Our True Crime Podcast

368. The Boogeyman of Melbourne: Mr Cruel

On August 22nd, 1987, a man wearing a balaclava broke into a home in Lower Plenty, Australia. After tying up the parents and their young son, he brutally assaulted their eleven-year-old daughter. Then, he did something truly chilling: he made himself a snack, sat down, and ate it, leaving the family tied up and traumatized in the other rooms.

This monster, who would eventually be dubbed “Mr. Cruel” by the media, was just getting started.

He went on to terrorize the suburbs of Melbourne, executing highly planned child abductions that sparked one of the largest police investigations in Australian history. Then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he vanished.

This case is still open. If you have any information on these abductions, please contact the Melbourne Police. Or Crimestoppers

Phone Number (Within Australia): 1800 333 000

Website (For international listeners or online tips): crimestoppersvic.com.au

Join Jen & Cam as they dive into the details behind 'The Boogeyman of Melbourne: Mr Cruel.'

*We are BEYOND excited to finally announce our next big adventure! Our True Crime Podcast will be turning 10 years old in 2028. To celebrate this huge milestone, we are heading to Europe for a once-in-a-lifetime 11-day trip to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg!

We would love for you to come along.

It's officially a "Cheers to 10 Years Tour!" from July 8–19, 2028!

SAVE $150 per person if you book by July 20th!

You can visit our webpage travel webpage here to see the itinerary:

https://0tcp711.s.gy/VOfMrW

If you’re nervous or want more info, RSVP

for a 6pm July 16th Zoom call

https://0tcp711.s.gy/Ue4NG8

Our team:

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Inky Pawprint⁠⁠

Sources:

https://youtu.be/ArIl4189jDw?si=RpwZGMKgwfzv_cmg

https://youtu.be/Jaq001Evc_c?si=CxsMwY8U6CL-_1pb

Apr 14, 1992, page 5 - The Age at Newspapers.com™ - Newspapers.com™

Mr Cruel - Wikipedia

Chilling new evidence in harrowing ‘Mr Cruel’ investigation | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlines

Major breakthrough in Melbourne’s notorious ‘Mr Cruel’ case - Starts at 60

A new profile of Mr Cruel, who may have been a burglar before he was a killer

Mr. Cruel: The Australian Serial Kidnapper Still at Large

Aug 29, 1987, page 5 - The Age at Newspapers.com™ - Newspapers.com™

Dec 29, 1988, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Dec 28, 1988, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™ - Newspapers.com™

Dec 31, 1988, page 2 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Dec 30, 1988, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Dec 29, 1988, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Dec 28, 1988, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Jul 06, 1990, page 4 - The Age at Newspapers.com™ - Newspapers.com™

Jul 05, 1990, page 3 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com™

Jul 07, 1990, page 5 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Apr 16, 1991, page 3 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Jul 07, 1990, page 4 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Apr 15, 1991, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Jul 05, 1990, page 7 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Jul 21, 1990, page 17 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Jul 07, 1990, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Apr 21, 1991, page 5 - The Age at Newspapers.com™ - Newspapers.com™

Apr 17, 1991, page 9 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com™

Apr 30, 1991, page 3 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Apr 29, 1991, page 3 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

May 27, 1991, page 8 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com™

Apr 15, 1991, page 1 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Apr 20, 1991, page 1 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com™

Apr 24, 1991, page 10 - The Sydney Morning Herald at Newspapers.com™

Apr 11, 1992, page 20 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

May 29, 1992, page 18 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

May 11, 1992, page 5 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

May 17, 1992, page 3 - The Age at Newspapers.com™

Jan 29, 1995, page 2 - The Age at Newspapers.com™ - Newspapers.com™

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

On March 27, 1993, the morning began like countless others for nine-year-old Jonathan Sellers and thirteen-year-old Charlie Keever. The two boys set off on their bicycles, planning nothing more extraordinary than a day of roaming, pedaling through familiar places, killing time, enjoying the small freedoms of childhood.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the boys were seen moving easily through the neighborhood. Witnesses recalled spotting them at a local arcade and a pet adoption center, lingering the way kids do when the day feels wide open. Later, they stopped at a Rally’s hamburger stand, where they bought lunch before heading off again on their bikes.

Their last confirmed sightings placed them in the Otay River Valley, an area the boys were known to frequent. Two witnesses briefly spoke with Jonathan and Charlie as they rode along the riverbed near a washed-out bridge. One of those witnesses would later recall a detail that stood out at the time and lingered afterward: a man driving a car across the open field, deliberately blocking the bike path. It struck her as strange, out of place in the quiet riverbed. Years later, she would identify a photograph of a blue sedan, similar in color and shape to the vehicle she had seen that day.

As evening approached and the boys failed to return home, worry turned quickly into alarm. Family members began searching nearby streets and paths. Jonathan’s brother mentioned the riverbed trail where the boys often rode, prompting their mother to head there in a growing panic. What he didn’t think to mention, what no one realized in time, was a hidden “fort” tucked away in the brush, a place the boys liked to crawl into “like a little cave.”

Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast named “Hidden Fort: Jonathan Sellers and Charlie Keever.”

Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

Editing and music by @theinkypawprint

Sources:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040829/news_1m29erskine.html

https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/people-v-erskine-34617

https://www.reddit.com/r/serialkillers/comments/1hbddzh/scott_erskine_a_repeat_offender_responsible_for/

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/scott-erskine-charlie-keever-jonathan-sellers-death-row-appeal-south-bay-murders/159324/

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/scott-erskine-dies-while-on-death-row-due-to-covid-19/509-3e957e89-6775-45a2-9f5f-d08c02e0844c

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-08-28-0408280095-story.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20130409222853/http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/cgi/prosoma.dll?searchby=offender&id=18601082E9187

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-08-28-0408280095-story.html

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/29/coronavirus-these-killers-died-on-san-quentins-death-row

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/2-condemned-san-quentin-inmates-die-of-apparent-covid-19-complications/

Who the (BLEEP) Did I Marry? Season 5, Episode 7 titled "The Face of Death"

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

In this special episode, Cam and Jen talk with Ed & Melissa from Murder Unscripted, who dive into the decades-old mystery about the disappearance of Ilonka Cann.

On May 25, 1970, 22-year-old Ilonka spoke with her parents in Ohio, excited about coming home for a visit that summer. She never made that trip.

The very next afternoon, she vanished from her rural Pennsylvania farmhouse, leaving behind all her belongings and her 15-month-old son crying alone in his crib.

For decades, searches of the isolated property yielded nothing, while the case took bizarre legal turns regarding her husband's personal life. Finally, after fifty years, a 2024 coroner's inquest changed everything by officially ruling Ilonka’s disappearance a homicide.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Ed & Melissa’s podcast, Murder Unscripted. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Music by Nico Fyffe-Vettese
Editing by Jesse Fyffe-Vettese
Check them out, The Inky Paw Print

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

The UK Midlands is a region steeped in history and folklore, from the ancient Kingdom of Mercia to the birthplace of Shakespeare. But on a freezing, misty day in December 1993, a peaceful village right off the M1 motorway became the backdrop for a living nightmare.

While driving past a dirty station wagon parked on a grassy verge near Junction 20, a local witness noticed a passenger sitting bolt upright in the backseat wearing a jet-black dress. It was a sight that made her blood run cold; she knew with absolute certainty that the woman was already dead.

What followed was a massive police hunt for a transient predator who used England’s motorways to hide in plain sight, Alun Kyte, the Midlands Ripper.

Join Jen and Cam as they discuss 'Monster on the M1: The Murders of Samo Paull & Tracey Turner.'

Our team:

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Inky Pawprint⁠

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7_M0eU6pVk&t=7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1hGFRvWqyo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alun_Kyte

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-48254878

https://crimeimmemorial.com/2024/09/15/yvonne-coley/

https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kyte-alun.htm

https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/crime/janine-downes-death-police-appeal-b1796190.html

https://crimeimmemorial.com/2024/10/15/gail-whitehouse/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-12297341

https://www.westmercia.police.uk/news/west-mercia/news/2021/february/detectives-continue-to-appeal-for-information-into-womans-murder-on-30th-anniversary/

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/unsolved-murder-revisited-after-34-31844795

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/missing-coventry-sex-workers-victims-22984273

https://lolly-truecrime.medium.com/natalie-pearman-was-16-years-old-when-her-body-was-found-in-a-lay-by-on-ringland-road-norwich-8ba882b288ca

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/child-abusing-double-killer-suspected-of-other-murders-7t2pjsm73

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-65556070

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ac7a330a-afe6-4247-a106-10e59fba8651/episodes/7e1fe6a3-895f-452d-9512-b307a319fbb5/they-walk-among-us---uk-true-crime-midlands-ripper-alun-kyte---part-1 (and also part 2)https://www.newspapers.com/image/719963897/?

match=1&terms=Alun%20Kyte

https://www.newspapers.com/image/259073041/?match=2&terms=Alun%20Kyte

https://www.newspapers.com/image/867605363/?match=2&terms=Alun%20Kyte

https://www.newspapers.com/image/808440223/?match=1&terms=Alun%20Kyte

https://www.newspapers.com/image/822427249/?article=a4f38430-aabb-4708-a3fb-f982c5af9186&terms=Alun%20Kyte

https://www.newspapers.com/image/822427249/?article=a4f38430-aabb-4708-a3fb-f982c5af9186&terms=Alun%20Kyte

https://www.newspapers.com/image/719023877/?match=1&terms=Samo%20Paull

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsall_Heath

https://www.newspapers.com/image/866507468/?match=8&terms=Samo%20Paull

https://www.newspapers.com/image/865864192/?match=1&terms=Samo%20Paull https://www.newspapers.com/image/865864423/?match=6&terms=Samo%20Paull

https://grokipedia.com/page/Alun_Kyte#:~:text=The%201994%20Murders,December%201993.%20%5B9%5D%20Her%20body

https://www.newspapers.com/image/878164808/?article=3ed5a862-86a9-47e0-9de9-0bfce9a53075&terms=%22Tracey%20Turner%22

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdered_sex_workers_in_the_United_Kingdom

 



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

In January 1991, 13-year-old Paola Illera arrived home from school and stepped into the elevator of her East Harlem apartment building. She was only moments from her family's 30th-floor apartment, but she never made it upstairs. Hours later, her body was discovered miles from where she was last seen, launching an investigation that would haunt detectives for years.

As fear spread through the neighborhood, investigators searched for answers in a case that seemed to offer few clues. Yet hidden among the evidence was a tiny trace that would eventually help uncover the truth. This week, we examine the murder of Paola Illera, the long hunt for her killer, and the string of crimes that terrorized East Harlem throughout the 1990s.

Join us as we discuss: ‘The Predator of East Harlem: Arohn Kee’ on this week’s episode. 

Listener discretion is by @octoberpodVHS

All music is courtesy of our editing/ producing team @theinkypawprint

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/21/nyregion/manhattan-man-guilty-in-rape-and-murder-spree.html

http://www.robertkellerauthor.com/2015/06/serial-killers-arohn-kee.html

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/homicide-york-arohn-kee-caught-161226887.html

https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64506425/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/03/26/homicide-new-york-is-netflixs-third-most-watched-show-what-to-know-about-the-true-crime-series/

https://skdb.fandom.com/wiki/KEE_Arohn_Malik

https://nypost.com/2004/08/13/killer-is-nailed-94-rape/

https://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-jailed-rapist-selling-tales-of-his-crime-on-the-internet-1265100

https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kee-arohn.htm

https://www.amazon.com/True-Crime-American-Monsters-Horrific/dp/1535162287

https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/27/nyregion/rage-and-taunts-fill-courtroom-as-a-killer-gets-life-in-prison.html

https://crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/mbb205_arohn_kee/

https://www.nydailynews.com/2000/12/14/rape-slay-defendant-denies-guilt-on-stand/

https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2003/031102dnaremarks.htm

https://nypost.com/2004/08/13/evil-serial-killer-nailed-for-vicious-1994-rape/

All music is by our editing/ producer team @theinkypawprint

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/20/nyregion/murder-suspect-found-with-missing-girl.html

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