Murder In America

On June 12th, 2016, Omar Mateen committed one of the most violent mass shootings in American history when he attacked Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. It was an attack that was 29 years in the making. Throughout Omar’s life, there were signs that things weren’t right. Expulsions from school. Being fired from the police academy. And even an investigation by the FBI. In Part 1 of our 4-part series, we’re going to dive into the events leading up to the shooting, and try to answer the question: What could have been done to stop it before it happened? 

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Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb

Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!:

-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl

-Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844

-Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files

-Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101

-iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/

-PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca

-CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us

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Stay Connected:

Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701

If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica

Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen

Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel

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(c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When firefighters rushed to a hotel room in December of 1979, they had no idea they were stumbling into the den of a serial killer. On the bed, they discovered the bodies of two women — their heads and hands cut off, and their torsos set on fire and left on display for first responders to find. It was the first glimpse into the madness of Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. Little did first responders know, his reign of terror went back decades, leaving a twisted trail that, to this day, we haven’t uncovered the full truth behind. Even now, as he sits in jail, we’re left to wonder: How many victims did he truly have?

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Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb

Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!:

-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl

-Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844

-Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files

-Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101

-iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/

-PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca

-CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us

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Stay Connected:

Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701

If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica

Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen

Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel

-

(c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When firefighters rushed to a hotel room in December of 1979, they had no idea they were stumbling into the den of a serial killer. On the bed, they discovered the bodies of two women — their heads and hands cut off, and their torsos set on fire and left on display for first responders to find. It was the first glimpse into the madness of Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. Little did first responders know, his reign of terror went back decades, leaving a twisted trail that, to this day, we haven’t uncovered the full truth behind. Even now, as he sits in jail, we’re left to wonder: How many victims did he truly have? 

-

Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb

Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!:

-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl

-Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844

-Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files

-Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101

-iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/

-PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca

-CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us

-

Stay Connected:

Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701

If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica

Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen

Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel

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(c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Are you a kidnapper?" Those are some of the last words that Athena Strand ever said. She was just 7 years old, standing in the back of a FedEx van, where an adult had told her she was safe, that things would be okay. But things would never be okay again. The man driving the van was not only a predator... but a killer. And his plans for Athena would be captured on camera, leading to one of the most horrific trials in modern history. A trial that still has everyone asking: How could someone be so evil? 

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Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb

Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!:

-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl

-Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844

-Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files

-Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101

-iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/

-PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca

-CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us

-

Stay Connected:

Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701

If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica

Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen

Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel

-

(c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one thought a 13-year-old boy was capable of such evil. But when 5-year-old Tara Sue Huffman was discovered bludgeoned to death, all the evidence pointed to neighbor, middle-schooler Timothy Buss, being her killer. After just 12 years of incarceration, Timothy returned to his hometown a reformed man. But not long after his release, another child disappeared. And this time, no one doubted what he was capable of. 

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Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb

Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!:

-Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl

-Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844

-Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files

-Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101

-iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/

-PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca

-CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us

-

Stay Connected:

Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701

If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica

Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen

Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel

-

(c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices