Former journalist Michael Mayo recounts his experience covering the executions of two serial killers for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Mayo details the emotional journey of interviewing victims' families, and witnessing the executions of Danny Rolling and Aileen Wuornos. He shares his perspective on the death penalty, describing the sterile and surreal atmosphere of the death chamber and reflects on the complex moral and ethical considerations surrounding capital punishment. JOIN OUR PATREON: ...
Jun 03, 2025•34 min
Sex is an integral part of human nature, but it sometimes intersects with crime in troubling ways. In this episode of DEVIANT Off Script, host Dan Szematowicz sits down with Doug Fifer, a former Anchorage Police Department officer renowned for his work in hostage negotiation and sex crime investigation. Fifer discusses his new book, '50 Shades of True Crime,' which delves into the psychology of sex criminals and the nature of sexual deviancy. From hostage negotiation scenarios to serial killers,...
May 30, 2025•34 min
Brian Townsend, a retired DEA agent, shares his journey into federal law enforcement, his experiences with drug enforcement, nd his views on the ongoing battle against drug addiction in the United States. From his early days in Missouri and Kansas to his extensive work with the DEA, Townsend discusses the complexities of the drug trade, the process of joining the DEA, and the importance of empathy in addressing addiction. Tune in to hear about his career highlights, including high-stakes raids, ...
May 23, 2025•41 min
We get a lot of questions and a lot of comments, so in this episode, DEVIANT hosts Dan Szematowicz and Andrew Iden tackles them all. How does DEVIANT get made? How do we choose stories? Do Andrew and Dan hate each other? Your questions and comments answered, and all will be revealed! JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad ch...
May 20, 2025•32 min
(2/2) In part two of our conversation with retired FBI agent Scott Payne, host Andrew Iden continues his deep dive into Steve’s years spent undercover in some of America's most dangerous circles. In part two, Scott delves into his experiences infiltrating white supremacist groups like the KKK and The Base. He reveals harrowing tales of close calls, murder plots, and the inner workings of these radical organizations. Scott also shares personal stories about the challenges and sacrifices of living...
May 16, 2025•30 min
(1/2) In this episode of Deviant Off Script, we dive into the world of undercover law enforcement with retired FBI agent Scott Payne. Scott takes us through his incredible journey of infiltrating outlaw biker gangs, neo-Nazis, the KKK, and other extremist groups in America. He shares the psychological toll and personal challenges that come with living a double life, and provides a glimpse into his fascinating new book, 'Code Name Pale Horse.' This captivating conversation was so extensive and ri...
May 16, 2025•58 min
In 2014, Cory Barron is out for a night of fun at a stadium in Cleveland. He’s there to see Jason Aldean, and by all accounts, he’s having a great time. And then, he’s gone, seemingly into thin air. A few days later, his body is found in a landfill one county over. What happened to Cory Barron, and can police find justice? JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Op...
May 13, 2025•29 min
DEVIANT hosts Andrew Iden and Dan Szematowicz gather to announce the next DEVIANT story, (starting next week), and let you know what you can expect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 06, 2025•5 min
In this powerful episode of Deviant Off Script, host Andrew Iden delves into the extraordinary life of Iran Nazario. Once entrenched in gang violence and crime, Iran turned his life around after years of struggle, trauma, and incarceration. He now leads the Peace Center of Connecticut, dedicating his life to helping others avoid the path he once walked. This episode explores Iran's traumatic childhood, his journey through gang culture, and his transformation into a community leader and advocate ...
May 02, 2025•49 min
Serial killers are natural deceivers, but hearing them describe their crimes in their own words has big value. It can help us understand how their minds work, and gives investigators the tools to catch future killers. In this episode, DEVIANT host Dan Szematowicz revisits some of the show's more intense serial killer confessions. Serial killers Israel Keyes, Anthony Sowell and Joseph Daniel Miller tell stories of their killings, and open up windows into their dark souls. JOIN OUR PATREON: http:/...
Apr 29, 2025•35 min
A special look at daily true crime pod, Morning Cup of Murder. Morning Cup of Murder delivers daily true crime stories in quick, bite-sized episodes. With over 2,000 episodes and more than 40 million downloads, host Korina Biemesderfer, has a way of making each case compelling, whether it’s a well-known crime or one you’ve never heard of. Check out Morning Cup of Murder over on their own page, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 28, 2025•10 min
Join DEVIANT host Andrew Iden as he gets to know Andrea Thompson, one of the stars of the groundbreaking TV show NYPD Blue. In this episode of DEVIANT Off Script, Andrea discusses her journey into acting, her experiences on the show, and her unique transition to journalism. From formative childhood performances in Dayton, Ohio, to riding along with NYPD detectives, Andrea shares fascinating insights into her diverse career. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials:...
Apr 25, 2025•44 min
In this episode of DEVIANT Off Script, host Andrew Iden interviews former police chief and US Marshal Rick McCubbin. Rick delves into the unique challenges and experiences of leading small-town police departments, contrasting them with his time in larger cities like Louisville. He provides a detailed account of handling the tragic and unsolved murder of Officer Jason Ellis in Bardstown, highlighting the emotional toll and complexities of such a case. From his early aspirations in Kentucky to his...
Apr 18, 2025•37 min
DEVIANT's exploration of the Hart Family homicides concludes with hosts Andrew Iden and Dan Szematowicz finding conclusions, searching for truths and trying to answer the big question: "why?" Also, we play some of the sound that we weren't able to get to in the previous episodes, and share listener thoughts. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Le...
Apr 15, 2025•37 min
Join DEVIANT host Andrew Iden as he speaks with Alan Duke, a veteran reporter, editor, and producer with a long tenure at CNN. Duke shares his journey from a local DJ in Carrollton, Georgia, to covering major celebrity trials and true-crime stories, including the deaths of Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith. Along the way, he recounts memorable courtroom experiences, the evolution of forensic technology in solving crimes, and the intricacies of working in LA's crime reporting scene. Don’t mis...
Apr 11, 2025•35 min
(Part 5/5) In our final episode on the Hart Family murders, DEVIANT host Andrew Iden explores the pivotal moments leading up to the family leaving their home in Washington, and talk to the neighbors who lived across the driveway about what they saw, the encounters and concerns they had, the opportunities missed and how it all led to the cliff in Mendocino County, CA. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tikto...
Apr 08, 2025•33 min
In this episode of DEVIANT Off Script, host Andrew Iden sits down with Atlanta-based defense attorney Kirby Clements. Kirby, who has experience on both sides of the legal system as a former prosecutor, provides a compelling look into the American justice system. They discuss the intricacies of representing clients, the challenges faced by defense attorneys, and the courtroom dynamics that often surprise the public. Kirby shares personal stories from his career, shedding light on the emotional an...
Apr 04, 2025•43 min
(Part 4/5) In our latest episode of DEVIANT, Andrew Iden looks at the Hart Family case through the lens of an adoption system that may have failed to protect, and a process that favored two women who would become abusers, and then murderers. How did six children slip through the cracks? JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad...
Apr 04, 2025•38 min
(Part 3/5) When the Hart Family arrived at events and concerts, people noticed. Image was everything. And that was by Jen Hart's design...she curated a well crafted image. In this week’s episode, Deviant's Andrew Iden explores the careful facade that the Harts created, and reckons with what was seen vs the darkness that is now known. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2...
Apr 03, 2025•36 min
(Part 2/5) Following the decision to rule the Hart family crash an intentional act, Sheriff Tom Allman holds a coroner’s inquest, which reveals the haunting 48 hours leading up to the crash, and a clearer picture of who Jen and Sarah Hart were as mothers. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
Apr 03, 2025•26 min
(PART 1/5) To outside appearances, Jennifer and Sarah Hart are the model of a happy modern family. They're married, have six adopted children and are always going on adventures. And then, in March of 2018, the Harts drive their van off a cliff in California, plunging into the Pacific Ocean. All six of their children are in the van with them. None survive. Investigators quickly realize this is no accident. As they learn more about the Hart family, it becomes clear that behind the happy social med...
Apr 01, 2025•37 min
In this episode of Deviant Off Script, we chat with John Oller, an author, journalist, and former attorney. John has written several books, including his latest, "Gangster Hunters," which explores the early days of the FBI during the 1930s gangster era. John shares the fascinating story behind his first dive into true crime writing: revisiting a cold case about Christie Mullins, a 14-year-old girl murdered in 1975. This case, which went viral in Columbus, Ohio, led to a reopening of the investig...
Mar 28, 2025•35 min
Steve Gunderson spent his entire law enforcement career as the tip of the spear. He fought against violent extremists and domestic terror groups, hell bent on inflicting pain on American citizens. As an agent with the ATF, he was front and center, infiltrating the KKK, the Aryan Brotherhood, learning about their moves, their mission, and trying to bring them to justice before they could continue their brand of violence. In this episode of Off Script, Gunderson joins Andrew Iden to share some ama...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 2 min
For years, Rachel Jeffs lived behind the walls of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ-Latter Day Saints, the FLDS. There, she was abused: physically, mentally and sexually, by Warren Jeffs, the leader of the polygamist group. He was also her father. Rachel has managed to escape the group, and in doing so, is telling the world about her experience as a member of the FLDS, and the control that women inside the group live under. In this episode of Off Script, she shares her story with host An...
Mar 14, 2025•49 min
"Russia's spies" has been a major news story for almost a decade now. They are here, in our computers, and on the ground. So what's it like to be one? Jack Barsky (not his original name) was a spy for the KGB at the height of the Cold War. He was a member of the elite Directorate S...the illegals. While training in Moscow, he learned how to act like an American, or so he thought. He figured it out though, and lived in the US, pretending to be American, for 15 years until the FBI put it all toget...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 9 min
(2/2) In April of 2018, Alek Minassian sits in a Toronto police station after using a van to kill eleven people. Now, investigators are trying to figure out who he is, and why he did this. Minassian is happy to talk about it all. What he spins is a tale years in the making, winding himself into the very fabric of what he calls the beta uprising...the incel revolution. Who are the incels? What do they want? How much of a threat are they today? DEVIANT host Dan Szematowicz explores all these quest...
Mar 05, 2025•34 min
Andrew Iden has some programming changes, so you know what to expect, and when. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 03, 2025•4 min
Robyn Curnow has spent her career reporting from some of the world's most interesting places. In 2008, she got to know an athlete in her native South Africa: Oscar Pistorius. In this episode of Deviant Off Script, Robyn talks to host Andrew Iden about reporting on crime stories in South Africa versus the United States, her coverage of the Pistorius murder trial, her career as a journalist, and interviewing people in the middle of crisis and trauma. CHECK OUT ROBYN'S PODCAST HERE: https://www.sea...
Feb 28, 2025•50 min
Part 1/2 In the spring of 2018, a beautiful Toronto day is broken by a man in a white rental van. He picks a busy part of town...a place where many people will be out and about. He pulls onto the sidewalk, and hits the accelerator. Ten minutes later, he's murdered 11 people. Police immediately arrest 25-year-old Alec Manassian. He claims to have a cause: the "incel revolution." In this multipart story from DEVIANT, host Dan Szematowicz explores this dark day, and the killer who claims allegiance...
Feb 25, 2025•32 min
January's terror attack in New Orleans put the spotlight back on lone wolf terror. It's among the most terrifying acts of violence because it usually comes without warning, and it's extraordinarily difficult to prevent...but not impossible. Join DEVIANT host Dan Szematowicz as he learns all about it from terror expert Jeffrey Simon. What are the biggest threats facing us today, and can anything be done to stop them? Get Jeffrey's books here: https://a.co/d/3cFSByf and here: https://a.co/d/fSxgBq...
Feb 21, 2025•44 min
