Before Columbine and Sandy Hook there was Thurston High School.  A 15-year-old male born and raised in Springfield, Oregon killed his parents in cold blood in their home, and then gathered up guns and ammunition to take to his school the next day.  On May 21, 1998, 15-year-old Kip armed himself with more than 1000 rounds of ammunition, 3 guns (a .22 caliber semiautomatic Ruger rifle, his father’s 9mm Glock pistol, and a .22 caliber Ruger semiautomatic pistol), and a hunting knife, taped to his leg. Then he started firing into the cafeteria of Thurston High. In total, Kip killed 4 and injured 26.  He received 111 years behind bars with no possibility of parole.  What makes this shooter different than the rest?  He had two loving parents who did nothing but support him.  He had a loving sister (who was thankfully away at college when the shootings took place) and a huge support network of friends.  However, due to his struggle with mental illness, and his inability to cope with his own frustrations of feeling like a failure, he changed not only his life but the lives of his family and Thurston High School forever. Please get ready to unravel the life of a school shooter Kipland “Kip” Kinkel

Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute in Florida in the late 90's early 2000's,  was known to pick up men on the interstate from North Florida (Orlando) area all the way down to southwest Florida.  Her goal? To steal from these men and get more money by selling herself for sexual requests.  However, this was not the case for 7 men, whose lives were taken by Aileen and left for dead either in their cars/trucks, or off somewhere half-clothed or naked.  Aileen became a fugitive with her girlfriend and was later caught by handprints and fingerprints left at the scene.  This episode covers Aileen’s past, and what dubbed her “America’s First Female Serial Killer.”  Chief and Andrea will discuss her court case and her result of the death penalty.  Please take a seat and get ready for a breakdown of Florida’s Monster.

Boston Massachusetts - October 23, 1989. At 8:43 PM a man on a car phone called into Massachusetts’ special State Police cellular emergency line. “My wife’s been shot, I’ve been shot.” These few frantic words would introduce the nation to Charles “Chuck” Stuart and begin to unravel a murder plot so evil, so heinous… that the nation is today still wondering - How did he fool everyone?? It first appeared to be a horrific story of a loving suburban couple whose lives were shattered by a nightmarish attack at night. The shooting on Chuck and his very pregnant wife Carol would start a massive manhunt in all the wrong places, tying up police for weeks, and inflaming racial tensions in the city of Boston. Join the CSI Effect team as they dive into one of Boston’s most memorable crimes – From the brutal slaying of an innocent victim and her unborn child, through the emotionally charged news reports that captured the attention of a nation and furthered an intricate web of lies, to the false arrest of two innocent men, and the final plunge – the self-imposed death sentence that left us all asking…WHY??

We want to take you back to November 22, 1963 where the 35th president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, or some may call him JFK, was up for his re-election.  Although he was quite confident about his re-election, he knew the importance of holding the win in the southern states such as Florida and Texas.  So, his campaign crew took the streets of Dallas, Texas via motorcade.  Kennedy was a people person, and he felt that he needed to be as close to the American People as possible to show that his focus was “for the people”.As the car was making its way through the streets, and his car turned a corner slightly before the underpass, there were three shots fired at the president’s car.  The first shot missed, which hit Governor Connally, who was seated in front of Kennedy, the second shot fired, hit Kennedy behind the neck, and the third was the fatal shot to the head that killed Kennedy instantaneously.  This podcast will discuss the controversies behind the assassination of the United States President, it will lightly discuss the politics involved, but mostly this will cover the forensic evidence where we will be discussing the physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence, how posture and movement played a role, and what are the possibilities of having more than one shooter involved with Kennedy’s assassination. So sit back as we take you back to 1963.

As one of the most prolific serial killers in American history, Ted Bundy changed the way society thinks about serial killers and the horrors of sexual violence and murder.  Prior to his execution via the electric chair in 1989.  Bundy confessed to raping, bludgeoning, strangling, and mutilating over 30 women between 1974-1978, spanning across seven US states (California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington).  Join us in a discussion on the forensics used to successfully end Bundy's reign of terror, including the one key piece of physical evidence that sealed his fate once and for all. 

On April 24, 1973 (Easter Sunday) A call comes into the Santa Cruz California Police Department from a payphone 1,300 miles away in Pueblo Colorado. The male caller asks for a specific Lt. but is put on hold after being informed that that officer does not work on weekends. Frustrated, he hangs up but calls back. Stating I have information about all those dead girls, I am the one you’re looking for. I am the Co-Ed Killer. Today’s episode with dive deep into the background, crimes, and fate of Edward Kemper III – confessed Family Annihilator Twice-over, CO-ED Killer, and guiding forefather to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.This was a scary time for those living in California. As heads and eviscerated body parts were being discovered in wooded areas, the police were left baffled. Initially, they concluded that these crimes had to be related, but the evidence did not connect them. One of these hunters would be labeled by the press as The CO-ED killer.  The male telephone caller, now confessing to being the killer who has terrorized so many for so long, now sits patiently by the phone until the local police come out and arrest him. Identified as 24-year-old Santa Cruz resident Edmund Kemper III, the confessed serial killer would sit in a car with police and the District Attorney as he is transported back to Santa Cruz to await his fate. During the ride, he talked, and he talked, and slowly he can connect the dots to every single case so precisely that they can link all the evidence to his statements to the crime scenes.On May 7, 1973, Kemper was indicted on the 8 murders to which he had confessed. His trial would begin 9 months later on October 23rd. Kemper pleaded not guilty because of insanity and obtained one of the best legal and forensic teams available.

In 10 months time, between December 1968 and October 1969, the Zodiac Killer attacked seven people in four different Northern California locations. His targets, couples in secluded areas, and finally, a taxi driver; two of his victims survived their attack, five did not. During and after his killing spree, the Zodiac received attention and spread fear through ciphers, information, and threats sent to the authorities and the public through taunting letters. No murder or crime has been linked to the Zodiac Killer since October 1969, but these unsolved cases continue to fascinate and baffle a nation. This episode will discuss the forensics evidence and techniques so far used to build a case against this violent offender, as well as the physical evidence left behind that still helps create the picture of a killer as-of-yet unidentified.

For better or worse, a marriage forms between the media and all associated following a homicide.  If effectively managed, the media can make a significant contribution to investigations by acting as a conduit for information between the public and investigators; however, many times the media’s unique portrayal of a crime and those involved produce dire consequences. This week. The CSI Effect team will examine some examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly produced by the media-homicide connection. We will discuss the innocent who received a trial by media while unwillingly placed in the spotlight: Pablo Vergara, a musician accused of killing Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles California, and 1996 Summer Olympics security guard Richard Jewell who wrongly became a suspect after saving lives during a bombing at Centennial Park in Atlanta Georgia. We will examine how the Night Stalker Richard Ramirez basked in the publicity his crimes produced, and dive deep into the details behind how BTK - Dennis Rader, the DC Snipers - John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the Zodiac, and other killers used the media to taunt the police and drive public fear.  

For 31 years, a serial killer terrorized the citizens of Wichita, Kansas. A true sexual sadist who didn’t care about the victim: Men, women, and children alike were slaughtered by the man who taunted police with letters and phone calls, and eluded capture for over three decades. Self-named "BTK" - for "bind them, torture them, kill them," it would be his narcissism and need for media attention that would finally end the deadly reign in 2004. The arrest of family man and church president Dennis Raider would shock a nation and leave us asking - WHY? Join the CSI Effect Team this week as they dive into the life and crimes of the monster they called BTK.

On December 25, 1996, a 6-year-old girl was found brutally murdered in a basement of her home in Boulder, Co.  This episode will discuss how physical and circumstantial evidence played in this particular case, the theories behind the homicide, and what went wrong to have this case still be considered cold.