Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The San Francisco Witch Killers” Michael and Suzan Carson Pt. 1

Episode Date: September 21, 2020

They set out to murder witches in the early 1980s, moving up and down the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Suzan Carson believed she was destined to rid the world of evil… All she needed was a willing follower to wield the knife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of these crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, assault, and drug use that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Stars pulsed over 39-year-old Suzanne Carson, as she and her husband, 30-year-old Michael Bear Carson, wandered the streets of San Francisco. They were newly arrived in the city and looking for a good time. Luckily, one of Suzanne's distant friends was throwing. a party that evening. But as they searched for the right apartment, the couple was repulsed by the

flagrant sin surrounding them. They'd been led to San Francisco by Suzanne's prophetic visions, but her gifts didn't prepare them for what they found. On every block, they saw delinquents, sex workers, and other affronts to their God. When they finally reached the party, they hoped to find shelter from the evils of the outside world. But as they entered the apartment, Suzanne stopped cold. Her body and mind, mind weakened immediately. Something was draining her psychic powers. The room swirled around her as she put the pieces together. These people, they were all witches, servants of the beast. It was clear to her that the whole city was overrun with evil,

and it was Suzanne and Michael's duty, as assassins of God, to hunt the witches down and snuff them out. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is serial killers, a podcast original. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're taking a look at The Witch Killers, Suzanne and Michael Bear Carson. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone.

You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream serial killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type. serial killers in the search bar. In the early 1980s, Suzanne and Michael Carson set out to murder witches, moving up and down the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Today we'll delve into their peculiar childhoods and see how Suzanne's desire for obedient followers made her a perfect match for Michael, who sought a cause worthy of his attention.

Next time, we'll follow the Star Cross lover's violent journey to purge the world of evil. 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

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Suzanne Barnes seemed destined for chaos. In 1941, her earliest memories were framed by World War II. Still, Suzanne's family enjoyed a level of comfort, thanks to her father's job as a newspaper executive, and the war was fought far away. The war coverage also sold papers. So while Europe burned, the Barnes family were doing just fine. The news that kept her family wealthy told a clear-cut story of good and evil, of following the paths of righteousness and vengeance. They also showed young Suzanne how easily ideology and rhetoric could spark world-changing violence. Despite the ongoing war, the Barnes family were a picture of American success.

Suzanne spent her childhood and idyllic Arizona country clubs and swimming pools, making the most of the warm desert climate. On paper, Suzanne lived a charmed life, but behind closed doors, she struggled with mental distress. Suzanne experienced voices and visions, which she insisted came from psychic powers. 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 2017 study from Yale University psychiatrist, the hallucinatory experiences of self-identified psychics has considerable overlap with the accounts of voice-heaval. hearing patients. The only explanation Suzanne had for her childhood premonitions was Claire audience. However, the frequency of Suzanne's voices and later visual hallucinations suggests she was suffering from a mental health disorder of some kind. Former FBI criminal profiler Candice DeLong speculates that Suzanne may have had schizophrenia, which is marked by auditory and visual hallucinations. In any case, Suzanne seemed to suffer from a form of psychosis.

Still undiagnosed, young Suzanne built her identity around what she believed were her psychic powers. To her, the visions and voices that played out in her head were glimpses into the past and future. These supposed predictive powers made the world feel different to Suzanne. The people around her glimmered with after images only she could see and echoed with voices audible only to her. Even at a young age, this second sight made her feel separate from other children. she knew she was special. Suzanne's specialness went largely unchallenged, though her claims of visions and voices were dismissed by those around her.

It was clear that she wasn't like the other kids. She behaved oddly, and this eccentricity further alienated her from classmates. As a result, Suzanne was withdrawn at school, and her stunted social development dovetailed with academic difficulties. It must have felt like there was an endless series of roadblocks in her way, preventing her from having a normal childhood, and things at home weren't much better. Suzanne felt detached from her wealthy family

and the privileged circles in which they moved. Though she probably wanted for nothing, she never quite got the hang of her role as a prim and proper child of wealth. But that doesn't mean she didn't try. In her teenage years, Suzanne molded to her family's bourgeois lifestyle as best she could.

She played tennis, dressed to the nines, and schmused with other heirs of Arizona. Arizona money. Suzanne tried to embody the ideal of their picturesque 1950s family. She learned to follow the path laid out for her, and in spite of the roadblocks, it worked for a while. Once an idiosyncratic reserved child, Suzanne remade herself into a preppy aristocrat, and it seems that this served her well into adulthood. It's unclear what Suzanne was up to following high school, but we do know that she managed to remain in Arizona's upper social circles. It was likely while rubbing rich shoulders that she met and married a businessman of the same ilk.

While we don't know the husband's name, we do know the couple settled in Scottsdale, raising two children. It was a decidedly unruffled life for the girl who was once shunned because of her psychic visions. However, it seemed normalcy was never in the cards for Suzanne. As the counterculture movements of the 1960s permeated the U.S., Suzanne felt her wayward soul drawn back to nonconformity. It's possible that in her adolescence, Suzanne repressed the shame she once felt about her voices and visions.

But when something triggered this internal tension, Suzanne realized she was living a lie. All at once she rebelled against her conservative life and embraced free love, political revolution, and drugs. To her husband's disapproval, Suzanne smoked marijuana frequently and took psychedelics to escape her boring home life. As far as we can tell, it was around the time. this time that Suzanne first felt a pull towards religion. Before we explore Suzanne's religious journey, it's important to note that her practices

and beliefs do not accurately represent the teachings and texts she drew from. Her story exemplifies the dangers of exploiting and radicalizing any religion for power. During her surface-level studies the religious stories Suzanne loved most were full of eccentric characters, whose odd spiritual talents elevated them to positions of control. Like Suzanne, these prophets and apostles often experienced visions and messages about the future. Thus, it was in religion that Suzanne at last discovered an explanation for her powers. She trusted that she was a prophet of God and found a true sense of belonging. But at the same time, she felt that her purpose wasn't to follow a well-trod religious path.

She wanted to blaze a trail all her own. She wanted to lead. After early years spent watching her country at war, Suzanne knew that the best way to lead was to polarize good and bad. Reading about religious wars of the past, Suzanne was captivated by the idea of future conflicts that would change the world. Furthermore, she was intrigued by Islam's history of spiritual warfare. Exploring the Quran, she was particularly fascinated with angels sent as God's messengers of the apocalypse.

Fixated on the idea of a coming final battle and the subsequent day of judgment, Suzanne obsessively poured over apocalyptic religious texts, bending them to her own self-interested interpretations. It was, she came to believe, her mission to bring about this war and to root out the world's evildoers. As such, Suzanne sought followers to join her on her spiritual journey. More than that, she wanted, quote, warriors of God. to aid her in the imminent fight against the forces of evil. The further Suzanne sank into her religious immersion, the more her loved ones worried. To them, she was growing more and more unhinged, but she ignored their concerns and remained

hell-bent on making them all believers like her. However, Suzanne's husband didn't want to follow his wife's new faith. Eventually, her behavior and beliefs reached intolerable levels, and he divorced her. Following their separation, Suzanne's supposed psychic powers increased. Now, the long-ignored visions and voices felt more powerful than before. With each recurring episode, Suzanne's now-teenage children feared she would suffer a mental breakdown. Meanwhile, Suzanne herself worried that instead of the angelic warrior, she once imagined herself to be, she was actually a witch possessed by the devil.

As these fears of possession grew, Suzanne's identity splintered. She came to believe that a hole had been drilled into her skull, a sign of demonic activity. All of a sudden, she was sure that she felt the devil slithering around in her mind. By this stage, it was clear that Suzanne's behavior wasn't just religious fervor, but a worsening psychosis. Her children convinced her to see a psychiatrist, and she finally relented. According to author Richard Reynolds, Suzanne was prescribed medication and returned for regular appointments with her doctor. But when her symptoms did not improve, she likely suspected the psychiatrist of trying to rob

her of both her psychic ability and religious conviction. Having finally found a sense of power through her faith, she was certain the doctors were out to sabotage her. This mindset eventually alienated Suzanne's children. Though they wanted to help their mother, they were at their wits' end. They went to live with their father, and Suzanne never saw them again. Now truly alone, Suzanne spent her time and inheritance attending parties, getting high, and bringing strangers home.

But none of the people she met seemed interested in her religious ramblings. As Suzanne's ideas evolved, she remained convinced that she needed true believers to follow in her footsteps. Without an army of warriors, she didn't stand a chance against the same. the impending darkness, and she was sure that time was running out. Up next, fate brings Suzanne her first disciple. Hi, it's Greg. If you're looking to add some more fun to your feed, subscribe to Parcast Network's new show, Incredible Feats. Every weekday, comedian Dan Cummins, who you might recognize from the hit podcast TimeSuck, explores an unbelievable account

of physical strength, mental focus, or bizarre behavior. Don't miss the story of the man who broke the sound barrier while skydiving from the edge of space. Or the harrowing tale of a 17-year-old girl who survived alone in a rainforest for 11 days after her plane broke apart mid-air. Or the ultramarathoner whose rare genetic condition lets him run for days without stopping. Incredible Feet Spotlight's mind-blowing achievements of everyone from world-class athletes and record-breakers to scientists, architects, artists, and more. Search incredible feats and follow free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptitide may be able to help.

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Call 1-800-545-99-9 or visit zepbounds.lily.com. Now back to the story. For most of her life, Suzanne Barnes was plagued by voices and visions. She interpreted her hallucinations as psychic powers and believed she was a prophet. Convinced she was on a mission from God, Suzanne sought followers to lead in a battle against the forces of darkness. Her most important follower was James Carson. Since James became better known as Michael, that's how we'll refer to him for the rest of the story. For generations, Michael's family enjoyed a violent reputation born in the Wild West,

descended on his father's side from gunslingers and sheriffs who weren't afraid to shoot a man when they felt they needed to. But from the start, it seemed Destiny had different plans for Michael. His father bucked family tradition and chose the private sector over law enforcement. With an oil company executive for a father, it's likely that. that Michael's upbringing was similar in comfort to Suzanne's. But while Suzanne grew up in the desert landscape of Arizona, Michael spent his childhood living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Consequently, his love of nature was influenced by Native American culture.

It's perhaps this influence that led Michael to believe that God and nature were one, and in the solitude of the woods near his home, he found, if not religion, at least something divine. However, the sense of solace he found in nature was cut short. In childhood, he was diagnosed with a rare bone disorder called Perth's disease, which causes the pelvis joint to soften. It made the young boy limp when he walked, which worried his parents. Michael's doctors prohibited all walking until the affected tissue had time to repair and harden. Suddenly cut off from nature, Michael was distraught.

Overnight, the enthusiastic outdoors kid became an isolated, shut-in, enduring a bed-rest sentence that dragged on for three lonely years. Trapped inside, Michael passed much of the time by reading. With little else to do, he sped through books of all genres and subject matters, and quickly surpassed the typical reading level for his age. Reading from a broad range of subjects, he found history, philosophy, and politics of particular interest. However, reading about religion inspired him to reject his half-Jewish heritage, and eventually all religions.

Cut off from the natural wonders that once hinted at a godlike being, Michael came to see any religious ideas as foolish. Similarly, he was disheartened by the United States political system. So by the time he was allowed to walk again, the young teen declared himself an atheist and a Marxist. As if the years-long separation from classmates wasn't enough, Michael's new, radical views alienated him from just about everyone in his concerns. conservative town. So while most young people around him were focused on paling around and going on dates, Michael gravitated to the hippie movement sprouting up in cities around the country. It seemed

like the emerging counterculture movements accepted outsiders like him. They would help him find a purpose. To that end, he embraced the anti-establishment resistance spreading through the country. In high school, he smoked pot and even started a chapter of the students for a democratic society, hoping to inspire political defiance in his classmates. Revolution against institutional power excited Michael. What he learned in books about the world left him cynical, but now he sought purpose and meaning through action, and he was willing to walk the walk. At the end of high school, he took to the streets in protest.

In 1968, Michael traveled to San Francisco to join the Flower Power demonstration against the Vietnam War, walking the streets with people who shared his identity. he found some semblance of the belonging he'd searched for. He was part of a movement for universal social change. His desire to bring about change didn't waver when the young radical went to college at University of Iowa. Studying history and religion for his Chinese philosophy major, he was notoriously outspoken in class, especially about the more taboo opinions he held.

It was clear to those around Michael that political activism was a vital part of his personality. It's possible he approached the movement primarily as a way to define himself and connect with others, rather than out of true support of any cause. In a 2017 study in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, researchers found that young people were motivated to do activist work out of a desire for justice and a sense of group belonging. But sooner than he might have anticipated, Michael's civic fight came to an end. After campaigning for Bobby Kennedy, his presidency in 1968, Michael was left reeling when RFK was assassinated, realizing that political movements were growing increasingly violent and decidedly less hopeful. Michael lost faith in the cause.

Once more, he was adrift. Perhaps because he was disheartened, perhaps because he was a child of the 60s, Michael experimented with stronger drugs, and one particular trip on mescaline proved life-altering. A hallucinogen with effects similar to LSD, Mesklin caused Michael to imagine the sky and buildings pulsing around him. In his drug-induced haze, he staggered to a church where he experienced some kind of religious vision. There, on the steps of the church, he fell into hysterics. The spiritual trip changed Michael,

and the atheist set himself on a path to find religious belonging. Like a light switching on, everything fell into place, churches were everywhere, finally offering him a stable community he could belong to and a cause he could follow. Not only did Michael find God, he also found love. In between church sermons and college classes, he met fellow student Lynn, bonding over similar academic interests. The pair began dating. In their sophomore year, they decided to get married, and for a while everything was peachy. They felt just like college sweethearts who'd found there happily ever after. For a few years, the couple seemed destined for a life of domestic bliss. Following their graduation in the early 1970s, Michael and Lynn moved to Phoenix, Arizona,

where Lynn found work as a teacher. When they welcomed a baby girl named Jen, Michael assumed the duties of a full-time father. But not long after the birth, Lynn discovered a sight of Michael she hadn't seen before. He fell into depression and was easily irritated. At times, he got angry enough that he hit her. Still, despite the sometimes violent disagreements, the marriage lasted a few more years. It seemed that neither Michael nor Lynn

wanted to give up on the relationship. We don't know enough about Lynn to speculate as to her reasons, but based on Michael's history, it seems likely he didn't want to be left alone. Around this time, Michael's drug use increased, perhaps as a coping mechanism for feelings

of isolation, but he wasn't just using, he was also selling marijuana on the side. Michael's drug habit and a side hustle only exacerbated his already fractious marriage. He couldn't hold down a job, which frustrated Lynn and seemed more interested in getting high than finding work. At an impasse, tension brewed between Michael and Lynn. He likely felt stifled while she was probably fed up. With friction at an all-time high, it was only a matter of time before something gave out. One day in 1977, A disagreement turned violent, and Michael started beating Lynn.

He hit her so hard that she dropped the glass she was holding, and it shattered all over the kitchen floor. While Michael beat Lynn, baby Jen crawled into the broken glass and cut herself on a shard. Their daughter's injury was the last straw for Lynn. It likely helped her see that Michael's behavior would only get worse, further endangering Jen. That night, Lynn left taking Jen with her. A short while later, she filed. for divorce. With his family gone, 26-year-old Michael had little left in his life.

Even his excitement for religion waned. He'd spent years searching for meaning and hadn't found true fulfillment anywhere. What he needed was someone to show him the way, a cause to ignite the spark within him, if only he could find it. Despondent, he fell into a routine of partying too hard and taking too many drugs. He was unmoored. While Michael came to terms with his stalled life, recently divorced Suzanne Barnes was on a journey of her own. The 36-year-old still searched for followers who would willingly fight against the encroaching darkness.

Around this time, Michael and Suzanne were part of the same Scottsdale party scene. Michael likely supplied the drugs, while Suzanne was a notorious guest and occasional host. On Thanksgiving night, 1977, the two finally noticed each other for the first season. time. That night, Suzanne was high on acid for the first time. When she locked eyes with Michael, she felt her whole body tingle. She felt certain that this man, whoever he was, was selected for her by Allah. Suzanne strode across the room and told him that Allah had named him Michael after the Archangel. Instantly besotted, the newly renamed Michael didn't hesitate when Suzanne suggested did they party at her house.

Back in her unkempt living room, Suzanne put on a grateful dead record and danced for Michael in a way that felt mystical to them both. As she swayed sensuously near him, Suzanne whispered that she had wandered the astral plane for thousands of years, waiting for her soulmate. Now, she told Michael, she'd found him. Suzanne and Michael spent that night together

and every night following, their whirlwind romance was fueled by hallucinogenic drugs, an emerging religious certainty. However, when Michael brought up the merits of Christianity, Suzanne laughed him off. To her, Christians were hypocrites who followed untrustworthy doctrine. She explained that the God who brought them together was Allah, and that no other deity mattered. Michael didn't need much convincing and fell in line. After years of searching, the stars felt aligned for both Michael and Suzanne.

He had a cause to believe in and a strong leader to show him the way. Suzanne had a pliable acolyte to join her army of warriors. Together they would fight. Now all they needed was a common enemy. Coming up, Michael and Suzanne prepared to strike down the forces of darkness. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th.

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In November of 1977, 26-year-old Michael Carson met 36-year-old Suzanne Barnes at a drug-fueled party. Instantly drawn to one another, they moved in together, and Michael fell in line with Suzanne's religious ram. about a coming holy war. With Michael by her side, Suzanne believed her psychic visions were growing stronger every day. The voices that were once diagnosed as a symptom of psychosis now took on the sound and authority of something holy divine. Still, Suzanne feared her powers were corrupted by evil, and that she herself was a witch under Satan's spell.

But Michael, devoted follower that he was, assured her that she was a yogi, someone blessed God with second sight. Happy to believe she was even more blessed, Suzanne agreed. It was clear that the two offered each other exactly what they wanted from a partner. With an eager pupil to learn about her religion, Suzanne felt validated. Her lifelong visions were divine. And Michael felt sure that his quest for belonging led him directly to Suzanne, a strong believer who gave him a purpose. He would follow wherever she led him. So in the summer of 1978, the pair sold all of their belongings and hopped a plane to Europe. It was the fulfillment of a prophecy from Allah, she told him, and she hoped it would yield marriage, a child, and religious clarity.

And she was determined to check all three boxes. Soon after they arrived in London, on the eve of the summer solstice, Michael and Suzanne were unofficially married in their hotel room with the ritual that they designed. Following the ceremony, they changed their surname to bear in honor of Michael's childhood love of the animal. By the time they left London for a visit to Stonehenge, Suzanne was pregnant. Despite the fruition of two of her three goals for the trip, Suzanne felt bogged down by her fears of evil. She was anxious about the presence of so-called witches who seemed to be everywhere they went. After a lifetime of believing she was psychic, Suzanne felt confident in her ability.

to sense witchcraft. In behavior that smacked of the Middle Ages, she saw evil sorcery at every turn. At any setback, she insisted that witchcraft was to blame. Additionally, anyone who inconvenienced or offended Suzanne was labeled a witch. To Suzanne, the crowded streets and homeless populations of Holland, France, and Spain were signs of the spreading evil around the globe. witchcraft, and by extension, the devil was to blame for the growing shadow and she had to do something. But their refreshed zeal for eradicating evil was disrupted by personal tragedy. While on a post-European jaunt to Israel, Suzanne miscarried. Suzanne was devastated by the loss of the child Allah promised her. Casting around for someone to blame, it didn't take her long to land on witches.

The pregnancy had been hexed in Europe, she declared. and for that all the witches would burn. Driven into action, the newlyweds returned to the United States. Not only did they believe they were following the rules of Islam, they were self-proclaimed hash-shashines, or hash-smoking assassins for Allah. As was her usual practice, Suzanne perverted the original figure from Islamic history, telling Michael they were modern witch hunters. However, Suzanne was adamant that it wouldn't just be an empty title.

She had to answer Allah's call to exterminate the world's evil because it was clear to her that no one else would. She convinced Michael their resolve had to be stronger now more than ever. It was important to evangelize and enlist help in their impending war because the witches would surely fight back. So with her mission front of mind, the couple traveled along the northwest coast of California. They sold drugs and lived a nomadic lifestyle

getting the lay of the land. Once they'd seen the cities and where things were most dire, they could decide which one to strike first. In 1980, they moved to San Francisco. Sure, it would be fertile hunting ground. To them, their successful journey was a sign from Allah that they'd chosen the right city. In the infamous Haid Ashbury district,

Michael and Suzanne scowled at the diverse population and the prevalence of sin. Based on their twisted beliefs, Sex workers, beggars, and hippies were abhorrent, but just a symptom of a bigger problem. Eager to get off the streets, the pair made their way to a party hosted by Suzanne's acquaintances. But inside the building, Suzanne claimed to feel overwhelming nausea and fear. When they opened the door to the party, the reason was clear. Everyone there was a witch.

As the music pulsed and body swayed, Suzanne looked past the crowd to a lone woman in a black dress and orange mohawk. Suzanne was enchanted by 22-year-old Karen Barnes with her punk rock look and beguiling dancing. And when Suzanne told the aspiring actress about her psychic gifts, Karen gushed that she was a clairvoyant as well. Michael, too, felt drawn to Karen.

She had an aura about her that bewitched him. Like Suzanne, he wanted to get to know her better. But while Suzanne felt that she and Karen were long-lost sisters with compatible star signs, Michael might have felt more of a physical pull to the young woman. Whatever their reasons, it was clear to everyone that Karen was a perfect addition to Suzanne's burgeoning cult. Apart from anything else, she was obedient and seemed receptive to new experiences. Shortly after they met, Karen invited Michael and Suzanne to come live with her.

They were overjoyed to move into Karen's basement apartment. Now they had a base from which they could carry out their plans to eradicate San Francisco's witches. Under the same roof, Suzanne said about teaching Karen more about the form of Islam she and Michael practiced. The young woman was particularly intrigued by the idea of San Francisco's witches, and Suzanne and Michael's roles as Hashashins, wanting to contribute, she dedicated time to learning the rituals Suzanne described. For a while, things were peaceful in the household, but as the weeks wore on, Suzanne felt a growing resentment towards Karen. She just couldn't work out why.

Then, in November of 1980, on the night of Ronald Reagan's election, both Suzanne and Michael claimed to feel a great evil envelop the country. Panicked, Michael shared with Karen their theory that Reagan was the devil, but she didn't seem surprised. In fact, according to the book, Cry for War, the story of Suzanne and Michael Carson, Karen said she was already aware that Reagan was the beast. She counted out their president-de-elect's names, Ronald Wilson Reagan. Each contained six letters. Six, six, six. Far from being impressed by her insight, Suzanne felt irritated by Karen's growing smugness and confidence. It was maddening to have such a free-thinking student, but that wasn't the only thing that annoyed Suzanne. Lately,

she noticed Karen and Michael flirting. As per their version of the Islamic faith, Michael was free to take more than one wife, and it was Suzanne's duty to support him. But in her heart, Suzanne knew she could never let Michael marry another woman. He was Suzanne's soulmate, her guardian angel. Karen could not be allowed to take him away from her. Coincidentally, around this same time, Suzanne felt growing suspicions that Karen was actually a witch, information she shared with Michael. Not only was Karen a witch, but Suzanne believed she was the most powerful. powerful witch in San Francisco. Suzanne claimed that since moving in with Karen, her powers and body were weaker. The only explanation was a witch in the house. It was a test, she announced, of their faith and their

relationship. Karen must die, and Michael must be the one to do it. So in February 1981, just after Karen's 23rd birthday, the couple confronted her about the presence of a witch in their home. Karen denied the accusations, but Suzanne wasn't convinced, and as the argument spilled into the kitchen, she screamed at Michael, urging him to kill the witch. Michael picked up a frying pan and hit Karen over the head. As she fell to the floor, he seized a knife and stabbed Karen over and over. Satisfied, Suzanne cackled as Michael bludgeoned Karen again and again with the pan. With each strike, Suzanne claimed she felt.

felt strength returning to her body. While Suzanne drew strength, Michael panicked over the murder they'd just committed. But Suzanne assured him they were fulfilling an important prophecy to kill the most dangerous witch in the city. Their task in San Francisco was complete, she said. They'd done exactly what they'd come here to do. Now it was time to move on. They left the city on foot, thumbing rides north.

According to Suzanne, Allah had much work left for them. Now that they'd struck the first blow against witches, the real hunt could begin. Baptized in blood, the star-crossed assassins set out to rid the world of witches forever. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back on Thursday with part two of Michael and Suzanne Carson's story. We'll follow how Michael and Suzanne's hunt for witches devolves into a bloody murder spree. For more information on Michael and Suzanne Carson, amongst the many resources we used, we found Cry for War, the story of Suzanne and Michael Carson by Richard

D. Reynolds, 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 favorite music, but now Spotify is making it easy for you to enjoy all of your favorite podcast 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. 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 Nick Johnson, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Aaron Larson. This episode of serial killers was

written by Isabella Mennekello, with writing assistance by Abigail Cannon, and stars Greg Polaro. Wilson and Vanessa Richardson. Remember to follow Incredible Feats for mind-reeling stories of strength, focus, and achievement. Comedian and podcaster Dan Cummins hosts, bringing his signature humor to these extreme accounts. You might be glad you've never lived these stories, but you'll love hearing them. Subscribe to Incredible Feats free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally being. and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixed. 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? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal.

One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours. Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.