Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The Railway Revenge Killer

Episode Date: September 4, 2023

Rudy Bladel claimed he murdered his coworkers in an act of revenge — but most of his victims were complete strangers. Vanessa examines his life and crimes to understand Bladel’s twisted logic.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder and violent assault. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. When was the last time someone hurt you? Not physically, emotionally. A time when someone else's actions impacted your life for the worse and theirs for the better, and they didn't seem to regret it at all. How did it make you feel?

How long do you hold a good? grudge. We've all wanted to get back at someone else at some point. But what separates most of us from the man at the center of this story is how far we're willing to take things before we just let it go. They say revenge is sweet, but what happens when it's insatiable? I'm Vanessa Richardson, and this is serial killers, a Spotify podcast. Episodes release every Monday. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

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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.

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In 1951, straight out of high school, he made his dream come true. He got a job working as a railroad fireman, which, if you base it on modern job descriptions, means he was tending the flames that kept the steam engines running, and maybe also cleaning and maintaining the facilities. He loved what he did, and by all accounts he was a dedicated worker. But due to forces outside his control, his dream was cut short.

The United States was one year into the Korean War. Not long after Bladel first started his job, Congress passed a law requiring men between the age of 18 and 26 to register for basic military training. Bladel was 19. It's unclear if he enlisted voluntarily or was drafted, But by the end of 1951, Bladel brought his experience with trains to the army, serving as a military engineer servicing locomotives in active war zones overseas.

It was stressful, high-pressure work. After the war ended in 1953, he returned to the U.S. more confident than ever. He was rehired by his old employer and picked up where he left off until a motorcycle accident upended his life. Bladdle eventually recovered from his injuries, but it forever changed the way he moved. He apparently looked like he was always hunched over a plow, but that didn't stop him from re-entering the workforce

and climbing his way up the ranks. After a few years working different railroad jobs across the Midwest, he moved to Elkhart, Indiana for an engineering job at a rail yard that was part of the New York Central Railroad. Now, that's plenty of information about Bladel's career. As for the other aspects of his life, like friendships, romances, and hobbies, there isn't much information out there about that. As far as we can tell, he was an all-work-and-no-play kind of guy.

His half-brother once said Rudy's first love and his last love had always been railroading. According to reports, he was quiet, mostly kept to himself. He often disappeared for long walks during breaks, while his coworkers socialized or played cards. somewhat occasionally catch him talking to himself, which on its own isn't unusual, but in an interview for the Chicago Tribune,

one of Bladle's co-workers described his strange behavior at work. Apparently he'd sit on the other side of the engine of voiding eye contact and talking to himself, sometimes rhythmically slapping his knees in time with the sound of the rails click-clacking below. It was unsettling and did nothing to help Bladel's social standing within the rail yard, but it also didn't get in the way of his work or ability to excel, and so he continued successfully working for the New York Central Railroad for years,

all the way up until 1959 when everything changed. The New York Central Railroad started making preparations to merge with another major railroad, Penn Central, and laid off half of their workforce in Elkhart. Bladel was among the workers affected, and was furious over the decision. He wasn't out of work entirely. His new employer offered him a part-time job with a pay cut, but it was a serious demotion.

Humiliating, and Bladle resented everything about his new position. Four years later in the summer of 1963, Bladle hit a breaking point. He was 30 now, still working part-time, living in a trailer and barely scraping by, convinced that the merger destroyed his life, it was likely around this time when he began carefully formulating a plan to get back at his employer.

On the night of August 3rd, Bladdle rode his motorcycle to Hammond, Indiana, a city about 100 miles away from Elkhart. He arrived at the rail yard right on schedule, just as his target pulled in. It was a freight train operated by two men, an engineer and a fireman named Roy Botorf and Paul Overstreet. Both had worked for a rail yard that had merged with the workers from Bladell's home base in Elkhart. Niles men, Bladle called them, after the town in Michigan where they were from.

In his mind, the men had basically stolen his job. As Roy and Paul waited for clearance to proceed, Bladle dismounted his motorcycle, walked through the darkness, and snuck onto the train. Once on board, he quietly walked towards the engine room. The two rail workers didn't hear him coming until it was too late. Bladdle raised his gun and fired two shots into the back of each man's head, killing them instantly. He jumped off the train, walked back to his motorcycle, and sped away. The first person to realize something was wrong was a man named Virgil Terry, the rail yard switchman.

When Roy and Paul didn't respond to his signal, he went to investigate. As he approached the engine room, Virgil saw Roy's head hanging partway out of the window. It almost looked like he was trying to get some air, until Terry noticed the unnatural angle of his neck. And the blood. And Paul's body slumped over the engine controls. When the police arrived, they found four 22-caliber shell casings and nothing else. no evidence that could point them toward their killer. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey?

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and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call one. 1-800-545-99-9 or visit zepbounds.lily.com. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book-to-screen favorites you've already read twice. Off-campus, L, every year after,

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A rail yard merger that happened four years ago never crossed their minds. All authorities had were a couple of shell casings and a hunch. Because of the location and timing of their murder, they suspected the killer had some knowledge of railroad operations. But that still left a long list of potential suspects, and no one knew when or if the killer would strike next. On August 6, 1968, five years after the first killings, almost to the day,

Bladdle drove his motorcycle to the Elkhart Railyard again. He waited in the shadows for his next target to appear. A little after 4.30 a.m., engineer John Marshall showed up for the start of his shift. As he stood next to a diesel locomotive, Bladel shot him four times at close range with a 12-gauge shotgun. Once in the abdomen, once in the side, and twice in the head. Bladle fled the scene before authorities arrived. When they did, officials didn't make a connection between Marshall's murder and the double homicide in Hammond. It had been too many years, and the shootings had taken place almost a hundred miles away. As investigators,

Investigators searched for leads, Bladel resumed his life, and let another three years pass before striking again. Around 4 a.m. on March 30, 1971, Louis John Sane arrived at the Elkhart Railyard to start work. Lewis was in good spirits. His train was headed to Chicago, and he was excited to spend some time in the windy city. But just as he reached the freight train's engine, he heard gunshots and felt a sharp pain. explode up his back. Unable to run, he turned around to face his attacker. He knew Bladel well. They'd spent many shifts together. When Bladle raised the shotgun again, Lewis switched into survival mode. He grabbed the gun's muzzle. As he did, Bladle lost his footing. Lewis wrestled the gun away and turned it on Bladle. He wrapped his finger around the trigger, aimed and fired.

The bullet struck Bladel in the stomach, and he crumpled to the ground, bleeding. Hours later, Sane laid in a hospital bed recovering from his injuries, just a few feet away from the man who just attacked him. Lewis asked Bladle the obvious question, Why did you do it? Bladle reportedly responded, I did all I could to get the Niles men out of Elkhart. Face to face with an innocent man he'd tried to kill,

Bladel didn't appear to feel any remorse. He seemed to consider himself a vigilante killer, driven by a warped sense of justice. News of the attack spread quickly. Bladle was fired from the job that had been, in many ways, his entire life, the object of his obsession. Authorities initially charged him with attempted murder, but, incredibly, investigators didn't make the connection

to his previous attacks. no movement was made in the three other murder cases. Bladel's lawyers managed to strike a deal to reduce his charge to aggravated battery if Bladle pled guilty. When the time came, a judge sentenced Bladle to one to five years in state prison. But in late 1973, he was released on parole after just 18 months. Not long after, Bladle ran into Lewis Sane at a union meeting for railroad workers. Lewis was naturally rattled by the sight of the man who had once tried to kill him. According to Lewis, Bladle shook his hand and explained that his decision to shoot him had,

as he put it, nothing to do with him personally. Now, you might think that after getting away with three murders and only getting caught for an attempted murder, Bladle would have cut his losses, considered himself lucky and moved on, maybe found another career, a hobby, something to occupy his time. But you'd be wrong. Bladel began stalking the railroad tracks, pacing alongside freight trains as they rattled past.

He would climb onto an overpass and wait for a train so he could menacingly stare at the engineers as they passed below. He couldn't be a railroad man anymore, so instead he instilled fear. Shortly after 1 a.m. on April 5, 1976, Bledle returned to the Elkhart Railyard. It had been five years since he attacked Louis Sane, and 17 years since the rail yard's merger

that incited his killing spree. That night, he claimed his fourth victim. He shot and killed another engineer named James McCrory inside the cab of a diesel train. When McCrory's body was found, a collective shutter ran through the local community of rail workers, they knew Bladel had struck again. But this time, officials in Elkhart noticed the resemblance between McCrory's murder

and John Marshall's eight years earlier. Despite how much time it passed, they suspected the same person had committed both crimes. They contacted law enforcement in the towns along the railroad line, searching for records of similar unsolved murders, and made the connection to the first double homicide in Hammond back in 1963. The M.O.'s for each of the murders were too similar to ignore. All four men had been shot in rail yards before dawn, which also fit the description of the attack on Louis John Seine.

When investigators put all the pieces together, all signs pointed toward Rudy Bladel. Witnesses described seeing a man with an unusual gait that seemed to match Bladles, but none had gotten a clear look at his face. And investigators didn't have any evidence that could definitively link him to any of the crime scenes, so officials couldn't make an arrest. They tried having Bladel placed under surveillance, but the request was denied due to a lack of manpower. Frustrated, all the investigators could do was wait to see what happened next. 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. In January 1978, Rudy Bladle remained unaware that he was the primary suspect in a murder

investigation that spanned the state of Indiana. As far as he was concerned, he'd been routinely killing railwork. for 13 years and getting away with it. Judging by his actions, he didn't have a fear of getting caught. The convicted felon had no qualms about purchasing a brand new 357 Magnum Revolver. And it was this, not the murders, that got him arrested. Though the police couldn't surveil, Bladel, they were keeping an eye out for any illicit activity. As soon as they saw the gun purchase, they sprang into action.

action. Bladel was still on parole, so he couldn't legally possess a firearm. It wasn't the conviction they were looking for necessarily, but it was enough to get him off the streets for the moment. And with Bladel in jail, the murders stopped. Nearly 11 months later, Bladel was released from prison and moved into a homeless shelter in Elkhart. His second time in prison didn't seem to change anything about his mindset. Shortly after his release, he killed again. This time he chose a new destination, a rail depot in Jackson, Michigan, more than 100 miles away. Michigan was no coincidence. You'll remember that's where the Niles men were transferred from.

Two decades later, Bladdle still held a grudge. He arrived at the depot in the early evening and searched for the employee's locker room. Two workers happened to be inside, a train conductor named William Gulock, and a flagman named Robert Lee Blake. Bladel arrived and gunned the men down with a 12-gauge shotgun. With both men dead, he fled the locker room. As he headed outside, he crossed paths with a railroad fireman named Charles Lee Burton. Burton didn't stand a chance.

On sight, Bladle raised his shotgun and shot the fireman twice in the chest, killing him instantly. From there, Bladel left the depot and traveled to a nearby park. He disassembled his gun and hid the parts beneath dense undergrowth. Then, checked into a local hotel for some sleep. It didn't take long for someone to find the three bodies. News of the triple homicide in Jackson spread across Michigan and surrounding states. Authorities in Elkhart immediately launched a manhunt for Bladle and told their counterparts in Jackson to do the same.

but finding him wasn't hard. Bladle checked out of his hotel early in the morning and walked back to the bus terminal in Jackson, seemingly uninterested in keeping a low profile. Police patrolling the area, IDed him and took Bladle in for questioning, and Bladle just so happened to have a newspaper clipping detailing the murders from the night before. And yet at the station, Bladle maintained his innocence.

He admitted dropping by the rail depot, but he said he only stopped in briefly to use the bathroom. He didn't see anything unusual, and he certainly didn't kill anyone. I'm sure it was frustrating for the police to have the person there almost certain committed the murders in their custody again and still be unable to charge him with anything. Without a confession or physical evidence connecting Bladel to the homicides, they're forced to release him after 48 hours. For weeks afterward, investigators searched for the murder weapon, but it was winter in Michigan.

Bladdle's gun was hidden by a thick blanket of snow, so it took three months for the snow to melt for it to be found. Finally, authorities had what they needed. When they ran the gun's registration, Rudy Bladle's name came right up. He hadn't even bothered to make the purchase under an alien. The years of agonizing limbo were over. Bladel was now 46 years old and had been getting away with murder for more than 15 years. But this time when police arrived at the Elkhart shelter, Bladel knew it was the end of the road.

He said to his arresting officers, you've got me. What do you want to know? Bladle provided police with a detailed statement about everything that happened that day at the Jackson Depot. He was charged with triple murder. But as time went on, he had a change of heart. At trial that summer, Bladdle recanted his confession and reverted to his cover story about visiting the depot to use the bathroom. As for the shotgun, he now claimed he sold it weeks before the murders occurred,

which was, without a doubt, a convenient story. But he couldn't keep his cool forever. When prosecutors questioned him about the grudge he held against the rail, railroad, anger bubbled to the surface. He described how the Niles men had stolen his job after the merger. Even after all these years, it was clear he harbored deep-seated resentment. In an interview shortly before the trial, Bladel had tried to walk a tightrope, maintaining his innocence while ranting about the injustice he experienced as a result

of the merger. His words were, I didn't kill anybody. They have to prove that I did it. They have to get some evidence together there, but nobody has the right to take our jobs away. Bladel said he was glad the publicity surrounding the murders was bringing attention to what he called the sellout of the Elkhart men. But ultimately, Bladle couldn't convince a jury of his innocence. Between the gun and bullet casings linking him to the crime scene and his aggression on the stand,

they found him guilty of all three of the Jackson murders, and a judge handed him three concurrent lifetime sentences. He served almost 27 years before dying of thyroid cancer in 2006. His story can be seen as a sort of case study in vengeance. There's this idea sometimes that revenge is cathartic, healing even, sweet. But research suggests that's not really true. In 2002, the personality in social sociality. psychology bulletin published a piece called the complicated psychology of revenge.

It referenced a study comparing people who vent their anger to people who don't. People who vent were more likely to harbor anger and aggression for longer periods of time. It also found that seeking revenge keeps wounds fresh. Venting makes it harder to put the past behind you and move on. For Rudy Bladel, nothing seemed to satisfy his need for revenge, not even killing seven men. And it's especially haunting when you consider how misplaced Bladel's anger was from the start. He drew a line in the sand between himself and the so-called Niles men, but rail workers on both sides of the fence were impacted by the merger. Maybe if he had tried to connect with his

co-workers, old and new, he would have learned that many of them felt the same way he did. but he didn't. Instead, he made innocent people, enemies, and himself, into a monster. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers, a Spotify podcast. We'll be back Monday with another episode. As you might have noticed, we've made some changes to bring a fresh perspective to the show, and there will be more coming. I want to take a moment to acknowledge my longtime co-host, Greg Polson,

who will no longer be joining me. I'm truly grateful for his invaluable. contributions over the years. Together, we built an extensive library of episodes for you to enjoy anytime, anywhere. And though he's no longer on our show, I'll never get tired of saying, thanks, Greg. Finally, you may not know this, but serial killers is a collaborative effort with a dedicated team of researchers and writers who tirelessly craft compelling stories for you every week. Moving forward, you can expect to hear from our talented staff as they move from behind the scenes and join the show. I hope you're as excited as we are for this thrilling new chapter.

Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for your continued support. For more information on Rudy Bladel, amongst the many sources we used, we found John O'Brien and Edward Bauman's coverage in the Chicago Tribune extremely helpful in our research. Stay safe out there. Serial Killers is a Spotify podcast. This episode was written by Emma Dibden, edited by Robert Walker and Terrell Wells, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, fact-checked by Lori Siegel and sound designed by Spencer Howard. Our head of programming is Julian Borrow, our head of production is Nick Johnson, and Spencer Howard is our post-production supervisor.

I'm your host, Vanessa Richardson. 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. Do you want to hear something spooky?

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