Episodes
Sunday May 31, 2020
The Hitman's Son (S1.E3)
Sunday May 31, 2020
Sunday May 31, 2020
On Memorial Day weekend, 2000, 25-year old Josh Reddington stopped by his hometown of Salmon, Idaho to visit his mom, Vera Pohto. He was on his way from Montana, where he worked doing helicopter logging, to Boise, Idaho where he was going to pick up some belongings. He was traveling with his friend and co-worker, Michael Dauber. Michael was with Josh during this visit. They stayed for about an hour before taking off. It was the last time Vera would see her son alive. The mystery of what happened to Josh would drag on for 14 years and end with a devastating discovery. It is a macabre story that involves secrets known by many, murders among friends, an unsettling family history, and the persistence of two families who refused to let go.
Darklands is bi-weekly podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and Podbean. A starred review would be greatly appreciated.
Darklands logo: Jeffrey Francoeur
Episode Music: Xylo-Ziko, “Phase 2” from Minimal, Highway 17, "Cockroach Headed Boy" from It's Sharp
Darklands is a FridaPants production.
Email: darklandspodcast@gmail.com
Monday May 18, 2020
Murder on the Light Rail (S1. E2)
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 18, 2020
If you use mass transit as a main mode of transportation, you have likely seen the whole spectrum of human behavior. Much of the time commuting by train or bus is routine – the mundanity interrupted by small annoyances like a jostle from a fellow passenger or someone talking too loud on their phone. Other times the daily grind is broken up by witnessing incredible acts of human kindness or the unease of someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Rarely is the daily commute disrupted by a shocking act of violence that leaves two people dead and another critically wounded. But that is what happened on May 26, 2017 when three bystanders intervened to try to stop a man who was verbally assaulting two teenage girls on a crowded car of the Max Light Rail in Portland Oregon. In just a few short minutes, an act of bravery and kindness by three men would end in devastation. Much of the event would be captured in clear detail by surveillance cameras on the train and on video by multiple witnesses. It is an incident that would forever scar all of those that bore witness to the vicious attack, those that rushed forward to lend aid to the injured and the dying, and one that would weigh heavily on the heart of the city.
Darklands is bi-weekly podcast available on apple podcasts, google play, stitcher, and pod bean. A starred review would be greatly appreciated.
Sources for this episode: https://darklandspodcast.podbean.com/p/sources-1589780769/
Darklands logo: Jeffrey Francoeur
Episode Music: Xylo-Ziko, “Phase 2” from Minimal
Darklands is a FridaPants production.
Email: darklandspodcast@gmail.com
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
The Forest Park Killer (S1.E1)
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
On a drizzly, overcast day in Portland, Oregon, 1999, a couple walking their dog come upon a body in the dense undergrowth of a remote part of Forest Park. It would be the first of three bodies discarded by what was soon to be known as the Forest Park Killer. This is a case that moved quickly. The Forest Park Killer targeted a vulnerable community – street level sex workers that were also experiencing homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues. Law enforcement response was immediate and robust and a seemingly improbable connection made by a detective would be instrumental in identifying and capturing the killer. In the meantime, the city would take some commendable steps to protect its most vulnerable. And two months from the day of the discovery of the first body the case would be solved.
Music: Highway 17, "Cockroach-headed Boy."
Cover Art: Jeffrey Francoeur
Sources:
http://murderpedia.org/male.R/r/reed-todd-alan.htm
The Oregonian, D.R. Anderson, M. Bernstein and R. Franzen. June 14, 1999. "Drugs put slaying victims out of their families' reach."
Seattle Times. May 8, 2000. "Portraits differ on suspect in killings."
The Oregonian. July 20, 1999. "Man held in serial killings."
San Diego Source. C. Simmons. July 21, 1999. "DNA evidence links suspect to three Portland murders."
Statesman Journal. August 8, 1999. "Police think man killed others."
Shattered. Season 1, Episode 4, "The Wood." Original air date, September 13, 2017.
Wikipedia. Forest Park (Portland, Oregon).
Hate Crimes: A Report Documenting Violence against Men and Women Homeless in the U.S. January, 2000. Prepared by the National Coalition for the Homeless and The National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project.
Associated Press. H. Greimel. June 5, 1999. "Portland police say three park slayings the work of a serial killer."