Very Scary People
Revisiting the twisted lives of some of the most frightening, diabolical characters in recent history. The stories trace the heinous, criminal acts of these elusive miscreants and the eventual road to justice.
Genre: Documentary, Crime, History
Cast:Donnie Wahlberg , Casey Jordan , Mary Ellen O'Toole , James Gagliano , Louis B. Schlesinger , Joey Jackson , Finley Frechette , Jeff Guinn , Sharon Hagan , Helen Morrison , Glynn Martin , Ann Burgess , Robert Graysmith , Eugenia Godzik , John Daily , Karen Massie , Tom Honig , Frank C. Girardot
S1.E1 ∙ John Wayne Gacy: Evil Secret Part 1
The early life of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, living with an abusive alcoholic father, to his successful contracting company hiring young men, where he would trick them into handcuffs before he raped and murdered dozens of young men.
S1.E2 ∙ John Wayne Gacy: Evil Secret Part 2
This is the shocking and gruesome mystery of John Wayne Gacy, a popular Chicago businessman and part-time clown who was leading a double life in the 1970s. By day, Gacy was a community leader and helpful neighbor. But by night, he transformed into a monster who chose young male teens as his prey. How did this seemingly cheerful man become the most prolific serial killer of his day without anybody noticing and how was he ultimately caught?
S1.E3 ∙ Charles Manson: The Devil's Work Part 1
Charles Manson was born a bad kid, became a teenage thief and a violent predator, and by the end, spent far more than half his life behind bars. He had the ability to charm and the power of persuasion, but he chose to use those talents for sinister purposes. This episode details the horror of the vicious attacks and explains how Manson was able to convince his hippie followers to brutally murder innocent strangers.
S1.E4 ∙ Charles Manson: The Devil's Work Part 2
Charles Manson was born a bad kid, became a teenage thief and a violent predator, and by the end, spent far more than half his life behind bars. He had the ability to charm and the power of persuasion, but he chose to use those talents for sinister purposes. This episode details the horror of the vicious attacks and explains how Manson was able to convince his hippie followers to brutally murder innocent strangers.
S1.E5 ∙ NorCal Rapist: Phantom Predator Part 1
Roy Charles Waller, serial rapist worked at the University of California. He alluded police for decades and when captured to face some of his victims in court, it was revealed the use of a family DNA match through GED match was his demise.
S1.E6 ∙ NorCal Rapist: Phantom Predator Part 2
In Northern California, a masked predator meticulously plans his sexual assaults by studying the habits and routines of his female prey; after 27 years on the loose, police close in on the man they believe to be the NorCal Rapist.
S1.E7 ∙ Aileen Wuornos: Monster Made - Part 1
Aileen Wuornos a rare "female" serial killer responsible for the murder of 7 men in Florida between 1989-1990 by shooting them at point-blank range. She stole the murder victims cars and continued her murder spree working as a prostitute.
S1.E8 ∙ Aileen Wuornos: Monster Made Part 2
In 1990, Florida police were on a frantic search for a killer. Seven men were dead, their bodies scattered along state highways. Terrorized motorists heard of the bullet-ridden victims of the Interstate Killer - but the investigative trail was cold and there was no end in sight. The killer behind the spree was Aileen Wuornos-a complex, misunderstood misfit who hitchhiked near truck stops, selected her victims at random, and lured them to secluded locations. It took good old-fashioned police work, a little luck, and a lover's betrayal, to finally bring Wuornos' killing spree to an end. This episode features rare interviews with victims' family members, and Wuornos' best friend.
S1.E9 ∙ Zodiac Killer: I Am the Zodiac Part 1
The true identity of the "The Zodiac Killer" is his pseudonym self designated. He is a mystery since his killing spree was reported in the late 1960s - 1970s. He operated in Northern California demanding public notoriety for his crimes.
S1.E10 ∙ Zodiac Killer: I Am the Zodiac Part 2
He terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s, killing young couples at secluded lover's lanes. Not satisfied with just the murders, he also taunted the public with cryptic clues, threats of increased violence and most famously, ciphers that were supposed to lead police to his identity, but mostly went nowhere. Detectives, reporters, and even civilians, have worked for decades to solve the case - but so far, no one has succeeded. Can new DNA techniques that were used to catch the Golden State Killer finally unmask this murderer, who is both infamous and completely unknown?
S1.E11 ∙ Jim Jones: Unholy Massacre Part 1
More than 900 Americans died in an isolated jungle in northern Guyana in November 1978. The man responsible, Jim Jones, has gone down in history as a madman who drove his followers to suicide. But the truth is more complicated, more horrifying, and more tragic than that. This episode dives deep into the life of Jones, from his lonely childhood to his spectacular rise as a charismatic minister sought out by politicians and film stars, and finally, to an almost unimaginable end: the mass murder of those who once called him "father."
S1.E12 ∙ Jim Jones: Unholy Massacre Part 2
More than 900 Americans died in an isolated jungle in northern Guyana in November 1978. The man responsible, Jim Jones, has gone down in history as a madman who drove his followers to suicide. But the truth is more complicated, more horrifying, and more tragic than that. This episode dives deep into the life of Jones, from his lonely childhood to his spectacular rise as a charismatic minister sought out by politicians and film stars, and finally, to an almost unimaginable end: the mass murder of those who once called him "father."
S2.E1 ∙ Son of Sam Part 1: The Duke of Death
From 1976 to 1977, David Berkowitz terrorized New York City - under his creepy self-given moniker: "the Son of Sam"; he is among the most infamous serial killers in American history.
S2.E2 ∙ Son of Sam Part 2: I Am A Monster
In 1977, the city of New York was being stalked by a seemingly faceless serial killer known as, "Son of Sam"; after his final shooting took him to Brooklyn, a twist of fate and a little luck- led to his capture.
S2.E3 ∙ BTK Part 1: Bind, Torture, Kill
He calls himself "B.T.K." which stands for Bind, Torture, Kill and for decades this bloodthirsty serial killer terrifies Wichita as he murders again.
S2.E4 ∙ BTK Part 2: The Taunting
For years the BTK killer plays a cat and mouse game with law enforcement and the media taunting them as he seeks the attention he craves.
S2.E5 ∙ The Night Stalker, Part 1: Summer of Terror
The summer of 1985 was one of the hottest Los Angeles had seen in a century. But terrified residents weren't sleeping with the windows open; a killer known as the "Night Stalker" was on the loose.
S2.E6 ∙ The Night Stalker, Part 2: I Will Be Avenged
A tip from a teenage boy leads to the identity of the Night Stalker and twenty-four hours later a mob of angry citizens track him down and capture him.
S2.E7 ∙ The Co-ed Killer Part 1: The Murder Capital of the World
Desperate for answers community members live in terror waiting for the man dubbed the Co-Ed Killer to strike again.
S2.E8 ∙ The Co-ed Killer Part 2: Thinking Murder All Day Long
In April 1973, Edmund Kemper, 24, Murders six coeds in and around city of Santa Cruz, California, Shaking the community to its core.
S2.E9 ∙ Robert Durst Part 1: World's Worst Fugitive
The story of the millionaire heir to a vast real estate fortune who has been linked to vast real estate fortune who has been linked to the deaths of his wife, his best friend, and his neighbor.
S2.E10 ∙ Robert Durst Part 2: Nobody Tells the Whole Truth
Six weeks after jumping bail in Galveston, Texas, Robert Durst is caught on a store security camera in Pennsylvania shoplifting a sandwich and is quickly sent back to Galveston to stand trial for the murder of his neighbor, Morris Black.
S2.E11 ∙ Dr. Death Part 1: A License to Kill
The two-part series finale tells the story of Dr Michael Swango - a high school valedictorian, distinguished Marine, and a cunning serial killer.
S2.E12 ∙ Dr. Death Part 2: You're Next
Part two concludes as survivors, investigators and former colleagues detail Dr Michael Swango's murderous tirades against his helpless patients.
S3.E1 ∙ The Golden State Killer: Hunting Human Beings Pt. 1
For more than forty-four years, the Golden State Killer invaded homes, tortured and terrorized families, committing fifty brutal rapes, and thirteen vicious murders.
S3.E2 ∙ The Golden State Killer: Hiding in Plain Sight Pt. 2
For decades the notorious Golden State Killer escaped capture.
S3.E3 ∙ The Butcher Baker: Terror in the Wilderness Pt. 1
The Butcher Baker was one of the most prolific rapists and serial killers in Alaska's history.
S3.E4 ∙ The Butcher Baker: The Girls Who Got Away Pt. 2
For years, The Butcher Baker serial killer was hiding in plain sight.
S3.E5 ∙ The Amityville Horror: Murdered One by One Pt. 1
It was the crime that inspired the legend of the Amityville horror. In November 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were found murdered inside their beautiful seaside home.
S3.E6 ∙ The Amityville Horror: Evil in the House Pt. 2
Para psychologists and psychics descend on the house to investigate who murdered the DeFeo family and why.
S3.E7 ∙ The Dating Game Killer: Smooth Talker Pt. 1
In 1968, an 8-year-old girl is abducted, raped and left for dead.
S3.E8 ∙ The Dating Game Killer: The Bite Mark Pt. 2
With a string of murders already behind him, Rodney Alcala appears on the TV show, "The Dating Game" where he wins the prize: a date.
S3.E9 ∙ The Iceman: The Murder Business Pt. 1
He was a family man, living in a New Jersey suburb with his wife and three kids. But unbeknownst to his neighbors, Richard Kuklinski held a dark secret: he was the "Iceman"--a cold-blooded killer who was part-time mob hitman for hire, and full-time psychopath.
S3.E10 ∙ The Iceman: Trapping a Serial Killer Pt. 2
For many years, the Iceman--Richard Kuklinski--had literally gotten away with murder, but now investigators were on to him.
S3.E11 ∙ The Firestarter: A Wall of Flames Pt. 1
A string of horrifying fires plagues California in the Eighties and Nineties, one of them fatally trapping four people inside. Are these raging infernos accidental or is someone setting them deliberately?
S3.E12 ∙ The Firestarter: Chasing a Pyromaniac Pt. 2
In a game of cat and mouse, colleagues discover dark secrets behind the man who thrived on the chaos of igniting the fires he was supposed to be fighting.
S4.E1 ∙ The Ken and Barbie Killers: Dead Ringer - Part 1
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka: It was one of North America's most haunting and horrific crime sprees. From 1987 to 1992, there were a series of rapes, abductions, and murders of young women just north of the U.S. - Canadian border. Authorities from Ontario and FBI profile detectives from the United States joined forces to try and capture the monster responsible, but for more than 5 years they came up empty. Then, cops caught a break, a tip that led them to an unlikely suspect. A blond, blue-eyed accountant who lived with his beautiful wife in a quaint pink house in the suburbs. They were sure they had their man, but the saga was far from over. Disturbing videotapes were discovered, and the public learned the sordid details of the crimes - and who else was involved. It sent shock waves throughout the country... and the world.
S4.E2 ∙ The Ken and Barbie Killers: I Kidnapped a Girl - Part 2
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka: It was one of North America's most haunting and horrific crime sprees. From 1987 to 1992, there were a series of rapes, abductions, and murders of young women just north of the U.S. - Canadian border. Authorities from Ontario and FBI profile detectives from the United States joined forces to try and capture the monster responsible, but for more than 5 years they came up empty. Then, cops caught a break, a tip that led them to an unlikely suspect. A blond, blue-eyed accountant who lived with his beautiful wife in a quaint pink house in the suburbs. They were sure they had their man, but the saga was far from over. Disturbing videotapes were discovered, and the public learned the sordid details of the crimes - and who else was involved. It sent shock waves throughout the country... and the world.
S4.E3 ∙ The Back to School Killer: A Fear in the Air - Part 1
When college-aged women in Charlottesville, Virginia started disappearing, the community was shaken to the core. The search for answers led authorities to an unlikely suspect, a local star athlete, Jesse Matthew Jr. In a story filled with twists and turns, the viewer goes behind the investigation of how at least two young women were violently killed and how a third cheated death and became the key to bringing a murderer to justice. For the first time, you'll hear explosive and heart wrenching details from victims' families and friends.
S4.E4 ∙ The Back to School Killer: Portrait of a Predator - Part 2
When college-aged women in Charlottesville, Virginia started disappearing, the community was shaken to the core. The search for answers led authorities to an unlikely suspect, a local star athlete, Jesse Matthew Jr. In a story filled with twists and turns, the viewer goes behind the investigation of how at least two young women were violently killed and how a third cheated death and became the key to bringing a murderer to justice. For the first time, you'll hear explosive and heart wrenching details from victims' families and friends.
S4.E5 ∙ Sammy "The Bull" Gravano: Part 1
Sammy "The Bull" Gravano was one of the most feared mobsters in history. As the right-hand man to mafia kingpin John Gotti, he carried out multiple murders on behalf of the crime family. But after his arrest, he committed the ultimate mafia sin: he broke the sacred oath of silence and cut a deal with the government, by agreeing to testify against his former boss. In shocking testimony, Gravano described the cold-blooded murders of close friends and business partners and the secret world of La Cosa Nostra. As the highest-ranking mobster ever to defect, The Bull's testimony helped put Gotti and dozens of others behind bars and devastated the hierarchy of organized crime. After the trial, Gravano was supposed to slip away quietly under the Witness Protection Program with a new name and a new face. But the notorious gangster was not about to live a normal life. Despite the bounty on his head, Gravano abandoned the Witness Protection Program and drifted back into the criminal world. Sammy Gravano is one of the last mobsters of a bygone era and his journey from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn to the mafia's inner circle, to government informant, and then to prison, is a riveting tale of murder, betrayal, and survival.
S4.E6 ∙ Sammy "The Bull" Gravano: Part 2
Sammy "The Bull" Gravano was one of the most feared mobsters in history. As the right-hand man to mafia kingpin John Gotti, he carried out multiple murders on behalf of the crime family. But after his arrest, he committed the ultimate mafia sin: he broke the sacred oath of silence and cut a deal with the government, by agreeing to testify against his former boss. In shocking testimony, Gravano described the cold-blooded murders of close friends and business partners and the secret world of La Cosa Nostra. As the highest-ranking mobster ever to defect, The Bull's testimony helped put Gotti and dozens of others behind bars and devastated the hierarchy of organized crime. After the trial, Gravano was supposed to slip away quietly under the Witness Protection Program with a new name and a new face. But the notorious gangster was not about to live a normal life. Despite the bounty on his head, Gravano abandoned the Witness Protection Program and drifted back into the criminal world. Sammy Gravano is one of the last mobsters of a bygone era and his journey from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn to the mafia's inner circle, to government informant, and then to prison, is a riveting tale of murder, betrayal, and survival.
S4.E7 ∙ The Hillside Stranglers: A Pair of Serial Killers - Part 1
Serial rapists and killers Kenneth Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono Jr. (who was not Ken's blood relative) terrorize Los Angeles, California in the late 1970s, leaving a dozen or more women dead.
S4.E8 ∙ The Hillside Stranglers: She Walked Into the Trap - Part 2
Serial rapists and killers Kenneth Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono Jr. (who was not Ken's blood relative) terrorize Los Angeles, California in the late 1970s, leaving a dozen or more women dead.
S4.E9 ∙ The Cross Country Killer: He Could Make People Disappear - Part 1
February 1, 2012: It was a normal night for Samantha Koenig, age 18. She was closing the Common Grounds Espresso coffee kiosk where she worked in Anchorage, Alaska, when one last customer, Isreal Keyes, age 34, stopped by. He was a man known in the community as a local business owner and caring father. But lurking beneath that harmless surface was a rapist and a ruthless killer with a penchant for selecting random victims throughout the country. Israel Keyes' kidnapping of Samantha Koenig led to an intense manhunt and a cross country investigation that ended his reign of terror. While in custody, Keyes played a cat-and-mouse game with detectives, revealing some details about his crimes and his missing victims. In the end, Keyes had one last surprise.
S4.E10 ∙ The Cross Country Killer: The Kill Kits - Part 2
February 1, 2012: It was a normal night for Samantha Koenig, age 18. She was closing the Common Grounds Espresso coffee kiosk where she worked in Anchorage, Alaska, when one last customer, Isreal Keyes, age 34, stopped by. He was a man known in the community as a local business owner and caring father. But lurking beneath that harmless surface was a rapist and a ruthless killer with a penchant for selecting random victims throughout the country. Israel Keyes' kidnapping of Samantha Koenig led to an intense manhunt and a cross country investigation that ended his reign of terror. While in custody, Keyes played a cat-and-mouse game with detectives, revealing some details about his crimes and his missing victims. In the end, Keyes had one last surprise.
S4.E11 ∙ John Gotti: It Was Kill or Be Killed - Part 1
He was one of the biggest "celebrities" of the 1980's. His expensive suits and swagger earned him the nickname "Dapper Don". In reality, John Gotti was a man to be feared. He was a ruthless, dangerous Mafia gangster who ordered hits on his enemies, his friends and anyone who crossed him. In the 1970's, Gotti worked his way up the ranks of the Gambino crime family as a solid earner and vicious capo, determined to not let anything or anyone stand in his way. In 1985, he led the brutal murder of Mafia boss Paul Castellano and took the throne as the Gambino's Godfather, becoming public enemy #1. Law enforcement and other Goodfellas considered Gotti dangerous and unpredictable. For many years he seemed unstoppable. This installment explores how this common street thug became the ruler of one of the most powerful crime families in the world, and goes in-depth on the secret FBI operation that finally brought him down.
S4.E12 ∙ John Gotti: There Were Fatal Consequences - Part 2
He was one of the biggest "celebrities" of the 1980's. His expensive suits and swagger earned him the nickname "Dapper Don". In reality, John Gotti was a man to be feared. He was a ruthless, dangerous Mafia gangster who ordered hits on his enemies, his friends and anyone who crossed him. In the 1970's, Gotti worked his way up the ranks of the Gambino crime family as a solid earner and vicious capo, determined to not let anything or anyone stand in his way. In 1985, he led the brutal murder of Mafia boss Paul Castellano and took the throne as the Gambino's Godfather, becoming public enemy #1. Law enforcement and other Goodfellas considered Gotti dangerous and unpredictable. For many years he seemed unstoppable. This installment explores how this common street thug became the ruler of one of the most powerful crime families in the world, and goes in-depth on the secret FBI operation that finally brought him down.
S5.E1 ∙ The Trailside Killer: Part 1
The Trailside Killer, also known as David Carpenter, is a serial killer particularly famous for stalking and murdering young women on hiking trails near San Francisco.
S5.E2 ∙ The Trailside Killer: Part 2
The Trailside Killer, also known as David Carpenter, is a serial killer particularly famous for stalking and murdering young women on hiking trails near San Francisco.
S5.E3 ∙ The Slave Master: Part 1
In the mid-1980s, Kansas City, Missouri women start to vanish. They all share one thing in common, an odd connection to the same man who calls himself "The Slave Master". Law enforcement detectives work hard to apprehend this criminal who is a serial killer, con man, embezzler, kidnapper and forger. In the end, justice prevails. In 2003, John Edward Robinson was found guilty of multiple murders. He was convicted and sentenced to the death penalty for two of the murders. Investigators suspect that more victims remain undiscovered. Due to the fact that he made contact with most of his post-1993 victims via online Internet chat rooms, Robinson is sometimes referred to as "the Internet's first serial killer".
S5.E4 ∙ The Slave Master: Part 2
In the mid-1980s, Kansas City, Missouri women start to vanish. They all share one thing in common, an odd connection to the same man who calls himself "The Slave Master". Law enforcement detectives work hard to apprehend this criminal who is a serial killer, con man, embezzler, kidnapper and forger. In the end, justice prevails. In 2003, John Edward Robinson was found guilty of multiple murders. He was convicted and sentenced to the death penalty for two of the murders. Investigators suspect that more victims remain undiscovered. Due to the fact that he made contact with most of his post-1993 victims via online Internet chat rooms, Robinson is sometimes referred to as "the Internet's first serial killer".
S5.E5 ∙ The Twin: Part 1
This installment details the 1990s serial killer Larry Hall, who murdered young women. His identical twin brother, Gary Hall, has never been a suspect in the murders of Larry Hall, who was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison.
S5.E6 ∙ The Twin: Part 2
This installment details the 1990s serial killer Larry Hall, who murdered young women. His identical twin brother, Gary Hall, has never been a suspect in the murders of Larry Hall, who was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison.
S5.E7 ∙ The Times Square Killer: Part 1
Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) is a convicted serial killer and rapist who murdered at least eighteen young women and girls in New York and New Jersey between 1967 and 1980. He was nicknamed as: The New York Ripper, The Torso Killer and The Times Square Killer. Cottingham was arrested on May 22, 1980 and convicted of numerous murders. He was sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison. In 2009, decades after his first five murder convictions, Cottingham told a journalist that he had committed at least 80 to 100 "perfect murders" of women in various regions of the United States.
S5.E8 ∙ The Times Square Killer: Part 2
Richard Francis Cottingham (born November 25, 1946) is a convicted serial killer and rapist who murdered at least eighteen young women and girls in New York and New Jersey between 1967 and 1980. He was nicknamed as: The New York Ripper, The Torso Killer and The Times Square Killer. Cottingham was arrested on May 22, 1980 and convicted of numerous murders. He was sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison. In 2009, decades after his first five murder convictions, Cottingham told a journalist that he had committed at least 80 to 100 "perfect murders" of women in various regions of the United States.
S5.E9 ∙ The Black Widow: Part 1
Part 1: Subtitled "There was a Trail of Death that Seemed to Follow Her." The "black widow" Judias V. Buenoano (April 4, 1943 - March 30, 1998) was an American serial killer who was executed for the 1971 murder of her husband James Goodyear. She was also convicted for the 1980 murder of her son Michael Buenoano and of the 1983 attempted murder of her boyfriend John Gentry. Buenoano is also acknowledged to have been responsible for the 1978 death of her boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris in Colorado. However, by the time law enforcement authorities made the connection between Buenoano and Morris, she had already been sentenced to death in the state of Florida. Buenoano is also believed to have been involved in a 1974 murder in Alabama, and in the 1980 death of her boyfriend Gerald Dossett. After her arrest, Dossett's body was exhumed and analyzed for signs of arsenic poisoning. Buenoano was the first woman to be executed in Florida since 1848.
S5.E10 ∙ The Black Widow: Part 2
Part 2: Subtitled "If She Wanted You Dead, She was Going to Get You." The "black widow" Judias V. Buenoano (April 4, 1943 - March 30, 1998) was an American serial killer who was executed for the 1971 murder of her husband James Goodyear. She was also convicted for the 1980 murder of her son Michael Buenoano and of the 1983 attempted murder of her boyfriend John Gentry. Buenoano is also acknowledged to have been responsible for the 1978 death of her boyfriend Bobby Joe Morris in Colorado. However, by the time law enforcement authorities made the connection between Buenoano and Morris, she had already been sentenced to death in the state of Florida. Buenoano is also believed to have been involved in a 1974 murder in Alabama, and in the 1980 death of her boyfriend Gerald Dossett. After her arrest, Dossett's body was exhumed and analyzed for signs of arsenic poisoning. Buenoano was the first woman to be executed in Florida since 1848.
S5.E11 ∙ The Happy Face Killer: Part 1
Keith Hunter Jesperson (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew "smiley faces" on his numerous letters to the media and authorities. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no personal connection to him. Strangulation was Jesperson's preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. He was eventually arrested and convicted. He is serving multiple life sentences in prison, with no possibility of parole.
S5.E12 ∙ The Happy Face Killer: Part 2
Keith Hunter Jesperson (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew "smiley faces" on his numerous letters to the media and authorities. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no personal connection to him. Strangulation was Jesperson's preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. He was eventually arrested and convicted. He is serving multiple life sentences in prison, with no possibility of parole.
