In the early 1900s, a man lured his victims with lonely hearts ads, drained their blood, and stored their bodies in barrels filled with methanol.
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Aug 31
The Young Hippies Who Hijacked a Plane
In 1972, two young hippies hijack a commercial airplane in a wild attempt to free a famous political activist from jail, setting off one of the strangest, most idealistic crimes of a radical era. Sources for this episode include: The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Gol ... Show More
38m 31s
Aug 24
The Greek Robin Hood Who Kidnapped Billionaires and Escaped Prison in a Helicopter
In the craggy peaks of Greece, a modern outlaw proves that you can rob a bank, kidnap a billionaire, and still be the most beloved man in the mountains. This is the story of Vassilis Paleokostas: the 'Robin Hood' who treats his hostages like guests and uses a helicopter as his pr ... Show More
40m 36s
Aug 17
Stanley Alpert, the Kidnapping Victim Who Outsmarted his Captors
Kidnapped on his 38th birthday by criminals who think every federal prosecutor is secretly wealthy, a calm-under-pressure lawyer survives a chaotic 25-hour ordeal—part hostage crisis, part absurd comedy—by befriending his captors. Sources for this episode include: The Birthday Pa ... Show More
30m 57s
Jan 2024
54. The Poisoning of Marie Hoch
In this episode, Payton journeys back to the 1900s, uncovering a chilling tale of a murderer who cunningly exploited newspaper ads targeting lonely women, seizing not only their possessions but also their very lives.
Case Sources:
The Perrysburg Journal- https://chroniclingamer ... Show More
30m 52s
Oct 2025
140. The Vampire: Peter Kurten, the Blood Sucking German Serial Killer // MONSTERS SERIES
Heart Starts Pounding is a Signal Awards Finalist! Go to https://vote.signalaward.com/ by October 9th to cast your vote for the Listener's Choice Award. In 1929, bodies were turning up all over Dusseldorf, Germany with one horrifying thing in common. It looked like someone ha ... Show More
40m 37s