Cold Case Murder Mysteries

In November, 2004 somebody entered the home of Delmar, NY residents Joan and Peter Porco in the middle of the night, armed with a fireman's axe and the worst of intentions. By the next morning, local police had arrived at the house to find one of the more perplexing massacres in recent memory. Join host Ryan Kraus for a look deep inside the mind of a vicious killer and the venomous sociopathy that fueled his rage.

On February 9, 2004, a 21-year-old college student named Maura Murray disappears after a car accident on route 112 in Haverhill, NH and is never seen again. What follows is one of the more baffling mysteries in American true crime lore. Join host Ryan Kraus for an in-depth look at the psychology of the event as he travels inside the mind of Maura Murray.

On May 3, 2007, a 3-year-old British girl disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, igniting one of the most infamous missing persons cases in modern history. But in the 12 years since, from allegations of a kidnapper to suspicions cast upon the parents, one question remains unanswered: what happened to Madeleine McCann? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of the evidence in an effort to uncover the truth.

At 10pm on June 9th, 1912, the Moore family of Villisca, Iowa returns home from the Children's Day Program at their local Presbyterian church along with two guests. But as night turns to dawn, the family of six never emerges from behind the drawn curtains of the residence. Soon after, a suspicious neighbor sets off a chain of events that leads to a gruesome discovery: eight dead bodies, all bludgeoned with an axe. Two adults. Six children. And no answers more than 100 years later. Join host Ryan Kraus for a casual stroll through the crime scene as he attempts to extract motive and possible suspects from the psychology present in the murders.

Join host Ryan Kraus in part II of this series covering Elliot Rodger and the Isla Vista Massacre, in which he takes the audience down the rabbit hole once again for a psychological examination of evolution's war on introversion and its resulting societal implications that lead to violence.

On the evening of May 23, 2014, 22-year-old UCSB student Elliot Rodger murdered three students in his apartment near campus before taking his rampage to the streets behind the wheel of a fast-moving car. After killing or wounding more than a dozen people in his path, the perpetrator crashed the vehicle and took his own life, leaving us with one very important question: why? Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological examination of the early years documented in Elliot's manifesto "My Twisted World" to learn what brought forth the demon. With a special appearance by Jessica from the Asian Madness Podcast.

On August 5, 1962, the world learned of the death of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, who succumbed to an overdose of barbiturates at age 36. Decades later, however, many still speculate the actress was the victim of murder. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological profile of the life and death of a legend.

On November 18, 1993, 9-year-old Angie Housman vanished after getting off a school bus less than a block from her home. In the following days, terror gripped the residents of St. Ann, MO as police searched desperately for a missing little girl and her abductor. Their worst fears were confirmed when Angie's frozen body was discovered tied to a tree in a remote wilderness nearby. 25 years later, her killer's identity remains unknown. Join host Ryan Kraus as he paints a psychological portrait of evil from the scarce palette of clues left on this canvas.

On May 31, 2014, a 12-year-old middle school student from Waukesha, WI was discovered lying on a bike path covered in blood, the victim of a vicious stabbing. Police soon learned the attackers were the girl's best friend Morgan Geyser and classmate Anissa Weier, who were apprehended while attempting to flee to a fictional mansion in the forest. When prompted for motive, they claimed a paranormal being named Slender Man was going to kill their families if they didn't comply with his demands to eliminate their friend. But more than 5 years later, we still don't have an answer that's even remotely grounded in reality. Join host Ryan Kraus on a psychological journey for the truth.

On the morning of November 24, 1997, parents Steve and Marlene Aisenberg called 911 to report their 5-month-old daughter, Sabrina, had been taken from her crib in the middle of the night. But the police didn't find any evidence of an intruder. So, what began as a kidnapping quickly became whispers of foul play, with the cops pointing the finger at the parents. 20 years later, we're still wondering what happened to Sabrina Aisenberg. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological exploration of the truth beneath the lies.

On March 31, 2006, a 27-year-old Ohio State medical student named Brian Shaffer went out for a night of drinking with a friend, one that culminated at the Big Tuna Saloona, where Brian is seen on security footage talking to two young women outside the entrance at 1:55am. He then walks off camera back into the bar, and subsequently disappears from the face of the Earth, never to be heard from again. Join host Ryan Kraus as he examines the most likely explanations for this baffling mystery.

August 20, 1989 - Two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, enter their parents Beverly Hills mansion shortly before midnight and execute the couple with shotgun blasts, garnering the suspicion of police in the aftermath as they spend a fortune on lavish gifts and vacations. But soon the evil deeds will catch up with them, and the brothers are arrested for the murders. What follows in the trial is a battle for the truth that pits allegations of sexual assault against monetary greed. But, in the end, we're still left with one pertinent question: why? Join host Ryan Kraus as he attempts to answer this question through the societal implications of that time period in America.

On October 1, 1974 director Tobe Hooper unleashed a horror film that silenced US audiences from coast to coast with its unflinching look at a group of young people who run out of gas on a road trip and end up getting slaughtered by a crazed family living in a decrepit house nearby. But beneath the surface of this iconic film, and behind the mask of its star, Leatherface, is the mystery of its origin. Join host Ryan Kraus as he peels back the curtain on the evolutionary implications of a horror masterpiece.

On the afternoon of October 24, 1961 a little girl shows up at the doorstep of her neighbor's home in Lincoln, MA to proclaim, "Mommy's gone and the kitchen is covered in red paint." What follows is one of the most baffling disappearances in American history, one that remains unsolved to this day. Join host Ryan Kraus for a psychological study of movement in an attempt to uncover the truth.

Join host Ryan Kraus for the final chapter of this series covering the infamous Robin Hood Hills child murders. In this episode, we examine Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of 8-year-old victim Stevie Branch, who garnered strong suspicion in the case when DNA testing revealed a hair possibly matching his own was found in a ligature of another victim, Michael Moore.

On June 3, 1993, a 17-year-old boy with a low IQ named Jessie Misskelley confessed to the Robin Hood Hills murders at the West Memphis police department. The minor was not represented by an attorney, nor were his parents present. By the end of the interrogation, however, he'll have implicated Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and himself as the perpetrators of this horrific crime. But was he telling the truth?

Nearly 25 years after the bodies of Christopher Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore were pulled from the murky waters of a shaded gully in the forest of Robin Hood Hills, we still don't have a clear picture of what transpired that afternoon that led to murder. Join me as I attempt to extract the truth by way of the symbolism apparent in the killer's actions.

May 5, 1993 - When three young boys out for an afternoon bike ride through West Memphis, Arkansas never return home, a search the next morning reveals they were brutally murdered, their bodies concealed in a drainage ditch. A police report filed that day shows that an incident at a nearby restaurant the night before involved a mysterious man covered in blood and mud who just disappeared into the night without a trace. But to this day, nobody knows his identity, or if he had anything to do with the murders. Join me as I examine the infamous Mr. Bojangles.

The Lutz family has finally settled into their new home at 112 Ocean Ave in Amityville after a demanding move. But at 3:15am, in the dark silence of the of the night, George awakens to loud noises coming from downstairs. As he goes to check on the problem, however, one fact immediately becomes apparent: something uninvited has made its way into this house.

December, 1975 - Thirteen months after the murders of the DeFeo family, George and Kathy Lutz purchase the Dutch Colonial located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville with the same "High Hopes" as their predecessors. But 28 days later, they flee in terror. Join me as I examine the psychological impetus for the haunting.