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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 happening behind those walls remained a secret. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the disturbing case of Gary Heidnik, a self-proclaimed religious leader whose crimes shocked Philadelphia and the nation in 1987. Behind his public persona, Heidnik kidnapped and imprisoned six women inside his home. Two of the women were murdered, while the others endured months of captivity under terrifying conditions. The case took a dramatic turn when Josefina Rivera, one of the surviving women, convinced Heidnik to allow her outside the home. She seized the opportunity to contact police, leading investigators to the house and exposing the crimes that had remained hidden inside. How did Gary Heidnik manage to conceal his crimes for so long? What happened inside the Philadelphia home? And how did Josefina Rivera's courage ultimately bring an end to the nightmare? This is the story of Gary Heidnik, the Philadelphia basement murders, and the survivors whose determination helped bring a killer to justice. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this brief segment, we recommend The Jordan Harbinger Show. Jordan has some amazing guests on his show, and he has a gift for making complex ideas accessible. We have become regular listeners, and hope you check it out too.

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 elaborate Halloween prank. But what he found was no decoration. Three members of his family had been murdered. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the Liske Family Murders, a shocking triple homicide that devastated a family and stunned the small community of Martin, Ohio. On October 31, 2010, William Liske Jr., Susan Liske, and Derek Griffin were found murdered inside their home. Susan's youngest son, Devon Griffin, made the devastating discovery. Investigators quickly focused on William "B.J." Liske Jr., whose history of family conflict and serious mental health struggles became central to understanding the events leading up to the murders. As authorities pieced together the timeline, they uncovered troubling details about the family's relationships, the events of that Halloween morning, and the search that ultimately led to B.J. Liske's arrest. What happened inside the Liske family home? What drove a son to turn against his own family? And how did a day associated with costumes and make-believe become the setting for a real-life nightmare? This is the story of the Liske Family Murders, a Halloween tragedy that left three people dead, a family shattered, and a community searching for answers. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, Connie and Jocelyn examine the crimes of Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, the two men who became known as the Hillside Stranglers. During the late 1970s, women and girls were murdered across the Los Angeles area, with several victims' bodies discovered on hillsides. The similarities between the cases led investigators and the press to initially believe one killer was responsible. Instead, the investigation would eventually expose a deadly partnership between Bianchi and Buono. The case took another turn after Bianchi moved to Washington state, where two more women were murdered. When investigators closed in, Bianchi claimed to suffer from multiple personality disorder as part of an elaborate insanity defense. But under scrutiny, his performance began to unravel. How did two cousins become partners in murder? How were investigators able to connect them to the Hillside Strangler killings? And how did Bianchi's failed insanity defense ultimately become part of the case against them? This is the story of Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono—the Hillside Stranglers—and the investigation that revealed Los Angeles wasn't searching for one killer, but two. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Insogna—had been brutally murdered inside their home. Their third roommate survived, but investigators were left with a terrifying question: who entered the house that night, and why? In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the Napa Valley murders and the investigation that eventually led authorities to Eric Copple. With no obvious suspect and seemingly little explanation for the attack, investigators worked through physical evidence, interviews, and DNA while the case remained unsolved for months. The breakthrough would ultimately come from an unexpected connection to the victims and evidence that pointed directly toward Copple. What drove him to enter the home that night? How did investigators finally identify him? And what happened when the killer realized authorities were closing in? This is the story of Leslie Mazzara, Adriane Insogna, and the Napa Valley murders—a case that shattered a seemingly peaceful California community and revealed that the person responsible was closer than investigators initially knew. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, the murders of four women in Northern California remained separated by time, geography, and unanswered questions. But investigators would eventually uncover a disturbing connection—and a suspect hiding in plain sight. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the case of Joseph Naso, the convicted serial killer whose victims included Roxene Roggasch, Carmen Colon, Pamela Parsons, and Tracy Tafoya. Investigators noticed an eerie pattern: each victim's first and last names began with the same letter, earning Naso the nickname “The Alphabet Killer.” The investigation took an extraordinary turn when authorities searching Naso's home discovered photographs, handwritten writings, and a cryptic list containing references to women and locations. Prosecutors would use evidence accumulated over decades to build the case against him. How did investigators finally connect Naso to murders committed years apart? What did the writings and photographs discovered among his possessions reveal? And could the mysterious list point to additional crimes beyond the four murders for which he was convicted? This is the story of Joseph Naso and the Alphabet Killer case—a decades-long investigation involving cold cases, forensic evidence, disturbing records, and questions that remain long after his conviction. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Behind the doors of 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, England, investigators uncovered one of the most disturbing crime scenes in British history. Human remains were discovered buried beneath the garden, cellar, and floors of the home shared by Fred and Rose West. What appeared from the outside to be an ordinary family home would become infamous as the “House of Horrors.” But finding the victims was only the beginning. As investigators reconstructed what happened inside 25 Cromwell Street, they began uncovering the disturbing story of Fred and Rose West—and faced the difficult task of determining who was responsible for what happened inside the home. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine Fred and Rose West, the investigation of 25 Cromwell Street, and the evidence surrounding one of Britain's most notorious serial killer cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, Connie and Jocelyn examine the disturbing case of the Sunset Strip Killers, Douglas Clark and Carol Bundy, whose crimes terrorized Los Angeles in 1980. What began as a relationship between two seemingly ordinary people descended into a dark world of obsession, violence, and murder. As victims began turning up across Los Angeles, investigators were faced with a horrifying case—and a pair whose relationship became increasingly twisted. Who were Douglas Clark and Carol Bundy? How did they become connected to the murders? And what finally brought their killing spree to an end? This is the story behind one of Los Angeles' most notorious true-crime cases and the two people who became known as the Sunset Strip Killers. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 remained unresolved. Then, decades later, advances in DNA evidence would lead investigators to Michael Wayne Devaughn—and finally provide a breakthrough in a crime that had haunted Starkville for years. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the 1990 Labor Day murders, the investigation that followed, the evidence left behind, and the long road that eventually led authorities to Devaughn. How did the case remain unsolved for so long? What finally connected Devaughn to the crime? And what did investigators uncover when modern forensic technology was applied to evidence collected decades earlier? This is the story of a horrific Labor Day crime, a decades-long investigation, and the evidence that ultimately brought investigators to Michael Wayne Devaughn. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Snowtown Murders became one of the most disturbing serial murder cases in Australian history. What investigators eventually discovered inside barrels stored in a former bank building would expose a years-long killing spree built around manipulation, torture, murder, and fear. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the shocking story of the Snowtown murders, also known as the Bodies in the Barrels murders, and the group of killers led by John Bunting. Between 1992 and 1999, Bunting and his accomplices targeted a series of victims in South Australia. But it was the discovery of human remains hidden inside barrels that would ultimately reveal the horrifying scale of the crimes. How did the murders continue for years? Who were the people drawn into Bunting's circle? And how did investigators finally uncover what had happened? This is the disturbing true story behind the Snowtown Killers and the case that became known around the world as the Bodies in the Barrels murders. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 McStays?” In 2010, in a quiet suburb of San Diego, a family of four seemingly vanished into thin air. When investigators searched their home, they found the family’s two beloved dogs unattended outside, rotting food left around the house and clothes strewn across the floor. The nation was left to wonder: Did the McStays leave of their own accord, or did something more sinister happen?  To hear the whole story, follow “What Happened to the McStays?” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen – or listen ad-free and get the whole series before anyone else by subscribing to 20/20 True Crime+ on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Audrey Marie Hilley appeared to be a devoted wife and mother. But when members of her own family began suffering from mysterious illnesses, investigators uncovered a disturbing pattern of poisoning, deception, and murder. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the bizarre story of Audrey Marie Hilley, the Alabama woman who poisoned her husband, Frank Hilley, and later attempted to poison her daughter, Carol. But Hilley's story didn't end with her arrest. She escaped custody, disappeared, assumed a new identity, and constructed an entirely new life before authorities finally tracked her down. Even after her conviction, Hilley's story had one more extraordinary chapter involving another escape and a desperate attempt to survive. From arsenic poisoning and murder to false identities, disappearances, and one of the strangest endings in true-crime history, this is the story of the woman who became known as the Black Widow. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On February 16, 1988, former ESL Incorporated employee Richard Farley entered his former workplace in Sunnyvale, California, heavily armed. By the time the attack ended, seven people had been killed and four others injured. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, we examine the Richard Farley case, the years of stalking and harassment of coworker Laura Black that preceded the attack, and the events that ultimately led to one of California's most notorious workplace shootings. We break down Farley's obsession with Black, his termination from ESL, the terrifying attack inside the company's offices, Black's remarkable survival, and the investigation and trial that followed. How did years of escalating behavior culminate in mass murder—and were there warning signs along the way? Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Leviev convinced women around the world that he was the billionaire heir to a diamond empire. Private jets, luxury hotels, designer clothes, security teams, and seemingly unlimited wealth helped create the perfect illusion—but almost everything was fake. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn break down the extraordinary rise of the man known as the Tinder Swindler. They explore how Simon Leviev gained his victims' trust, built a carefully crafted lifestyle of deception, and persuaded women to send him hundreds of thousands of dollars while staying one step ahead of authorities. From fake identities and fabricated emergencies to international investigations and the Netflix documentary that made his story famous, this episode examines one of the most sophisticated romance fraud schemes in recent history—and the warning signs that were hidden in plain sight. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 weren't looking for a serial killer. But what they discovered inside his car would unravel a decade of brutal murders and expose a cryptic "scorecard" believed to document dozens of victims. Known today as The Scorecard Killer, Kraft is suspected of murdering more than 60 young men across California, Oregon, and Michigan. Many of his victims remained unidentified for years, leaving investigators to piece together one of the most complex serial murder cases in U.S. history. In this episode of Unlawful Acts, Connie and Jocelyn examine the evidence, the investigation, and the disturbing clues that helped expose one of America's most calculating serial killers. In this episode: The traffic stop that changed everything Who was Randy Kraft? The mysterious "scorecard" How investigators linked the murders The victims and the evidence The trial and conviction Unanswered questions that remain today Every crime has a story—but not every story gets told accurately. Hosted by Connie and Jocelyn, Unlawful Acts explores some of history's most notorious criminal cases through evidence, investigative records, and the people behind the headlines. From serial killers and organized crime to kidnappings, corruption, and unsolved mysteries, each episode separates fact from fiction. Everyone lies. The evidence doesn't. Subscribe to Unlawful Acts for new episodes every week. About Unlawful Acts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices