Shows / Unlawful Acts
Unlawful Acts
Every story has two sides — the version we hear, and the version buried beneath the surface. Unlawful Acts is a weekly true crime podcast hosted by Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen, delivering gripping, condensed storytelling that dives deep into some of history’s most fascinating criminal cases. From elusive serial killers and unsolved disappearances to organized crime, corruption, and decades-old mysteries, each episode peels back the layers to uncover truths often left untold. But this…
Episodes
- Unlawful Acts
Craig Petties: The Memphis Drug Kingpin Who Built a Criminal Empire
From the streets of Memphis to the heart of Mexico's drug trafficking networks, Craig Petties built a criminal empire that generated enormous wealth, violence…
- Unlawful Acts
The Cult of Matamoros: Adolfo Constanzo and the Ritual Murders
In 1989, the disappearance of an American college student in Mexico would expose one of the most disturbing murder investigations in modern history. What…
- Unlawful Acts
Gary Heidnik: The Basement Killer of Philadelphia
Inside an ordinary Philadelphia home, six women were held captive in a basement, hidden from the outside world. For months, the horrifying reality of what was…
- Unlawful Acts
The Liske Family Murders: A Halloween Nightmare
On Halloween afternoon in 2010, a 16-year-old boy returned to his family's home in rural Ohio and discovered a horrifying scene. At first, he thought it was an…
- Unlawful Acts
The Hillside Stranglers: Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono
Los Angeles thought it was hunting a single serial killer. The truth was even more disturbing: there were two—and they were cousins. In this episode of…
- Unlawful Acts
Eric Copple: The Napa Valley Murders
On Halloween night in 2004, three roommates in Napa, California, returned home after an evening together. By morning, two of them—Leslie Mazzara and Adriane…
- Unlawful Acts
Joseph Naso: The Alphabet Killer
For decades, the murders of four women in Northern California remained separated by time, geography, and unanswered questions. But investigators would…
- Unlawful Acts
Fred & Rose West: Inside the House of Horrors
Behind the doors of 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, England, investigators uncovered one of the most disturbing crime scenes in British history. Human…
- Unlawful Acts
The Sunset Strip Killers: The Couple Who Turned Hollywood Into a Hunting Ground
Behind the glamour of Hollywood and the neon lights of the Sunset Strip, a terrifying series of murders was unfolding. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Susan…
- Unlawful Acts
Michael Wayne Devaughn: The Labor Day Murders That Haunted Starkville
Labor Day weekend in 1990 turned into a nightmare in Starkville, Mississippi, when a brutal attack left a community searching for answers. For years, the case…
- Unlawful Acts
The Snowtown Murders: The Horrifying Story of the Bodies in the Barrels
The Snowtown Murders became one of the most disturbing serial murder cases in Australian history. What investigators eventually discovered inside barrels…
- Unlawful Acts
Introducing "What Happened to the McStays?"
Today we’re sharing something a little different: it’s the first episode of a new podcast from our friends at ABC Audio and 20/20 called “What Happened to the…
- Unlawful Acts
Audrey Marie Hilley: The Black Widow Poisoner
Audrey Marie Hilley appeared to be a devoted wife and mother. But when members of her own family began suffering from mysterious illnesses, investigators…
- Unlawful Acts
Richard Farley: The Office Shooting That Left 7 Dead
On February 16, 1988, former ESL Incorporated employee Richard Farley entered his former workplace in Sunnyvale, California, heavily armed. By the time the…
- Unlawful Acts
Simon Leviev: The Tinder Swindler Who Faked Everything
Simon Leviev convinced women around the world that he was the billionaire heir to a diamond empire. Private jets, luxury hotels, designer clothes, security…
- Unlawful Acts
Randy Kraft: The Scorecard Killer
A routine traffic stop became one of the most disturbing serial killer investigations in American history. When police pulled over Randy Kraft in 1983, they…
- Unlawful Acts
The Toolbox Killers: The True Story of Lawrence Bittaker & Roy Norris
In the late 1970s, two men traveled the highways of Southern California in a battered van they called the "Murder Mac." To those who crossed their path…
- Unlawful Acts
Amil Dinsio, Jimmy Hoffa & the California Vault Heist | America's Boldest Bank Robbery
What do Amil Dinsio, Jimmy Hoffa, Richard Nixon, and one of the most audacious bank vault burglaries in American history have in common? In this episode of…
- Unlawful Acts
The Briley Brothers: Richmond's Deadly Family of Serial Killers
The summer of 1979 turned Richmond, Virginia into a city living in fear. What began as isolated acts of violence quickly escalated into one of the most brutal…
- Unlawful Acts
The Railroad Killer: The True Story of Ángel Reséndiz
For years, freight trains carried one of America's most terrifying serial killers from state to state without anyone realizing it. Known as The Railroad…
- Unlawful Acts
When Divorce Turned Deadly: The Michael McKee Case
What happens when a relationship ends, but one person refuses to let go? In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the case of Michael David McKee and the…
Unlawful ActsShe Looked Like a Sweet Grandma... Until They Found the Bodies
Dorothea Puente appeared to be the last person anyone would suspect of murder. In 1980s Sacramento, she was known as a kind, grandmotherly woman who opened her…
- Unlawful Acts
The Man Forced to Rob a Bank With a Bomb Around His Neck
On August 28, 2003, a pizza delivery driver walked into a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania carrying a cane gun, a handwritten demand note, and a metal collar locked…
- Unlawful Acts
The Brink’s Robbery That Turned Into a Deadly Manhunt
October 20, 1981. What began as a carefully planned armored truck robbery outside a shopping center in Rockland County, New York quickly became one of the most…
Unlawful ActsTed Bundy: America’s Most Dangerous Serial Killer
America, 1974. Young women begin disappearing from college campuses across multiple states. Witnesses describe the same man over and over — charming…
- Unlawful Acts
Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapped: The Crime That Shocked Hollywood
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen examine the shocking 1963 kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr., the son of legendary singer…
- Unlawful Acts
Gilgo Beach Murders: Rex Heuermann Finally Caught
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen break down the horrifying case of the Gilgo Beach murders and the arrest of alleged…
Unlawful ActsThe Versace Murder: Inside Andrew Cunanan’s Deadly Rampage
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen examine the shocking murder of fashion icon Gianni Versace and the nationwide manhunt for…
Unlawful ActsKilled for Her Fortune? The Chilling Irene Silverman Murder Case
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen examine the chilling murder of New York socialite Irene Silverman, a case involving…
Unlawful ActsThe Wonderland Murders: Did John Holmes Set Up the Brutal Killings?
In the premiere episode of Unlawful Acts, Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen dive into one of Los Angeles’ most infamous and brutal crime scenes — The…
- Unlawful Acts
Trailer
Unlawful Acts is a weekly true crime podcast hosted by Susan Davis and Jocelyn Frankhuizen, delivering gripping, condensed storytelling that dives deep into…
- Unlawful Acts
The Billionaire Murders - Honey & Barry Sherman
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine one of the most chilling and mysterious cases in modern true crime — the deaths of billionaire pharmaceutical…
- Unlawful Acts
Dr. Death - Dr. Harold Shipman
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine one of the most disturbing cases in modern criminal history — Dr. Harold Shipman, a trusted physician who became…
- Unlawful Acts
The Truck Stop Killer - Robert Rhoades
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the disturbing crimes of Robert Ben Rhoades, a long-haul truck driver who used America’s interstate system as his…
- Unlawful Acts
The Gainesville Ripper - Danny Rolling
In the late summer of 1990, the quiet college town of Gainesville, Florida became the center of a nightmare that would shock the entire country. Over the…
- Unlawful Acts
The Mailroom Murderer - Robert Shulman
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the chilling case of Robert Shulman — the Brooklyn mailroom worker who lived a quiet double life as a serial…
- Unlawful Acts
The Green River Killer - Gary Ridgway
For nearly two decades, women began disappearing along the Green River in Washington State. Many were young, vulnerable, and living on the margins of society…
- Unlawful Acts
The Machete Murders - Juan Corona
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we dive into one of the most shocking mass murder cases in California history. Juan Corona was a quiet farm labor contractor…
- Unlawful Acts
The Day Trader Massacre - Mark Barton
On this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the disturbing case of Mark Barton, the day trader whose financial losses and unraveling personal life culminated…
- Unlawful Acts
The Base Commander — Russell Williams
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the case of Russell Williams, a man trusted with national security, elite power, and absolute authority — who was…
- Unlawful Acts
The Grim Sleeper - Lonnie Franklin Jr.
For more than two decades, Los Angeles was haunted by a predator hiding in plain sight. Known as the Grim Sleeper, Lonnie Franklin Jr. murdered women across…
- Unlawful Acts
America’s First Female Serial Killer - Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos shocked the world when she was arrested for killing seven men along Florida highways in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Branded by the media as…
- Unlawful Acts
The Golden State Killer - Joseph DeAngelo
For more than 40 years, Joseph DeAngelo terrorized California — committing dozens of home invasions, sexual assaults, and murders while evading every attempt…
- Unlawful Acts
The DC Snipers (Part 2) - John Allen Muhammad & Lee Boyd Malvo
In Part 2 of our DC Snipers series, Unlawful Acts shifts deeper into the heart of Washington, D.C., as the attacks escalate and the city descends into fear…
- Unlawful Acts
The DC Snipers (Part 1) - John Allen Muhammad & Lee Boyd Malvo
In Part 1 of our deep dive into the DC Snipers, we trace the origins of the killers long before the terror began. This episode uncovers John Allen Muhammad’s…
- Unlawful Acts
The Unabomber - Ted Kaczynski
n this explosive episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the chilling manifesto, secret life, and deadly crimes of Ted Kaczynski—the Harvard-educated mathematics…
- Unlawful Acts
The Iceman - Richard Kuklinski
In this icy cold episode of Unlawful Acts, we dive into the chilling world of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer known as The Iceman. For…
- Unlawful Acts
The Fox Hollow Farm Killer - Herb Baumeister (Part 2)
In the gripping conclusion of Unlawful Acts: The Fox Hollow Farm Killer, investigators close in on Herb Baumeister, unraveling a web of lies that stretches…
- Unlawful Acts
The Fox Hollow Farm Killer - Herb Baumeister (Part 1)
In this first part of a two-episode special, Unlawful Acts unearths the beginnings of one of America’s most chilling true-crime cases — the story of Herb…
- Unlawful Acts
The Torso Killer – Richard Cottingham
In this haunting episode of Unlawful Acts, we unravel the terrifying case of Richard Cottingham, better known as The Torso Killer—a man whose crimes shocked…
- Unlawful Acts
The Chessboard Killer – Alexander Pichushkin
In this deeply unsettling episode of Unlawful Acts, we investigate the cold and calculated crimes of Alexander Pichushkin, infamously known as The Chessboard…
- Unlawful Acts
America’s Most Evil Clown - John Wayne Gacy
In this nightmarish episode of Unlawful Acts, we investigate the chilling double life of John Wayne Gacy—beloved community member by day, sadistic serial…
- Unlawful Acts
The Co-Ed Killer - Edmund Kemper
In this disturbing episode of Unlawful Acts, we delve into the terrifying mind of Edmund Kemper—one of America’s most calculating serial killers, known as the…
- Unlawful Acts
The Butcher of Plainfield – Ed Gein
On this episode of Unlawful Acts, we descend into the nightmarish world of Ed Gein—the killer and grave robber whose twisted crimes inspired horror legends…
- Unlawful Acts
The Shoe Fetish Killer – Jerry Brudos
On this episode of Unlawful Acts, we uncover the twisted story of Jerry Brudos—the “Shoe Fetish Killer.” Behind closed doors, his obsession with women’s shoes…
- Unlawful Acts
The Man Who Slept with Corpses - Dennis Nilsen
Known as the Muswell Hill Murderer, Dennis Nilsen is one of Britain’s most chilling serial killers. Between 1978 and 1983, Nilsen lured young men into his…
- Unlawful Acts
The Dating Game Killer – Rodney Alcala
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we expose the twisted double life of Rodney Alcala, a charming photographer who hid his identity as a ruthless predator…
- Unlawful Acts
The NFL Player Turned I-5 Killer – Randall Woodfield
In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we dive into the shocking story of Randall Woodfield, a former NFL player whose athletic promise hid a terrifying secret…
- Unlawful Acts
The Nation’s Kill Kit Killer – Israel Keyes
In this chilling episode of Unlawful Acts, we uncover the disturbing crimes of Israel Keyes, a man who turned murder into method. Keyes buried weapons and…
- Unlawful Acts
Bind, Torture, Kill - Dennis Rader (Part 2)
In Part Two of Unlawful Acts’ deep dive into Dennis Rader, the “BTK Killer,” we pick up with the chilling aftermath of his crimes and the decades-long hunt to…