How Not to Raise a Serial Killer

The story of Peter Sutcliffe, or the Yorkshire Ripper, is a lesson in botched justice, prejudice against sex workers, and victim blaming. Between 1975 and 1981, Sutcliffe would kill 13 women - many of whom were sex workers - and attempt to murder 7 to 10 more. Police spoke with Sutcliffe a total of 9 times before they discovered he was responsible for these calculating murders. In this episode of...

On the night of March 10th, 1973, in balmy Florida, two teen girls attempted to hitchhike into town for beer and cigarettes. The next morning, their bodies were discovered by a city worker. This was the work of Gerald Stano, a man who allegedly murdered between 30 and 41 women. On this episode of HNTRASK, Michelle and her good friend Krista tell the stories of Gerald's victims, discuss Gerald's un...

In September 2006, Kaity Sudberry began her junior year at Moon Valley High School. Soon after starting the fall semester, Kaity met Daniel Byrd. They immediately became best friends, and as teen relationships do, the friendship quickly escalated into a romance. Over the next year, Daniel's affections turned possessive, and the story ends in every parent's worst nightmare. On this episode of HNTRA...

In 2002 two high school sweethearts, eager to start their lives together, exchanged wedding vows. While most of these exchanges were the run-of-the-mill "for better or for worse" and "in sickness and in health" - one of their promises was quite disturbing. On their wedding night, the young couple made a murderous pact... if either of them ever cheated on their spouse, they'd have to kill the extra...

Seen this headline before? In 1998, with a 0.22 caliber rifle gifted from his father, a high school boy killed both of his parents and sprayed over 50 rounds of ammunition into his school's cafeteria. What police found next at the teen's home was something out of a horror movie. Why do we continue to allow this story to be told again and again? What can be done to extinguish this brand of violence...

On this episode of HNTRASK, Michelle is joined by Missi and Abigail to discuss the unimaginable crimes committed by Lisa Montgomery. In 2004, Lisa and Bobby Jo Stinnett connected on social media through a dog breeding group. Under the guise of purchasing a puppy, Lisa was invited to Bobby Jo's home. After a gruesome murder and the kidnapping of an unborn child (you read that right...) Lisa became...

During the 80s and 90s, Patrick Lewis murdered over half a dozen women, preying on sex workers who resembled his ex-lover and mother of his child. His terror on women was overlooked by police again and again, as Patrick was repeatedly released from prison on bail. How did these flagrant killings slip under the radar? What were the underpinnings of Patrick’s MO? Were there warning signs in his chil...

In Part II of this episode, Michelle and Maleeda continue to discuss how head injuries can lead to dramatic changes in personality and, in some cases, murder, and Michelle gives some shocking solutions to treating head trauma. What do you do after your child hits their head? What does medication and meditation have to do with any of this? Find out the answer to these questions and listen in on som...

In 1986, Antonio Bustamante broke into a home to steal. As he ransacked the house. He was in the middle of the burglary when the homeowner returned unexpectedly. The owner was a small 80-year-old man who had only gone to the local grocery store. Instead of barreling past the owner to run away, Antonio beat the man to death with his bare hands. In Part I of this story, Michelle and her good friend...

Dr. Shirley Turner wreaked havoc on the lives of many, most notably, terrorizing the Bagby familiy. Turner would murder their only son, Andrew, and grandson Zachary in acts of selfishness and entitlement. What drove this woman to commit such atrocious acts against her boyfriend and her infant son? What, if anything, could have been done to stop her from spiraling in this way? On this episode, Mich...

On this episode, Michelle and her sister, Heidi, analyze Andrew Cunanan, the infamous killer of Gianni Versace. After being cut off by his sugar daddy, Cunanan took the lives of five people over the course of three months, culminating in the murder of Versace. What could have driven this otherwise well-to-do socialite to commit five murders? Love? Desperation? Money? Well, Michelle and Heidi have...

In September 2005, 23-year-old Levi King was forced to leave his father’s home in Pineville, Missouri. He had been there for a week after violating his parole terms and fleeing a halfway house. After waiting for his father to leave in the morning, Levi grabbed several of his fathers guns without his knowledge and began a tragic killing spree that would soon result in five innocent victims. This we...

Today, Michelle and fellow mom, Claire, sit down to discuss Matthew Cushing and his unthinkable crime. When Matthew was just a young college student, he woke up one day and decided he needed to travel home from school to kill his stepfather... instead, he killed his entire family. How did this young man from a good family end up doing such a terrible deed? After meeting him face to face, Michelle...

James Holmes is responsible for one of the worst mass shootings in United States history. But what can we learn from this terrible incident? By looking into Holmes’s childhood symptoms and his undiagnosed schizophrenia, Dr. Michelle Ward finds some important lessons to take away from this tragedy. In Part 2 of this 2 part episode, Dr. Michelle Ward takes a deeper look at schizophrenia and the impo...

On July 20, 2012, 24 year-old , James Holmes, bought a ticket for “The Dark Knight Rises” and proceeded to enact one of the worst mass shootings in our country’s history up until that point. But how did this tragedy happen, exactly? In Part 1 of this 2 part episode, Dr. Michelle Ward is joined by her good friend and fellow mom, Courtney, to look into Holmes’s childhood symptoms and family history,...

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