Freeway Phantom - Monsters, Mobsters, and Murder– Welcome to Crook County
Episode Date: February 27, 2025For over 20 years, Ken Tekiela was a celebrated firefighter, husband, and father of two —but he led a secret, double life as a hitman for the Chicago mob. When the truth came out, it destroyed h...is family. Now, his son Kyle, host of Crook County, is left to pick up the pieces. Crook County is the shocking true crime podcast about Kenny “The Kid” Tekiela’s rise through the ranks of the legendary organized crime syndicate, the Chicago Outfit, and the lasting impact this has on a family. From iHeartRadio and Tenderfoot TV, welcome to Crook County. Follow the show here. To binge the full season, subscribe to Tenderfoot+. Click here for more details: https://tenderfoot.tv/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Hey fellow podcast listeners, my name is Kyle Tequila.
If you enjoy diving into true crime stories like the incredible Monster series with Payne
Lindsay, then I think you'll enjoy Crook County, my new true crime series from Tenderfoot
TV and iHeart Podcasts.
In Crook County, you'll meet Ken, a celebrated firefighter, husband, and loving father.
And you'll learn the truth about Ken, that for over 20 years, he led a secret double
life as a hitman for the legendary organized crime syndicate, the Chicago Outfit, a secret that shattered his
family.
Is it even possible to keep a life of crime hidden from your wife and kids for two decades?
Yes, it is.
I know because Ken is my father.
In 2013, after a lifetime of deception, he broke down and told me everything, and our
whole world changed.
Crook County is the shocking true crime podcast about my father's rise through the ranks of
the legendary organized crime syndicate, the Chicago Outfit. My name is Kyle Tequila. Welcome
to Crook County. Available now. Check out this trailer, and while you listen, search
Crook County in your podcast app to follow the show. I've done criminal defense now for almost 37 years.
It takes one guy out there to say, who's that fucking asshole, Kyle, who thinks he can just
get on a goddamn microphone on a podcast and start publicizing this shit?
Earlier this morning, detectives and federal agents invaded a junkyard in DuPage County
just west of Chicago.
In keeping with the legendary MO of the Chicago mob, officials fully expected that they might
find corpses inside the trunk of the automobile.
From iHeart Podcasts and Tenderfoot TV comes a new true crime podcast, Crook County.
I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old.
Me Kenny, AKA The Kid.
I ran whorehouses, and I did hits.
An enforcer for the legendary Chicago Outfit.
I wanted him to know I meant fucking business here.
Put the gun back up to his forehead.
He lived a secret double life as a firefighter paramedic
for the Chicago Fire Department.
I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything.
I always believed whatever he said, so I was not aware of his mafia involvement.
Dad was a fucking crazy bastard.
Welcome to Crook County. The true story of one man's life inside organized crime
and his family left to pick up the pieces when it all went wrong.
You can see why he could be an enforcer.
People are dying.
Is he doing this every night?
Does he go out when they go to bed and they don't even know he's not even in the house?
Torn between two worlds.
Just when you think you're away from all this shit, I'm covering up fucking murders that
these cops are doing.
Tearing him and his family apart.
I don't know why I deserve this.
Ken's gonna die one day.
And now Ken's gotta sit in front of the big guy
and try to explain his way out of this one.
You know, where I had every fucking opportunity
in the world to do the right thing.
But I chose not to.
Ken is this great guy, and he's a legend and...
Dad was a heroin addict.
He was a freaking crazy man.
We don't know who he is, really.
He is my father.
And I had no idea about any of this until now.
Welcome to Crook County, available now.
Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
or wherever you get your podcasts.