Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “Programmed to Kill” Charlie Brandt Pt. 1

Episode Date: August 10, 2020

In January 1971, 13-year-old Charlie Brandt retrieved his father's gun and committed a shocking murder, saying it was like he “was sort of programmed to do it.” After 17 months in a mental health ...facility, he was free, and everything returned to normal… Or so it seemed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:02 Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. January 3, 1971, an ice storm battered the Midwestern city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, bringing temperatures down well below freezing. As night fell, bone-chilling winds howled through the sleepy residential streets. Families cozied up inside with their heaters on and the curtains drawn. Just after 9 p.m., the quiet was shattered by the sound of gunshots, inside 6208 Stony Brook Drive.
Starting point is 00:00:53 Then, eerie quiet. A few minutes later, the front door of the house opened, and 15-year-old Angie Brandt sprinted outside in a panic. She was barefoot, her nightgown torn and bloody. She screamed as she ran across the icy snow and pavement, putting as much distance between herself and her house as possible. She made it to her neighbor's place across the street. Angie tried to get inside to safety, but the door was locked.
Starting point is 00:01:24 She ran to the next house, banging on the door and trying to get someone's, anyone's attention. Across the street, the front door to her home opened again. Her brother, 13-year-old Charlie, walked down the steps onto the front lawn. He watched Angie run from house to house, trying to find anyone who would answer the door. Angie looked back to see Charlie watching her from the front lawn. With tears in his eyes, Charlie screamed over the howling winds. You promised you wouldn't leave me. I'm Greg Poulson.
Starting point is 00:02:07 This is serial killers, a podcast original. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're exploring the life and murders of Carl Charlie Brandt. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other podcast originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream serial killers for free on Spotify,
Starting point is 00:02:33 just open the app and type serial killers in the search bar. This week, we'll cover Charlie's childhood and his first shocking murder, committed when he was just 13 years old. Then, look at what became of Charlie and his family after their world turned upside down. Next time, we'll explore Charlie's later horrific murders and the troubling mysteries they exposed.
Starting point is 00:02:58 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. So, if you're hiring, I've got news for you.
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Starting point is 00:05:01 Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. For the earliest part of his life, Charlie Brandt never had a place to call home. He was born in Connecticut in 1956, but in 1968, his family moved to Indiana. According to an article,
Starting point is 00:05:44 the Journal Gazette, Charlie and his siblings often had to change schools. Any time he became comfortable or began making friends, he had to start over again at another new school. His parents, Herbert and Ilsa, were German immigrants, who moved to the United States in 1955. Herbert worked as a laborer for International Harvester, an agricultural manufacturing company. Herbert worked during the day and studied at night, eventually earning a degree in engineering, in engineering. His new degree allowed him to climb the ladder at International Harvester. But with each promotion, he had to move his wife and children to a new town. While Herbert and Ilsa Brand handled the move to Indiana well, Charlie wasn't able to cope as effectively.
Starting point is 00:06:36 Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to a 2016 report for the MacArthur Foundation by Rebecca Levine Coley and Melissa Cull, moves during childhood can negatively affect a child's social and emotional well-being, with effects worsening with each additional move. The psychological toll of repeated moves can be long-term and stay with a child for years.
Starting point is 00:07:12 It seems these negative effects stayed with young Charlie Brandt. He took his family's move and his multiple school changes particularly hard, exacerbating what was already a difficult childhood. Charlie didn't make friends easily as it was. He was a meek and overweight child who struggled to stand up for himself. Changing schools every few years made his social issues more apparent and difficult to overcome. Despite this, he was a good student and showed no signs of inner turmoil, but he became increasingly introverted as the child.
Starting point is 00:07:45 The years went by. To outside observers, Charlie Brandt seemed like a well-behaved kid, whom some described as a mama's boy, and whose best friend was his family's dog. But Herbert Brandt disliked how weak his son seemed. In an attempt to bond with Charlie and make him stronger, Herbert took him on annual hunting trips, paired with their family vacations. On these outings, he taught his son how to use a rifle and kill small game. It became a regular activity for the two of them, and something that Charlie seemed to actually enjoy doing with his father.
Starting point is 00:08:28 In December of 1970, when Charlie was 13, the family was vacationing in Ormond by the Sea, Florida. Over the previous few years, the family had swelled in size. Charlie now had two younger sisters, two and three years old, and his mother, Ilsa, was eight months pregnant. One morning during the trip, 39-year-old Herbert, took Charlie out hunting. Somewhere out in the Florida wilderness, while father and son were looking for quail, the family dog ran into some bushes and disappeared. Herbert yelled for the dog to come out. It didn't appear. He yelled again, but the dog still didn't return. Frustrated, he raised his rifle and aimed it at the bushes. Charlie yelled after the dog. It usually came to him when he called,
Starting point is 00:09:17 but again, it remained hidden in the bushes. Suddenly, Herbert fired two shots. The shots hit and killed the dog. Heartbroken, Charlie pulled his friend's body out of the bushes. Herbert Brandt would later say he shot the dog accidentally, that he was simply trying to scare it out of the bush. But according to a book about Charlie called Invisible Killer the Monster Behind the Mask, it's also possible that Herbert shot the pet in an attempt to toughen his son up and make him
Starting point is 00:09:51 less emotionally dependent on the dog. Regardless of what really happened, Herbert and Charlie left the dog there and continued hunting for another couple of hours. All the while, Charlie was on the verge of tears, trying not to cry in front of his father. At the end of the vacation, the Brants packed up their things and bundled into the family car to start the 16-hour drive back home to Indiana. As they drove, the reality of the dog's death hit Charlie. hard. He lost his best friend. He resumed his freshman year of high school on Monday morning,
Starting point is 00:10:30 and he wouldn't have his one major source of emotional support in the family. His father had taken that away from him. They arrived back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, just after midnight on January 3, 1971. The next morning, Charlie prepared for school to start again the following day. But that evening, an ice storm rolled into Fort Wayne, as Ron. Rain and hail pounded the house outside. The family sat down for a dinner of pork chops and green beans. At the dinner table, Ilsa scolded Charlie for not finishing a school project that was due the next morning.
Starting point is 00:11:09 She told him he'd need to finish it before he went to bed that night. Charlie meekly nodded and kept eating. After dinner, the family gathered around their brand-new color TV to watch an episode of the TV series, The FBI. Charlie remained quiet, deep in thought, as the family watched. When the show ended, the family went their separate ways. Charlie's parents put his two younger sisters, three-year-old Jessica and two-year-old Melanie, to bed, while 15-year-old Angela went to read a book in her own room.
Starting point is 00:11:48 Charlie remained downstairs at the kitchen table, diligently working on his school project. Through the walls, Charlie could hear him. hear his mother running a bath. The house was otherwise quiet. Charlie was alone with his thoughts. And those thoughts were angry. Dark, anxious ideas pounded through Charlie's head. He was upset that he was the only one not relaxing.
Starting point is 00:12:17 More upsetting, he was devastated that the one family member he truly liked was now gone. In that moment, he knew he didn't want to stay meek and quiet anymore. he wanted to lash out. His father had tried to make him stronger and tougher through hunting. And now, being out in the wilderness with a gun in his hand was the only way Charlie Brandt knew to feel powerful. Holding a weapon was the only way he knew to feel in control of his life. So Charlie's dark thoughts coalesced into a plan.
Starting point is 00:12:52 He stood from the table and walked up to his parents' bedroom. Ilsa and Herbert didn't see him from their bathroom. as he retrieved his father's Luger pistol from the nightstand. Herbert kept it loaded with an empty ammunition clip for safety. Charlie swapped it out with a loaded one. Then he cocked the gun. Charlie returned downstairs and hid the pistol under a book as he continued working on his homework,
Starting point is 00:13:22 thinking about what he was about to do and putting together a plan. When he finished with his schoolwork, he calmly closed his business. book and picked up the pistol. He slowly went back upstairs to his parents' room. When he reached the second floor, he walked past the doors to his sister's rooms and stepped inside his parents' bedroom. He walked to the bathroom door.
Starting point is 00:13:48 Inside, he could see his father standing at the sink shaving. His mother was reading a magazine in the bathtub. Charlie stood in the bedroom for a moment, looking at both of his parents as they happily chatted with each other. Neither of them noticed their son standing in the doorway. And then Charlie raised the gun. Next, Charlie Brant's bloody rampage begins. Now back to the story. Just after 9 p.m. on January 3rd, 1971, 13-year-old Charlie Brandt found and loaded his father's handgun. He then walked to his parents' bathroom where his mother Ilsa was taking a bath and his father Herbert was shaving. Charlie watched his parents for a moment. Then, without making a noise,
Starting point is 00:14:41 he raised the gun and fired three bullets into his father's back. In the next room, Charlie's 15-year-old sister, Angie, heard the gunshots through the wall. It sounded like firecrackers, but that didn't make any sense. She got out of bed, unsure what was going on. When she heard her father yell for Charlie to stop, she knew something was terribly wrong. Ilsa screamed as Charlie stepped into the bathroom and coldly approached with his gun raised at her. She begged him to stop, but he pulled the trigger again, shooting her multiple times. With her last ounce of strength, Ilsa screamed for Angie to call the police. Through the wall, Angie heard her and ran.
Starting point is 00:15:33 But before she could reach her bedroom door, it swung open. Charlie stood in the doorway, holding the smoking gun in his hands. Angie stared, terrified at her brother. His eyes were glazed over, his expression blank as if he was in a trance. Then he raised the gun, pointed it at his sister, and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed, and Charlie tossed it onto the floor. Angie instinctively kicked it under the bed, trying to get it as far away from Charlie as possible. But Charlie wasn't done.
Starting point is 00:16:11 He pounced on his sister, grabbing for her neck as she tried to push him away. He overpowered her, punching her over and over again, until she was bruised and bleeding. Panicking, Angie punched and kicked at her little brother as his fingers wrapped around her throat. Trying desperately to get him to stop, she screamed, I love you, Charlie, I love you. The blank, trance-like expression suddenly vanished from Charlie's face. He let go of his sister's neck. He looked down at Angie and asked, What am I doing?
Starting point is 00:16:49 Angie told him that he'd shot their parents. Charlie was confused, unclear of what just happened. Angie asked him to get off of her and told him that they'd figure it out together. But first, they had to go downstairs. Charlie went along with Angie as she slowly walked down the stairs, trembling with every step. She continued talking to Charlie, trying to keep him distracted.
Starting point is 00:17:13 She told him that it would be okay, that they'd run away together. They'd escape to a hippie commune. When they reached the ground floor, Angie spotted an axe by the fireplace. Terrified of what Charlie would do if he saw the axe, she led him away from it.
Starting point is 00:17:29 To further distract him, Angie asked Charlie to get blankets for their little sisters. It was cold outside, and their sisters would need blankets. when they ran away together. Charlie nodded and went back upstairs, staring at Angie as he did. Halfway up the stairs, Charlie stopped and quietly asked her,
Starting point is 00:17:48 You're not going to leave me alone, are you? Angie, sobbing, assured him that she wouldn't. Charlie believed her and continued up the stairs. As soon as he was far enough away, Angie bolted out the front door. Barefoot and bloodied, Angie ran down the steps and away from the house. As she sprinted through the snow and ice storm, she screamed as loudly as she could, trying to get someone's attention. She made it to the house across the street, so terrified that her brother was going to come after her
Starting point is 00:18:22 that she didn't bother knocking. She just tried to open the door and run inside. But the door was locked, so Angie ran to the next door down. As she did, she looked back. Back at her house and saw Charlie standing on the lawn, staring at her with tears in his eyes and a betrayed look on his face. Charlie wailed and called after her, accusing her of breaking her promise. But Angie kept running. She tried one more house before she finally found an unlocked door and rushed inside.
Starting point is 00:18:55 There she found a family playing cards and begged them to call the police. Outside, Charlie calmed down, walked to the house across the street. street and knocked on the door. When his neighbor answered, Charlie flatly told her that he'd shot his parents. Inside the Brant House, 39-year-old Herbert found the strength to pull himself off the floor. Despite the three bullet wounds in his back, he managed to get to his bedside telephone and call 911. As the phone rang, he stumbled over to the bedroom door and locked it in case his son returned to finish what he'd started. Minutes later, police arrived on the scene.
Starting point is 00:19:38 As Herbert Brant was loaded into an ambulance, he told police officers that his son was the shooter, but he had no idea why he'd attacked them. Charlie was taken into custody immediately. Herbert was rushed to the hospital, but paramedics were unable to save 38-year-old Ilsa or her unborn baby and pronounced both dead at the scene. As investigators unraveled what happened that night, 13-year-old Charlie Brant's motivations remained a mystery to all involved, including seemingly himself.
Starting point is 00:20:16 Neither his father or sister nor anyone else knew him could think of any reason he would want his parents dead. His odd, confused behavior didn't stop at the attack. A few days after the shooting, a police officer brought Charlie to the hospital to visit his father. On the drive, the young boy asked for permission to cry. The officer granted it. While visiting his father, Charlie apologized for what he'd done.
Starting point is 00:20:44 Herbert accepted his apology and forgave his son. In return, Herbert apologized for killing the family dog and promised he would visit Charlie wherever he was sent. Charlie attended his mother's funeral in leg chains, flanked by police officers. Other family members and friends were disturbed by Charlie. Charlie's presence, and by his strange lack of emotion, he seemed to show no remorse. But Herbert was determined to give Charlie a second chance and to keep his family together. He made good on his promise and visited Charlie in jail every day while he awaited trial.
Starting point is 00:21:25 For their part, the Fort Wayne Police and Courts had no idea what to do with Charlie Brandt. At 13 years old, he was too young to be tried as an adult. Still, a grand jury convened to determine whether he posed a threat to the community. They ordered Charlie to undergo three different psychiatric evaluations, hoping to gain some insight into his troubled mind. But the psychiatrist found nothing obviously troubling. Each testified that Charlie seemed like a normal, well-adjusted boy, who had a good relationship with his parents.
Starting point is 00:21:58 Nothing was amiss. But there was something darker hiding inside Charlie Brandt, something he showed clearly in his attack on his family. And mysteriously, when police questioned him afterwards, he described a complete disconnection as he committed the crimes. Charlie said he didn't want to shoot his parents. He loved them. When asked why he did it, he said that it was like I was sort of programmed to do it.
Starting point is 00:22:29 The grand jury had a difficult determination to make in the strange case. Because he was so young, they weren't sure if he should be considered criminally liable for his actions and sent to prison. But because his motives were still a mystery, they felt uncomfortable releasing him. Finally, four months after the shooting, the grand jury decided to send Charlie to a state mental health hospital. Along with their ruling, they issued a warning. They believed Charlie Brandt was dangerous and that his behavior could turn violent again.
Starting point is 00:23:07 Charlie spent a year in the mental health hospital, and his father did his best to keep him involved in the family. Herbert visited as often as he could, and Charlie was allowed home for weekend visits. At the hospital, Charlie was a model patient. He participated in therapy sessions, never fought back or argued with doctors, and had no complaints about his situation. In all, he seemed to adjust well to his surroundings. We can't be sure, but it seems that during his stay at the hospital, Charlie received no formal diagnoses of a psychological illness or personality disorder. It's also unclear if he was prescribed with any medication following the murders. As the months passed, Herbert Brat lobbied the courts to allow his son to return home permanently.
Starting point is 00:23:55 Finally, after a year of good behavior and close supervision by doctors, authorities determined that Charlie no longer posed a threat to his family or anyone else. So in June of 1972, 17 months after he killed his mother, shot his father and attacked his sister, 14-year-old Charlie Brandt walked out of the mental hospital. He was free. Next, Charlie Brandt moves on from his violent past, or so it seems. Exema is unpredictable, but you can flare less with ebbglis,
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Starting point is 00:25:24 Ask your doctor about Ebbglis and visit Ebbglis.com or call 1800 Lillie RX or 1,800 545-979. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right. So I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice.
Starting point is 00:25:50 Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. Now back to the story. In 1971, 13-year-old Charlie Brandt murdered his pregnant mother and attempted to kill his father and his sister. After a year in a mental health facility, doctors determined that Charlie was no longer a threat and allowed him to leave. His forgiving father welcomed him home with open arms. After Charlie's return, Herbert Brandt took time off from his job and moved his family to their old vacation spot in Ormond Beach, Florida.
Starting point is 00:26:32 It was clear that the Brant family wanted to put the past behind them and never speak of Charlie's attack ever again. To that end, Herbert and the rest of the family told anyone who asked that Ilsa died in a car accident. Herbert even repeated the lie to his two youngest daughters to shield them from the truth. They had no idea their brother had murdered their mother. Still, it seemed to his family that his stay at the mental hospital did Charlie some good. He was more personable, outgoing, and happy than he was before the shooting. But returning to normal was difficult for his old. older sister Angie. She was once a straight A student, but in the aftermath of her mother's
Starting point is 00:27:14 murder, her grades plummeted. In 1972, when Charlie returned home, Angie dropped out of school to help take care of her younger sisters. Despite all that he had done, Angie remained committed to her brother. Perhaps she felt guilty for running away that night, for abandoning him in the snow, so she tried her best to be there for him now. After a good year of her, in Florida, Herbert had to return to work in Indiana. He took his two youngest daughters with him, but felt it best that Charlie remained in Florida to finish high school. Charlie's grandparents moved from Germany to stay with Charlie, while Angie, now 18, went to live on her own. At 16, Charlie handled his family's scattering well. He came out of his shell and had an active
Starting point is 00:28:06 social life. At school, he gained a reputation for being passive and non-violent. He never used. He never even attempted to fight back against bullies. None of his friends would ever guess there was darkness in Charlie's past. His only friend who knew the truth was Jim Graves. Angie and Jim were high school sweethearts who married young, so she told him what Charlie did, but asked him to keep it secret. Jim wasn't much bothered by the truth. After all, the shooting was years in the past.
Starting point is 00:28:36 After graduating high school in 1974, Charlie earned a two-year degree from Daytona. Beach Community College. Following that, he got a job in the Bahamas with an American defense contractor working as a blimp radar technician, intercepting drugs before they were smuggled into the United States. He grew into an average, successful adult, but there were still warning signs for those who knew him and knew what he'd done. Jim Graves remained good friends with Charlie even after his marriage with Angie ended. One weekend, not long after she left Jim went on a fishing trip with Charlie to take his mind off the breakup. During the trip, a despondent Jim began talking about how he'd like to take revenge on Angie
Starting point is 00:29:24 and find some way to break her heart the way she broke his. Charlie had another suggestion. He said, The best revenge is when you cut someone's heart out and eat it. Jim thought the comment was strange, but tried not to judge Charlie based on his past. However, it wasn't the only odd thing Jim noticed about his friend. Whenever they caught a fish, Charlie always made sure to carefully and precisely slice it open while it was still alive, an unusual habit for a fisherman. A 1986 study of convicted murderers published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence found that unresolved childhood trauma can cause some people to find comfort in violent fantasies revolving around domination and control. Eventually, these fantasies can become so powerful that the individual feels no choice but to act on them.
Starting point is 00:30:24 Charlie Brant's childhood trauma, though caused by his own criminal act, was absolutely unresolved. His family refused to talk about what happened in any way, even amongst themselves. Even Angie, who was perhaps the most traumatized by the event, kept it a secret from most people. She swallowed her trauma and maintained a good relationship with Charlie into a little. adulthood. But Angie never forgot what her brother was capable of. According to Diana Montenay and Sean Robbins' book, Invisible Killer, once Angie had children of her own, she set clear boundaries. Out of an abundance of caution, she never let Charlie stay the night in her house. Still, she likely never suspected that Charlie was truly dangerous. And it seemed she was right.
Starting point is 00:31:19 Charlie spent a few years stationed out a remote island of the Bahamas, working to prevent drug smuggling. He liked the work, but found it isolating and repetitive. To keep himself occupied, Charlie went fishing nearly every day. One day, Charlie hauled in the biggest catch of his life, a duffel bag filled with hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of cocaine. It was Charlie's job to stop drug smugglers, but he had no interest in telling anyone about what he'd found.
Starting point is 00:31:49 He knew that this stroke of luck could set him up for the rest of his life. So instead of reporting the cocaine, he hid the stash. Slowly but surely, over the course of several months, Charlie sold off the drugs and saved the money. When he finally had enough cash, he quit his job in the Bahamas and moved back to Florida. He paid a quarter of a million dollars for a house in Aster, then picked up a job as a technician for Ford Aerospace.
Starting point is 00:32:19 In early 1985, 29-year-old Charlie was the image of young professional success. He owned a house, had a cushy job, and had enough money to live comfortably. He hadn't just moved on from the tragedy of his childhood. He seemed to be thriving. There was only one thing missing from his life, a partner, so he turned to his old friend Jim Graves for help. Charlie told Jim that after years on an island, he was ready to rejoin the dating pool. In April of that year, Jim and his girlfriend Nancy invited Charlie out for drinks on the beach in Daytona.
Starting point is 00:33:01 There, they introduced Charlie to Nancy's roommate, a retail store manager named Terry Helfridge. The two hit it off immediately. Charlie was attracted to Terry's upbeat, energetic personality, and Terry brought Charlie out of his shell. By summer's end, they moved in together. Charlie and Terry's relationship developed quickly and seemed idyllic.
Starting point is 00:33:25 By early 1986, Charlie was telling his friends and family that he wanted to propose. For his closest friends and family, though, Charlie had one question that complicated his whirlwind romance. Should he tell Terry about the murder he'd committed 15 years ago?
Starting point is 00:33:45 Angie advised him to tell Terry and deal with any consequences. He couldn't keep it a secret forever, she reasoned, and Terry needed to know about Charlie's past before marrying him. Jim was even more insistent. He told Charlie that he had to tell Terry about his past, and if he didn't, then Jim would do it for him.
Starting point is 00:34:07 So Charlie promised Jim that he would tell Terry before they walked down the aisle. On August 29, 1986, Charlie and Terry were married in a small ceremony in Ormond Beach. Neither of their families were invited, perhaps because that would have made Charlie uncomfortable. Following the wedding, Charlie and Terry moved 400 miles south to Big Pine Key, where they built their own house on the waterfront. Terry got a job as a receptionist at a dentist office, while Charlie returned to working as a radar technician.
Starting point is 00:34:44 Everything for Charlie and Terry Brandt seemed perfect. They'd found domestic bliss. As the years passed, the small number of people who knew the truth about Charlie's past continued to watch him carefully. but to their eyes, nothing was amiss. All was well. One summer, Jim Graves traveled to Key West for a gig playing with a band for a bar opening. He invited Charlie and Terry to come see him. After a few drinks, Charlie excused himself to go to the bathroom. As soon as he was gone, Terry's demeanor suddenly darkened. She turned to Jim with a scared look in her eye.
Starting point is 00:35:28 She said she needed to tell him something about Charlie, something urgent. A few days earlier, there'd been a woman found murdered only a block from their house. She'd been decapitated. Her heart had been cut out. And then her mutilated body left in a rowboat under a bridge. And that wasn't all. Around the same time as the murder, Charlie arrived home late, covered in blood. He went right to wash off the blood, claiming he'd been fishing and bloodied his shirt while cleaning his catch.
Starting point is 00:36:02 but he hadn't brought home any fish. Terry told Jim she was thinking about calling the sheriff. She was worried that perhaps Charlie wasn't the normal, well-adjusted man she thought she married. Jim didn't know if Charlie had ever come clean about his childhood crimes, but suddenly it seemed possible his violent urges had returned. And if that was true, it was only a matter of time before Charlie acted on them again. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back on Thursday with part two of Charlie Brandt's story. We'll cover the brutal murders Charlie committed decades after his first
Starting point is 00:36:53 and peel back the layers of his life to uncover the shocking secrets beneath the surface. For more information on Charlie Brandt, amongst the many sources we used, we found Invisible Killer, the Monster Behind the Mask by Diana Montenay and Sean Robbins, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify. Not only does Spotify already have all of your
Starting point is 00:37:20 favorite music, but now Spotify is making it easy for you to enjoy all of your favorite parcast originals like serial killers for free from your phone, desktop, or smart speaker. To stream serial killers on Spotify, just open the app and type serial killers in the search bar.
Starting point is 00:37:36 We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a parcast studio's original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Trent Williamson, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Aaron Larson. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Ryan Lee, with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon, and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination
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Starting point is 00:38:40 A beloved 75-year-old man washing up, getting ready for bed, is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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