Episodes

  • S12, Chapter 1: The App on the Phone

    S12, Chapter 1: The App on the Phone
    Jun 29 2026
    Everyone remembers their first win. I remember mine.

    The chief of police of New Haven, Connecticut surely remembered his. And in the twelve months that followed, he wagered $4.4 million on sports betting apps from the phone in his pocket.

    This is the story of Karl Jacobson's fall, told alongside my own 10-day descent into the same apps. Come and see what Karl felt from the inside, and the devastating lesson I learned with him: the most dangerous part of gambling isn't losing. It's winning.

    The App on the Phone is the new season from Tapes from the Darkside.

    For the first time, you can download/stream this episode as a lossless WAV file, the exact uncompressed quality I master it in.

    https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

    If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 — call or text 1-800-522-4700. Free and confidential.

    Credits and Sources

    Editing help by:

    Troy Piano on Airgigs.com

    Archival audio & media
    * Karl Jacobson interview — Dateline New Haven, WNHH-LP FM (New Haven Independent community radio), 2022–2023
    * Karl Jacobson swearing-in remarks — [broadcaster/source to confirm]
    * New Haven Police Department press conference on the Jacobson charges — [broadcaster/source to confirm]
    * Duke vs. UConn, NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game call — [network to confirm: CBS/TBS/TNT]
    * Sports betting advertisement (FanDuel/DraftKings promotional spot) — [advertiser to confirm]

    Reporting & court records
    * Arrest warrant affidavit, State of Connecticut v. Karl Jacobson, Connecticut State Police, February 2026
    * New Haven Independent (Thomas Breen reporting), 2026
    * University of New Haven, "Father and Daughter Share a Passion for Criminal Justice," December 2021

    Scientific & academic sources
    * Clark, L., et al. "Gambling Near-Misses Enhance Motivation to Gamble and Recruit Win-Related Brain Circuitry." Neuron, 2009.
    * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, 2013 — reclassification of gambling disorder.
    * Nathan Novemsky, Yale School of Management — commentary on Connecticut sports-betting legalization.
    * Research on DRD2 Taq1A allele and addiction heritability; twin-study heritability estimates for gambling disorder.
    * U.S. sports betting market figures (American Gaming Association data, 2017–2024).

    Music
    * Matooma — "Infinite Emptiness"; CTRL S — "SpaceTimeThought"; Shahead Mostafafar — "Into the Next Dimension"; Jamie Bathgate — "Atmo"
    * AUGUSTA TREVERORUM — from the album 1991. agsttrvrrm.bandcamp.com
    * 20SIX Hundred — "Cimmerian Shade / Last Moments," from the album The Cold Rise From Sleep (2015). Used with permission / licensed. 20sixhundred.bandcamp.com

    Special thank you to:
    Uncle Chris for his post credit contribution.
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • S11, Chapter 6: Finale

    S11, Chapter 6: Finale
    Apr 19 2026
    This is the final episode in the Toolbox Killers series. Thanks for your patience.

    A new series is coming soon.

    patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

    —

    For those curious, explanation of where I've been:
    https://www.patreon.com/posts/155116830
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • S11, Chapter 5: Killing Binge

    S11, Chapter 5: Killing Binge
    Dec 30 2025
    "We've all heard women scream in horror films ... still, we know that no-one is really screaming. Why? Simply because an actress can't produce some sounds that convince us that something vile and heinous is happening. If you ever heard that tape, there is just no possible way that you'd not begin crying and trembling. I doubt you could listen to more than a full sixty seconds of it."

    Roy Norris, describing his recollections of the audio tape the pair had created of Shirley Ledford's rape and torture.

    —

    Support the show:

    patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

    —

    Audio Sources:

    The Toolbox Killer (2021)
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15575214/

    —

    Music Credit:

    20six Hundred
    https://20sixhundred.bandcamp.com/

    Augusta Treverorum
    https://linktr.ee/trvrrm

    —

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    —

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    25 mins
  • S11, Chapter 4: Lucinda Lynn Schaefer

    S11, Chapter 4: Lucinda Lynn Schaefer
    Nov 12 2025
    It was the summer of 1979. The last vestiges of the 1970s were set to expire and welcome in the rip and roar era of the 80s. This chapter takes place in Torrance, California, a coastal town where the air smells faintly of salt and sun-baked asphalt. The streets glow soft orange beneath the high pressure sodium streetlights.

    Sixteen-year-old Lucinda Lynn Schaefer walks those streets often, the kind of girl who never seems out of place anywhere. Her friends call her Cindy. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes, always with a book tucked under her arm or a quick smile ready to disarm a stranger.

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    Sources:
    https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/


    Music Credit:
    • Augusta Treverorum - https://linktr.ee/trvrrm
    • 20Six Hundred - https://20sixhundred.bandcamp.com/
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • S11, Chapter 3: Murder Mac

    S11, Chapter 3: Murder Mac
    Oct 10 2025
    No credits this week because I didn't want to delay this episode any longer.
    For their plan to work, Larry Bittaker knew they couldn’t rely on just any car. They needed something bigger… something that could trap a victim inside. In February of 1979, with money from Norris, he bought it—a silver-gray 1977 GMC Vandura.

    The van was windowless on one side, with a sliding door large enough to swallow someone whole. Bittaker later admitted that when he first saw that door, he knew. They could pull up close to a girl, slide it open, and drag her inside without anyone noticing.

    The pair gave the vehicle a name. To them, it wasn’t just a van. It was their “Murder Mac.”

    —

    Patreon:
    https://www.patreon.com/c/tapesfromthedarkside

    —

    Sources:

    Partners in True Crime
    https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/

    Music:

    Augusta Treverorum
    https://linktr.ee/trvrrm
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • S11, Chapter 2: California Men's Colony

    S11, Chapter 2: California Men's Colony
    Sep 11 2025
    Two men are locked inside the California Men’s Colony — a medium-security state prison tucked away in the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo.

    It wasn’t a fortress like San Quentin.

    It didn’t house the state’s most violent criminals.

    And its reputation was far from what you’d expect of a place that would soon become a breeding ground for one of the most sadistic criminal partnerships in modern history.

    Support the show!
    http://patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

    —

    Sources:
    https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/

    Music Credit:
    Augusta Treverorum
    https://linktr.ee/trvrrm

    BABY-DOLL-BEATZ
    https://www.youtube.com/@baby-doll-beatz
    https://www.youtube.com/@lovechapo
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • S11, Chapter 1: Genesis of Evil

    S11, Chapter 1: Genesis of Evil
    Aug 8 2025
    Two men. Five girls. One summer of calculated, incomprehensible cruelty.

    This is the story of The Toobox Killers. (If you think you already know this story you might be surprised.)

    —

    Support the show
    patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

    —

    Get 60% off the Magic Mind offer with our link and code https://magicmind.com/tapesmf & TAPES60 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance


    Sources:
    https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/

    Music Credit:

    Augusta Treverorum
    https://linktr.ee/trvrrm

    BABY-DOLL-BEATZ
    https://www.youtube.com/@baby-doll-beatz
    https://www.youtube.com/@lovechapo
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Joel the Ripper

    Joel the Ripper
    Jul 9 2025
    In the suburbs of Long Island, behind the quiet streets and manicured lawns, something dark was festering. Joel Rifkin, a man with a soft voice, thinning hair, and a passion for gardening, harbored a secret—one that would horrify the nation.

    Support us on Patreon. New sliding scale memberships now available from $3-7.
    https://www.patreon.com/tapesfromthedarkside

    New merch store.
    www.tapesfromthedarkside.com/merch

    Works cited:
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15966204/
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins