Beers with Queers A True Crime Podcast

A brutal murder. A courtroom battle that captured the nation. And a legacy that changed LGBTQ+ history forever.

In Part 2, we return to the murder of Matthew Shepard to uncover the investigation, the controversial gay panic defense, and the trial that captivated a nation. As his killers faced justice, Matthew’s family turned unimaginable grief into a fight for change, helping pave the way for landmark hate crime legislation. Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers explores this defining case through true crime with a queer perspective. Grab a cold one and join us as we...

A life stolen. A community shaken. A fight for justice that changed history.

In October 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was a promising college student with dreams of a future that was finally beginning to take shape. But one night in Laramie, Wyoming, turned his life into one of the most infamous hate crimes in American history. In Part One, we explore Matthew’s life, the events leading to his brutal attack, and the tragedy that became a defining moment in queer history. Join Jordi and Brad for this deeply moving episode of Beers With Queers.

Ho...

In 1958 Charleston, South Carolina, the murder of 29-year-old Jack Dobbins became one of the city's most sensational criminal cases. On Halloween night, Dobbins met 18-year-old Air Force airman John Mahon at Club 49, a Charleston establishment known for attracting gay patrons. The two eventually went to Dobbins' home on Queen Street, where Mahon later testified that Dobbins made unwanted sexual advances toward him. The following morning, Dobbins was discovered dead on his living-room sofa, having suffered fatal blows to the head from a large brass candlestick. Mahon surrendered to authorities and admitted striking Dobbins, but maintained that he had acted...

Forty-seven sailors were dead. The Navy had an answer that wasn't an accident but pointed to one dead man.

In 1989, the USS Iowa suffered a catastrophic turret explosion that killed everyone inside. Investigators soon focused on Clayton Hartwig, his life insurance policy, and rumors about his relationship with another sailor. As the case unfolded, an LGBTQ+ true crime story emerged alongside questions about military culture, homophobia, and whether a dead sailor had been turned into a convenient scapegoat. But independent investigators would later challenge key parts of the Navy’s case, raising a haunting question: was th...

A dream cross-country bike trip. A deserted campground. And a stranger who arrived in the darkness with an axe.

In 1977, Yale students Terri Jentz and Avra Goldman were cycling across America when their journey took a horrifying turn at Cline Falls State Park. In the middle of the night, a pickup truck crashed through their tent, leaving both women gravely injured, then he attacked with an ax before he vanished into the darkness. Years later, Terri returned to Oregon and began investigating the case herself, uncovering lost evidence, forgotten suspects, and questions that still have no...

A day that changed the world and some of the queer lives caught in its path.

Twenty-five years after 9/11, we remember several LGBTQ+ victims whose stories deserve to be told. From longtime partners denied recognition after their loved ones died, to a gay Catholic FDNY chaplain who ran into the chaos to help others, and an openly gay passenger aboard United 93 who helped fight back, these are stories of love, loss, courage, and queer history. In this episode we look beyond the headlines and remember the people behind one of the darkest days in American history.<...

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Atlanta was losing its children and nobody seemed to be listening. As bodies piled up, grieving families demanded answers while police dismissed disappearances as runaways and insisted the murders weren’t connected.

From 1979 to 1981, dozens of Black children and young people vanished from Atlanta and turned up dead, creating one of the darkest and most controversial crime sprees in American history. In Part One of our coverage of the Atlanta Child Murders, we examine the racism, poverty, and institutional failures surrounding the investigation and the growing panic that someone was hunting Atlanta’s children. As the FBI...

He escaped a home where hatred had made him a prisoner. At just 19 years old, Steen Fenrich had finally built a life where he could be himself, until one desperate moment sent him back to the family he had spent years trying to escape.

In 1999, being young, Black, and gay meant navigating a world where racism and homophobia could follow you everywhere, even into your own home. Steen had fought his way toward independence, but when a painful breakup left him vulnerable and needing somewhere to stay, he turned to his family for help. What followed...

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A brutal murder. A controversial identity. And a legal battle that would capture the nation’s attention.

In 1990, Cheryl McCaul was found murdered inside her car in Massachusetts, launching an investigation that would quickly point toward someone close to her. But the case became far more complicated when the accused, Michelle Lynne Kosilek, came out as transgender and began fighting for access to gender-affirming care while incarcerated. As the murder trial collided with questions of gender identity, mental health, prisoners’ rights, and LGBTQ+ history, the case became a lightning rod for debate that continues decades later.

A forbidden love. A desperate plan. And a murder that would forever change how America viewed queer women.

In 1892 Memphis, Tennessee, Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward dreamed of escaping a society determined to keep them apart. Their secret romance, an audacious plan to live together as husband and wife, and the crushing weight of Victorian expectations set the stage for one of the earliest documented same-sex murder cases in American history. In this episode, we explore a tragic chapter of queer history that exposed prejudice, obsession, and the devastating consequences of intolerance, while uncovering a case...

A killer stalked the neon glow of Hollywood's gay bars. For years, his victims were overlooked, their stories nearly erased. In a city of bright lights, a forgotten serial predator found the perfect place to hide.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Los Angeles' queer nightlife was booming—but beneath the celebration lurked a brutal predator. Donald Miller preyed on gay men, exploiting a time when violence against the LGBTQ+ community was too often ignored or dismissed. In this episode, Jordi and Brad uncover one of the most forgotten chapters in queer history, piecing together a...

A city gripped by fear. A killer hiding in plain sight. And a deadly wave of misinformation that turned an epidemic into a hunting ground.

As HIV/AIDS spread across Britain in the mid-1980s, London's LGBTQ+ community found itself fighting on two fronts, against a devastating virus and against the hatred it fueled. When gay men began disappearing after nights out in London's most popular queer bars, police initially dismissed the murders as isolated incidents. But as the bodies continued to pile up, a horrifying pattern emerged. This episode of Beers With Queers explores the...

They were told Sparta could never be defeated. Then 300 warriors, 150 pairs of same-sex lovers changed history forever.

Forged in the shadow of tyranny, the Sacred Band of Thebes wasn't just an elite military unit, it was the first of its kind, made up of 150 pairs of devoted male lovers who fought side by side against the most feared army in the ancient world. In this episode, Jordi and Brad explore one of the greatest stories in queer history, from secret rebellions and impossible battlefield victories to the heartbreaking final stand that transformed these warriors into legends...

A trusted friend. A quiet overnight stay. And within just 79 minutes, a successful young lawyer was dead inside a Washington, D.C. home, leaving behind one of the most baffling unsolved murders in modern true crime.

In Part 2 of our coverage of the murder of Robert Wone, we unravel the disturbing forensic evidence, conflicting timelines, and unanswered questions that continue to haunt investigators nearly two decades later. From allegations of a staged crime scene to theories that have divided the true crime community, this LGBTQ+ true crime podcast explores a case where every answer seems to...

A trusted friend. A quiet night in Washington, D.C. And less than 80 minutes later, Robert Eric Wone was dead.

When successful attorney Robert Wone asks to spend the night at the home of a longtime college friend after working late, it seems like the safest decision he could make. Instead, he becomes the victim of one of America's most baffling unsolved murder cases. In Part 1, Jordi and Brad unravel the events leading up to that night, introduce the key players, and reconstruct the minute-by-minute timeline that has left investigators, journalists, and true crime fans searching...

A gas station attendant with a plan. A hidden network. And the secret desires of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Fresh from the horrors of World War II, a young Marine named Scotty Bowers arrived in Los Angeles looking for work. What he found instead was a city built on illusion, where fame came with morality clauses, careers could be destroyed by a rumor, and countless queer stars were forced to live in the shadows. From an ordinary gas station on Hollywood Boulevard, Scotty would become the keeper of some of Old Hollywood’s most closely guarded secr...

A rainbow of secrets. A coded language. And a hidden world built for survival.

Long before Grindr, Scruff, Sniffies, or social media, queer men relied on an intricate system of colored bandanas to communicate desires, identities, and interests in a world where being yourself could be dangerous. In this Pride Month episode, Jordi and Brad dive into the fascinating history of the Hanky Code, exploring its disputed origins, ties to leather culture, and how this colorful piece of queer history became one of the community’s most iconic symbols. Then, things take a hilarious turn as Br...

A birthday celebration. A vulnerable young man. And a night of cruelty that would leave a community demanding answers.

When Steven Simpson turned eighteen, he had every reason to celebrate. Openly gay, living independently despite autism, epilepsy, and other challenges, Steven had worked hard to build a life on his own terms. But what began as a gathering of friends in his South Yorkshire flat quickly spiraled into something far darker. As the night unfolded, humiliation, bullying, and violence blurred the line between a cruel joke and a devastating tragedy. In this LGBTQ+ true crime podcast...

A king haunted by controversy. A court drowning in secrets. And a murder so scandalous it helped poison the English crown itself.

Long before the King James Bible shaped the English speaking world, King James I was navigating a palace fueled by forbidden desire, ruthless ambition, and deadly political games. James grew up isolated, abused, and desperate for affection. As an adult, he openly surrounded himself with powerful male favorites in a country where accusations of same-sex intimacy could lead to execution under the Buggery Act. But when his handsome favorite Robert Carr became entangled with...

A poisoned enema. A shadow king. And a royal court where desire could be just as deadly as treason.

What began as King James I’s obsession with beautiful young men would spiral into one of the most dangerous and scandalous power struggles in queer history.

In this episode of Beers With Queers, Jordi and Brad dive deep into the dark and twisted world of the Jacobean court, where political ambition, forbidden same-sex relationships, and ruthless betrayal collided beneath the gilded halls of Whitehall Palace. Long before the King James Bible became the most widely pr...

A quiet park. A hidden meeting place. And a murder that exposed how criminalized queer lives made perfect targets.

In 1960, a man entered Queen's Park and never came home. What began as another secret encounter in the shadows of a city that treated gay men as criminals became one of Scotland’s most disturbing LGBT true crime cases. In an era when queer relationships had to exist in whispers, predators learned exactly where fear could silence victims, and how the law itself could shield violence. In this LGBTQ+ true crime podcast episode, Jordi and Brad unravel the mu...

A dating app. Two men looking for connection. And a man that wanted to kill every gay man he could.

In just four days, the quiet streets of Sligo became the center of one of Ireland’s most chilling modern hate crime investigations. Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee were found dead in their own homes, after meeting someone through a dating app, and another man barely survived an earlier attack. What followed exposed a terrifying pattern that sent shockwaves through Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community, reigniting conversations about queer safety, violence, and whether some places are ever as safe...

A stadium packed with thousands… and a bomb waiting at center field.

They came to destroy disco but what erupted that night exposed something far deeper.

On July 12, 1979, what started as a cheap baseball promotion at Chicago’s Comiskey Park spiraled into chaos now known as Disco Demolition Night. Fans were promised discounted tickets if they brought disco records—records that would be blown up between games. But when the explosion hit, the crowd surged, the field was overtaken, and the night descended into a full-scale riot that forced a forfeited game. Beneath the surfac...

Five men hunted him for sport.

And when it was over, the justice system let them walk free.

In 1982, 31-year-old Declan Flynn went to Dublin’s Fairview Park, unaware he had been chosen as a target in a wave of violent “queer-bashing” attacks. What followed was a brutal killing that shocked Ireland, but the real outrage came after: a courtroom decision that left the public stunned and furious. This LGBTQ+ true crime podcast episode dives into a case that didn’t just expose violence, it exposed a system that seemed to excuse it. In telling...

She survived abuse, abandonment, and a lifetime of violence but the story was far from over. As the bodies continued to mount, one woman’s spiral into infamy would leave the world asking whether they were witnessing a monster… or the making of one.

In Part 2 of our series on Aileen Wuornos, we follow the final chapter of one of the most infamous cases in American history. From the murders that shocked the nation to the media frenzy that transformed her into a symbol of fear, this episode explores the complicated intersection of trauma, violence, and just...

A child abandoned. A life shaped by violence. Long before the headlines, the story of Aileen Wuornos began with a childhood that looked more like survival than innocence.

Born in Michigan in 1956, Wuornos entered the world surrounded by instability. Her parents separated before she was born, and by age four she and her brother had been abandoned by their mother and left to be raised by their grandparents. What followed was a childhood marked by poverty, alleged abuse, and isolation.

By the time she was barely a teenager, Wuornos was already living a...

Patients trusted him with their lives. Instead, they were slowly dying under his care.

Behind a hospital smile lurked one of the most prolific medical serial killers in American history.

In the 1970s and 80s, hospital orderly Donald Harvey quietly moved between patient rooms in hospitals across Ohio and Kentucky. To coworkers, he seemed gentle, soft-spoken, helpful, even compassionate. But behind closed doors, something far darker was unfolding. Over nearly two decades, dozens of vulnerable patients died under suspicious circumstances as Harvey poisoned food, tampered with oxygen, and suffocated those who trusted him to...

For generations of LGBTQ+ Americans, a simple night out could mean a huge risk. But the local gay bar offered safety, community, resistance, and eventually revolution.

Long before Pride parades and marriage equality, queer bars were the beating heart of LGBTQ life in America. Hidden behind unmarked doors and dim neon lights, these spaces offered something the outside world often refused: safety, connection, and the freedom to exist. From underground gatherings in the 1800s to legendary spaces like the Stonewall Inn, queer bars became sanctuaries where community was built and where history was made.

A brilliant spy. A duffle bag containing a body, padlocked from the outside. And a death no one can explain.

When an intelligence officer is found zipped inside a padlocked duffel bag in his own bathtub, the official answers only deepen the mystery.

In August 2010, brilliant Welsh mathematician and intelligence analyst Gareth Wyn Williams was discovered dead in a London flat his naked body sealed inside a zipped and padlocked sports bag in the bathtub. Gareth Wyn Williams worked as a codebreaker for GCHQ while on secondment to MI6, helping track global money-laundering networks...

A mile-long island in New York holds more than a million bodies. No headstones. No funerals. Just rows of pine boxes disappearing into the earth.

Just off the coast of the Bronx sits Hart Island, America’s largest public cemetery and the final resting place for the people society forgot. Since 1869, the island has received the unclaimed, the unidentified, the poor, and even victims of epidemics, quietly burying them in long trenches beneath the soil.

In this episode, we explore the haunting history of Hart Island and the millions of lives laid to rest there fr...

A friendly favor. An insidious plan. And a disappearance that would expose one of the most disturbing crimes in Sioux Falls deaf community’s history.

In February 2006, Darlene VanderGiesen, a beloved member of the deaf community in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, left work to meet someone she trusted. She told friends she was helping plan a Valentine’s Day surprise for a mutual friend. But she never came home. Days later, investigators uncovered a trail of evidence that revealed a chilling story of jealousy, secrets, and unimaginable violence, one that would ripple through the tight-knit world she...

Thirteen men walked into the woods of Paturis Park seeking a moment of freedom, only to be met by a predator who treated their lives like a "social cleansing." In a case where the justice system's silence was as deafening as the gunshots, the line between the hunters and the law began to blur.

From 2007 to 2008, the busy suburbs of São Paulo were haunted by a serial killer who specifically targeted gay and bisexual men in their most vulnerable sanctuaries. This chilling gay murder case exposed the deep-rooted "impunity" within the Brazilian legal system, where v...

A marriage built on secrets. A body burned beyond recognition. And a courtroom scandal that shocked an entire nation.

In early 20th-century Australia, a laborer known as Harry Crawford seemed like an ordinary husband until his wife vanished after a quiet holiday outing. Years later, when investigators began unraveling the mystery, they uncovered something that sent newspapers into a frenzy. Crawford was actually Eugene Falleni, a person who had lived for decades as a man in a world that offered no place for gender variance. When the charred remains of Crawford’s wife, Annie Birkett, were finally li...

A quiet North Carolina highway. A young woman’s body left in the grass. And a love triangle that would unravel into jealousy, obsession, and murder.

In January 2008, 21-year-old college student Latrese Curtis was found brutally stabbed along Interstate 540 near Raleigh. What initially looked like a random act of violence soon exposed a tangled web of relationships hiding beneath the surface of her life. As investigators dug deeper, they discovered a complicated love triangle involving Curtis, a close friend, and a respected church leader whose secrets would shock the community. Robert Reaves, a former pastor, would ultimately st...

A quiet night in a small Alabama town ended in a brutal, fiery betrayal that shocked the nation. He wasn’t just a victim of a crime; he was a man targeted for the simple truth of who he loved.

Billy Jack Gaither was a well-liked, hard-working man who lived a quiet life in Sylacauga until a chance encounter at a local boat ramp turned into a horrific nightmare. This week, we examine the 1999 gay murder case that stripped away the veneer of small-town safety and exposed a deep-seated hate that demanded a reckoning. Billy Jack’s st...

A selfie of a beautiful couple posted to Instagram. A whispered secret exposed. And a queer icon found stabbed to death just 24 hours after lawmakers passed a massive anti-LGBTQ bill.

When Georgian transgender model, actor and influencer Kesaria Abramidze posted a photo to her Instagram that publicly acknowledged her relationship, some say it triggered a fatal rage in her closeted partner, leading to her stabbing in her Tbilisi apartment. That killing came just one day after Georgia’s parliament passed a sweeping anti-LGBTQIA+ bill that critics say entrenches stigma and emboldens hostility toward queer people, fueling fe...

A secret love. A world at war. And a queer bond Nazi history nearly erased.

In 1943 Berlin, a Jewish resistance fighter and a Nazi officer’s wife risk everything for a forbidden love that defied hate, ideology, and the very machinery of genocide.

In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day we bring you an incredible true queer love story. 

Lilly Wust, a mother of four married to a German soldier, never expected to fall for Felice Schragenheim, a Jewish woman in hiding whose hidden resistance work put her life on the line. Thr...

On November 30, 2013, in Portland, Maine, police discovered the bodies of two men inside an apartment near Deering Oaks Park. One of them was 22-year-old Matthew Rairdon, a graduate student and aspiring educator. The other was Patrick Milliner, his former partner. What initially appeared to be an isolated tragedy soon revealed a devastating case of intimate partner violence that unfolded quietly—without police reports, restraining orders, or public warning signs.

In this episode, we examine the documented relationship between Rairdon and Milliner, the weeks leading up to their breakup, and the final hours before the murder-suicide. Using po...