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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

328. The Butcher of Baton Rouge: Sean Vincent Gillis

 Careful! This one is disturbing.

In the early 2000s, women in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, lived in fear. Two different predators were stalking the city, leaving a trail of terror and death. While authorities were hunting for one killer, another, even more depraved murderer was operating completely under the radar.

For ten years, Sean Vincent Gillis lived a chilling double life, murdering at least eight women, and the details of his crimes are beyond deranged. Even other serial killers are disturbed by him.

He wasn't some dark, shadowy figure who stood out from the crowd. To all who knew him, he was just an ordinary guy, not the monster that was hiding in plain sight.


Join Jen and Cam as they talk about "The Butcher of Baton Rouge: Sean Vincent Gillis."

Be sure to stay and listen to the promo for Ghost Bites. It's a new podcast brought to you by our friends, Mike and JT from Brew Crime. It's perfect listening for spooky season!

Thank you to our team

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠⁠

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Vincent_Gillis

https://www.newspapers.com/image/218293983

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037869884/?match=1&clipping_id=179454176

https://www.newspapers.com/image/473164922/?match=1&clipping_id=179454243

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037516392/?match=1&clipping_id=179454409

https://www.promega.es/-/media/files/products-and-services/genetic-identity/ishi-28-oral-abstracts/berry.pdf

https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gillis-sean.htm

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037890650/?match=1&clipping_id=179456922

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037890581/?match=1&terms=%22Hardee%20Schmidt%22

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58750961/rachel-anna-bryan

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147871800/donna-johnston

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93816412/annie_hardee-schmidt

https://www.newspapers.com/image/447359491/?match=1&terms=%22Johnnie%20Mae%20Williams%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/229163871/?match=1&clipping_id=179459891

https://www.newspapers.com/image/470289746/?match=1&clipping_id=179459996

https://www.newspapers.com/image/220130172/?match=1&clipping_id=179460099

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038511629/?match=1&clipping_id=179460210

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038511320/?match=1&clipping_id=179460342

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037326900/?match=1&terms=%22Donna%20Bennett%20Johnston%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/225434960/?match=1&terms=%22Sean%20Vincent%20Gillis%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1036434978/?match=1&clipping_id=179461186

https://youtu.be/KPB_vznn77o?si=Y7R-0F4rbXCG5a08

https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/sean-gillis-now

https://medmindist.com/sean-vincent-gillis/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037300915/?match=1&terms=%22Sean%20Gillis%22%20

https://www.newspapers.com/image/539788905/?match=1&terms=%22Sean%20Gillis%22%20

https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Sean_Vincent_Gillis

Gillis is also featured in several documentaries, including "Butchers in the Bayou," "The Devil You Know," and "World's Most Evil Killers."

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

327. Love, Lies and the Internet: The Murder of Brian Barrett

 The internet often feels like a harmless escape. A place where Facebook shows you picture-perfect families, where influencers promise miracles in a bottle, where friendships are born from nothing more than a shared “like.” But behind the glow of the monitor, reality can warp into something darker, something far more dangerous than anyone imagines. In one quiet town, a single online connection spiraled into lies, obsession, and betrayal, trapping people in a digital web they never saw coming until it was too late. Because online, anyone can be anything. And for one young man, that illusion would prove deadly.




Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Love, Lies and the Internet: The Murder of Brian Barrett.’

Listener discretion by Edward @OctoberpodVHS

Music by our editor/ep @theinkypawprint

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180168/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDjNvcrAA0A

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/nyregion/07triangle.html

https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/courts-montgomery-gets-20-years-in-internet-love-triangle-killing/article_d124d951-07a1-5d2e-bdae-b15098085262.html

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/24-5637/24-5637-2025-06-09.html

https://www.officer.com/investigations/article/55293384/how-to-catch-a-criminal-liar-liar

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/internet-love-triangle-comes-to-deadly-end/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/web-user-sentenced-for-killing-online-rival-1.636158

https://abcnews.go.com/US/online-love-triangle-deception-end-murder/story?id=14371076

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

326. Out of the Fire: Murder in Altona

 Altona, Manitoba, is a small town sitting in the middle of a windswept prairie about a fifteen-minute drive north of North Dakota. In the winter, the days are short, the snow falls frequently, and there’s very little to do except play hockey or other indoor activities. The town was founded by Mennonites, who, like the Amish, are known for their pacifist and peaceful ways. However, that did not mean the town was exempt from its fair share of tragedies.  However, nothing would stun the Altona residents more than what happened on a November night in 1990. What started as a typical evening for two teenage boys ended in a horrific home invasion that left one dead and the other critically injured. The attack was violent and merciless, shaking the entire community to its core.



Join Jen and Cam as they discuss "Out of the Fire: Murder in Altona."

Thank you to our team

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠

Sources:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008967/?match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/948646262/?match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008599/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008599/?match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/735474324/?match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/735472254/?match=1

https://www.iaedjournal.org/the-road-of-resilience

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/altona-manitoba-documentary-world-premiere-1.7049171

https://www.steinbachonline.com/articles/documentary-altona-uses-30-year-old-crime-to-explore-forgiveness

https://www.firefightingincanada.com/a-story-of-resilience-26441/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/737008967/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1011921809/?match=1&clipping_id=178356248

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altona_murder#:~:text=The%20Altona%20murder%20occurred%20in,bodily%20injuries%20and%20alerted%20authorities.&text=Giesbrecht%20was%20arrested%20shortly%20after%2C%20and%20confessed%20to%20the%20murder.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2010/06/18/killer-to-get-taste-of-freedom

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.5551761 (this interview with Klassen's dad is just pitiful)

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/43-survivors-tyler-pelke-and-the-nova-scotia-boy/id1483801903?i=1000516794821

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

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.5553431

https://www.brandonsun.com/local/2013/06/18/bible-belts-bogeyman-still-haunts-town

https://winnipegsun.com/2014/03/02/rising-out-of-the-fire

https://www.newspapers.com/image/734980397/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/734980254/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/735009940/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/735843197/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1022422054/?match=1&terms=%22Curtis%20Klassen%22

I survived Season 7 episode 10, A&E