Dark Dialogue

Chicago Ripper Crew — Part 1: The Van of Death | Rituals, Control & the Devil in a Red Van

Chicago, 1981.A city drowning in crime, corruption, recession — and something darker lurking beneath the surface.In this episode of Dark Dialogue, John takes Angela (and listeners) into the heart of one of the most disturbing cases in American criminal history: the Chicago Ripper Crew, a cult-like group led by Robin Gecht that turned a red van into a mobile house of horror.
From the first victim, Linda Sutton, to the escalating ritual murders that followed, this episode exposes how four men — Gecht, Edward Spreitzer, and brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis — carried out some of the most sadistic crimes Chicago has ever seen. Through forensic detail, survivor testimony, psychological insight, and meticulous research, we trace the rise of a cult built on fear, manipulation, and ritual mutilation.
Angela provides a full breakdown of Chicago and DuPage County in the early ’80s — the environment that allowed the Crew to operate in plain sight.Together, we follow the killings of:
Linda Sutton – The first victim, whose murder became the blueprint
Lorraine “Lorry” Borowski – Whose abduction shattered suburbia
Shui Mak – The escalation of brutality
Angel York – A survivor who gave police their first real break
Sandra Delaware – Killed in full ritual
Rose Davis – The apex of violence
And ultimately, the survivor who brought the truth into the light: Beverly Washington — the woman whose testimony placed Gecht behind bars for 120 years.
This is Part 1 of a four-episode investigation that exposes the rituals, psychology, and forensic realities surrounding Chicago’s most terrifying cult murders.
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🎙️ Closing Note
Stay curious. Stay compassionate.And keep the dialogue alive.

The Pact of Shadows — The Simon Sue Murders in Guffey, Colorado

High in the Colorado mountains, the quiet town of Guffey hid a nightmare no one saw coming.In the winter of 2001, three members of the Dutcher family were brutally murdered — not by strangers, but by teenagers under the control of an unlikely ringleader: 19-year-old Simon Sue, a self-styled commander who built his own secret “organization” and convinced classmates to kill in his name.
The Pact of Shadows explores how Sue’s delusional creation — a supposed spy network called O.A.R.A. — blurred the line between fantasy and fanaticism. Through psychological manipulation, humiliation rituals, and fear, he transformed a small circle of high schoolers into his loyal soldiers. When one of them — 15-year-old Isaac Grimes — hesitated, Sue turned friendship into a death sentence.
Join John and Angela as they retrace how a charismatic teen’s obsession spiraled into one of Colorado’s most shocking crimes. From the Dutchers’ mountain cabin to the interrogation rooms where terrified boys confessed, this episode exposes how the need to belong can become a weapon — and how evil sometimes wears the face of someone we trust.
Dark Dialogue delivers the full story: the control, the loyalty, the murders, and the trials that followed — revealing how fantasy turned to bloodshed in a town too small to imagine such horror.
📢 Calls to Action
If this episode moved you, follow, rate, and review Dark Dialogue wherever you listen. Every review helps bring more attention to forgotten cases.
🕯️ Join the mission:Become part of the Dark Dialogue Collective — a volunteer network of researchers, advocates, and listeners dedicated to truth and remembrance.
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🎙️ Dark Dialogue: The stories that haunt small towns and big cities alike. Keep searching. Keep questioning. And above all — keep the dialogue alive.

The Neighbor Next Door: The Murder of Brett W. Smith

In October 2008, the quiet streets of North Canton, Ohio—a place known for safety, family, and small-town calm—were shattered by an act of horror that still defies belief.
Thirty-four-year-old Brett W. Smith was found brutally murdered and decapitated inside his own home at Evergreen Mobile Home Park. His killer wasn’t a stranger or a drifter. It was the man who lived just across the fence — William D. Perry, a neighbor whose rage and instability turned deadly.
Through court records, forensic analysis, and first-hand accounts, this episode of Dark Dialogue unravels the story of a man whose only mistake was trusting that home meant safety. You’ll hear about the decade-long peace shattered overnight, the haunting discovery made by Brett’s mother, and the exhaustive investigation that brought Perry to justice.
But more than the violence, this story is about who Brett was — a gentle, kind man who lived with health challenges yet met the world with quiet strength. It’s about his mother, Judy, who endured the unimaginable: burying not one, but two sons, and carrying on with grace.
Join John and Angela as they explore how the illusion of suburban safety can collapse in an instant — when the real monster isn’t hiding in the shadows… but living next door.
🕯️ Calls to Action
🖤 Support the mission: Become part of the Dark Dialogue Collective, a community dedicated to remembering victims and pursuing truth.
📜 Adopt a Victim: Help keep their stories alive by carrying forward the name and memory of someone who can no longer speak for themselves.
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💬 Follow, rate, and share: Your reviews and shares keep these stories alive — and help honor victims like Brett by making sure their voices are never forgotten.
Dark Dialogue Podcast NetworkKeep searching. Keep questioning. Keep remembering. Keep listening.And above all — keep the dialogue alive.

Filming Death: The Scream Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart

When a quiet September night in 2006 turned into a real-life horror film, Bannock County, Idaho, would never be the same. Filming Death: The Scream Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart tells the chilling true story of a responsible, kind-hearted teenager betrayed by classmates who wanted to turn murder into a movie.
Cassie was just seventeen — house-sitting, caring for family pets, and planning for her future — when two of her peers, Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, transformed her ordinary weekend into a nightmare inspired by Scream and Columbine. This episode dives deep into the psychology of teenage infamy, the timeline of the crime, and the haunting aftermath that shattered an entire community.
John and Angela unravel how two high school boys turned fantasy into horror, the meticulous investigation that followed, and how Cassie’s legacy continues to echo through true crime history. From forensic evidence and courtroom confessions to Cassie’s personal story of responsibility, integrity, and light — this episode exposes the thin line between obsession and evil.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.👍 Like, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review to help us keep telling the stories that matter.📢 Share this episode to make sure Cassie’s name is never forgotten.💜 Join the mission: Become part of the Dark Dialogue Collective or our Adopt-a-Victim Program to honor victims and support real advocacy work.🌐 Visit www.darkdialogue.com for full case files, victim tributes, and behind-the-scenes insights.📰 Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive updates, bonus episodes, and investigative notes from the Dark Dialogue team.☕ Support the show on Patreon or Ko-fi to keep independent true crime storytelling alive.
Because at Dark Dialogue, we don’t just tell stories —we keep the victims’ names alive.We demand answers.And we make the guilty face the reckoning.
🕯️ Keep searching. Keep questioning. Keep remembering. Keep listening.And above all — Keep the Dialogue Alive.

The Boy in the Walls – The Haunting Case of Danny LaPlante

Home is supposed to be safe — but what if the danger is already inside?In this chilling October episode of Dark Dialogue, John and Angela pull back the walls on one of the most disturbing cases in American true crime: the story of Danny LaPlante, a teenager who secretly lived inside a family’s home, watching them, tormenting them, and ultimately becoming one of Massachusetts’ most terrifying killers.
The case begins like a ghost story — tapping walls, objects moving, eerie messages written in ketchup — but ends in real-life horror with the murders of Priscilla Gustafson and her children in 1987. What began as an invasion of privacy became one of the darkest true crime legends in New England history.
John and Angela unravel how a lonely family’s grief after their mother’s death made them vulnerable to a predator who blurred the line between haunting and homicide. You’ll hear the full story of the Bowen family’s nightmare, the Gustafson murders, the trial that followed, and how both families struggled to rebuild after the unimaginable.
This episode captures the eerie spirit of October — where the knocks in the walls aren’t ghosts, and the shadows outside may not be the scariest thing waiting for you.
❤️ Calls to Action
If you believe in our mission to remember victims and seek truth:
Join the Dark Dialogue Collective to help with research, outreach, and advocacy.
Adopt a Victim and carry forward their story — visit darkdialogue.com.
Subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen; your support keeps these stories alive.
Follow us on Substack for extended case files and behind-the-scenes research.
Email us at info@darkdialogue.com with case tips, questions, or your own reflections.
🔚 Closing Tagline
The true horrors aren’t found in ghost stories — they live in the echoes of real lives lost.Keep your candles lit, your doors locked… and above all, keep the dialogue alive.

Trial by Technology – Justice for April | The Digital Evidence That Spoke for Her

When fourteen-year-old April Millsap left home to walk her dog on a warm July evening in 2014, no one in the quiet town of Armada, Michigan could have imagined the horror that would follow. Hours later, her loyal dog Penny came home alone — and a small community was forever changed.
In this episode of Dark Dialogue, John and Angela take you inside the groundbreaking trial that proved a killer’s guilt without a single eyewitness or confession. Through fitness app GPS data, cell tower triangulation, and digital breadcrumbs, investigators pieced together the final minutes of April’s life — and exposed James VanCallis, a local man whose lies collapsed under the weight of the data.
From the FBI’s 63-minute Google Earth animation of April’s last walk to the haunting testimony of her mother and boyfriend, “Trial by Technology – Justice for April” reveals how modern forensic science gave a voice to a victim who could no longer speak for herself. This case redefined how technology serves justice — and how data, once cold and clinical, can become the most powerful witness of all.
💔 Featuring:
April’s final GPS trail reconstructed step by step
Eyewitness accounts and expert testimony that stunned the courtroom
The digital evidence that led to a life-without-parole conviction
A heartfelt tribute to April Marie Millsap — forever 14
🎙️ Join John and Angela as they expose how data became the storyteller, justice found its footing in zeros and ones, and a mother’s strength turned tragedy into advocacy.
If this story moved you, please follow, rate, and share the podcast. Your support keeps these cases alive — and ensures no victim is ever forgotten.
🔗 Learn more and get involved:
Adopt-a-Victim Program → www.darkdialogue.com
Join the Dark Dialogue Collective to support investigations
Subscribe on Substack for research files, extended case notes, and behind-the-scenes analysis
Email: info@darkdialogue.com
Keep searching.Keep questioning.Keep remembering.And above all… keep the dialogue alive.

The Man on the Dirt Bike – Building the Case

When a 14-year-old’s evening walk ends in tragedy, the town of Armada, Michigan is shaken to its core. In this episode of Dark Dialogue, John and Angela dissect the early investigation that turned a nameless “man on the dirt bike” into a household name—and a prime suspect.
Follow the crucial leads that shaped the case:
Eyewitness accounts of a helmeted rider who shouldn’t have been on the trail.
Digital footprints from April’s phone and Sports Tracker app, mapping her final desperate moments.
Family secrets and fractured loyalty within the VanCallis household that helped dismantle an alibi.
Through testimony, technology, and relentless persistence, investigators painstakingly pieced together a case where DNA and weapons were absent—but the truth spoke through data, memory, and detail.
You’ll hear the emotional weight of a town in turmoil, a family divided by loyalty and truth, and a victim whose story continues to echo far beyond Armada. This is the moment rumor became evidence, technology converged with testimony, and the fight for justice gained its first decisive momentum.
✨ Dark Dialogue brings you atmospheric storytelling, forensic deep dives, and unflinching humanity at the center of every case.
📢 Calls to Action
If you believe every story deserves to be heard:
Follow & Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
Share April’s story to keep her memory alive.
Join us on Patreon or Ko-fi to support independent, victim-centered investigations.
Take action through our Adopt-a-Victim program or become part of the Dark Dialogue Collective to help amplify cases still searching for answers.
April Millsap mattered. Her story continues—one lead, one listener, one dialogue at a time.

Dark Dialogue: April Millsap Part 2: Blood in the Branches – The Investigation Begins

On July 24, 2014, the quiet town of Armada, Michigan was forever changed when 14-year-old April Millsap set out for a walk with her dog and never came home. What began as a summer evening stroll on the Macomb Orchard Trail ended in a brutal attack that left investigators — and an entire community — reeling.
In this episode of Dark Dialogue, we take you inside the earliest hours of the investigation: the discovery of April’s body, the haunting evidence imprinted on her skin, and the chilling clues left behind. We break down the autopsy findings, the forensic trail, and the first wave of interviews and community leads that shaped the manhunt for her killer.
From suspicious vehicles and anonymous tips, to the digital breadcrumbs hidden in April’s FitBit and cell phone data, we uncover how investigators began piecing together a story written in both violence and silence. This episode also explores the emotional fallout for April’s family, the shock that spread through Armada, and the community’s first steps toward unity in the face of tragedy.
🔎 What you’ll hear in this episode:
A step-by-step breakdown of the crime scene and forensic evidence
How April’s digital trail provided investigators with a silent witness
Early suspects and leads — from a “white van” to local teens — and why they were cleared
The community’s grief, fear, and resilience in the wake of the murder
A heartfelt tribute to April’s life, dreams, and enduring impact
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of violent crime and autopsy findings that may be distressing for some listeners.
✨ Support Our Work & Get Involved:If April’s story moves you, help keep her memory alive. Follow and review Dark Dialogue on your favorite podcast app, share this episode to raise awareness, and consider joining the Dark Dialogue Collective or our Adopt-a-Victim Program to support ongoing case research.
📬 Have a case suggestion or a tip? Email us at info@darkdialogue.com.💜 Patreon | ☕ Ko-fi | 📖 Substack → Exclusive content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more.
Because April mattered. Her story deserves to be heard. And together — we keep the dialogue alive.

April Millsap Part 1: The Girl on the Trail – Who Was April Millsap?

She was just 14. A daughter, a dreamer, a life that mattered.
On July 24, 2014, April Millsap leashed up her beloved dog Penny and set out on the Macomb Orchard Trail in Armada, Michigan. Minutes later, she sent her boyfriend a chilling text: “I think I almost got kidnapped.” By nightfall, Penny returned alone—and April’s body was discovered just off the trail.
In this first chapter of Dark Dialogue’s April Millsap series, John and Angela take listeners beyond the headlines. Who was April Millsap? What were her dreams, her passions, and the ordinary life she lived in a small Michigan town before everything changed?
Through intimate storytelling, we remember April not just for the horror of her final moments, but for her kindness, her laughter, her bond with Penny, and her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Her story is more than a crime—it’s a legacy of love, community grief, and the resilience of those left behind.
👉 Listen now to hear April’s story from the beginning.👉 Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode in this series.👉 Share this episode to keep April’s name alive and help ensure that her memory is never reduced to a headline.👉 Support our work by joining the Dark Dialogue Collective, subscribing on Substack, or donating via Patreon or Ko-fi—every contribution helps us shine a light on victims who deserve to be remembered.
Because April Millsap was more than a victim.She was a daughter, a friend, and a bright life stolen too soon.

Heather Dawn Church Part 4: The Killer Who Counted on Silence

Heather Dawn Church’s story shattered the silence—and exposed the chilling truth about one of America’s most calculating killers.
In this final installment of The Forest Kept Her Silence, we confront Robert Charles Browne—the drifter whose fingerprint ended Heather’s case and whose later confessions claimed up to 48 more murders across nine states. Was he telling the truth, or was it the ultimate manipulation?
Join John and Angela as they unravel Browne’s arrest, his cold and methodical confession, and the disturbing letters that taunted investigators. Hear how Detective Lou Smit and Sheriff John Anderson built a case that finally gave Heather’s family answers, and why a legal loophole may have spared Browne from a death sentence.
This episode isn’t just about justice—it’s about the legacy of those who refused to let silence win, and about remembering Heather not as a victim, but as a daughter, sister, and voice that changed everything.
👉 Listen now to hear the conclusion of Heather Dawn Church’s story, and the haunting questions that remain.👉 If Heather’s story moved you, don’t let it stop here—follow or subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. The more people who hear her name, the harder it is for the truth to be buried.👉 Want to support our work? Visit darkdialogue.com for case files, bonus material, and our Adopt-a-Victim program. You can also contribute through Patreon or Ko-fi to help keep these investigations alive.
Because Heather Dawn Church mattered.And her voice will never be silenced again.