Cold Case Murder Mysteries

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1996 a frantic young mother of three from suburban Rowlett, TX makes a frantic call to 911 to report an intruder entered her home and viciously stabbed two of her sons to death. But when police arrive, they begin to notice disparities between the story Darlie Routier tells and the narrative the evidence creates. In the end, she receives the death penalty for her crimes. But one question persists. Was there really an intruder in the house that night?

On the night of August 2, 2006 a 32-year-old Washington, DC-area attorney named Robert Wone went to the home of a college roommate with plans to sleep at the residence in anticipation of arriving at work early the next day. But within an hour of his arrival, 911 received a call that he’d been murdered by an unknown intruder. When police arrived, they found no signs of forced entry, and it seemed Robert had been sexually assaulted. Twelve years later, we’re still asking what happened to Robert Wone.

On the morning of January 24, 2006 a young Orlando, FL woman named Jennifer Kesse failed to show up for work, causing concern among her family, friends, and employer. Hours later, it was apparent nobody could account for her whereabouts, but the scene back at her condo indicated she'd gotten ready for work and left in her car as usual. That is, until security footage from a nearby apartment complex rendered video of an unknown person abandoning her car at noon on the day of her disappearance. Twelve years later, however, there's still no sign of Jennifer Kesse ... or that strange man.

On the night of July 13, 1966 career criminal Richard Speck knocked at the door of a townhome on E. 100th St. in Chicago, IL with bad intentions. What followed changed the psychological landscape of American society forever.

On the evening of November 28, 2012 two police officers discovered a distressed 26-year-old woman named Emma Fillipoff sitting outside the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC clutching her shoes. After a 45-minute interview in which she barely spoke, they decided she was not a threat to herself or anyone else, and went about their business. But Emma Fillipoff was never seen again. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological reconstruction of the narrative present in the final days before her disappearance.

On Thanksgiving Day 2012, 65-year-old Little Falls, MN resident Byron David Smith fatally shoots two burglars in his home, seemingly enacting his right to protect his property by use of deadly force. But when the police arrive, the crime scene suggests something much different took place that afternoon in Byron's basement. Something much more sinister. Join host Ryan Kraus for a journey into the mind of a killer in an attempt to uncover the origin of his evil.

In the early morning hours of December 2, 2011 a young woman named Morgan Ingram was found dead inside her parents’ Carbondale, CO home after several months of reporting terrifying encounters with a vicious stalker. But when the toxicology report returned controversial results in the aftermath, one questioned remained at the center of this heated debate: suicide … or murder?

BONUS EPISODE: In the early morning hours of August 8, 2014 a young woman named Warriena Wright plunged to her death from the hi-rise balcony of an apartment building located along Australia's Gold Coast. In the aftermath, her date for the evening, a local playboy named Gable Tostee, found himself charged with the crime. But one question remained: accident ... or murder? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the events that precipitated the most infamous Tinder hookup in recent memory. **Please note**: All new full-length episodes of Cold Case Murder Mysteries are now available only by premium subscription on www.coldcasemurdermysteries.com PayPal donations made through the link on the website are also greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support!

In November, 2004 somebody entered the home of Delmar, NY residents Joan and Peter Porco in the middle of the night, armed with a fireman's axe and the worst of intentions. By the next morning, local police had arrived at the house to find one of the more perplexing massacres in recent memory. Join host Ryan Kraus for a look deep inside the mind of a vicious killer and the venomous sociopathy that fueled his rage.

On February 9, 2004, a 21-year-old college student named Maura Murray disappears after a car accident on route 112 in Haverhill, NH and is never seen again. What follows is one of the more baffling mysteries in American true crime lore. Join host Ryan Kraus for an in-depth look at the psychology of the event as he travels inside the mind of Maura Murray.

On May 3, 2007, a 3-year-old British girl disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, igniting one of the most infamous missing persons cases in modern history. But in the 12 years since, from allegations of a kidnapper to suspicions cast upon the parents, one question remains unanswered: what happened to Madeleine McCann? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of the evidence in an effort to uncover the truth.

At 10pm on June 9th, 1912, the Moore family of Villisca, Iowa returns home from the Children's Day Program at their local Presbyterian church along with two guests. But as night turns to dawn, the family of six never emerges from behind the drawn curtains of the residence. Soon after, a suspicious neighbor sets off a chain of events that leads to a gruesome discovery: eight dead bodies, all bludgeoned with an axe. Two adults. Six children. And no answers more than 100 years later. Join host Ryan Kraus for a casual stroll through the crime scene as he attempts to extract motive and possible suspects from the psychology present in the murders.

Join host Ryan Kraus in part II of this series covering Elliot Rodger and the Isla Vista Massacre, in which he takes the audience down the rabbit hole once again for a psychological examination of evolution's war on introversion and its resulting societal implications that lead to violence.

On the evening of May 23, 2014, 22-year-old UCSB student Elliot Rodger murdered three students in his apartment near campus before taking his rampage to the streets behind the wheel of a fast-moving car. After killing or wounding more than a dozen people in his path, the perpetrator crashed the vehicle and took his own life, leaving us with one very important question: why? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of the early years documented in Elliot's manifesto "My Twisted World" to learn what brought forth the demon. With a special appearance by Jessica from the Asian Madness Podcast.

On August 5, 1962, the world learned of the death of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, who succumbed to an overdose of barbiturates at age 36. Decades later, however, many still speculate the actress was the victim of murder. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological profile of the life and death of a legend.

On November 18, 1993, 9-year-old Angie Housman vanished after getting off a school bus less than a block from her home. In the following days, terror gripped the residents of St. Ann, MO as police searched desperately for a missing little girl and her abductor. Their worst fears were confirmed when Angie's frozen body was discovered tied to a tree in a remote wilderness nearby. 25 years later, her killer's identity remains unknown. Join host Ryan Kraus as he paints a psychological portrait of evil from the scarce palette of clues left on this canvas.

On May 31, 2014, a 12-year-old middle school student from Waukesha, WI was discovered lying on a bike path covered in blood, the victim of a vicious stabbing. Police soon learned the attackers were the girl's best friend Morgan Geyser and classmate Anissa Weier, who were apprehended while attempting to flee to a fictional mansion in the forest. When prompted for motive, they claimed a paranormal being named Slender Man was going to kill their families if they didn't comply with his demands to eliminate their friend. But more than 5 years later, we still don't have an answer that's even remotely grounded in reality. Join host Ryan Kraus on a psychological journey for the truth.

On the morning of November 24, 1997, parents Steve and Marlene Aisenberg called 911 to report their 5-month-old daughter, Sabrina, had been taken from her crib in the middle of the night. But the police didn't find any evidence of an intruder. So, what began as a kidnapping quickly became whispers of foul play, with the cops pointing the finger at the parents. 20 years later, we're still wondering what happened to Sabrina Aisenberg. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the truth beneath the lies.

On March 31, 2006, a 27-year-old Ohio State medical student named Brian Shaffer went out for a night of drinking with a friend, one that culminated at the Big Tuna Saloona, where Brian is seen on security footage talking to two young women outside the entrance at 1:55am. He then walks off camera back into the bar, and subsequently disappears from the face of the Earth, never to be heard from again. Join host Ryan Kraus as he examines the most likely explanations for this baffling mystery.

August 20, 1989 - Two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, enter their parents Beverly Hills mansion shortly before midnight and execute the couple with shotgun blasts, garnering the suspicion of police in the aftermath as they spend a fortune on lavish gifts and vacations. But soon the evil deeds will catch up with them, and the brothers are arrested for the murders. What follows in the trial is a battle for the truth that pits allegations of sexual assault against monetary greed. But, in the end, we're still left with one pertinent question: why? Join host Ryan Kraus as he attempts to answer this question through the societal implications of that time period in America.

On October 1, 1974 director Tobe Hooper unleashed a horror film that silenced US audiences from coast to coast with its unflinching look at a group of young people who run out of gas on a road trip and end up getting slaughtered by a crazed family living in a decrepit house nearby. But beneath the surface of this iconic film, and behind the mask of its star, Leatherface, is the mystery of its origin. Join host Ryan Kraus as he peels back the curtain on the evolutionary implications of a horror masterpiece.

On the afternoon of October 24, 1961 a little girl shows up at the doorstep of her neighbor's home in Lincoln, MA to proclaim, "Mommy's gone and the kitchen is covered in red paint." What follows is one of the most baffling disappearances in American history, one that remains unsolved to this day. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological study of movement in an attempt to uncover the truth.

Join host Ryan Kraus for the final chapter of this series covering the infamous Robin Hood Hills child murders. In this episode, we examine Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of 8-year-old victim Stevie Branch, who garnered strong suspicion in the case when DNA testing revealed a hair possibly matching his own was found in a ligature of another victim, Michael Moore.

On June 3, 1993, a 17-year-old boy with a low IQ named Jessie Misskelley confessed to the Robin Hood Hills murders at the West Memphis police department. The minor was not represented by an attorney, nor were his parents present. By the end of the interrogation, however, he'll have implicated Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and himself as the perpetrators of this horrific crime. But was he telling the truth?

Nearly 25 years after the bodies of Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore were pulled from the murky waters of a shaded gully in the forest of Robin Hood Hills, we still don't have a clear picture of what transpired that afternoon that led to murder. Join me as I attempt to extract the truth by way of the symbolism apparent in the killer's actions.

May 5, 1993 - When three young boys out for an afternoon bike ride through West Memphis, Arkansas never return home, a search the next morning reveals they were brutally murdered, their bodies concealed in a drainage ditch. A police report filed that day shows that an incident at a nearby restaurant the night before involved a mysterious man covered in blood and mud who just disappeared into the night without a trace. But to this day, nobody knows his identity, or if he had anything to do with the murders. Join me as I examine the infamous Mr. Bojangles.

The Lutz family has finally settled into their new home at 112 Ocean Ave in Amityville after a demanding move. But at 3:15am, in the dark silence of the of the night, George awakens to loud noises coming from downstairs. As he goes to check on the problem, however, one fact immediately becomes apparent: something uninvited has made its way into this house.

December, 1975 - Thirteen months after the murders of the DeFeo family, George and Kathy Lutz purchase the Dutch Colonial located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville with the same "High Hopes" as their predecessors. But 28 days later, they flee in terror. Join me as I examine the psychological impetus for the haunting.

Join me for the most clinical entry in the series as I examine the impetus for convicted killer Butch DeFeo's claims of demonic possession leading to murder, and how it became the transitional psychology that rendered the terrifying haunting the following year.

Join me for the second chapter of this series as I go inside 112 Ocean Avenue to diagram the psychology behind the DeFeo murders, specifically dissecting the killer's methods by way of the only survivor of the massacre: Shaggy the Sheepdog. Only days before the crime, Ronald DeFeo Jr. swore to his father he was going to kill the animal. But in the end, the canine was the only one spared. Why?

Amity, NY. In the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, Suffolk County police make a gruesome discovery inside the DeFeo residence located at 112 Ocean Avenue. The bodies of two adults, in addition to four children, are found in different bedrooms throughout the home, victims of a shooting. But while it was relatively simple for police to deduce the surviving 23-year-old son, Ronald DeFeo Jr., was the culprit, no one ever could have expected the terror that would ensue when he was unable to answer this question: why?

On November 22, 1963, a nation was silenced in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of its leader, John F. Kennedy. But as quickly as we were introduced to the prime suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, he suffered the same fate at the hands of a Dallas nightclub owner named Jack Ruby. Yet, well past the 50th anniversary of the crime, Ruby's true motive has never been exposed. Join me as I examine why.

When a nationally televised program about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey aired in late 2016, I found myself in agreement with host Jim Clemente's opinion that Burke Ramsey committed the crime. But there's still one question we really need to answer. Join me in my inquiry.

The son of martial arts pioneer Bruce Lee, rising actor Brandon Lee managed to carve out a niche of his own in the entertainment world starring in low-budget action flicks. But with a major release in his near future, complete with the starring role that would make him famous, Brandon Lee was mysteriously shot to death on set by another actor.

Philadelphia, 1987. Police officers executing a search warrant at the home of Gary Heidnik uncover of a shocking house of horrors, including chained women imprisoned in a basement dungeon. But in the aftermath of the crimes, he not only gained notoriety for his evil acts, but also for owning a Rolls Royce. Years later, I saw it listed for sale, and picked up the phone to make an offer.

By age 15, Edmund Kemper had committed two brutal murders and been locked away in a mental institution. When he turned 21, however, he was deemed fit to rejoin society. And that's when the real killing began. Join me as I open the hatch on this man's head and take a quick peek inside the mind of a murderer.

Dennis Rader, aka the BTK Killer, brutalized the Wichita, KS area with a series of vicious murders throughout the 1970s. This is the story of a woman who barely managed to escape his wrath with a single stroke of luck. But a few months later, the killer returned with a terrifying message.

In the early morning hours of May 14, 2008, a 19-year-old college student driving home from a party got his car stuck in a ditch while navigating the back roads of rural Minnesota. But as he contacted his father and attempted to meet him at a nearby location, the call suddenly dropped. And that's the last time anybody ever heard from Brandon Swanson.

Few men have inspired the disgust and awe of polite society to the extent of Ed Gein, a man possessed with a psyche so disturbing it became the backbone of the modern horror film. But while the torment might have been in his mind, the real terrors were inside his home.

February, 1957: The beaten, bruised body a of a deceased young boy is found abandoned in a cardboard box along the side of the road in an undeveloped section of northeast Philadelphia. In the six decades since the crime, nobody has been able to identify him.

July, 1974: It's a beautiful summer afternoon at Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, Washington, a great day for families to have some fun in the sun. But lurking among them is a manipulative sociopath, one with a handsome face, a charming smile, and a burning desire to murder young women.

The Nightstalker was a heartless monster who roamed the streets of Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, unleashing a reign of terror upon its citizens that was finally brought to an end on August 31, 1985, when he was pummeled by an angry mob. Here's how it happened.

On November 28, 1969, 22-year-old Penn State student Betsy Aardsma collapsed to the library floor during a study session, leaving onlookers and medical personnel rushing to her aid. But it soon became apparent this was no emergency; it was murder. Nearly 50 years have passed since, yet no one has ever been brought to justice for the crime.

On April 6, 1996, a 48-year-old New Jersey man was attacked in his apartment by two unknown assailants, and then disappeared without a trace. Soon after, it became apparent to police that his wife of more than 25 years, Rita Gluzman, was the mastermind behind the crime. But where was the body?

A harrowing discovery was made on Halloween morning, 1975, when 15-year-old Greenwich, CT resident Martha Moxley was found bludgeoned to death underneath a tree in the family's backyard. It soon became apparent a monster was lurking somewhere in the shadows of a wealthy, gated community, but more than four decades later, we're still asking one pertinent question. Who really killed Martha Moxley?

Join host Ryan Kraus for the second part of this psychological examination of the motivations behind the 1999 murder of high school senior Hae Min Lee. In this episode, we dissect the possibilities of what occurred in the controversial 21 minutes for which her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, still can't seem to account for his whereabouts, and offer theories as to why these memories escape him.

Enter the strange, analytical mind of host Ryan Kraus as Part I of this series scratches the surface of motive in this case by specifically examining the psychological impetus for 17-year-old Adnan Syed to murder his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee after school on January 13, 1999.

Gunshots rang out on the streets of LA shortly after midnight on March 9, 1997, and when the chaos subsided one of the greatest rappers to ever grace the game was dead. Twenty years later, we're still asking ourselves who killed Biggie Smalls. Who was the man in the dark suit and bowtie who reached out the window of a Chevy Impala SS with a 9mm and pulled the trigger? Was he an associate of Death Row Records founder Suge Knight? Was it retaliation for Tupac Shakur's murder only months earlier? Let's take a look.

On October 8, 2009, Bobby and Sherilynn Jamison leave their Eufaula, OK home in the family truck with 6-year-old daughter Madison and her dog Maisy in tow. They trek 30 miles away into the Sans Bois Mountains, where they supposedly scout property to buy where they could make a new life. But that's the last anybody ever hears from them. Days later, their truck is found abandoned, with all their personal belongings still inside, including the suffering dog and an envelope full of $32,000 cash under the seat. The only item missing is a .22 that belonged to Sherilynn, leading some to speculate this was a murder-suicide. But what about the ghosts? The ones Bobby and Sherilynn told their pastor about. The ones that were chasing them. Are they coming to get us, too?

July 26, 2009. A Ford Windstar minivan enters the Taconic State Parkway shortly after 1:30pm and accelerates to a speed of 85 mph ... going the wrong way into oncoming traffic. Behind the wheel is 36-year-old Diane Schuler, high on marijuana with a blood-alcohol level of .19, more than twice the legal limit. She's out of control, weaving around cars with a bottle of Vodka next to her and 5 children as passengers. The terror continues for 1.7 miles, until the van collides head-on with an SUV, killing everybody but Diane's 5-year-old son, Bryan. In the aftermath, an investigator reveals conversations with more than 50 family members and friends proves nobody had ever seen Diane drunk, or even consume more than a single drink. So, what pushed this responsible, loving mother over the edge? A panic attack? A stroke? Or was it something more sinister?