Grace Baldridge is joined by Anna Crane to talk about American serial killer and ex-physician, Michael Swango. They analyze Swango’s childhood, poisoning his co-workers, his dream 911 call, his killings in Africa, and, ultimately, his arrest.
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In general, even though it may not help specifically in this type of case, the modern elements of life make it way harder for serial killers – from the readily available international information (in most cases) via the Internet to the myriad of ways humans are tracked in general now; cellphones and wearable tech keep some pretty good records on people, let alone the more prevalent security state each country has (in mid to high tier countries). It would take a lot of work now a days to pull off some of the high scale serial killings we’ve seen in the past, and get away with it for anywhere near as long.
Hi Grace!
I really like this show, breaking down the psyche of these killers.
I have a request. Can you cover Dr. Harold Shipman, a British GP who also murdered his patients?
Thanks in advance!
Psychology Today’s analysis of Swango was cursory and a bit of a sanitization. They didn’t mention that the “signature” of Swango’s behavior was indicative of a sexual sadist. If he had not been sloppy and begging to be caught, those violent fantasies would have eventually been realized. And his victim pool decided whether they’ll get caught. Example: Prostitutes/The poor are low risk. Patients are mid-risk. Co-workers are high risk.
The AMA was also complicit because they’re like the Catholic church and refuse to police their own. They’ll let murderers off the hook based solely on who’s reporting: nurses and patients have very little power–unless the patients are from rich families.
Agreed that Anna was a good guest host.
Oh boy, these millenials with their internet justice. Obviously employees would be immediately fired if they posted anything close to their suspicions about Swango and fired employees would never work in their field again so that would probably be a deterrent. I guess if a family member of one of the victims went to police first and then posted something they might be able to join forces with other victims.
I’ve heard about this guy, truely disturbed and sounds like something out of a horror movie. It’s abhorrent that he got away with 49 killings and only faced justice for 6, like Larry Nassar and molesting 168 girls/women and only charged with 7. When will the justice system learn? I guess there is only so many years someone can serve before they die, the rest is immaterial to their detriment in prison. Doesn’t help the victims, but there’s a hollow justice to know that they die in prison
This proves how important it is that children be raised in a healthy environment ; mentally and socially. People minimize the effects family has on individuals for a lifetime. It all can be traced back to your home environment, your relationship with your inner circle in particular your parents.
as well for notorious stories from Canada : Karla Holmoka and Paul Bernardo
Grace I loved hearing this story. I had never heard of him. I do research on your topic as an interesting thing and hobby. My husband thinks I’m a weirdo but meh!, I’m from Canada and am almost 34, Unless local, or sensationalized stories not to many serial killers or murderers get mentioned for a decent amount of people. This story did though because it is very twisted and perpetrator and victims and how his MO was quite different than some. This was in the news for a couple of years in Canada. I think it would make a great episode of MWF!
Thanks, Jill B
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5413492/robert-pickton-canadian-serial-killer-murdered-49-women-fed-bodies-to-pigs/
FARM KILLER Who is Robert Pickton? Canadian serial killer who murdered 49 women and fed their bodies to his pigsNicknamed ‘The Butcher’, he ground the bodies of his victims down at a meat rendering plant and even sold the mince to locals for human consumption
By Sofia Petkar
24th January 2018, 10:18 amUpdated: 24th January 2018, 10:37 am
A NEW documentary has been released about Robert Pickton, the world’s most savage serial killer.
The pig farmer from British Columbia, Canada, was jailed in 2007 after butchering at least 49 women on his property and grounding their remains into mince.
Robert Pickton ground the bodies of his victims into mince which he fed to his pigs and even sold for human consumption AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS
Robert Pickton ground the bodies of his victims into mince which he fed to his pigs and even sold for human consumption
Who is Robert Pickton and what did he confess to?
Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton was a pig farmer based in Port Coquitlam, in British Columbia.
Despite appearing to live a quiet life, Pickton had savagely butchered 49 women on his property before grounding their remains into mince at a meat rendering plant.
While most of the meat was fed to his pigs, the rest was sold for human consumption to unsuspecting customers, some of whom were police officers.
He was arrested in 2002 and jailed in 2007 for the savage crimes.
A recently aired-episode of Voice of A Serial Killer examined the killings and included footage of Pickton unwittingly confessing to his crimes while sitting in his jail cell.
The serial killer was unaware the man he was speaking to was an undercover officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
He disclosed his goal of wanting to murder 50 people, and expressed his disappointment when he became “sloppy” and missed his target number by just one.
The depraved killer was arrested in 2002 after items belonging to a number of missing women were found on his farm.
The discovery was made when officers made a chance visit to the farm to search for any illegal weapons.
Following his arrest, DNA of at least 26 women reported missing was found at the property.
Many of these women were believed to be prostitutes who Pickton had picked in Vancouver’s Red Light District.
He allegedly brought them back to his farm to have sex before brutally murdering them.
Pickton confessed to murdering 49 women to an undercover police officer while he was in custodyTIMES NEWSPAPERS LTD
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Pickton confessed to murdering 49 women to an undercover police officer while he was in custody
He unwittingly confessed to the crimes after he was placed in a cell with an undercover police officer following his arrest in 2002.
Irritated at being caught, he complained to his cellmate: “I made my own grave by being sloppy. Doesn’t that just kick you in the a** now.
“I was just gonna [expletive] do one more, make it even, I wanted one more to make the big 5-0.”
The confession was described by criminal analysis experts as “sinister and remorseless”.
Speaking to his cellmate, Pickton said: “They got me on this one…they’ve got DNA.”
When the undercover officer suggested that the best way to dispose a body was in the ocean, Pickton replied: “I did better than that… a rendering plant.”
The serial killer was described by criminal experts as ‘ordinary’, and as having poor personal hygiene.
He was known locally for using prostitutes, but managed to slip under the radar even when a large number of them began disappearing.
It is believed he killed 49 women between 1991 and 2002.
However, he has only ever been charged with six murders, with an additional 20 charged stayed.
Those 26 charges related to the DNA of 26 women found on his property, which was nicknamed “Piggy Palace” due to his reputation for booze and drug-fuelled parties.
What did Pickton do to his victims?
Pickton – whose nickname was ‘The Butcher’ – is one of the world’s worst serial killers.
He allegedly picked the women up from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside – which consists of several square blocks of squalid hotels, drug dealers and street-level, survival prostitution.
The killer lured women back to his farm with promises of money, alcohol and drugs before torturing, murdering and dismembering them.
His methods varied from victim to victim, with some injected with anti-freeze and others stabbed to death.
After he killed the women, he took their remains to a meat rendering plant where they were ground down into mince.
He then packaged the meat and sold it to locals, some of whom were police officers.
Men who saw him at the rendering plant described him as “dirty” and described how he often handled the barrels of flesh with his bare hands.
It later emerged he also fed the ground bodies of his victims to his pigs.
Crime analysts say his crimes were so shocking, they made the Texas Chainsaw Massacre look tame.
The pig farm became the largest crime scene in Canadian historyREX FEATURES
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The pig farm became the largest crime scene in Canadian history
Why did it take so long to charge him?
Despite receiving numerous tip-offs over many years, Canadian police claim there was never enough evidence to charge him with any crime.
In 1997, one woman managed to escape the killer and ran, naked and bleeding, after stabbing Pickton with his own knife in 1997.
But the drug addict was considered unreliable by police and Pickton was not prosecuted.
Most of Pickton’s victims were women of Native American or Indigenous heritage, with many victims’ families fearing their cases would not be taken seriously because of their race.
His heinous crimes shocked the world as the details of his brutality emerged.
It led to Canada decriminalising prostitution in 2010 as part of efforts to make the industry safer.
A total of 200,000 DNA samples and 600,000 exhibits were seized and forensic experts were forced to use heavy equipment to sift through nearly 300,000 cubic metres of soil.
The cost of the investigation was estimated at more than £40million and the pig farm became the largest crime scene in Canadian history
Anna was great! Grace was amazing but that’s just you know… always. I hadn’t heard of this case before very well done episode. During one of the breaks the music wasn’t there so it was just the knife slash and the laugh and it was SUPER creepy lol
I really enjoyed native names!! your makeup lies is such a good song, so smooth and mellow
I had never heard of this serial killer before.. your show always makes me question everyone around me because they too could be EVILLLL
When are you going to do Ted Bundy
Would love you to do Ivan Milat. Quite a few victims and conspiracy theories. One of the few well known serial killers in Australia, I know you’ve done the Port Arthur massacre but Ivan Milat (possible siblings) was a monster and would be super interested in your take on the evidence. Love the show, it’s always interesting and intriguing
Agreed! I have also suggested Paul Denyer, the Frankston serial killer.
I’ve never heard of Paul Denyer but I’m intrigued. Hopefully the range of murderers can span a bit wider (not that murder is good but interesting). I will google him to see the atrocities he has committed cause there seems to be no depths which mankind cannot reach. We can learn from the bad and strive to be better ppl and not let these things happen again.
Should be Paula, sorry