The Dark Roots of Keith Jesperson’s Childhood In the 1950s, Selah, Washington, wasn’t just a small, picturesque town—it was a battleground for young Keith Jesperson. Towering over his peers and burdened with a quiet, shy demeanor,…
The Morning Routine That Defied Death For Peter Porco, November 15, 2004, wasn’t supposed to be memorable. It was just another Monday, the kind of day you coast through without a second thought. The 52-year-old court clerk in Delmar, New York…
A Late-Night Bong Hit and a Cryptic Confession It was 2001, and Lloyd Avery II sat in the family garage with his younger brother, Che. Lloyd passed the bong across the dimly lit space, and Che took a hit that nearly floored him. “I’ve …
The Unlikely Beginnings of Theodore Coneys: A Life Shaped by Illness and Isolation Most of us stand at our refrigerators, pondering snacks or leftovers, blissfully unaware that such a mundane moment could mark the end of a life. But for one man in …
A Camping Trip in Gitchie Manitou Takes a Deadly Turn In 1973, five teenagers headed into the serene woods of Gitchie Manitou State Preserve in Iowa for a night of campfire fun. Among them were Roger Essam, 17; Stewart Baade, 18; his younger brothe…
The Mysterious Death of Cindy James: A Decade of Fear Ends in Tragedy On June 8, 1989, a disturbing discovery was made in the backyard of an abandoned house in Richmond, Canada. Cindy James was found hogtied, drugged, and strangled with a black nyl…
A Quiet Romance: The Love Story of Teri Helfrich and Charles Brandt In 1986, Teri Helfrich found what many spend a lifetime searching for—a love that felt like home. Teri was the kind of person who lit up every room she entered. A free spirit…
A Killer’s Beginnings: The Early Life of Peter Sutcliffe “Bastard prostitutes who were littering the streets. I was just cleaning up the place a bit.” Those were the words of a man whose reign of terror gripped the UK for five yea…
The Curious Transformation of Manuela Bartel: From Model Student to Chaos Incarnate Manuela Bartel was the kind of kid who made parents breathe a sigh of relief—polite, hardworking, and bright. Growing up in 1980s and 1990s Germany, her life …
Augusta Gein: Tyrant, Preacher, and Queen of Condemnation Augusta Wilhelmine Gein ruled her household like a fire-and-brimstone despot, her reign extending over a remote Plainfield, Wisconsin farm where she kept a firm grip on her two sons, Henry a…
