The Original Deadtime Stories

If the 2000s have shown us anything it is the popularity of social media "challenges." Tide Pod, Cinnamon, and 10 Year are just a few that come to mind. Does anybody else remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? Ugh I'm still steamed that I was NEVER nominated. So to make up for my FOMO I have nominated myself to take part in an even more exciting challenge: The Florida Man Challenge. Google your bi...

Stop number one on our murderous road trip across America is Rhode Island. Summer may nearly be over but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a good old theme park! Frank Sheffield took his five year old daughter Maggie out to enjoy an afternoon at Rocky Point Amusement Park. It would be an afternoon neither would forget. Originally broadcast September 1, 2021. Written and narrated by Schuyler Fastena...

Hey Deadtime Storians I wanted to share some sad news with all of you. Unfortunately we lost a very close friend to our personal family as well as the Deadtime Stories family this weekend. On Sunday Tracy Zales, our friend and theme song composer passed away. She was one of the kindest souls on this planet and we are absolutely devastated by the news. In honor of Tracy, I wanted to re-run the firs...

We all know I LOVE a good competition show (like Big Brother which premiered last week for those who didn't know). I also love true crime. So when the two passions meet in the middle, you get this week's episode of The Original Deadtime Stories. In honor of the Big Brother premiere, enjoy this episode about Ryan Jenkins, Megan Hauserman, and a murder even reality TV producers couldn't think up. Or...

Welcome back to a brand new episode! Join us on a tour of the Old City Jail in Charleston, South Carolina with our lovely guide, Katie. Katie's going to introduce us to John and Lavinia Fisher and their murder house complete with a cellar of spikes for their rich victims...and then I'll tell y'all the real story. Originally broadcast April 6, 2022. Written and narrated by Schuyler Fastenau-Jones a...

Our very first episode! Meet Little Fanny Adams and the tragic story behind a classic phrase. Plus a brief history on the mason jar, Schuyler's interests, and terrible microphone quality. Originally broadcast June 30, 2018. Written and narrated by Schuyler Fastenau-Jones. Additional voices by Shaina Hammer, Ryan Pigg, Alec Nielson, and Craig Seaver. Follow us on: Patreon Instagram Facebook Tiktok...

The name on everybody's lips is gonna be...Schustie! The world certainly beat up on Roy Schuster. After the Depression, his divorce (gasp!), and a talent vaudeville no longer wanted to recognize, navigating the US prison system should be a cake walk! Originally broadcast February 3, 2021. Written by Jordan Katcher, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau, and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional v...

The Doodler was one of the first stories that drew me into the true crime world. Back in the 70s, a man was terrorizing The Castro District in San Francisco by luring in his victims with drawings of them on a cocktail napkin. I'd definitely be a sucker for a portrait of myself but would not want to meet the fate these men did. Originally broadcast June 19, 2019. Written, narrated, and edited by Sc...

How's that old COVID-19 joke go? Murder your spouse now, blame it on the corona virus later? If you're a fan of true crime memes then you probably saw this at some point last year. In Florida, it became a reality. Of course this wasn't the first time a virus was used as a weapon. Just a few years ago, Daryll Rowe harnessed HIV to attack other gay men. Originally broadcast February 17, 2021. Writte...

It certainly wasn't easy being a young gay man in the 1980s. Running into a monster like Robert Berdella made it much worse. Originally broadcast November 18, 2020. Written by Keelan Brown, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional voices by Tamara Perry, Marissa Pistone, Jeremy Staple, Walker Barnes, Vince Perez, Daniel Jones, Matt MacNelly, Rainee Blake, Jo...

Growing up a gay man in a Mormon household probably isn't easy and when Gordon Ray Church was able to go to college, he likely became more comfortable in his skin. He met some supportive friends and even found himself a nice boyfriend. But when he stopped at the 7-Eleven to pick up cigarettes before Thanksgiving break, he met two men who would make him endure the worst night of his life. Originall...

Pride Month is just about here and with certain political parties and states attacking the rights of my people, I feel the need to take the time to share stories from my community during June. Angie Zapata was a brave trans woman whose life may have been cut short but that doesn't mean she couldn't do something major for the LGBTQIA+ community. Originally broadcast November 2, 2023. Please note th...

They say it's wrong to be obsessed with true crime but if you watched "Don't F**k With Cats," you'll know it can work out in your favor. Before Facebook found Luka Magnotta, a hotel manager's child became obsessed with a dead body found on their property and wouldn't rest until they found out how she died. Originally broadcast March 3, 2021. Written by Keelan Brown, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau,...

Not so fun fact: there have been 200 mass shootings which have claimed over 11,000 lives in the United States this year. For those counting, we're at 130 days this year which means we're averaging more than one shooting a day. Those numbers ARE. NOT. O. K. Gun violence needs to end in this country and I feel something I can do is remind my listeners about the stories of survivors and victims. Bren...

On March 16, 1991, Jessica Lyn Keen took the most important run of her life. Hopefully if you ever find yourself running for your life in pitch darkness, you're in familiar territory. Originally broadcast November 20, 2019. Written by Schuyler Fastenau and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional voices by Jessica Buttafuoco, Jeremy Staple, Madelaine Weymouth, Matthew MacNelly, Allyn Anthony...

Blake Leibel was either a trust fund brat or a misunderstood genius. It depends on who you asked back in the early 2000s. Nowadays I think we can all agree there was something scary and twisted going on inside the comic book artist's mind. Originally broadcast April 25, 2023. Written by Schuyler Fastenau and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional voices by Rainee Blake, Marissa Pistone, Da...

Camp Scott was a place of peace, happiness, and beauty until someone snuck in the middle of the night and murdered three innocent Girl Scouts. Since the airing of this show, we learned something musical theatre dorks like me would love! The one and only Kristin Chenoweth would have been on this very trip had she not been ill. Isn't it fascinating how something small like that can totally change th...

Shortly after the Burger Chef murders, another diner employee went missing after her shift and the culprit was allegedly seen at the aforementioned fast food joint. Are the crimes related? Is it possible we just solved a cold case? Conclusion. Originally broadcast October 14, 2020. Written by Daniel Jones and Chelsea Bray, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau, and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Addi...

Four employees at one popular fast food restaurant go missing on the same night. Were they just smoking weed to celebrate a birthday? One mother pleads with officers to dig deeper. Part one of two. Originally broadcast October 7, 2020. Written by Daniel Jones and Chelsea Bray, narrated by Schuyler Fastenau, and executive produced by Daniel Jones. Additional voices by Marissa Pistone, Matt MacNelly...

It's safe to say most people have heard about the Lewinsky-Clinton scandal and ate up the screaming headlines. Time seems to have erased the Levy-Condit scandal though. It's one blunder after another in today's story! Be sure to tune in this Friday when Stoney McBlaze covers this story on our other show, Cereal Killerz. Originally broadcast January 27, 2021. Written by Schuyler Fastenau and execut...

Listener note: This episode contains language that may be offensive to non-neurotypical individuals. This is for the purpose of historical accuracy and does not reflect the cast or crew's opinions. Our next stop is Columbus, Ohio! After Jack Carmen, a non-neurotypical man, was accused and sent to jail for the murder of Christie Mullins in under two weeks, two journalism students at Ohio State Univ...

PLEASE NOTE: Today's episode includes language some may find triggering. These slurs are for the purpose of historical accuracy and do not reflect the opinions of the cast or crew at The Original Deadtime Stories. This version of the episode has these slurs bleeped out. We've seen how dangerous Amite County was for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Herbert Lee was murdered in bro...

Florida may ban AP African American Studies but that doesn't mean DTS can't try and teach truth to our youth. Before Black Lives Matter there was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During the summer of 1961, a member named Bob Moses travelled to Amite County in Mississippi and his life was forever changed. Originally broadcast July 15, 2020. Written by Schuyler Fastenau-Jones an...

The story of the Sodder children is by far one of my favorites! What happened in that fire on Christmas Eve? Were the children kidnapped, murdered, accidentally killed, or something else entirely? BE sure to check out our next episode of Cereal Killerz to hear our guest's version of what happened that night. Originally broadcast December 16, 2020. Written by Schuyler Fastenau-Jones and executive p...

The Original Deadtime Stories Murderous Road Trip Across America continues to Logan, West Virginia. In a way, Mamie Thurman was a woman way ahead of her time. She began intimate relationships with powerful men in town to get what she wanted and didn't care what the color of their skin was. Her downfall? Keeping a list of the men's names. Originally broadcast September 22, 2021. Written and narrate...