Selects: The Great Finger in the Wendy's Chili Caper
Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant recount the 2005 Wendy's chili finger case in which Anna Ayala claimed to find a human fingertip in her bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's. They walk through the immediate fallout for Wendy's, the internal and police investigations, the exposure of the hoax, the discovery of whose finger it really was, and the legal and financial consequences for Ayala, her husband, and the restaurant chain. The hosts also briefly touch on other verified cases of fingers found in fast food and read a listener email about the Adidas-Puma feud episode.
The Alabama Murders - Part 5: Cruel and Unusual
Malcolm Gladwell examines the botched 2022 execution attempt of Kenny Smith in Alabama, situating it within the broader history and practice of lethal injection. Through interviews with Smith's mother, his longtime lawyer, a medical expert, and courtroom and press excerpts, the episode details Alabama's lethal injection protocol, previous failed executions, and the political response that extended the time window for executions. The story raises questions about what constitutes "cruel and unusual" punishment and how a method designed to appear humane can mask severe suffering and systemic failure.
The Alabama Murders - Part 4: The Protocol
Malcolm Gladwell continues the story of John Forrest Parker, focusing on Parker's decades on Alabama's death row, his relationship with prison minister Tom Perry Jr., and the events of his 2010 execution. The episode then traces the improvised origins of the lethal injection protocol and presents medical evidence from autopsies suggesting that executions by lethal injection likely cause agonizing internal injury while appearing peaceful. Gladwell frames the narrative with James Keenan's idea that sin is the failure to bother to care, contrasting Perry's steadfast care with the broader indifference to how executions actually work.
SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders
Hosts Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant recount the 1922 Hinterkaifeck axe murders in rural Bavaria, where six members of the Gruber household, including a new maid, were brutally killed on their isolated farm. They walk through the eerie lead-up of strange noises and footprints, the grisly discovery and forensic details, and the major suspects, especially neighbor Lorenz Schlittenbauer, while discussing why the case remains officially unsolved. The episode ends with lighter tangents about Steve Guttenberg and a listener mail story about a formative hunting experience.
SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?
The hosts recount the 1912 Villisca axe murders in Iowa, describing the Moore family and Stillinger girls, the killer's methodical actions inside the house, and the chaotic discovery that destroyed much of the crime scene evidence. They examine early suspects including state senator Frank F. Jones and traveling preacher George Kelly, then lay out the modern theory that the crime was likely part of a series of connected Midwestern axe murders committed by an unidentified serial killer using the railroad. The episode closes with a listener email about how their earlier hookworm episode helped a listener's cousin finally receive an accurate medical diagnosis.
SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I
Josh and Chuck recount the 1982 Chicago-area Tylenol murders, in which seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced extra-strength Tylenol capsules. They walk through the broader context of a tense year in America, the detailed timeline of each victim's death, how investigators discovered cyanide in the capsules, and the ensuing public panic and copycat tampering incidents. The episode closes with the formation of a multi-agency task force and the leading "mad poisoner" theory that the tampering occurred at or around retail stores rather than in the factory.