Residue: A True Crime Podcast

<div> <p>The 2002 true-crime film Vampire Clan dramatizes the shocking real-life murders carried out by a group of teenagers who believed they were part of a vampire cult. Starring Drew Fuller as cult leader Rod Ferrell, the film follows how fantasy role-playing and obsession with vampirism spiraled into violence, ultimately leading to the brutal killing. </p><p>The case of Rod Ferrell and the brutal Wendorf Murders began as a group of teenagers role-playing vampires spiraled into real-world violence when Ferrell, who called himself a 500-year-old vampire, led members of his so-called “Vampire Clan” to the home of Richard Wendorf and Naomi Wendorf<strong> </strong>in Eustis, Florida.</p><p>Sources:<br>Killer Kids <br>Vampire Clan (2002) <br>The Vampire Murders (1999) <br><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/teen-vampire-cult-leader-rod-203422626.html">https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/teen-vampire-cult-leader-rod-203422626.html</a><br><a href="https://www.dailycommercial.com/story/news/local/eustis/2019/12/01/mother-of-vampire-cult-killer-ive-changed/2178130007/">https://www.dailycommercial.com/story/news/local/eustis/2019/12/01/mother-of-vampire-cult-killer-ive-changed/2178130007/</a><br><a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/07/16/cooper-pleads-guilty/">https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/07/16/cooper-pleads-guilty/</a><br><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/11/22/more-evidence-turns-up-in-vampire-cult-deaths/">https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/11/22/more-evidence-turns-up-in-vampire-cult-deaths</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In this episode, we explore the shocking true story behind the made-for-TV movie <em>Abducted by My Teacher</em> and the real-life case of Elizabeth Thomas. In 2017, Elizabeth was a 15-year-old student in Tennessee when her health teacher, Tad Cummins, groomed and ultimately abducted her, sparking a nationwide search. What began as a troubling case of teacher misconduct quickly turned into a multi-state manhunt that captured national attention.</p><p>Sources:<br>Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story <br><a href="https://people.com/where-is-elizabeth-thomas-now-8656077">https://people.com/where-is-elizabeth-thomas-now-8656077</a><br>20/20 From Classroom to Captive<br><a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/tad-cummins">https://allthatsinteresting.com/tad-cummins</a><br><a href="https://www.thewrap.com/lifetime-extends-partnership-elizabeth-smart-film-abducted-by-my-teacher/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">https://www.thewrap.com/lifetime-extends-partnership-elizabeth-smart-film-abducted-by-my-teacher/?utm_source=chatgpt.com</a><br><a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2017/04/27/court-records-kimberly-thomas-accused-child-abuse-humiliating-children/100951338/">https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2017/04/27/court-records-kimberly-thomas-accused-child-abuse-humiliating-children/100951338/</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In 1968, <em>Rosemary’s Baby</em> arrived in theaters and changed horror forever. A story about a young woman manipulated, isolated, and ultimately betrayed by those closest to her, the film tapped into a cultural moment already steeped in paranoia. America was reeling from assassinations, war, the rise of the occult, and the founding of the Church of Satan. Evil lived next door. </p><p>But what happened after the film’s release is what fuels the legend.</p><p>Sources:<br>Cursed Films <br><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/06/the-most-cursed-hit-movie-ever-made-rosemarys-baby?srsltid=AfmBOooydSo-i0JJPAuPxk1-vcQnLhMf89eS5--wPQ1j3DRQwqpMUmJb">https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/06/the-most-cursed-hit-movie-ever-made-rosemarys-baby?srsltid=AfmBOooydSo-i0JJPAuPxk1-vcQnLhMf89eS5--wPQ1j3DRQwqpMUmJb</a><br><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/sammy-davis-jr-satanism-anton-lavey-1235070544/">https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/sammy-davis-jr-satanism-anton-lavey-1235070544/</a><br><a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/RosemarysBaby">https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/RosemarysBaby</a><br><a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=cb0b2358a0071c17&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS1160&amp;sxsrf=ANbL-n5lM8wmBIv6YN-uSyWxalPe4GeMag:1772509245280&amp;udm=7&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3vWUtYx0DZdicpfE1faGYemg2KC4yuMPyQlIvlWqq2At2yMvCZgi_bwXXU0sv2NZz1ci8vvXN7qvH5d5H0L2gzDVa8EQXPOe03G6oWgM1i7mQuRVJZMw63JPM9jizs0p2p0CKnW3p6_iMTGuk3xLMjYD_G_SYUdHsIciM1dHUgViogBHUA&amp;q=victoria+vetri+scene+in+rosemary%27s+baby&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwix87O_54KTAxWVFlkFHRShMjgQtKgLegQIGBAB&amp;biw=1536&amp;bih=719&amp;dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:4b67af60,vid:4AXjL7ae_io,st:0">https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=cb0b2358a0071c17&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS1160&amp;sxsrf=ANbL-n5lM8wmBIv6YN-uSyWxalPe4GeMag:1772509245280&amp;udm=7&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3vWUtYx0DZdicpfE1faGYemg2KC4yuMPyQlIvlWqq2At2yMvCZgi_bwXXU0sv2NZz1ci8vvXN7qvH5d5H0L2gzDVa8EQXPOe03G6oWgM1i7mQuRVJZMw63JPM9jizs0p2p0CKnW3p6_iMTGuk3xLMjYD_G_SYUdHsIciM1dHUgViogBHUA&amp;q=victoria+vetri+scene+in+rosemary%27s+baby&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwix87O_54KTAxWVFlkFHRShMjgQtKgLegQIGBAB&amp;biw=1536&amp;bih=719&amp;dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:4b67af60,vid:4AXjL7ae_io,st:0</a><br><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mia-farrow-addresses-vicious-rumors-about-past-deaths-three-children-n1262744">https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mia-farrow-addresses-vicious-rumors-about-past-deaths-three-children-n1262744</a><br><a href="https://people.com/remembering-the-tate-labianca-murders-almost-6-decades-later-8692445">https://people.com/remembering-the-tate-labianca-murders-almost-6-decades-later-8692445</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In December 2019, 33-year-old Heidi Broussard disappeared in Austin,TX along with her three-week-old daughter, Margot Carey, shortly after dropping her older child off at school. </p><p>The case was dramatized in the 2023 Lifetime television film Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard, directed by Michelle Ouellet. The movie stars Emily Osment as Fieramusca and Anna Hopkins as Heidi Broussard, and follows the events leading up to Heidi’s disappearance, the growing suspicions surrounding her friend, and the investigation that ultimately uncovered the truth. The film presents a dramatized but largely faithful retelling of the crime, emphasizing the shocking betrayal at its center and the tense search that led to the baby’s rescue.</p><p>Sources:<br><a href="https://www.aetv.com/articles/why-heidi-broussard-s-best-friend-killed-her-and-kidnapped-her-baby">https://www.aetv.com/articles/why-heidi-broussard-s-best-friend-killed-her-and-kidnapped-her-baby</a><br><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/04/us/heidi-broussard-murder-fieramusca-guilty-plea">https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/04/us/heidi-broussard-murder-fieramusca-guilty-plea</a><br>Dateline: Abducted <br>Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard <br><a href="https://www.fox7austin.com/news/magen-fieramusca-heidi-broussard-guilty-plea-murder-kidnapping-baby-austin-texas">https://www.fox7austin.com/news/magen-fieramusca-heidi-broussard-guilty-plea-murder-kidnapping-baby-austin-texas</a><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/2010/01/01/314255191/excerpt-maternal-desire">https://www.npr.org/2010/01/01/314255191/excerpt-maternal-desire</a><br><a href="https://www.johnsonfuneralhome.net/obituaries/heidi-elizabeth-broussard">https://www.johnsonfuneralhome.net/obituaries/heidi-elizabeth-broussard</a><br><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS1160&amp;oq=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCjEzMDQxajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBdVZ20LZOdcu8QXVWdtC2TnXLg&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:161bf9b6,vid:-9weGGoZe5I,st:0">https://www.google.com/search?q=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS1160&amp;oq=megan+fieramusca+sentence&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCjEzMDQxajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBdVZ20LZOdcu8QXVWdtC2TnXLg&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:161bf9b6,vid:-9weGGoZe5I,st:0</a></p></div>

<div> <p>In this episode, we dive into the glitter-soaked rise and catastrophic fall of New York City’s infamous Club Kid scene, as portrayed in the film Party Monster. But beyond the tabloid-fueled fame lies a far darker true story — the murder of Andre "Angel" Melendez.</p><p>We explore how Michael Alig, once a self-proclaimed king of nightlife, built a celebrity persona in the early ’90s underground party world alongside figures like James St. James. Fueled by fame, excess, and escalating drug use, the scene spiraled into chaos culminating in Andre "Angel" Melendez’s brutal killing in 1996.</p><p>Sources:<br>Party Monster by James St. James<br>Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig <br><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/michael-alig-dead-club-kid-party-monster-1107737/">https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/michael-alig-dead-club-kid-party-monster-1107737/</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Melendez">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Melendez</a></p></div>