Evil Everywhere: A True Crime and Horror Podcast

Episode 165: The Tampa Double Murder Case - The Schenecker Family

What happens when all the warning signs are there but nobody can stop what's coming? Back in 2011, in Tampa, Florida, one family appeared to have everything together. A decorated military officer. A beautiful home. Two bright, talented teenagers with their entire futures ahead of them. From the outside, the Scheneckers looked like the kind of family people admired. But behind closed doors, something was quietly unraveling. For years, Julie Schenecker struggled with severe mental illness. There were hospitalizations. Psychiatric diagnoses. Family concerns. Emails warning that things were getting worse. And yet, life continued. School. Sports. Homework. Family dinners. Until January 27th, 2011. In a matter of hours, 16-year-old Calyx Schenecker and 13-year-old Beau Schenecker were dead. Their father was deployed overseas when he received the kind of phone call no parent could ever prepare for. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a disturbing trail of warning signs, family conflict, psychiatric crises, and evidence that raised one haunting question: Could this tragedy have been prevented? And when the case finally went to trial, the courtroom became divided over the question Was Julie Schenecker legally insane or did she know exactly what she was doing? This story reminds us that evil is everywhere even in the places that feel safest. Even behind the doors of seemingly ordinary homes. Because sometimes the most devastating tragedies don't come from strangers in the dark, they come from the people we trust most.   Calyx and Beau Memorial Fund [https://calyxandbeau.org/] Domestic Violence Hotline [https://www.thehotline.org/]   Sources: Visit Tampa Bay (official tourism board) — demographics, city size, and historical overview https://www.visittampabay.com [https://www.visittampabay.com] U.S. Census Bureau — Tampa population data and metro statistics https://www.census.gov [https://www.census.gov] Wikipedia – Murders of Calyx and Beau Schenecker - Murders of Calyx and Beau Schenecker - Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Calyx_and_Beau_Schenecker] Fox 13 Tampa Bay – Tampa mother convicted of killing her two teen kids asks judge for new trial – April 27, 2022 – Gloria Gomez People – Tampa Mom Julie Schenecker Says She Has No Regrets About Shooting Her Teens – April 24, 2015 – Steve Helling - Julie Schenecker, 54, Says She Doesn't Regret Killing Kids [https://people.com/crime/julie-schenecker-54-says-she-doesnt-regret-killing-kids/] Calyx and Beau Schenecker Memorial Fund - Fund Promoting The Arts, Athletics, and Altruism [https://calyxandbeau.org/] Tampa Bay 28 – Judge denies new trial for convicted killer Julie Schenecker – WFTS Digital Staff – February 17, 2023 - Judge denies new trial for convicted killer Julie Schenecker [https://www.tampabay28.com/news/region-hillsborough/judge-denies-new-trial-for-convicted-killer-julie-schenecker] The Tampa Tribune – Divorce granted in killing of children – Tom Brennan – May 20, 2011 The Tampa Tribune – Mom blames dad in deaths – Josh Poltilove – December 6, 2011 The St. Petersburg Tribune – Schenecker Convicted – Elaine Silverstine – May 16, 2014 The Tampa Tribune – Family fretted mom’s mental state – Keith Morelli – January 28, 2014

Episode 164: Dark Family Secrets - The Murder of Sara Raras

In Elkridge, Maryland, a quiet suburb between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., people move there for the peaceful neighborhoods, hiking trails, and family life.  But in November of 1998, that illusion shattered. Thirty-five-year-old Sara Raras was a brilliant and kind woman who worked as a statistician for the NSA. She was also a deeply devoted mother to her one-year-old son, the type of person who would do anything for the people she loved. But behind closed doors, her marriage was falling apart. A bitter divorce. A custody battle. Allegations of abuse. Then one Sunday night, police entered Sara’s home after a worried friend hadn’t heard from her. Inside, investigators found one of the most horrific crime scenes Howard County had ever seen, the definition of overkill. Suspicion first fell upon Sara’s estranged husband, Lorenzo. But there wasn’t any evidence to prove it. For months, the case went nowhere. It wasn’t until 7 months after when a jailed nineteen-year-old began bragging about murdering a woman, describing details only the killer could know. What detectives uncovered next would expose a murder-for-hire plot fueled by resentment, family conflict, and betrayal from someone shockingly close to Sara herself. This case reminds us evil is truly everywhere, even inside those no one would suspect.   Sources: “Woman, 35, Found Slain in her Home” in The Baltimore Sun on November 17, 1998 “Court Hears Jailhouse Tape in '98 Slaying” by Raja Mishra in The Washington Post on January 7, 2000 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/01/07/court-hears-jailhouse-tape-in-98-slaying/b2e869bd-14e1-48b4-b423-106435c37a2f/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/01/07/court-hears-jailhouse-tape-in-98-slaying/b2e869bd-14e1-48b4-b423-106435c37a2f/]) “Slain Elkridge Woman Described as Dedicated Mother, Employee” by Del Quentin Wilber in The Baltimore Sun on November 18, 1998 “'Showing Disrespect To A Mother Is Death,' Grandma Says After Arranging Daughter-In-Law’s ‘Brutal’ Murder” by Sharon Lynn Pruitt on Oxygen True Crime on March 12, 2021 (https://www.oxygen.com/an-unexpected-killer/crime-news/emilia-raras-has-daughter-in-law-sara-killed-over-disrespect [https://www.oxygen.com/an-unexpected-killer/crime-news/emilia-raras-has-daughter-in-law-sara-killed-over-disrespect]) “Team of Detectives Work to Solve Slaying” by Del Quentin Wilber in The Baltimore Sun on November 19, 1998 “Sara Raras Murder: Where Are Ardale Tickles and Emilia Raras Now?” by Shraman Mitra on TheCinemaholic on July 22, 2022 (https://thecinemaholic.com/sara-raras-murder-where-are-ardale-tickles-and-emilia-raras-now/ [https://thecinemaholic.com/sara-raras-murder-where-are-ardale-tickles-and-emilia-raras-now/]) “Slain Howard Woman Eulogized as Earthly Angel” by Del Quentin Wilber in The Baltimore Sun on November 24, 1998 “Family, Friends Haunted by Killing of Woman” by Del Quentin Wilber in The Baltimore Sun on July 9, 1999 “Jail Inmate and Victim’s Mother-in-Law are Charged in Killing of Elkridge Woman” by Nancy A. Youssef in The Baltimore Sun on August 25, 1999 http://visithowardcounty.com/neighborhoods/elkridge/ [http://visithowardcounty.com/neighborhoods/elkridge/] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21234481/sara_jane-raras [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21234481/sara_jane-raras] “Deadly Disrespect” on An Unexpected Killer, Season 2, Episode 9 on Peacock

Episode 163: The Devil Behind the Tattoos

There are some killers whose crimes are so disturbing, they almost feel unreal. And then there’s Jaime Osuna. Covered head to toe in tattoos including a horrifying smile across his face. Osuna became infamous long before the world learned what happened inside a California prison cell in 2019. By then, he was already serving life without parole for a brutal murder that had occurred in 2011. But what took place inside that motel room back in November of 2011 wouldn’t be the first time that the community saw the true evil residing with Jamie Osuna. In 2019, what correctional officers discovered during a routine prison check would and turn Osuna into one of the most talked-about inmates in America. In this episode, we examine the life of Jaime Osuna: the abuse and instability that shaped his childhood, the crimes that escalated over time, and the warning signs many believe were ignored. We’ll break down the prison killing that made national headlines, the psychology behind extreme violence, and the disturbing questions this case raises about the prison system itself. But this story is about more than gore and headlines. It’s about how someone becomes capable of unimaginable acts and whether anyone ever had a chance to stop it.   Sources: KGET Crime Watch – 6 years after grisly slaying, Osuna case continues to drag on – Jason Kotowski – May 14, 2025 - 6 years after grisly slaying, Osuna case continues to drag on | KGET 17 News [https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/6-years-after-grisly-slaying-osuna-case-continues-to-drag-on/] Los Angeles Times – A self-styled satanist beheaded his cellmate, but the guards didn’t notice, report says – Richard Winton – May 27, 2021 - Guards lied about California prison inmate beheading: report - Los Angeles Times [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-05-27/satanist-beheading-prison-guards-cellmate-california] YouTube – FilmRise True Crime – The Dark World of Jaime Osuna – World’s Most Evil Prisoners – The Cinemaholic – Jaime Osuna: Where is the Killer Now? – Aahana Swrup – June 26, 2024 - Jaime Osuna: Where is the Killer Today? [https://thecinemaholic.com/jaime-osuna/] True Crime Avenue – Inside Jamie Osuna’s Crimes: From Abuse to Murder – March 5, 2025 - Inside Jamie Osuna’s Crimes: From Abuse to Murder [https://www.truecrimeavenue.com/2025/03/inside-jamie-osunas-crimes-from-abuse.html#google_vignette] Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Bakersfield” - https://www.britannica.com/place/Bakersfield [https://www.britannica.com/place/Bakersfield] University of Texas — “The History of the Bakersfield Sound” https://sites.dwrl.utexas.edu/countrymusic/the-history/the-bakersfield-sound/ [https://sites.dwrl.utexas.edu/countrymusic/the-history/the-bakersfield-sound/] Visit Bakersfield — “History of the Bakersfield Sound” https://www.visitbakersfield.com/blog/history-of-the-bakersfield-sound/ [https://www.visitbakersfield.com/blog/history-of-the-bakersfield-sound/] Reddit discussion referencing “Lords of Bakersfield” local history and urban legends https://www.reddit.com/r/Bakersfield/comments/194ehuo/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/Bakersfield/comments/194ehuo/] HubPages — “Jaime Osuna: The Cringeworthy Story of a Sadistic Killer Who Decapitated His Cellmate” https://discover.hubpages.com/true-crime/jaime-osuna-the-cringeworthy-story-of-a-sadistic-killer-who-decapitated-his-cellmate [https://discover.hubpages.com/true-crime/jaime-osuna-the-cringeworthy-story-of-a-sadistic-killer-who-decapitated-his-cellmate] KGET Bakersfield — family interviews and local coverage referenced in secondary reporting https://www.kget.com [https://www.kget.com/] Turn to 23 (KERO Bakersfield) — “A man serving life for murdering a Bakersfield woman is suspected of killing his cellmate” https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/a-man-serving-life-for-murdering-a-bakersfield-woman-is-suspected-of-killing-his-cellmate [https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/a-man-serving-life-for-murdering-a-bakersfield-woman-is-suspected-of-killing-his-cellmate]

BONUS EPISODE: Johnathan Gerlach

News headlines were going nuts this past January 2026 with disturbing headlines: Corpses discovered in someone’s home. For months, police in Pennsylvania were receiving reports  of graves and mausoleums being desecrated and robbed around the Philadelphia, Yeadon area. Not only were treasured items taken, like jewelry or clothing but the remains themselves had also been taken. A tip pointed them in the direction of 34 year old Jonathan Gerlach. After being caught in the act, a search of his home revealed more horrors than anyone could have anticipated. Jonathan currently sits in custody held on over 500 charges of theft, burglary and abuse of a corpse. In this bonus episode we will go over what is currently known about this recent case developing in Pennsylvania.   Sources: “Court docs reveal accused grave robber's months-long plot to steal human remains” by Amanda Pitts on ABC 6 Action News on January 9, 2026 (https://6abc.com/post/jonathan-gerlach-case-court-docs-reveal-accused-grave-robbers-months-long-plot-steal-human-remains-pa/18379190/ [https://6abc.com/post/jonathan-gerlach-case-court-docs-reveal-accused-grave-robbers-months-long-plot-steal-human-remains-pa/18379190/]) “100 skulls and mummified body parts found in a Pennsylvania grave robbery case, police say” by Mark Scolforo on KSAT.com on January 9, 2026 (https://www.ksat.com/news/national/2026/01/08/100-skulls-and-mummified-body-parts-found-in-a-pennsylvania-grave-robbery-case-police-say/ [https://www.ksat.com/news/national/2026/01/08/100-skulls-and-mummified-body-parts-found-in-a-pennsylvania-grave-robbery-case-police-say/]) “Yeadon Police Department Announces Arrest of Jonathan Gerlach for Mount Moriah Cemetery Grave Burglaries” on Yeadon Borough Website (https://yeadonborough.com/arrest-of-jonathan-gerlach-for-mount-moriah-cemetery-grave-burglaries/ [https://yeadonborough.com/arrest-of-jonathan-gerlach-for-mount-moriah-cemetery-grave-burglaries/]) “'Amish Country's Ed Gein': Inside Jonathan Gerlach's grave robbing crimes” by Kimberleigh Anderson on Bakersfield Now on January 15, 2026 (https://bakersfieldnow.com/criminally-obsessed/jonathan-gerlach-anne-emerson-joseph-scott-morgan-criminally-obsessed [https://bakersfieldnow.com/criminally-obsessed/jonathan-gerlach-anne-emerson-joseph-scott-morgan-criminally-obsessed]) “Accused Pennsylvania grave robber waives hearing ahead of grisly summer trial” by Jackson Healy on Court House News Service on April 17, 2026 (https://www.courthousenews.com/accused-pennsylvania-grave-robber-waives-hearing-ahead-of-grisly-summer-trial/ [https://www.courthousenews.com/accused-pennsylvania-grave-robber-waives-hearing-ahead-of-grisly-summer-trial/]) “More charges added for accused Pennsylvania grave robber Jonathan Gerlach” by Joe Holden on CBS News on April 17, 2026 (https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/jonathan-gerlach-grave-robber-pennsylvania/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/jonathan-gerlach-grave-robber-pennsylvania/]) Yeadon Police Chief Henry Giammarco - HGiammarco@yeadonpd.org [HGiammarco@yeadonpd.org]

Episode 162: Whispers in Wyoming - Plains Hotel and St. Marks Episcopal Church

Cheyenne is a city on the high plains of Wyoming, where Old West history still shapes its daily life. The city is full of quiet streets, experiences endless wind and according to many who live there, something else lingers beneath the surface. Downtown Cheyenne is said to be full of locations tied to unexplained stories. And at the center of it all stands the historic Plains Hotel. Built in 1911, the five-story hotel once hosted figures like Ernest Hemingway, Charles Lindbergh, and even the first female governor in U.S. history. But over time, its reputation changed. Guests report hearing crying from empty rooms. A woman in a blue dress wandering the halls. The scent of cigar smoke with no source. A room tied to mysterious 911 calls. But the Plains Hotel isn’t the only place said to be haunted. Just blocks away sits St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the oldest church in Wyoming. Behind its stone walls is a story is centuries old story of two immigrant stonemasons who vanished during construction and one may have been sealed inside the tower walls. Sounds of hammering are heard inside the stone. Bells ring on their own. And years later, a deathbed confession may have revealed what was hidden there all along. Cheyenne is one of Wyoming’s most haunted cities, full of history, tragedy, and ghost stories through hotel hallways and inside church walls.   Sources: “Historic plains Hotel, Cheyenne, WY” on Haunted Rooms Co. (https://www.hauntedrooms.com/wyoming/haunted-places/haunted-hotels/the-plains-hotel-cheyenne [https://www.hauntedrooms.com/wyoming/haunted-places/haunted-hotels/the-plains-hotel-cheyenne]) “The Top 10 Haunted Places in Cheyenne” on US Ghost Adventures on February 20, 2025 (https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-cities/the-top-10-haunted-places-in-cheyenne/ [https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-cities/the-top-10-haunted-places-in-cheyenne/]) “Way Back Wednesday Looks At Haunted History Of Wyoming’s Capital City” by Mick Pryor and Edward Jones on October 27, 2021 (https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/10/27/way-back-wednesday-looks-at-haunted-history-of-wyomings-capital-city-presented-by-mick-pryor-edward-jones/ [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/10/27/way-back-wednesday-looks-at-haunted-history-of-wyomings-capital-city-presented-by-mick-pryor-edward-jones/]) “Historic Plains Hotel, Cheyenne Wyoming” by Kathy Alexander on Legends of America in February 2025 (https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-plainshotel/ [https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-plainshotel/]) “Hotel history” by Angus M. Thuermer Jr. on WYOfile on March 6, 2020 (https://wyofile.com/hotel-history/ [https://wyofile.com/hotel-history/]) “The Historic Plains Hotel” on Discover North America (https://www.discovernorthamerica.co.uk/holidays/the-historic-plains-hotel/ [https://www.discovernorthamerica.co.uk/holidays/the-historic-plains-hotel/]) “There’s A Ghost Named Rosie Who Roams The Halls At This Haunted Wyoming Hotel” by Jessica Wick on Only in Wyoming on August 1, 2019 (https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/stays/wyoming/ghost-named-rosie-plains-hotel-wy [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/stays/wyoming/ghost-named-rosie-plains-hotel-wy]) “The Haunted Bell Tower of St. Mark’s Church in Cheyenne” by Jimmy Orr on Cowboy State Daily (https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/10/28/jimmy-orr-cheyennes-st-marks-episcopal-church-has-a-wonderful-ghost-story/ [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/10/28/jimmy-orr-cheyennes-st-marks-episcopal-church-has-a-wonderful-ghost-story/]) “A Wyoming Ghost Story: The Haunted Tower of St. Mark’s Church” by Phylicia Peterson on 106.3 NOW on October 3, 2023 (https://1063nowfm.com/a-wyoming-ghost-story-the-haunted-bells-of-st-marks-church/ [https://1063nowfm.com/a-wyoming-ghost-story-the-haunted-bells-of-st-marks-church/]) “Way Back Wednesday Looks At Haunted History Of Wyoming’s Capital City – Presented by Mick Pryor, Edward Jones” on Cowboy State Daily on October 27, 2021 (https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/10/27/way-back-wednesday-looks-at-haunted-history-of-wyomings-capital-city-presented-by-mick-pryor-edward-jones/ [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/10/27/way-back-wednesday-looks-at-haunted-history-of-wyomings-capital-city-presented-by-mick-pryor-edward-jones/]) https://lccclifeoncampus.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/plains-hotel-haunted-by-entities/ [https://lccclifeoncampus.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/plains-hotel-haunted-by-entities/] http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/cheyennetivoli3a.html [http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/cheyennetivoli3a.html] https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=95258 [https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=95258]