Prash's Murder Map: True Crime Podcast

Today’s episode is in a slightly different format, so let’s go back in time for a whistle-stop tour of 5 Victorian crimes. From mass murder to bodies in boxes and botched hangings, Murder Minis has you covered for 25 minutes of bitesize blood-soaked crimes.

Board a plane with me and fly to one of the most beautiful countries in the world, forever bloodstained by the murders of at least 38 women by the South African Strangler, or, as I call him, the Black Ted Bundy. How did the injustice and brutality of apartheid contribute to a child growing up to shed the skin of his humanity and becoming a monster?

Murder mystery novels would have you believe that crimes only happen in dark, dreary places in the dead of night, but today we’re examining the tragic killing of a young girl in broad daylight on a sunny August afternoon in 1867. How did this happen in such a small, quiet town?

In 1989, students at the Ecole Polytechique in Montreal were looking forward to their Christmas break. But the hopes and dreams of 14 ambitious young women were shattered that day by a gunman on an ideologically driven rampage. We’ll pay tribute to the dead and we’ll also look at why he did it. Marc Lépine wanted to be a martyr, but he made himself into a monster. As we’ll learn, things are rarely black and white.

He said he hated women…but then he became one. In this episode, we delve deep into psychology, profiling and gender dysphoria in the case of the Frankston Killer, who terrorised a quiet suburb of Australia in the early 90s but could be released in 2023. We’ll look at nature versus nurture and what could have turned Paul Denyer into a serial murderer.

What do we really know about the poignant death of the girl who inspired one of Edgar Allan Poe’s novels, The Mystery of Marie Roget? Join me in New York in 1838 to investigate the unsolved murder of the enigmatic Mary Rogers, loved by all and remembered as the Beautiful Cigar Girl. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” – Poe’s ‘The Raven’

The American frontier could be a perilous place, but most stout-hearted travellers were expecting nothing worse than tumbleweed, rattlesnakes and boredom on their long ride. When people started to go missing in the Osage area, suspicion fell on a family who were not all that they seemed. A local legend says red corn grows on the prairie to this day as the very land is saturated with the blood of their innocent victims, so join me as we investigate one of the greatest puzzles of the Old West.

Seeing as I enjoy writing lyrics and poems, I thought i'd write a song for Mike & Gibby at True Crime All The Time. Incorporating some of the cases they've covered. My small way of saying thanks to them to keep doing what they do so well and spreading a little joy during dark times. I really hope you enjoy listening to this as I did writing it.

Pack your tent and sleeping bag, because in this episode we’re going to spend a night on the shores of Lake Bodom, the scene of one of Finland’s most famous unsolved murder cases. But it’s not the rustling leaves or the hoot of an owl that you should fear, as a vicious killer stalks the campsite. You’d better leave your flashlight switched on…

The sinister Ratcliffe Highway in South East London was home to violence, prostitution and danger. 7 murders in as many days. Man, woman or child…nobody was safe.

In Victorian Brighton, eating chocolate was about to get dangerous… and it wasn’t just toothache people had to worry about. Triggered by a romantic obsession with her local doctor, vain and conniving Christiana Edmunds masterminded a poisoning spree and was smugly convinced she would never be caught…

In 1939, Germans were reeling from the declaration that their country was at war. But soon, train travellers on the S-Bahn had more to fear than the darkness of the blackout, as a remorseless serial killer stalked the tracks. Don’t forget your ticket, and remember not to trust everyone who wears a uniform…

Welcome to Prash’s Murder Map, a new true crime podcast launching April 2020. Join me on a journey around the world to investigate mysterious and sinister murder cases both solved and unsolved. Let’s listen to a preview of what’s coming up in the first few episodes…