Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - Speed Freak Killers Pt. 1

Episode Date: February 7, 2022

Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog grew up in the California countryside, hunting for deer and elk. In high school, they turned to methamphetamine to recreate the thrill they once got from hunting. But as their drug use intensified, they needed something stronger to maintain their high. They needed to kill, and this time, their prey was human. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of these killers' crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, sexual assault, child abuse, and drug use. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Wesley Sherman Tine rolled down the window of his pickup truck and took in the crisp mountain air. He was on a hunting trip and eager to see what kind of game he'd catch this time. Sherman Tine loved hunting. It was in his blood. As soon as he was old enough to hold a rifle, his father had taken him out to the forests of Northern California to show him the ropes. He'd learned how to load the chamber, sight in his target, and fire.

He could still remember the pride on his dad's face when he'd bagged his first deer. From that first moment, he was hooked. He glanced over at his best friend, Lauren Herzog, in the passenger seat. They shared a fondness for the sport and had been hunting buddies since they were young boys. Today, Herzog's excitement was palpable. He bounced his leg up and down, fidgeting restlessly. He was full of pent-up energy. Sherman-Tine could relate.

They needed to find some prey. And soon. As they rounded a sharp bend in the empty road, Sherman Tine spotted a car parked on the shoulder up ahead. There was a man inside, and he was alone. It looked promising, so Sherman Tine slowed the truck to a stop. He picked up his rifle from the floor of the truck and exchanged a knowing glance with Herzog. There's a particular feeling a hunter gets when they hone in on a target, a rush of adrenaline, and then stillness.

As kids, Shermantyne and Herzog had gotten that thrill from hunting deer and elk. But as they got older, it's possible that feeling had started to fade and they had to up the stakes. They calmly stepped out of the truck and stalked towards the car. Hunting animals was for kids. Hunting human beings was so much more their speed. Hi, I'm Greg Paulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers.

Today, we're exploring the methamphetamine-fueled spree of the Speed Freak Killers. 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. Today we'll discuss Lauren Herzog and Wesley Shermantyne's seemingly idyllic upbringing in a sleepy California town. We'll explore how methamphetamine use may have influenced their descent into violence and how their childhood hunting trips laid the groundwork for murder. Next time, we'll continue to explore the duo's rampage and track how a series of investigations gone cold,

allowed them to remain at large for over a decade. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify.

It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's Shopify.com slash killers. 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. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes. Just use ZipRecruiter. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. Because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list.

They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are. Cut through the standard and get to the standouts with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And now you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ziprecruiter.com slash killers. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. Transport your senses with Soltejanado's limited edition perfume mist collection. At Sephora, spritz on lush notes of rainforest orchid and crisp sea breeze with hafresco paraizo.

Embrace a floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach with chiquet bikini or caps your sun-kissed bliss with limonada gelada, where zesty Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection only at Sephora. In Vino Veritas is a Latin phrase that literally means, in wine there is truth. Basically, it's the idea that we're more likely to be our authentic selves under the influence of alcohol. The same might be said of any drug that lowers your inhibitions. As liberating as this may feel, it's not necessarily a good thing.

Certain substances can warp our personality and erode our sense of right and wrong. For some people, illicit drugs can bring forth their very worst impulses. It's certainly possible that Wesley-Shermintine and Lauren Herzog would have become murderers without the influence of methamphetamine. But at the very least, the drug accelerated their path towards violence. However, like so many, their stories both start with little fanfare. Wesley Shermantyne was born in 1966 in Linden, California, an hour south of Sacramento. Even today, it's a rural community with a population of less than 2,000. It's the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbors.

In Linden, outdoor activities like hunting and fishing are woven into the fabric of daily life. With its close proximity to nature and good local schools, residents call Linden a perfect place to raise a family, especially if you have money. Money was something the Shermantyne family weren't short of. Wesley Sr. owned a successful home construction company, and Shermantyne and his two sisters wanted for nothing. Any toys or clothes that they wanted, they got. Less wealthy classmates were envious of the things the Shermantyne siblings had,

of their seemingly picturesque life. But behind closed doors, things were far from perfect. They might have spoiled them with toys and trinkets, But in an interview with the podcast Foul Play, Shermanty's younger sister, Dolly, claimed Wesley Sr. and Sue also regularly abused their kids. Dolly said that her mother stabbed her with a barbecue fork on numerous occasions and shot at her several times. She even claimed that her parents broke her nose. According to the interview, their father seemed to be particularly hostile towards his son.

When Shermantyne misbehaved, he was said to have punished the boy by shooting a gun at feet to make him dance. It's possible that experiencing and bearing witness to such violence at home influenced how Sherman Time treated others. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg.

Hurt people hurt people, so the adage goes, and there's a wealth of research to back that up. A 2006 study out of the University of Washington explored this idea in depth. Researchers noted that children develop a type of script to deal with problems based on what they observe in the home. If a parent often becomes violent in order to get their way, their children are likely to do the same. According to Dolly, both Sue and Wesley Sr. exhibited such cruelty, which would have made this modeled behavior all the more prevalent, and their son couldn't resist the pull. Sure enough, Shermantyne quickly developed a reputation for being a bully at school. One of his peers remembers him as a stinker. He was aggressive with teachers and other kids,

always looking for ways to cause trouble. His friend Lauren Herzog was the total opposite. Herzog was quiet and sweet-natured. He blended in where Shermantyne stood out. However, opposites often attract. Despite their clashing temperaments, they bonded over their love of the outdoors. Herzog was just a few months older than Sherman Tine. Like Wesley Sr., his father was in construction. However, he wasn't a business owner. Herzog's dad worked as a laborer and contractor. They lived across the street from the Sherman Tines in a much more modest home. Although the two boys couldn't be more different on paper, their passion for adventure continued to bring them together. When they weren't in class, they gallivanted through the California

wilderness, getting to know every fishing hole, mine shaft, and hilltop near Linden. By the time they entered grade school, they were inseparable. Sherman Tyne thought of Herzog as the brother he'd never had, and often invited him on family trips. Even though Wesley Sr. might have mistreated his son, it seems he still carved out time to bond with Shermantyne, taking him camping and teaching both boys how to hunt and fish. For many families, hunting is a sacred tradition that's passed down through generations. Those in favor of the activity argue that it teaches children valuable survival skills and an understanding of where their food comes from.

But some experts question whether it's healthy for kids to be taught to kill. Pioneering psychiatrist Carl Menninger once theorized that deer hunting is a socially acceptable form of sadism. This is especially important to consider in this story given the well-established link between childhood animal cruelty and violent behavior later in life. Whatever the psychological impact, it's clear that Shermantyne and Herzog loved the pursuit. We don't know exactly what they enjoyed about it, so we'll have to speculate about what fueled this passion. Shermantyne had been abused from a young age.

It's possible that hunting defenseless animals, just like bullying his peers, was a way for him to feel dominant. Meanwhile, Herzog was a shy, meek child. Perhaps for him, taking down prey was about experiencing power, maybe for the first time ever. But as they grew older, the novelty of hunting and the splendor of the great outdoors began to wear off. When they were kids, their rural surroundings had felt like an infinite kingdom of possibilities. By the time they reached high school in the 1980s, though, it began to feel more like a trap.

There was nothing for them to do. Bored and restless, Herzog and Germantyne searched for anything to liven things up. They started hanging out with a party crowd, drinking and experimenting with drugs like methamphetamine. After graduating, they followed in their father's footsteps and went into the construction business. Even with this change in pace, things felt stale. Their lives were becoming hopelessly repetitive. The same old routines, the same old haunts, with the same old people they'd known for years. They started using meth more heavily to escape the mundanity.

Most of the drugs that were popular during the 1970s and 1980s, like heroin and crack cocaine, are mainly associated with cities. But meth is an exception to this. Its manufacturing and usage are more frequent in rural communities. To quote Bloomberg News, methamphetamine has long been known as the drug of the middle of nowhere. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, meth can be produced using common, inexpensive household items. which are easy to access even if you live far from a big city.

Secondly, it can be used as a performance enhancer. Law professor William Garriott, who has written extensively about the history of methamphetamines in America, says this is a major factor for rural users. It's possible that this was part of the appeal for Sherman, Tyne, and Herzog. Both young men worked physically demanding construction jobs and probably wanted to have enough energy to go out and have a good time at the end of the day. But before long, the pair didn't want to just get high.

It's possible they desired social status, something that would impress girls. That's when they started to sell drugs. It's likely that similar to hunting, this was an avenue for them to feel powerful and important, like they were needed. And it worked. Sometime during this period, Sherman Tine started dating a girl named Sherry, who he'd known since high school. We don't have much information about Sherman Tine and Sherry's.

relationship, except that they got married in the early 80s. Sherry knew her husband had a temper, but she hoped he'd mellow out eventually. Unfortunately, the opposite was about to happen. In a moment, Sherman Tine and Herzog claimed their first victim. Love. It's been the subject of poems, novels, music, and film. It's also been the driving force behind some of the most horrendous crimes in history. Hi, I'm Vanessa Richardson.

Join me for Season 2 of Criminal Couples and meet the lovers who took their passion to perilous lengths. Featuring standout episodes from female criminals, serial killers, solved murders, and crimes of passion. This season of criminal couples gets to the heart of what makes two turn to a life of murderous crime. Some couples were set off by revenge or greed. Others were fueled by sex and drugs.

all acted in the name of love. Discover the darker side of desire in season two of the Spotify original from Parcast, Criminal Couples. Follow for free and tune in every Monday only on Spotify. Want to support your gut health? Take Activia's gut health challenge by enjoying two Activia yogurt today

for two weeks and see if you feel a difference. With billions of probiotics and 20 years of scientific expertise, Activia is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to start your gut health ritual. Try Activia today. Enjoying Activia twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort, which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Now back to the story. In the fall of 1984, 18-year-old Wesley Shermantyne and Lauren Herzog started dealing the same drugs they were taking themselves. Becoming two of the town suppliers quickly gave the pair cachet with their peers,

They were regulars at several bars around Linden and quickly gained notoriety for their rowdy antics. Soon, just about everybody had a story about them. Sherman Tine in particular was known to be especially combative. Luckily, they had other ways to blow off steam. They kept up their boyhood hunting trips and regularly drove out into the woods to bag deer and elk. However, it wasn't just animals they were looking for anymore. A neighbor once overheard the pair talking about. on Shermantyne's porch late at night.

They were having a spirited conversation about blood sports, specifically the thrill of the human hunt. The neighbor tried to shrug off this frightful notion. He didn't want to get involved. He'd heard his fair share of anecdotes about the duo, and as far as he could tell, the best policy was to stay out of their way. He figured the young men were all talk, no action.

He was wrong. By this point, Shermendine's. Hermantine and Herzog were using methamphetamine so often and at such large quantities that their inhibitions melted away. Their heavy meth consumption inevitably took a toll on their mental state. Meth is a stimulant that produces a powerful sense of euphoria, happiness, and energy. In addition to being enormously addictive, it also changes how the brain works. Meth can cause psychiatric symptoms like anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, and aggression. Research has also shown a significant correlation between meth use and violent behavior.

This relationship is still being investigated, but a 2010 University of California study suggested that the drug can dampen a user's emotional insight. It's possible that this could, in turn, decrease their empathy and make them more likely to be destructive. It seems this was the case for Herzog and Germantyne, and by that September they felt almost feral, hungry for blood. They decided that a hunting trip might help release some of their pent-up energy. Primed for the kill, they hopped into Shermantyne's pickup truck and headed north towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Just off Highway 88 in Alpine County, about an hour from Linden, they saw a parked car. Inside was 41-year-old Henry Howell, a Santa Clara resident, and a member of a local indigenous tribe. Herzog and Shermantyne pulled over to the side of the high. highway. Exchanging a glance, they picked up their hunting rifles and climbed out of the truck. It's unclear when their plans changed from hunting to murder, or whether they discussed it before they got out of the vehicle. But what came next suggests they were of one mind. Moving quickly, they walked up to Henry and knocked on his window. Before the man had time to react, they shot him dead. After stealing what little cash he had, they jumped back into their truck

and sped away. Driving back towards Lyndon, Herzog and Shermantyne were elated. It felt like the rush they first experienced when they bagged a deer, but magnified tenfold. Henry's body was found later that day. It's unclear how thoroughly his death was investigated, but the Alpine County Sheriff's Department didn't name any suspects in his murder. As far as we can tell, the case went cold quickly. While we don't know the details, it's worth noting that Henry's indenting that Henry's indenting

Indigenous heritage may have played a role in the seemingly lackluster investigation. The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Indigenous Women has pointed out that there's a long, shameful history of indigenous murders and disappearances going unsolved across North America. Most of the available data relate to Indigenous women. In Northern California, their murders are seven times less likely to be solved than that of other groups. The facts are less clear for murdered and missing Indigenous men. However, it's certainly possible that Henry's ethnicity meant that his death received little attention from police and media.

But his killers were certainly willing to talk about it. Once they were back home, the pair just couldn't resist crowing about their crime. At the Linden Inn, one of their regular haunts, Herzog started running his mouth. He boasted about how he and Shermantyne had recently killed a guy, just for the sake of it. The bar's owner, John Vanderheiden, rolled his eyes as he listened in on the conversation. He knew the boys were just loudmouth partiers who got hammered and high almost every night. They'd like to act tough, Vanderheiden thought, but he doubted they'd actually kill someone. Besides, he couldn't imagine what kind of murderer would be dumb enough to brag about it in public.

Little did he know the pair were already gearing up to kill again. In these episodes, we're only going to describe the murders Sherman's and Herzog were convicted of, but their actual kill count is likely much higher. Keep that in mind as we continue. For the next two months, they carried on as they always had. Working, going to bars, getting high. Rinse and repeat. We don't know what their family relationships were like at this time,

but it seems that they spent the Thanksgiving break of 1984 partying. Knowing that they didn't have to worry about reporting to work in the morning, they went all out. After several days of getting drunk and high on meth, they were ramped up and ready for action. As we discussed earlier, meth use can dampen a person's empathy and make them more aggressive. On November 27th, just a few days after Thanksgiving, they were ready for a different kind of high. So they loaded up their rifles, got into Shermantyne's truck, and set off on another hunting trip. They headed west toward Roberts Island, a small piece of land to the same place of land.

San Joaquin River Delta, about half an hour from Linden. At around 11 p.m. on a deserted road near a local military base, they saw a parked car with two men inside. It's not clear what 35-year-old Howard King and 31-year-old Paul Kavanaugh were doing that night. It's possible their car had broken down, or maybe they were simply waiting for someone. Whatever the case, they were sitting ducks for Shermantyne and Herzog. Exactly what happened next is unclear, as is who pulled the trigger that night. But it's been theorized that either Sherman Tine or Herzog approached the park car and tapped on Howard's window. When he turned to see who was there, the killer shot him point-blank in the face,

sending shattered fragments of glass flying into the air. Before Paul could react, one of the men shot him too. Either Shermantyne or Herzog fired again and again, riddling his body. with bullets. After making sure they were both dead, Shermanty and Herzog pulled the two bodies out of the car and rifled through their pockets for cash. Then they ran to Shermantyne's truck,

hopped in, and drove away as fast as they could. They'd almost gotten away Scott-free, but as they sped down the darkened road, they saw headlights approaching. Letitia Larkin was driving home from work. Initially, she didn't think much of the red pickup truck coming towards her on Daggett, road. But when the car pulled off and backed up into a field, she slowed down to get a better

look. Although she was confused by this strange behavior, she eventually decided it was none of her business and drove on without a second thought. Within a few minutes, though, she realized there were headlights behind her, and they were getting closer. It was the same red pickup. Latisha sped up in an attempt to lose the truck, but it just picked up the pace to match her. When she took an abrupt left turn, the truck followed. Letitia realized she wasn't imagining this. She really was being followed.

Adrenaline pumping, she slammed down on the gas and booked it all the way home. She swerved into her long driveway and pulled up to the house. Not wanting to lose any time, she kept her eyes ahead of her as she leapt out of the car and sprinted inside.

She double-locked the door behind her, then kept running all the way upstairs into the bedroom. Only then did she dare peek out through the window. To her horror, she saw the truck parked out front. Dread nodded in Letitia's stomach. She waited with bated breath. Finally, after what seemed like hours, it left.

Shaken, she thought about calling the police. But it was late and she was exhausted. She decided to put it off until the morning. As Herzog and Germantyne rode away from Letitia's house, they could feel their buzz subsiding. The thrill of the double killing, on top of the drugs they'd taken, had been intoxicating. But now there was a witness who'd seen their car,

and they were sober enough to know that was a problem. While they drove back towards Linden, Richard Sahar was just starting work for the day. He was the manager of a water treatment plant nearby, and always did his first rounds before dawn. Cruising down the same street he always took, Richard noticed something out of the ordinary. There was a white car parked on the side of the road,

its doors wide open. He slowed to a stop and got out to investigate. He looked down and saw Howard and Paul's bodies lying in the dirt next to the car. Shocked by his discovery, Richard called the police. When officers arrived on the scene and examined the bodies, they noticed that both men's pockets had been turned inside out. Based on this detail, they determined

that the crime was a robbery homicide. The following morning, Letitia was listening to the news. Word of the double murder had traveled fast, and local stations were already reporting on the incident. When Letitia heard that two bodies had been found on Daggett Road, a chill went down her spine. This wasn't a coincidence. She called 911 right away and told them about the suspicious vehicle that had followed

her home. Later that day, authorities came to take imprints from her driveway. Sure enough, the tire tracks at her property matched the ones found next to the white car. It was important evidence, but unfortunately, Letitia couldn't provide many other details about the terrifying chase. Between the darkness and her overwhelming panic, she hadn't gotten a good look at the truck. She wasn't even sure how many people had been inside. Still, the police circulated a bulletin with a description of the vehicle. But after a few weeks with no leaves, the trail went cold.

Despite the dead-end investigation, Shermantyne was worried. He'd been following the news of their latest murder and couldn't stop thinking about the woman who'd driven past them that night. He worried about what she saw, what she remembered, and whether she'd go to the police. He must have wondered, were they about to become the hunted? Up next, Shermantyne and Herzog changed.

the game. Snoring, gasping during sleep, feeling fatigue, ask your doctor about Zepbound, terseptite. The first and only FDA-approved prescription medicine for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, and adults with obesity. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults

with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, and obesity to improve their OSA. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7%. 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Zepound contains terseptitide and should not be used with other terseptide containing products or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pins or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2.

Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor. if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulfonel urea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsened kidney problems.

Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99-79 or visit Zepbent. Dot Lily.com. Every outfit starts with a choice. What am I wearing underneath? Something comfortable? And let's be honest. Something that keeps everything looking smooth. That's where Vanity Fair lingerie comes in. Their new smoothing wireless bra has four-way stretch fabric for all over smoothing,

soft lightly lined cups for a natural shape, and no wire comfort that lasts all day. All over smooth, all-day comfort, Vanity Fair lingerie. Find yours at Target today. Now back to the story. By December of 1984, 18-year-old's Lauren Herzog and Wesley-Shermintine had killed at least three people. But they were uneasy. Their most recent attack was a double homicide, and someone had spotted Shermantyne's truck near the scene of the crime. The police didn't suspect the teens of anything, but likely because of their heavy meth usage, the men were paranoid about getting caught.

Shermantyne was especially anxious and decided to give himself an alibi, just in case the police came knocking. He confided in his mother-in-law, Clara. It's not clear why Shermantyne chose to unburden himself onto Clara. We don't know much about his relationship with his wife Sherry's family, or, for that matter, with his own. It's possible he wasn't in regular contact with his parents, and even if he was, he might have felt uneasy opening up to them, given the alleged abuse he had experienced as child. Whatever the reason, he sat down with Clara and told her a veiled version of the truth. He said that he and Herzog had recently been out hunting when they came upon what appeared to be a murder scene. According to Shermantyne, they saw a white car parked just off the road. As they got

closer, they saw the bodies lying in the dirt. They ran over to see if the men were still breathing and realized that they'd both been shot. While deciding what to do, they noticed another car driving towards them. Shermantyne said they got spooked and fled the scene. Clara was alarmed. When she asked him why he hadn't called the police, he struggled to answer. Later, she would read about the double murder in the paper and knew the authorities had found tire tracks at the scene. It's not clear what Clara made of his story, but it appears she didn't tell anyone what Shermantyne told her. It's possible that she believed him. After all, he had a reputation as a partier who didn't have the best judgment.

More importantly, though, her daughter was crazy about this boy. Clara wanted to trust him. Though she was madly in love, Sherry had her own misgivings about Chermintine. She'd always known he was a hothead, but recently, he'd become even more volatile as his drug use intensified. But for better or worse, they had a real connection. She wanted to marry him and hoped that he'd calm down with age. Little did she know, he was only going to give him.

get worse. A few weeks after killing Howard King and Paul Kavanaugh, Herzog turned 19. He and Shermantyne marked the occasion the best way they knew how, by getting drunk and high. Three days after Herzog's birthday, they told friends that they were going on a celebratory hunting trip, but they didn't say what or who they'd be hunting. They drove 20 minutes south and ended up in Stockton, California, one of the few cities close to Lyndon. Precise details on the pair's next few crimes are fuzzy, but we know that 19-year-old

Kimberly and Billy fell into their clutches on the night of December 11th. Because we know so little about Kimberly or the night in question, it's hard to speculate about how she died. It's possible that the men ambushed her as she sat in her car, just as they had with their previous victims, or perhaps they asked her to party with them and she willingly agreed. Either way, they got her alone, overpowered her, and killed her. Afterward, Herzog and Germantine drove Kimberly's body back to Linden. They knew the area better than Stockton and had a burial site in mind.

They left her inside an abandoned well underneath a pile of debris. Kimberly didn't live with any relatives and wasn't in regular contact with her family. Because of this, it took a while for anyone to raise the alarm. But when her grandmother didn't hear from Kimberly over the holidays, she knew something was amiss. She contacted the police and reported her missing. It doesn't seem as though the authorities found any good leads, and Kimberly's case eventually went cold.

After Kimberly's murder, our information about Herzog and Shermanty's movements gets a little vague. It's highly possible that they killed more victims during the first half of 1985, but nothing has been confirmed. There's also a chance that they laid low. They'd murdered at least four people and may have been wary about how investigations would pan out. Either way, by August of 1985, they were ready to get back to the hunt. At this time, they were still heavily into meth, which may well have heightened their violent impulses. And so they returned to Stockton, California, and honed in on a new victim.

On the evening of August 29th, 16-year-old Joanne Hobson waited for her date, to arrive. Apparently, though, she'd been stood up. She went to bed early that night, upset about the change in plans. Her older sister, Michelle, saw that her bedroom light was out and assumed she was asleep. But it was a ruse. Once her family had retired for the evening, Joanne snuck out of the house through her bedroom window. Her date, it seems, was back on with Lauren Herzog. Apparently, Herzog had a talent for seducing women. He was tall and lean with an easy-going rock and roll vibe that recalled John Bon Jovi. To Joanne, he probably seemed like the epitome of a cool, older guy.

After slipping out undetected, Joanne met up with Herzog. To her surprise, he wasn't alone. He'd brought a friend with him, Wesley-Shermintine. Unlike Herzog, Shermantyne didn't put people at ease. He was burly, quiet, and had a restless energy. Joanne probably reached. realized pretty quickly that something was very wrong. But she was exceptionally small for her age, about four foot six and only 80 pounds. She stood no chance against two men twice her size. Herzog and Shermantyne killed Joanne and drove her body out to the abandoned well in Linden and buried her next to Kimberly. The fact that it was Herzog who made the date with Joanne is interesting. Those who knew the pair described Shermantyne as the more dominant personality.

During later testimony, Herzog leaned into this belief. He claimed that he was intimidated by Shermantyne and cast himself as a reluctant assistant. Research supports the idea that there's always a dominant partner within killer duos. According to former prison psychologist Al Carlyle, each partner receives validation from the other in these toxic symbiotic relationships. This tallies with what we know about Shermantyne and Herzog's dynamic. At school, Shermantyne was boisterous and domineering, while Herzog was described as sweet and mild-mannered.

It's possible that Shermantyne enjoyed the hero-like worship he got from Herzog, while Herzog relished feeling powerful by association with Shermantyne. As adults, this dynamic became more ingrained and more dangerous. Herzog may have been the submissive partner to Shermanty, but he still made a date with Joanne Hobson to lure her to her death. This premeditated act strongly suggests he was a willing participant in the murders, not a cowed victim. Whatever the dynamic between the two, the real victim, was Joanne. When her mother, Joan, woke up and found her daughter gone, she wasn't immediately concerned.

Joanne often spent the night at her friend's houses. However, when she hadn't heard from her by the end of the day, she started to worry. She called the police, but they dismissed her concerns. They said that Joanne had probably just run away. Joan knew that her daughter would never do that, though. She was independent, sure, but she always came home. Joan knew in her gut that someone had taken her daughter. Not willing to sit around idly,

Joan and her older daughter searched for their beloved girl. They combed the sprawling fields around Stockton and handed out flyers to neighbors. But as the weeks went by with no news of Joanne, Joanne, their hopes of finding her alive dwindled. According to the Hobson family, detectives continued to insist that Joanne was a runaway. There was only one person on the force, Detective Little, who agreed that she'd been abducted. But he had trouble moving the case forward. One of the biggest frustrations was that nobody knew the name of the man Joanne had a date with that night.

According to an interview with the podcast Foul Play, Joanne's sister, Michelle, said she was told, by Little that Herzog and Shermantyne were on his radar. It's just that he had no proof of their involvement. Sadly, a couple of months after Joanne's murder, Little was killed in a shootout, and the investigation into her disappearance effectively died with him. Meanwhile, Herzog and Shermantyne were blissfully unaware of how close they'd come to getting caught. It seemed nothing could touch them. After their success with Joanne, perhaps they were eager to to see if they could lure more girls into their trap. But they wanted to change things up now.

Ambushing and unsuspecting victim was all well and good, but they were hunters at heart. They liked the chase, and with the memory of their latest kill already fading, they set their sights on their next target. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back soon with Part 2, where we'll discuss the Speed Freak Killers' Grizzly Later crimes and apprehension. For more information on Wesley Shermantyne and Lauren Herzog, amongst the many sources we used, we found the foul play podcast series, The Maps, extremely helpful in 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 Cutler. sound designed by Michael Motion, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro,

Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern. This episode of serial killers was written by Emma Dibdin, with writing assistance by Natalie Pertsovsky and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Cheyenne Lopez, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood. Serial killers stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. It's been said that love is a many-splendered thing.

That is, until it's not. In season two of criminal couples, discover true stories of couples who turned their love lives into a life of crime. Lies and deceit are just the beginning. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Criminal Couples.

Catch new episodes every Monday, free and only on Spotify. All. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million

dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th. Don't pass go and own it all. Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Details at yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly.

Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. please for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment.

Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com.