Chapter 1 – The Bayou Butcher
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is terrorized by a serial killer from 1999 to 2004. Sean Gillis, a socially awkward outcast, turns to the dark side after his mother abandons him by moving away when he is 30 years old. Gillis begins prowling the seedy streets at night and picks up his first victim, a female sex worker, in 1999. This kicks off a 5-year murder spree targeting vulnerable women. Gillis strangles or beats his victims, often mutilating their bodies and keeping trophies. His unsuspecting girlfriend has no clue about his sinister night-time activities. A break in the case comes when police connect Gillis’ rare car tires to a crime scene. Ultimately, DNA evidence and his chilling confessions seal his fate. In 2004, Gillis was convicted of three murders and sentenced to life without parole. Investigators believe he may have many more victims from his twisted 5-year killing spree that terrified Baton Rouge.
Chapter 2 – The Zombie Hunter
In the early 1990s, two young women, Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas, were brutally murdered along canal trails in Phoenix, Arizona. The savage nature of the killings, including extreme violence and sexual assault, shocked the community. For over 20 years, the cases remained unsolved cold cases. Finally, in 2015, advances in forensic genealogy allowed police to identify a suspect using DNA evidence from the crime scenes – Bryan Patrick Miller, a deeply disturbed man obsessed with horror and violence. After Miller’s arrest, police uncovered his traumatic childhood abuse and signs of his long history of violent fantasies and behavior. In a rare bench trial with a single judge acting as jury, Miller was found guilty in 2022 on all charges. Despite Miller’s claims of insanity and his defense team pleading for mercy, the judge determined the cruelty of his acts warranted the maximum penalty. Ultimately, Miller was sentenced to death for the horrific canal killings that had haunted Phoenix for decades.
Chapter 3 – The Hitchhiker Slayer
In the free-spirited beach town of Isla Vista in the 1970s, female college students often resorted to hitchhiking to get around. But when three young women vanished after hitchhiking, it became clear a serial killer was preying on the community. As outrage mounted and protests were held demanding better transportation options, a fourth victim, 21-year-old Patricia Laney, disappeared. Tragically, her body was found just a day later, sexually assaulted and shot execution-style. When another victim was found murdered in the same manner along a remote canyon road, investigators enlisted the FBI to build a profile of the killer. Their investigation soon centered on Thor Christiansen, a disturbed Solvang teenager with a history of violence and alcohol abuse. Though Christiansen left town for two years, more evidence continued to point to him as the perpetrator. When he returned, his appearance had changed, but his violence had clearly not. After failing to murder a Hollywood prostitute, Christiansen was arrested, and his fingerprints matched those found at the Santa Barbara crime scenes. He was sentenced to life in prison for the college student murders, though many believe he was responsible for other unsolved killings as well. The tragic case spotlighted the darker side of California’s hippie culture and the vulnerability of young hitchhikers during that era.
Chapter 4 – The Leaf Killer
In November 2010, the small town of Mount Vernon, Ohio, was rocked by a horrific quadruple homicide. When 41-year-old Tina Herrmann failed to show up for her shift at the local Dairy Queen, her friend and manager, Valerie Haythorn, went to check on her, finding copious amounts of blood but no bodies at Herrmann’s home. Soon it was discovered that Herrmann’s two children, 13-year-old Sarah Maynard and 10-year-old Kody Maynard, as well as her friend Stephanie Sprang were also missing. After days of investigation, police identified 30-year-old tree trimmer Matthew Hoffman as the prime suspect via surveillance footage and ultimately found Sarah bound but alive in his basement. Hoffman eventually confessed to the crimes in a 10-page letter, admitting he had stabbed and dismembered Herrmann, Sprang, and Kody Maynard during a botched burglary attempt. He then hid their remains in a hollowed-out beech tree in the nearby woods. In 2011, Hoffman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the brutal murders that left the small town reeling.
Chapter 5 – Creepy White Van
In March 2011, 19-year-old Kenia Monge disappeared after a night out partying in Denver. Suspicion fell on Travis Forbes, a shady entrepreneur who had offered Kenia a ride home. Despite the lack of evidence, detectives were certain of his guilt. Months later, Forbes committed a brutal attack on another woman, providing the break investigators needed. After striking a deal, Forbes led police to Kenia’s body – ending her family’s agonizing search. He confessed to murdering and raping her, also admitting to the vicious assault of his second victim, who courageously survived. Forbes was sentenced to life without parole for Monge’s death, delivering justice after Kenia tragically encountered darkness in the form of a seemingly harmless stranger.
Chapter 6 – The Creepy Uncle
In June 2001, 15-year-old Danielle Jones vanished while walking to her school bus stop in Essex, England. Witnesses reported seeing her arguing with a man in a blue van, which belonged to her uncle, Stuart Campbell. Campbell had long shown an inappropriate obsession with Danielle that made her uncomfortable. With Campbell absent from search efforts and acting suspiciously, police arrested him within days. Though lacking definitive evidence, they uncovered his diary documenting contacts with Danielle, notes about chloroform and her phone PIN, and a bag with suspicious items, including blood-stained stockings. Forensics matched the blood to both Danielle and Campbell. Still only having circumstantial evidence, police charged Campbell with murder in 2002. After a 10-week trial presenting the accumulated evidence of Campbell’s predatory behavior, the jury convicted him of abducting and murdering Danielle. He maintains his innocence and Danielle’s body has never been found, but Campbell was denied parole in 2023.
Chapter 7 – The Goleta Postal Massacre
Jennifer San Marco was a quiet, friendly child who grew up in Brooklyn, NY. As an adult working at a California postal facility, her mental health declined over time. She increasingly argued with an imaginary friend while sorting mail and grew hostile with colleagues. After multiple confrontations, she was forcibly retired in 2003 due to severe behavioral issues. San Marco relocated to New Mexico, where her erratic public behavior concerned locals. She purchased a handgun in 2005 and practiced shooting for months. In January 2006, San Marco drove back to her former workplace and entered using an employee’s security badge. She shot three people in the parking lot and then continued inside, killing three more, including her prior supervisor. San Marco ultimately shot herself. The tragedy highlighted shortcomings in policies regarding mental health and gun purchases. Today, a memorial honors the six postal workers killed in the shocking workplace massacre.
Chapter 8 – The Beauty Queen
In February 1986, 26-year-old nurse Anita Cobby was walking home after a night out with friends in Sydney, Australia, when a gang of five violent criminals kidnaped her. The men savagely beat, raped, and slit Anita’s throat before callously leaving her mutilated body in a field. Shocked by the brutality, the public erupted in outrage as authorities launched a massive manhunt. A clever undercover operation secured graphic confessions, leading to the murder charges of ringleader John Travers and brothers Les, Gary, and Michael Murphy. After Travers pled guilty, the remaining four defendants were convicted in a sensational trial remarkable for the appalling indifference of the accused. The so-called “Anita Cobby case” tragically symbolizes the extreme violence against women that galvanized Australia in the 1980s.
Chapter 9 – Folly Beach
In 1973, the disappearances of two teen girls visiting Folly Beach, South Carolina, launched a tragic mystery. Months later, more attempted abductions and attacks pointed to a serial offender preying on young women in the beach community. The killer was shockingly unmasked as 31-year-old Navy man Richard Valenti when one brave survivor came forward. Valenti promptly confessed to murdering the two teens and another local girl in sexually motivated stranglings. At trial, his wife tearfully recounted his obsession with binding women. Unrepentant, Valenti claimed no memory of his taped admission and was swiftly convicted. Detectives found no prior victims tied to Valenti’s deadly fetish. After twenty failed paroles, his demise in prison in 2020 ended the dark saga that long haunted the scenic vacation spot.
Chapter 10 – Mr. Big
In December 2003, 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe vanished while waiting for a bus in Palmwood, Queensland, to go Christmas shopping. An extensive search and investigation ensued, but no breaks in the case emerged for years. In 2011, undercover officers set up an elaborate sting to catch Brett Cowan, a convicted pedophile who had been an early suspect. Posing as a criminal gang, they drew Cowan into their fake operations over several months to gain his trust. Eventually, their leader, “Mr. Big,” urged Cowan to confess to the abduction and murder of Daniel, promising to make any evidence disappear. Cowan provided chilling details, admitting he choked Daniel after luring him into a car. He then led officers to the wooded site where he disposed of Daniel’s body. Cowan was arrested and convicted in 2014 of murdering Daniel Morcombe nine years prior.
Chapter 11 – The River Brent Killer
In August 2014, 14-year-old Alice Gross went missing while walking along a canal near her West London home. An extensive search led by hundreds of police officers ensued but yielded few clues to Alice’s whereabouts. A month after she vanished, police identified prime suspect Arnis Zalkalns, a 41-year-old Latvian immigrant living nearby. Zalkalns had a dark past – he had served 6 years in prison for beating and stabbing his wife to death in Latvia. Tragically, after over a month of searching, Alice’s body was found weighed down in the river near where she disappeared. She had been asphyxiated. Days later, Zalkalns was found dead by suicide in a nearby park. The case sparked reform in the UK – police now run background checks on foreigners arrested there against international criminal databases. Alice’s family campaigned to reform UK laws, arguing that the government failed by allowing her convicted killer into the country unchecked.
Chapter 12 – The Sleepwalker
In January 1997, Greg Koons witnessed his neighbor Scott Falater attack and drown his wife Yarmila in their backyard pool in Phoenix, Arizona. Falater claimed he was sleepwalking and had no memory of the murder. The prosecution argued that Falater’s actions showed awareness and planning: he quieted the barking dog, retrieved gloves and a flashlight, concealed the bloody murder weapon and clothes, tended to his cut hand, and showered to wash off the blood. Sleep expert Dr. Mark Pressman testified that Falater exhibited at least 65 conscious actions that night, shattering his sleepwalking defense. After six weeks of trial and 8 hours of deliberation, the jury found Falater guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the horrific murder of stabbing his wife 44 times and drowning her.
Bonus Chapter – The Otay River Killer
In 1989, the body of Renee Baker was found raped and murdered in Florida. Months earlier, another woman, Lena Teinilla, had been killed nearby. With two dead women found close together, police worried a serial killer was at work. However, DNA testing could not link the cases, and they went cold.
In 1993 in California, two young boys, Charlie Keever and Jonathan Sellers, were found sexually tortured and murdered near a makeshift fort. Cigarette butts containing DNA were collected as evidence. The brutal killings shocked the community, but despite pursuing thousands of leads, the case eventually went cold.
In 1994, a probation officer suggested convicted rapist Scott Erskine could be responsible, but lacking evidence, he wasn’t pursued as a suspect. In 2001, advanced DNA testing matched evidence from the boys’ murder to Erskine. Further testing matched his DNA to traces found on Baker four years earlier.
Erskine was convicted of the boys’ murders and sentenced to death. He later pleaded guilty to Baker’s murder in a deal to avoid a second death sentence. He was serving multiple life sentences when he died of COVID-19 in 2020, finally bringing justice for his victims.
