Our True Crime Podcast: May 2024

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

262. The Murders of Tara Sue Huffman and Christopher Meyer

On August 7, 1995, in Aroma Park, Illinois, 9-year-old Christopher Meyer approached his mom, Mika Moulton, asking for permission to visit the Aroma Park boat launch by the Kankakee River. Christopher, who spent his summers with his mother but resided with his father, Jim Meyer, in Walla Walla, Washington, during the school year, was eager to explore. Mika permitted him to go but set a curfew, instructing him to return home by 5 pm. When 5 o'clock came and went, Mika began to worry. She went out to search for Christopher but was unsuccessful so she returned home to phone the police and report Christopher missing. At the time, no one knew it but Christopher was not this person’s first victim.

Join Jen and Cam of Our True Crime Podcast on this episode entitled “The Murders of Tara Sue Huffman and Christopher Meyer.”

Listener Discretion by @octoberpodVHS
All music is by our EP @theinkypawprint

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Sources:
https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/buss-timothy.htm

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/07/03/july-3-1996-buss-woes-stem-from-childhood-doctor-says/

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-buss-4

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrime/comments/sgeb6r/in_1981_a_13_year_old_boy_named_timothy_buss/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jul/06/killer-sentenced-to-death-in-murder-of-10-year-old/

https://daily-journal.com/news/local/timothy-buss-asks-shorter-prison-time/article_638f3aa8-8ed8-5bd8-ac6c-d9fe8e7c3d74.html

https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tara-sue-huffman-ki/24824721/?locale=en-US

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19960706&slug=2337897

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-03-mn-41912-story.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/07/04/july-4-1996-buss-father-blames-himself-for-sons-behavior/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/il-supreme-court/1008442.html

https://medium.com/@criminalmatters/13-year-old-sexually-assaulted-killed-5-year-old-12-years-later-he-killed-again-a4597417af20

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

261. Mommy Dearest: The Murder of Jerry Heimann

In April 2001, Jerry Heimann's son, Greg, had come to Washington State to visit his father. When his father didn't pick him up from the airport, he grew concerned. When he arrived at his father's home, and there was no answer, he broke into the house. Jerry wasn't there, and neither were most of Jerry's belongings. As he made his way into the dining room, he found an 89-year-old grandmother, Evelyn, and an Alzheimer's patient slumped in her wheelchair. She had been left alone, starving. Greg called 911.

When police asked the neighbors if they had seen Jerry, they said they hadn’t seen anybody at the residence after the live-in housekeeper and elder helper, Barbara Opel, had backed a U-Haul into Jerry’s driveway, packed it full of things from Jerry’s house, and left.

Soon, police knocked on Barbara Opel's hotel room door, asking her, her children, and their friends to come down to the station to answer some questions about the whereabouts of her employer, 64-year-old Jerry Heimann.

Barbara spun a story of how Jerry was dying of terminal prostate cancer, and he was just finished with this world. He’d given her all his earthly possessions, and she had no idea where he was.

Nobody else talked to the police. They did not betray Barbara.

But eleven-year-old Derek did. When the police asked him if he knew where Jerry was, he simply said, “Yes. He’s dead.”

Join Cam and Jen as they discuss. "Mommy Dearest: The Murder of Jerry Heiman"

Thank you to YA-MAN USA for sponsoring this week's episode. To experience the future of beauty, you can visit yamanusa.com and use code TCP for a 20% discount.

Thank you to our team:
Written and researched by Lauretta Allen
Listener Discretion by Edward October from OctoberpodVHS
Executive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky Paw Print

Sources:

https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/little-girl-lost/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Opel
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/sentenced-to-50-years-in-everett-slaying-hell-get-out-after-21/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16566644/jerry_duane-heimann
https://murderpedia.org/female.O/o/opel-barbara.htm
https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/little-girl-lost/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B01DQ3K84A/ref=atv_dp_season_select_s2 Investigation Discovery: Deadly Sins Season 2 Episode 8; Mommy's Little Killers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4xtkBOfP84&ab_channel=DanielleKirsty
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1032029517/?match=1&terms=Barbara%20Opel
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1047870461/?match=1&terms=Heather%20Opel
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1048777719/?match=1&terms=Heather%20Opel
https://ivisontrust.org.uk/child-sexual-exploitation/what-is-trauma-bonding/#:~:text=The%20term%20'trauma%20bond'%20is,bo nd%20is%20damaging%20to%20them.
https://wainnocenceproject.org/marriam-oliver/
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-2001-killer-then -13-will-be-released-from-prison-early/
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/witness-details-teen-plot-to-kill/

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

260. The Scorecard Killer: Randy Kraft

In the early hours of May 14, 1983, two California Highway Patrol officers pulled over a suspected drunk driver on the San Diego Freeway in Mission Viejo, California. Instead of staying in his vehicle, the driver jumped out, pouring the contents of a beer bottle onto the road as he exited. His disheveled appearance caught the officers' attention as he approached their patrol car. The officers asked for the man’s driver’s license, and he readily admitted that he had been drinking beer, but he claimed to be sober. Sergeant Michael Howard approached the vehicle and noticed a man slumped in the passenger's seat, partially obscured by a jacket, with empty beer bottles strewn around his feet. A folding knife was visible on the driver's seat. Howard tapped on the window, but there was no response. The man was unconscious and had no shoes on. His pants were unzipped, with his genitals hanging out of his pants. The officer attempted to find a pulse, but there was none. A closer look at the man indicated that the man had been strangled. This standard DUI arrest just changed to murder, but this is far from the only murder this man would commit.

Join Jen and Cam of ‘Our True Crime Podcast’ as we discuss “The Scorecard Killer: Randy Kraft.”

Listener discretion is by the talented @octoberpodVHS

All music is by our executive producer @theinkypawprint

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_Darkness_(book)

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/serial-killer/the-scorecard-killer-southern-california-man-may-have-murdered-as-many-as-67-victims

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Kraft#Conviction_and_incarceration

https://randykraft.com/the-victims/

https://latimes.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-randy-kraft/138310135/?locale=en-US

https://skdb.fandom.com/wiki/KRAFT_Randy_Steven

https://inmagazine.ca/2022/03/queer-crime-was-serial-killer-randy-kraft-wrongly-convicted/

https://www.reddit.com/r/serialkillers/comments/15wby08/all_randy_krafts_victims_suspected_connected_and/

https://www.ranker.com/list/randy-kraft-facts/christinatedesco

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Kraft,%20Randy%20_spring%202007_.pdf

https://www.foxnews.com/us/iowa-teen-identified-victim-scorecard-killer-randy-kraft-nearly-50-years

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-supreme-court/1402694.html

https://www.allgaylong.com/blog/randy-kraft-the-sadistic-scorecard-killer/

https://bonlinetr.unionjill.org/content?c=scorecard+killer&id=12

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-29/scorecard-killer-victim-identified-michael-ray-schlicht-orange-county-randy-kraft

https://longbeachize.com/articles/the-disturbing-creepy-history-of-long-beachs-scorecard-killer-randy-kraft/

https://www.ocregister.com/2023/11/28/after-49-years-orange-county-investigators-id-a-presumed-victim-of-serial-killer-randy-kraft/

https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/serial-killer/the-scorecard-killer-southern-california-man-may-have-murdered-as-many-as-67-victims
https://randykraft.com/

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

259. Wolf in Priest's Clothing: Irene Garza

All considered twenty-five-year-old school teacher and beauty queen Irene Garza to be a “devout” Catholic. She attended daily mass at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. There was nothing pretentious or fake about Irene, and she lived her faith. Being good to others was part of her life’s mantra. She told a friend of hers that she found strength and comfort from her daily communion, so it was only natural that she would go to confession that Saturday evening before Easter. In fact, her family said that Irene attended confession every Saturday, whether she needed to or not.

Irene arrived for confession around 7:00 p.m., entered one of the confessionals, and seemingly disappeared. Five days after she went missing, on April 21st, 1960, the body of Irene Garza was found floating in the 2nd Street irrigation canal, just three miles from the Sacred Heart church where Irene was last seen.

Police only had one suspect in mind for her murder. He was the last person to see Irene the night she left. In fact, he heard her last confession. His name? Father John Feit.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

258. Little Girl Gone: Casey Williamson

Warning: Today's episode deals with mental health struggles. If you or someone you love need help please contact 988, where resources are available to you.

On Friday, July 25, 2002, Ernie Williamson woke up to the alarm at either 6 or 6:30 AM, preparing to head to work. As he starts his day, his 6-year-old daughter, Cassandra, affectionately known as Casey, approaches him, telling him she is hungry. Ernie assures her that he'll quickly take a shower and then accompany her across the street to grab breakfast. Since Ernie and Angela had separated, the couple wanted to raise their children, Chelsea--age 12, Casey—age 6, Elizabeth—4, and little Ernie—2, in a loving co-parenting style, Angela and the kids stay with her father at on Benton Street in Valley Park; while Ernie stays right across the street.
As Ernie gets ready, he has no worries since a family friend, 24-year-old Johnny Johnson, is still asleep on the couch. Both Angela and Ernie have known Johnson since he was a child. However, upon finishing his shower and returning upstairs for Casey, he discovers that she is nowhere to be found inside the house. Casey is missing.
Join Jen and Cam on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Little Girl Gone: Casey Williamson.”

Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS
Music by our E.P. @theinkypawprint

Sources:
https://people.com/johnny-johnson-murdered-casey-williamson-executed-7569504

https://fox2now.com/news/true-crime/a-2002-st-louis-area-sleepover-ends-with-kidnapping-murder/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpIwxvWyM50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMCbX7cPEzA

newspapers.com

https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article277306138.html

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/casey-williamsons-mother-devastated-after-convicted-killer-given-stay-of-execution/

https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-casey-williamson-johnny-johnson-b0d87ed6e459e49cb53f9b4fa5fcd738

https://nypost.com/2023/08/02/eerie-final-words-of-vampire-who-killed-6-year-old-girl/