.mysticmag.com/psychic-reading/domestic-violence-resource-guide/

In 1960, Smith College's Professor Newton Arvin and two of his colleagues were swept up in a scandal concocted in large part as a way of shaming being queer out of existence. Efforts to control the flow of what is erotica or smut is an ongoing crusade in the United States and in many places in the world. When those crusades are weaponized against targeted groups of people they can be lethal. Some of you listening to this episode might think a professor at a private college is a fairly privileged person, and you're not wrong, but his homosexuality stripped away much of that privilege. The other reason I'm sharing this story is that Newton Arvin and his two colleagues are stand-ins for the hundreds, perhaps thousands of mostly gay men who were arrested, jailed, and had their lives ruined for the offense of being gay. The potential loss of one's freedom and profession is both unbelievable from today's vantage point and entirely possible to imagine happening again. Please subscribe the the podcast. Thanks

This collection of cases includes the murder of three trans women of color, the most at-risk group in the LGBTQ+ community. Two cases of intimate partner violence, please see this description for help. The murder of a 19-year-old murder in prison because he was gay and black. A gay man was murdered in his home by a jealous boyfriend and the victim's friend, and two gay men were murdered by a group of friends led by a homophobic leader. Intimate Partner Help: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger, call 9-1-1 immediately. Thanks to MysticMag for the global resource guide. One of the first to be compiled. https://www.mysticmag.com/psychic-reading/domestic-violence-resource-guide/ Episode Description Benjamin Renwick Dylan Gurley Micah Laureano Leo Nunes Tzatzi Sanchez Savannah Williams Starr Brown Tommy Lee Trimble and John Lloyd Griffin Vanity Williams

Peter Coshan Lisa Stone Curtis Marsh Gaurav Gopalan Matthew Mickens-Murrey Ukea Davis and Stephanie Thomas Vanity Williams Several of the cases in this episode involve unsolved cases. In the next episode, I will delve into the reasons why this might be the case. Two of these cases involve the murder of black trans women, the highest rate of murder in the LGBTQ+ community. The last two cases happened at the same time in the same city To watch any of these stories you can find them on the Queer True Crime YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw For Help National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource worldwide. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america If you suspect elder abuse, call 1-833-401-0832 and enter your 5-digit zip code to be connected to the Adult Protective Services in your county, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Please subscribe to the channel.

Anna Flores Pauly Likens Alex Rodda Liara Tsai Bruce Becker Curtis Marsh Kevin Clewer Charles Gibson Brad Nelson Winters Here is a collection of murders some of them due to intimate partner violence and some hate crimes. The thing they have in common is the loss and heartache of family and friends. While might surprise some that young men, mostly, still struggling with their sexual identity resort to murder when threatened, ongoing scholarship suggests that the causes might be complicated, a mixture of internalized homophobia and other pathologies that fuel murder. Intimate partner violence in the queer community remains underreported. Please use the resources below if you or someone you know needs help. Finally, the murder of Kevin Clewer remains unsolved though it seems authorities have a suspect. The murders of Clewer, Charles Gibson, and Brad Winters were thought to be part of a serial killer’s ramp-up thank goodness they were not. Murders of queer people continue to be under-reported so I thank you for your loving attention to these cases. To watch any of these stories you can find them on the Queer True Crime YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw For Help National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource worldwide. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america If you suspect elder abuse, call 1-833-401-0832 and enter your 5-digit zip code to be connected to the Adult Protective Services in your county, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Please subscribe to the channel.

In 1998, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia became the location of two of the most violent murders Australia has ever seen. In 1998, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia became the location of two of the most violent murders Australia has ever seen. 19-year-old, Mark Valera's pent-up rage led him down the path of murder, leaving destruction in his wake and sparking an equal fury that ultimately led to the killing of his own father. The murders committed by Mark "Valera" van Krevel further revealed a disturbing wave of child molestation in New South Wales, implicating some of the community's most respected figures including one of Valera's victims. At the time, Australia, like many places worldwide, was experiencing a surge of violence against the LGBTQ+ community, involving the police on some occasions. Equally damaging is the capricious conflation of pedophiles, hebephiles, and homosexuals. Wollongong's former Mayor Frank Arkell, who was not gay, was shortly before his murder with 29 charges of child molestation. Valera's vigilantism removed the possibility of justice for the 29 victims and possible vindication of the alleged victims from a previous case. Valera's first victim, David O'Hearn, was a quiet man beloved by his family and friends. The extreme violence surrounding these events has unfortunately overshadowed O'Hearn's life and death. This retelling serves to honor his memory.

Six stories of possible greed, intimate partner violence, murderous internalized homophobia, and your garden variety homophobia. Toslimy Bang and Terence Brown Blaze Bernstein Kelly Moriarty and Doris “Pat” Carter Michael Causer John Paul Kelso John Walter Lay John Edwards To watch any of these stories you can find them on the Queer True Crime YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw Or click on any of the titles. For Help National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource worldwide. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america

In this episode four stories of murder, homophobia, and mental health in crisis. Isaac Herrera Jordan Taylor Terrance Brown Reginald Folks To watch any of these stories you can find them on the Queer True Crime YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw For Help National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource worldwide. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america

Gary Gleeson Alex Rodda Raymond Kindred John McGrail Leonard Riendeau Charles Kimball John Fuoroli Brandi Mells, Shanta Myers, Jeremiah, and Shaniese Myers To watch any of these stories you can find them on the Queer True Crime YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw For Help National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource worldwide. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america If you suspect elder abuse, call 1-833-401-0832 and enter your 5-digit zip code to be connected to the Adult Protective Services in your county, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Please subscribe to the channel.

George Webber In this episode, A closeted man's search to fulfill his fetish leads him to hire a 16-year-old from a Craigslist ad. Charlie Howard Two gay men are attacked by a group of teens ending in murder. Carlos Collins A former police officer's inability to let go ends in murder. James Sheehan Suffering from stage 4 cancer, an elderly man leans on a friend whose only interest is his money. Darrin Thorpe His death has been called a drug overdose but his husband suspects it might be a murder. Carzella Little A late-night argument between girlfriends ends in murder. To watch any of these stories you can find them on the Queer True Crime YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw For Help National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource worldwide. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america If you suspect elder abuse, call 1-833-401-0832 and when prompted enter your 5-digit zip code to be connected to the Adult Protective Services in your county, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Please subscribe to the channel.

On September 7, 1982, the Gainesville, Florida Labor Day Weekend was disrupted when University of Florida's Professor Howard Appledorf's neighbors spotted his condo had been broken into. Inside police found a highly staged scene and the professor asphyxiated on his sofa, as the three young suspects fled they left behind a frenzy of fears about cults and witchcraft. The tale that would unravel would be far sadder, exposing the life of a victim lived in the closet and three young perpetrators abandoned to the streets where they became both prey and predator. If you'd like to watch this episode you can find it on the Panic YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/8GMO1WoZnyo

Podcast Notes: Akira Ross Allan Lanteigne/Demitry Papasotiriou Summit Kumar Raymond Scotter Shawndell McCloud Dr. Louis Chen, Eric Cooper, and Cooper Chen Warning this case involves the death of a child. Starts at 3:20. To watch any of these episodes you can find them at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw This episode has a case of homophobic murder by a stranger, the murderous obsession of a former lover, the corruption and greed of love gone wrong, a son killing a father to save the honor of the family, and more, a robbery and a murder, and a doctor and family annihilator. For lots of historical and personal reasons intimate partner violence continues to be under-reported in the queer community but resources are available. First are resources for the United States. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Online live chat: thehotline.org If you or someone you know is in danger call 9-1-1 immediately. The International Domestic Violence Resource Guide (2024) is the largest resource from around the world. https://www.cvpsd.org/post/domestic-violence-resources-in-the-north-america

Here are seven cases of stalking, and homophobia in the United States and Sweden, a case of a stepfather's homophobic rage, and an unresolved case of a body in a fish tank. These shorts are taken from the Panic YouTube channel. If you’d like to see any of these shorts please join me at the Panic channel using the link below. Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson Brain Eggs Josef ben Meddour Marcus Volk Lawrence Wong and Thomas Whitney Zachary Kennedy Steen Fenrich To watch these episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK4r13FF8ExLGbhfSH6i4hw Please subscribe and like. Thanks!

Robert Bennett Jr. was a smart guy from a wealthy family he was also a violent sadist who liked to inflict pain on unwitting strangers. Though this is not a murder case it illustrates what happens when you mix a homophobic cultural attitude filtered down to law enforcement mixes with the influence of a predator from a wealthy family who'd go to any length to protect their son.