Every Town - Arroyo Grande, CA - Satanic Murder Sacrifice - Elyse Pahler

Episode Date: July 9, 2021

💥 Watch This Episode On Youtube Here: https://www.youtube.com/scarymysteries💥 Exclusive Content Here: https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries 💥 More Creepy Podcasts From Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scary-mysteries/id1273612861💥 Contact Us [e-mail] Elyse Marie Pahler was a beautiful 15 year-old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes from the small coastal town of Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County in California. Her striking looks could’ve been her ticket into the world of beauty pageants or Hollywood stardom. But three teenage members of an aspiring rock band called “Hatred,” had instead chosen Elyse as their “ticket to hell.” She became their perfect sacrifice in a Satanic ritual not just because of her beauty, naiveté and vulnerability, but also because of Elyse’s so-called “pureness” as a virgin. The July 22, 1995 death of Elyse was the result of a truly revolting, barbaric crime that didn’t only involve murder, but also rape and necrophilia. The people of Arroyo Grande were devastated, and completely shocked by the evil that lurked within their town lines. Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Every town has a dark side. Today we head to a Royal Grande in San Luis Obispo County in California, where we check out the satanic murder sacrifice of Elise Paler. Elise Marie Paler was a beautiful 15-year-old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes from the small coastal town of a Royal Grande in San Luis Obispo County in California. Her striking looks could have been her ticket into the world of beauty pageants or Hollywood stardom, but three teenage members of an aspiring rock band called Hatred had instead chosen Elise as their ticket to hell.

She became their perfect sacrifice in a satanic ritual, not just because of her beauty and vulnerability, but also because of Elise's, so-called pureness as a virgin. The July 22nd, 1995 death of a lease was the result of a truly revolting barbaric crime that didn't only involve murder, but also rape and necrophilia. The people of Arroyo Grande were devastated and completely shocked by the evil that lurked within their town lines. Hi, I'm Andrew Fitzgerald and welcome to every town. Our podcast this week will Center on the appalling plight of Elise Marie Poller in the hands of fellow teens Joseph Fiorella,

Jacob de Leshmitt, and Royce Casey 25 summers ago. They robbed Elise of her life in order to please Satan, who they believed would launch their fledgling death metal band of fame as a favor in return. But when one of the boys unexpectedly saw the light, even the darkest, forces couldn't prevent justice to triumph in Elise's favor. David and Lizanne Paler started building their family together when eldest child, Elise Marie was born on April 24, 1980, in a Royal Grande, California. During that period, the coastal town situated 195 miles northwest of Los Angeles,

was experiencing rapid growth partially due to the expansion of the wastewater treatment plant located there. David had a good job working as a general contractor, bringing in a healthy annual income. The paler family grew bigger with the arrival of three more children. The eldest of the brood, Elise, is remembered by her family as a devout Christian who had been gifted with many artistic talents. She loved God, his beautiful world, and loved her friends and large family her family attested. Elise attended a Royal Grande High School, a public school that offered comprehensive curriculum in English, fine arts, and foreign language, and has produced such alumni as performers Zach Ephron and Harry Shum Jr. It was in this school where Elise got to know her schoolmates,

14-year-old Joseph Fiorella and 16-year-old Jacob de Leshman. The three of them rode on the same school bus going to and from a Royal Grande High. She also became acquainted with the two boys' friend, 16-year-old Royce Casey, who went to a nearby continuation high school, an alternative type of school for students who are at risk of not graduating on time. The trusting teenage girl became friends with the boys and was oblivious to a dark side that each of them was hiding. And that dark side truly came as a shock, as no one would have predicted that boys, as young as Joseph, Jacob and Royce, would tread down a vile and dangerous path that burn their souls to black. Beginning in the 1980s, San Luis Obispo County in California experienced rapid growth and development

and also an increase in crime rates. A Royal Grande, for one, saw a proliferation of illegal drug use over the years. was one thing, but hard substances such as crack and crystal meth were also gaining popularity at a concerning rate. In the 1990s, violent crimes such as shootings and stabbings were occurring at a higher rate than the national average, because the area had become a hotbed for gangs. One year in the mid-90s, the town, with just over 14,000 residents, accounted 100 violent crimes. Most vulnerable to all this mayhem were impressionable teenagers. Joseph, Jacob, and Royce were no exceptions,

but they were doing something else that was truly more confounding. Worshipping the devil. Surprisingly, the youngest of the trio, 14-year-old Joseph Fiorella, was the one who first hinted about the occult to Jacob and Royce to see if they, too, were interested. Joseph got an affirmative answer from his friends. so he shared his wide knowledge about the subject and became the group's leader.

In order to deepen his understanding of the occult, he collected books about it and researched Satanism and Alistair Crowley, an English occultist known as the wickedest man in the world, and labeled by the popular press as a Satanist. The three boys' fascination with the occult Satanism in particular strengthened their bond and they soon started communicating with other satanists. They broke into graveyards and robbed the dead. The three boys shared another commonality, a love for rock music,

particularly death metal bands. Death metal, if you don't know, is a subgenre of heavy metal rock that features explicit lyrics about murder, torture, and occult practices. The teenage boys wanted to carry out their passion, from music and performance by forming their own band, which they called hatred. Joseph and Jacob modeled the band after popular death metal group Slayer, an American thrash metal band that was established in 1981, and were active for 38 years breaking up in 2019.

The band's lyrics and album art contained controversial topics, such as serial killers, hate crimes, murder, torture, genocide, human experimentation, terrorism, Nazism, necrophilia, and Satanism. It's theorized that two of Slayer's songs that influenced the action of the three boys, later on were Dead Skin Mask and Post Mortem, from the band's 1986 and 1990 albums, respectively. Dead Skin Mask is about an American murderer and body snatcher from the mid-1900s, who took bodies from caskets to collect their bones in the same.

skin. Just listen to the lyrics of songs verse one. Graze the skin with my fingertips, the brush of dead, cold flesh appease the means, provoking images, delicate features so smooth, a pleasant fragrance in the light of the moon. While the chorus continues, dance with the dead in my dreams, listen to their hollowed screams. The dead have taken my soul, temptations. The second song, post-mortem explores a preoccupation with death as a means to a new, transcendent life, and it ends with these lines. The waves of blood are rushing near, pounding at the walls of lies, turning off my sanity, reaching back into my mind, non-rising body from the grave showing new reality, what I am, what I want, I'm only. after death. As to how Joseph, Jacob, and Royce, who were between 14 and 16 years of age in 1995,

gravitated towards such aggressive music as a testament to Slayer's legacy as one of the most influential thrash metal bands. Yes, it inspired the three teenage boys to be attuned to their musical inclination and pursue their talent. but the exposure to a musical genre with highly sensitive and negative themes seems to have poisoned their immature young minds. The influence on Joseph Jacob and Royce was so potent and lethal that they deliberately executed a crime to gratify Satan. And Beautiful Elise became their ideal, sacrificial lamb. The first attempt to kill the girl happened many months before July of 1995.

It was plotted by Joseph and Jacob together with another teenager, but not Royce. They enticed her to take a walk with them to a spot with a steep ravine in Napomo Mesa, about nine miles from her Royal Grande home. Napoma, in Native American language, means foot of the hill. Once they reached the spot, one of the boys pretended to slip down the ravine and convinced Elise to come down with him as well. When she was down there, Joseph tossed a knife to their friend who was down there with Elise, despite Joseph and Jacob egging him on to do it, meaning stab Elise to death.

The other teenager just held the knife, stood frozen, and didn't attack the girl. Elise thought the boys were just pulling a prank on her, so she never reported the incident, and continued seeing them. However, Joseph and Company achieved their goal on their second attempt, and Elisa became an additional victim to the growing list of casualties of violent crimes in the town burning with hate. The second plot to kill Elise was planned by the trio for more than a month. They talked about it while taking drugs, listening repeatedly to Slayer,

and jamming as bandmates, often playing death metal music. Jacob had this to say about how it all started. It was harmless at first. We used to smoke weed, play guitar, kick it. I was just into heavy metal music. Then Joseph asked him a question that would change everything. If he'd be down for sacrificing a whatever, a virgin. I didn't take it seriously. I said whatever. Jacob later recounted. And so the scheme to kill Elise as a sacrifice took a concrete shape. Their plan could be described succinctly in two words, sadistic and satanic. That's right.

No. So they were sneaking in and I used this wallet. It was a typical Saturday evening on July 22nd, 1995 at the Paler's residence. Elise was at home watching television with her family when she received a call from her pals, Jacob, Joseph, and Royce. They told her they had some weed and invited her to meet up. with them to smoke. Elise came up with a lie telling her parents she was just going to bed. But instead, she snuck out and met up with the boys, not knowing that she'd never come home again. The group made their way to a eucalyptus grove on the Napomo Mesa where they smoked some pot.

While Elise was relaxing and enjoying the night, the three boys were waiting to carry out their plan. When they deem that the time was ripe to execute their fiendish plot, Jacob took off his belt and wrapped it around Elisa's neck. Then Royce lunged on her and held down her arms. As if on cue, Joseph took out a hunting knife and started stabbing Elise in her neck. The two other guys also took turns assaulting Elise with the sharp object as she struggled to fight back while praying to God, and calling for her mom.

But the incessant pleading of their victim didn't deter the devil-worshipping teens from stabbing her over and over until she bled to death. A horrendous act of sexual violence then occurred, as Joseph, Jacob, and Royce each had his turn raping her lifeless body. Shockingly, their acts of necrophilia didn't stop there.

After leaving Lisa's dead body in the Eucalyptus grove, They would go back to have sex with a corpse, which Jacob bragged about to his friends. It's incomprehensible how the three youths could go to such lengths just to honor the devil at the expense of an innocent girl. They stalked her, they strangled her, they stabbed her, and after her death they raped her. Sadistic and satanic indeed, but what really drove these three boys to commit such acts, and why did Elise become their prey? The Paler family had been desperately searching for Elise

since they were last seen together in their home in the early evening of July 22nd. Exhausted and frustrated, they reported her mysterious disappearance, and Elise's name was added to the long list of a Royal Grande's missing persons cases. But after eight months of what seemed like total darkness, an unexpected light shone through that led to the discovery of Elise's remains.

Shockingly, the lead came from Royce Casey, one of the Satanist murderers of Elise. In what was deemed as a miraculous change of heart, Royce converted to Christianity, and it was his newfound religious beliefs that prompted him to confess to his preacher about his participation in killing and raping Elise. The 16-year-old boy then decided to tell the authorities

because he couldn't take the weight of his guilt anymore. Another compelling reason why Royce came forward and testified was that he feared for his life. Joseph and Jacob planned to kill again and told Royce she wouldn't be the only one. There would be others. Since Royce had estranged himself from his two fellow murderers after denouncing Satanism,

he feared he might be Joseph and Jacob's next target. What troubled Royce was a line from a Slayer song that goes, If you're not with us, you may no longer exist. So in March of 1996, Royce led the investigators to the Eucalyptus Grove, where the girls' badly decomposed remains were hidden and finally found. A post-mortem conducted by a forensic pathologist concluded that Elise was stabbed at least 12 times, but none of the individual wounds were fatal. Her death was eventually caused by excessive bleeding.

Following his arrest, Roy shared more details with the police. He said that Joseph and Jacob primarily plotted the scheme to murder the girl as a sacrifice to glorify Satan, whom they believed would reward them with the power to help them play the guitar better for their band. If that wasn't strange enough, what the investigator disclosed, based on Royce's revelations was equally creepy. By making this perfect sacrifice to the devil, they would gain more craziness or nuts.

That would make them play harder, play faster, and by making this perfect sacrifice to the devil, it might help them go professional. So among the many girls in a royal grande, why did they choose Elise as their sacrifice? They picked her, based on what they thought, would most appease the king of darkness. Royce said, she had blonde hair and blue eyes, and because she was a virgin, she would be a perfect sacrifice for the devil.

They thought that taking Elisa's life would be the ultimate sin against God, ensuring their ticket to hell. It didn't take long for the authorities to arrest Jacob Delashmint and Joseph Fiorella. Just like Royce, the two admitted that the they had practiced Satanism, and were very interested in the occult, so much so that it became an obsession for them. Furthermore, all three boys said that Slayer's music was the driving force behind the murder. Particularly, the Slayer song that most inspired the trio to perform a satanic ritual was entitled, Altar of Sacrifice, which has these chilling lines. waiting the hour destined to die here on the table of hell, a figure in white unknown by man

approaching the altar of death, high priest awaiting dagger in hand, spilling the pure virgin blood, Satan's slaughter, ceremonial death, answer is every command. After further investigation, the authorities also determined that the three teens had discussed engaging in sexual intercourse with Elise's corpse. This was corroborated by Joseph's mother, who told investigators that her son admitted to her that he and his friends had performed sex with the dead body of Elise. One of Joseph's friends likewise testified

that the teen murderer had boasted of returning to the corpse to have sex with it. But why is such a carnal desire for the dead? I feel the urge the growing need to fuck this sinful corpse. My task is complete. The bitch's soul lies raped and demonic lust. So goes a couple lines from Slayer's song, Necrophiliac. Clearly the song inspired the Satan following teens.

Elisa's parents were not oblivious to the strong impact of Slayer's music on the trio. In the aftermath of their daughter's death, The Paler couple sued the band in 1996, claiming that their songs, post-mortem, and dead skin mask, provided detailed instructions for the three Satan worshipping teens to stalk, rape, murder, and commit acts of necrophilia against Elise. The lawsuit was delayed pending the result of the murder trial faced by the trio of teens.

In 2001, the Paler's case against Slayer was dismissed because, according to Judge Jeffrey Burke, Slayer lyrics are repulsive and profane, but they do not direct or instruct listeners to commit the acts that resulted in the vicious torture murder of Elise Paler. The Palers pursued a second case against Slayer on the ground that the band knowingly distributed harmful material to minors. But Judge Burke ruled that the music wasn't harmful to children, as the Palers alleged. Therefore, it wasn't illegal to sell or market the product, and it was protected by the First Amendment.

In the end, Jacob, Joseph, and Royce all pleaded no contest to the murder of Elise Paler and were sentenced to serve 25 years to life. After spending a few years in prison, Jacob proclaimed that it hadn't been Slayer's music that influenced them to commit the crime. Instead, he blamed his friend Joseph. He admitted that Slayer's music was destructive, but it wasn't why Lees was murdered. She was murdered because Joe Fiorella was obsessed with her and obsessed with killing her, Jacob disclosed. Currently, the three convicts are serving their sentences in separate prison facilities in California. Royce Casey is at R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.

Joseph Fiorella is at High Desert State. prison and Susanville, and Jacob, Delashmet, is at the Correctional Training Facility and Soledad. Royce was denied parole at his first hearing in July of 2016 and will go before the board again in 2021. Joseph became eligible for parole in June of 2020, while there's no parole information yet for Jacob. If they're granted parole, Jacob, Joseph, and Royce will be released from prison, when they're in their early 40s, and can still start a new life. But for the Paler family, their lives are permanently marked with the great pain of losing

a lease. As Mrs. Lizanne Paler puts it, Something is wrenched from you, a piece of your heart. That's what it feels like. The pain, it's so great. It's as great as any physical pain, anything you can imagine. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Tune in next week for another episode filled with scary strange and mysterious stories and who knows

Maybe your town will be next