EP 105: "The Devil Made Me Do It" — The Real Amityville Horror (Part I)

You’ve heard the phrase “the devil made me do it.” But what happens when someone uses it to explain one of the most infamous family murders in American history?We dig into the real events behind The Amityville Horror — the gruesome 1974 murders that inspired a best-selling book, a Hollywood franchise, and decades of ghost stories. But before the hauntings and horror-movie jump scares, there was a family: the DeFeos.We unravel the disturbing home life behind the glossy façade of 112 Ocean Avenue, a mansion gifted by old New York money, ruled by abuse, addiction, and control. From Big Ronnie’s violent temper to Butch DeFeo’s spiral into heroin and paranoia, we trace how a toxic family dynamic became the foundation for a massacre. And when the gunfire finally shattered that “perfect” suburban home, the real horror had only just begun.⚠️ Content Warning: Domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, and graphic descriptions of homicide.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

Welcome back, campers! (And happy spooky season.) This week, we’re tossing the script out the window and diving into real-life horror stories that sound straight out of a movie. From near-death escapes to paranormal close calls, these are the true tales that make you turn the radio down, lock the doors, and whisper, “Did that really just happen?”In this chaotic, wing-it episode, our counselors read their way through Reddit and TikTok threads filled with the internet’s most unbelievable “I survived” moments. From a haunted house that fights back to escaping attempted abductions, it’s a mix of the terrifying, the tragic, and the downright miraculous.⚠️ Content Warning: Includes discussion of abduction, sexual assault, child endangerment, domestic violence, self-harm, and graphic survival accounts.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

Spooky season is here, campers. This week, we’re heading straight into local legend territory. Nestled in the backroads of Collinsville, Illinois, just past the world’s largest ketchup bottle, lies a string of graffiti-covered railroad underpasses known as the Seven Gates of Hell. For decades, bored teens, paranormal investigators, and the morbidly curious have driven these roads at night, hoping to glimpse something beyond the veil — and sometimes claiming they did.In this episode, we explore:🪦 The Legend of the Seven Gates — how a series of abandoned train trestles became Illinois’ own portal to the underworld.👻 Gate-by-Gate Lore — residual hauntings, disembodied voices, and the hellhounds said to chase trespassers through the woods.🩸 Real History Beneath the Myth — from Collinsville’s coal mining past to the documented 1918 lynching of John Prager, the KKK’s presence in Southern Illinois, and how a century of violence and panic shaped local folklore.🐐 Satanic Panic & the “Death House” — stories of animal sacrifice, rituals between gates three and four, and why urban legends about cults took hold in the 1970s and ‘80s.🚗 Acid Bridge — the “bonus” gate where teens on LSD allegedly met a fiery end, ghost cars appear out of nowhere, and a motorcycle club called the Sons of Satan reportedly held gatherings.We also read firsthand listener stories — from phantom cars to hellhound encounters — and dig into why certain places attract myths in the first place. Was it all just teenage rebellion, or is there something darker hiding in the woods?⚠️ Content Warning: Mentions of racial violence, lynching, animal harm, cult activity, and unsolved murder. Listener discretion is advised.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

In Part II of our coverage of SC's Rose Petal Murder.....the investigation into the fatal stabbing of 41 year old Vet Tech Christina Parcell gets far more complicated than anyone expected. In Part I, we unpacked the tangled relationships, custody battles, and harassment campaign that painted a disturbing picture of Christina's ex-bf and the father of her daughter in the months leading up to her murder. Now, in Part II, the story takes a bizarre turn.In this episode we dive into all 2 and a half hours of her murderer 's confession (31 year old piano prodigy Zachary Hughes)...and y'all...it's MESSY af. Was Zachary Hughes a genuinely a good guy who got in way over his head or a deluded narcissist with a savior complex? Was Christina everything he claimed? We're diving DEEP to get the answers for ourselves and you campers....so don't miss this episode!!!SOURCES:Zach Hughes Full Testimony:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nElGKJn8hVMhttps://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/02/20/prosecution-calls-pianist-cold-blooded-killer-defense-says-he-acted-save-child/https://www.courttv.com/news/sc-v-zachary-hughes-rose-petal-murder-trial/20/20 Season 47 Episode 26: The Rose Petal Murderhttps://www.fitsnews.com/2025/01/09/rose-petal-murder-the-four-key-players/https://www2.greenvillecounty.org/scjd/PublicIndex/PIImageDisplay.aspx?ctagency=23002&doctype=D&docid=1647544336899-966&HKey=548473824384117437574556757837410012171112971066872561181031157985114113797479122110791204384748199https://abcnews.go.com/US/rose-petals-blade-pianist-confesses-womans-2021-stabbing/story?id=120794402https://www.fitsnews.com/2025/02/14/testimony-reveals-twisted-timeline-behind-brutal-rose-petal-murder/⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of child custody disputes, CSA allegations, graphic violence, and disturbing courtroom testimony. Listener discretion is strongly advised.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

We're sure y'all already know what horrible things have been happening these last couple of weeks... including but not limited to: yet another school shooting & the cold-blooded murder of a peaceful political activist. But there's always Jake Gyllenhaal being Jake Gyllenhaal; so there's still some love and light in the world. We talk about it all today.In this episode, we cover: Multiple school shootings, the Naval Academy incident that led to a tragic misunderstanding, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.An incredible survival story: Angela and Cade Johnson, forced into marriage as teens by a polygamist cult, who later escaped, reconnected, and fell in love on their own terms.Jake G. gifts a lucky duck to a kid and continues being attractive beyond all reason.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

100 episodes, campers. We can hardly believe it. To mark the milestone, we’re taking you deep into one of the most shocking and twisted cases we’ve ever covered: The “Rose Petal” Murder of Christina Parcell in Greenville, South Carolina….which actually had VERY little to do with roses. On October 13th, 2021, 41-year-old veterinary tech and mother to a 9 year old daughter Christina Parcell was found brutally stabbed 35 times in her home — with dozens of rose petals and leaves scattered eerily around the crime scene. The discovery set off a complex investigation that unraveled secrets of custody battles, manipulation, obsession, and a trail of harassment that stretched across years and even continents. In the end—it led police to a man who NO one saw coming—and whose reasons he gave for the cold-blooded murder were just as shocking as the crime itself. This is Part 1.⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes graphic violence, child custody disputes, stalking, harassment, and disturbing details about the murder. Listener discretion strongly advised.The details:That Morning: Ring doorbell cameras captured a figure carrying roses approaching the Parcell home.The Victim: Christina was a devoted mother, veterinary technician, and sister whose kindness touched coworkers and friends.The Fiancé: Bradley Post, 65, retired multimillionaire, and first on the scene. Did he know more than he was letting on?The Sister’s POV: Tina Parcell’s unwavering suspicion and her close bond with Christina.John Mello: Christina’s ex, Amy’s father, and a man whose obsessive behavior, accusations, and eventual move to Italy raised every red flag.The Harassment Campaign: how Christina’s past was weaponized against her when pornographic images and escort ads were mailed to friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.This is Part I of our two-part deep dive into the Rose Petal Murders. In this first installment, we lay out the tangled web of relationships, custody battles, and escalating threats that set the stage for Christina’s violent death. Part II will unravel the investigation, the shocking arrest, and the trial that followed.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

The Villisca Axe Murders didn’t just end with the brutal crime of 1912; the house itself has lived on with a legacy of hauntings, morbid tourism, and unanswered questions. In this final part of our deep dive, we trace how the infamous little white farmhouse became a historic landmark, a paranormal hotspot, and a site of both fascination and fear.⚠️ Content Warning: This episode covers graphic violence, child victims, unsettling hauntings, and self-harm. Listener discretion strongly advised.In This Episode:Darwin and Martha Linn saved the Villisca house from demolition and restored it to its 1912 state.Cold spots, whispers, shadowy figures, and the infamous attic door that seems to move on its own make the house a paranormal hotspot.Firsthand stories from skeptics-turned-believers who experienced footsteps, tugged clothing, toys moving, and even doppelgänger encounters inside the house.The 2014 Stabbing Incident: caretaker Johnny Houser recounts the night a ghost hunter stabbed himself inside the home, sparking questions about whether something in the house preys on the vulnerable.We explore the theories of residual hauntings, collective trauma, and why so many visitors leave convinced the house is steeped in dark energy.Despite this, we honor the victims: Josiah and Sarah Moore, their four children, and the Stillinger sisters, Lina and Ina, whose lives were cut short in a tragedy that should never be forgotten.While the crime remains unsolved, the legacy of the Villisca Axe Murder House lives on — both as a preserved historical site and as one of America’s most notorious paranormal destinations. Would you dare spend the night?“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

June 10th, 1912. A quiet Iowa town woke to the discovery of one of the most gruesome crimes in American history. Eight people — including six children — were found brutally murdered in their beds. Over a century later, the case remains unsolved, clouded in speculation, small-town gossip, and a legacy of hauntings that still terrifies visitors today.⚠️ Content Warning: This episode covers graphic violence, child victims, sexual assault, and disturbing crime scene details. Listener discretion is strongly advised.In this episode:The neighbors grew suspicious the morning after when the Moore home stayed eerily quiet.Marshal Hank Horton’s chilling words: “My God, Ross, there’s somebody murdered in every bed.”The crime scene was chaos. From a bloody axe to a 3-pound slab of bacon, bizarre details were left behind.Two hundred townspeople trampled through the Moore home, contaminating evidence and turning tragedy into spectacle.From family feuds to traveling preachers, we begin unraveling the tangled web of accusations.Early newspaper reports fueled hysteria with claims of hidden killers, watch chains, and even “photographs of the murderer in the victims’ eyes.”This is Part I of our deep dive into the Villisca Axe Murders — one of the most infamous unsolved cases in true crime history. Part II will explore the haunting legacy of the Moore house and the paranormal phenomena that still draw ghost hunters and skeptics alike.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

Have you ever locked eyes with someone who looked exactly like you? Or heard the old superstition that seeing your double means death is near? This week, we’re pulling back the veil on one of folklore’s creepiest figures: the doppelgänger.⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes themes of death, folklore, paranormal encounters, and unsettling psychological experiences. Listener discretion advised.After weeks buried in BTK, we needed a palate cleanse… so naturally, we went for haunted history, Reddit rabbit holes, and stories that’ll make you side-eye your reflection.From ancient Egyptian soul doubles to chilling Reddit encounters of people meeting sinister versions of their loved ones, we trace the lore of doppelgängers through myth, literature, and spine-tingling real-world accounts. Even Abraham Lincoln makes an appearance in the lineup of unsettling sightings.If you thought “celebrity lookalikes” were the whole story, think again. Doppelgängers have always carried a darker meaning—and these tales might just keep you up tonight.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

We’ve made it, campers—the conclusion of the BTK saga. In this final chapter, we watch the seemingly ordinary father and church leader Dennis Rader unravel, thanks in part to someone far closer to him than police could have imagined.From his last known murder in 1991 to his arrest in 2005, we trace Rader’s brazen communications with police, the meticulous cat-and-mouse strategy of Lt. Kenneth Landwehr’s task force, and the mistake that finally ended BTK’s decades-long reign of terror: a purple floppy disk.Along the way, we hear about Rader’s disturbing “projects,” his abuse of power as a compliance officer, and the FBI-backed media tactics designed to draw him out. The investigation’s turning points—DNA from a pap smear, Home Depot surveillance, and a cereal box with a creepy payload—culminate in one of the most famous takedowns in true crime history.Dennis Rader is now serving ten consecutive life sentences at El Dorado Correctional Facility. The real story, though, may be his daughter Kerri’s extraordinary journey from survivor to advocate for trauma recovery and victims’ rights.Sources:A Serial Killer’s Daughter by Kerri RawsonBind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK by Roy Wenzl, Tim Potter, L. Kelly, and Hurst LavianaInside the Mind of BTK by John Douglas and Johnny Dodd"That’s Genevieve. That’s Kaitlyn."We're the sisters-in-law, best friends, and true crime storytellers behind Camping Is Canceled, serving today's episode with dark humor, compassion, and a solemn nod to survival.Listen Now — wherever you get your podcasts. Join us every Friday. For bonus stories, no ads, and Thursday drops, subscribe to our Patreon.