In 2009, a Florida family gathered for what should have been a warm, ordinary Thanksgiving, until the night erupted into one of the most devastating family massacres in modern true-crime history. Paul Michael Merhige, long described as the "golden child" with a quiet brilliance and a history of untreated mental illness, arrived at his relatives' home in Jupiter with a calculated plan he had concealed for years. Before the night was over, four family members were dead. In this episode, we trace the years of decline that led to that holiday tragedy, the red flags, and the chilling callous behind Merhige's actions. Through the lens of his Virgo Sun, and the influence of Virgo Mars and Virgo Venus, we explore how perfectionism, suppressed rage, and internalized resentment fused into a catastrophic breaking point on a night meant for gratitude.

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SOURCES:

"2009 Thanksgiving murders." Wikipedia, last updated 2025.

"Thanksgiving Killer Pleads Guilty, Avoids Death Penalty." NBC Miami, 27 Oct. 2011.

"Merhige Sentenced to 7 Consecutive Terms of Life in Prison." Palm Beach Post, 27 Oct. 2011.

"Report: Paul Merhige Will Accept Plea Deal." CBS News Miami, 26 Oct. 2011.

"Parents Cleared on Son's Thanksgiving Murders." Courthouse News Service, 25 Feb. 2014.

Knight v. Merhige, 133 So. 3d 1140 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014).

A&E True Crime. "3 Grisly Thanksgiving Family Murders That Will Make You Hug Your Family Tighter This Season." AE Network, Nov. 2022.

ABC News. "Manhunt for Thanksgiving Day Killer." Nov. 27 2009.

Palm Beach Post. "Family Struggled to Help Paul Merhige Before Murders." Nov. 30 2009.

Courthouse News. "Knight v. Merhige Appeal Filed in Florida." 2014.

In the winter of 1957, the rural town of Plainfield, Wisconsin, was thrust into national horror when investigators stepped inside the farmhouse of Ed Gein, only to uncover a nightmarish collection of human remains turned into masks, clothing, and household décor. Gein, a reclusive handyman shaped by an obsessive devotion to his mother and a lifetime of isolation, blurred the line between grief, delusion, and ritual. His crimes would go on to birth some of the most iconic monsters in American film, but the reality was far stranger than fiction. In this episode, we trace the path from Gein's suffocating childhood to the macabre discoveries that stunned the world, and examine how his Virgo Sun, Sagittarius Moon, and Gemini Rising reflect the unsettling mix of compulsive ritual, moral distortion, and fractured identity that defined the Ghoul of Plainfield.

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If you are new to astrology and/or are getting lost or confused during the episodes, we created a free guide of all-things-astrology on Substack for you to reference so you can listen along with ease. Click the link below!

Astrology Basics

SOURCES:

"Ed Gein." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2025.

Aamodt, Michael A. "Edward Theodore Gein (Ed)." Radford University Serial Killer Database. Radford University, 2025.

"Ed Gein." EBSCO Research Starters: History & Criminology. EBSCOhost, 2024.

Montaldo, Charles. "Serial Killer Edward Gein." ThoughtCo, 8 May 2025.

"Ed Gein: Biography, Crimes & Influence on Modern Horror." Vedantu, 2025.

"Edward T. Gein – Dictionary of Wisconsin History." Wisconsin Historical Society, 2024.