What Makes a Killer

In August of 1998, a woman by the name of Christine Smith was picked up from her usual spot on the notorious downtown strip known as "the track" in Spokane, Washington. After providing her services to the man, he shot her in the head. She survived the attack, and thinking that the man had stabbed her, fled the car.     She would later learn that she would be the only person to ever survive one of...

It’s July, 1975 in Manchester, England. One man, dubbed "The Beast of Manchester" was responsible for sparking immense fear across the city. This "beast" was the unpredictable and violent 30-year-old Trevor Hardy. He seemed to truly enjoy the act of killing. But it didn't stop there. The Beast would return to the scene of the crime to mutilate his victims over and over again. This episode is spons...

From 1974-1991, the city of Wichita, Kansas was gripped with fear as a violent serial killer was on the loose. The killer, known to the public by his alias BTK, was an unassuming family-man named Dennis Rader. He would attack people in their own homes before binding, torturing and ultimately killing them, seemingly for self gratification. BTK came in and out of the shadows for 30 years, taunting i...

What Makes a Killer is a series that chronicles the lives and crimes of the world’s most notorious killers. In every episode, host Jennifer Nittoso will trace a killer’s origins, examine their behavior, and follow their path to bloodshed. As always, this season we’ll hear from family members, survivors, and experts to uncover what led these killers to commit their crimes. In this season, we will c...

It's May 1990, and convicted murderer Jack Unterweger is about to charm his way out of prison. After teaching himself how to read and becoming a well-known children's author, Unterweger had convinced the Austrian public that he was a changed, reformed man. But it was a ruse, and his release would only lead to the death of at least nine more women in both Austria and the United States. He was once...

It’s 2010 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Local man, Stephen Griffiths has just returned home from a night out with a woman in tow. Seconds later, she's seen on security footage running for her life away from his apartment. Griffiths, seen with a crossbow, chases after her and shoots her, before dragging the woman back inside his apartment. She is never to be seen alive again. But he doesn't try to h...

Yosemite National Park, located in the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains, was all but serene for five months in 1999. Fear ran rampant as four women were viciously murdered. The prime suspect was 37-year-old Cary Stayner, a handyman at a local lodge. After being arrested in July of that same year, he astonished everyone with what he did next. This episode is sponsored by: IPVanish PrettyLitter -...

On December 2nd 2015, Horst Kroner boarded a plane to Thailand, intending to spend his vacation sleeping with various women. While he was away, neighbors became increasingly concerned about the whereabouts of Kroner's wife. They didn't know it yet, but two days before his trip, the man had viciously murdered his wife, bludgeoning her to death while she slept before hiding her body. This episode is...

On August 19th 1987, the citizens of Hungerford in Berkshire woke up to a seemingly picturesque summer's day. While a mother sat in a park with her children, she was approached by a young man named Michael Ryan. As she turned to face him, Michael Ryan shot her. What followed was a day of terror, as the town was thrown into chaos and authorities were inundated with conflicting information. As they...

April 7th, 2016, police were called to the Peabody Estate in South London after receiving complaints from tenants about a putrid smell. The two police officers knocked on the door of 49-year-old Stefano Brizzi’s apartment and waiting for them inside was a gruesome sight. The body belonged to 59-year-old police officer Gordon Semple. The officers would soon find out that Semple had met his killer w...

In the summer of 1996, all of Belgium was in shock when two young girls who had been kidnapped, raped, and tortured were rescued from a makeshift dungeon below a house in Marcinelle. As the weeks passed, the bodies of four other young girls were found buried at properties linked to the same man. It was the beginning of a terrible nightmare for the entire nation. With the help of his wife, Michelle...

It's July 1st, 2000, and an eight year old schoolgirl is playing in a field outside of her grandparent’s house at Littlehampton in West Sussex. She disappears from sight for only a moment, but that is enough time for her abductor to make his move and steal the child. What follows is an emotional search for the little girl, who would never be found. With little to no evidence tying anyone to the sc...

In July 2010 in Northumberland England, a jealous ex-boyfriend goes on a violent rampage after deciding that police have taken too much from him, including his relationship. He effectively declares war on the police after killing his ex's new partner, and shooting an officer, both from point blank range. Then he went into hiding, alarming the police, his now #1 target. This episode is sponsored by...

In April 1991, doctors at Grantham and Kesteven hospital in Lincolnshire were perplexed. In just two months, the health of 13 children had mysteriously deteriorated and four of them had died. But this was no unfortunate coincidence. One of the nurses was deliberately attempting to kill her young patients by injecting them with deadly poison. This episode is sponsored by: IPVanish Original music by...

On October 3rd, 2012, Coral Jones gave an emotional televised appeal for the safe return of her daughter, April. The five-year-old had been missing for 36 hours – she’d vanished while playing outside her home in the rural welsh town of Machynlleth. The entire community came together to help the police search for the missing girl. There was a real hope that April would be found alive. But the searc...

On June 2nd 1985, San Francisco police were called to a lumberyard to apprehend a shoplifter. By the time they arrive the suspect had already fled, but the man's partner is still at the scene. The man in in possession of a gun fitted with an illegal silencer, so they arrest him. But while in custody at the station, the suspect swallows a cyanide pill he had hidden in his clothing. Authorities woul...

In the winter of 2006, the town of Ipswich, England was left horrified as the bodies of five missing female sex workers were found by police. The discovery launched a massive manhunt that resulted in police questioning over 2,000 men. Police raced against time to find the killer, all while women continued to risk their lives, hoping they would not become another victim of Steve Wright. This episod...

What Makes a Killer is a series that chronicles the lives and crimes of the world’s most notorious killers. In every episode host Jennifer Nittoso will trace a killer’s origins, examine their behavior, and follow their path to bloodshed. As always, this season we’ll hear from family members, survivors, and experts to uncover what led these killers to commit their crimes. On this season, we will co...

On May 10, 2012, a blazing fire engulfed a family home in Allentown, Derby. The parents, Mick and Mairead Philpott, were able to get out alive, but there were six children trapped inside. All six perished in the tragedy . . . but it was not an accident. It came as a shock to his neighbors - but not to the authorities - that Mick Philpott was involved in orchestrating the fire in a complicated sche...

In April 1973, in Santa Cruz California, a 24 year old man is on the run for the violent murder of his mother and her best friend. The only problem? Authorities have no idea that the crime has been committed. After three days of driving, and with no media coverage of his crime, the man makes a surprising call...to the police. And that's not the only twist, he is responsible for multiple other murd...

On August 2nd, 2012, twelve year old Tia Sharp went missing after supposedly  traveling by train to meet up with some friends for the day. She is due back home in the evening evening, but she never arrived. What followed her disappearance was one of the most publicized search campaigns in British history. But on August 10th, it all came to an abrupt end, with a twist that shocked both the public,...

On June 20, 1970, the hunt was underway for a missing 12-year-old girl named Robin Samsoe. She had last been seen with her friend talking to an older man with a camera. When the man's description was circulated, he was immediately recognized by his parole officer . . . but also recognized for having appeared on a television show -  The Dating Game . This episode is sponsored by: Spycast Podcast  O...

On May 31st, 1983, Polish police were dispatched to check out a supposed robbery. A neighbor had called when he realized his pig cooker was stolen . . .but police were well aware that the accused man, Pawel Tuchlin, was guilty of things that were far more sinister. For years, the man had been stalking women around Poland and attacking them with a hammer . . . and for years, police had done nothing...

On November 12th, 2002 police received a call from a terrified 14 year old boy and his 11-year-old sister. They had returned home from school to find their mother, Heather Barnett, brutally murdered. Police arrive at the scene to find the victim’s children being comforted by a neighbor. Neither police nor the children realize they are being consoled by the very man who murdered their mother. And i...

In February 1988, a 29-year-old John Duffy was on trial for the rape and murder of three women. He was a terrifying figure, and infamous across London. His arrest brought an end to a horrific four-year crime spree across the British capital, but he was only a half a murderous duo. Duffy refused to give up the name of his accomplice, and without any leads, the police have no choice but to wait. It...