Going to Killing City

This episode dropped last summer for our Substack subscribers.  We decided that now that it's a year old, we would share it with everyone. But, just as a reminder, subscribers to our Substack page get all sorts of fun goodies like this - exclusive episodes, video tours of our bars and much more!  This episode deals with the tragic life of Mary McElroy.  As the daughter of the Pender...

It’s the Season Finale, and we’re closing things out live from True Crime GenreCon at Woodneath Story Center with one of the strangest stories we’ve ever covered. This time, we head back to 1908, when a man calling himself “Adam God” brought a volatile mix of religious certainty, public spectacle, and gathering tension into Kansas City. What followed was bizarre even by this show’s standards. We w...

This episode was recorded live before an audience at J. Rieger's headquarters.  Ryan Maybee, the Co-founder and Managing Director of J. RIeger joined Jamie and Alex to discuss his killer cocktail and more. In June 1928, Kansas City was thrilled to host the Republican Presidential Convention.  Herbert Hoover was in town, but also were numerous bank robbers.  Their audacious (and ill-...

On a February afternoon in 1977, a routine lunch break on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza ended without a return. A car reappeared where it was supposed to be. A woman did not. What followed was a quiet, unresolved disappearance that has lingered for more than four decades, marked by unanswered questions and gaps no investigation has been able to close. Links & Sources Kansas City Star  ...

Where were you 44 years ago back in 1982? Were you even born yet? Now imagine spending those 44 years in prison, for a murder you did not commit.  That was a reality for Kansas Citian Kevin Strickland, who was wrongly convicted for a murder he did not commit and was sentenced to a "hard 50" behind bars. How did this happen? And why was Kevin not released when the evidence was overwhelming tha...

In October 1978, the Phillips Petroleum attorney from Oklahoma was found dead in her hotel room—shot in one of the city’s most elegant addresses. Nearly half a century later, questions linger: Who wanted her silenced, and what disappeared with the evidence? Alex explores the Kansas City–Oklahoma connection, the power and secrecy behind the case, and why justice sometimes stalls in the glow of the...

In March 1941, Kansas Citians woke up to the most horrific news, 24 year old Leila Welsh was brutally murdered in her own bedroom after coming home from a date.  The killer had laid in wait for hours, before sneaking into her bedroom through an open window while her mother slept in the room next to her, while her brother was asleep downstairs.  Despite a bevy of physical evidence, there...

This special episode was recorded LIVE on Thursday October 15, 2025 - Alex from the purported most haunted room of the Hotel Savoy, room 505.  Jamie, of course, NOT there, instead manning "mission control". This special episode was brought to you by: The JonBenét Game at Unicorn Theatre, running now through November 2. It’s a dark, psychological new play about childhood games gone wrong—liter...

It's Halloween season and we all love a good scary story - but sometimes, a tale is so scary, it leaves literally with chills. Kansas City was home to the first documented internet serial killer. He had a long criminal record, but for the vast majority of his life, he was simply a con man who swindled various businesses and individuals out of their money.  Law enforcement and Prosecutor's off...

A skeleton in a cave. A businessman who vanished 17 years earlier. A partner who disappeared the same day. Was it murder, a cover-up, or both? 🥃 Sponsored by Gunnar’s Bourbon Company. Complete show notes at killingcitypod.com (http://killingcitypod.com/).

Welcome back! We launch Season 3 with a doozy of a story of a building collapse that led to one of the most brutal civilian massacres in American history. Our story starts way back in 1863, when a women's prison for Confederate sympathizers crashed to the ground, killing 4 women and maiming many others.  That collapse enraged Quantrill's raiders, who decided to burn, murder and maim much of L...

In December 2023, we released "A Killer Headache", an episode recorded live where we discussed the Kansas City connection to the infamous Tylenol poisoning case in Chicago.   Now with Netflix releasing a 3 part documentary on the Tylenol case, we decided to weigh in on Netflix's take of the tragedy, and then allow you to hear how we told the story back in 2023.   We also make an announce...

email us if you want to do a summer walking tour!: killingcitypod@gmail.com  In the heart of Kansas City, hidden beneath the modern cityscape, lie the forgotten landmarks of the city's criminal past. Join us as we uncover the untold stories of the mob’s influence on this city—places you walk past every day without realizing they once hosted murder, corruption, and shady dealings. From speakea...

At about 2 am on March 27, 1977, an enormous explosion destroyed 2 buildings and most of a city block in the River Market neighborhood. Why was it bombed? And who did it? We discuss all of it in this month's episode! But first! Jamie's childhood friend Jim Hanna joins us to talk all about his True-Crime YouTube series: "Shot.....or Shot?" Jim is an actor in Hollywood who has been on shows such as...

Angela Monroe. Anna Ewing. Patricia Wilson Butler. Sheilah McKinzie. Darci Williams. Carmen Hunt. Claudette Juniel. Sandra Reed. Nellia Harris.  Nine women were murdered in and around Prospect Avenue, marking the emergence of a new serial killer in Kansas City in 2004 .  Shockingly, the killer brazenly called 911 to disclose the locations of the bodies. Our special guest, former Jackson...

This month's sponsor is ⁠KC Bier Company⁠ ! Be sure to visit and tell them you heard about them on the podcast! If you're a fan of mob movies, you are aware that often there's a scene where the mobsters are hauled before a Congressional hearing. And while those movies usually focus on New York or Las Vegas, Kansas City also was a major part of those hearings. In this episode, we discus...

Our December episode is a holiday spectacular - As Jamie joins us from his home bar, "The Green Room", and Alex from his "The Green Shebeen". Alex's killer cocktail is the "Santa Hat" and we will show you step by step how to make it! This month's episode starts in the fall of 1919, when a daytime robbery of a gambling den goes horribly wrong. From there, we have a daring escape on a moving train,...

This month on Going to Killing City, we're diving into one ofKansas City's most haunting unsolved cases—the 1988 explosion that took thelives of six of Kansas City’s finest. It’s a story of mystery, tragedy, andlingering questions. Were the five locals convicted of the crime reallyresponsible, or is the truth buried somewhere deeper?   Plus…our KillerCocktail of the Month is sponsored by Kans...

Welcome back to part 2 of our special Halloween episode, recorded live at Scissors & Scotch in Prairie Village! Again thanks to S&S for hosting us and a special thanks to this month's sponsor, J. Rieger! As you recall, Part 1 listed the numerous murders, suicides and accidental deaths connected to the Hotel Savoy in Kansas City. In Part 2, Jamie discusses the numerous paranormal experience...

Part one of our Halloween special was recorded live before an audience at Scissors & Scotch in Prairie Village . This episode was sponsored by our friends J. Rieger. When you stay at hotel, do you ever wonder who all has stayed there before you? And would it bother you to know that numerous people met their end at that hotel? Well buckle up! We discuss the Hotel Savoy in downtown Kansas City - whi...

Today, we're riding into one of the most infamous events in the history of the American Old West—the robbery of the Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri. This event marks one of the earliest bank heists in American history and set the stage for the legend of Jesse James, a man once called "the worst man without any exception in America." On February 13, 1866, the quiet town of Libe...

We're back for season 2! Our summer hiatus was great and we are so excited for the following announcements: This episode is sponsored and supplied by J. Rieger & Co. ! We are also excited to say we are working with a local tour provider to put together a tour of some of our most memorable episodes. email us at: killingcitypod@gmail.com if you're interested. All our show notes can be found...

It's our one year anniversary and we delve into what is arguably the most famous murders in the city's history. When a routine prison transfer turns into a gun battle of epic proportions at one the city's biggest landmarks, Union Station. Go to our website for more information on the case and for the killer cocktail recipe: https://killingcitypod.com/ We are taking June and July off, but feel free...

It's April and that means it's baseball season here in Kansas City. For this episode, we go WAY back to 1900 to discuss a forced marriage, a professional mandolin player AND how a baseball player figured into all of this. This one is a Lulu! Go to the website to read the episode notes, and to get the recipe for this month's killer cocktail: www.killingcitypod.com Email us: ⁠killingcity...

We're back for our March episode - this one is all about myths and how they become perceived reality. Go to our website to read the show notes AND the drink recipe for this month's episode: https://killingcitypod.com/ Email us: ⁠killingcitypod@gmail.com ⁠ Show theme written and performed by ⁠⁠Jackie Myers⁠⁠ . Introduction by ⁠⁠Laura Kelly Ellis⁠⁠ . Going to Killing City Podcast is recorded...