Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “.22 Caliber Killer” Joseph G. Christopher Pt. 2

Episode Date: March 24, 2022

After committing his first three murders, Joseph's struggle with schizophrenia persisted. He couldn't ignore the voices. And by the time he'd done their bidding, 12 people had died, and he’d been given a new nickname: "The .22 Caliber Killer." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode contains discussions of violence and murder. Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13. On September 24, 1980, 43-year-old Joseph McCoy walked alone through an intersection in Niagara Falls. The former boxer liked to begin every day with the familiar routine. Around 9 a.m., he strolled through a crosswalk as cars waited patiently at the stoplight. Suddenly, a slight, wiry young white man appeared behind McCoy. He rushed at the older man, catching him off guard.

Without saying anything, he wrestled McCoy's head down, making escape difficult. To onlookers, the bizarre sight looked almost like two boys playfighting, but in seconds, it turned deadly serious. With McCoy still struggling to break free, the young man held up an oddly shaped paper bag. seconds later, the air erupted with the distinct, terrifying sound of two gunshots. The mystery man had fired a sod-off rifle into McCoy's head. McCoy collapsed under the concrete as this attacker fled. His weapon still concealed inside the paper bag.

The two stunned witnesses rushed in McCoy's lifeless form, desperate to help. But it was too late. By the time the medics arrived, just 18 minutes later, he was dead. As bizarre and unexpected as the crime had been, it wasn't an isolated incident. Joseph McCoy was the fourth black man who'd been murdered in Western New York in the past 36 hours. And as the community reeled from the unexplained horror, no one knew where or when the killer might strike next. Hi, I'm Greg Polson. This is serial killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers.

Today, we're concluding the story of Joseph G. Christopher, New York's 22-caliber killer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. Last time, we discussed Joe's childhood in Buffalo and how we felt like he failed to live up to his father's expectations. In his early 20s, schizophrenia set in, and Joe began murdering Black men in cold blood. Today, we'll see how Joe's killing spree terrorized western New York, even after its abrupt end.

Later, we'll follow Joe on a brazen killing spree through Midtown Manhattan during Christmas of 1980. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for.

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which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Over a two-day span in September of 1980, 25-year-old Joseph Christopher murdered three black men in Buffalo, New York. The three separate attacks were seemingly random, and people only seemed to catch fleeting glimpses of him before he fled the scene. Then, on the morning of September 24th, about 36 hours after his first attack, Joe claimed a fourth victim when he shot Joseph McCoy at an intersection in Niagara Falls. The 22-caliber bullet in McCoy's skull matched the casings recovered at the other crime scenes.

But just like before, Joe was gone before anyone could stop him. Following the McCoy murder, police were stumped. The four victims had nothing in common, aside from the color of their skin and how they were killed. All investigators knew was that the men had each been approached by an average-looking white man who used a 22-caliber rifle as his murder weapon. Understandably, the black community of Western New York demanded action. No one knew if or when the killer might strike again, and they wanted him caught before he had the chance. So local detectives and state police hit the streets, pursuing any leads they could find. Unfortunately, the investigation went nowhere fast. The authorities

had little in the way of physical evidence from the crime scenes, and unless there were additional murders to investigate, there was little hope of finding new clues. But there was a silver lining. After his initial frantic spree, the killer had seemingly lost his appetite for murder, and it's possible this was due to the nature of 25-year-old Joe's rapidly evolving mental illness. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. As a reminder, she is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist. but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg.

After his first spate of killings, Joe seemed to settle back into his normal state of anxiety and paranoia without any of the active delusions instructing him to kill. As researchers Jessica Wary and Douglas Cullinan note in their paper for the journal Beyond Behavior, these active phases of schizophrenia are typically followed by the residual phase. In the residual phase, a schizophrenic person will still have the negative behaviors, a dulled demeanor, flat affect, and overwhelming anxiety, without the extremes of hallucinations and delusions. Given what we know about his behavior around this time,

Joe seemed to enter a residual phase in the late fall of 1980, which might explain why he ended his spree. Friends and neighbors noted that Joe's day-to-day life didn't seem to change around this time. He'd enlisted in the army earlier that fall, and was due to report for basic training in November. While he waited for his training to begin, he rarely left his bedroom at the family's home, except to attend Mass or visit his father's grave.

That said, although Joe had most likely entered a residual and passive phase, the mood around town was anything but. The seemingly racially motivated killings brought a lot of attention to the region, and none of it was good. Within weeks of the killings and with no answers forthcoming, Reverend Jesse Jackson arrived in Buffalo to attend a town hall, throwing his support behind the community. Even President Jimmy Carter started to follow the story.

His interest eventually prompted the FBI to get involved, even though the crimes fell under local jurisdiction. But as the days ticked by and no leads emerged, paranoia began to spread. After all, 1980 was only 16 years removed from the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the threat of a white man indiscriminately killing black men, sowed terror far and wide. And a place like the east side of Buffalo

was uniquely qualified for that kind of fear to thrive. Sociologists note that prejudice is often greater in areas with larger black populations. Prior to the 1950s, Buffalo had been a largely white city, but that all changed with the advent of desegregation. White families who left the area in favor of the suburbs were often replaced by black families, which sometimes caused tension with the remaining white neighbors.

Sociologist Lincoln Quillian notes that the mere presence of African Americans in a formerly all-white neighborhood causes white people to think that crime is going up, even when it isn't. This biased thinking can often lead to vigilantism, where white civilians will do whatever they can to rid themselves of the perceived threat. Early on, the 22-caliber killer appeared to be Buffalo's own white vigilante, a man targeting black locals in a hate-filled rampage. With little known about who he was or what motivated him, conspiracies ran wild through the black community,

and it's possible that this fear inspired some to take drastic action. On the evening of October 4th, Terrence Mills was walking to his car after work. Terrence was white, and his office was in one of Buffalo's predominantly black neighborhoods, which might be why he caught the eye of Larry Barnes. Seemingly, without provocation, Barnes stabbed Terrence to death. Afterwards, he reportedly bragged about the killing, showing off the bloody knife to onlookers. It was clear that things were getting out of hand, and when two black cab drivers were found beaten and stabbed to death in Buffalo that same month, tensions reached a fever pitch.

At the time, police couldn't rule out that the murders were the work of the 22-caliber killer. However, investigators later argued that these killings were connected to mob activity. However, at that moment, it felt just like one more racially motivated attack on Buffalo's black community. And though a newly formed task force was engaged around the clock, residents didn't feel like enough was being done. So almost a month after Joe's first murder, community organizers scheduled a Unity Day rally in downtown Buffalo, hoping to demonstrate their desire for action. The peaceful rally drew an estimated 5,000 people with members of the black community standing alongside white neighbors and various local organizations.

Even after all the bloodshed, it was a peaceful gathering. But not everyone was convinced that peace was the answer. There was speculation that as they feared for their own safety, black residents began carrying weapons for protection, even when there hadn't been an attack in weeks. Few were willing to take the chance that they were safe walking the streets. Meanwhile, the authorities didn't know why things had gone so quiet. They had no idea that the killer who'd stirred up all

the fear was checking out of Buffalo. In November, while his neighbors were terrified that the killings would continue at any moment, Joseph Christopher was on a plane heading toward Fort Benning, Georgia. He was ready to start his career in the Army. But not even a fresh start was going to stop him from killing again. Coming up, Joe's odd behavior puts him in the crosshairs of his fellow privates. Hi, I'm Christine Schiefer. And I'm M. Schultz. Where are the hosts of Rituals, the new Spotify original from Parcast. If you've heard our podcast and that's what we drink, you know we are no strangers to true crime and the paranormal. We're also into the occult to chat about, not to join, but

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Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection only at Sephora. Now back to the story. In November of 1980, 25-year-old Joseph Christopher arrived in Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training, and his mental health was no more sound than it had been at home in Buffalo. For several months, his schizophrenia had been driving him deeper and deeper into delusions and paranoia, and he eventually murdered four black men in cold blood. But instead of wiping his slate clean, basic training brought fresh troubles for Joe. In this new, unfamiliar setting, he soon developed new anxieties and delusions that just made

everything worse. His unusual behavior became even more pronounced in the strictly regimented environment of the U.S. Army. Small things that might not have raised a red flag with his family or friends back home, drew stern and immediate judgment in the barracks. While the symptoms of schizophrenia come in waves, it isn't a disorder that ever goes away on its own. It must be treated with a combination of antipsychotic medication and cognitive therapy. Unfortunately for Christopher and those in his platoon, he received neither.

With his illness going untreated and his diminishing grasp on reality, it's hardly surprising that Joe failed to make friends at basic training. In a place designed to bring people from different backgrounds closer, His peculiar behavior in standoffish nature unsettled his bunkmates. But it wasn't just his demeanor that people found upsetting. He often wandered around the barracks after lights out. Privates would wake up in the middle of the night to see the weird guy from Buffalo standing at the end of their bed staring at them silently.

It was unsettling to say the least. Apparently he also had a problem with the standard issue army boots everyone was required to wear. One morning, to the shock of his drill sergeant, Joe showed up to formation wearing his shower shoes, which was definitely not allowed. The drill sergeant unleashed on him in front of the entire camp. Officially, his only punishment was a visit to the sergeant's office. However, after lights out that night, multiple members of his bunk decided to dole out extra punishment. They pin Joe down with a blanket, then rain blows on him using everything from fist to socks stuffed with bars of soap. It seems unlikely that Joe understood what the hazing was for, given how little

control he had over his own actions and his detachment from reality. Compounding his many problems, Joe couldn't or wouldn't articulate what he was experiencing to anyone. He'd tried asking for help in the past, but he was evidently beyond that stage now. The only person with whom he still maintained a connection was his mother, and his letters to her were often incoherent. jumbled thoughts and unusual behaviors are often symptoms of schizophrenia, but they weren't the only symptoms that Joe experienced at the time. He also developed new delusions and shared them with others. For example, he started telling people all about his wife and four-year-old daughter, people who didn't actually exist. Since he was showing both increased negative and positive symptoms,

it's possible that Joe was in an active stage of schizophrenia once again. For all of his missteps and upsetting behavior, Joe somehow made it until Christmas without being discharged. He took his holiday leave from the Army on December 19, 1980, and wasn't due back until the new year. But instead of returning home to Buffalo, he boarded a bus to New York City. It's unclear if he had a plan in mind when he set out for New York, but it seems that by the time he arrived in Manhattan, his delusions had grown more pronounced. He was once again seeing signs that told him to kill. Unfortunately, he'd placed himself in one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It was a recipe for disaster.

What he did when he first arrived isn't clear, but according to Joe, he visited a Macy's store, likely on December 22nd, where he bought a kitchen knife. Then he set out to follow his directive to kill. Later that morning, 25-year-old John Adams stepped off a train near 14th Street, and 7th Avenue. The streets were even more crowded than usual, jammed full of Christmas shoppers and tourists. As such, John barely noticed the slight man in a dark jacket and wire-rimmed glasses approaching him, Joseph Christopher. In an instant, Joe slid in front of John and plunged his kitchen knife into the center of his chest. Bewildered, John stared down, shocked to see his hands

covered in blood. After registering what had happened, John spun around to try and find his attacker, but Joe had already disappeared into the bustling crowd, taking his knife with him. Suddenly, overcome by his wound, John collapsed on the street as stunned passers-by stopped to assist him. Barely two hours later, 32-year-old Ivan Fraser sat on the E-train. He watched bemusedly as a slight white man in wire-rimmed glasses stepped aboard. It took a lot to distract the veteran New Yorker from his paper, but there was something about the weird energy emanating from the new rider, that just seemed off.

Of course, Ivan had no way of knowing just how off Joseph Christopher really was. Joe sat in a seat across from Ivan and tried to flirt with two women who were seated nearby. Neither of them responded to his advances. Ivan gave Joe a smile and nod in recognition of a worthy attempt. But when the doors opened at 50th and 5th Avenue,

Joe pulled out his knife and lunged at Ivan. Though he was stunned, Ivan had the presence of mind to fight back. The two tumbled out of the train and onto the platform. Startled by his victim's attempt at resistance, Joe turned and fled. At first, Ivan was so stunned by the encounter that he didn't notice he'd been stabbed. Luckily, his wounds weren't life-threatening. Joe's next victim wouldn't fare as well.

At 3.30 that afternoon, Lewis Rodriguez strolled down Madison Avenue, pushing through the heavy crowd. Without warning, a slight white man in wire-rimmed glasses stepped in front of him and demanded the 19-year-old's wallet. Terrified, Lewis handed it over immediately, hoping that would be the end of the encounter, but it wasn't. In a flash, Joe buried his knife into Lewis's chest. Then, with the wallet in hand, he took off in the opposite direction, disappearing into the crowd of holiday shoppers.

The shock teen screamed that he'd been stabbed and that the attacker had stolen his wallet. But Lewis was losing blood fast, and the throng of people around him, was more concerned with his survival than stopping the thief. They left Joe to make his escape while they tried to help the team. Though they were able to wrangle an ambulance, Lewis died at the hospital before doctors could save him. Joe had claimed yet another life, and he wasn't through yet.

Between assaults, Joe wandered the streets of New York and rode the subway. The kitchen knife tucked beneath his coat. Every so often, he'd see a sign, and he knew what he had to do. That's when he attacked. Then, just as he had in Buffalo, he ran before anyone could stop him. Between 6 p.m. and midnight that day, he attacked and killed three more men, Antoine Davis, Richard Renner, and Carl Ramsey. Of his six Manhattan victims that day, all were men.

Five were black. Lewis Rodriguez was a dark-skinned Latino. Witnesses who'd seen the attacks all provided similar descriptions of the culprit, a slight white male, average height, wide-rimmed glasses, and a heavy coat. When the police put together the composite sketch, it looked a lot like Joseph Christopher. In addition to the sketch, there were other leads to follow. A captain in the NYPD noticed similarities between these murders and Buffalo's 22-caliber murders from that fall.

Thinking they might be dealing with the same culprit, the captain phoned the Erie County District Attorney and state police to ask for additional information on their suspected serial killer. While the police from Buffalo were eager to collaborate, the NYPD dismissed the connection after one short interview with members of the task force. It's unclear why. While the police tried to find their killer, New York locals were tasting the same fear Buffalo had experienced just months earlier.

The assaults were so disconcerting that the story ran on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Eve, and the press had given the killer a flashy nickname, the Midtown Slasher. But just like his first spree, Joe was done killing before most people noticed he'd started. After terrorizing Manhattan for two days, he boarded a bus to Buffalo on Christmas Day. He arrived home to a city gripped by the same fear he'd left behind the previous month, stirred up by his crimes in New York City. But though everyone else was on edge, Joe was relatively relaxed. According to his mother, Joe seemed like his ordinary self, or at least what passed for ordinary with Joe these days.

He mostly hung around the house and kept to himself, which made for a peaceful holiday visit. Everything was pretty quiet in Buffalo that Christmas until December 29th. That day, Joe received another mysterious yet firm directive to kill. So once again following orders, he found a weapon and set out with one thing on his mind. In the freezing cold of that winter morning, Joe crept around the edges of the empty parking lot of Sadler's Department Store. That's where he spotted 31-year-old Roger Adams a little after 7 a.m. Roger was used to being the only black man waiting at that particular bus stop. But that day, between the holidays, he was the only one there at all.

Or at least he thought he was. All of a sudden, Joe rushed at Roger, a knife flashing in his hand. He plunged the blade once into Roger's chest and once into his neck before turning around and fleeing, leaving his latest victim to die on the frozen ground. Killing Roger wasn't enough, though. The next day he stabbed a black man named Wendell Barnes on a sidewalk in the nearby city of Rochester.

Wendell made it to a fast food restaurant to ask for help, but he collapsed in the dining room to the shock of the employees and patrons. Within a day, Joe struck again, It was around 4 p.m. on New Year's Eve when 32-year-old Albert Menifee stopped into the main Utica tobacco shop to buy cigarettes. Albert paid little attention to the other customer in the store that day, a man wearing an army jacket and a red-knit cap. Albert paid for a cigarettes and stepped back outside. The other customer, Joe, followed Albert outside and approached him, asking for the time. The moment Albert looked down at his watch, Joe lunged forward, stabbing him.

him in the chest. It was all over in just seconds. Joe took his knife and sprinted across the street, leaving Albert to stumble back inside the tobacco store. An employee bolted for the police station down the street, as another clerk dialed 911. Albert was rushed to Buffalo General Hospital, where surgeons managed to save his life, despite the massive blood loss he suffered. After Joe's attack on Albert, the 22-caliber Killer Task Force got back to work hunting the killer.

set up roadblocks in and out of Buffalo, and authorities assigned additional police to patrol the streets. District Attorney Edward Cosgrove didn't want to let the killer slip through his fingers once again. While the city remained on edge, few changed their holiday plans. The citizens of Buffalo were tired of living in fear, but the terror wasn't over. Not yet. Coming up, Joseph Christopher makes an unbelievable confession and finally gets the help he needs. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime originals have everything you want.

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After a string of murders and attacks in Manhattan, 25-year-old Joseph Christopher returned to Buffalo, guided by signs telling him to kill. Between Christmas and the New Year, he attacked three more black men, leaving two dead and plunging the area into a fresh wave of panic. And he wasn't finished. On January 1st, 1981, 23-year-old Calvin Crippen waited at a bus stop on the empty streets of Buffalo. He tried to ignore the only other person waiting beside him.

An odd man in a dark jacket and a red skull hat. Joseph Christopher. However, ignoring the guy was hard to do when he started shouting racial slurs. Startled, Calvin turned around to see Joe charging at him with a hunting knife. Luckily, Calvin was a quick thinker and swung his heavy bag at Joe. The blow knocked him off balance, sending the would-be attacker to the icy ground. Calvin didn't wait around to see what would happen next. He took off on foot as Joe shouted more racial invective at him from the pavement.

It was Joe's last attack in his hometown, but not his last ever. The next day, Joe left Buffalo to return to Fort Benning in Georgia. There were only a few weeks left of basic training before graduation, but he didn't make it to the milestone. On January 18th, about two weeks after he got to the base, Joe was in his barracks, preparing for his ship. with private Leonard Coles. Leonard was facing his locker when something drove Joe to strike again. Without warning, he grabbed a knife,

wrapped his arms around Leonard, and stabbed him twice in the chest. Leonard screamed for help, and the other soldiers in the barracks descended on the pair, attempting to separate the men and disarmed Joe. After they were pulled apart,

Joe was taken to the stockade to await his military trial. Fortunately, Leonard survived the attack and was transferred to another unit after his recovery. Joe spent the next few months bouncing between the stockade and the base's psychiatric ward. During his initial stint in lockup, he attacked a fellow inmate and a guard. The next time he was in the stockade, he apparently tried to use a shaving razor to cut off his own penis.

However, the guards intervened, and Joe was remanded to the psych ward. Once there, Joe began making astonishing and seemingly unbelievable confessions to whomever would listen. He had a secret, he boasted. He'd killed 13 men back home in New York. At first, no one paid him any attention, but one nurse was disturbed enough by the claim to send the confession up the chain of command. Her superiors wasted no time

and contacted the Buffalo PD. Two detectives made the long trip from western New York to Georgia to question Christopher. Almost immediately, Joe confessed to another army captain that he was the 22-caliber killer, but he refused to answer any questions for the detectives. Instead, he declared that the only person he would speak to was a man will call Isaac Rossi.

He was the cousin-in-law and police officer who had supposedly usurped Joe's relationship with his father so many years earlier. While Isaac might have been willing to participate, it seems the authorities wanted to show the people of Buffalo that they'd finally gotten their man. So the army deferred their charges against Joe and turned him over to the state of the state of,

New York in April of 1981. Once he arrived in Buffalo, the task force tried their best to keep Joe's identity a secret. They even covered his face with a ski mask when transporting him to and from the jail, lending proceedings the added feel of a slasher film. But despite the authority's intentions, word of the killer's identity had already leaked. Additionally, the Christopher's neighbors in East Buffalo noticed when the family's home was raided in April. Between the press and word of mouth, it seemed that all of New York soon knew the name Joseph Christopher.

Friends and neighbors of the Christophers were shocked to hear that the 22-cali-killer was Joey. No one could believe that the polite, mild-mannered young man from down the street could be the murderer who had terrorized New York for the last several months. When police questioned Joe's ex-girlfriend, she initially laughed at their suspicions that Joe was a killer. But if she'd had the chance to observe him recently, she might not have been so dismissive. From his confessions to his indictment, Joe's behavior constantly shifted. Despite the fact that he refused to speak to her at times, his mother tried her best to defend her mentally unstable son. She hired lawyers Kevin Dillon and Mark Mahoney, who were both determined to give Joe the best defense they could muster. However, Joe made that process nearly impossible. He would hide his face behind a towel when,

questioned, refused to speak to Dylan outright, and would only speak to Mahoney in fits and starts. He never provided any helpful details, often blowing them off with a casual, I'll take care of it. Things only got stranger as the trial was set to begin in the autumn of 1981. Joe was observed by two psychiatrists during the pretrial stage. One diagnosed him as schizophrenic, but still fit to stand trial. While the other didn't offer a diagnosis, he declared Joe mentally competent to stand trial in Buffalo for the murders of Emmanuel Thomas, Harold Green and Glenn Dunn, his first three victims. But after Joe insisted that he wanted to waive his right to a trial

by jury, because he trusted that he would be judged fairly, he underwent five additional psychiatric examinations. Three of those psychiatrists said Joe was not fit in his current state. With that in mind, Judge William Flynn ordered Joe to be sent to Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center until he could be deemed incompetent for trial. In March 1982, the court held yet another psychiatric hearing. This time, Judge Flynn only

permitted the testimony of a single court-approved psychiatrist, which made things much simpler. Mahoney and Dylan were apoplectic. They argued that the court should hear from as many as four doctors. However, Judge Flynn denied their request, and on the

advice of his one approved psychiatrist decided that Joe was fit to proceed. The trial finally began in earnest the following month, with Judge Frederick Marshall presiding. Ultimately, Joe succeeded in waiving his right to a jury trial, though that decision was perhaps made by a man who didn't understand it. Throughout the proceedings, he appeared not to comprehend why he was there and repeatedly tried to walk out of the courtroom. With Joe's many confessions on the record, the prosecution didn't have a particularly difficult time of it. The trial lasted barely two weeks.

At the end of which, Judge Marshall declared Joe guilty on three counts of second-degree murder. However, the convictions were eventually overturned. New York State Court of Appeals agreed that by excluding testimony from additional experts during his second psychiatric hearing, Joe hadn't received a fair trial. But there was still more proceedings to come. In 1985, Joe stood trial for the stabbing attacks in Manhattan. The judge in this case took the question of Joe's men. mental health very seriously, but he was convicted all the same.

After that, he was sent back to be retried for the Buffalo shootings in February of 1986. During the pretrial, Dr. Brian Joseph requested that Joe be prescribed antipsychotics to treat his condition. The judge agreed, and Joe was given two medications, Prolixen Deccanoate and Navaine. The medication altered his behavior almost immediately. He became more focused, polite, and thoughtful, not unlike the old Joey he'd been in his youth. But the change in attitude didn't change his fate. On December 10, 1986, Joe was found guilty of manslaughter in the first degree because of extreme

emotional disturbance. His sentence guaranteed that he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Joe remained on medication after his conviction. His delusions dissipated, and his anxiety became manageable. After everything that had happened, everything he'd done, he was Joey again. It's enough to make one wonder what would have happened had he received help in September of 1980, instead of being sent home from the Buffalo Psychiatric Center. Would Joe's victim still be alive if the safety net had caught him?

Unfortunately, there's no way to know the answer to that question. However, we know that the best way to treat schizophrenia is with early, consistent treatment. If Joe had gotten the help he needed, there's a chance things would have been different. Hypotheticals aside, Joseph Christopher's story is a tragic one, and it seems few would disagree with that characterization. A prosecutor in his case once stated that the criminal justice system was not equipped to handle Joseph Christopher. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on the 22-caliber killer, amongst the many sources of We used, we found Absolute Madness,

a true story of a serial killer, race, and a city divided by Catherine Pellanero, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cuddler, sound design by Juan Borda with production.

assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Bruce Kitovich. This episode of serial killers was written by Jesse Harris, with writing assistance by Tony Goodman and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Bennett Logan, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood. Serial killers stars Greg Poulson and Vanessa Richardson. Werewolves, witches, and Arthur Conan Doyle? Oh my! Sounds like fascinating topics to discuss on our new show rituals, Christine. You know what, M, it sure does. Every Monday on rituals, join us as we explore the evolution of spiritualism and the occult through stories, practices, and the impact on modern culture.

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Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours.

Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.