Beers with Queers A True Crime Podcast

He was brilliant, kind, and just beginning his life. Then he vanished. Blaze Bernstein, a 19-year-old gay Jewish student, went home to California for winter break—and never made it back to school. His body was discovered buried in a shallow grave, and the suspect? A former classmate with ties to extremist hate groups. This episode tells the story of a young life cut short by hate—and the community...

They were the French Quarter’s favorite couple—until everything fell apart. In post-Katrina New Orleans, Zach and Addie were seen as symbols of resilience. But behind their charm was chaos. When Addie stopped showing up for work, police found something unimaginable: her remains, hidden in an apartment above a voodoo shop. This episode unpacks a queer-coded tragedy of trauma, control, and one of th...

They’re banning drag. Targeting trans kids. And quietly laying the groundwork to criminalize queerness again. In this chilling episode, we examine how modern anti-LGBTQ+ legislation—like Tennessee’s drag ban and the radical Project 2025 agenda—echoes historical efforts to erase queer lives. From the criminalization of sodomy to the silencing of queer expression, the threat isn’t hypothetical. It’s...

A mummified corpse. A sadistic millionaire. A dungeon beneath Manhattan. In 1985, a charred body was found on the side of a Pennsylvania road. The trail led back to Andrew Crispo—a high-society art dealer with disturbing tastes and a connection to the BDSM underworld. Though he was never convicted for the murder itself, what police uncovered behind his gallery doors was darker than anyone expected...

She was 16. She was trans. And she was hunted. In 2023, Brianna Ghey was brutally murdered in a UK park—a crime that sent shockwaves through queer and trans communities worldwide. As the investigation unfolded, so did a terrifying look into youth radicalization, online hate, and systemic failure. This episode is a heartbreaking look at the life—and loss—of a young woman who deserved so much more....

An heir. A stone. A courtroom that let fear become a weapon. In 1868, Samuel M. Andrews was charged with the brutal killing of Cornelius Holmes—a man who had named him as a beneficiary in his will. Andrews claimed Holmes tried to assault him and that he lashed out in a fit of “transitory insanity.” The jury believed enough of it to reduce the charge from murder to manslaughter. This episode dives...

He flirted. They snapped. And the law said, “That’s understandable.” For decades, killers who attacked LGBTQ+ victims could use the “gay panic” defense to justify their actions—claiming they were so shocked or repulsed by a queer advance that it triggered temporary insanity. In this episode, we explore how this horrifying legal strategy took root and why it persisted for so long in courtrooms acro...

A bodybuilder’s dream look. A clone-like subculture. A series of eerily targeted killings. In late 1970s San Francisco, gay men who embodied the “Castro Clone” aesthetic—mustaches, leather, and muscle—began turning up dead. The murders shocked the community, but mainstream media barely paid attention. Who was hunting these men, and why did their stories disappear so quickly from public memory? Thi...

Surprise! We have a special mini bonus episode for you guys. This is not True Crime related, but with it being Pride Month, we just figured it would be cool to share a bit of queer history with y'all! Follow Us- Facebook- Beers with Queers: A True Crime Podcast Instagram-@beerswithqueerspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They came for a night out. They never made it home. In 2022, a string of deaths shocked New York’s queer nightlife scene. Victims were drugged in gay bars, their phones stolen, their bank accounts drained—and some never woke up. The perpetrators operated like a well-oiled machine, leaving a trail of overdoses and heartbreak across Manhattan. This episode investigates a modern queer crime ring—and...

He was identified. But silence, shame, and fear kept him free. In Part 2, we unravel how homophobia and closeted survivors derailed justice in the Doodler case. Despite police narrowing in on a suspect, prominent men feared being outed more than they feared a killer still on the loose. This episode is a sobering look at how queer history has been distorted by silence—and how a killer was allowed t...

He met them in bars. Sketched them on napkins. Then slaughtered them. In 1970s San Francisco, a serial killer targeted gay men—luring them with charm, drawing them mid-conversation, and murdering them shortly after. The press dubbed him "The Doodler," but despite multiple victims and a surviving witness, the case went cold for decades. This episode begins our two-part journey into one of...

A dandy in velvet. A surgeon with a temper. A fascination with uteruses. In the fog of 1880s London, Jack the Ripper stalked and mutilated women—and one of Scotland Yard’s top suspects was a flamboyant American doctor known for his hatred of sex workers and rumored interest in men. Francis Tumblety, a documented historical queer figure, left behind a trail of scandal, secrets, and suspicion. This...

A luxury apartment. Two massive dogs. A blood-soaked hallway. In 2001, Diane Whipple was mauled to death outside her San Francisco home in a case that quickly spiraled into scandal. The dogs’ owners—two women deeply embedded in a prison gang’s power structure—were hiding much more than vicious pets. What followed was a landmark manslaughter trial and questions that still linger over queer privileg...

He left the Amish faith—but took something far darker with him. There has only ever been one recorded serial killer who identified as Amish and that was a man named Eli Stutzman. Eli Stutzman’s path from a closeted Amish youth to a suspected serial killer left a chilling trail across the American Midwest. He’s linked to multiple deaths, including that of his own child, and the clues he left behind...

Body parts in barns. Heads in jars. And a trail gone ice cold. From the 1960s through the 1970s, a series of grisly murders swept through rural West Virginia, leaving behind a string of mutilated corpses and little explanation. While largely forgotten by history, some believe the victims may have included queer men living on society’s margins. This episode explores a lesser-known serial case that’...

A sleepy Oklahoma town. A local bank. And a massacre that made headlines. In 1984, the Geronimo Bank became the site of a shocking robbery that ended in cold-blooded murder. While the queer context in this case is more subtle, its implications for LGBTQ+ visibility and justice in small-town America can’t be overlooked. This episode investigates a brutal heist, a community shaken, and the broader h...

A killer with a camera. A victim in pieces. A manhunt across continents. When Luka Magnotta posted a snuff video online, the world watched in horror. The victim, Jun Lin—a Chinese international student—was brutally murdered and dismembered. What followed was an international chase fueled by viral fame, narcissism, and a craving for attention that knew no bounds. This episode dives into one of the...

It started as a hookup. It ended in horror. In 2019, Kevin Bacon—no, not that one—met Mark Latunski through Grindr for a date. Within hours, he was dead. What followed was a shocking revelation: cannibalism, a homemade dungeon, and a killer with a dark delusion. The case stunned Michigan—and the nation—with its brutality and twisted psychology. This episode unpacks one of the most terrifying queer...

A baby girl taken from her crib. A community in terror. And a defense rooted in pure hate. In 1955, the horrific murder of 21-month-old Donna Sue Davis shattered the quiet town of Sioux City, Iowa. The case would become infamous not only for its unimaginable brutality—but for the defense strategy that followed. As public outrage soared, one suspect’s lawyer blamed a “homosexual panic,” twisting ju...

A missing boy. A frantic manhunt. And a witch hunt disguised as justice. In 1954, Sioux City, Iowa was rocked by the disappearance of 8-year-old Jimmy Bremmers—a tragedy that quickly spiraled into a moral panic. What began as a search for a child’s killer turned into a crusade against anyone who didn’t fit the town’s idea of “normal.” As fear gripped the public, suspicion fell not just on criminal...

A surprise crush confession. A camera-ready setup. And a murder just days later. In 1995, Scott Amedure revealed he had a crush on a friend during a taping of The Jenny Jones Show. Three days later, he was dead. The trial that followed ignited a national firestorm around tabloid television, outing culture, and the dangers of performative shock for ratings. This episode unpacks the queer tragedy th...

He ran across the Oscars stage and into pop culture history. But his life—and death—were far more complex. In 1974, artist and queer provocateur Robert Opel shocked the world by streaking the Academy Awards live on television. But behind the headline-grabbing stunt was a man deeply embedded in San Francisco’s gay art scene—until his mysterious murder in 1979 left more questions than answers. This...

He was older, respected, and in love. His killer was younger, calculating—and charming. Peter Farquhar, a gay novelist and theology teacher in England, fell head over heels for Ben Field, a former student who manipulated his way into Peter’s heart, home, and will. But behind the romance was a sinister plot involving gaslighting, sedatives, and slow-motion murder masked as care. This episode explor...

He took everything from his victims—and kept the evidence to prove it. In the final chapter of Robert Berdella’s horrific case, investigators uncover the extent of his crimes: the photos, the tools, the confessions written in his own hand. The trial raised questions about sadism, queerness, and the silence of a city that didn’t want to see what was hiding in plain sight. This episode concludes the...