This short Christmas special tells the story of a Pennsylvania Santa Claus (and his chauffeur) who definitely ended up on the naughty list in 1983. Taking listeners from the top of the tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh to a backwoods hangar in West Virginia, this episode throws our own rules to the wind with a solved case, zero interviews, and way too much humor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In one month, the killers of Julie Williams, Lollie Winans and at least two victims of the Colonial Parkway murders are identified. Bill Thomas joins us to discuss the details, and why there are still so many questions unanswered. Meanwhile the grave of Harry Spitz, which inexplicably exploded in 1975, has its headstone stolen by thieves. A Morgantown resident and Appalachian Mysteria producer step up to set things right. Harry Spitz Gravestone GoFundMe 1:30 – The FBI Press Conference 6:25 – The...
In the second of this 2-part series, Jack Edward Hawkins is put on trial without physical evidence for three assaults committed by the Sunnyside rapist, but prosecutors refuse to claim he is a suspect in any others. Neighbors of the Hawkins family come forward to describe their experience with Jack and his children. As Hawkins’ involvement in a 1975 incident comes to light, the Mysteria team learns that a new West Virginia law now makes it impossible to learn details about any sexual assault cas...
Fifteen years after the events of Season 1 (The WVU Coed Murders), Morgantown women are faced with a new predator: a rapist so meticulous and organized that he vanishes through police checkpoints and neighborhood lockdowns every summer. In the first of this two part series, we speak with two women who met the Sunnyside rapist face-to-face at both ends of his 10-year crime spree. Geoff Fuller (season 1) returns to help set the scene for a trial that will become studied internationally. Elaine’s D...
In the last of this 3-part series, we examine Mabel’s top suspects in the murder of Walter Curnutte. Years later, Tim and Becky discover an entirely new motive connected to a forged document, a federal racketeering case, South American cocaine, and, potentially, the West Virginia mafia. 1:30 – Mabel’s top suspects 15:54 – Modern day rumors 18:41 – The Spadafore Conspiracy 24:05 – The Puerto Rican doctor 28:30 – A landing strip? 33:23 – The mob Thank you to our sponsor June’s Journey! Discover yo...
After Walter Curnutte’s murder, his sister Mabel takes on the case, recording interviews, writing letters to powerful officials, and hiring a private detective. The community’s war on Walter comes to light – from protests to arson to civil disobedience. We look back at the strange month preceding Walter’s death – including his hiring of Herb Willie, the man tried for his murder. Was Herb a drunken liar, a murderer, or both? A state trooper who investigated the case has an opinion. Tim and Becky ...
After the Mysteria crew receives a concerned email from a professional working on sexual assault issues, we invite her on the show to critique Season 2, Big Savage. What follows is a discussion of Megan Shaffer’s poor defense, the biological response to trauma, how the absence of expert testimony may have worked against her, and some ways that language affects how we perceive issues surrounding rape. Thank you to our sponsor June’s Journey! Discover your inner detective when you download June’s ...
This is the beginning of a 3-part story about one square mile of the West Virginia mountains. The story winds its way through a savage war between Indians and settlers, a poor boy adopted into wealth for his ruthlessness, more than one murder trial, the infamous black hand mafia, environmental protests, and international cocaine smuggling. In Part 1, the descendants of West Virginia’s first white settlers find themselves at war with Indian tribes, eventually building a home that will become the ...
A WVU alum working for the state prosecutor’s office suddenly finds herself on the scene of a very personal tragedy that could be much more sinister. Much to her dismay, her forensic investigation training is not being employed by authorities in the real world. Meanwhile, the victim’s sister is conducting her own investigation, releasing all of her findings to the public. Was the death of Amber Whitelaw a case of accidental fire or murder? Welcome to the first episode of Season 4! The full seaso...
This episode contains detective interviews with three students who headed out on the town with Arthur the night he died. After speaking to each of them, a Morgantown detective feels confident that Arthur’s death was primarily due to his intoxication. Two months later, Arthur’s phone turns on. After tracking the GPS coordinates, police arrive at the home of a bouncer who threw Arthur out of a club just before his death. While the detective tries to figure out whether this was a coincidence, Harri...
This two-part special introduces the life and death of Arthur Bagenda, an international student at WVU who drowned in a ditch within sight of the Morgantown Police station. In this first episode, we visit the Walnut Street bridge, where a long-time local explains her problems with hard drug users at the site of Arthur's death. We review forensic photographs from the scene, hear from Arthur’s mother about the 19-year-old son she lost, and explain the first 72 hours following the discovery of his ...
A child's grave explodes after 63 years underground. As Morgantown police and reporters gather around the coffin, they are shocked to find that his corpse is strangely well-preserved. Cradle Will Rock is the story of the life, death, and disinterment of four-year-old Harry Spitz and his family, as uncovered by co-producer Jordan Carter. This stand-alone episode has been missing from our podcast catalog for two years, and we're finally making it available again. [00:00:00] Cradle Will Rock was or...
In this episode, we take a step back in time to the week Cathy Thomas and Becky Dowski were murdered in the first of several Colonial Parkway murders. As the crime scene tape still hangs from Becky Dowski’s doorway at William & Mary College, another headline hits the student paper: Three men are being charged in the campus gang rape of another student. Our guest for this episode was directly involved in that incident, and she helps us use it as a lens through which we can examine some failur...
This episode is the last of a three-part update on Appalachian Mysteria Season 1 — Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders. Without a doubt, these three episodes will be the most important updates since the season finished airing in 2018. In this episode, Devona Coffey — formerly Devona Daft — finds out about the existence of Geoff and Sarah’s book, and one paragraph in particular makes her blood boil. The passage leads to an emotional confrontation in the holler, and eventually to Devona contac...
This episode is the second of a three-part update on Appalachian Mysteria Season 1 — Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders. Without a doubt, these three episodes will be the most important updates since the season finished airing in 2018. In this episode, we’re reintroduced to Danny Strakal, host of the YouTube series Spirit Walk Paranormal. Danny’s history with the spirit realm began in his childhood, but his full-scale investigations began after the release of our first podcast season. A vie...
This episode is the first of a three part update on Appalachian Mysteria Season 1 — Mared & Karen: The WVU Coed Murders. Without a doubt, these two episodes will be the most important updates since the season finished airing in 2018. In this episode, we’re reintroduced to Albert “Rod” Everly, a National Guardsman who was one of the first people on the scene when the bodies of Mared & Karen were found. As it turns out, Rod has been nursing a theory about the murders for more than 50 years...
As Appalachian Mysteria finished covering the story of Julie and Lollie, author Kathryn Miles completed her own book about the murders. In this episode, Kathryn uses her total access to Dierdre Enright's evidence to bring to light new information — including how we've been wrong about a key piece of evidence. Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders — Purchase Kathryn’s book here. Interviewees: Kathryn Miles — Kathryn Miles is an award-winning journalist and science writer. She...
Darrell Rice is released from prison, but the publicity of his indictments makes a normal life elusive. The FBI plans a summit to examine other possible murders by Evonitz, but it falls by the wayside. Two decades later, we give it a shot. Description / Show Notes: The Pamela Gould Special — We’re hosting this 24-page special investigation from the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star until it is made available elsewhere. If you want to dive deep on the comparisons of Rice, Evonitz, and forensic eviden...
Forensic evidence throws the upcoming trial of Darrell Rice into upheaval, and an unexpected conclusion leads to yet another indictment. Several of our guests openly disagree on the final results. Resources: “Witness Point Out Suspect as Abductor” — Washington Post article on the Shomo trial Thank you to our sponsor June's Journey. Download June’s Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Thank you to our sponsor Switchcraft! Download Switchcraft for free and unlock the magical m...
We examine key evidence in the pre-trial hearings of Darrell Rice: jailhouse informants, the audio recording that gave rise to hate crime charges, a shifting timeline, and a phone call that Rice’s defense attorney calls “a bizarre piece of evidence”. Description / Show Notes: Interviewees: Jerry (Gerald) Zerkin: One of Rice’s defense attorneys in the double-homicide of Julie & Lollie Thank you to our sponsor June's Journey. Download June’s Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google ...
Summary: Kara Robinson makes an escape, putting all the information she memorized to good use. Evonitz goes on the run. Kara talks to us about the complex ethics of telling stories like hers in the true crime genre, and explains what “trauma-informed” media looks like. Description / Show Notes: Resources and Links: Escape From Captivity — Oxygen Network documentary made with the involvement of Kara Robinson Interviewees: Kara Robinson Chamberlain — The survivor who ended the career of serial kil...
The Attorney General of the United States announces the indictment of Darrell Rice. We review the life story of the serial killer responsible for the deaths of Sofia Silva and the Lisk sisters, and interview his final victim about her abduction. Resources and links: Into the Water — Diane Fanning’s true crime book about the serial killer responsible for the deaths of Sofia Silva and the Lisk sisters Escape From Captivity — Oxygen Network documentary made with the involvement of Kara Robinson Int...
Summary: As murders and abductions haunt Lignum, Rt 29, and Shenandoah National Park, three children are taken from their front yards less than 30 miles away. The girls are the first known victims of a serial killer who will become an important part of our story. Resources and links: Into the Water — Diane Fanning’s true crime book about the serial killer responsible for the deaths of Sofia Silva and the Lisk sisters Interviewees: Diane Fanning — Author of 15 true crime books and 11 novels Thank...
We investigate claims that the Park Service has a history of transferring troubled rangers. An NPS whistleblower explains a coverup culture within the agency, and shares the story of a ranger who investigated both the Shenandoah and Colonial Parkway murders. Resources and Links: The Case of the Indian Trader — The book in which Paul Berkowitz extensively documents his investigation at Hubbell Trading Post. Recommended for fans of police procedurals. Culture of Sexual Harrassment — Washington Pos...
Eight Years Earlier: The Navy undertakes “purges” of lesbians from its ranks. The first of Virginia’s Colonial Parkway murders looks eerily familiar. A southern con-man helps find the killer — and defrauds the victims’ families. Resources and links: The Lover’s Lane Murders — Oxygen Network show about the Colonial Parkway murders, for which guest Bill Thomas served as consulting producer. Mind Over Murder — Entire podcast covering all the details of the Colonial Parkway Murders. Hosted by our gu...
Someone is pulling over dozens of women on a road just 15 miles from Skyline Drive. Alicia Reynolds disappears. At least three bodies turn up in a small hamlet nearby. The Innocence Project fights to free a man convicted of murder. Resources and links: Rt 29 Stalker — Unsolved Mysteries Wiki Twenty Years Later — Article by Scott Shenk on the 20th anniversary of the murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds. Interviewees: Scott Shenk — Reporter with the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star. Thank you to our s...
A massive hunt for Julie & Lollie's killer begins. Some demand a hate crime investigation, drawing parallels to the attack of another lesbian couple hiking the Appalachian Trail. A lesbian defense lawyer finds herself arguing for the prosecution. Resources and links: "Panic Defense" — Podcast episode from Criminal with Phoebe Judge explaining the fascinating history of the gay/trans panic defense. "In the Hollow" — 15-minute documentary/short film featuring Claudia Brenner returning to the s...
The unsolved murder of a young couple in Shenandoah National Park shakes the gay and lesbian communities. One year later, a bicyclist is assaulted in the same area, and authorities begin to suspect him of serial murder. Resources and Links: "Murder on the Mountain" (1996) — Barry Yeoman's article quoted and discussed in this episode. Trail map of Shenandoah National Park — Julie and Lollie were killed just off the Skyland / Big Meadows Horse Trail, not far from Skyline Drive. Interviewees: Yvonn...
A lesbian couple is found brutally murdered near the Appalachian Trail. As authorities build the first federal hate crime prosecution in the nation's history, a web of horrific crimes creeps down the Blue Ridge mountains into the heart of Virginia. A special agent who has been on the case for twenty five years uncovers details. Season 3 of Appalachian Mysteria explores the terrifying characters and narratives that weave through these stories, culminating in the violent death of a serial killer. ...
The conviction of Glen Woodall begins to look suspicious as a rookie lawyer ushers West Virginia into a new era of DNA testing. Prosecutors fight the new forensic method tooth and nail, but the results will uncover a trail of crime unprecedented in U.S. history. Download June’s Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Download Switchcraft for free and unlock the magical mystery! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
