Dennis Rader seemed like the last person you’d suspect: a church council president, a devoted father, a Boy Scout leader, and the neighborhood rule-enforcer who always waved hello. But behind the clean-cut façade lived one of America’s most methodical and narcissistic serial killers — the man who called himself BTK: Bind. Torture. Kill.

In this episode, Jess G and Lex break down the chilling duality that allowed Rader to hide in plain sight for over 30 years. We trace his early emotional deprivation, the development of an escalating fantasy life, and the compulsive need for control that shaped his violent “projects” — all while he maintained the image of a stable suburban family man.

We walk through the timeline of BTK’s murders, the letters that built his persona, and the long silences where he lived quietly among the very community he terrorized. We also unpack the psychological mechanisms behind his double life — compartmentalization, narcissism, ritualization — and how these ultimately paved the way for his downfall in one of the most bizarre arrests in true crime history: a floppy disk, a metadata blunder, and a killer convinced of his own invincibility.

Finally, we explore the family’s perspective, the generational impact of discovering your father is a serial murderer, and the complex grief and betrayal that followed.

Join us as we step into the unsettling world of BTK — a case that forces us to confront the monstrousness that can hide beneath everyday normalcy, and the terrifying power of a well-maintained mask.

Content Warning: homicide, torture, sexual deviance, psychological manipulation, familial trauma, deception

In 1957, the world met Ed Gein — a quiet farmer from Wisconsin whose crimes would forever change the landscape of horror. Though often mislabeled as a “serial killer,” Gein’s story sits at the eerie crossroads of delusion, grief, and obsession. His farmhouse was found filled with human remains repurposed into furniture, clothing, and masks — the product of a shattered psyche and a lifetime of religious abuse and isolation.

In this episode, we dive into the psychological underpinnings of Ed’s crimes, exploring his relationship with his domineering mother, his descent into psychosis, and how trauma and religious fanaticism shaped his distorted sense of morality. We also discuss the blurred line between delusion and evil intent — and how Gein’s story inspired some of America’s most iconic horror films, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs.

Join us as we untangle the dark psychology behind one of true crime’s most infamous cases — and ask what our fascination with stories like Ed’s reveals about us.

Content Warning: severe mental illness, trauma, ghoulish violence, homicide

In one of the most disturbing cases of parental abuse and spiritual coercion in recent years, 8 Passengers momfluencer Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt—founder of the “life coaching” group Connexions—were arrested after Ruby’s 12-year-old son escaped their home emaciated and bound with duct tape. What began as family vlogging and “tough love” parenting spiraled into a high-control, cult-like system of punishment justified as spiritual correction.

In this episode, we unpack how a culture obsessed with moral purity and family image helped enable the abuse—and how Jodi’s radicalized “truth vs. distortion” teachings turned ordinary discipline into psychological warfare. We explore the intersection of religious perfectionism, influencer culture, and manipulation, asking: how did a mother who claimed to be protecting her children end up harming them in the name of love?

Along the way, we look at Utah’s unique vulnerability to high-control groups, Jodi’s transformation from Mormon therapist to self-styled prophet, Ruby’s descent from suburban mom to co-abuser, and the courtroom statements that blurred the line between remorse and self-delusion.

It’s a chilling reminder of what happens when spiritual authority, shame, and control collide—and how the language of “truth” can be weaponized to justify unthinkable harm.

Content Warning: child abuse, brainwashing, spiritual manipulation