Extra! Extra! We got together to record a short-shot follow-up about our experience talking to podcaster and author Mike Morford last week, and it ended up being a bit longer than we anticipated so here’s a rare full-length bonus episode from The Mugly Truth Podcast for your listening pleasure! Check out the links and clarifications below for more details about what we discuss:
The 77 year old man back in jail after being released from prison because he was deemed “too old” to be a threat is named Albert Flick. He was originally served 25 years for fatally stabbing his wife 14 times in front of their daughter in 1979. After he was released he went back to jail for assaulting a woman in 2010 but released in 2014 because the judge felt a longer sentence was unnecessary due to his age. Flick then became infatuated with Kimberly Dobbie and stabbed her 11 times in front of her twins in 2018. Click here for more details,
Kris discusses the timeline of Joseph DeAngelo, known as the Golden State Killer, citing his last believed murder as the same year of the birth of one of his daughters. DeAngelo does have three daughters. His first daughter was born in September 1981, his second daughter was born in November 1986 (a few months after Janelle Cruz was murdered in Irvine, CA), and his third daughter was born in May 1989. Click here for more details.
Dennis Rader, the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) serial murderer, was convicted of 10 murders. His last known victim, Dolores E. Davis, was killed on January 19, 1991. In 2004 Rader resumed communicating with police which ultimately led to his arrest in 2005. While there is no definitive answer as to why serial killers like Rader may stop murdering, this article looks into why Rader may have gone on hiatus, and how his narcissistic/pathological tendencies led to his capture.
The award-winning 2018 documentary Kris mentions, “Three Identical Strangers”, (directed by Tim Wardlewhich) examines the lives of three identical brothers: Edward Galland, David Kellman and Robert Shafran, born to an unwed teenage mother in 1961, and adopted out from an agency at 6 months old. None of the adoptive families knew about the siblings, and the boys knew nothing of each other until a coincidence (or was it?) brought them together in college at the age of 19. The boys were actually a set of quadruplets, but the fourth brother died at birth. For more information about the documentary, please click here. The documentary is currently available on Hulu.
Check out our “Bonus Episode: Mike Morford Interview Recap” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
We are so excited to share our conversation with none other than “True Crime Guy” Mike Morford. If you listen to true crime podcasts, or are interested in the Zodiac Killer and/or Golden State Killer cases, it’s likely you’ve heard his name and voice. Mike, known as “Morf” to friends and listeners, is co-host of Criminology podcast, one-third of the hosting team at 3Men and a Mystery podcast, and hosts The Murder in My Family podcast. He is webmaster at www.zodiackillersite.com, worked on the television series The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer (2017) and The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over (2018), and consults for television shows. Oh, yeah, he has also authored a couple books with Criminology co-host Mike Ferguson, AND has been a speaker at a little annual gathering called CrimeCon.
Whew.
Don’t know about you, but WE are impressed.
We reached out to Morf a few months ago…don’t even remember what the initial reason was, but all of a sudden the words, “hey would you be willing to do an interview” suddenly appeared in our outgoing Twitter message. When the “yes” came back, we picked our jaws up off the floor and said, “cool, let’s touch base and get a date set.”
Still stunned, we set that date and Kris lost a LOT of sleep about the interview because, you know, we’re a small set up, we have never interviewed anyone via Skype, this is MIKE MORFORD. We are FANS of MIKE MORFORD. We listen to ALL of MIKE MORFORD’S podcasts. This interview HAD TO WORK. OMGsquared.
Other than a wee bit of an issue with sound (which Morf came in and saved the day…THANK YOU AGAIN!) there was nothing to worry about. Morf is truly an awesome guy. For all his success – and very busy schedule – we found him to be gracious, fun, funny, and who knew he loves coffee that much. The moment we started talking to him the nervous jitters (not coffee related) disappeared and we settled in for a nice conversation about a subject we’re all totally obsessed with.
Morf shares how he started on this journey into true crime (it all started with Unsolved Mysteries and a high school report on the Zodiac Killer) and what is was like to leave a career he’d had for 20 years to devote himself to follow his passion: researching and reporting about unsolved cases in the hopes of getting them solved. In 2017 he and Mike Ferguson teamed up to create the wildly popular podcast Criminology based on their shared fascination with the Zodiac Killer. Season two focused on the Golden State Killer (not season one, Kris. TSK), and Ted Bundy was the subject of their third season. They have since changed up the show’s format to extended weekly episodes, each focusing on a single case.
In 2018, Morf started his own show, The Murder in My Family, in which he interviews friends and family of victims, many of whom have cases that are still unsolved. Morf gives voice to people who have been struggling – some for decades – to get justice for their murdered loved ones. Morf’s compassion and respect for his guests creates an environment where these men and women can share their stories with hope that someone listening can provide a clue that breaks the case.
Recently, Morf teamed up with John Lordan and Gray Hughes for 3 Men and a Mystery. This show harkens back to the single case per season format, and each host has their own area of expertise that they bring to the table every episode. The first season, Road To Justice, dives deep into the 1999 murders of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.
We talk about how important DNA has become in solving rape and murder cases – especially ones that have been cold for decades and how vital resources like GEDmatch are in tracking these killers and rapists down. GEDmatch is the DNA site which allows law enforcement to use data uploaded by registered, consenting users to help solve crimes through familial matches. Other heritage sites, such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe are private and do not allow the government to access data to find criminals. Understandably, privacy rights are a hot issue, but Morf helps explain how GEDmatch works, how important it is to opt back in if you already registered on the site, and what to do if you want to upload your DNA results to their database.
We also delve into the life of podcasting in general. The best advice from all of us? Don’t quit your day job. At least not right away. Start off with a subject you’re passionate about, have fun, work hard and hope for a bit of luck. Morf also talked a bit about CrimeCon 2019 and how amazing the people in the true crime community are. We agree. Based on our interaction with podcasters and fans of true crime podcasts, there is a top-level sense of humanity and compassion these people have for each other and the victims of violent crime. You need help with almost anything? Ask a true crime fan. You commit a crime or are generally a huge jerk? You’re toast in the TC community. Pretty sure the key word here is JUSTICE. True crime fans definitely exude a driving need for things to be made right. Or, as right as can possibly get when talking about death and violence.
It was truly a pleasure to talk to Morf about his podcasting true crime life and we can’t imagine him doing anything other than what he does. He has had the opportunity to talk with and interview all kinds of people in high profile cases, and has been involved in reporting on cases that have been solved recently (GSK for one). Of course, The Big One would be to finally identify the Zodiac Killer, but since there are over 200,000 unsolved murders in the United States alone, Morf will be busy doing what he does best: bringing as many stories to listeners in the hopes of solving the unsolved.
How Access to DNA Caught a Monster: An Abridged Version The biggest case broken wide open using DNA was the 2018 arrest of Joseph DeAngelo, known as the Golden State Killer. Criminology season two was in full swing when the announcement of DeAngelo’s arrest came and Morf was the one who broke the news on Twitter. DeAngelo began his crime spree in the Sacramento area back in the 70’s. He is associated with over 100 burglaries, 50 rapes, and 13 brutal murders. At one time he was known as the East Area Rapist in Northern California and the Original Night Stalker in Southern California but that nickname became confusing with Nightstalker Richard Ramirez on the loose, so that moniker was shortened to EAR/ONS.
DeAngelo’s DNA was left at crime scenes but because he was active all through California, that evidence wasn’t linked until Contra Costa cold case investigator Paul Holes started talking to key people to compare DNA results in similar cases from agencies throughout California. It was author Michelle McNamara who came up with the name “Golden State Killer” in her writings for the Los Angeles Times and crime blog, truecimediary.com. When McNamara teamed up with Holes in researching her book about the Golden State Killer (I’ll Be Gone in The Dark), missing pieces started to fall into place. Sadly, McNamara died before her book was completed, but in eerie foreshadowing, she had written that she believed the answers to the identity of this brutal rapist and murderer were hidden behind the privacy walls of DNA websites. Holes eventually connected with a genealogy specialist who – using GEDmatch – was able to compare familial DNA with crime scene DNA evidence. Joseph DeAngelo – ironically, an ex police officer from Auburn, CA – came up on the shortlist in a long process of working back through the family tree of matches. After a fairly lengthy stakeout, a current DNA sample from DeAngelo was obtained and with it the identity of the EAR/ONS Golden State Killer was finally established. A name and face surfaced 32 years after 18 year old Janelle Cruz – DeAngelo’s last known victim – was killed in her home near Culver Dr. and Irvine Blvd. in Irvine, California*. Without GEDmatch and access to DNA data, DeAngelo would still be cooking pot-roast, yelling at neighbors and being a general angry asshole. His rape victims (the youngest was Margaret Wardlow, age 13 in 1977) and families of his murder victims would still have no answers. Law enforcement’s access to DNA – again, data that was voluntarily uploaded with the full knowledge it was NOT private – helped put a face and a name to a shadowy, deadly, evil, old monster.
*The location and age of Janelle Cruz is personally important to us. Not because we knew her, but because we – in a frighteningly poignant way – COULD have known her. She was our age and lived only 15 minutes from us. While we were preparing for the end of a school year (and Kris’ graduation), Janelle’s dreams and future were brutally destroyed when she was murdered in her bedroom. If you sit in the patio at the local Starbucks on the corner of Culver and Irvine, you can look across the street at the playground/park that DeAngelo is thought to have walked through to access Janelle’s neighborhood.
Please check out these links for more information:
Check out our “Mike Morford” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
In case you didn’t hear us in our last episode: IT’S SUMMER TIME! This time of year hits and most people think of pool parties, barbecues, camping trips, and goin’ to the local fair. (TBH, we also think about air conditioning and how soon Halloween will be here.) And when you think of fairs, you think of… Rides? Weird people beckoning you to throw balls at things? Petting baby goats? The world’s biggest horse? Blue ribbons for best in show livestock, crafts, pies, and art? Yes, yes! Yes to all that amazing stuff. But one of the biggest draws to boogie on down to carnival-town for is the fantastic, fabulous, fried FAIR FOOD! (They have healthy options as well, but, CHYAA, AS IF! #eyeroll).
In case you were wondering.
If you are particularly interested in the marvel that is carnival food, and you have saved up a wad of cash and have prepared by fasting for two days, one of the most fun (we refuse to say funner…ew) things to do is eat your way through the fair. We would advise a well thought out plan for your day of stuff-n-play. Let us help with this: In a nutshell, do not eat your way around the fair and THEN go on rides. No one wants to deal with that. No. One. Ever. Don’t do it. Ride first, eat after. Morning = rides, afternoon into the night = fry coma. Stay hydrated. Take your acid relief medicine with you. Pro tip: SHARE. Do not try to go into that platter of Fries/Tots Brick topped with Jalapenos, Bacon and Cheese Dip solo. Split that foot-long dog drenched in four kinds of weirdness with a buddy or six. Share, people. There you go. Plan complete.
Get your Zyrtec® ready. Photo by Jer Chung on Pexels.com
Our local fair – The Orange County Fair (12 July – 11 August 2019) – has been around a lonnnnnng time (129 years to be exact) so their list of foodie-goodness is equally long. With the help of foodbeast.com we go through 125 OC Fair Foods you may or may not have heard of. Cotton candy? Check. Fried Pickles? Check check. Kettle Corn? Check Check CHECK! Fried Slimfast Bar? Where’s our pen…we can’t…there’s…no check-marking implement here. *looking…for…pen* Nope. No checkmark for Fried Slimfast Bar. Nope.
We also go through foodnetwork.com’s not-in-chronological/alphabetical-order list of many (sorry, Kris may have missed a couple) of the state fairs in the US with the food they’re most famous for. We throw in dates and locations from travelawaits.com for your convenience. There are some states we’re on board with (Hello Ohio, Vermont, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Utah, and Tennessee…winkwink) and some we will be avoiding. Sorry Nevada, you just keep your Basque Fries to yo’self.
Basically, if you’re hungry, this episode is gonna make you want to drive to your nearest fairgrounds and dig right it. If you don’t have time for that (or the extra cash…because we don’t know about YOUR fair, but OUR fair is not cheap) we’ve got this handy-dandy link to foodiecrush.com with 25 fair food recipes you can replicate right in the air-conditioned, Netflix-blaring comfort of your own home.
But before we cut you loose to check out this fair foodgasmic episode, here are some links to people and restaurants we mention:
Go check out listener Jill’s and her daughter Ruby’s prize winning table decorations at this year’s OC Fair!! Check out Jill’s Instagram page with photos from their Blue- and Red-ribbon tables.
To see two people eat a Depression Era-style sandwich mentioned in our episode – pickles and peanut butter – watch this YouTube video with Ali Spagnola and Shira Lazar. Let’s just say Kris might give it a go after seeing these two naysayers finish their sammich with nums and yums and much disbelief at the goodness.
Wikipedia does a much better job than Kris in describing the lovely Basque region and peoples.
For chicken and waffles in Old Towne Orange, CA, (and other various locations in California, Las Vegas, NV, and SEOUL, KOREA) go to Bruxies. Be prepared to stand in line awhile with a bunch of 20-something hipsters nice Chapman College students.
For the best lobster roll on the west coast (according to Kym…well, she didn’t say THAT exactly…anyway, keep reading…), try Provisions Deli & Bottle Shop in Old Towne Orange, CA. It’s a bit pricey at $16 but…hey…it’s LOBSTER.
If you’re in the mood for an amazing dessert after gnoshing on a lobster roll or chicken & waffle (or both if you’re trying to beat Sonya Thomas), pop into The Aussie Bean – get your coffee while you’re there – and plant your lips around a scrumptious ice-cream cookie sandwich from Chunk-N-Chip.
If you’re going to the OC Fair, take Kym’s advice and get your Ten Pound Buns while you’re there because according to their Facebook page, they’re only available “at the fair.”
And if you’re a fan of the T.V. show The OC, please check out a great podcast called “Let’s Talk OC” where three friends – obsessed fan Michelle, Liss who has seen the show once, and Ingrid the newbie – get together to discuss each episode of The OC. If you loved that show and miss it, this is the podcast for you! Follow along as you stream on Hulu.
CORRECTION We erroneously cited the devastating news that multiple children died from Salmonella after visiting a petting zoo or other animal area at the San Diego County Fair in June. Sadly, one 2 year-old child did die after being infected with the E.coli bacteria after visiting the petting zoo. Four other children were infected after visiting the same animal areas, but thankfully are recovering. All five children visited animal areas between June 10 and June 22. Our sympathies and condolences go out to the family of the child who passed. Please read this full article which lists symptoms of E.coli and ways to prevent becoming infected.
Check out “Who’s the Fairest Food of All?” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
We don’t know about you, but after a very, ah, earth-shattering Fourth of July, we’re ready to get away to the peacefulness of a nice, secluded camp site, yeah? Today we share some of our very favorite camping stories to help ring in camping season; and you know a couple of Kym’s are doozies, since Captain Looseass and Grandma are involved. Kris has some internet lists of very interesting gadgets, the best places to camp in the world, and tips & hacks for when you do get a chance to get away from it all – whether you’re in a tent, van, or motorhome.
But first we detour (OF COURSE!) right out the chute talking about our Fourth of July celebrations (or none at all, unless you consider Kris’ staying inside and binge-watching Stranger Things Season 3 a celebration – which she does). We recount going through California shaking somethin’ fierce with two of the biggest quakes we’ve had in 20 years. We also cover other binge-able shows that aren’t Stranger Things, namely any Jo Koy comedy special, A Million Little Things and Better Things.
Ahem. Apparently we prefer shows with “Things” in them.And if you’re familiar with Jo Koy’s comedy, you know he’s included in that statement.
We do eventually get down to the business of discussing camping. We both love getting away from the craziness of living in a city, hitting the road to end up in a space and time where all that tension and traffic and work and congestion and noise is left behind. There’s nothing quite like unloading all the equipment and setting up camp – getting everything just right. And once that’s done, that feeling of sitting down in your favorite folding camp chair, poking the fire with a long stick, and watching the stars pop as the sun goes down and the darkness of the night sky opens above you…well we figure all that and the smell of coffee percolating or a pot full of rustic soup over a campfire is just this side of Heaven.
Get the food in that pot and let’s eat.
Anyone else get giddy just thinking about the latest piece of equipment you can add to your gear? Kris is already planning her birthday camping trip for 2020 and it can’t come soon enough! There’s folding camp tables, roof racks, and gear boxes to be bought. Maybe it’s a good thing there’s a whole year to prepare for the trip.
The girls’ camp site in the Redwoods in Northern California. Photo courtesy Kris Core.
We quickly found out we have experienced camping in very different ways, though we both love camping just the same. Kym grew up camping with her Grandparents who were members of Thousand Trails where “full hookups, a pool, and lovely pancake breakfasts” were part of almost every trip. And if Thousand Trails wasn’t open, there was always the good old KOA campgrounds. Kris grew up hiking at a young age, but never camped until she joined the Girl Scouts. It wasn’t until later when she discovered her passion for tents, lanterns, campfires, and finding the “perfect” spot in California state parks (oh…the bags of quarters for those lovely SP showers!) – most memorably on the Central Coast (Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Hearst San Simeon State Park), and up in the Redwoods.
Kris’ campsite along the central coast near Cambria, CA. Photo courtesy Kristen Core.
For the list of gadgets we talk about – including the Kimbo Crotchless shorts (yes, you read that correctly) and the portable Espresso maker – please click here.
For the list of camping hacks that are borderline genius – including using Tic Tac containers for spices, and Doritos to start fires – click here and here.
For the list of the best places to camp around the world (and we know, it’s entirely subjective), or at least to see the gorgeous pictures we were oohing and aahing over, click here.
And even though we didn’t get to talking directly about the unwritten, universal camping rules, (we did talk about them in general) we’re going to post them here anyway, because it’s always good to remind ourselves how important it is to be good humans and better campers.
Below are Kris’ best buys from her 2016 camping trip. The Coleman lantern stand, the Mini-Factory multi-use hanger, and the Etekcity Portable LED lantern. 10/10 recommended!
Coleman lantern stand. Available on Amazon and other camp gear websites.
Etekcity Portable LED Lantern. SO bright, SO handy! Available on Amazon and other camp gear websites.
Mini-Factory multi-use hangers for lanterns, pots, etc. Available on Amazon and other camp gear websites.
If you have any favorite stories, camping tricks, hacks, or want to divulge your own best campground in the world, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at sipsters@themuglytruth.com, or comment down below!
Proof that Kris doesn’t always behave like a true “murderino.” Photo courtesy Kristen Core.
Oh…here’s a bonus photo: Remember Kris’ story in a couple episodes (probably where we talked about true crime…good luck finding it!) where she talked about going camping with a guy she knew for only two weeks and let him take her to a campsite above Gorman, CA one November, absolutely isolated, nobody else around, and let him lead her to the edge of a cliff? No? Ok, well, anyway, here’s the photo of her feet and the drop and we would advise you to not ever do that. Ever. (He turned out perfectly fine and nice, but you never know).
Check out the “Happy Campers!” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Happy Anniversary to The Mugly Truth Podcast! Or is it Happy Birthday? Either way….WHERE’S THE PRESENTS? Aw that’s ok…the greatest gift we could ever get is knowing we may have brought a smile, smirk, giggle, chortle, belly laugh or a thoughtful HUHHH? throughout our ONE YEAR OF PODCASTING! On July 3rd, 2018, we posted our first recording link right here in this blog. Today’s Anniversary Eve episode has no bells and whistles, no “best of” clips…it’s really just more of what we do…we got together and talked down memory lane (see what we did there?) in a retrospective covering our favorite moments, stories, and episodes!
Some of those include:
The very first time we recorded a podcast with our dear friend Paul Wilborn of the Having Beers With Podcast
Our Old Town Orange photoshoot with Kimberly Sickle, photographer extraordinaire!
Our offsite recordings where we battle the elements…like helicopters, howling dogs, leafblowers and ghosts at Kym’s house, up in Big Bear, and on a ghost walk in Orange.
Sitting side-by-side using one mic to record our first few episodes. Cozy!
That annoying, gimmicky cuss jar! We kind of miss it.
Our followers being coined Muglies. Love it or hate it, you’re a Mugly if you listen to us. Cheers mate!
Kym’s amazing drop-the-mic stories including quite a few starring Kym’s granddad, aka Captain Looseass. Don’t fret, there’s a couple new ones in this episode.
Thank you for sitting at our table, having conversations over coffee. Photo by Viktoria Alipatova on Pexels.com
It’s kind of difficult to pinpoint a few favorites…believe us, we tried. But when we start listing them, it’s almost impossible to narrow it down because there’s something we truly enjoyed from each and every show! Honestly, it’s been such a kick for us to get together, ramble, record it, and then put it out into the world and THEN get feedback from YOU saying you enjoy listening! How amazing is that? We feel so blessed and grateful to have an audience to laugh with, talk to and entertain. We certainly intend to continue to do so, and enjoy growing along with you. Thank you for being a part of the Mugly Truth family.
THANK YOU for listening. YOU are the BEST. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Check out “Happy Anniversary To Us!” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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