MURDERISH

In the early morning hours of December 6, 1959, the Perelson family found themselves under attack. The tortured screams emitted from the family’s stately three-story home resounded through their Los Feliz neighborhood, jolting nearby residents from their slumber. What horrors had unfolded that cold December night, and what could the motive be for the bloody and horrifying event? Over 60 years late...

In the 1970s, a group of four teenagers set up camp in the Adirondack Mountains. Sadly, only three of them would make it out alive. A high-profile manhunt for the murderer ensued and eventually led to a trial during which stunning confessions were revealed. These confessions shocked the courtroom and a huge scandal followed, one that is still being debated by legal professionals today. The ongoing...

On May 27th, 1991, a call came in to the front desk of the Palm Springs Ramada Inn. The caller was 33-year-old Susan Schnell, a guest at the hotel. Shockingly, Schnell said that she had been sexually assaulted and her throat had been slit. The battered woman was in critical condition but fortunately, she survived. Police quickly arrested her attacker. When investigators questioned the man about th...

On December 28, 1992, nine-year-old Katie Beers vanished from a Long Island amusement center. National headlines in the days that followed read “The Tiny Tragedy from Long Island” and “America’s little girl lost.” The ripple effects were extensive. Not only was a young child missing, but a paralyzing sense of ‘stranger danger’ also terrorized New York’s second largest county. What had become of li...

Winning the lottery is a dream. On the surface, it seems money can buy some level of happiness and put an end to many problems. In the case we’re examining today, a lottery winner used his newfound wealth to help his community. His generosity extended not only to his family and friends but to people whom he didn't even know. When this man suddenly couldn’t be located, his family wondered where he...

September 8, 2017 marked the last time anyone heard from 33-year-old Taylor Wright. The former police officer and current private investigator seemingly dropped off the face of the earth, but not before she sent a perplexing text message to a loved one saying she needed time away to think. Where could Taylor have gone? Was this an impulsive getaway stemming from a midlife crisis? Or, had something...

In April of 2016, Air Force veteran and hospice nurse Tricia Todd mysteriously vanished from a tranquil beachside town. The 33-year-old mother of one was vivacious, compassionate, and well-liked in her community. No one could ever imagine she would abandon her young daughter, and the notion of someone wanting to harm her was equally unfathomable. Years of secrecy obscured a daunting truth, one tha...

The life of a celebrity is often viewed as glamorous, something that you could only dream of achieving. Walking the red carpet, rubbing elbows with A-list celebrities, and hosting lavish parties are all regular occurrences in the life of the rich and famous. This was especially true of Frank Sinatra, singer extraordinaire and mega-celebrity who was connected to a lot of powerful people. Sinatra, k...

On October 27, 1988, McLean County Coroner William Anderson had just come from the Central Catholic vs. University High School football game. Afterward, he was due to meet with members of his re-election campaign to go over strategies. Before the meeting, Anderson was volunteered by the others to get beer for the meeting. He went to the closest store, S&S Liquor Store, located at 703 N. Clinton St...

In the early 1980s, a single mother was living a quiet life in Southern California. She’d wake up each day, put in hours of work at her two jobs, and then go straight home to be with her young son. Her life was quiet and uneventful, until it wasn’t. Unbeknownst to the young mother, someone was watching her. Soon, she began receiving frightening phone calls and it became clear that she had an obses...

One of the most significant food recalls in modern history all came down to peanuts. In 2015, following decades of food safety violations, three major players from a large food manufacturing company were identified as being grossly neglectful in their practices. Nine American consumers lost their lives while hundreds more fell ill due to the utterly shocking food safety violations. Join me as I wa...

When one young man discovered his passion for drumming, he soon began dreaming of living the rockstar lifestyle. His talent and ambition paid off and soon, he found himself in very high demand. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol, combined with an undiagnosed mental illness, turned his dream into a nightmare that ended with the brutal murder of someone very close to him. Join me as I walk you through...

On August 25, 2013 a body was discovered in a field in Bakersfield California. A suspect emerged, and investigators worked to figure out why this person wanted the victim dead. As it turned out, the killer may have been seen on surveillance footage leaving the crime scene, but was it really the killer? This would be a source of debate in the trial that took place years after the murder. Join me as...

It’s February 8, 2018. A man is lying on his back in the parking lot of Wildwood Park in San Bernardino, California. He’s been shot multiple times. He’s struggling to breathe and has the look of imminent death in his eyes. He would be dead soon. Police caught up with the man’s killer and it seemed, this was just another homicide in a city previously dubbed, the “Murder Capital” of California. But,...

This is a follow-up to the Long Island Serial Killer episode I released a while back. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, please hit pause, listen to the Long Island Serial Killer episode and then come back to this follow-up episode. In this bonus, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Mass, host of LISK: Long Island Serial Killer podcast. Season 1 of LISK podcast is available wherever...

In a small Florida suburb, two teenage girls were eager to explore the world outside of their hometown. They placed their trust in a man offering them a free ride to anywhere. Unfortunately for the two girls, they would never reach their intended destination and their families would never see them alive again. Nobody was aware that a potential serial killer lived among them. Join me as I walk you...

Don King is one of the most successful and well-known boxing promoters of all time. He has been closely associated with boxing legends like Muhammed Ali, Mike Tyson, and Larry Holmes. Long before his career as a big-league promotor got off the ground, Don King was a gambling kingpin with two murder charges under his belt. His life after these charges played out in a way that many people would find...

When a young girl approached her parents asking if she could get a job, her parents were likely happy to encourage her ambition. The young girl excelled at her job, delivering newspapers throughout the neighborhood. She quickly received recognition, raises, and adoration from the people she was serving. With the immediate success she was accomplishing, the young girl’s parents knew their little gi...

In a very early episode of MURDERISH, I chronicled my personal story. When I was 18 years old, a man followed me home and came into my bedroom. That episode is titled “A Stranger in my Bedroom.” If you haven’t listened to it yet, I recommend that you listen to that episode first and then come back to listen to this episode. In this BONUS episode, I speak with Dr. Shiloh, Forensic Psychologist, and...

Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Louisiana coast on August 29, 2005, was the most damaging hurricane in US history. The devastating disaster killed approximately 1,200 people, with most of the destruction occurring in and around the city of New Orleans. Looting in the city was rampant during this time, as most stores were abandoned. People were taking food, water, and other supplies ...ma...

One woman risked life and limb to escape the grips of a predator. Her goal was simply to make it home to her children alive. There was no way she could have known that ensuring her attacker was found would reveal so much more, and likely save other lives. In working with authorities, this woman was able to uncover her attacker for what he truly was ...a serial killer. Her statements about the crim...

In the early hours of October 14, 2006, two Deputies arrived at a beautiful home ​in Bonaparte, Iowa. A disturbing 9-1-1 call prompted their visit to the home. Upon entering the house, they were faced with a scene they’re likely never to forget. Every single member of the family who lived there had been slaughtered, except one​. Check us out: Visit ​Murderish.com for more info about the show and C...

A woman left her home in Florida to pick someone up from the airport. Before she left, she provided very specific details to her daughter in the event she didn’t return home. The woman was obviously concerned about her safety, but she went forward anyway. Sadly, her intuition was dead on and she would never return home. Join me as I walk you through the murder of Darla Dee Peede. Check us out: Vis...

On May 1, 2010, 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert of Jersey City, New Jersey arrived in Long Island, New York around 2:00 in the morning. The young woman was working as an escort, and her client resided in a beachfront community known as Oak Beach. Hours after arriving, ​Gilbert made a frantic 9-1-1 call​. “They’re trying to kill me,” she screamed to dispatchers. Her breathless voice revealed one thing:...

On May 11, 2016, the naked body of a man was discovered in a remote field in Sonoma County, California. Investigators immediately began working to find out who would have wanted the young father of two dead​. ​Join me as I walk you through a case involving murder victim, Keith Green, whose case drew national attention. Check us out: Visit ​Murderish.com for more info about the show and Creator/Hos...