Blood Ties Podcast

Thomas Harris is the creator of the character Dr Hannibal Lecter. In 2013 the author revealed that Lecter was actually based on a real person: Doctor Alfredo Trevino. Trevino was a well spoken psychologically complicated surgeon convicted of a brutal murder in the 1960s. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_po...

Joachim Kroll was born in Nazi Germany. A short, bald, lavatory attendant, he was seen as avuncular by people he met. In reality he was a serial killer, child molester and cannibal. BOOK: "The Pottery Cottage Murders" by Carol Ann Lee and Peter Howse. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.p...

Melanie Hall disappeared on the 9th June 1996, but was not declared legally dead until 17 November 2004. She was a British hospital clerical officer from Bradford on Avon when she disappeared, following a night out at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath. Her partial remains were discovered, after a plastic bin bag containing human bones was located by a workman on the M5 motorway. Her murder has never bee...

The Isle of Bute is perceived as a safe holiday destination. That's why the murder of six year old Alesha MacPhail on the island in 2018 particularly shocked the nation. On 2 July 2018, six-year-old Scottish girl Alesha MacPhail was abducted from her bed and murdered by 16-year-old Aaron Campbell. The crime raised questions about child killers and the use of social media during investigations. CRE...

This week's episode is about a killer suggested by our listener Christine White. H. H. Holmes was born in 1861. He became notorious for crimes which were greatly mythologised and exaggerated. What is his true story? How many people did he really kill? BOOK: "The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury by Sean O'Connor. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitt...

This week's case is a suggestion from our listeners Phil and Nick. Geoffrey and Molly explore the case of Sharon Carr, Britain's youngest female killer. She was just 12 years old when she killed Katie Rackliff. The murder was so brutal, police initially suspected it must have been carried out by an adult man. What drives such a young child to commit such a heinous crime? CREDITS: Producer: Poppy D...

Paula Denyer is an Australian serial killer. She is serving three consecutive life sentences for the murders of three women in Melbourne in 1993.RECOMMENDATIONS: The Winslow Boy on DVD (On Amazon here: shorturl.at/mpyS2)CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast...

Rodney Alcala is one of the most brutal killers of all time. He attacked, raped and murdered multiple victims in the 1970s. He is known as 'The Dating Game Killer' because of an appearance on a TV programme in the midst of his spree. What drove this killer? And could there be victims we have not yet identified? CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitte...

You may have heard of a new Netflix show called Don’t F**k with Cats. The three-part series recounts the crimes committed by psychopath Luka Magnotta, including the murder of Jun Lin as well as several kittens. This week we explore the case in detail. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.p...

Jeremy Bamber is one of few prisoners in the UK facing a whole life term. He was found guilty in October 1986 of the murders of his parents, his sister and her six-year-old twin sons. The shooting of the family in August 1985, in the parents' farmhouse in Essex, England, came to be known as the White House Farm murders. BOOK: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. CREDITS: Produced by Poppy Damon. CONTAC...

Welcome to 2020. We begin season five with something a little different, exploring Agatha Christie's most loved detective: Hercule Poirot. Geoffrey and Molly are in conversation with the actor who depicted Poirot for so many years, David Suchet. Who inspired the creation of the Belgian detective who uses only his 'little grey cells' to solve cases? And what can we learn from the techniques he uses...

To kick of season five of Bloodties on Monday 6th January, we are joined by a very special guest: British actor David Suchet. This special episode will be titled 'The Real Hercule Poirot'. David played Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot from 1989 to 2013. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know the name but do we know the true story? Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished areas in and around Whitechapel in 1888. Molly and Geoffrey tell the story in front of a live audience in East London, not far from where the crimes took place. BOOKS: "When the Dogs Don't Bark: A Forensic Scientist’s Search for the Truth" by Professor Angela Gal...

We all know the name but do we know the true story? Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished areas in and around Whitechapel in 1888. Molly and Geoffrey tell the story in front of a live audience in East London, not far from where the crimes took place. BOOKS: "When the Dogs Don't Bark: A Forensic Scientist’s Search for the Truth"by Professor Angela Gall...

We are putting on a live show on Sunday 8th December all about Jack the Ripper. Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blood-ties-live-jack-the-ripper-tickets-77506240251 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Wright killed five sex workers in six weeks between 30th October- 10th December 2006. The judge would later describe this as a 'campaign of murder'. Wright had a checkered adult life, but what led him to snap? CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com **TICKETS FOR LIVE...

This is the story of one of the most controversial police investigations of its time. James Hanratty was hanged at Bedford jail on 4 April 1962, after being convicted of the murder of scientist Michael Gregsten. Gregsten was shot dead in a car on the A6 at Deadman's Hill. Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Storie, was raped, shot five times, and left paralysed. He claimed he was innocent. What is the tr...

John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer who raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Chicago. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com BOOK: The Guardians by John Grisham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer who raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Chicago. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com BOOK: More Than Likely: A Memoir by Dick Clement and Ian le Frenais. Hosted on Acas...

People may know Dr. Crippen's name, but many perhaps don't know why. Dr. Crippen was a notorious killer, hanged for the murder of his wife in 1910. He allegedly poisoned and dismembered Corrine "Cora" Turner (stage name: Belle Elmore), hid her remains under the basement floor, and fled for North America with his lover. What led him to commit his crimes and how was he caught? CREDITS: Producer: Pop...

John Cooper appeared on ITV gameshow "Bullseye". Three weeks later he killed his first victims: Peter and Gwenda Dixon. He would eventually kill four people between 1985–1989. Strangely, footage from the show was later used to match him to witness descriptions. CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: b...

Kenneth Erskine had a troubled childhood: abandoned by his parents, he was institutionalised when he was very young. When he grew up he became homeless and addicted to drugs. A spate of burglaries turned into a spree of killings. It is believed Erskine murdered between 7 - 11 elderly victims in their homes in the late 1980s. Once caught, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. But should he ever be r...

The image of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in their Manchester United T-shirts is one that will be familiar to many. But what is the truth behind their murder? What led Ian Huntley to carry out such a hideous crime? CREDITS: Producer: Poppy Damon Artwork: George Leigh Music: Dan Wansell CONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_Pod Instagram: bloodties_pod Email: bloodties.podcast@gmail.comBOOK: "The Institu...

At 9.45pm on the night of 7th November 1974, a distressed woman burst into The Plumber’s Arms. She shouted: "Help me, help me, help me. I’ve just escaped from being murdered. He’s in the house. He’s murdered the Nanny!" The woman was the Countess of Lucan, and she had fled from her home at number 46, leaving behind her three children. She claimed to be the victim of a serious assault, so the polic...

Trevor Hardy would be a household name. Yet because his case overlapped with the case of the Yorkshire ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, Hardy has become overlooked. The Beast of Manchester, as Hardy would become known, had a thirst for violence. His hideous crimes terrorised the city of Manchester and left three families completely bereft. The extraordinary lengths he went to to evade capture are the stuf...