Afleveringen
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What does it really take to become a forensic psychologist?
In this episode of Case Notes, I sit down with Dr. N.G. Berill, a forensic psychologist with more than three decades of experience evaluating violent offenders, consulting on major criminal cases, and teaching forensic psychology. Before we discuss the path into the profession, Dr. Berill recounts the shocking reality of a career in which defendants have threatened, and even tried, to kill him.Whether you're considering a career in forensic psychology, studying criminal justice, or simply fascinated by the psychology behind violent crime, this conversation offers an honest look at one of the most challenging professions in the justice system.
#ForensicPsychology #Psychology #TrueCrime ##CareerAdvice
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Why was Emilia Carr the youngest woman on death row in America?When I first received a letter from Emilia Carr in 2010, she was awaiting execution on Florida's death row. Years later, I traveled to Ocala, Florida, reviewed the original case files at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, visited the trailer where Heather Strong was murdered, and listened to hours of unedited interrogation recordings that helped convict Carr.
In this episode, I examine one of the most controversial capital murder cases in recent American history. Using police interviews, undercover recordings, trial records, appellate briefs, and my own reporting from Florida, I explore how detectives built their case, the role of the Reid Technique, the reliability of confessions, prosecutorial discretion, and why Emilia Carr—not Joshua Fulgham—became the youngest woman on death row in the United States. Along the way, we examine the evidence, the competing accounts of what happened inside the trailer, and the legal questions that ultimately led Florida's courts to vacate Carr's death sentence.
If you enjoy deeply researched true crime that goes beyond the headlines and examines how investigations actually work, subscribe to UNMARKED for new episodes every week.
Show Notes:
I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Why do so many people misunderstand the insanity defense?
It's one of the most debated concepts in criminal law, yet also one of the least understood. Popular culture has created the impression that defendants routinely "get off" by pleading insanity. The reality is far more complicated. Legal insanity is not the same as mental illness, psychopathy, or a psychiatric diagnosis, and successful insanity defences are exceptionally rare.
In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I speak with forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston about what the insanity defense actually is, how courts determine criminal responsibility, and why so much public discussion gets it wrong. We examine the legal standards behind the defense, common misconceptions, and the role mental illness can—and cannot—play in determining guilt.
If you've ever wondered what "not guilty by reason of insanity" really means, this conversation offers an evidence-based look at one of the most misunderstood issues in the criminal justice system.
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Who was the real Ed Gein?For nearly seventy years, the answer has been buried beneath horror movies, sensational headlines, and one of the most enduring myths in true crime. To find the real Ed Gein, I travelled to Plainfield, Wisconsin, walked the cemetery where he robbed graves, visited the locations that shaped his life, and spent years uncovering records that challenge the accepted story.
In this episode, I examine the psychology behind Ed Gein's crimes through newly uncovered evidence, hospital records, interviews with people who knew him, and the original confession recorded on the night of his arrest—a confession hidden for decades and fundamentally different from the version that has appeared in books and documentaries. Along the way, I explore Gein's childhood, his obsessive relationship with his mother, the murders of Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden, and how the case inspired Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs.
Show Notes:
I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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It's one of the most common assumptions in true crime, but the answer is more complicated than most people realise. In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I speak with Dr. Louis Schlesinger, Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and one of the world's leading experts on serial and sexual homicide.
If you've ever wondered whether psychopathy is required for serial murder, or why some killers appear cold and calculating while others seem disorganised, impulsive, or deeply disturbed, this conversation is for you.
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Was Israel Keyes really a criminal mastermind—or have we misunderstood him all along?For years, Israel Keyes has been portrayed as one of the most methodical serial killers in modern history: a man who buried murder kits across the United States, targeted complete strangers, and evaded law enforcement for years. But the deeper I dug into the FBI files, interrogation transcripts, and the people who investigated him, the more that familiar story began to unravel.
In this episode, I examine the life of Israel Keyes through an exclusive interview with retired FBI Special Agent Mary Rook, who led the investigation in Alaska, along with journalist Maureen Callahan, author of American Predator. Using FBI interrogation footage, investigative records, and current psychological research, I trace Keyes' trajectory from his isolated childhood to his final FBI interviews, asking whether the evidence supports the mythology that has grown around him—or points to something far more complex.
Research in This Episode:
Rubin, Bukowski & Parker (2006) "Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups" in the Handbook of Child Psychology.
Kuhns, J. B., Blevins, K. R., et al. Understanding Decisions to Burglarize From the Offender's Perspective (2014).
Show Notes:
I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kobo:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-plague-of-steel-sons-of-the-tempering-book-one?srsltid=AfmBOoqPUTLclPMZxRqd0LvWNTzrU0k9SOGBCqaWiISo1HhMQk-RkHHK
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Demonic dogs. Satanic cults. Multiple shooters. Endless conspiracies. Did David Berkowitz act alone?For nearly fifty years, the Son of Sam case has inspired theories. David Berkowitz would later claim that multiple shooters were involved, that others participated in the murders, and that the public never learned the full story. But do those claims hold up to scrutiny?
In this episode, I examine the evidence behind one of the most persistent mysteries in true crime. Drawing on Berkowitz's on words, investigative records, crime scene evidence, and expert analysis from forensic psychologist Dr. R. Louis Schlesinger, I explore the origins of the conspiracy theories, what investigators found after Berkowitz's arrest, and whether there is any credible evidence.
Research in This Episode:
Rebekah Binger, Prison Ain’t Hell: An Interview with the Son of Sam—David Berkowitz, and Why State-Funded Faith-Based Prison Rehabilitation Progr ams Do Not Violate the Establishment Clause, 31 Pace L. Rev. 488 (2011).
Stadolnik, R. J. (2000). Drawn to the Flame: Assessment and Treatment of Juvenile Fire Setting Behavior. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press.
Show Notes:
I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kobo:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-plague-of-steel-sons-of-the-tempering-book-one?srsltid=AfmBOoqPUTLclPMZxRqd0LvWNTzrU0k9SOGBCqaWiISo1HhMQk-RkHHK
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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How did a man who passed every background check, every promotion board, and every security clearance manage to hide a violent double life for years?
Colonel Russell Williams was one of the most trusted men in Canada. A decorated military officer, commander of CFB Trenton, and pilot to senior government officials and members of the Royal Family. Yet behind that carefully constructed image was one of the country's most prolific sexual predators and murderers.
In this episode of UNMARKED I examine the psychology of Colonel Russell Williams, the fantasies that drove his crimes, the warning signs that were missed, and the investigation that finally exposed him. Drawing on interrogation footage, court records, and expert analysis, we explore how power, secrecy, and fantasy combined to create one of the most disturbing criminal cases in Canadian history.
Research in This Episode:
Birke JB, Jern P, Johansson A, Bondü R. Links between Aggressive Sexual Fantasies and Sexual Coercion: A Replication and Extension of a Multifactorial Model. Arch Sex Behav. 2024 Mar;53(3):1047-1063. doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02782-5. Epub 2024 Jan 17.
Rossegger, A. (2021). "High Risk Sexual Fantasies and Sexual Offending." Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, and Prevention.
Show Notes:
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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In 1981, children were disappearing across British Columbia. Parents feared a predator was stalking bus stops, shopping malls, and highways throughout the Fraser Valley. What investigators didn't realize was that the man responsible wasn't hiding from police at all. He was talking to them.In this episode of UNMARKED, I examine the case of Clifford Olson, one of Canada's most notorious serial killers. Drawing on my conversation with forensic psychologist Dr. Eric Hickey, we explore Olson's childhood, the development of his violent fantasies, his manipulation of police and journalists, and the institutional failures that allowed him to continue killing.
We also examine the infamous "cash for bodies" deal, in which the government agreed to pay Olson in exchange for the locations of his victims.
Research in This episode:
MacCulloch, M. J., Snowden, P. R., Wood, P. J. W., & Mills, H. E. (1983). “Sadistic fantasy, sadistic behaviour and offending.” British Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 20–29.
Helfgott, Jacqueline B. “Criminal behavior and the copycat effect: Literature review and theoretical framework for empirical investigation.” Aggression and Violent Behavior 22 (2015): 46–64.
Show Notes:
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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For nearly fifty years, Wayne Williams has insisted he is innocent. But when you step back and examine the evidence as a whole, the picture becomes far more complicated.In this episode of UNMARKED, I dig through FBI files, surveillance reports, witness statements, and forensic evidence to understand the man at the center of one of America's most controversial murder investigations. Along the way, I speak with award-winning journalist Clemson Richardson, who covered the Atlanta Child Murders as they unfolded and witnessed the fear that gripped the city firsthand.
Together, we examine the patterns investigators saw: the dump sites, the escalating violence, the witness sightings, the fiber evidence, and the psychological profile of a man who spent decades trying to control the narrative surrounding himself.
Was Wayne Williams a psychopath? A scapegoat? Or something far more complicated?
Research Notes:
MiinChai, A. M., Yaksic, E., Chopin, J., Fortin, F., & Hewitt, A. (2022). Time After Time: Factors Predicting Murder Series’ Duration. CrimRxiv.
Stuart, R. (1981, June 22). Suspect in Atlanta: Young, big ideas, but a career of limited achievements. The New York Times, A1.
***
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
#WayneWilliams #AtlantaChildMurders #TrueCrime #SerialKiller #UnmarkedPodcast
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In 2008, 16-year-old Erin Caffey was accused of helping orchestrate the murder of her own family in rural East Texas. But nearly two decades later, one question still divides everyone who studies the case: Who was really responsible?
Using newly released police recordings, interviews, court records, and original reporting from East Texas, this episode reconstructs the psychology behind the Caffey family murders. Was Erin Caffey a manipulative teenage psychopath? Was she controlled by her older boyfriend, Charlie Wilkinson? Or did a volatile group dynamic slowly normalize violence until fantasy became real?
This investigation explores adolescent identity, religious isolation, coercive relationships, group psychology, and the dangerous emotional fusion that can happen when rebellion, romance, and resentment collide.
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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John Wayne Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys. But for years after his conviction, attorney Karen Conti sat across from him on death row, trying to understand the man behind one of America’s most infamous serial murder cases.In this episode of UNMARKED, Conti describes what Gacy was really like behind closed doors: his manipulation, emotional detachment, need for control, and the contradictions that made him so difficult to fully understand. We also examine modern psychological and criminological research surrounding psychopathy, trophy-taking, victim selection, and the environmental patterns that shape serial killers.
Why did Gacy keep victims beneath his own home when most serial killers attempt to distance themselves from the crime? What did he reveal in private that the public never saw? And what happens when someone spends years speaking directly with a man the world has already reduced to a monster?
Show Notes:
Walter, M., Beauregard, E., & Chopin, J. (2024). Trophy, souvenir, or simple theft? Taking items from the victim in sexual homicide. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 42(4), 338–353.
More from Karen Conti here: https://www.karenconti.com/
Follow James Buddy Day on Instagram: @jamesbuddyday
Lean is having a Huge Memorial Day Sale. Visit takelean.com and enter THANK YOU 25 for 25% off.
When writing Buddy uses FÜM — don’t just try to quit. Upgrade the habit loop: .https://tryfum.com/unmarked
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, Buddy’s book Charles Manson: The Last Words: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7
For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast
UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom. -
Keith Hunter Jesperson wanted to be seen. Between 1990 and 1995, the long-haul truck driver murdered women across the United States while carefully shaping the story around himself. He wrote letters to newspapers. Confessed on truck stop bathroom walls. Participated in psychological research studies about his own behavior. Even donating his brain to science after death. But beneath the “Happy Face Killer” persona is something more revealing: a man driven by grandiosity, callousness, impulsivity, and an insatiable need for recognition.In this episode of UNMARKED, we examine the psychology of Keith Jesperson through exclusive conversations with author and investigator M. William Phelps, archival interviews with Jesperson himself, contemporary forensic psychology, and the systemic failures that allowed vulnerable victims to go unseen for decades.
You can hear more from M. William Phelps on Crossing the Line:
https://crossingtheline.biz/This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Financial stress can affect us more than we know: https://www.betterhelp.com/UNMARKED
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Joel Rifkin confessed to the murders of 17 women in just three years—leaving their remains scattered across Long Island, New York City, and New Jersey.And for years, no one was looking for him.
In this episode, we examine the case through the lens of N. G. Berrill—one of the first psychologists to evaluate Rifkin after his arrest. Drawing on interviews, court records, and police reports, this is a reconstruction of how Rifkin operated in plain sight—and what allowed him to continue.
From his early life in suburban Long Island, to the environments he exploited, to the moment a routine traffic stop ended it all, this episode breaks down the pattern behind the crimes.
Because this isn’t just the story of one offender.
It’s a case that exposes something larger—how vulnerable populations are overlooked, how investigations fail to connect, and how, in the 1980s and 90s, the rise of “serial killer” culture may have given offenders like Rifkin a framework to follow.
***
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Financial stress can affect us more than we know: https://www.betterhelp.com/UNMARKED
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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“BTK” is one of the most recognizable names in true crime. But it’s also a name that Dennis Rader created.In this episode, I’m not just looking back at the investigation—I’m speaking to people who have been in direct contact with Rader, hearing from those who have corresponded with him, studied him, and, in some cases, continue to engage with him to this day.
And what becomes clear very quickly… is that “BTK” isn’t just a label. It’s a carefully constructed identity—one that Rader has spent decades shaping, protecting, and reinforcing.
From the way he named himself…to the letters, phone calls, and communications that followed…to how he still presents himself now. In this episode, we break down how Dennis Rader built the identity of BTK—and why, years later, we may still be playing along.
Check out my friends Olivia and Sydney at True Crime Society Podcast. They cover everything true crime—from missing people and cold cases to the latest breaking news.
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Paul Bernardo is one of the most notorious serial offenders in Canadian history. But this episode asks a different question: who was really responsible? Between 1987 and 1993, Bernardo committed a series of violent assaults across the suburbs of Toronto before escalating to the abduction and murder of multiple victims alongside his wife, Karla Homolka.But the story doesn’t begin—or end—with him. In this episode of UNMARKED, we traveled to Toronto and speak with journalists who covered the case in real time. Drawing from court records, archival reporting, and firsthand accounts, we reconstruct what actually happened—and how it was allowed to happen. Because this case isn’t just about a killer.
We examine:
The early warning signs and missed opportunities to stop BernardoThe Scarborough investigation—and how he was nearly identifiedThe role of FBI profiling and how it may have misdirected investigatorsKarla Homolka’s involvement—and the debate over coercion, complicity, and responsibility
This episode goes beyond the headlines—separating fact from mythology, and asking the question that still divides people decades later: Where does responsibility actually lie?https://www.tryfum.com/UNMARKED to get your free gift with purchase, and start The Good Habit today!
***
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10% off at:
https://www.betterHelp.com/unmarkedIf you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Who is the Times Square Killer—and how many people did Richard Cottingham actually kill?In this episode of UNMARKED, we reconstruct the timeline of Cottingham’s crimes across New York and New Jersey—tracking his early escalation, his use of deception and control, and how he was able to evade detection for years.
Featuring criminologist Peter Vronsky, who has spent over 700 hours in direct conversation with Cottingham, this episode draws on firsthand interviews, police records, and cold case developments to separate fact from fiction.
We examine:
Cottingham’s early violent escalation in the 1960sHis movement across jurisdictions and how it prevented linkageHis use of authority ruses, manipulation, and controlThe Times Square environment in the 1970s and its role in victim selectionOngoing efforts to identify unknown victims and close cold cases
This is not a retelling—it’s an analysis of the evidence itself. Because with Cottingham, the story isn’t just what happened.It’s what’s missing.
If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10% off at:
https://www.betterHelp.com/unmarkedIf you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastUNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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In 1992, I wrote to the Milwaukee Police Department and asked for the Jeffrey Dahmer case files. Weeks later, they mailed me his full confession.In this episode of UNMARKED, I go inside Jeffrey Dahmer’s confession—page by page—to understand how one of the most notorious serial killers in history developed, escalated, and ultimately got caught.
Using Dahmer’s own words, police reports, and expert insight from forensic psychologist Dr. Eric Hickey, this episode examines:
How Dahmer’s childhood isolation and psychological profile shaped his behaviorThe role of fantasy, control, and fear of abandonment in his crimesWhy victims were targeted—and why many disappearances went uninvestigatedThe failures of law enforcement that allowed Dahmer to continue killingWhat Dahmer says—and what he leaves out of his confession
This is not a retelling of the crimes. It’s an analysis of the mind behind them.If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• Instagram: @unmarked_podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastIf you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Ted Bundy didn’t begin with murder. Long before the headlines, before the trials, before the mythology took hold, there were patterns—behaviours that escalated, fractures that widened, and warning signs that, in hindsight, feel impossible to ignore.In this episode of UNMARKED, we step back from the crimes themselves and examine Bundy at the point of origin. Drawing from psychological analysis, original records, and the work of those who studied him closely, this isn’t a retelling—it’s an investigation into how someone like Bundy takes shape.
Because the public story often begins at the moment of violence. But the real story starts much earlier.
Through the lens of his psychologist, we look at the early formation of control, manipulation, and detachment, traits that would later define one of the most studied serial killers in modern history.
This episode doesn’t mythologize Bundy. It strips the story back to behaviour, evidence, and pattern—so you can see where it actually begins.
If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• Instagram: @unmarked_podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastIf you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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Danny Rolling’s murders in Gainesville shocked the country. But they didn’t begin there. In this episode, I travel to Florida to investigate the Gainesville Ripper — speaking with journalists, authors, and witnesses who lived through the panic — and trace the case back to where it really starts.
Long before the murders, there were warning signs: documented abuse, escalating behavior, and multiple points where intervention could have happened… but didn’t.
This isn’t just the story of what Danny Rolling did. It’s the story of how he got there — and how those failures followed him across state lines.
Featuring interviews with Emmy-winning investigative journalist Mike Deeson and author J.T. Hunter, this episode examines the psychology, the escalation, and the systemic blind spots behind one of the most disturbing cases in modern true crime.If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.
Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastFollow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
• Instagram: @unmarked_podcast
• TikTok: @unmarkedpodcast
• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcastIf you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday
UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.
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