When twenty-seven-year-old James Bullock was shot and killed in St. Louis in the winter of 1958, investigators immediately focused their attention on Bullock’s wife, Edna, who was the beneficiary of her husband’s large life insurance policy. Witnesses recalled seeing the victim being chased by a man with a gun on the night of the murder, and detectives suspected Edna had arranged for her husband to be killed so she could collect the insurance money. They didn’t know it at the time, but St. Louis investigators were investigating what was to be the first victim in a decades-long career of a most unlikely hitman and serial killer.

Although they had their suspicions that Edna Bullock had enlisted the help of her ex-husband, Glen Engleman, in the murder of her new husband, it would take many more years before those suspicions were confirmed. And by that time, Engleman, a successful suburban dentist had taken the lives of several more people, all to satisfy his own interest in calculated and carefully planned assassinations.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

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Bakos, Susan. 1988. Appointment for Murder. New York, NY: Putnam.

Bryan, Bill. 1987. "Case closed." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, october 18: 77.

Ellis, James. 1976. "Killing of Kirkwood man may have been accident." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 7: 5.

Ganey, Terry. 1999. "Convicted killer Glennon Engleman dies at 71 in prison." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 4: 11.

Kansas City Star. 1958. "Shot, run over near museum." Kansas City Star, December 18: 1.

Mathes, Bob. 1979. "Clues sought in Madison County killing." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 6: 3.

McReynolds, Becky. 1980. "Many questions in new bomb killing." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 15: 1.

Reynolds, Becky, and Geof Dubson. 1980. "Dentist charged in 1976 killing." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 25: 1.

St. Clair Chronicle. 1976. "Shot to death in woods near Pacific." St. Clair Chronicle, September 8: 1.

St. Louis Post-Dipatch. 1958. "Mrs. Bullock's first husband won't talk at killing inquest." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 19: 1.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1980. "Car bomb linked to earlier one at victim's home." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 16: 3.

—. 1958. "Dentist and his friends questioned further in James Bullock killing." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 21: 1.

—. 1977. "Motive unclear in farm couple's killing." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 6: 18A.

—. 1958. "Police question wife of man shot to death in Forest Park." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 18: 1.

Wehling, Robert, and Robert Kelly. 1977. "Double killing stuns neighbors." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 5: 3.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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In April 1834, a massive fire broke out at the mansion of Delphine LaLaurie on Royal Street in New Orleans French Quarter. LaLaurie was known to have kept several slaves as servants in the home, but when bystanders attempted to enter the house to rescue those trapped inside, they found the doors barred. After forcing the doors open and making their way inside the house, the rescuers were horrified to find the “horribly mutilated” bodies of at least seven of LaLaurie’s slaves. Delphine LaLaurie was known to treat her servants very badly, including physically abusing them, but no one in New Orleans had imagined she was a sadistic murderer.

After the discovery of the horrors in the LaLaurie mansion, Delphine LaLaurie fled New Orleans, fearing mob violence, and lived the rest of her life as an exile in Paris—but that is not the end of the story. Just a few decades after LaLaurie abandoned her home and fled the country, her story and those of the men, women, and children who suffered in her home worked their way into New Orleans folklore. Today, nearly two hundred years later, the LaLaurie mansion has become known as the most haunted house in New Orleans, and the legend of Delphine LaLaurie has lived on through television, film, and books about Mad Madame LaLaurie.

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Crawford, Iain. 2020. "Harriet Matineau, White Women, and Slavery in the bAntebellum South." Nineteenth-Century Prose 89-116.

Long, Carolyn Morrow. 2015. Madame Lalaurie, Mistress of the Haunted House. Gainsville, FL: University Press of Florida.

Martineau, Harriet. 1838. Retrospect of Western Travel, volume 2. London, UK: Saunders and Otley.

Masia, Ines Vila. 1947. "New Orleans puts its ghosts to work." The Times (Shreveport, LA), July 20: 21.

New Orleans Bee. 1834. "Baton Rouge news." Baton-Rouge Gazette, April 19: 2.

Pitts, Stella. 1974. "New paint, old stories stir interest in 'haunted house'." Times-Picayune, August 11: 68.

Schneider, Frank. 1969. "Sale typidies French Quarter values." Times-Picayune, February 9: 47.

Wolfe, Poet. 2024. "LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans has a sinister history dating back to the 1830s." Times Picayune, July 11.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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Chicago in the 1920s is often remembered for the rise of organized crime and it’s larger than life leaders like Al Capone and Johnny Torrio. While these men and their organizations surely shaped the city’s identity, their infamy and influence were, at least for a short time, rivaled by a group of young women whose murderous acts would dominate headlines in papers around the country throughout the decade.

While Beulah Annan and Belva Gardner—the real-life inspiration for the musical Chicago—were arguably the most well known of the female murders from this era, their famous murders were preceded by the equally sensationalized murder spree of Tillie Klimek. Between 1914 and 1921, Klimek was believed to have killed as many as seven people including four husbands. While her crimes would ultimately land her in the Illinois State Penitentiary for the rest of her life, her exploits and criminal trial were sensational and occupied the front pages of city newspapers for years.

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Chicago Tribune. 1922. "Death called mere routine in posion home." Chicago Tribune, November 15: 1.

—. 1922. "Find arsenic, arrest wife and stepson." Chicago Tribune, October 27: 1.

—. 1922. "Klimek poison list is twenty; arrest 1 more." Chicago Tribune, November 19: 1.

—. 1922. "Koulik friend sought in new poison charge." Chicago Tribune, November 26: 5.

—. 1922. "Mystery deaths in poison case may reach 20." Chicago Tribune, November 14: 3.

—. 1923. "Tillie Klimek is strong witness in own defense." Chicago Tribune, March 13: 7.

Danville Commercial News. 1923. "The woman, not the jury, was on trial." Chicago Tribune, March 30: 8.

Forbes, Genevieve. 1923. "Grave digger tells of goings on at Klimks'." Chicago Tribune, March 10: 3.

—. 1923. "How Mrs. Klimek jested of death of husband told." Chicago Tribune, March 9: 7.

—. 1923. "Life in prison for woman as arch poisoner." Chicago Tribune, March 14: 1.

—. 1923. "'Ma' Koulik, wise in jail learning, goes back home." Chicago Tribune, November 9: 4.

—. 1923. "Poison evidence robs Mrs. Klimek of indifference." Chicago Tribune, March 11: 7.

International News Service. 1922. "May exhume bodies of four former husbands." Waukegan News-Sun, October 27: 12.

Lynch, Charles. 1923. "Ask hanging for 2 women charged with murder orgy." Belvidere Daily Republican, March 6: 1.

Telfer, Tori. 2017. Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

United Press. 1922. "Chicago police suspect second 'Mrs. BLuebeard'." Freeport Journal-Standard, November 4: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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On October 14, 1987, Reba McClure and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Jessica, stopped by the Midland, Texas home of her sister for a visit. As Reba sat in the backyard watching Jessica play with some neighborhood children, she heard the phone ring and went inside to answer it. When McClure returned to the backyard a few minutes later, she saw the other children staring at the ground on the far-side of the yard, but Jessica was nowhere to be seen.

To Reba McClure’s absolute horror, while she was inside on the phone, Jessica had fallen twenty-feet down into the well on her sister’s property and become lodged in a section only fourteen-inches wide. Rescue teams arrived at the house not long after Jessica fell into the well, but the situation proved far more complicated than anyone had expected; they needed to dig a parallel shaft to rescue the girl, but any amount of significant vibration in the earth could have collapsed the well entirely.

In the early days of cable news twenty-four-hour news coverage, the rescue of Jessica McClure became one of the most watched events in the United States. However, while the rescue of the girl was everyone’s primary concern, the wall-to-wall coverage itself quickly became a major part of the story, as ordinary smalltown Americans were shoved into the spotlight and questions over rights to the story (and rights to privacy) took center stage.

Belkin, Lisa. 1988. "Baby Jessica's rescuers fighting over TV rights." New York Times, March 24.

Bone, Mark, and Gregory Rosati. 2021. How 58 hours in Midland, Texas, changed the future of TV news. July 30. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/30/opinions/baby-jessica-cnn-films-shorts-mark-bone-opinion.

Comiter, Jordana, and Carolina Blair. 2025. Where Is ‘Baby Jessica’ Now? Inside Her Life 38 Years After Her Harrowing Rescue from a Texas Well. October 16. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://people.com/all-about-baby-jessica-life-now-11830322.

Crimmins, Patrick. 1987. "Toddler's rescue 'matter of time'." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 16: 1.

Hillrichs, Julie. 1987. "Naps, choruses of nursery song help toddler endure her ordeal." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 16: 1.

Kennedy, J. Michael. 1987. "Jessica makes it to safety-after 58 1/2 hours." Los Angeles Times, October 17: 1.

Lunsford, Lance. 2024. Inside the Well: The Midland, Texas Rescue of Baby Jessica. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press.

Madigan, Tim. 1987. "Rescue just agonizing inches from sobbing girl in Midland well." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 15: 1.

—. 1987. "Town shares emotion of toddler's relatives." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 16: 1.

Nye, Ramona. 1987. "Jessica free, under doctors' care." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 17: 1.

Pitts, John Paul. 1987. "Concerned people give of themselves for Jessica." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 17: 1.

Thomas, Evan, and Peter Annin. 1997. "'Baby Jessica' grows up." Newsweek, October 27: 34.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When Carolyn and Roger Perron moved into a small farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island, they thought they’d found the perfect house in which to raise their five daughters and enjoy the rest of their lives. Before long, the Perron’s dream home turned into a nightmare. It started small—disembodied voices, unpleasant odors—but soon the unpleasant and obnoxious experiences developed into an all-out attack of ghostly apparitions, assaults from unseen hands, and the presence of something far worse than the spirits of the undead.

At first, the Perron family ignored or dismissed the various incidents that disturbed them, but after several years in the house, the experiences had become too numerous and too severe to dismiss. Faced with the unimaginable scenario of losing their house to forces beyond their comprehension, the Perron’s decided to fight back.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

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Langston, Keith. 2024. The True Story Behind The Conjuring: Where Is the Perron Family Now? October 20. Accessed March 26, 2026. https://people.com/the-conjuring-true-story-8645388.

Nickell, Joe. 2016. "Dispelling Demons: Detective Work at The Conjuring House." Skepticakl Inquirer 20-24.

Nickell, Joe. 2014. "The Conjuring: Ghosts? Poltergeist? Demons?" Skeptical Inquirer 22-25.

Perron, Andrea. 2013. House of Darkness, House of Light, vol. 2. Providence, RI: AuthorHouse.

—. 2011. House of Darkness: House of Light, vol. 1. Providence, RI: AuthorHouse.

Rhode Island Governor's Justice Commission. 1995.

Highlights and Analysis from 25 Years Collecting Serious Crime Data.

Data analysis, Providence, RI: Rhode Island Statistical Analysis Center.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are THRILLED to invite to you join our Morbid Book Club in this bonus episode that is #sponsored by our friends at @ashleyofficial. This quarter, we are serving up forensic chills with a side of culinary chaos as we dive into Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell! And the best part? We’re joined our new best friend Chef Reilly Meehan who helps us break it all down! #Morbidbookclub #ashleypartner

We’re unpacking the very first Dr. Kay Scarpetta novel that basically launched a thousand forensic obsessions, chatting about ALL of the gritty details, and some of the wild theories we came up with while reading! (I’m looking at you Lucy!) Chef Reilly brings a totally unique perspective (and some top-tier vibes), as we somehow manage to connect the worlds of food, storytelling, and forensic science. Expect hot takes, a little dark humor, and some truly unhinged tangents, because you know we can’t stay on track for too long.

So keep it weird… and keep turning those pages!

Mentioned in this Episode

Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style! We are SO excited to share Ash's Podlab on the next MORBID Book Club Episode coming in the summer! The pieces from Ashley are GORGEOUS!

Grab your copy of A Little Bit Extra by Chef Reilly Meehan

Want more of Patricia Cornwell's body of work? Check out her other books, and preorder her upcoming memoir!

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weirdos! Pack your getaway bag and get ready to hit the road for a haunted roadtrip in West Virginia! Alaina starts a trend by telling us about a chilling crime at Cabin 13 in Babcock State Forrest in Babson, WV. Not only is this place's history haunted, what people have seen will give you goosebumps! Ash gives us the pallet cleanser about the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg where the haunting is a bit more whimsical and includes a spirit who may be our new spirit guide!

Want to Book? Head to THIS SITE to book a Cabin at Babcock State Park, or THIS SITE to book a stay at the gorgeous Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg!

Come to see MORBID Live at Radio City Music Hall on June 27th! Tickets are available for purchase by visiting this site!

Preorder THE BUTCHER LEGACY and THE BUTCHER GAME In England! Audio and digital versions of THE BUTCHER GAME are available NOW!

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weirdos! We NEEDED a nostalgic moment, and decided to share it with you! This month, DebDeb has cultivated a batch of 90's tales that are brought to you By you FOR you and ALL ABOUT YOU! Check out YouTube to see what happened mid episode that made us all lose our damn minds!

If you’ve got a listener tale please send it to Deb by emailing us at Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line, and if you share pictures, please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)

Mentions in this episode:

Come to see MORBID Live at Radio City Music Hall on June 27th!Tickets are available for purchase by visiting this site!

PRE-ORDER GIFT! When you pre-order THE BUTCHER LEGACY, you can enter to win a spooky blood-drip bookmark to perfectly match the most chilling cover yet in this series🩸Submit your pre-order receipt at the link in bio to receive an exclusive bookmark. Any US retailer, any format. While supplies last.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.