Épisodes

  • It Takes Two... Paul Bernardo And Karla Homolka: Love, Control And The Banality of Evil
    Oct 19 2025
    When love turns lethal: the Ken and Barbie Killers.

    In this episode of It Takes Two…, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell explore Canada’s most chilling criminal couple: Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.

    Were they partners in evil — or a manipulator and his victim? A gripping, psychological deep dive into love, power, and shared psychopathy.


    References & Acknowledgements

    We gratefully acknowledge the following sources that informed this episode:
    Radio-Canada Interview with Karla Homolka (Joyce Napier, 2005) — Parts 1 & 2 available on YouTube:
    Part 1
    Part 2
    This rare interview features Homolka shortly after her release, as she reflects on rehabilitation and public perception.


    Martin DeCoder – “Paul Bernardo Case Study | Police Interview Statement Analysis” — in the Criminals playlist on YouTube.
    Watch here

    “The Effect of Embedded Lies on the Verbal Quality of …” (Maastricht University Study, 2020) — analysing deceptive language in criminal interviews, including those with Bernardo.
    Read the study


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    33 min
  • It Takes Two: The Dark Synergy Of Ian Brady And Myra Hindley
    Oct 13 2025
    Murder Was The Glue That Bound Them

    Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are remembered as the Moors Murderers. But beyond the horror, their story forces us to ask: how does a psychopath recruit a partner, and what happens when love and loyalty become tools of murder?

    In this episode of Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell explore the dark synergy between Brady and Hindley — complementary fit, closed-world isolation and the momentum of co-offending.

    We revisit psychiatrist Jeremy Coid’s insight that Brady may have been “born evil,” and hear Alan Bennett’s moving account of meeting Hindley in prison as he searched for his brother Keith’s body.

    Lastly, was Hindley coerced, complicit or both? And why does her name still provoke outrage decades after her death?

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    24 min
  • It Takes Two… Fred & Rose West: Britain’s Deadliest Couple
    Oct 5 2025
    The victims never stood a chance against their combined cruelty.

    Some killers act alone. Some form a partnership so toxic and unstoppable that the results are catastrophic.

    In this episode of It Takes Two, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell examine Fred and Rose West, Britain’s most infamous killer couple. We explore Fred’s early life and pre-existing crimes, Rose’s abusive upbringing, and how two damaged people fused into a dark partnership.

    From their home in Gloucester to the courtroom, discover the psychological dynamics that made them so lethal, and the lessons learned for law enforcement and social services.

    It Takes Two is the brand-new Autumn 2025 series from Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories, soon to be followed by the bite-sized companion series The A–Z of Psychopaths.

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    22 min
  • It Takes Two: Leonard Lake & Charles Ng
    Sep 29 2025
    It Takes Two to Kill: Leonard Lake & Charles Ng

    Serial killers usually act alone. But sometimes, two broken personalities collide — and the result is catastrophic.

    In the launch episode of our new series, It Takes Two, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell investigate Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, a sadistic duo who turned a remote cabin in California into a chamber of horrors.

    We explore their warped backgrounds, the psychology of killer partnerships, and the devastating human toll of their crimes. What happens when one man’s fantasies meet another’s lack of restraint? Together, Lake and Ng became far deadlier than either would have been alone.

    👉 This autumn, It Takes Two uncovers the world’s most infamous killer couples. And don’t miss our new companion series, The A–Z of Psychopaths — bite-sized deep dives into the darkest minds in history.

    Glossary of Key Psychological Terms

    Folie à deux (Shared Psychotic Disorder): A rare condition where two people share the same delusional belief. Usually, one is the dominant “inducer” and the other the more dependent “acceptor.” The belief often weakens when the pair is separated.

    Interpersonal Complementarity: The way people naturally “fit” together along dominance and submission lines. A controlling, dominant personality often attracts and sustains a submissive, dependent one. In killer pairs, this can stabilise and reinforce violent behaviour.

    Moral Disengagement: The mental tricks people use to excuse cruelty. These include diffusing responsibility (“we did it together”), using euphemisms (“the Miranda Project”), or dehumanising victims so empathy is switched off.

    Closed-World Effect: When a pair isolates itself socially, shutting out external reality checks. In this closed environment, their beliefs and fantasies intensify unchecked.

    Mutual Radicalisation: Each person’s worst idea sounds normal when the other repeats it back. This echo effect accelerates extremism, reinforcing violence as “shared purpose.”

    Co-offending Momentum: Research shows that once people commit violence together, they’re far more likely to do it again. Each successful crime lowers the psychological barrier to the next.

    PCL-R (Hare Psychopathy Checklist): A 20-item scale used by forensic psychologists to assess psychopathy. Traits include grandiosity, manipulation, lack of empathy, impulsivity, and criminal versatility. A score of 30 or more (out of 40) indicates psychopathy in the U.S.

    Acknowledgeements
    Song, Oh, California!, by David Ackles, provided to YouTube by Rhino/Elektra.

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    25 min
  • Psycho Killer Presents: The Detective’s Files (Episode 4) – Fingerprints: A Forgotten Crime Solver
    Sep 24 2025
    Fingerprints may not grab headlines like DNA, but they’ve been solving crimes for over a century. In this episode, Jacques Morrell shares stories from his detective career where fingerprints cracked cases ranging from burglary and cheque fraud to cold-blooded murder.

    Simon and Jacques also trace the history of fingerprinting: from its discovery in the 19th century, to the first conviction in Argentina in 1892, and high-profile British murder cases where a single print made all the difference.

    Join us as we reveal how fingerprints remain one of the most reliable—and sometimes overlooked—tools in forensic science.

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    29 min
  • Why Does America Have The Most Serial Killers? Part 2: Bureaucracy, Guns & Pop Culture
    Sep 21 2025
    Why Bureaucracy, Hollywood, and the NRA Helped Serial Killers ThriveWhy does America remain the global epicentre of serial killers? In Part Two of Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell uncover how bureaucracy, pop culture, and gun culture shaped the rise of American serial murderers.From the FBI’s behavioural profiling to the National Rifle Association’s influence, from Hollywood’s romanticisation of killers to the chilling question of whether Millennials and Gen Z will break the cycle, this episode digs deeper into America’s darkest shadows.We examine cases where red tape let killers roam free, the dangerous glamorisation of Bundy and Dahmer, and how easy access to firearms made serial murder uniquely lethal in the United States.Support us on Patreon for just £5 a month.TranscriptWhat if the system that's meant to protect you is the very thing that lets a killer slip through the cracks? What if the weapons are legally bought and the warning signs ignored? What if Hollywood's obsession with serial murder isn't just entertaining, but prophecy? In Part Two of 'Why Does The United States Have More Serial Killers Than Any Other Country On Earth?' we ask: has America created the perfect breeding ground for serial murderers and psychopaths? And as we race towards 2030, is there still time to stop the next one? But before we dive in, a quick shout out to our friends at Podcast Today, that's podcast dot today. They featured our Ian Huntley episode, 'A Psychopath at School', in their Quick Listens category. If you love discovering new true crime stories, head to podcast dot today and see what else they've lined up. It's free, it's daily and it's curated just for you. Welcome back to Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories. I'm Simon Ford and I'm Jacques Morrell. If you haven't heard part one yet, hit pause and listen to that first. We explored the growth of suburbia, the aftershocks of war, and the cracks in American policing. Today, in part two, we widen the lens. Bureaucracies that enable killers. Pop culture that glorifies them, guns that empower them, and a generation that might just change everything. Welcome to NBC News Daily. This Tuesday, we're going to start with breaking news. Quadruple murder suspect Austin Drummond is in custody after an intense days long manhunt in Tennessee. Drummond was wanted for the killings of four people, all members of the same family. We've talked about fragmented law enforcement. We've examined the challenges of jurisdictional chaos and under-resourced police departments. But there's another, less visible force at play in the story of America's serial killers. Something deeper, something colder. Bureaucracy? Yeah. Killer bureaucracy. It might sound like the title of a dystopian novel, but in real life, it's one of the quiet enablers of mass murder. Behind many of America's most notorious cases, you'll find crucial opportunities missed, not through lack of intelligence or even intent, but because the gears of the system ground too slowly or didn't turn at all. I think Mr. Little will get his final judgment. Before he died at 80 year old Samuel Little sketched the faces of the women he killed. And I'm sure these jurisdictions will go and try to connect the dots to deal with what he's come to. Take Samuel Little, for example. Officially recognised as America's most prolific serial killer. 89 confirmed victims, possibly over 90. He operated across state lines from the 1970s into the 2000s, murdering vulnerable women, mostly women of colour. And yet, for decades, law enforcement agencies failed to connect the dots. Why? Well, part of it is what we've already discussed decentralised policing. But even what agencies did have the information, there was no unified system compelling them to share that information in a usable way. For much of Little's killing spree. His victims weren't even being recorded as linked cases. And here's the irony. In 1985, the FBI launched ViCAP, the violent criminal apprehension program designed specifically to catch serial offenders by identifying patterns in unsolved cases. But ViCAP was optional. Local departments weren't required to use it. Many didn't. There are 60 confirmed victims so far. Authorities will continue the hunt for the dozens of others. It won't stop, even though little is dead. You know, you just take in for what it's worth. And people like me live with that. And that's bureaucracy for you. A powerful tool. Locked in a cupboard. Because nobody mandate the key. The FBI is still actively searching for information to connect the dots in several of Little's murders. If you have any information, call this number one 800. Call FBI. The weekend I picked up a woman backpack, I weighed. And Matthew was next to me in the seat, and she hopped in. And then two and three. And my son was there, and I killed her. They'll. Sure my son didn't see it, but that only happened one time. So why didn't you ...
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    27 min
  • Psycho Killer Presents: The Detective’s Files (Episode 3) –Jacques Morrell’s First Murder Case
    Sep 17 2025
    A CID Detective Relives His First UK Murder Case — 1989

    Step inside the world of real homicide investigation with The Detective’s Files: Episode 3. In this gripping instalment, former CID officer Jacques Morrell takes us back to 1989, when he faced his very first murder case.

    With 30 years of policing experience, Jacques reveals the reality of moving from the beat into CID, the pressures of working homicide over the Christmas period, and the shocking discovery that forced his team to live at work while chasing down a killer. This is not fiction. These are the real stories behind the uniform — long hours, emotional strain, and the painstaking work of solving violent crime in 1980s Britain.

    If you’re fascinated by true crime, murder investigations, and the hidden world of UK policing, this episode takes you inside the case that changed everything for Jacques Morrell.

    Subscribe to Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories for more authentic detective insights, real case files, and chilling explorations into the minds of killers.

    00:00 Intro – Detective’s Files with Jacques Morrell
    01:00 Life in uniform and move to CID
    03:00 First murder case: the call that changed everything
    05:00 Inside a real UK homicide investigation
    08:00 Reflections on a detective’s first case

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    24 min
  • Why Does America Have The Most Serial Killers? Part 1: The Perfect Storm
    Sep 14 2025
    Inside America’s Darkest Secret: The Serial Killer Capital of the World.

    Why does the USA have more serial killers per capita than any other country?

    From Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer to the Golden State Killer and Samuel Little, the United States has produced almost 70% of all known serial murderers—despite making up less than 5% of the world’s population.

    In this episode of Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell uncover the data, the history, and the psychology that explain America’s dark reputation.

    We explore post-war suburbia, the impact of Vietnam, the failures of fragmented policing, and how psychopaths hide in plain sight. Is the American Dream itself a breeding ground for killers? Tune in to Part One: The Perfect Storm to find out.

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    23 min