Category Archives: True Crime

Sleepwalking Murders

In this episode of Strange Matters the bizarre and unusual topic of crimes involving sleepwalking murders is discussed.  Though hard to imagine, in rare instances of homicide crimes an individual is actually capable of brutal and violent murder, all the while remaining asleep.  Though many have tried and failed to use the “sleepwalking defense” through the years, for a select few cases the actions of the killer, and the science behind the condition, do show that a person is perfectly capable of murdering others while sleepwalking.

The idea that people were capable of killing in their sleep has been around for hundreds of years, but very rarely has it been successful in defending the accused.  Many have tried to claim they were in a parasomnia state at the time they committed murder, but due to the scientific and behavioral studies of the modern world it is known their actions could not have been done while sleepwalking.  However, there are a small number of cases where the most likely and agreed upon theory is that the murderer was actually asleep during the entirety of their crime.

Haitian Zombification

In this episode we discuss some of the most convincing, interesting and disturbing reports of real-life zombies. The first story is about a Haitian man named Clairvius Narcisse. At the age of 40, Narcisse died under mysterious circumstances and was buried. 18 years later and much to his sister’s horror, he reappeared and greeted her in a marketplace. Most people believe he was cursed by a witch doctor who used tetrodotoxin to make him appear dead. Once buried, the witch doctor (known as a “bokor”) revived and enslaved Narcisse on his plantation. While far-fetched, this story is likely plausible as there exists a strong cultural belief in zombies in the Haitian culture. This in conjunction with the toxins he was exposed to could possible have created a placebo effect convincing Narcisse that he was a real-life zombie.

Rudy Eugene, also known as the Miami Cannibal is known for pouncing on an innocent, homeless man and gnawing 75% of his face off. Initially thought to be under the influence of some recreational hallucinogens, Eugene was shot and died at the scene of the crime. Later toxicology reports showed only trace amounts of marijuana in his body. This has gone down as one of the most disturbing and violent scenes in Miami as many witnesses report. But if not drugs, what could have caused Eugene to commit this horrific crime?

The Keddie Cabin Murders

The Keddie Cabin Murders is a disturbing quadruple homicide that took place in Keddie, California.  This infamous unsolved crime involves the murder of several family members in a cabin in the late night of April 11, 1981.  This brutal murder case is notorious not just for its dark and gruesome nature, but also for the fact that many believe the investigation was a failure and the main suspects were allowed to be let go despite the large amount of evidence against them.

Sue Sharp and her five children had recently moved from the east coast to California following a troubled marriage.  Sue would rent a cabin in the sparsely populate Keddie area, a run down town in a county that had a rampant drug problem.  On the morning of April 12, Sheila,  the oldest daughter, returned to the family cabin.  Sheila never could have imagined that when the door opened she would find three bloody corpses laying in the main room.  Even more disturbing, her younger sister Tina was no where to be found.

The police investigation has been noted as being quite poor and incompetent, law enforcement missing physical evidence and ignoring other pieces that should have been looked at further.  The following interrogations of the primary suspects was handled in a confusingly half hearted way, the men who were thought to have been the culprits were allowed to simply leave without any follow up actions to their shady statements made about the crime.  To this day the mystery of the Keddie Murders is still unsolved, but the continued work into the case has many hopeful that someday we will finally get the full story on what happened in that cabin on that fateful night.

Villisca Axe Murders

Ross Moore approached the entrance to his brother’s house. He could tell something wasn’t right. The neighbor was used to seeing the Moore family up at an early hour, performing chores and starting their day… but not today. Ross, having a key to the house, slowly opened the door. Nothing could prepare him for what he was about to discover. He mustered up his courage and cautiously walked into the living room to discover a grizzly scene…

The Villisca Axe Murders are one of the most notorious family slayings in the United States. This small town was shaken to its core upon the discovery of the remains of an entire family of well-liked individuals. Accusations flew, crime scenes were tampered with, all chaos broke loose; but one thing was for certain: the Moore family was no more. Over the years numerous leads would be followed only to dead ends while the killer went free. Was this the work of a hitman or a cold-blooded and sadistic serial killer?

Lake Bodom

In Finland, near Helsinki, there exists a body of water over a square mile in size, known as Lake Bodom. Over 50 years ago, a small group of teenagers went out to this area to camp and enjoy a night of drinks and fun. Unfortunately the events that would occur at their campsite would fall short of anyone’s definition of fun. Sometime between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00 am, an unknown suspect, standing outside of the tent would slash and bludgeon three of the teens to death. Only one, Nils Gustafsson would survive the violent onslaught. The local police department was not only caught off guard by the gruesomeness of the crime scene, but would go on to conduct a less than thorough investigation. The unique part of this case is not just the violence but also the fact that multiple significant suspects would admit to committing the crime at different times. To this day, no one has officially been convicted of the murder of Maila Björklund, Anja Mäki and Seppo Boisman.

A Twisted Family – The Sharon Marshall Story

Sharon Marshall was a friendly, pretty, and intelligent young girl.  Those that knew her all said she had great potential with a bright future.   What  people did not know however, was that her entire life was a lie.  Sharon was not really Sharon, in fact she had no idea who she really was.  All this girl knew in her life growing up was a constant state of deceit, abuse, and terror at the hands of one man, her father Franklin Floyd.

In this episode we discuss the twisted and bizarre family situation of Frank Floyd and Sharon Marshall.  This disturbing and confusing story involves kidnappings, abuse, and even murder.  For years the mystery of who Sharon Marshall really was has intrigued many who were invested in her story and that of her family, and fortunately in the recent years enough light has been shone on this case to finally reveal her true identity.