Episode 556: The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders

In this four part series, we dive into the horrific crimes of Fred & Rose West. We begin by exploring Fred's formative years which laid a foundation for his callousness and depraved appetites. Thank you to the wondrous Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for Research! References Amis, Martin. 2000. When darkness met light. May 11. Accessed March 21, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2000/may/11/features11.g2. BBC News. 1998. Fred West 'admitted killing waitress'. March 25. Accessed March 19, 2024. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/69928.stm. —. 2001. How many more did Fred West kill? September 27. Accessed March 19, 2024. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1567038.stm. —. 2021. The 12 victims of Fred and Rosemary West. May 27. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-57182844. Bennett, Will. 1995. Step-daughter Charmaine was first to die. November 22. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/stepdaughter-charmaine-was-first-to-die-1583071.html. Birmingham Evening Mail. 1974. "Missing girls theory." Birmingham Evening Mail, January 7: 1. Birmingham Post. 1968. "Missing waitress mystery deepens." Birmingham Post, January 23: 2. —. 1974. "Student missing for six days may return ton university-police." Birmingham Post, January 2: 2. —. 1968. "Yard detectives join search for Gloucester girl." Birmingham Post, January 9: 1. Campbell, Duncan. 1995. "How a string of girls came to die in depraved and appalling circumstances." The Guardian, October 7. Duce, Richard. 1995. "West's suicide avenged killings, QC tells jurors." The Times, November 16. Duce, Richard, and Bill Frost. 1995. "Court told of depravity at 25 Cromwell Street." The Times, October 7: 4. Evening Post. 1968. "Helicopter joins hunt for Mary." Evening Post, January 8: 1. Evening Standard. 1974. "Have you spotted this girl?" Evening Standard, July 4: 18. Frost, Bill. 1995. "Cromwell Street murders case man is dead." The Times, Janaury 2. Frost, Bill, and Richard Duce. 1995. "I'm being made a scapegoat, says West." The Times, November 2. —. 1995. "No place for sentiment, West jurors are told." The Times, October 4. —. 1995. "West: I fell under Fred's spell." The Times, October 31. Gloucester Echo. 1994. "Did builder know Mary?" Gloucester Echo, March 8: 3. —. 1994. "Graden bodies: Who were they?" Gloucester Echo, March 2: 1. Gloucestershire Echo. 1995. "From angelic child to coldest of killers." Gloucestershire Echo 5. —. 1995. "Fred West found dead." Gloucestershire Echo, January 2: 1. —. 1995. "I'll see you in court, Rose." Gloucestershire Echo, January 4: 1. Knight, Adam. 2014. Fred West's brother denies incest claims. November 7. Accessed March 17, 2024. https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/11587578.fred-wests-brother-denies-incest-claims/. Lee, Adrian, Tim Jones, and Damian Whitworth. 1996. "Fred West's brother hangs himself." The Times, November 29. Ovington, Paul. 1974. "Hunt steps up as fear grows for Lucy, 21." Western Daily Press and Times, January 4: 1. Sounes, Howard. 1995. Fred & Rose: The Full Story of Fred and Rose West and the Gloucester House of Horrors. New York, NY: Open Road Media. United Press International. 1995. "British jury convicts West of 10 murders." UPI Archive, November 22. West, Mae, and Neil McKay. 2018. Love as Always, Mum: The True and Terrible Story of Surviving a Childhood with Fred and Rose West. London, UK: Seven Dials Press. Williams, Martin. 1994. "'Our sister is still alive'." Gloucester Echo, February 26: 1. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are joined by Christopher Cassel, Director of 'Pathological: The Lies of Joran Van Der Sloot', We discuss his documentary which dives deep into the crimes of the Van Der Sloot, and the countless people his actions have negatively impacted. Want to see the documentary? Stream it now on Peacock! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the afternoon of May 30, 2005, the senior students from Mountain Brook High School gathered at the airport in Aruba to make their return flight to Alabama after their celebratory trip, when chaperones noticed that one of the students was missing. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen around 1:30 am that morning, leaving a bar with a student from the local International School of Aruba, but no one had seen or heard from her since and when they checked the hotel, Natalee’s luggage and other belongings were still in her room.  It would take nearly twenty years before her killer was held responsible and the truth about her disappearance was brought to light. Thank you to the wondrous Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for Research! References ABC News. 2006. Exclusive: van der Sloot talks about night out. February 22. Accessed March 26, 2024. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1648218. Associated Press. 2005. "Three young suspects can be held in case of missing girl, judge rules." New York Times, June 12. —. 2005. "Two suspects to be held in girl's case." New York Times, June 9. —. 2012. "Natalee Holloway declared dead by judge six years after disappearance." The Guardian, January 12. Burrough, Bryan. 2006. "Missing White Female." Vanity Fair, November 20. Chandler, Kim. 2023. "Attorney describes Joran van der Sloot's confession." Montgomery Advertiser, November 11: 1. CNN News. 2010. Interpol: Van der Sloot tried to extort Holloway's mother. June 9. Accessed March 27, 2024. http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/08/us.van.der.sloot.alabama/. CNN Wire. 2012. Van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years for Peru murder . January 13. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2012/01/13/world/americas/peru-van-der-sloot-sentence. Holloway, Beth. 2007. "My daughter disappeared." Good Housekeeping, November 1: 185. Holloway, Dave, R. Stephanie Good, and Larry Garrison. 2023. Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing. Lybrand, Holmes, Jean Casarez, and Evan Perez. 2023. FBI details how van der Sloot’s confession in Natalee Holloway’s death came together. October 24. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/24/us/joran-van-der-sloot-holloway-plea-deal/index.html. Lyman, Rick. 2005. "Missing woman's case spurs discussion of news coverage." New York Times, August 7. NBC News. 2005. Aruban police again search landfill for Holloway. July 28. Accessed March 26, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8745217. —. 2010. Van der Sloot admits Holloway family extortion plot: 'Why not?'. September 6. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39023617. Nelson, Andrew. 2005. "Missing teen's friends, family continue hope." Birmingham Post-Herald, June 6: 24. News, ABC. 2006. "Dutch teen tells Primetime about night with Natalee Holloway." ABC News, February 23. Norton, Michael. 2005. "FBI answers mother's plea to aid search." Montgomery Advertiser, June 4: 1. Robinson, Carol. 2023. Listen to Joran van der Sloot describe Natalee Holloway’s final moments in chilling confession. October 18. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://www.al.com/news/2023/10/listen-to-joran-van-der-sloot-describe-natalee-holloways-final-moments-in-chilling-confession.html. Robinson, Carol, and Ivana Hrynkiw. 2023. Joran van der Sloot confesses to killing Natalee Holloway: ‘You terminated her dreams,’ mother says. October 18. Accessed March 27, 2024. https://www.al.com/news/2023/10/joran-van-der-sloot-expected-to-plead-guilty-in-natalee-holloway-extortion-case-today-latest-updates.html. Robinson, Gene. 2005. "Missing white women and the media." Washington Post, June 14. The Independent. 2010. "Sex, lies and a murder suspect with a story to sell." The Independent, June 23. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Considered among the first (and certainly the most prolific) American female serial killers and so-called angels of mercy, Jane Toppan’s killing spree went unnoticed for more than fifteen years, as she transitioned from one hospital to another, leaving an unprecedented trail of carnage in her wake. Jane was finally arrested in 1901, after killing the entire family of a man for whom she’d been hired to provide care. The arrest and trial were a sensation, as murder and cruelty were a direct contradiction of the norms and standards long relied upon to define American womanhood.  Thank you to the amazing Dave White of Bring me the Axe Podcast for research! References Boston Globe. 1902. "Agree that she's insane." Boston Globe, April 6: 1. —. 1901. "Alden P. Davis' death due to another cause." Boston Globe, November 21: 1. —. 1901. "Hint to watch Miss Toppan." Boston Globe, October 31: 5. —. 1901. "Inquiry is under way." Boston Globe, August 31: 1. —. 1902. "Is Miss Toppan sane." Boston Globe, March 26: 1. —. 1904. "Jane Toppan an imbecile." Boston Globe, July 10: 6. —. 1902. "Jane Toppan insane, found not guilty." Boston Globe, June 24: 1. —. 1938. "Jane Toppan, poisoner of 31, dies in hospital at age pf 81." Boston Globe, August 18: 1. —. 1901. "Marriage and money." Boston Globe, November 1: 1. —. 1901. "Murder by poison." Boston Globe, October 31: 1. —. 1901. "No cause for suspicion." Boston Globe, November 4: 2. Lowell Historical Society. 2022. Lowell’s ties to “Jolly” Jane, Massachusetts’ Female Serial Killer. October 29. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/lowells-ties-to-jolly-jane-massachusetts-female-serial-killer/. New York Times. 1904. "Jane Toppan, an extraordinary case of moral insanity." New York Times, October 23: A2. —. 1938. "Miss Jane Toppan, 84, Mass poisoner, dies." New York Times, August 18: 15. Schechter, Harold. 2012. Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer. New York, NY: Pocket Books. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Jane Toppan began training to be a nurse at Cambridge Hospital in 1885, she was bright, eager, and well-liked by her peers and seemed to form easy bonds with the oldest and most vulnerable patients. What no one knew at the time was, once Jane managed to get time alone with her patients, she began conducting medical experiments by injecting them with various drugs and even going so far as to get into bed with them to hold them close to her as they died from the overdoses she’d administered. Thank you to the amazing Dave White of Bring me the Axe Podcast for research! References Boston Globe. 1902. "Agree that she's insane." Boston Globe, April 6: 1. —. 1901. "Alden P. Davis' death due to another cause." Boston Globe, November 21: 1. —. 1901. "Hint to watch Miss Toppan." Boston Globe, October 31: 5. —. 1901. "Inquiry is under way." Boston Globe, August 31: 1. —. 1902. "Is Miss Toppan sane." Boston Globe, March 26: 1. —. 1904. "Jane Toppan an imbecile." Boston Globe, July 10: 6. —. 1902. "Jane Toppan insane, found not guilty." Boston Globe, June 24: 1. —. 1938. "Jane Toppan, poisoner of 31, dies in hospital at age pf 81." Boston Globe, August 18: 1. —. 1901. "Marriage and money." Boston Globe, November 1: 1. —. 1901. "Murder by poison." Boston Globe, October 31: 1. —. 1901. "No cause for suspicion." Boston Globe, November 4: 2. Lowell Historical Society. 2022. Lowell’s ties to “Jolly” Jane, Massachusetts’ Female Serial Killer. October 29. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/lowells-ties-to-jolly-jane-massachusetts-female-serial-killer/. New York Times. 1904. "Jane Toppan, an extraordinary case of moral insanity." New York Times, October 23: A2. —. 1938. "Miss Jane Toppan, 84, Mass poisoner, dies." New York Times, August 18: 15. Schechter, Harold. 2012. Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer. New York, NY: Pocket Books. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.