Wicked Crime

In the Season Three finale, me and my guest host Grace get into the many tales of Dogtown, a farming settlement founded in 1693 in Gloucester, MA. The small town briefly thrived until the Revolutionary War when 60 of the settlement's wives were left widows, nothing but their dogs to keep them company as their houses began to crumble around them. Now a ghost town, Dogtown is known for it's famous Babson Boulders, being a former home to witches, and the site of a terrible murder of a school teacher in 1984. What else might lurk in those woods?

On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy drove off Dyke Bridge while attending a party on Chappaquiddick, located on Martha's Vineyard. Though he managed to get out of the car, his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign aid of Robert Kennedy, could not get out. Ted claimed to have tried to save her but he never contacted authorities until the next morning after her body had been found. Many people Kennedy never told the full story from that night and that it ruined his chances of becoming president. Could Mary Jo have been saved if something had been done sooner? 

Hadden Clark claimed to have killed a number of women in Wellfleet, MA in the 70s while working as a cook in Provincetown, but it has never been confirmed. He was found guilty of murdering 6-year-old Michele Dorr in 1986 and 23-year-old Laura Houghtelingin 1992, both of Maryland, and even cannibalized Michele's remains, sending him to jail for the rest of his life. His brother Bradfield also committed a horrendous murder. Was Hadden responsible for other murders? Did the Clark's trauma contribute to the murders they committed?

On October 24th, 1961, 31-year-old Joan Risch disappeared from her home in Lincoln, MA, leaving behind quite a big mystery that still has people puzzled. Her kitchen was bloody, her phone ripped from the wall, fingerprints found didn't all match her own, and there had been an unknown car parked in her driveway among other strange details. Yet a woman matching her description was also seen bloody and disoriented on two different roads in town. Did Joan set up this crime scene and disappear on purpose? Did someone hurt her? Did she hurt herself and wander off? 

Jesse Pomeroy holds the record for longest incarceration in the U.S. and was the youngest person to be sent to jail for murder after killing two children and torturing a number of others. He was only 14-years-old at the time of his conviction on December 8th, 1874. But he isn't the only young killer in Massachusetts or surrounding states. Though he may've been the most sadistic. This week I cover him and a few other killer kids whose motives range from burglary, anger, gun violence, and sex. What drives kids to kill? 

Clark Rockefeller, whose real name was Christian Gerhartsreiter, spent years operating under different identities before finally being caught by the FBI in 2008 after he kidnapped his own daughter. Not only had he been impersonating a Rockefeller for years, but he also was found guilty of the first degree murder of John Sohus who had gone missing with his wife Linda from San Marino, CA in 1985. Did Clark really kill John? And what did he do with Linda's body? 

On June 23rd, 1902, Jane Toppan was finally convicted of killing at least 11 people while working as a nurse in Eastern Massachusetts. She was declared guilty by reason of insanity for her crimes, getting pleasure toying with her victims by poisoning them before finally allowing them to die. She spent years discretely killing people and there's a chance she actually murdered nearly 100 people though it was never confirmed. Did the trauma of her earlier years turn her into a killer? 

On January 17th, 1950, Boston saw the one of the biggest robberies in U.S. history when nearly $3 million was stolen from the Brinks building on Prince Street. What seemed like a perfect crime had police baffled for almost six years as they chased down suspects and worked off very little evidence. Until one of the robbers finally confessed to the FBI. But what made him finally talk? 

On April 19th, 1992, the body of missing 25-year-old Lisa Ziegert was found in Agawam, MA. Despite collecting DNA, police couldn't find her killer and the case remained unsolved for 25 years. Until the Hampden County DA unearthed some old suspects which led the State Police right to Lisa's murderer. Had he been watching Lisa long before he killed her?

Welcome to Season 3 of Wicked Crime! I'm starting off the season with a special update about Danny Croteau and how after almost 50 years, former priest Richard Lavigne was finally charged with his murder. 

In the Season Two finale, I cover the unsolved murder of Karina Holmer, a Swedish Au Pair who was killed after disappearing from a nightclub in Boston in 1996. Many people speculate that it was her employers that had something to do with her murder, and though there were other suspects, her killer is still unknown. Was she killed by her employers? A possible serial killer who was beheading people around the same time? Or was it a completely random person? 

On May 27th, 1995, Harvard student Sinedu Tadesse stabbed her roommate Trang Phuong Ho 45 times before she hung herself in their bathroom. Many believe that Harvard had plenty of warning signs of Sinedu's deteriorating mental health and never stepped in. But are they really to blame for what happened? 

In this episode, I have Steph on as a guest host and we talk all about the various cryptids in Massachusetts and whether or not they might be real. Everything from the Gloucester Sea Serpent to the Black Flash of Provincetown. And we share some funny stories along the way. 

Between 1995 and 1998, Alfred Gaynor was responsible for the murder of 9 women in Springfield, MA, yet he remains relatively unknown because despite the fact that he's a serial killer, they are all drug-related crimes. In this episode I look into his victims and some of the disturbing details of the murders. 

The Bridgewater Triangle is Massachusetts own paranormal vortex complete with cryptids, UFO sightings, satanic murders, hitchhiking ghosts, and more. I discuss some of the real true crime cases there and also some of the well-known weird happenings within the bounds of the Triangle. Is the land possibly cursed? 

In 1988 to 1989 eleven women went missing and 9 were found murdered on the side of the highways outside of New Bedford, MA. All of them seemed to have been possibly strangled to death. The killer was never found though there are a few interesting suspects who could be responsible. Or was it a transient killer who may never be found? 

Starting in the mid 1800s, state-run mental facilities started caring for patients all across Massachusetts. What started with the intent to help 'cure' people turned into an overcrowded nightmare where patients were experimented on, abused, and neglected. In this episode I talk about a number of institutions and the history there, like how Paul A. Dever School was a former WWII POW camp and the grisly murder of Anne Marie Davee at Metropolitan State Hospital. 

In this episode, I look into the history of the Hoosac Tunnel which came to be on known as the Bloody Pit because so many men died building it. The tunnel took 24 years to complete and claimed almost 200 lives, the stories of the hauntings there going back to the late 1800s. Was the project to build the tunnel through the mountain actually cursed?

In this episode I talk about the legends and stories behind Spider Gates Cemetery, one of the allegedly most creepy cemeteries in Massachusetts. Maybe it's because of the satanic sacrifices, murders, or the fact that it's considered the 8th Gate to Hell. And what if there are other such gates across Massachusetts?

Welcome to season 2 of Wicked Crime! In the first episode of this semi-spooky season I talk about one of the most notorious unsolved cases in Massachusetts history: the axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. I discuss the details of the case and whether or not Lizzie Borden could have been guilty. And how her old house is now considered a paranormal hotspot.

In the season one finale, I have Ashley on as a guest host and I tell her three local stories from Western Mass. An unidentified murder victim from Granby, the mysterious death 16-year-old Ashley Turniak from Agawam, and the story of Antoine Banks who murdered three men in the early 2000s, one of whom was an aide to the former mayor of Springfield. We get into the details of each case and what we think might've happened.

In 1995, Lewis Lent Jr was charged with the attempted kidnapping of 12-year-old Rebecca Saverese in Pittsfield, MA, but he soon admitted to the murder of James Bernardo, Sarah Anne Wood, and eventually Jamie Lusher. Police believe he could've killed over eight children and might even be responsible for the unsolved murder of 10-year-old Holly Piirainen. In this episode, I discuss his life, the crimes he's committed, and if he could've been the one who abducted and killed Holly.

In the summer of 1974, a woman's body was found brutally murdered in the dunes of Race Point beach and to this day she has still never been identified. In this episode, I tell the story of the Lady of the Dunes and go through some of the theories about the case. Including her possible connection to Whitey Bulger and the movie Jaws.

In this episode, I discuss the disappearance of Maura Murray and some of the theories that surround what might've happened to her. Did she decide to leave and start a new life? Was she abducted by a killer? Could she have wandered into the woods and died? 16 years later and we're no closer to knowing how she vanished in the span of 7-10 minutes out on Route 112 in New Hampshire.

In this episode, I talk about the deaths of Achim Bailey and Andrew Pearson, both young black men who went missing in Springfield, MA weeks apart from each other and were later found dead in bodies of water. Though police say they're unrelated, many people believe they could be victims of the Smiley Face Killers. But is that nothing more than a conspiracy theory?

In the final part of the Murder of Danny Croteau, I discuss the DNA testing that finally happened after Father Lavigne's trial and wrap up the details of the case.

In Part 4 of the Murder of Danny Croteau, I detail how Father Lavigne groomed and abused children, something which Danny was most likely exposed to. I talk about how Lavigne finally went to trial, but not for charges of murder. Also how this abuse spanned not only through the state of Massachusetts, but across the world.

In Part 3 of the Murder of Danny Croteau, I discuss in depth all the possible suspects and even those with only a rumored connection to Danny. I also get deeper into Father Lavigne's background and some of the strange occurrences that made police focus in on him.

In Part 2 of The Murder of Danny Croteau, I discuss the murder itself and how Father Richard Lavigne emerged as the main suspect. Also I touch on some other suspects and how the investigation was bungled from day one.

This is Part 1 in a series of episodes detailing the unsolved murder of 13-year-old Danny Croteau in 1972 in Springfield, MA and the corruption that surrounded it. In this episode, I set the scene and time period for this murder, as well as discuss the abuse that most likely led to Danny being silenced.