UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast

What did Netflix get wrong about Ted Kaczynski and the Unabomber investigation?

Retired FBI Special Agent James Fitzgerald returns to fact-check Netflix’s new Unabomber movie—and he has serious problems with the way the story is told.

Fitzgerald worked the real UNABOM investigation and helped develop the linguistic analysis that connected Ted Kaczynski’s writing to the Unabomber manifesto. We break down the biggest inaccuracies, omissions and fictionalised moments in Netflix’s Unabomber, including how the film portrays the FBI investigation, Kaczynski’s psychology, the Harvard experiments, the MKUltra theory, and the evidence that actually h...

An execution that was supposed to end in death has taken a shocking turn in Tennessee, where Christa Pike survived two rounds of lethal injections. Now awake in hospital, Pike is facing a long recovery as her lawyers demand answers about what went wrong—and a judge has ordered officials to preserve evidence that could shed light on the botched execution.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Christa Pike execution this week and what happens next.

Then we get into your questions:  What shaped Ted Kaczynski int...

How does a teenage math genius become the Unabomber?

For nearly two decades, Ted Kaczynski carried out a bombing campaign across the United States, killing three people and injuring more than twenty others. Then he demanded that newspapers publish a 35,000-word manifesto explaining why.

In this episode of UNMARKED, I speak with retired FBI Special Agent James Fitzgerald, the criminal profiler and forensic linguist who worked the UNABOM investigation and helped connect Kaczynski’s writing to the man behind the bombs.

We go back through his childhood as an extraordinarily gifted and is...

Is the suspected Philadelphia serial killer case much older than investigators realise?

This week, I’m digging deeper into the life of R.C. Horsch—and I believe the timeline may be one of the most important parts of this story. While much of the attention has focused on the house in Olney where human remains were discovered in June 2026, my reporting is taking me back decades earlier.

I’ve been speaking with people who knew Horsch and examining a roughly 35-year period in his life. Horsch presented disturbing artwork from the perspective of a serial...

What does a forensic psychologist actually do—and what can psychology really tell us about serial killers?

This week on Case Notes, I sit down with Dr. Eric Hickey, one of America’s leading experts on serial murder, violent offenders, and forensic psychology. Dr. Hickey has spent decades studying some of the most notorious offenders in modern history. We’ve previously featured his work in our episodes on Jeffrey Dahmer and Clifford Olson, and we’re currently preparing another conversation examining Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer.

Rather than beginning with a killer, I wanted t...

The case that left a Massachusetts community stunned is taking another unexpected turn as Lindsay Clancy returns to court following a mistrial in the deaths of her three children. Her defence is now challenging the evidence against her as prosecutors weigh whether to try the case again. 

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Lindsey Clancy hearing this week and what happens next could reshape the case all over again.

Then we get into your questions:  How did Leonard Lake and Charles Ng form such a unique bo...

What happens when two psychopaths find each other—and realize they share the same violent fantasies?

This episode is part of Psychopath², a series of UNMARKED episodes examining what happens when serial killers work together. 

For this episode of UNMARKED, I went through Charles Ng’s prison letters, court records, investigative files, and contemporary reporting to understand the relationship between Ng and Leonard Lake.

Lake had spent years documenting increasingly sadistic fantasies he called Operation Miranda. Ng brought his own history of violence, grievance, theft, weapons, and grandiose fantasy. When the two men ca...

Is Philadelphia dealing with a serial killer—or are the headlines getting ahead of the evidence?

A sprawling investigation in Philadelphia has connected Raymond “R.C.” Horsch and his son, Eugene Horsch, to a growing mystery involving missing women, Kensington’s sex-work corridor, and a house in the city’s Olney neighbourhood.

In the first episode of this ongoing investigation, I break down what we actually know, what the media may be getting wrong, and the evidence that has led police to examine the Horsch family.

This is an active investigation. Police have linked mul...

Netflix has reignited the debate over Lizzie Borden—but how much of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is actually true?
Cara Robertson Phd, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden, returns to UNMARKED to separate fact from fiction. We break down what Netflix got right, what it changed, and the historical evidence behind one of America’s most infamous murder cases.

We also tackle some of the series’ biggest creative choices: its portrayal of Lizzie, its themes of female rage and feminism, and the controversial decision to bring serial killer Aileen Wuornos into Lizzie Borden’s story.<...

A disturbing investigation in Philadelphia is taking another turn, as five missing women are now linked to the home connected to Eugene Horsch. Investigators continue to sift through more than one million images and videos recovered from the property, while new evidence and newly surfaced photographs are adding to the questions surrounding what happened inside the house—and what investigators may still uncover.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the new information in the Eugene Horsch story and how the story goes all the way back to the 1970s

What if Casey Anthony finally told the truth—would anyone believe her?

Nearly twenty years after Caylee Anthony disappeared, the case remains one of the most controversial mysteries in American true crime. Casey lied about her job, invented a nanny, misled investigators and waited 31 days before her daughter was reported missing. But a jury still found her not guilty of murder.

In this episode of UNMARKED, I sit down with lead prosecutor Jeff Ashton and challenge him on the evidence, the timeline and the questions I still have about what happened on June 16, 2008. I al...

How much of who we become is shaped before we can even remember it?

In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I sit down with clinical and forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Judy Ho to talk about attachment—how our earliest relationships shape the way we see ourselves, connect with other people, and respond to the world around us.

We break down attachment theory, the different attachment styles, what happens when those early bonds are disrupted, and how childhood experiences can continue influencing behavior decades later.

#TrueCrime #Psychology #AttachmentTheory #SerialKillers #DrJudyHo #CaseNotes 

A shocking case is entering a new chapter as Nick Reiner appears in court for a pre-trial hearing in the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. Prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty, while questions over sealed grand jury evidence and what comes next in the case continue to unfold.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the pre-trial hearing of the Nick Reiner case and what happens next. 

Then we get into your questions:  Why did Lizzie Borden kill her parents?, Was Gary He...

What if everything we think we know about Lizzie Borden is wrong?

With Netflix once again turning Lizzie Borden into a monster, we're going back to the woman behind the legend. In 1892, Lizzie stood trial for the brutal murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, inside their Fall River home. She was acquitted—but more than 130 years later, we're still trying to explain who she was and what could have driven her to kill, if she did.

This week on UNMARKED, I’m joined by Dr. Cara Robertson, author of The Trial of Lizzie Bord...

I’m joined by Brandi Churchwell, host of the 13th Juror Podcast, to break down the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case. We talk about what happened in the courtroom, the reaction to the decision, what the jury actually decided—and some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the case.

We also dig into the difficult questions at the heart of this trial: mental illness, criminal responsibility, and why this case has produced such dramatically different reactions from people following it.

#LindsayClancy #TrueCrime #CaseNotes #podcast #UNMARKED

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

A controversial case has taken another dramatic turn in Massachusetts, where a mistrial was declared after jurors deadlocked in Lindsay Clancy’s trial for the deaths of her three children. Now, prosecutors must decide whether to try the case again—while the debate over mental illness, accountability and what happened in the days leading up to the tragedy continues.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to b...

Was Gary Heidnik legally insane—or did he know exactly what he was doing?

The crimes committed inside Gary Heidnik’s North Philadelphia home became infamous for their brutality—and would later draw comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs. But beneath the mythology of the so-called “Monster Preacher” is a much more difficult question about mental illness, culpability, and the way the law defines sanity.

Heidnik had a documented history of severe mental illness stretching back decades. He experienced delusions, believed God had given him a mission, and constructed an elaborate fantasy that ultim...

How many serial killers are operating right now—and how many murders are we failing to connect?

This week on Case Notes, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Arntfield of the Murder Accountability Project to talk about the enormous amount of homicide data hiding in plain sight—and what it can tell us about serial murder in America.

We get into why homicides are underreported and misclassified, how the Murder Accountability Project uses data to identify suspicious clusters of killings, and what the numbers suggest about the serial killers who may still be operating today.

W...

A controversial case is entering a new chapter as Bryan Kohberger’s appeal moves forward. The challenge has reignited debate over the investigation, the evidence, and whether the justice system got it right—while the families of the victims continue to face the painful question of whether the case will ever truly be over.

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Bryan Kohberger plea agreement and how he is able to attempt to change his plea after pleading guilty. 

Then we get into your questions: What made Richa...

Was Richard Ramirez born to become the Night Stalker—or was he created?

Before Richard Ramirez terrorized California as the Night Stalker, he was a quiet kid from El Paso who showed few of the early warning signs we associate with psychopathy. But over time, the ingredients began to accumulate: possible prenatal toxic exposure, neurological problems, violence at home, drugs, sexual fantasy, and the extraordinary influence of a cousin who introduced him to images and stories of rape, torture and murder.

In this episode, I’m joined by forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston to retrace Rami...

What is it like to survive an encounter with a serial killer—and then learn what he did to the men who came after you?
In this episode of UNMARKED Case Notes, I sit down with Mark Henderson, a survivor of Toronto serial killer Bruce McArthur.

Mark takes us inside his encounter with McArthur: how they met, what happened between them, the details that have stayed with him, and what it was like to later discover that McArthur had murdered eight men.

We also talk about the Bruce McArthur investigation, the warning signs that we...

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

A deeply polarizing story is unfolding in Massachusetts, where a young mother is accused of killing her three children inside their family home. As the case moves forward, it has sparked fierce debate over mental health, motherhood, responsibility—and whether the devastating events of that day could have been prevented in the days leading up to the tragedy..

In this Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to br...

How did Bruce McArthur murder eight men in Toronto’s Gay Village while hiding in plain sight?

In this episode of UNMARKED, James Buddy Day returns to Toronto to retrace the footsteps of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers—speaking with people who knew McArthur, walking the streets where he found his victims, and revisiting the properties where he concealed their remains.

Drawing from Buddy’s original investigation for the Canadian Screen Award-winning documentary Catching a Serial Killer: Bruce McArthur, we examine McArthur’s double life, his psychology and evolving fantasies, the murders of eight m...

What do people really want to know about serial killers?
Are serial killers born or made? What actually defines a serial killer? And are female serial killers different from their male counterparts?

In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I sit down with forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston to tackle some of the most frequently asked—and most misunderstood—questions about serial killers.

From the psychology behind repeated murder to the differences between male and female offenders, we separate popular mythology from what the research actually tells us.

Read Dr. Johnston’s book...

Have a question for the show? Leave it in the comments on YouTube or Apple Podcasts, DM @unmarkedpodcast on Instagram, or find me directly @JamesBuddyDay.

A disturbing investigation is unfolding in Philadelphia, where police say evidence recovered from a home on West Chew Avenue appears to show two missing women deceased—and investigators are examining an enormous collection of images, videos and writings connected to the property.

In our first Friday edition of UNMARKED, producer Jon Nadeau joins me to break down the Eugene Horsch case and what we actually know so far.

Th...

What made Ed Kemper capable of becoming one of America’s most notorious serial killers?

In this episode of UNMARKED, I retrace the life and crimes of Edmund Kemper—the so-called “Co-Ed Killer”—with renowned neuroscientist Dr. Kent Kiehl, sometimes called “The Psychopath Whisperer.”

Dr. Kiehl has spent decades studying psychopathy, interviewing hundreds of offenders and using brain imaging to investigate what happens inside the minds of people with extreme psychopathic traits. His connection to the Kemper story goes back to his earliest days studying forensic psychiatry, when he encountered Kemper at California’s Vacaville correc...

What does Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes get right about Charles Manson—and what does it leave out?

In this episode of Case Notes, I’m joined by George Stimson, author of Goodbye Helter Skelter and a longtime associate of Charles Manson, to break down and react to the new Netflix documentary series Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes.

George knew Manson personally for years and has challenged the traditional Helter Skelter narrative surrounding Manson and the Tate-LaBianca murders. We discuss his reaction to the Netflix series, what he bel...

Before the release of Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes, I joined attorney Karen Conti on WGN Radio 720 in Chicago to discuss Charles Manson and what years of research into the case have revealed.

Karen Conti has a fascinating connection to another notorious American murder case: she was John Wayne Gacy’s final attorney, representing him during his death-row appeals before his execution in 1994.

🎙️ Originally broadcast Aug 9, 2026 on WGN Radio 720 — The Karen Conti Show

Explore our investigations into Charles Manson, the Manson Family, Sharon Tate and the murders at Cielo Drive

What really happened inside 10050 Cielo Drive on the night of August 8, 1969?

More than fifty years later, the Manson murders remain one of the most infamous crimes in American history. But beyond the mythology surrounding Charles Manson lies a far more complicated story.

After more than a decade investigating the case—including interviews with Charles Manson and members of the Manson Family, access to rare recordings, police reports, trial transcripts, and my private research archive featured in Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer—I reconstruct the murders at Cielo Drive almost minute by minute.

Rese...

What does one of America's most prolific serial killers say when he's spent more than two decades behind bars?

For years, author Maria DiLorenzo has corresponded with Gary Ridgway—the Green River Killer—offering a rare window into the mind of a man convicted of murdering 49 women and who later confessed to many more.

In this episode of UNMARKED, I sit down with Maria to examine what Ridgway's letters, interviews, and prison conversations reveal about the psychology of one of history's most prolific serial killers. We explore the violent fantasies that preceded the murders, the role...

In this episode of Case Notes, I'm joined by bestselling author and investigative journalist Howard Blum to discuss one of the most controversial theories to emerge from the Idaho murders investigation: Did Bryan Kohberger act alone? 

Drawing on his reporting, Howard explains why he began questioning the official narrative and outlines the evidence that led him to consider the possibility of an accomplice. 

This discussion is a companion to our main episode ⬇️
#BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #TrueCrime #Netflix 

Why did the Idaho murders happen?

Bryan Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students. But his plea answered only one question: who committed the crime. It told us almost nothing about why.

In this episode of UNMARKED, I take a different approach. Rather than reconstructing the murders, I construct a psychological autopsy of Bryan Kohberger—examining his childhood, social isolation, personality, fantasy life, academic interests, and the evidence surrounding the case to better understand how someone becomes capable of an act like this.

Research in Th...

What role does fantasy play in serial murder?

In this episode of Case Notes, I sit down with bestselling investigative journalist and true crime author M. William Phelps to explore one of the most misunderstood aspects of violent offenders: the fantasies that often precede, shape, and sustain serial violence.

We discuss how violent fantasy develops, why it can become central to an offender's identity, and what investigators, psychologists, and the public often misunderstand about the connection between imagination and real-world violence. Along the way, we examine how fantasy influences victim selection, ritual, escalation, and the...

Why did Long Island produce so many serial killers?

From Richard Cottingham and Joel Rifkin to Robert Shulman and Rex Heuermann, Long Island has been home to one of the greatest concentrations of serial killers in modern history. Coincidence? Or did something happen during the 1980s and 1990s that created the perfect conditions for these men to hunt undetected?

In this episode, I examine the life of Robert Shulman through newly uncovered prison letters that have never been presented publicly. Drawing on police files, autopsy reports, court records, psychological research, and interviews with...

What does it really take to become a forensic psychologist?

In this episode of Case Notes, I sit down with Dr. N.G. Berill, a forensic psychologist with more than three decades of experience evaluating violent offenders, consulting on major criminal cases, and teaching forensic psychology. Before we discuss the path into the profession, Dr. Berill recounts the shocking reality of a career in which defendants have threatened, and even tried, to kill him.

Whether you're considering a career in forensic psychology, studying criminal justice, or simply fascinated by the psychology behind violent crime, this...

Why was Emilia Carr the youngest woman on death row in America?

When I first received a letter from Emilia Carr in 2010, she was awaiting execution on Florida's death row. Years later, I traveled to Ocala, Florida, reviewed the original case files at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, visited the trailer where Heather Strong was murdered, and listened to hours of unedited interrogation recordings that helped convict Carr.

In this episode, I examine one of the most controversial capital murder cases in recent American history. Using police interviews, undercover recordings, trial records, appellate briefs...

Why do so many people misunderstand the insanity defense?

It's one of the most debated concepts in criminal law, yet also one of the least understood. Popular culture has created the impression that defendants routinely "get off" by pleading insanity. The reality is far more complicated. Legal insanity is not the same as mental illness, psychopathy, or a psychiatric diagnosis, and successful insanity defences are exceptionally rare.

In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I speak with forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston about what the insanity defense actually is, how courts determine criminal responsibility, and...

Who was the real Ed Gein?

For nearly seventy years, the answer has been buried beneath horror movies, sensational headlines, and one of the most enduring myths in true crime. To find the real Ed Gein, I travelled to Plainfield, Wisconsin, walked the cemetery where he robbed graves, visited the locations that shaped his life, and spent years uncovering records that challenge the accepted story.

In this episode, I examine the psychology behind Ed Gein's crimes through newly uncovered evidence, hospital records, interviews with people who knew him, and the original confession recorded on...

It's one of the most common assumptions in true crime, but the answer is more complicated than most people realise. In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I speak with Dr. Louis Schlesinger, Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and one of the world's leading experts on serial and sexual homicide. 

If you've ever wondered whether psychopathy is required for serial murder, or why some killers appear cold and calculating while others seem disorganised, impulsive, or deeply disturbed, this conversation is for you.

Was Israel Keyes really a criminal mastermind—or have we misunderstood him all along?

For years, Israel Keyes has been portrayed as one of the most methodical serial killers in modern history: a man who buried murder kits across the United States, targeted complete strangers, and evaded law enforcement for years. But the deeper I dug into the FBI files, interrogation transcripts, and the people who investigated him, the more that familiar story began to unravel.

In this episode, I examine the life of Israel Keyes through an exclusive interview with retired FBI Special Ag...