Our True Crime Podcast

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

372. The Mile High Murderer: Vincent Darrell Groves

In March of 1987, Sheila Washington was walking near East Colfax Avenue, which was once dubbed the “longest, wickedest street in America," when a stranger in a blue Concord offered her a ride. That afternoon turned into a fight for survival when he tried to strangle her, exposing 34-year-old Vincent Darrell Groves: a prolific yet largely unknown Colorado serial killer.

Decades later, dedicated cold case units and modern DNA testing are finally holding him accountable for a long list of cold cases and bringing long-overdue answers to grieving families.

Join Jen and Cam as they piece together the many cold cases and DNA evidence that finally brought Vincent Darrell Groves to light.

Our team:

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Inky Pawprint⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources:

⁠The Story of Serial Killer Vincent Darrell Groves | They Will Kill You⁠

⁠True Crime: Vincent Darrell Groves, The East Colfax Strangler - Rooster Magazin⁠e

⁠People v. Groves :: 1992 :: Colorado Court of Appeals Decisions :: Colorado Case Law :: Colorado Law :: U.S. Law :: Justia⁠

⁠DNA evidence links Colorado woman’s murder to one of state’s most ‘prolific serial killers’ 40 years later | The Independent⁠

⁠The Colfax Serial Killer: Vincent Darrell Groves Colored Red | iHeart⁠

⁠Vincent Groves - Wikipedia⁠

⁠(1) The Denver Body Dump Killer | Unidentified Serial Killer | Free Full Documentary - YouTube⁠

⁠Mar 23, 1989, page 4 - The Daily Sentinel at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Sep 03, 1988, page 10 - The Daily Sentinel at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Article From Aug 02, 1996, page 12 - Pueblo Chieftain at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Article From Dec 30, 1988, page 11 - The Daily Sentinel at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Aug 06, 1989, page 14 - The Daily Sentinel at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Article From May 27, 1990, page 14 - The Daily Sentinel at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Jul 11, 1986, page 8 - The Daily Sentinel at Newspapers.com™⁠ makes appearance at school to talk about staying straight.

⁠Article From Mar 09, 2012, page 5 - Fort Collins Coloradoan at Newspapers.com™⁠

⁠Vincent Darrell Groves | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers⁠

⁠Colorado cold case linked to one of the state's 'most prolific serial killers' nearly four decades later⁠

⁠Vincent Groves — Grokipedia⁠

⁠Denver - Wikipedia⁠

⁠Colfax Avenue - Wikipedia⁠

⁠Diane Montoya-Mancera (1962-1988) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Nearly Four Decades Later, the 1987 Murder of Rhonda Marie Fisher Has Been Solved - Douglas County Sheriff's Office⁠

⁠Deceased serial killer linked to murders of 4 Colorado women – The Denver Post⁠

⁠Melanie Suzanne Cooley. | Another Bundy Blog.⁠

⁠Peggy A Cuff (1959-1979) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Chasing A Ghost - 5280⁠

⁠Norma Jean Halford – The Charley Project⁠

⁠Joyce Ellen Ramey (1955-1979) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Microsoft Word - 79-521903.Ramey⁠

⁠Jeanette Louise Baca (1960-1978) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Baca, Jeannette Louise - Homicide • Jefferson County, CO⁠

⁠Zabra Ann Miller Mason (1968-1987) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Colorado Cold Case Files - Case Detail: Zabra Mason⁠

⁠Colorado Cold Case Files - Case Detail: Cynthia Boyd⁠

⁠Cynthia Mae Boyd (1960-1980) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Juanita Becky Lovato (1968-1988) - Find a Grave Memorial⁠

⁠Serial killers worked Denver streets from ’75 to ’95, police say – The Denver Post⁠

⁠Billy Edwin Reid - Wikipedia⁠

⁠DNA links prolific serial killer to 1981 murder of girl, 17, in Aurora – The Denver Post⁠

Monday, August 10, 2026

The Murder of Joy Hayward with Jackie & Jenna from Stop, Who Does That?!

In this special episode, Jen and Cam talk with Jackie and Jenna from Stop, Who Does That?! about the tragic and frustrating murder of Joy Hayward.

After checking into a hotel room following an argument with her boyfriend, Joy Hayward was found strangled in her bathroom bathtub.

What seemed like an isolated yet horrifying crime took a dramatic turn when DNA evidence linked her killer to a nearby attempted sexual assault just months later.

Despite composite sketches, a matching DNA profile, and a $25,000 reward, Joy's killer remains unidentified and at large.

Make sure you subscribe to Jenna and Jackie's podcast ⁠ Stop, Who Does That?!⁠ Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you have any information, please call

Chester Police Department at (610)447-7931

Email: ⁠publicaffairs@cityofchesterpa.gov⁠

SIGN THE PETITION: ⁠https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-joy-hayward-dna-testing-unsolved-murder-investigation⁠

Email: Grace Bowen, Joy's sister ⁠JusticeForJoy2022@gmail.com⁠

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

371. Philly House of Horrors: Linda Weston

It started with two dog bowls.

On the morning of October 15, 2011, in Philadelphia's quiet Tacony neighborhood, 71-year-old landlord Turgut Gozleveli descended into the basement of the brick building he helped maintain. But that morning, something felt wrong.

The basement was darker than usual. Several lightbulbs had been unscrewed, leaving the room in near darkness. Two stainless steel dog dishes sat side by side beneath a small table. Pets weren't allowed in the building. He asked the tenants if anyone was feeding a dog. Everyone said no.

Two days later, the bowls were still there. Uneasy, Gozleveli grabbed a flashlight and returned to the basement. He made his way to the building's long-abandoned furnace room. The door was wrapped in a chain. He unlooped it and pulled the door open.

The smell hit him first. His flashlight revealed a dirt floor littered with scraps of food, filthy blankets, and a bucket overflowing with human waste, and then something moved beneath one of the quilts.

When Gozleveli lifted the blanket, he recoiled. A man and a woman lay curled together, gaunt and wide-eyed.

"Get the hell out of here," he shouted, assuming they were squatters.

They weren't.

Join Cam and Jen on this episode entitled 'Philly House of Horrors: Linda Weston.’

Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

All music and editing is by @theinkypawprint

Sources:

⁠https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/file/768726/dl?inline=⁠

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/judge-drops-one-lesser-charge-in-tacony-basement-of-horror-kidnap-case/

⁠https://abc7.com/archive/8399941/⁠

⁠https://whyy.org/articles/leaders-daughter-in-tacony-dungeon-case-sentenced/⁠

⁠https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/self-described-preacher-sentenced-to-27-years-in-prison-in-basement-of-horrors-case/⁠

⁠https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/2013-in-review-feds-take-over-phila-basement-of-horrors-case/⁠

⁠https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/federal-charges-announced-in-tacony-basement-of-horrors-case/⁠

⁠https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/guilty-plea-in-tacony-basement-of-horrors-case-to-avoid-death-penalty/⁠

⁠https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/former-neighbor-of-linda-weston-searching-for-little-l/⁠

https://news.sky.com/story/mum-who-starved-victims-in-dungeon-gets-life-10340529

https://oig.ssa.gov/news-releases/2015-09-10-audits-and-investigations-investigations-sept9-weston-guilty-plea/

⁠https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/21/justice/pennsylvania-disabled-chained⁠

⁠https://www.courthousenews.com/new-claim-in-philadelphia-horror-case/⁠

⁠https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/philadelphia/news/press-releases/woman-who-held-disabled-adults-captive-in-subhuman-conditions-sentenced-to-life-plus-80-years-in-prison⁠

⁠https://www.aetv.com/articles/linda-ann-weston-kidnapping⁠

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_basement_kidnapping

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

370. Bloodlines: The Murder of Yara Gambriasio

Thank you to Fabi, our fantastic tour guide in Italy, for suggesting this case. I apologize in advance for any mispronunciations.

When 13-year-old Yara Gambirasio vanished on a freezing November night in Brembate di Sopra, it kicked off a heartbreaking search that ended months later in a desolate field.

What started as a devastating local tragedy snowballed into an absolutely unprecedented investigation. Investigators tested the DNA of twenty-two thousand people: a massive undertaking that accidentally blew the lid off decades of deeply buried family secrets across northern Italy. At the same time, authorities hunted down "Unknown 1" and eventually arrested Massimo Bossetti.

Even now, the lingering forensic questions make some wonder if justice was actually served.