The Best Episodes of Very Scary People

David Matusiewicz, Christine Belford, and their four children live the American Dream. But when David's parents move in, his family's need for control over the children leads to allegations of abuse, a 19-month kidnapping, and ultimately, a brutal murder.

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Starting in the late 1990s, a killer torments young women and his own family in the Pacific Northwest.

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He is among the most infamous serial killers in American history. From 1976 to 1977, David Berkowitz terrorized New York City – under his creepy self-given moniker: the Son of Sam. Using a large caliber. 44 revolver, he unleashed eight horrific shootings across three different boroughs- wounding seven people and killing six. Despite an extraordinary investigation, and hundreds of NYPD officers working the case– Berkowitz’s crime spree lasted over a year. How did he get away with it? What clues did investigators miss? The detectives who worked the case tell the true tale of what it was like in New York City with a gun-toting murderer on the loose.

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In 1977, the city of New York was being stalked by a seemingly faceless serial killer known as, “Son of Sam.” But after his final shooting took him to Brooklyn, a twist of fate and a little luck- led to his capture. The episode features interviews with detectives and psychologists about what he said after his arrest, why he did it… and how this quiet, soft spoken 24-year old post office employee from Yonkers turned in a serial killing monster.

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The Golden State Killer invaded homes, tortured and terrorized families, committed fifty brutal rapes and thirteen vicious murders, and was on the loose for forty-four years. Cold case Investigators chased down thousands of leads without ever getting their man. But a new forensic tool breaks the case and exposes this remorseless predator – Joseph DeAngelo – his family, his background, and his life story; and finally, scores of victims get a measure of long-awaited justice.

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He was a family man, living in a New Jersey suburb with his wife and three kids. But unbeknownst to his neighbors, Richard Kuklinski held a dark secret: he was the "Iceman" – a cold-blooded killer who was part-time mob hitman for hire, and full-time psychopath. This intimidating, oversized killer managed to evade the police with ease for years. That is, until a few smart investigators started connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated murders and a mystery man known as "Big Rich."

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He was a family man, living in a New Jersey suburb with his wife and three kids. But unbeknownst to his neighbors, Richard Kuklinski held a dark secret: he was the "Iceman" – a cold-blooded killer who was part-time mob hitman for hire, and full-time psychopath. This intimidating, oversized killer managed to evade the police with ease for years. That is, until a few smart investigators started connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated murders and a mystery man known as "Big Rich."

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In 1994 a violent serial killer hunts elderly women in a gated California community. A family member of the murderer realizes that the culprit is close to home, as the police hurry to stop her before she can kill again.

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This is the shocking and gruesome mystery of John Wayne Gacy, a popular Chicago businessman and part-time clown who was leading a double life in the 1970s. By day he was a community leader and by night a predator of young men.

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In January 1974, four members of a family are brutally tortured and murdered in Wichita, Kansas. The murders shock the safe midwestern city, but little do they know, it is just the beginning. He calls himself “B.T.K.” which stands for Bind, Torture, Kill and for decades this bloodthirsty serial killer terrifies Wichita as he murders again and again and again. Wichita residents live in fear that they will be his next victim. Who is B.T.K. and will police capture this crazed killer before he strikes again?

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n April 1973, 24-year-old Edmund Kemper had murdered 6 coeds in and around the city of Santa Cruz, California, shaking the community to its core. But Kemper reached a breaking point, and what the public would soon learn, was almost impossible to believe. Told through interview footage with Kemper himself, as well as people who were there, this episode takes viewers inside the mind of a serial killer, from a childhood wrought with abuse through an early life of violence. Kemper outlines his motives for the killing spree and describes the terrifying methods he used to slaughter young women, operating right under everyone’s noses. As Kemper explains in great detail, he spared no one from his madness, not even his own flesh and blood. With his willingness to tell his story so openly, Kemper would go on, years later, to assist the FBI in profiling serial killers, offering insight into how, and why, killers like himself commit such horrific acts.

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In 1968, an 8-year-old girl is abducted and raped. The Los Angeles police were just moments from catching her attacker, but he eludes them and escapes to New York where he kills a young woman. This is the beginning of a monstrous killing spree of young girls and women. When police discover who is behind these horrific murders, they are shocked to find it's a handsome, charming photographer. With a string of murders already behind him, incredibly, Rodney Alcala is chosen to appear on the national game show, "The Dating Game." What happens next makes Rodney Alcala one of the most horrific serial killers in US history.

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From 1987 to 1992, young women were abducted and murdered north of the U.S.-Canadian border. A tip led cops to an unlikely suspect: a blond, blue-eyed accountant who lived with his wife in a pink house in the suburbs.

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A look at the deal makers and hangers-on who attached themselves to Aileen Wuornos, who is known as America's first female serial killer.

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The Zodiac Killer terrorizes Northern California in the late 1960s; he taunts the public with cryptic clues, threats of violence and ciphers that are supposed to lead to his identity, but mostly go nowhere.

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The Zodiac Killer terrorizes Northern California in the late 1960s; he taunts the public with cryptic clues, threats of violence and ciphers that are supposed to lead to his identity, but mostly go nowhere.

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B.T.K. stands for Bind, Torture, Kill., the name the serial killer gave himself. After terrorizing Wichita, Kansas with multiple killings from 1974-1991 he goes quiet. But he resurfaces in 2004 and residents of the midwestern city are once again petrified. For months he plays a cat and mouse game with law enforcement and the media taunting them as he seeks the attention he craves. But then… he makes a mistake. And when “BTK” is finally apprehended it is chilling to discover that he has been hiding in plain sight for years.

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Through the record-breaking heat of the spring and summer of 1985 in California, a savage killer was on the loose. The Night Stalker had been linked to at least 15 murders from children to the elderly, male and female, wealthy and poor. Then police get a break – a tip from a teenage boy leads to the identity of the Night Stalker. Twenty-four hours later a mob of angry citizens track him down and capture him. But the man who terrified the nation for more than a year isn’t finished yet. His trial is a new, bizarre chapter that has some wondering if the Night Stalker will escape justice.

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he Golden State Killer invaded homes, tortured and terrorized families, committed fifty brutal rapes and thirteen vicious murders, and was on the loose for forty-four years. Cold case Investigators chased down thousands of leads without ever getting their man. But a new forensic tool breaks the case and exposes this remorseless predator – Joseph DeAngelo – his family, his background, and his life story; and finally, scores of victims get a measure of long-awaited justice.

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In 1968, an 8-year-old girl is abducted and raped. The Los Angeles police were just moments from catching her attacker, but he eludes them and escapes to New York where he kills a young woman. This is the beginning of a monstrous killing spree of young girls and women. When police discover who is behind these horrific murders, they are shocked to find it's a handsome, charming photographer. With a string of murders already behind him, incredibly, Rodney Alcala is chosen to appear on the national game show, "The Dating Game." What happens next makes Rodney Alcala one of the most horrific serial killers in US history.

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John Gotti's expensive suits and swagger earned him the nickname Dapper Don. But, in reality, he was a man to be feared. A ruthless, dangerous mafia gangster who ordered hits on his enemies, his friends, and anyone who crossed him.

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A killer stalks California; the clues are scarce, until one victim gets away.

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In mid-90s Miami, a crew of bodybuilders known as the Sun Gym Gang preys on the rich to rob them blind. As their greed grows, they turn to murder, resulting in one of the goriest crime scenes in Florida history.

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In the early 90s, sadistic drug kingpin Clarence Preacher Heatley rules New York City. He rakes in millions during the crack epidemic, murdering anyone who gets in his way. After a 12-year-old boy is killed, the Feds try to take him down.

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In Chicago, community leader and part-time clown John Wayne Gacy leads a double life, transforming into a monster who preys on male teenagers and becomes the most prolific serial killer of his day.

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