Episode 243: Cruel & Unusual

Former inmate Paul Smith talks about what it is like to be thrust into federal prison in America. How the environment can turn seemingly normal, average men into savages who act and treat others in an inhuman manner.

Criminal profiler Phil Chalmers will be discussing the psychology behind serial killers, based on his numerous interviews and conversations with mass murderers and serial killers over the years.

Greg Scarpa was a hitman for the Colombo Crime Family with the nickname, The Grim Reaper. He also worked as an FBI informant for decades snitching on his fellow wise guys. I will be talking with true crime author Jonathan Dyer about his latest book, Legendary Evil, The Many Faces of a Mafia Killer, which chronicles Greg Scarpa's life.

Kenny Bunn was found murdered and his ex-girlfriend, Nadya Swartz, and her new boyfriend, Justin Hooker, immediately came to the attention of police. Can they convince detectives they weren't involved, or will their statements be their undoing?

In the 1990s in a suburb of Chicago, seven people were murdered inside a Brown's Chicken restaurant terrifying the entire area. Police aggressively investigated the case, but no suspects were uncovered for years, until they finally got a break. I will be talking with Patrick Wohl, the author of "Something Big: The True Story of the Brown's Chicken Massacre, A Decade-long Manhunt, and the Trials That Followed."

A fight gets out of hand when someone starts shooting. Police arrest 18-year-old Ava Mooring on three counts of attempted murder. We will delve into her interrogation with detectives.

Part 2 of 2. Anomalous Health Incidents. AHI's. That is what the intelligence community refers to it as, but you likely know it as "The Havana Syndrome." People reported feeling sick, dizzy, or even worse after experiencing a loud sonic-like wave in and around the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. The U.S. Intelligence Community says there is no evidence of any deliberate actions by a foreign actor. Is there more to the story?

Anomalous Health Incidents. AHI's. That is what the intelligence community refers to it as, but you likely know it as "The Havana Syndrome." People reported feeling sick, dizzy, or even worse after experiencing a loud sonic-like wave in and around the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. The U.S. Intelligence Community says there is no evidence of any deliberate actions by a foreign actor. Is there more to the story?

Investigative Genetic Genealogist, Kaycee Connelly, from Moxxy Forensics, talks about her efforts in trying to locate Sherry Lynn Crossland Eastman.

Part 2 of 2. People were being shot and killed on the streets of New York City by a crazed madman known as 'Son of Sam.' The authorities later arrested David Berkowitz. Was he a lone gunman, or did the authorities get it wrong and a group of devil worshippers conspired to commit these murders?