The Devil Within
- Épisodes
- 436
- Parution
- plusieurs fois par semaine
- Dernier épisode
- 13 Nov 2026
À propos du podcast
The Devil Within is a cinematic podcast about the stories that refuse to die — the legends, disappearances, curses, and supernatural encounters that linger long after the world moves on. Each episode blends history, folklore, and investigation to explore what really happened… and why these stories still haunt us. From mythical creatures and haunted places, to strange crimes and unexplained phenomena, The Devil Within starts where the facts end — and the unanswered questions begin. New episodes weekly. Bring a light. You may need it. BINGE THE FIRST FOUR SEASONS NOW! Season 1: The Jersey Devil - The brutal slaying of BETTY ANN SULLIVAN shocked the small town of Jefferson Township, New Jersey. The violence of that evening shocked the nation for the perpetrator... was her own son, a boy of fourteen who would take his own life only hours later. What the investigation revealed left a community in tatters, unwilling to believe the evil that had befallen them. Season 2: The Demons of Yorkshire - In 1974 after experiencing financial hardship, Michael Taylor joined a local church in the rolling hills of Northern England. After falling in love with a young, beautiful preacher, Michael’s personality began to change. The mild-mannered family man became abusive and unhinged. His new church believed he was possessed by no fewer than 48 demons and would require an exorcism to save his soul and protect his family from evil. But the supposed remedy would come at a very steep price... Season 3: A Season in Hell - In the late 1970's New York City had it all: Hip Hop, Punk Rock... and the Son of Sam. The third season of The Devil Within takes listeners into the belly of the beast and explores the wicked origins, reign of terror and ultimate capture of one of the most feared serial killers in history. With exclusive interviews from journalists, FBI agents, historians and mental health experts this season promises to be the most comprehensive - and most terrifying - account of how one man brought New York City to a standstill. Season 4: Satan's Shadow - In the 1980s, California learned that fear doesn’t always lurk in the dark. Sometimes, it walks right through the door. SATAN’S SHADOW follows the terrifying rise of Richard Ramirez — the Night Stalker — while tracing his crimes alongside Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. As Ramirez descends deeper into violence, we descend with him through Dante’s circles of hell, asking what happens to a city — and a soul — when darkness becomes a spectacle. Across nine episodes, each chapter pairs the facts of the case with a brief lesson from Dante: desire twisted into obsession, cruelty masquerading as power, betrayal, violence, and the chilling fascination that draws us closer instead of pushing us away. Because Ramirez didn’t just kill. He captivated. He made the world watch — and forced us to confront the part of ourselves that can’t look away. Bonus episodes explore the trial, aftermath, and the myths that followed — along with glimpses into Purgatorio and Paradiso, and whether redemption or meaning is possible after horror. SATAN’S SHADOW isn’t only about a murderer. It’s about a culture slowly walking toward darkness… and what it costs to climb back out.
Épisodes 436
Sins Of The Earth: Part Three - Beneath The Mountain
SINS OF THE EARTH Part Three: Beneath the Mountains The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan There is a particular kind of arrogance required to look upon a mountain and conclude that its greatest …
Notes de l’épisode
SINS OF THE EARTH
Part Three: Beneath the Mountains
The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan
There is a particular kind of arrogance required to look upon a mountain and conclude that its greatest contribution to civilization would be to disappear.
In the early nineteenth century, the mountains of northern New Jersey were becoming the foundation of an industrial empire. Beneath their forests lay enormous deposits of iron ore, and the men determined to extract that wealth were transforming the landscape one mine, one furnace, and one felled tree at a time.
And in 1804, a new name appeared on the map.
Jefferson Township.
In the third installment of Sins of the Earth, we explore the birth of Jefferson Township and the extraordinary industrial transformation unfolding across the New Jersey Highlands.
Named for President Thomas Jefferson, the newly established township occupied a rugged landscape of mountains, forests, lakes, and scattered settlements. But beneath its seemingly untouched wilderness, an increasingly sophisticated network of mines, furnaces, charcoal hearths, and transportation routes was taking shape.
From Milton and Oak Ridge to Lake Hopatcong and the neighboring ironworks of West Milford and Rockaway, the region was becoming an essential part of America's expanding industrial economy.
Iron was extracted from ancient bedrock. Forests were harvested to fuel furnaces. Waterways were altered, roads carved through mountains, and entire communities built around an industry that would eventually disappear.
But disappearing industries have a peculiar habit of leaving things behind.
Today, the forests have reclaimed much of that industrial landscape. Abandoned mine shafts, forgotten charcoal hearths, crumbling foundations, and old transportation routes lie concealed beneath generations of vegetation.
And that raises an unsettling question: What else might have been left behind?
As our investigation moves closer to the events of January 1988 and the murders that first brought The Devil Within to Jefferson Township, we begin examining whether the region's industrial history could have produced environmental consequences that persisted into the modern era.
There is no established connection between that history and the Sullivan murders. But understanding what happened to the land is the first step toward determining whether such a connection is even plausible.
Because every place has a past.
And sometimes the most important parts of that past are the ones we can no longer see.
IN THIS EPISODE
• The founding of Jefferson Township on February 11, 1804, and its connection to President Thomas Jefferson.
• The expanding iron mines and industrial economy of the New Jersey Highlands.
• The development of Milton, Oak Ridge, and the communities surrounding Lake Hopatcong.
• The role of the Morris Canal in transforming regional transportation and commerce.
• The forgotten charcoal hearths, abandoned mines, and industrial remnants concealed within the forests.
• The critical distinction between evidence of historical industrial activity and proof of environmental contamination.
NEXT EPISODE — BLOOD & IRON
In Act II of Sins of the Earth, we return to the industrial ambitions of Peter Hasenclever, Long Pond Ironworks, and the expanding network of mines and furnaces that transformed the Highlands.
This time, we'll begin examining the industrial operations themselves: what they produced, what they discarded, and whether their environmental legacy may have extended far beyond the generations responsible for creating it.
LISTEN. FOLLOW. JOIN THE INVESTIGATION.
Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Follow the show so you don't miss a single chapter of Sins of the Earth.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the investigation? Leave us a five-star rating and a written review. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners and keeps independent storytelling alive.
Watch & Subscribe: Experience The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, historical imagery, and exclusive video content.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, archival imagery, and behind-the-scenes material from the investigation.
Have a Story or a Tip? Do you have historical photographs, family stories, documents, or firsthand knowledge of Jefferson Township, the New Jersey Highlands, or the region's abandoned iron mines? We want to hear from you.
Email: mailto:[email protected]
The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.
Every place has a past. And sometimes the most important parts of that past are the ones we can no longer see.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sins Of The Earth: Part Two - The Ironmasters
SINS OF THE EARTH Part Two: The Ironmasters The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan Before northern New Jersey became a landscape of suburban neighborhoods, lakeside communities, and winding mountain roads …
Notes de l’épisode
SINS OF THE EARTH
Part Two: The Ironmasters
The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan
Before northern New Jersey became a landscape of suburban neighborhoods, lakeside communities, and winding mountain roads, it was the birthplace of an industrial empire. And the men who built it were willing to sacrifice an extraordinary amount to extract the wealth buried beneath their feet.
In the second installment of Sins of the Earth, we return to the eighteenth-century New Jersey Highlands, where vast deposits of iron ore attracted a new breed of entrepreneur: the ironmasters.
Among them was Peter Hasenclever, a German-born industrialist whose extraordinary ambitions helped transform the forests and mountains of northern New Jersey into a sprawling network of mines, furnaces, forges, and industrial settlements. Backed by the American Iron Company, Hasenclever envisioned an enterprise capable of supplying the growing British colonies with one of civilization's most indispensable materials.
But turning stone into iron required considerably more than ambition.
Entire forests were harvested to produce charcoal. Rivers were dammed to power enormous bellows. Roads were carved through mountains, and generations of workers endured brutal conditions to keep the furnaces burning. At places like Long Pond, the landscape itself became part of an enormous industrial machine.
And with every ton of iron produced came something else: smoke, ash, slag, and the physical consequences of an industry that would eventually disappear, leaving its remnants scattered throughout the Highlands.
What happens when the industry dies, but its legacy remains buried in the land?
As our investigation continues, we examine the extraordinary achievements of colonial ironmaking alongside the environmental questions that would become central to Sins of the Earth. Could the consequences of industrial activity have persisted long after the furnaces went cold? And is there any credible evidence connecting that legacy to the darker chapters of Jefferson Township's modern history?
The answers are far from certain. But the questions are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Because the ironmasters came to the Highlands looking for fortunes.
What they left behind may prove considerably more interesting.
IN THIS EPISODE
• The rise of iron production in colonial America and Britain's Iron Act of 1750.
• Peter Hasenclever, the American Iron Company, and the industrial development of Long Pond.
• The enormous demand for timber, charcoal, waterpower, and human labor.
• Life inside the furnaces, mines, and ironworking communities of the eighteenth-century Highlands.
• The environmental legacy of colonial ironmaking and the unanswered questions surrounding its long-term consequences.
NEXT EPISODE: BENEATH THE MOUNTAINS
We explore the expanding iron industry of northern New Jersey, the establishment of Jefferson Township, and the forgotten mines and industrial ruins still concealed within the forests of Jefferson, Milton, Oak Ridge, and West Milford.
LISTEN. FOLLOW. JOIN THE INVESTIGATION.
Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Follow the show so you don't miss a single chapter of Sins of the Earth.
Rate & Review: If you're enjoying the series, leave us a five-star rating and a written review. It's one of the most effective ways to help new listeners discover the show.
Watch & Subscribe: Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, historical imagery, and exclusive video content.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, behind-the-scenes material, and more from the investigation.
Have a Story or a Tip? Do you have family connections to the iron industry of northern New Jersey, historical documents, photographs, or firsthand knowledge of the region's abandoned mines and furnaces? We'd love to hear from you.
Email: mailto:[email protected]
The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.
The most enduring things we leave behind are not always the things we intended to build.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sins Of The Earth: Part One - Before There Was Jefferson
SINS OF THE EARTH Act I: The Land | Episode One: Before There Was Jefferson The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan What if the darkest chapter in a town's history began centuries before the crime that made …
Notes de l’épisode
SINS OF THE EARTH
Act I: The Land | Episode One: Before There Was Jefferson
The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan
What if the darkest chapter in a town's history began centuries before the crime that made it infamous?
In January 1988, fourteen-year-old Tommy Sullivan murdered his mother, Betty, before taking his own life in Jefferson Township, New Jersey. The tragedy became the foundation of The Devil Within, a story surrounded by allegations of Satanism, demonic influence, and questions that remain deeply unsettling nearly four decades later.
Now, we're returning to where it all began. But this time, we're digging much deeper.
In the premiere of Sins of the Earth, we travel back more than a billion years to explore the geological origins of the New Jersey Highlands, the ancient mountains rich with iron ore, and the rivers and forests that sustained generations of Lenape communities long before European settlement.
As Dutch, English, and German settlers pushed into the region, the landscape began to change. Forests became fuel. Rivers became sources of power. Mountains became repositories of mineral wealth. And an emerging iron industry began transforming the land in ways that would outlast the people who built it.
Inspired in part by Caroline Fraser's Murderland, this ambitious new investigation asks a provocative question: Could the environmental consequences of America's industrial past have influenced generations that followed?
The connection remains unproven. But the history is real, and the questions deserve answers.
Before there was Jefferson Township, before the Sullivan murders, before anyone imagined the darkness that would eventually descend upon this small New Jersey community, there was the land.
And beneath it, there was iron.
NEXT EPISODE: THE IRON BENEATH
We follow the ironmasters, entrepreneurs, and laborers who transformed the Highlands into an emerging industrial powerhouse, building furnaces, forges, and entire communities around the wealth buried beneath the mountains.
LISTEN. FOLLOW. JOIN THE INVESTIGATION.
Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Don't miss a single chapter of Sins of the Earth.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave us a five-star rating and a written review. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners.
Watch & Subscribe: Experience The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes and exclusive video content.
Join the Conversation: Follow us on Instagram @thedevilwithinpod for episode updates, historical imagery, and behind-the-scenes material.
Have a Story or a Tip? We're always interested in hearing from listeners, particularly those with firsthand knowledge of Jefferson Township and the history of the New Jersey Highlands. Contact us at mailto:[email protected].
The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.
The past is never quite as distant as we'd like to believe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of November 9th, 2026
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER Week of November 9, 2026 America Has Spoken. The Ghosts Are Still Talking. And the Horror Never Stops. America has voted, the political landscape is shifting, and a new chapter in American …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER
Week of November 9, 2026
America Has Spoken. The Ghosts Are Still Talking. And the Horror Never Stops.
America has voted, the political landscape is shifting, and a new chapter in American history is beginning. But whether the newly elected can deliver on the promises that brought them to power remains to be seen.
This week on The Devil's Ledger, Branden Morgan reflects on the election, the importance of empowering women, and the extraordinary responsibility that comes with public office. Then we turn our attention to the darker corners of the Evio Creative Universe, where abandoned amusement parks, industrial mysteries, murderous mothers, and homicidal governesses await.
THE CREEPIEST THING I HEARD THIS WEEK
Lake Shawnee Amusement Park: Where the Fun Never Dies
Deep in the mountains of West Virginia sits an abandoned amusement park with a history considerably more disturbing than its rusting rides might suggest.
Built on land associated with a bloody eighteenth-century frontier conflict and the deaths of several children, Lake Shawnee Amusement Park became the setting for additional tragedies during its years of operation.
Today, visitors report ghostly children, unexplained laughter, and amusement park rides that seem to move on their own.
Is something supernatural lingering among the abandoned attractions, or has a genuinely tragic history simply given rise to an exceptionally effective ghost story?
Either way, this is one amusement park where you might want to skip the last ride.
THE DEVIL WITHIN — SINS OF THE EARTH
A New Investigation Begins
Could the toxic legacy of America's iron and steel industries have contributed to the Golden Age of Serial Killers?
Inspired by Caroline Fraser's Murderland, The Devil Within launches an ambitious new investigation into industrial contamination, environmental history, and the possible relationship between toxic exposure and violent behavior.
Our journey begins in Jefferson Township, New Jersey, the community at the center of the original Devil Within investigation, where fourteen-year-old Tommy Sullivan committed an unimaginable act of violence in January 1988.
What could the region's centuries-old industrial history tell us about the environment inherited by later generations? And could it help us understand a community associated with three murderers?
The connections remain unproven, but the questions are worth investigating.
Sins of the Earth begins this week on The Devil Within.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF — THE MOST HATED WOMAN IN AMERICA
The Crimes of Lori Vallow-Daybell
Carolyn Ossorio returns to the Criminal Mischief archives to revisit one of the most disturbing murder investigations in recent American history.
Lori Vallow-Daybell's apocalyptic religious beliefs, increasingly bizarre behavior, and involvement in a series of horrific crimes culminated in the murders of her children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow.
What followed was a shocking investigation involving religious extremism, manipulation, betrayal, and a mother whose actions horrified the nation.
Revisit the investigation, the convictions, and the disturbing psychology behind the woman dubbed The Most Hated Woman in America.
ON THE SLIPPERY — THE LEXICON
The Hit Limited Series Continues
Scot and Nancy continue their latest limited series, The LexiCON, exclusively on the Evio Creative Network.
Haven't started listening yet? The first half of the season is already available to binge, making this the perfect opportunity to catch up before the next installment.
THIS WEEK IN HORROR — VICTORIAN PSYCHO
Good Manners. Bad Intentions. Very Sharp Objects.
It's 1858, and a mysterious young governess named Winifred Notty has arrived at a remote gothic manor on the Yorkshire Moors.
Her assignment? Educate the children of the wealthy Pounds family.
Her problem? She's a psychopath.
Starring Maika Monroe, Jason Isaacs, and Ruth Wilson, Victorian Psycho combines Victorian etiquette, gothic atmosphere, and murderous impulses into a deliciously twisted horror story.
Because maintaining appearances is terribly important.
Even when the bodies start disappearing.
LISTEN. FOLLOW. JOIN THE EVIO UNIVERSE.
Listen & Follow: Find The Devil's Ledger, The Devil Within, Criminal Mischief, and The Slippery on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Follow your favorites so you never miss an episode.
Rate & Review: Enjoying our shows? Leave a five-star rating and a written review. It's one of the best ways to help independent podcasts reach new listeners.
Watch & Subscribe: Visit the Evio Creative YouTube channel for video episodes, exclusive content, and more from across the network. Subscribe and turn on notifications.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for updates, behind-the-scenes material, and stories from the darker corners of history.
Have a Story or a Tip? Send your paranormal experiences, true crime tips, or story suggestions to mailto:[email protected].
The Devil's Ledger is an Evio Creative production, hosted by Branden Morgan.
Stay safe, stay dry, and start preparing for Thanksgiving. Ready or not, it's right around the damn corner.
We'll catch up with you somewhere across the Evio Universe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! The Queen Of The Dead
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN Episode Six: The Queen of the Dead Marie Laveau, the Cities of the Dead, and the Supernatural Secrets of New Orleans In New Orleans, the dead have never been particularly …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
Episode Six: The Queen of the Dead
Marie Laveau, the Cities of the Dead, and the Supernatural Secrets of New Orleans
In New Orleans, the dead have never been particularly interested in disappearing.
Beneath the city's ancient oak trees and behind its wrought-iron cemetery gates, elaborate stone and marble tombs rise above the earth, forming miniature neighborhoods where generations of families share their final resting places. These extraordinary burial grounds, known as the Cities of the Dead, have become synonymous with one of America's most mysterious and spiritually fascinating cities.
And among the thousands buried within them, one woman has inspired more superstition, fascination, and supernatural speculation than almost anyone else in Louisiana history.
Her name was Marie Laveau.
Known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Laveau was a free woman of color who acquired extraordinary influence in nineteenth-century Louisiana, a society defined by slavery, racial inequality, and deeply entrenched religious divisions. Revered as a healer and spiritual adviser, feared by those who misunderstood her practices, and rumored to possess powers beyond ordinary human understanding, Laveau became one of the most remarkable figures in American folklore.
But her legend only grew after her death in 1881.
In the final installment of Haunted Halloween, The Devil Within travels to New Orleans to investigate the woman behind the mythology, the spiritual traditions that shaped her reputation, and the extraordinary cemeteries where the living continue seeking assistance from the dead.
We'll explore the origins of Louisiana Voodoo, the religious gatherings associated with Laveau near Bayou St. John, and the mysterious stories that followed her through the streets of nineteenth-century New Orleans.
We'll also venture into St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where a weathered family tomb traditionally associated with Marie Laveau has attracted generations of visitors carrying flowers, coins, and handwritten petitions. Some believed that marking three X's upon the tomb and making a wish could summon the Voodoo Queen's assistance from beyond the grave.
And then there's the most extraordinary claim of all.
What if Marie Laveau never really died?
For decades after her death, stories circulated of a mysterious woman who looked remarkably like the Voodoo Queen, wandering the streets of New Orleans apparently untouched by time. Was she a supernatural apparition, or had confusion surrounding Laveau's daughter, who shared her name, created the illusion of immortality?
From the devastating yellow fever epidemics that filled New Orleans' cemeteries to the spiritual traditions that transformed death into an enduring part of the city's cultural identity, we separate documented history from supernatural legend to uncover the remarkable story of a woman whose influence survived long after her world disappeared.
Was Marie Laveau truly capable of communicating with the dead, or was her greatest power the extraordinary influence she achieved among the living?
More than 140 years after her death, the Voodoo Queen's legend remains very much alive.
LISTEN, WATCH & JOIN THE CONVERSATION
LISTEN & FOLLOW: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Follow the show so you never miss another investigation into history's darker corners.
RATE & REVIEW: Enjoying Haunted Halloween? Leave us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps new listeners discover the show and allows us to continue bringing these extraordinary stories to life.
WATCH & SUBSCRIBE: Experience The Devil Within through cinematic imagery, historical photographs, and original visual storytelling on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, exclusive content, and more from the Evio Creative network.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for haunting historical imagery, behind-the-scenes content, and more stories from the darker side of American history.
HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? Have you experienced something unexplained, visited a haunted location, or uncovered a mystery you think deserves investigating? Send your stories, experiences, and tips to mailto:[email protected].
COMING NEXT: THE DEVIL RETURNS HOME
With Haunted Halloween behind us, The Devil Within returns to the investigation that started it all.
Jefferson Township, New Jersey.
More than three decades ago, the murders of Tommy Sullivan and his mother, Betty, became the foundation of the very first season of The Devil Within, a case involving unimaginable violence, religious obsession, and questions that have haunted investigators and listeners ever since.
Now, as another anniversary of the murders approaches, we're returning to New Jersey to reexamine the evidence and explore a possible new explanation for what happened inside the Sullivan home.
An explanation that, if supported by the evidence, might extend far beyond one family.
What if the same disturbing patterns could help explain dozens of other cases involving seemingly inexplicable acts of violence?
And what if the answer we've been searching for has been hiding in plain sight all along?
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! The Ship That Never Reached Port
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN Episode Five: The Ship That Never Reached Port The RMS Queen Mary — A Haunted Ocean Liner, a Wartime Tragedy, and the Ghosts Who Never Disembarked Once the most glamorous …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN Episode Five: The Ship That Never Reached Port The RMS Queen Mary — A Haunted Ocean Liner, a Wartime Tragedy, and the Ghosts Who Never Disembarked Once the most glamorous ocean liner in the world, the RMS Queen Mary carried Hollywood royalty, international celebrities, and wealthy travelers across the Atlantic in extraordinary luxury. Then came World War II, and the floating palace became something altogether different. On October 2, 1942, while transporting thousands of American soldiers toward Britain, the Queen Mary collided with the British warship HMS Curacoa. The smaller vessel broke apart and sank within minutes, leaving hundreds of sailors struggling in the freezing Atlantic. More than 300 men died. And the Queen Mary never stopped. Under wartime orders and the threat of German submarines, the enormous liner continued toward Scotland, leaving other vessels to rescue the survivors. It was one of the most devastating maritime accidents of the war, and only one chapter in the extraordinary history of a ship that would eventually acquire a reputation as one of the most haunted vessels in the world. In this installment of Haunted Halloween, The Devil Within travels to Long Beach, California, where the Queen Mary has remained permanently moored since 1967. Behind her elegant Art Deco interiors, grand staircases, and luxurious passenger cabins lies a collection of supernatural legends that have fascinated visitors and paranormal investigators for decades. We'll investigate the ghostly little girl known as Jackie, whose laughter and footsteps are allegedly heard near the ship's abandoned first-class swimming pool; the mysterious crewman said to haunt the machinery spaces near watertight Door 13; and the disturbing reputation of Room B340, where guests have reported unexplained knocking, strange disturbances, and the unmistakable sensation that someone—or something—is sharing their accommodations. But how much of the Queen Mary's haunted reputation can be traced to genuine historical tragedy, and how much belongs to the mythology that has accumulated around an aging ship? From her magnificent beginnings in 1930s Britain to her dangerous wartime service and eventual retirement on the California coast, we separate documented history from supernatural speculation to explore a vessel whose most terrifying stories may have nothing to do with ghosts. The Queen Mary completed her final voyage in 1967. But according to those who believe her stories, some of her passengers are still waiting to disembark. LISTEN, WATCH & JOIN THE CONVERSATION LISTEN & FOLLOW: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow the show so you never miss another investigation into the darker corners of history. RATE & REVIEW: Enjoying Haunted Halloween? Leave us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps new listeners discover the show and keeps these stories coming. WATCH & SUBSCRIBE: Experience The Devil Within through cinematic imagery, historical photographs, and original visual storytelling on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes and exclusive content. JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for haunting historical imagery, episode updates, and more mysteries from the darker side of American history. HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? Have you encountered something unexplained, visited a haunted location, or uncovered a mystery you think deserves investigating? Send your stories, experiences, and tips to mailto:[email protected]. COMING NEXT: THE QUEEN OF THE DEAD Our Haunted Halloween journey concludes in New Orleans, Louisiana, where elaborate aboveground tombs form the legendary Cities of the Dead, and one woman's extraordinary reputation has survived for more than a century. Her name was Marie Laveau. Known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Laveau became one of the most influential and mysterious spiritual figures in nineteenth-century Louisiana. Revered by some, feared by others, and rumored to possess extraordinary powers, her legend continued growing long after her death in 1881. Today, visitors still seek her assistance at a tomb traditionally associated with her remains in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Was Marie Laveau a supernatural practitioner whose influence survived the grave, or a remarkable woman whose life became something far greater than history could contain? The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! The Horseman Who Never Died
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN The Horseman Who Never Died Sleepy Hollow, New York — The True History Behind America's Most Famous Ghost A headless soldier. A midnight pursuit. A shattered pumpkin. And a …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
The Horseman Who Never Died
Sleepy Hollow, New York — The True History Behind America's Most Famous Ghost
A headless soldier. A midnight pursuit. A shattered pumpkin. And a legend that has haunted the Hudson Valley for more than two centuries.
In this installment of Haunted Halloween, The Devil Within travels to Sleepy Hollow, New York, where the bloody history of the American Revolution collided with centuries of European folklore to create one of the most enduring supernatural legends in American history.
According to local tradition, a Hessian soldier was decapitated by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War and buried without his head in the churchyard of the Old Dutch Church. Condemned to search for his missing remains, the spectral horseman supposedly rises from the grave each night, galloping through the surrounding countryside before disappearing at dawn.
But was there ever a real Headless Horseman?
In 1820, Washington Irving immortalized the legend in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, introducing readers to the superstitious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, and the mischievous Brom Bones. Their romantic rivalry culminates in one of literature's most famous midnight encounters—and a disappearance that Irving deliberately left unresolved.
This episode explores the genuine Revolutionary War violence that shaped the Hudson Valley, the history of the Old Dutch Church, and the literary genius who transformed a regional ghost story into an American cultural phenomenon.
We'll investigate the mysterious Hessian soldier, the origins of Irving's supernatural imagination, and the tantalizing possibility that Ichabod Crane's terrifying encounter had a perfectly human explanation.
Was the Headless Horseman a restless spirit searching for his severed head, or the creation of a clever storyteller who understood that the most terrifying monsters are sometimes the ones we invent ourselves?
More than 200 years later, Sleepy Hollow is still searching for an answer.
LISTEN, WATCH & JOIN THE CONVERSATION
LISTEN & FOLLOW: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Follow the show so you never miss another journey into the darker corners of history.
RATE & REVIEW: Enjoying Haunted Halloween? Leave us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps new listeners discover the show and makes these investigations possible.
WATCH & SUBSCRIBE: Experience The Devil Within through cinematic imagery, historical photographs, and original visual storytelling on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes and exclusive content.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, haunting historical images, and more stories from the darker side of American history.
HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? Have you encountered something unexplained, visited a haunted location, or uncovered a mystery you think deserves investigating? Email us at mailto:[email protected].
COMING NEXT: THE SHIP THAT NEVER REACHED PORT
Our Haunted Halloween journey continues aboard the legendary RMS Queen Mary, the magnificent ocean liner permanently moored in Long Beach, California.
Once the floating palace of Hollywood royalty and international celebrities, the Queen Mary became a wartime troopship whose history includes a catastrophic collision that claimed hundreds of lives.
Today, visitors report ghostly children, mysterious footsteps, and apparitions wandering her abandoned corridors.
The Queen Mary completed her final voyage in 1967.
But some believe not everyone aboard ever disembarked.
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of November 2nd, 2026
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER Week of November 2, 2026 Halloween Is Over. The Hauntings Aren't. Halloween may be behind us, but we're not quite ready to put the ghosts back in their graves. This week on The Devil's …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER
Week of November 2, 2026
Halloween Is Over. The Hauntings Aren't.
Halloween may be behind us, but we're not quite ready to put the ghosts back in their graves. This week on The Devil's Ledger, we're keeping the spooky season alive with haunted destinations, a bizarre cemetery delivery, a disturbing investigation into alleged deception, and a new Japanese horror film guaranteed to make you reconsider turning out the lights.
THE CREEPIEST THING I HEARD THIS WEEK — DEATH FROM ABOVE… WITH DOORDASH
At Hollywood Forever Cemetery, moviegoers enjoying an outdoor screening of Jennifer's Body received an unexpected visitor from above: a ghost-themed DoorDash drone delivery. Because apparently even the dearly departed aren't safe from the gig economy. We explore the bizarre Halloween stunt that brought airborne takeout to one of Hollywood's most famous cemeteries.
THE DEVIL WITHIN — HAUNTED HALLOWEEN CONTINUES
We're extending Halloween for one more week with three legendary haunted destinations:
• Sleepy Hollow, New York: Washington Irving's immortal Headless Horseman and the folklore that transformed a small Hudson Valley community into an American horror landmark.
• The Queen Mary, Long Beach: The magnificent ocean liner whose storied past has inspired decades of ghost sightings and supernatural encounters.
• The Cities of the Dead, New Orleans: Explore the extraordinary aboveground cemeteries where centuries of history, death, and supernatural folklore intersect.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF — SOMETHING SINISTER IS COMING
Carolyn has another terrifying story waiting in the wings. What is it? She hasn't told us yet. But knowing Carolyn, whatever she's uncovered will be worth the wait. Stay tuned for an all-new episode of Criminal Mischief.
THE SLIPPERY — THE LEXICON
Scott and Nancy continue The LexiCON, their investigative limited series examining the Lexi Thomas story and allegations of fabricated illness, religious manipulation, and financial exploitation. It's a disturbing exploration of faith, public sympathy, deception, and what happens when trust becomes a commodity.
THIS WEEK IN HORROR — NEVER AFTER DARK
Director Dave Boyle brings us Never After Dark, a Japanese supernatural horror film starring Moeka Hoshi (Shōgun) as Airi, a wandering medium accompanied by the spirit of her deceased sister. When she's summoned to an isolated country house to perform an exorcism, she encounters something far more terrifying than anything she's faced before.
AND FINALLY…
The holiday season has officially arrived, whether we're emotionally prepared for it or not. Before we begin the mad sprint toward 2027, we've got one important question:
What did you call the night BEFORE Halloween growing up? Mischief Night? Goosey Night? Hell Night? Demon Night? Tell us where you're from and what you called it in the comments. Regional rivalries are strongly encouraged.
And don't forget: Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Get out and vote!
LISTEN, WATCH & JOIN THE EVIO UNIVERSE
Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil's Ledger, The Devil Within, Criminal Mischief, and The Slippery on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Never miss a new episode from the Evio Creative Network.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the shows? Leave us a five-star rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps introduce our stories to new listeners.
Watch & Subscribe: Visit the Evio Creative YouTube channel for video episodes, original content, and more. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a release.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, behind-the-scenes content, and discussions about the stories that keep us awake at night.
Have a Story? Send your paranormal experiences, true crime tips, and suggestions to mailto:[email protected]. Your story might become part of a future episode.
Produced by Evio Creative.
Stay curious. Stay skeptical. And we'll see you somewhere across the Evio Universe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! Twenty-Eight Days Of Terror
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN Episode Three: Twenty-Eight Days in Hell The Amityville Horror — Six Murders, One Haunted House, and America's Most Infamous Paranormal Mystery On November 13, 1974, six …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
Episode Three: Twenty-Eight Days in Hell
The Amityville Horror — Six Murders, One Haunted House, and America's Most Infamous Paranormal Mystery
On November 13, 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were discovered murdered inside their beautiful waterfront home in Amityville, Long Island. Each had been shot while apparently sleeping in their bed. The killer was one of their own: twenty-three-year-old Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr.
But the murders were only the beginning of a story that would become one of the most controversial supernatural mysteries in American history.
Thirteen months later, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the house at 112 Ocean Avenue with their three young children. They knew about the murders. They knew about the property's disturbing reputation. What they couldn't have anticipated, according to their subsequent accounts, was the nightmare that awaited them.
Twenty-eight days later, they fled the house in terror.
In this chilling installment of The Devil Within: Haunted Halloween, we investigate the true story behind The Amityville Horror, from the brutal DeFeo family murders to the extraordinary paranormal claims that transformed an ordinary Long Island residence into America's most notorious haunted house.
We'll examine Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s conflicting confessions and allegations of mysterious voices, the disturbing circumstances surrounding the six murders, and the unanswered questions that have fueled speculation for more than half a century.
Then we'll enter the house with the Lutz family.
The unexplained noises. The swarms of flies in the dead of winter. The mysterious green substance reportedly appearing on the walls. George Lutz's unsettling habit of awakening at precisely 3:15 a.m. And perhaps most disturbing of all, the family's account of Jodie, an enormous, red-eyed pig-like creature allegedly befriending their youngest daughter.
We'll also revisit the investigation conducted by Ed and Lorraine Warren, the infamous photograph purportedly showing a ghostly child peering from a doorway, and the explosive allegations that the entire haunting was an elaborate fabrication.
Was Amityville genuinely possessed by something malevolent? Were the Lutzes victims of psychological suggestion, sensationalism, or something far more sinister? Or did a horrific but entirely human crime become the foundation of one of the most profitable supernatural legends ever told?
The murders were real. The haunting remains unproven. And the house at 112 Ocean Avenue will forever be haunted by what happened there.
Because sometimes the most terrifying explanation isn't that a demon committed an atrocity.
It's that no demon was necessary.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE DEVIL WITHIN
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Don't miss a single installment of our Haunted Halloween series as we investigate America's darkest histories, infamous hauntings, and enduring supernatural mysteries.
Rate & Review: If you're enjoying the show, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners and keeps these extraordinary stories coming.
Watch & Subscribe: Experience The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, haunting imagery, historical investigations, and original true crime and paranormal storytelling.
Join the Conversation: Follow us on Instagram @thedevilwithinpod for episode updates, behind-the-scenes content, archival imagery, and more from the darker corners of history.
Share Your Story: Have you experienced something you can't explain? Know of a haunted house, mysterious disappearance, or disturbing historical event we should investigate? Send your stories, suggestions, and tips to mailto:[email protected].
COMING NEXT ON HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
Our journey through America's most haunted places continues with three legendary destinations:
Sleepy Hollow, New York: The colonial village where Washington Irving's Headless Horseman continues to ride through centuries of American folklore.
The Queen Mary, Long Beach: The magnificent ocean liner whose decks, staterooms, and passageways are said to harbor the spirits of passengers and crew who never completed their final voyage.
New Orleans, Louisiana: A journey into the city's famous Cities of the Dead, where aboveground tombs, centuries of burial traditions, and the legends surrounding voodoo priestess Marie Laveau have created an extraordinary landscape of supernatural mythology.
Three more places where history and haunting have become inseparable.
The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.
Some houses are haunted by ghosts. Others are haunted by the terrible things human beings have done inside them.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! The Hotel That Remembered Everything
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN Episode Two: The Hotel That Remembered Everything The Stanley Hotel, Room 217, and the Terrifying Inspiration Behind The Shining In October 1974, a young novelist named …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
Episode Two: The Hotel That Remembered Everything
The Stanley Hotel, Room 217, and the Terrifying Inspiration Behind The Shining
In October 1974, a young novelist named Stephen King checked into Room 217 of a nearly deserted hotel in the Colorado Rockies. That night, he experienced a nightmare so terrifying that it would inspire one of the most celebrated horror novels ever written.
But the Stanley Hotel had been collecting ghost stories long before Stephen King arrived.
In this installment of The Devil Within: Haunted Halloween, we travel to Estes Park, Colorado, to explore the extraordinary history of the Stanley Hotel, the magnificent mountain resort that inspired The Shining, and the unsettling legends that continue to haunt its corridors more than a century after it first opened its doors.
Built in 1909 by wealthy inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley, the hotel was intended to be a monument to luxury, innovation, and American ambition. But in 1911, a devastating gas explosion nearly killed a housekeeper named Elizabeth Wilson, whose alleged spirit would eventually become one of the hotel's most notorious supernatural residents.
Guests in Room 217 have reported mysteriously rearranged belongings, lights switching on without explanation, and the unsettling sensation that someone is attending to their room while they sleep. Elsewhere in the hotel, visitors claim to hear the phantom piano playing of Flora Stanley, the laughter of invisible children on the fourth floor, and footsteps echoing through corridors that should be empty.
Then came Stephen King.
We'll revisit his fateful stay in Room 217, the nightmare that inspired The Shining, and Stanley Kubrick's transformation of King's fictional Overlook Hotel into one of cinema's most terrifying creations. We'll also explore how Room 217 became Room 237 on screen, and how decades of storytelling have blurred the boundaries between documented history, paranormal folklore, and Hollywood mythology.
Is the Stanley Hotel genuinely haunted? Or has one extraordinary story become so deeply embedded in its walls that visitors now arrive carrying the very ghosts they hope to encounter?
Because sometimes a building doesn't need to be haunted by the dead.
Sometimes it's haunted by the stories we tell about it.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE DEVIL WITHIN
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Our Haunted Halloween series explores the terrifying histories, unexplained phenomena, and enduring legends behind America's most infamous haunted places.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps new listeners discover The Devil Within and allows us to continue bringing these extraordinary stories to life.
Watch & Subscribe: Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, haunting historical imagery, paranormal investigations, and more from the Evio Creative network.
Join the Conversation: Follow us on Instagram @thedevilwithinpod for episode updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more stories from the darker corners of history.
Share Your Story: Have you stayed at the Stanley Hotel? Experienced something unexplained in a supposedly haunted location? We'd love to hear from you. Send your experiences, story suggestions, and tips to mailto:[email protected].
COMING NEXT ON HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
The Amityville Horror: Twenty-Eight Days of Terror
In November 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were murdered inside their Long Island home. Just over a year later, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the same house and claimed that something malevolent had remained behind.
What followed would inspire one of the most controversial haunting stories in American history.
The murders were real. The haunting remains disputed. And the house at 112 Ocean Avenue would become one of the most infamous addresses in America.
The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.
The past is never truly gone. And some places, it seems, never forget.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EVIO PRESENTS: The LexiCON
To her tight-knit Maryland community, Lexi Thomas was the picture of devout resilience. She was a courageous young woman facing a sudden medical crisis in 2012. Anchored by her blog—where every post opened with …
Notes de l’épisode
To her tight-knit Maryland community, Lexi Thomas was the picture of devout resilience. She was a courageous young woman facing a sudden medical crisis in 2012. Anchored by her blog—where every post opened with Romans 8:28—Lexi shaped a story of suffering, divine trust, and cutting-edge treatments that inspired an entire community to rally around her and donate thousands of dollars.
In the premiere of this multi-part investigative series, hosts Nancy Moscatiello and Scott Eldridge trace how a deeply trusted backstory was built layer by layer. From her initial mystery hospitalization to the launch of her online updates, Episode 1 reveals how genuine community faith was weaponized to mask a growing web of fabrications—including plagiarized cancer memoirs and a world-renowned Duke specialist who claims he never even knew her name.
The LexiCON is a production of The Slippery. Search for The Slippery or The LexiCON wherever you get your podcasts. https://linktr.ee/TheSlippery
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! The Village That Invited The Devil
THE DEVIL WITHIN HAUNTED HALLOWEEN The Village That Invited the Devil Salem, Massachusetts — 1692 In the winter of 1692, the Devil arrived in Salem Village. Or so the good Christian people of Massachusetts were …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
The Village That Invited the Devil
Salem, Massachusetts — 1692
In the winter of 1692, the Devil arrived in Salem Village. Or so the good Christian people of Massachusetts were led to believe.
It began with two young girls suffering mysterious fits, terrifying visions, and accusations of invisible tormentors. Within months, an entire community had descended into religious hysteria, neighbors were turning against neighbors, and the courts were condemning innocent people on the testimony of children who claimed to see the Devil's handiwork.
By the time the madness ended, nineteen people had been hanged, one elderly farmer had been crushed beneath heavy stones, and several others had died in prison.
But Salem's story didn't end at the gallows.
In the premiere of our Haunted Halloween series, The Devil Within travels back to colonial Massachusetts to explore the terrifying origins of the Salem witch trials and the supernatural legends that have haunted the region for more than three centuries.
We'll uncover the bizarre ritual of the witch cake, the accusations that condemned seventy-one-year-old Rebecca Nurse, the horrifying death of Giles Corey, and the chilling stories of apparitions said to linger around the old Nurse homestead and the streets of Salem.
From the ruins of Reverend Samuel Parris's parsonage to the execution site at Proctor's Ledge, we'll separate historical fact from paranormal folklore and confront a disturbing possibility:
What if the Devil never came to Salem at all? What if the real evil was already living among its people?
Because sometimes the most terrifying monsters are the ones who believe they're doing God's work.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE DEVIL WITHIN
Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't miss a single installment of Haunted Halloween as we explore America's most disturbing histories and supernatural mysteries.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps new listeners discover The Devil Within and keeps these stories coming.
Watch & Subscribe: Experience The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe, turn on notifications, and explore our growing collection of true crime, paranormal investigations, and historical mysteries.
Join the Conversation: Follow us on Instagram @thedevilwithinpod for episode updates, behind-the-scenes content, historical photographs, and more.
Share Your Story: Have you experienced something unexplained? Know of a haunted location or disturbing historical mystery we should investigate? Send your stories, suggestions, and tips to mailto:[email protected].
COMING NEXT ON HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
The Stanley Hotel: The Haunting That Inspired The Shining
High in the Colorado Rockies stands a magnificent hotel whose haunted reputation helped inspire one of the most terrifying novels ever written. We'll explore Stephen King's fateful stay in Room 217, the hotel's mysterious history, and the ghostly residents who allegedly never checked out.
The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.
History is never truly dead. And neither, it seems, are some of its darkest secrets.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of October 26th, 2026
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER Halloween Edition | Week of October 26, 2026 Poisoned Mushrooms, Haunted Hotels, Edgar Allan Poe, and a Hollywood Monster Happy Halloween from the Evio Creative Universe! This week on The …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER
Halloween Edition | Week of October 26, 2026
Poisoned Mushrooms, Haunted Hotels, Edgar Allan Poe, and a Hollywood Monster
Happy Halloween from the Evio Creative Universe!
This week on The Devil's Ledger, Branden Morgan welcomes the season of costumes, candy, and questionable judgment with a few reminders about Goosey Night, Mischief Night, and the legendary razor blades supposedly lurking inside Halloween candy.
But beyond the seasonal mischief, we've got a particularly sinister lineup of true crime, supernatural history, literary horror, and Hollywood nightmares.
THE CREEPIEST THING I HEARD THIS WEEK: THE MUSHROOM MURDERER
A family lunch. A homemade beef Wellington. Three people dead.
Australia's notorious mushroom murder case returns to the headlines as convicted killer Erin Patterson appeals her triple-murder conviction, while prosecutors seek to ensure she never becomes eligible for parole.
At the center of the controversy is a bizarre jury accommodation mistake, disputed cellphone evidence, and a deadly meal containing some of the world's most poisonous mushrooms.
Sometimes the most terrifying thing at the dinner table isn't the conversation. It's what's for lunch.
THE DEVIL WITHIN: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
Our supernatural journey continues with three of America's most infamous haunted destinations.
Salem, Massachusetts: The witch trials of 1692, where religious hysteria and paranoia condemned innocent people to death.
The Stanley Hotel, Colorado: The magnificent mountain resort whose mysterious atmosphere inspired Stephen King's The Shining.
Amityville, New York: The horrifying DeFeo family murders, the Lutz family's alleged haunting, and the house that became an international supernatural phenomenon.
Three locations. Three disturbing histories. And three very good reasons to leave the lights on.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: A HALLOWEEN CLASSIC
Carolyn Ossorio celebrates Halloween with a chilling selection from Edgar Allan Poe, the master of psychological terror, obsession, madness, and murder.
Experience a literary horror classic brought to life on Criminal Mischief.
ON THE SLIPPERY: THE LEXI CON
Scot and Nancy continue their gripping new true-con limited series, The Lexi Con, from the producers of Scamanda.
Catch up on the latest installment, available exclusively through the Evio Creative Network.
FINALLY THIS WEEK IN HORROR: CLAYFACE
DC Studios ventures into body-horror territory with Clayface, directed by James Watkins and co-written by Mike Flanagan.
When a disfiguring accident transforms a Hollywood actor into a shape-shifting monster, the line between human ambition and physical horror becomes disturbingly thin.
After all, Hollywood has been encouraging people to change their faces for decades.
LISTEN, WATCH & JOIN THE EVIO UNIVERSE
LISTEN & FOLLOW: Find The Devil Within, Criminal Mischief, On the Slippery, and The Devil's Ledger on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your favorite podcast platforms. Follow your favorites so you never miss an episode.
RATE & REVIEW: Leave a five-star rating and review to help new listeners discover the Evio Creative Network and support independent storytelling.
WATCH & SUBSCRIBE: Visit the Evio Creative YouTube channel for video episodes, original visual storytelling, and exclusive content. Subscribe and turn on notifications.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for haunting stories, episode announcements, and updates from the Evio Universe.
GET IN TOUCH: Have a story, a tip, or something particularly creepy we should investigate? Email mailto:[email protected].
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
From everyone at Evio Creative, have a safe, happy, thoroughly sugar-fueled Halloween. Enjoy the costumes, the candy, and the opportunity to terrify your neighbors without attracting unnecessary police attention.
And remember: You're never too old to dress up like Bruce Springsteen. No matter what your kids tell you.
We'll see you this week across the Evio Universe.
The Devil's Ledger is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! The Winchester Mystery House...
THE DEVIL WITHIN The Winchester Mystery House: The Gun That Built a Ghost Story Theme: Guilt | True Crime, Haunted History & the Paranormal In San Jose, California, there stands a Victorian mansion unlike any …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
The Winchester Mystery House: The Gun That Built a Ghost Story
Theme: Guilt | True Crime, Haunted History & the Paranormal
In San Jose, California, there stands a Victorian mansion unlike any other in America. Staircases climb into ceilings. Doors open onto empty space. Windows look into other rooms, and corridors twist through an architectural labyrinth containing approximately 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, and 10,000 windows.
For thirty-six years, a wealthy widow named Sarah Winchester transformed an ordinary eight-room farmhouse into one of the strangest residences ever constructed. And according to legend, she did it because she was terrified of the dead.
Sarah was the widow of William Wirt Winchester, heir to the firearms fortune built upon the legendary Winchester repeating rifle, including the Model 1873, famously marketed as “The Gun That Won the West.” After losing her infant daughter and then her husband, Sarah inherited an enormous fortune and moved west, where she began a construction project that would continue until her death in 1922.
But why did she never seem to stop building?
The legend claims Sarah consulted a medium who warned that the spirits of people killed by Winchester rifles were pursuing her. Her only hope of survival was to construct a house that would never be finished, a maze of rooms and passageways intended to confuse the restless dead.
There's just one problem: no convincing historical evidence establishes that Sarah Winchester ever believed the story.
In this episode of The Devil Within, Branden Morgan investigates the extraordinary history of the Winchester family, the rifle that helped shape the American frontier, and the eccentric mansion that became one of the country's most famous haunted attractions.
We'll explore the mysterious Séance Room, the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and reports of unexplained footsteps, shadowy apparitions, and a ghostly workman known as Clyde, who supposedly continues his duties long after the mansion's construction ended.
And we'll consider a darker possibility: perhaps Sarah Winchester wasn't haunted by the victims of her family's rifles at all. Perhaps generations of Americans needed her to be, transforming an uncomfortable history of violence and extraordinary wealth into a ghost story.
Sometimes a house isn't haunted because somebody died inside it. Sometimes it's haunted because the living cannot stop imagining who ought to be there.
IN THIS EPISODE
• The Gun That Won the West: Oliver Winchester, the Model 1866, the Model 1873, and the fortune behind the mansion.
• Sarah Winchester's Tragedy: The deaths of her infant daughter and husband, and her move to California.
• The House That Wouldn't Stop: Thirty-six years of construction, architectural oddities, and the legends surrounding Sarah's motivations.
• The Séance Room: The mysterious chamber where Sarah supposedly communicated with spirits.
• The Earthquake of 1906: How a natural disaster reshaped the mansion and contributed to its peculiar architecture.
• The Ghosts of Winchester House: The phantom workman Clyde, unexplained footsteps, mysterious photographs, and reported paranormal encounters.
• History Versus Legend: What we can establish about Sarah Winchester's life, and what remains speculation.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Join us for new investigations into true crime, paranormal phenomena, occult history, and the mysteries that continue to haunt us.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave us a five-star rating and a written review. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners and keeps these stories alive.
Watch & Subscribe: Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, original videos, and more from across the Evio Universe.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, historical mysteries, and behind-the-scenes content.
Have a Story to Tell? Send your paranormal experiences, true crime tips, and story suggestions to mailto:[email protected].
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
EPISODE KEYWORDS
Winchester Mystery House, Sarah Winchester, Winchester House haunting, haunted California, San Jose ghosts, Winchester rifle, Winchester Model 1873, The Gun That Won the West, Oliver Winchester, William Wirt Winchester, Winchester fortune, Séance Room, Clyde ghost, 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Victorian mansions, haunted houses, paranormal investigations, American history, true ghost stories, The Devil Within, Branden Morgan, Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! Edgar Allan Poe - Part Two
THE DEVIL WITHIN The Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe: Baltimore's Most Famous Haunting Episode Two | Edgar Allan Poe Series Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849. Nearly two centuries later, some people …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
The Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe: Baltimore's Most Famous Haunting
Episode Two | Edgar Allan Poe Series
Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849. Nearly two centuries later, some people insist he never really left.
Along the rain-soaked cobblestone streets of Fell's Point, stories persist of a pale, dark-haired figure wandering beneath streetlights before vanishing into the night. Inside an old Baltimore tavern, employees and patrons have reported unexplained disturbances attributed to a spirit they call Edgar. And at a modest brick house on North Amity Street, where Poe once struggled to survive as a young writer, visitors encounter a building whose history may be more haunting than any ghost story.
In this episode of The Devil Within, Branden Morgan returns to Baltimore to investigate the supernatural legends surrounding America's greatest master of the macabre, exploring the extraordinary ways a writer who spent his life contemplating death became one of the country's most enduring ghosts.
Our investigation begins at the Edgar Allan Poe House, where poverty, ambition, family tragedy, and literary genius converged during the 1830s. We then travel to Westminster Burying Ground, where a mysterious visitor dressed in black appeared for decades on Poe's birthday, leaving three red roses and a bottle of cognac beside his grave. Known only as the Poe Toaster, the stranger became one of Baltimore's most beloved unsolved mysteries.
From there, we venture into Fell's Point and the legendary Horse You Came In On Saloon, where local folklore claims Poe enjoyed one of his final drinks before his mysterious death. Today, the establishment is associated with reports of moving objects, unexplained activity, and the possibility that its most famous patron has never checked out.
But how much of Baltimore's haunted history can actually be verified? Are these genuine encounters with the supernatural, elaborate traditions passed down through generations, or the inevitable consequence of a city that refuses to let its most famous literary resident rest in peace?
Edgar Allan Poe spent his life writing about the dead refusing to remain dead. Perhaps his greatest trick was becoming one of them.
IN THIS EPISODE
• The House on Amity Street: Poe's early years in Baltimore, his family, his literary breakthrough, and the ghost stories surrounding his former home.
• The Poe Toaster: The mysterious stranger who visited Poe's grave every January 19th, leaving cognac and three red roses.
• The Ghosts of Fell's Point: Reports of a nineteenth-century figure wandering Baltimore's historic waterfront streets.
• The Horse You Came In On Saloon: The legendary tavern associated with Poe's final days and an alleged resident spirit named Edgar.
• History Versus Haunting: Why Poe's supernatural legacy continues to flourish nearly two centuries after his death.
COMING NEXT: THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE
Our journey into America's haunted history continues in San Jose, California, where Sarah Winchester, widow of firearms heir William Wirt Winchester, spent decades transforming a modest farmhouse into an architectural labyrinth.
Staircases leading nowhere. Doors opening onto empty space. Rooms within rooms. And a persistent legend that Sarah Winchester believed herself haunted by the spirits of people killed by the rifle that made her family wealthy.
Was the Winchester Mystery House built to confuse the dead, or is the truth behind its construction even more fascinating than the ghost stories?
Find out next time on The Devil Within.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Join us for new investigations into true crime, paranormal phenomena, occult history, and the mysteries that continue to haunt us.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave a five-star rating and a written review. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners and keeps these stories alive.
Watch & Subscribe: Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes, original videos, and exclusive content from across the Evio Universe.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, historical mysteries, and behind-the-scenes content.
Have a Story to Tell? Send your paranormal experiences, true crime tips, and story suggestions to mailto:[email protected].
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
EPISODE KEYWORDS
Edgar Allan Poe, The Ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, Poe haunting, Edgar Allan Poe House, Baltimore ghosts, haunted Baltimore, Fell's Point, Poe Toaster, Poe's grave, Westminster Burying Ground, The Horse You Came In On Saloon, haunted taverns, paranormal investigations, American Gothic, literary ghosts, true ghost stories, The Devil Within, Branden Morgan, Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN! Edgar Allan Poe - Part One
THE DEVIL WITHIN The Five Lost Days: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Episode One | Edgar Allan Poe Series On September 27, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe boarded a steamship in Richmond, Virginia, with plans for …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
The Five Lost Days: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
Episode One | Edgar Allan Poe Series
On September 27, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe boarded a steamship in Richmond, Virginia, with plans for the future and a woman he hoped to marry. Five days later, one of America's most celebrated masters of the macabre had seemingly vanished from the historical record.
When Poe resurfaced in Baltimore on October 3, he was delirious, gravely ill, and reportedly wearing clothes that weren't his own. He had been discovered outside a tavern serving as an election polling place, unable to explain where he'd been or what had happened to him. Four days later, at just forty years old, Edgar Allan Poe was dead.
Nearly two centuries later, the circumstances remain a mystery.
In this episode of The Devil Within, Branden Morgan investigates the strange final days of Edgar Allan Poe, exploring theories involving alcoholism, disease, robbery, and a sinister nineteenth-century election fraud scheme known as cooping, in which unsuspecting men were allegedly kidnapped, drugged, disguised, and forced to vote repeatedly.
But Poe's story doesn't end with his death.
Twenty-six years after his burial, his remains were exhumed and relocated to a more prominent grave in Baltimore. What followed was a particularly disturbing legend: that scratches had been discovered inside his coffin, suggesting the man who famously wrote about the horrors of premature burial had himself been buried alive.
Is there any truth to the story, or did generations of admirers simply invent the perfect ending for America's greatest Gothic storyteller?
From Poe's unexplained disappearance to the macabre folklore surrounding his grave, The Five Lost Days explores the uncomfortable territory where documented history ends and legend begins.
Some mysteries remain unsolved. Others become immortal.
IN THIS EPISODE
• Poe's final departure from Richmond and his plans to marry Elmira Royster Shelton.
• The five missing days between September 27 and October 3, 1849.
• His mysterious discovery at a Baltimore polling place.
• The competing medical and criminal theories surrounding his death.
• The terrifying nineteenth-century practice of premature burial and the invention of safety coffins.
• Poe's 1875 exhumation and the legend of the scratches inside his coffin.
COMING NEXT: THE GHOST OF EDGAR ALLAN POE
Our investigation continues in Baltimore, where Poe's presence supposedly lingers nearly two centuries after his death. From his former home on Amity Street and the cemetery where he rests to the haunted taverns of Fell's Point, we explore the ghost stories, strange encounters, and enduring legends surrounding the man who made the macabre an American art form.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. New episodes explore true crime, paranormal mysteries, occult history, and the darkest corners of the human experience.
Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave us a five-star rating and a written review. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners.
Watch & Subscribe: Visit the Evio Creative YouTube channel, subscribe, and turn on notifications for video episodes, original investigations, and more from across the Evio Universe.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram for episode updates, historical mysteries, and behind-the-scenes content.
Have a Story to Tell? Send your paranormal encounters, true crime tips, and story suggestions to mailto:[email protected].
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan. An Evio Creative production.
EPISODE KEYWORDS
Edgar Allan Poe, The Five Lost Days, Edgar Allan Poe death, Edgar Allan Poe mystery, Baltimore 1849, Poe's final days, premature burial, buried alive, Poe's grave, Poe exhumation, cooping, election fraud, Gothic literature, historical mysteries, true crime history, paranormal history, The Devil Within, Branden Morgan, Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of October 19th, 2026
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER Week of October 19, 2026 | Evio Creative A Haunted Halloween, the Murdaugh Retrial, The Lexi CON & Crystal Lake This week on The Devil's Ledger, we begin on a somber note, acknowledging the …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER
Week of October 19, 2026 | Evio Creative
A Haunted Halloween, the Murdaugh Retrial, The Lexi CON & Crystal Lake
This week on The Devil's Ledger, we begin on a somber note, acknowledging the victims and families affected by the reported elementary school shooting in Bend, Oregon, and confronting America's ongoing epidemic of gun violence.
Then, in The Creepiest Thing I Heard This Week, a horrifying accident during a livestreamed church service in Ecuador raises unsettling questions about faith, fate, and one of the most improbable tragedies imaginable.
THIS WEEK ACROSS THE EVIO UNIVERSE:
THE DEVIL WITHIN | HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
October gets considerably darker as we investigate the mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe and the five missing days before his final appearance in Baltimore. Then we travel to California's legendary Winchester Mystery House, where an eccentric heiress, an architectural labyrinth, and more than a century of ghost stories have created one of America's most fascinating haunted landmarks.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF | THE MURDAUGH RETRIAL
New developments in the Alex Murdaugh murder case raise questions about missing weapons, unrecovered clothing, a possible secret grand jury proceeding, and unidentified male DNA found beneath Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails. Could additional forensic testing change the course of the upcoming retrial?
THE SLIPPERY | INTRODUCING THE LEXI CON
From the creators of Scamanda, Nancy Moscatiello and Scott Eldridge introduce The Lexi CON, a multipart investigation into a Maryland woman's extraordinary medical claims, a community united by faith, and allegations of an elaborate deception that inspired thousands of dollars in donations.
Listen to The Slippery and The Lexi CON: https://linktr.ee/TheSlippery
THIS WEEK IN HORROR | CRYSTAL LAKE
We're returning to Camp Crystal Lake for Peacock's Friday the 13th origin series, starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees. Before Jason became horror royalty, his mother had a story of her own, and it wasn't particularly conducive to a pleasant summer vacation.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & JOIN THE EVIO UNIVERSE
• Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil's Ledger, The Devil Within, Criminal Mischief, and The Slippery wherever you get your podcasts.
• Rate & Review: Leave a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps independent storytelling reach new audiences.
• Watch & Subscribe: Visit the Evio Creative YouTube channel, subscribe, and turn on notifications for new episodes, videos, and exclusive content.
• Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram.
• Have a Story or Tip? Email mailto:[email protected].
Stay safe out there, protect the ones you love, and we'll see you this week across the Evio Universe.
The Devil's Ledger | An Evio Creative Production
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Audition - Part Three
THE DEVIL’S AUDITION Episode Three: The Body by the River For more than twenty years, Valerie McDonald’s family lived without an answer. Valerie disappeared from San Francisco in November 1980 after Michael …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL’S AUDITION
Episode Three: The Body by the River
For more than twenty years, Valerie McDonald’s family lived without an answer.
Valerie disappeared from San Francisco in November 1980 after Michael Hennessey offered the aspiring actress a small role in a Dustin Hoffman movie—a movie that did not exist. Hennessey and John Gordon Abbott subsequently fled north toward Canada, where Hennessey was killed in a shootout with police. Valerie’s identification was reportedly found among the fugitives’ belongings, but Valerie herself seemed to have vanished.
Then came the discovery nobody initially understood.
On October 3, 1991, hunters found partial human remains near the Kettle River in Ferry County, Washington, roughly a mile from the Canadian border. The woman could not be identified and became a Jane Doe. For nearly another decade, two investigations continued independently: Valerie remained a missing woman in California while her unidentified remains waited in Washington.
In January 2001, dental records finally connected them.
The Kettle River Jane Doe was Valerie McDonald.
In the final episode of The Devil’s Audition, we follow Valerie home and confront the tantalizing geography of her case. Her remains were discovered near the Canadian border—the same general direction Hennessey and Abbott traveled after she vanished—but geography is not proof. No one has ever been convicted of Valerie’s murder.
We also return to Phillip Arthur Thompson, whose later conviction for the murder of twenty-one-year-old Betty Cloer established just how dangerous at least one man in Valerie’s orbit truly was, while still providing no legal answer to what happened to Valerie. TDW_Devil Audition_3
And finally, we reconsider the Satanic-cult theory that has followed this case for decades. Valerie reportedly described some activity around the Tower Apartments as Satanic, but there is no reliable evidence establishing that she was murdered in a Satanic ritual or sacrificed by a cult. The documented story may be considerably simpler—and considerably more frightening. TDW_Devil Audition_3
Valerie knew she was in danger. She was already leaving.
Then someone offered the aspiring actress exactly what she wanted: an audition.
LISTEN • WATCH • FOLLOW
Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave a five-star rating and review. Watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, with notifications turned on so you never miss a new story.
This is the conclusion of The Devil’s Audition. Thank you for spending these three episodes with Valerie McDonald and with us.
We’ll have an entirely new story next week. Stay tuned.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Audition - Part Two
THE DEVIL’S AUDITION Episode Two: The Demons in North Beach Seventeen days after Valerie McDonald disappeared from San Francisco, Michael Hennessey—the man who had lured her away with the promise of a role in a …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL’S AUDITION
Episode Two: The Demons in North Beach
Seventeen days after Valerie McDonald disappeared from San Francisco, Michael Hennessey—the man who had lured her away with the promise of a role in a Dustin Hoffman movie—was dead. Hennessey and fellow ex-convict John Gordon Abbott had fled north to British Columbia, where a confrontation with the RCMP ended in gunfire. Abbott was captured, Hennessey was killed, and investigators reportedly found Valerie’s voter-registration and unemployment-benefit cards among their belongings. TDW_Devil Audition_2
This week on The Devil Within, we return to the Tower Apartments and the dangerous world Valerie had been trying to escape.
Before she vanished, Valerie told friends about large quantities of cocaine and what contemporary reports called “Satanistic” activities inside her building. In San Francisco—the birthplace of Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan—the allegation carried particular weight. But there is no reliable evidence establishing that an organized Satanic cult operated from the Tower Apartments. What is documented is arguably more disturbing: Valerie was surrounded by men with serious criminal histories, including Phillip Arthur Thompson, who decades later would be convicted of the 1971 murder of Betty Cloer. TDW_Devil Audition_2 TDW_Devil Audition_2
Investigators also suspected Abbott, Hennessey and Thompson of participating in an ambitious criminal enterprise involving robbery, automatic weapons and cocaine trafficking. Valerie’s parents came to believe their daughter may have disappeared because she learned something about that operation, although that theory has never been proven. TDW_Devil Audition_2
Valerie had reportedly been threatened. She was frightened enough to move out. Then Hennessey arrived with the irresistible promise of a movie audition, and Valerie disappeared.
For eleven years, her family waited.
Then, on October 3, 1991, hunters discovered partial human remains near the Kettle River in Ferry County, Washington, hundreds of miles north of San Francisco and near the Canadian border.
Nobody knew who she was.
It would take another ten years before anyone realized whom they had found. TDW_Devil Audition_2
LISTEN • WATCH • FOLLOW
Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave a five-star rating and review. Watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, with notifications turned on, and follow @thedevilwithinpod for more from the Evio Universe.
The Devil’s Audition: The Devils in North Beach, on The Devil Within.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of October 12th, 2026
The Devil's Ledger | October 12, 2026 A Human-Skin Teddy Bear, a Hollywood Disappearance, a Surgeon on Trial, and a Reality TV Fraudster Welcome back to The Devil's Ledger, your weekly journey through the …
Notes de l’épisode
The Devil's Ledger | October 12, 2026
A Human-Skin Teddy Bear, a Hollywood Disappearance, a Surgeon on Trial, and a Reality TV Fraudster
Welcome back to The Devil's Ledger, your weekly journey through the darker corners of the Evio Universe. As wild weather continues to make headlines, we're hoping everyone is staying safe, staying dry, and finding a little time to escape into a good book, a great movie, or one of our latest podcasts.
This week, we're serving up a particularly unsettling collection of stories involving a grotesque discovery in the California desert, an aspiring actress who vanished in San Francisco, a plastic surgeon facing murder charges, a reality television star's multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, and a Nevada motel where the hospitality is positively murderous.
THE CREEPIEST THING: The Human-Skin Teddy Bear
In Victorville, California, a horrifying discovery outside a convenience store sent investigators scrambling: a teddy bear that appeared to be stitched together from human skin. The county coroner was called, police launched an investigation, and the truth turned out to be almost as bizarre as the original discovery.
Was it evidence of something monstrous, or simply the world's most ill-advised practical joke?
THE DEVIL WITHIN: The Devil's Audition
San Francisco, 1980. Aspiring actress Valerie McDonald disappears after being lured by the promise of an audition for a nonexistent Dustin Hoffman film. What follows is an investigation involving dangerous criminals, alleged international drug trafficking, and disturbing reports of Satanic activity.
In this three-part investigation, The Devil Within explores the circumstances surrounding Valerie's disappearance and the troubling intersection of ambition, deception, and the occult.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: Tomasz Kosowski, Part Two
After last week's special conversation with COLD creator Dave Cawley, Carolyn Ossorio returns to the disappearance and alleged murder of Florida attorney Steven Cozzi.
This week, the investigation moves into the courtroom, where accused murderer and plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski makes the extraordinary decision to represent himself. Carolyn examines the evidence, the legal proceedings, and the unanswered questions surrounding a case in which the victim's body has never been recovered.
THE SLIPPERY: Jen Shah
She was a reality television celebrity, a self-proclaimed business mogul, and the face of a lavish lifestyle. Behind the designer clothes and extravagant parties, however, Jen Shah was helping operate a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that devastated financially vulnerable Americans.
Scott and Nancy investigate the mechanics of the operation, the victims who lost their savings, and the federal investigation that ultimately brought Shah down. She's already out of prison, but has justice really been served?
THIS WEEK IN HORROR: Last Chance Motel
A newlywed couple's dream wedding becomes a nightmare when they encounter a remote Nevada motel operated by a bloodthirsty family. Starring Heather Langenkamp and Sierra McCormick, Last Chance Motel offers a gruesome reminder that sometimes the best travel advice is simply to keep driving.
JOIN US ACROSS THE EVIO UNIVERSE
There's always another mystery to investigate, another criminal to expose, and another nightmare waiting just around the corner.
Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil Within, Criminal Mischief, The Slippery, and The Devil's Ledger wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a new episode.
Rate & Review: If you enjoy our shows, please leave a five-star rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps introduce the Evio Universe to new listeners.
Watch & Subscribe: Visit the Evio Creative YouTube channel, subscribe, and turn on notifications for new videos, original content, and updates from across our network.
Stay Connected: Follow @thedevilwithinpod on Instagram, and send your stories, tips, and suggestions to mailto:[email protected].
Until next time, stay safe, have a calm and productive week, and we'll catch up again across the Evio Universe.
An Evio Creative Production.
Suggested episode keywords: The Devil's Ledger, Evio Creative, The Devil Within, Valerie McDonald, The Devil's Audition, Satanism, occult mysteries, Criminal Mischief, Tomasz Kosowski, Steven Cozzi, Carolyn Ossorio, Dave Cawley, COLD podcast, The Slippery, Jen Shah, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, true crime, fraud, human skin teddy bear, Victorville, Last Chance Motel, Heather Langenkamp, horror movies.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Audition - Part One
THE DEVIL’S AUDITION Episode One: Temptation On November 9, 1980, twenty-six-year-old Valerie McDonald was doing something remarkably sensible: she was getting out. The aspiring filmmaker, actress, model and …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL’S AUDITION
Episode One: Temptation
On November 9, 1980, twenty-six-year-old Valerie McDonald was doing something remarkably sensible: she was getting out.
The aspiring filmmaker, actress, model and cocktail waitress had become frightened by the men managing her apartment building in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. She reportedly told friends and family about drugs, threatening behavior and activity she considered Satanic. With friends helping her move, Valerie appeared ready to put the Tower Apartments—and the people surrounding it—behind her. TDW_Devil Audition_1
Then Michael Hennessey arrived with an offer almost perfectly designed for an ambitious young actress.
There was a movie shooting in town, he said, starring Dustin Hoffman, who was then at the absolute height of his career after winning the Academy Award for Kramer vs. Kramer. The production supposedly needed an attractive blonde woman for a small role playing the victim of a serial killer. The job paid $200 and, more importantly, offered Valerie the possibility of appearing opposite one of the biggest movie stars in America. TDW_Devil Audition_1
Valerie agreed to go.
Her family would never see her alive again.
The movie did not exist. A private investigator hired by Valerie’s parents later contacted the production company and Hoffman’s representatives and found no evidence of the film or the role Valerie had been promised. Someone appears to have constructed an elaborate fiction around Valerie’s ambitions and used it to lure her away. TDW_Devil Audition_1
Then the story became considerably stranger.
Within days, Hennessey and convicted criminal John Gordon Abbott were fleeing north. On November 26, Canadian authorities caught up with them in British Columbia. A confrontation with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police erupted into gunfire. Abbott was captured. Hennessey was killed. TDW_Devil Audition_1
Among the fugitives’ belongings, authorities reportedly discovered Valerie’s voter-registration and unemployment-benefit cards. The missing woman in San Francisco was now physically connected to the men who had fled hundreds of miles toward Canada. TDW_Devil Audition_1
But Valerie herself was nowhere to be found.
In Episode One of The Devil’s Audition, we return to San Francisco at the dawn of the 1980s—a city emerging from Jonestown, the assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk, and the fading glow of the counterculture—to reconstruct Valerie’s final days. We enter the Tower Apartments, meet the dangerous men who surrounded her and follow the irresistible promise of a Hollywood audition that appears to have been created specifically for her. TDW_Devil Audition_1
Because Valerie recognized that she was in danger.
She was already leaving.
Then somebody offered her exactly what she wanted.
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.
Rate & Review: Leave us a five-star rating and review—it remains one of the best ways to help new listeners discover the show.
Watch & Subscribe: Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, subscribe, and turn on notifications for every new episode. TDW_Devil Audition_1
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod for episode clips, imagery, updates and more from the Evio Universe.
Stories & Tips: Have a story you think belongs on The Devil Within? Send it to [email protected].
The Devil’s Audition — Episode One: Temptation, on The Devil Within.
LISTEN • WATCH • FOLLOW
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Christa Pike: The Devil On Death Row - Part Three
THE DEVIL ON DEATH ROW Episode Three: Twice Condemned For nearly thirty years, Christa Pike waited to die. She entered Tennessee’s death row at nineteen under a sentence of electrocution, but remained there …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL ON DEATH ROW
Episode Three: Twice Condemned
For nearly thirty years, Christa Pike waited to die. She entered Tennessee’s death row at nineteen under a sentence of electrocution, but remained there long enough to watch the machinery of capital punishment change around her. The electric chair gave way to lethal injection, the teenager associated with pentagrams became a fifty-year-old practicing Buddhist, and Tennessee eventually set September 30, 2026, as the day her sentence would finally be carried out. TDW_Pike_3
In the final episode of The Devil on Death Row, we follow Pike through decades of appeals, challenges to her original sentencing, arguments over childhood trauma and adolescent brain development, and her attorneys’ final attempts to obtain clemency. Then September 30 arrives. A federal appeals court temporarily stops the execution, Tennessee appeals, and the United States Supreme Court clears the way for the state to proceed. TDW_Pike_3
At 7:27 p.m., the curtains open at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution and Pike is strapped to a gurney. Pentobarbital is administered—but Pike remains alive and complains that her arm is burning. Tennessee tries again. After a second administration of the execution drug, witnesses can still hear her breathing. Eventually the witnesses are removed, Pike is transported to a hospital, and the state acknowledges an extraordinary fact: Christa Pike survived her execution. TDW_Pike_3
Governor Bill Lee subsequently halts Tennessee’s remaining 2026 execution and orders an independent review. Thirty-one years after Colleen Slemmer was murdered, the story that began with pentagrams, Satanic imagery and the fading embers of the Satanic Panic is suddenly unfinished again. TDW_Pike_3
The Devil may have been everywhere in this story, but perhaps he was never required. Human beings did all of it themselves.
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a 5-star rating and review. Watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, turn on notifications, and join the conversation at @thedevilwithinpod. Stories and tips: mailto:[email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Christa Pike: The Devil On Death Row - Part Two
THE DEVIL ON DEATH ROW Episode Two: The Devil in the Woods Hours after nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer was tortured and murdered in the woods outside Knoxville, Christa Pike went to breakfast. According to …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL ON DEATH ROW
Episode Two: The Devil in the Woods
Hours after nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer was tortured and murdered in the woods outside Knoxville, Christa Pike went to breakfast. According to trial testimony, she was carrying something almost impossible to comprehend: a fragment of Colleen’s skull, taken from the murder scene as a souvenir. Pike reportedly showed the bone to other students, pointed to blood on her shoes and openly described what had happened the night before. TDW_Pike_2
In Episode Two of The Devil on Death Row, we return to the woods to reconstruct Colleen’s final hour and examine the Satanic imagery that became inseparable from the crime. The attack lasted somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour, and when Colleen’s body was examined, investigators found a pentagram carved into her chest. But the occult connection went deeper: at Tadaryl Shipp’s later trial, another student testified that days before the murder Shipp had spoken about the need for a human sacrifice because the celestial bodies were in alignment. TDW_Pike_2
As Christa goes on trial, psychiatrists attempt to answer the question that had haunted the case from the beginning. Was this a Satanic murder, or were troubled teenagers borrowing the imagery of Satanism to give jealousy, rage and violence a darker mythology? The jury ultimately finds Pike guilty of premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy, and Tennessee chooses the ultimate punishment: death by electrocution. TDW_Pike_2
The Satanic Panic taught America to believe extraordinary evil required an extraordinary explanation. Christa Pike offered something considerably more disturbing: perhaps people don't need the Devil to commit monstrous acts. Sometimes they simply borrow his language.
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a 5-star rating and review. Watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, turn on notifications, and join the conversation at @thedevilwithinpod. Stories and tips: mailto:[email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Christa Pike: The Devil On Death Row - Part One
THE DEVIL ON DEATH ROW Episode One: The Pentagram In January 1995, nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer walked away from the Knoxville Job Corps Center with three other students. The following morning, her body …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL ON DEATH ROW
Episode One: The Pentagram
In January 1995, nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer walked away from the Knoxville Job Corps Center with three other students. The following morning, her body was discovered on the University of Tennessee agricultural campus. She had been subjected to a prolonged attack, and carved into her chest was a symbol America had spent more than a decade learning to fear: a pentagram. TDW_Pike_1
In Episode One of The Devil on Death Row, we return to the fading years of the Satanic Panic, when allegations of secret cults, ritual abuse and devil worship had moved from horror movies into police departments, courtrooms and American living rooms. By 1995, much of that panic was beginning to collapse beneath the weight of its own extraordinary claims. Then Colleen Slemmer was murdered, and the crime contained genuinely documented Satanic imagery: Christa Pike and her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp were observed wearing pentagram necklaces, Pike had experimented with occult imagery before the murder, and a forensic psychiatrist would later testify that the crime contained “satanic elements,” while characterizing what he saw as adolescent dabbling rather than evidence of an organized cult. TDW_Pike_1
But behind the pentagrams was something considerably more human. Eighteen-year-old Christa Gail Pike had endured an unstable adolescence before arriving at Job Corps, where she became intensely attached to Shipp and convinced herself that Colleen wanted to take him away from her. The day before the murder, Pike reportedly told another student that she intended to kill Colleen. On January 12, four young people walked into the woods together, with Colleen believing they were going to smoke marijuana and settle their differences. TDW_Pike_1
The Satanic Panic taught America to search for elaborate explanations for evil. The Christa Pike story asks a more unsettling question: what happens when the symbols a culture creates to represent evil become part of the language young people use to commit it?
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a 5-star rating and review. Watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, turn on notifications, and join the conversation at @thedevilwithinpod. Have a story or tip for the show? Email mailto:[email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of Oct. 5th, 2026
THE DEVIL’S LEDGER Week of October 5, 2026 October has arrived across the Evio Universe, and before we get to the murder, monsters, fraud and assorted demonic activity, we have one request: vote. The midterms …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL’S LEDGER
Week of October 5, 2026
October has arrived across the Evio Universe, and before we get to the murder, monsters, fraud and assorted demonic activity, we have one request: vote. The midterms are approaching, and regardless of party, voting is how we hold elected officials accountable—or throw them out. Our longstanding policy remains simple: if you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain about shit. Ledger Oct 5
This week’s Creepiest Thing I Heard This Week investigates the strange online mythology forming around the upcoming supernatural horror film You Can’t Leave. Social media claims insist the filmmakers employed real occult experts to create authentic demonic rituals capable of exposing audiences to something genuinely dangerous. There’s just one problem: we couldn’t find credible evidence that any of it is true. Which raises an even better question—are we watching a modern urban legend being created in real time? Ledger Oct 5
On The Devil Within, our new three-part series The Devil on Death Row examines Christa Pike, the brutal 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, its documented Satanic imagery and its place at the dying edge of the Satanic Panic. Then we follow Pike through thirty years on death row to the extraordinary events of September 30, when Tennessee attempted to execute her with pentobarbital—and she survived. Twice. Ledger Oct 5
On Criminal Mischief, Part Two of the Tomasz Kosowski case enters the courtroom, where the plastic surgeon accused of murdering attorney Steven Cozzi makes the extraordinary decision to represent himself in a capital murder trial. Over on The Slippery, we meet former Bellum Entertainment CEO Mary Carole McDonnell and the alleged $30 million fraud built around a decidedly inconvenient detail: the enormous aerospace-family fortune she claimed to possess apparently didn't exist. Ledger Oct 5 Ledger Oct 5
Finally, This Week in Horror heads deep into the Amazon for Beware Boiuna, a good old-fashioned monster movie about a humanitarian mission that awakens a colossal serpent from Amazonian folklore—and one that has a special connection to the Evio family. Ledger Oct 5
Halloween is getting closer. The monsters are stirring. Let’s open the books.
Listen & Follow: Follow the Evio shows wherever you get your podcasts, leave a 5-star rating and review, and watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel with notifications turned on. Join us at @thedevilwithinpod, and we’ll see you this week across the Evio Universe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Killer of Lake Tangyanika - Part Three
THE DEVIL WITHIN GUSTAVE — Episode Three: The Hunt For years, Patrice Faye had followed the evidence left behind by one of Africa's most notorious predators. He interviewed witnesses, mapped attacks around Lake …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
GUSTAVE — Episode Three: The Hunt
For years, Patrice Faye had followed the evidence left behind by one of Africa's most notorious predators. He interviewed witnesses, mapped attacks around Lake Tanganyika, studied movements along the Rusizi River and learned the scars that distinguished one enormous Nile crocodile from every other animal in the water.
By 2002, studying Gustave was no longer enough.
Faye wanted to capture him alive.
In the final installment of our three-part investigation, The Hunt, the naturalist's obsession becomes an extraordinary field expedition. Gustave's legend has now escaped Burundi and entered the international press, bringing increasingly spectacular claims with it: hundreds of victims, gunshot wounds, attacks on massive animals and a crocodile that supposedly killed without eating. Faye himself offered a considerably more cautious estimate, saying he had documented roughly sixty deaths attributable to Gustave, perhaps fewer—a number that still could never be scientifically confirmed.
But Gustave himself was real.
His extraordinary size and distinctive scars allowed Faye to identify an individual animal moving through the enormous interconnected ecosystem of Lake Tanganyika and the Rusizi River. Capturing him alive could finally replace estimates with measurements: his true length, weight, age, physical condition and injuries could all be studied for the first time.
So Faye built a jail.
Nearly thirty feet long and weighing roughly a ton, the enormous steel cage looked more like industrial machinery than an animal trap. Cameras monitored it. Bait was placed inside. Crocodile specialist Alison Leslie joined the expedition, while filmmaker Jean-Michel Corillion documented the hunt for what would become Capturing the Killer Croc.
Eventually, something enormous approached the cage.
Then everything went wrong.
A violent storm struck. The infrared camera failed. By morning, the trap had been damaged and partially submerged—and the live goat being used as bait had vanished. Whatever happened during those missing hours was never captured on film. The cage intended to settle the mystery of Gustave had somehow produced another one.
Faye's expedition ended without its prisoner.
But Gustave didn't disappear from the story. Reports continued for years, including another reported sighting in 2009. What remained were ultimately two Gustaves: the documented animal—an exceptionally large, heavily scarred Nile crocodile photographed and filmed in the Lake Tanganyika region—and the nearly supernatural creature built around him by decades of rumor and repetition.
And then there is the final mystery.
Did Gustave ever die?
Rumors say yes. Evidence says we don't know. No verified carcass was recovered. No skull was conclusively identified. No scientific examination established when or where Gustave's life ended. That doesn't make him immortal. It simply means that the final chapter of his biological life was never documented.
Perhaps that's appropriate.
Because after three episodes spent asking what transformed Gustave into a monster, we arrive at a more uncomfortable possibility:
Maybe nothing did.
Maybe Gustave remained exactly what millions of years of evolution had designed him to be—patient, opportunistic, adaptable and capable of learning from the world around him.
Perhaps it was the world around him that changed.
LISTEN, WATCH & FOLLOW
Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a five-star rating and review. It remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to help new listeners discover the show.
Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.
Follow @thedevilwithinpod for clips, archival material, episode imagery and more from the stories we investigate.
Have a story, mystery or case you think belongs on The Devil Within? Send it to [email protected].
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan and produced by Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Killer of Lake Tangyanika - Part Two
THE DEVIL WITHIN GUSTAVE — Episode Two: Built to Kill What makes a predator perfect? In Episode Two of our three-part investigation into Gustave, we leave Lake Tanganyika behind for a moment and travel to …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
GUSTAVE — Episode Two: Built to Kill
What makes a predator perfect?
In Episode Two of our three-part investigation into Gustave, we leave Lake Tanganyika behind for a moment and travel to Tsavo, Kenya, in 1898, where two maneless male lions began pulling railway workers from their camps. The animals that became known as the Ghost and the Darkness terrorized the Uganda Railway project for months before Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson finally killed them. More than a century later, their preserved remains would give scientists something Patrice Faye never had with Gustave: a killer they could actually examine.
Then we go inside the Nile crocodile.
Calling Gustave a dinosaur isn't scientifically accurate, but crocodilians belong to an evolutionary lineage whose basic predatory strategy has survived for an extraordinary span of time. Eyes and nostrils positioned above the water allow the animal to disappear almost completely beneath the surface. A muscular tail provides explosive acceleration. Armored osteoderms protect the body. Conical teeth seize rather than chew. And when prey is too large to swallow, the infamous death roll can tear it into manageable pieces.
Everything about the design is built around one principle:
Don't waste energy.
That principle makes Gustave's story considerably stranger.
Crocodiles are ectothermic ambush predators capable of waiting extraordinary periods between meals. They don't need prolonged pursuit. They wait until an animal enters the narrow strip of geography where water meets land—and then patience becomes explosive violence. For people who depend upon Lake Tanganyika for fishing, bathing, washing and drinking water, that kill zone is also an unavoidable part of everyday life.
But Patrice Faye encountered reports of victims attributed to Gustave whose bodies were recovered or only partially consumed. That helped create the sensational legend that Gustave killed for pleasure.
The biology tells a more complicated story.
Crocodile ecologist Alison Leslie rejected the idea of a crocodilian psychopath. Attacks can be interrupted. Crocodiles can behave territorially. Large prey may be consumed over several days. And some of the deaths attributed to one famous crocodile may have belonged to entirely different animals. Faye nevertheless wondered whether decades of conflict in Burundi and neighboring Congo had provided Gustave with opportunities to scavenge human remains—and thereby learn that humans were simply another available food source. It remains a hypothesis, not an established scientific explanation.
Finally, we meet the Old Man of the Lake.
Faye estimated Gustave at approaching twenty feet long and perhaps a ton in weight. His enormous body carried distinctive scars, including wounds Faye believed came from gunfire, allowing him to distinguish Gustave from other crocodiles. After decades of survival, this wasn't simply a giant animal. It was an experienced predator capable of learning the repetitive patterns of the people living along its territory.
Perhaps Gustave wasn't terrifying because he broke the rules of nature.
Perhaps he was terrifying because he followed them perfectly.
And Patrice Faye had finally decided that understanding Gustave wasn't enough.
He was going to catch him.
LISTEN, WATCH & FOLLOW
Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a five-star rating and review to help new listeners discover the show.
Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.
Follow @thedevilwithinpod for episode clips, archival material and more from the stories we investigate. Have a story or case you think belongs on the show? Send it to [email protected].
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan and produced by Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Devil's Ledger - Week of September 28th, 2026
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER Week of September 28, 2026 Fall has officially arrived, playoff baseball is back, and apparently Mother Nature decided the Northeast needed to celebrate with a violent nor'easter. This week …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL'S LEDGER
Week of September 28, 2026
Fall has officially arrived, playoff baseball is back, and apparently Mother Nature decided the Northeast needed to celebrate with a violent nor'easter.
This week on The Devil's Ledger, Branden sends some love to everyone currently getting battered by wind, rain and coastal flooding—and finally answers a question some of us have somehow avoided asking our entire lives: What the hell actually is a nor'easter?
Then we head into considerably darker territory.
THE CREEPIEST THING I HEARD THIS WEEK: THE MOSQUITO
Brazilian authorities say they've captured Jorlan Lopes da Silva, a suspected serial killer nicknamed “Mosquito” because of his thin, frail build.
Police accuse da Silva of involvement in sixteen murders around Mulungu in northeastern Brazil. Investigators say he evaded capture by disappearing into dense vegetation and living in makeshift camps hidden in the wilderness. But it's the bizarre circumstances of his arrest that elevate this one into Creepiest Thing territory: when police finally cornered him after a two-day pursuit, da Silva was reportedly wearing a dress, wig and painted fingernails—and carrying an unrelated baby in his arms.
THIS WEEK ON THE DEVIL WITHIN: GUSTAVE
The New Monsters has come to an end, which means we're returning to something considerably more familiar:
Serial killers.
Sort of.
Our new three-part series travels to Burundi and the shores of Lake Tanganyika for the extraordinary story of Gustave, the enormous, heavily scarred Nile crocodile blamed in legend for more than 300 human deaths.
That number has never been verified—and naturalist Patrice Faye offered far more conservative estimates—but behind the mythology was a very real, exceptionally large crocodile that Faye spent years tracking.
How do you hunt a serial killer with no motive, fingerprints or confession—one who can simply disappear beneath the surface of one of Africa's great lakes?
Meet Gustave: The Killer of Lake Tanganyika.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: TOMASZ KOSOWSKI
Over on Criminal Mischief, Carolyn investigates the extraordinary case of plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski, recently found guilty of murdering attorney Steven Cozzi.
Cozzi vanished from his Largo, Florida, law office in March 2023. His wallet, phone and keys were left behind, while investigators discovered blood inside the men's restroom. His body has never been recovered.
Then Kosowski made the already extraordinary case even stranger: facing first-degree murder and the possibility of a death sentence, he represented himself.
Carolyn breaks down the evidence, the disappearance and one of the stranger murder trials we've encountered in quite some time.
THE SLIPPERY: THE PONZI KILLER MOM
Scott and Nancy bring us the rise and spectacular collapse of Natalie Cochran.
Natalie and Michael Cochran appeared to have everything: high-school sweethearts turned successful suburban family, with Natalie working as a pharmacist and Michael as a popular baseball coach and businessman.
Behind that success was a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving supposedly lucrative government and defense contracts. As the money poured in, so did the lies—and when Michael began asking questions, prosecutors said Natalie chose murder over exposure.
A jury ultimately convicted her of killing her husband with insulin.
Money. Marriage. Fraud. Defense contracts. Murder.
This week, The Slippery takes on The Ponzi Killer Mom.
THIS WEEK IN HORROR: VICTORIAN PSYCHO
Finally, we're going Gothic.
Maika Monroe stars as Winifred Notty, an eccentric young governess who arrives at a remote English manor in 1858 to educate the children of a wealthy family.
Then people begin disappearing.
Also starring Jason Isaacs, Thomasin McKenzie and Ruth Wilson, Victorian Psycho gives us a remote manor, Victorian repression, disappearing servants and a governess who may have considerably more on her mind than afternoon lessons.
LISTEN • WATCH • FOLLOW
Follow The Devil Within, Criminal Mischief, The Slippery and The Devil's Ledger wherever you get your podcasts.
Leave us a five-star rating and review to help more listeners discover the Evio Universe.
Watch and subscribe on the Evio Creative YouTube channel, and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.
Follow @thedevilwithinpod for clips, episode imagery, stories and updates.
Have a story or tip for us? mailto:[email protected]
Fall is here. The sweaters are coming out. The leaves are changing. Playoff baseball has arrived.
Nature is healing.
We'll see you this week across the Evio Universe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Killer of Lake Tangyanika - Part One
THE DEVIL WITHIN GUSTAVE: THE KILLER OF LAKE TANGANYIKA Episode One — Pattern For years, people living along the shores of Lake Tanganyika told stories about something enormous moving beneath the water …
Notes de l’épisode
THE DEVIL WITHIN
GUSTAVE: THE KILLER OF LAKE TANGANYIKA
Episode One — Pattern
For years, people living along the shores of Lake Tanganyika told stories about something enormous moving beneath the water. Fishermen disappeared. Bodies were recovered bearing catastrophic injuries. Survivors described attacks that happened with terrifying speed, often in places where generations of Burundians had fished, washed clothes and collected water.
Then French naturalist Patrice Faye began looking for a pattern.
Faye was an unlikely investigator: a self-taught naturalist and herpetologist from Lyon who had worked as a plumber and lumberjack, traveled through Africa and eventually made Burundi his home. During some of the country's darkest years, he developed an extraordinary knowledge of its wildlife—and became increasingly troubled by the stories emerging from Lake Tanganyika.
In Episode One of our three-part investigation into Gustave, we travel deep into the history of Burundi, a breathtaking country scarred by colonialism, political assassination and a civil war that killed an estimated 300,000 people between 1993 and 2005. Against that backdrop, Faye developed a disturbing theory: could years of human bodies entering the region's waterways during the violence have taught an opportunistic predator that human beings were food? It was a theory he could never prove, but one that connected Burundi's human tragedy to the mystery developing along its shoreline.
Faye collected eyewitness accounts, compared locations and studied descriptions until he became convinced that many of the attacks were connected. Witnesses repeatedly described extraordinary size and distinctive scars, including an injury on the animal's head. Eventually, Faye saw his suspect himself and gave him a name: Gustave.
Gustave wasn't a man.
He was an enormous Nile crocodile—estimated by Faye at roughly twenty feet long, perhaps a ton in weight and around sixty years old, although the animal was never captured and scientifically measured. And while the sensational claims that Gustave killed two or three hundred people belong more comfortably to legend than established fact, something very real remained beneath the mythology: an exceptionally large, scarred crocodile that Faye would spend years trying to understand.
This is the story of a naturalist, a country haunted by war, and a predator that became a legend.
This is Gustave: The Killer of Lake Tanganyika.
Listen & Follow: Follow The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode, and leave us a five-star rating and review to help more listeners discover the show.
Watch & Subscribe: Watch The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes and original video content.
Join the Conversation: Follow @thedevilwithinpod for clips, images, archival material and more from the stories we investigate.
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan and produced by Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The New Monsters: The Loveland Frogman - Part Three
THE NEW MONSTERS: THE LOVELAND FROGMAN Episode Three: The Monster Loveland Kept By the summer of 2016, hunting monsters had changed. Armed with smartphones and Pokémon Go, two teenagers wandered near Ohio's …
Notes de l’épisode
THE NEW MONSTERS: THE LOVELAND FROGMAN
Episode Three: The Monster Loveland Kept
By the summer of 2016, hunting monsters had changed. Armed with smartphones and Pokémon Go, two teenagers wandered near Ohio's Little Miami River and reportedly encountered something that wasn't supposed to be part of the game. Their footage was ambiguous, but the name attached to it was unmistakable: the Loveland Frogman.
The alleged sighting resurrected a legend stretching back decades—mysterious humanoid figures beside an Ohio road in 1955, police encounters in 1972, and the wonderfully bizarre story of a frog-like creature carrying a wand that produced sparks. But the renewed attention also brought former Loveland police officer Mark Mathews back into the story. Mathews had encountered and shot the animal associated with the legend in 1972, and his explanation was considerably less supernatural: according to him, it was a large, tailless iguana, probably an escaped or abandoned exotic pet.
That should have killed the legend.
Instead, Loveland kept the Frogman.
In the conclusion of our three-part investigation, we explore what happens when a monster outlives the eyewitnesses who created it. From the arrival of the internet and the 2016 Pokémon Go encounter to the transformation of regional cryptids into hometown mascots, merchandise and cultural identities, the Frogman reveals something important about the way modern folklore survives. Evidence may weaken a legend, but once enough people inherit the story, evidence isn't the only thing keeping it alive.
We also bring The New Monsters full circle, from alligators beneath Manhattan and the Bunny Man of Northern Virginia to the strange amphibious resident of the Little Miami River. Cameras, smartphones and instant communication were supposed to make monsters obsolete. Instead, technology gave folklore a distribution system.
Maybe the Loveland Frogman really was an iguana.
If so, the iguana lost.
The monster survived.
LISTEN, FOLLOW & REVIEW
Listen to The Devil Within wherever you get your podcasts, and make sure you're following the show so you never miss a new episode. If you enjoy the series, please leave us a five-star rating and review—it remains one of the best ways to help new listeners discover the show.
WATCH & SUBSCRIBE
Watch The Devil Within and more from the Evio Creative network on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you know whenever a new episode drops.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Follow @thedevilwithinpod for clips, stories, archival material and more from The Devil Within.
Have a strange story, unexplained encounter, case or legend you think we should investigate? Send it to [email protected].
The Devil Within is written and hosted by Branden Morgan and produced by Evio Creative.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Voici les 40 derniers épisodes sur 436. Les épisodes plus anciens se trouvent dans le flux du podcast.
Podcasts similaires
Plus de podcasts : Criminologie
C’est votre podcast ?
Confirmez-le avec une entrée dans votre flux : vous recevez ici un code, vous l’ajoutez comme podcast:txt dans le canal de votre flux, et nous le vérifions. Votre podcast apparaît ensuite comme « vérifié » sur SoundNode.