Medical professionals, religious leaders, and wealthy entrepreneurs use their status, intelligence, and charm to cover up the ultimate sin. From a trusted hospital intern who leaves a trail of unexplained fatalities across two continents to a prominent biochemist who uses her professional knowledge to dissolve her husband in a barrel of acid, these stories expose the extreme measures people take when driven by greed, control, and malice. You will see exactly how investigators piece together clues that the perpetrators thought they safely hid. Whether it is a plastic surgeon using his private plane to drop evidence over the ocean, a street preacher using internet ads to hunt human targets, or a well-known media personality who writes down a literal checklist for committing a crime, these individuals shared a fatal flaw: they believed they were the smartest people in the room. The true stories show how a single slip-up, a hidden diary, an eagle-eyed witness, or an unexpected digital footprint can crumble a carefully constructed lie and bring a narcissist to justice. 00:00:00 Michael Swango (The Poisoning Doctor) 00:11:35 Larissa Schuster (The Acid Barrel Murder) 00:22:05 Dr. Robert Bierenbaum (The Private Pilot Wife Disappearance) 00:32:05 Richard Beasley (The Craigslist Serial Killer) 00:41:40 Rabbi Fred Neulander (The Synagogue Murder-For-Hire) 00:51:20 Vince Marinello (The Sports Anchor and "Murder Checklist") 01:01:25 Bruce Koklich (The Millionaire Real Estate Disappearance) 01:13:30 Rebecca Cleland (The Reconciliation Dinner Execution) Make sure you subscribe to get your regular crime fix: youtube.com/c/RealCrime Real Crime On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0JLjqhHBRN8qMTGKikm97B?si=Fnshg5sfSxmljxiW7wJrZg Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #truecrime #realcrime #crime
- Episode 1 - 00:00:00Michael Swango (The Poisoning Doctor)
- Episode 2 - 00:11:35Larissa Schuster (The Acid Barrel Murder)
- Episode 3 - 00:22:05Dr. Robert Bierenbaum (The Private Pilot Wife Disappearance)
- Episode 4 - 00:32:05Richard Beasley (The Craigslist Serial Killer)
- Episode 5 - 00:41:40Rabbi Fred Neulander (The Synagogue Murder-For-Hire)
- Episode 6 - 00:51:20Vince Marinello (The Sports Anchor and "Murder Checklist")
- Episode 7 - 01:01:25Bruce Koklich (The Millionaire Real Estate Disappearance)
- Episode 8 - 01:13:30Rebecca Cleland (The Reconciliation Dinner Execution)
Description
This collection of disturbing true crime cases explores killers who exploited status, education and authority to commit shocking acts of violence while hiding behind carefully crafted public images. Among the cases examined is Michael Swango, the physician accused of poisoning patients and colleagues across multiple countries, and Larissa Schuster, the biochemist who used chemical knowledge in an attempt to dispose of her husband’s body inside an acid-filled barrel. Each case reveals offenders who believed intelligence and professional success would protect them from suspicion.
Investigators also revisit the crimes of Dr. Robert Bierenbaum, the plastic surgeon accused of murdering his wife and disposing of evidence using his private aircraft, and Richard Beasley, the so-called Craigslist Killer who allegedly used online job advertisements to lure victims into deadly ambushes. Other cases involve religious leader Fred Neulander’s murder-for-hire conspiracy, sports anchor Vince Marinello’s disturbing written “murder checklist,” and millionaire Bruce Koklich’s mysterious disappearance investigation.
Despite the elaborate attempts to conceal their crimes, many of these offenders were ultimately undone by overlooked evidence, witness testimony, digital records or simple mistakes they never expected investigators to uncover. Together, the cases expose the dangerous combination of narcissism, control and arrogance shared by killers who believed they were untouchable until their carefully constructed lies collapsed.
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This Killer Hunted His Victims Through Craigslist (And 7 Other Unhinged Crime Cases) (2026)
Medical professionals, religious leaders, and wealthy entrepreneurs use their status, intelligence, and charm to cover up the ultimate sin. From a trusted hospital intern who leaves a trail of unexplained fatalities across two continents to a prominent biochemist who uses her professional knowledge to dissolve her husband in a barrel of acid, these stories expose the extreme measures people take when driven by greed, control, and malice. You will see exactly how investigators piece together clues that the perpetrators thought they safely hid. Whether it is a plastic surgeon using his private plane to drop evidence over the ocean, a street preacher using internet ads to hunt human targets, or a well-known media personality who writes down a literal checklist for committing a crime, these individuals shared a fatal flaw: they believed they were the smartest people in the room. The true stories show how a single slip-up, a hidden diary, an eagle-eyed witness, or an unexpected digital footprint can crumble a carefully constructed lie and bring a narcissist to justice. 00:00:00 Michael Swango (The Poisoning Doctor) 00:11:35 Larissa Schuster (The Acid Barrel Murder) 00:22:05 Dr. Robert Bierenbaum (The Private Pilot Wife Disappearance) 00:32:05 Richard Beasley (The Craigslist Serial Killer) 00:41:40 Rabbi Fred Neulander (The Synagogue Murder-For-Hire) 00:51:20 Vince Marinello (The Sports Anchor and "Murder Checklist") 01:01:25 Bruce Koklich (The Millionaire Real Estate Disappearance) 01:13:30 Rebecca Cleland (The Reconciliation Dinner Execution) Make sure you subscribe to get your regular crime fix: youtube.com/c/RealCrime Real Crime On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0JLjqhHBRN8qMTGKikm97B?si=Fnshg5sfSxmljxiW7wJrZg Any queries, please contact us at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #truecrime #realcrime #crime
The Story of Michael Swango (2020)
Michael Swango was an American physician who had inexplicable deaths follow him wherever he practiced. He was obsessed with poison and death and would eventually flee the country to continue killing. You can access more stories about the worst people on the planet by visiting our blog at: https://thisismonsters.com You can listen to our Podcast by searching "this is MONSTERS": Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Amazon Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Pocket Casts Player FM TuneIn Radio Public You can support the show by donating a few bucks at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/monsters or going to our website at https://thisismonsters.com/support and clicking through the Amazon link on that page (https://www.amazon.com/?tag=thisismon-20&linkCode=ur1). When you make purchases that way, it doesn't cost you anything more, but we get a small commission which helps us provide more content at a better quality. Thanks!
