Murderland Chicago: A Deep Dish of Death

We kick off season 4 with the first of a multi-part series on Ted Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber); in this episode we discuss Kaczynski’s working class roots as a member of the Polish community on the South Side of Chicago and his journey through the academic world (Harvard —> UMich —> UCBerkley). 

TW: Death by suicide

Recommended reading / watching:

• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• The Manchurian Candidate, directed by John F...

This is the part 3 of our 3-parter on the south side neighborhood of Englewood, which harbored 3 active serials killers at the same time in the 1990s. This episode focuses on the the police torture that led to an unknowable number of false confessions, the ongoing legacy of that torture, and how it contributed to the difficulty in identifying and prosecuting the murderers who were killing women in Englewood throughout the 1990s.

This is the part 2 of our 3-parter on the south side neighborhood of Englewood, which harbored 3 active serials killers at the same time in the 1990s. This episode focuses on the similarity of the crimes committed by all three of these killers, and how the conditions in Englewood promoted these similarities.

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, murder

Research sources include:
Facts and Fictions About Serial Killer...

This is the part 1 of our 3-parter on the south side neighborhood of Englewood, which harbored 3 active serials killers at the same time in the 1990s. This episode focuses on the history of Englewood and how it became a fertile environment for violent serial murder.

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, murder

Research sources include:
Mello-Klein, Cody. “Why Are There Fewer Serial Killers Now than There Used to Be?...

This is the part 2 of our 2-parter on Wolf Lake, a southeast side lake that drew the attention of Leopold and Loeb as well as Andrew Urdiales. In this episode we discuss Andrew Urdiales' murderous actions in both SoCal and around Wolf Lake.

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, murder, death penalty

Research sources include:
"California Kidnapping Survivor Details Brush With Alleged Serial Killer....

This is the part 1 of our 2-parter on Wolf Lake, a southeast side lake that drew the attention of Leopold and Loeb as well as Andrew Urdiales. We dive into the history of Wolf Lake and the Chicago neighborhood it sits it, Hegewisch.

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, murder

Research sources include:
“Southeast Side Marsh Is Urban Oasis.” WBEZ Chicago, 15 June 2011, https://www.wbez.org/stories/hegewisch-...

This is the part 2 of our series on the L&L Tavern, a notorious dive bar that both John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer patronized. What drew them to the L&L Tavern? What made them feel so comfortable there? Who's drinking there today?

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, murder, cannibalism, anthropophagy, homophobia

Research sources include:

“Jeffrey Dahmer’s Life (and Death) in Prison.” Biography, 16 June 2...

Welcome to Season 3 of Murderland Chicago: A Deep Dish of Death! Our theme this season is TRIANGLES OF TERROR—we'll explore key Chicago locations that have drawn the attention of more than their fair share of Chicagoland's serial killers. This is the first of a 2 part series on the L&L Tavern.

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, child abuse, torture, murder

Research sources include:

“Jeffrey Dahmer’s Life (and Deat...

This is part 3 of our series on the deadly duo of Patricia Columbo and Frank DeLuca, who killed Columbo's family in 1976. We discuss the media aftermath of Columbo and DeLuca's convictions. We also recap season 2 and give a preview of season 3! 

Howard, Clark. Love’s Blood. St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 1994.

“Woman Speaks out about 1976 Murder of Her Parents, Brother.” The Daily Journal, 8 May 2006, https://www.daily-...

This is part 2 of our series on the deadly duo of Patricia Columbo and Frank DeLuca, who killed Columbo's family in 1976. We discuss how the toxic romance between Patty and DeLuca led them to plan and carry out the murder of Patty's parents and younger brother.

Howard, Clark. Love’s Blood. St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 1994.

“Woman Speaks out about 1976 Murder of Her Parents, Brother.” The Daily Journal, 8 May 2006, ht...

This is the first of our3 episode series on the deadly duo of Patricia Columbo and Frank DeLuca, who killed Columbo's family in 1976. In this episode we discuss the culture of Chicago's middle-class suburbs and cover Patty's childhood in the city, adolescence in the suburbs, and how she and Frank DeLuca met and sparked their deadly relationship.


Howard, Clark. Love’s Blood. St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 1994...

In this episode, we discuss how 1920s era Chicago shaped the toxic relationship between Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, what led them to murder Loeb's 14 year old second cousin Bobby Franks, and why this so-called "perfect crime" was anything but.

TW: Kidnapping, sexual assault, murder, the death penalty

Research sources include:

Williams, John. Nothing but the Night. New York Review Books...

This is the final episode of our three part series on Larry Eyler, a serial killer who targeted gay men from the Indianapolis / Terre Haute, IN areas all the way to Chicagoland and beyond. In this episode we discuss his possible accomplice and how competing incentives among different legal players helped to ensure that the whole truth about what happened can never be brought to light.

TW: Sexual assault, torture, murder

Here is part two of our three part series on Larry Eyler, a serial killer who targeted gay men from the Indianapolis / Terre Haute, IN areas all the way to Chicagoland and beyond. In this episode we discuss his crimes, how he was caught—and freed!—in Indiana, which culminated in Eyler's arrival to the north side of Chicago.

TW: Sexual assault, child abuse, torture, murder

Research sources include:
Kolari...

Welcome to Season 2 of Murderland Chicago: A Deep Dish of Death! This is the first of a three part series on Larry Eyler, an often-overlooked serial killer who targeted gay men from the Indianapolis / Terre Haute, IN areas all the way to Chicagoland and beyond. We discuss the economic and cultural relationship between Chicago and Indiana, the leather community, and how Eyler's upbringing and young adulthood in Indiana set the ...

Thank you everyone for listening and sending in your feedback! We got together to reflect on season one, highlight themes and patterns that became clear during the making of the podcast, and interview a special guest to get a behind-the-scenes view into the kind of work that goes on in labs! We also preview Season 2 of Murderland Chicago: A Deep Dish of Death, which is currently in production.

Follow us on Instagram @deepdishofdeath...