Maria DiLorenzo: Confessions of the Green River Killer

When crime journalist Maria DiLorenzo began writing to Gary Ridgway, she had no idea where it would go. He began calling her—hundreds of times. Their conversations were supposed to lead to big revelations and to clues about women who might have been victims of the Green River Killer. But Ridgway played games and DiLorenzo soon felt very uncomfortable. She tells me about her book Confessions of the Green River Killer.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1990s, a bank robber known as “Hollywood” robbed at least 19 banks in the northwest. He was pursued for years until one final robbery ended in violence. My guests are an interesting duo: one is the FBI agent who chased him and his crew. The other was Hollywood’s accomplice. Shawn Johnson and Steve Meyers tell me their story from the Netflix documentary How to Rob a Bank.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My next guest is an author who began writing a biography and then turned it into a novel. And I don’t blame her. The story of Earnest Pletch may be largely unknown now, but in 1939, he became famous. He took a flying lesson, he brought a gun, and soon, he was flying solo. Kim Sheeter tells me about the killer at the center of her story: Air-Minded.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the third time I’ve had Dawson Fearnow on the show—he writes about Arizona and some of the bad things that happened there. He’s talking to me about a piece he wrote for Phoenix Magazine called "Incognito, Inc.: Arizona’s Secret, Starring Role in the Federal Witness Protection Program.” Dawson tells me about several cases about mob informants in the state who couldn’t stay out of trouble.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alright, I have a great podcast for you. It’s called Criminal Broads and it’s hosted by Tori Telfer. The stories focus on women as criminals. She tells me about a bank robber and a dirty doctor, as well as some others.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights ReservedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve had my buddy, Maurice Chammah, on the show before. He’s a journalist with the Marshall Project, and a leading authority on the death penalty. He has a podcast out called: The Last Twelve Weeks. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the attorneys for a man on death row in Texas are racing to stop his execution. It’s a complicated story about a very bad man…who might have been wrongly convicted for murders he didn’t commit. Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 1975 murder of 15-year-old Martha Moxley made national headlines because of its brutality, but also because the main suspect was a cousin of the Kennedys. Michael Skakel was tried, convicted and then released from prison. Many felt like he might have gotten away with murder. But some people who have reinvestigated the case aren’t so sure. And that includes true crime podcaster Kate Casey who has a show called Reality Life with Kate Casey. She wrote about the case in an article for Vanity Fair.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My next guest has done something extraordinary: she traveled across America collecting stories of criminalized survival. Shocked to find how many women were convicted for protecting themselves against abuse. Author Justine van der Leun tells me the stories in her book Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Self-Defense, Wrongful Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you followed the so-called Black Swan murder case, you probably saw a teenage girl, trying to get justice for her father. In 2020, Ashley Benefield shot and killed her estranged husband, Doug, in Florida. Eva Benefield had already gone through so much trauma in her life and then she had to watch her stepmother go on trial for murdering her father. Eva tells me the story from her memoir: Ghost Girl: Surviving the Black Swan Murder. Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Emily Winslow is a fabulous crime novelist and she’s also a sexual assault survivor. In 1992, she was a young drama student at an elite conservatory in Pittsburgh.  One January night, she was brutally raped by a stranger. More than 20 years later, Emily found out that the attacker had finally been arrested. In her memoir, Jane Doe January, Emily digs into her own case to find out what went wrong.  Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18  See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com  Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram)  2026 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.