The Monster’s Cane: How 50 Deaths Went Unpunished

The Monster’s Cane: How 50 Deaths Went Unpunished

Man Searches for Missing Girl He Buried Weeks Earlier: The Serial Murders of Penny Davis and the Hoffman Family A hiker discovers a human jawbone in a rural valley, and within weeks, a double homicide shakes a quiet Washington town. The man arrested had a documented history-a prison file from 1989 explicitly predicting he would become a threat to the community. No one acted on it. The investigation uncovers something far worse: the same suspect had participated in the organized searches for a missing nine-year-old girl, appearing affected and helpful, all while returning to her burial site at night. In this episode, we trace how Jack Spilman operated for months under institutional radar, balancing a functional facade with methodical predation. The evidence includes a verification phone call made from a gas station before the attack, a knife buried in a nearby dumpster, and a balaclava containing the blood of both victims-the highest concentration at the mouth opening. Psychiatric evaluations ruled out psychosis: Spilman knew exactly what he was doing and chose to do it anyway. What separates calculated evil from impulse? And how many warnings must exist before a system responds? Victim: Penny Davis (age 9), Rita Hoffman (age 31), Amanda Hoffman (age 16) Date: September 17, 1994 - April 13, 1995 Location: Eneas Valley and Wenatchee, Washington Status: Convicted - Spilman participated in daytime search efforts for Penny Davis while returning to her burial site at night to commit necrophilia - A 1989 prison file contained an explicit prediction that he would become a threat to the community, filed and archived without action - He made a verification call from a gas station to confirm Rita Hoffman was home before entering through an unlocked kitchen door at 11:30 p.m. - A balaclava discovered in his room contained blood from both murder victims, with forensic evidence suggesting ingestion during the attack Penny Davis, Rita Hoffman, Amanda Hoffman, Wenatchee Washington murders 1995, serial killer, homicide investigation, forensic evidence, psychopathy, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com].

Patrick de la Cerda: the planned murder revealed by a forgotten notebook

The Notebook that Condemned the Killer: The Murder of Patrick de la Cerda in Deltona, Florida. A man wrote down every detail of his plan: the exact address, the dog's name, how to hide fingerprints. Then he threw it in the trash without destroying it. Patrick de la Cerda was shot four times on February 27, 2018, and the crumpled pages of the blue notebook became the most devastating forensic evidence in the investigation. In this episode, we explore Gregory Vender's documented obsession, the restraining order that was never verified, and how a simple decision not to burn a notebook transformed a premeditated crime into a textbook case of criminal arrogance. How does someone capable of planning every small detail make the most basic mistake? Victim: Patrick de la Cerda Date: February 27, 2018 Location: Deltona, Florida Status: Sentenced to life in prison without parole - The notebook contained the exact address, sketches of the property, and the victim's dog's name, but it was left in the trash. - Gregory Vender called Jessica twice on the day of the crime, directly violating the restraining order issued three months earlier. - The 300 Blackout ammunition used in the four shots matched exactly with that found in the accused's desk drawer. - Patrick's security system was stolen before the crime, demonstrating that the break-in was precisely planned in advance. Patrick de la Cerda, Deltona Florida murder, 2018, forensic investigation, restraining order, premeditated crime, detectives, criminal minds, ammunition, true crime Spanish If you want to listen to this podcast ad-free and have access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com].

Florencia Aranguren: the crime on the beach that exposed a killer who never served his sentence

The dog that accused the killer of Florencia: The murder of Florencia Aranguren in Búzios, Brazil A recently arrived Argentine woman in Brazil disappears four days after landing. Her dog stays by her body, covered in blood, on the beach. The impossible: during the court hearing, the animal's reaction against the suspect was presented as identification evidence. In this episode, we explore how a man sentenced to 15 years for sexual abuse was still at large when he murdered Florencia; how security cameras, defensive scratches, and blood-stained clothing converge in 48 hours; and why a traumatized dog became a key witness in a court of justice. Victim: Florencia Aranguren, 31 years old, Argentine artist and trapeze artist Date: December 6, 2023 Location: José Gonçalves Beach, Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Status: Pending jury trial; preventive detention - Carlos José de França had an active sentence of 15 years (2009) for robbery, assault, and sexual abuse of a minor, but was circulating in a semi-open regime without supervision. - Cameras capture Florencia entering a curve with dense vegetation; 20 minutes later, De França passes by on a bicycle wearing a cap; no one else is seen in the area. - Female underwear with blood stains was found in his home during the search; forensic analysis could reveal previous victims. - De França bathed immediately after the crime, but scratches on his body and defensive wounds on Florencia's hands contradict his denial in court. Florencia Aranguren, Búzios femicide 2023, forensic investigation, murder Brazil, dog reaction evidence, sexual abuse history, Argentine justice, unsolved crime, feminist poster, autopsy, judicial truth, true crime Spanish If you want to listen to this podcast ad-free and have access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com].

Signed in Blood: The Letters Police Ignored

Killer Signs His Murders With Letters Police File Away as Pranks: The Serial Homicides of Wolfgang Abel and Marco Furlán November 1980. A letter arrives at an Italian newspaper signed "Ludwig" describing three unsolved murders with classified details no one outside the crimes could know. The police read it, note the impossible accuracy, and dismiss it as a hoax. Over the next four years, Ludwig will claim thirteen more victims across four countries-sending physical evidence, technical specifications, and architectural diagrams with each killing. In this investigation, we uncover how two brilliant university students built their own cosmology of murder while operating completely invisible to authorities who received direct confessions in the mail. We explore the contradiction between perfect forensic correspondence and institutional blindness, the targeting of marginalized victims invisible to investigators, and why it took seven years to connect letters that authenticated every detail of violent acts. Victim: Wolfgang Abel, Marco Furlán (perpetrators); Multiple victims including Guerino Spinelli, Luciano Stefanato, Claudio Costa, Alice María Pareta, Luca Martinotti, Mario Lovato, Giovanni Batista Pigato, Father Armando Bisón, and victims of the Heros cinema fire Date: 1977-1984 Location: Verona, Padua, Venice, Vicenza, Trento, Milan, Italy; Amsterdam; Munich Status: Convicted, escaped, recaptured - Four Molotov cocktails thrown at a sleeping man's car in 1977, detail confirmed only in a letter the police filed away as a prank - Hammer and axe murders described with brand names, colors, and weights before forensic analysis could verify them - A fire at a Milan cinema set using a fuel mechanism so specific the perpetrator's letter matched technical blueprints the police had not released - Two young men in Nazi costumes caught at a nightclub the same night investigators finally connected the correspondence to the crimes Wolfgang Abel, Marco Furlán, Guerino Spinelli, Luciano Stefanato, Claudio Costa, serial killers, unsolved murders, Italian true crime, investigation failure, homicide investigation, criminal minds, forensic evidence, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

Jack the Stripper: The Signature Scotland Yard Never Solved

System Releases Him Thirteen Months Before He Murders Three: The serial murders of Nicole Paterson, Margaret Josephine Mack, and Mersina Halvagis September 1996. A man with sixteen documented sexual assault convictions walks free from a Victorian prison. Psychiatric records flag him as high-risk. No one stops him. Thirteen months later, a woman is found dead with injuries Australian forensic science had never documented before. In this investigation, we examine how Peter Dupas moved through decades of institutional cycles-arrested, convicted, released, reoffended-each time the system processing him without breaking the pattern. We reconstruct the three murders that finally caught him, the forensic signatures that linked them, and the central question: why did a system with complete knowledge of his escalating violence repeatedly set him free? Victim: Nicole Paterson, Margaret Josephine Mack, Mersina Halvagis Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Date: 1997-1999 Status: Convicted; three life sentences - A man released in September 1996 with sixteen prior sexual assault convictions and documented psychiatric warnings against release - A forensic signature so specific-mutilation of breasts and surgical placement-that it appeared in case files as unprecedented in Victorian records - Investigators discovered he had called Nicole Paterson's phone fifteen times in forty days while denying ever knowing her - His grandfather's grave was 128 meters from Mersina Halvagis's body, and he rented a hotel directly across from the cemetery where she was found Peter Dupas, Nicole Paterson, Margaret Josephine Mack, Mersina Halvagis, Melbourne Victoria Australia, 1997, homicide, serial killer, forensic signature, criminal justice system failure, recidivism, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com [business@obomedia.com].