Chicago mayor “Big Bill” Thompson’s first year back in office had been a disaster as far as political observers – and anyone with any integrity at all -- were concerned. Unhappiness about his incompetence and the corruption in City Hall was spreading, especially since the city of Chicago was now almost $300 million in debt. Primary elections for state and county offices were set for April, but election violence began in January, 10 weeks before anyone went to the polls. This time came to be known as Chicago’s “Pineapple Primary” since “pineapple” was a slang term for a hand grenade. 

This period became THE most violent political period in the city’s history. It was scarred by beatings, kidnappings, bombings, shootings, and murders – and things became worse as the election got closer. 

When the election arrived, party hacks on both sides began employing strategies perfected through years of Cook County electoral hijinks.  Boxes were stuffed with ballots bearing fictional names that fraudulent voters could use. They registered vagrants whose votes had been purchased for a few dollars, assigning them fake names and addresses. Even the dead voted in Chicago.

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In 1977, seventeen-year-old Louise Betts disappeared from Loves Park, Illinois. Months later, her remains were found in a rural Boone County field, and Curtis Brownell was eventually convicted of her brutal murder.

But more than forty years after Louise was buried, her family learned something almost unimaginable: the Boone County coroner who handled her remains had kept her skull.

This is the disturbing story of Louise Betts — a missing girl, a convicted killer, decades of parole battles, and a final betrayal that remained hidden for more than four decades.

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This is an episode of the podcast that could have gone in a lot of directions – it’s an episode about the Devil, cults, true crime, satanic films, witchcraft, music, mind control, murder, and more – and really, maybe all these things and not even half of them. Who knows? It’s gotten so convoluted over the last 50 years that no one can say for sure. There are so many theories, excuses, and strange claims that have been wrapped up in all that I’m going to tell you about that one theory may be right, none of them may be right, or, honestly, I think that maybe little piece of every single one of them may be right.

I have absolutely no idea… but I do know that what happened in August of 1969 really did kill anything good that came from of the 1960s and ruined the lives of a lot of people. I also know that the story that I’m about to tell you is probably a load of crap, but just in case it’s not, don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

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In the fall of 1926, the best friend of Chicago gangsters returned to politics and got his name added to the Republican mayoral primary ballot. William “Big Bill” Thompson was back from political exile – he just couldn’t stay away. 

In early July, he sailed his yacht down the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan, carrying an motley crew of politicians, businessmen, beer-swilling clowns, assorted cronies, and a gangster or two. They were cheered on by thousands of people who lined the shoreline. The man was a walking punchline, but people loved him. 

He’d spent the last year or so rebuilding his political capital, knowing that Chicago was not a city that wanted reform as badly as the current mayor wanted to offer it. Al Capone was so enthused about the corrupt former mayor's return that he contributed $250,000 to Thompson’s campaign fund and introduced every form of bribery and terrorism imaginable on the man’s behalf. 

It was also during this campaign that Capone was credited with the Chicago’s most famous political slogan and one that’s still around to this day:

“Vote early and vote often.”

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If there was any one thing that motivated Hymie Weiss it was revenge. 

Since the murder of his friend Dean O’Banion, he’d been the de facto boss of the North Side gang that Dean had founded, mostly because none of the rest of the guys had wanted to be in charge. They were content to have Hymie make the decisions and if they weren’t sure what to do, they voted on it.

And their lack of initiative probably came from the fact that they seemed less interested in making money and more interested in sabotaging the operations of Capone and his allies – and, if possible, wiping them out. Hymie and his men had wounded John Torrio and chased him out of Chicago. They’d attacked Capone twice, killed Angelo Genna, and wounded and murdered dozens of enemy gunmen. 

But Capone retaliated next. He marked Hymie and Vincent Drucci for death -- and then he tried again. And then Weiss nearly got Capone, and back and forth it went, until the streets of Chicago ran red with blood and one of the men ended up in the grave.

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In 1997, 13-year-old John Ushman was found dead inside Room Five of the Southern View Motel in Springfield, Illinois. Authorities ruled that he died while playing Russian roulette with a stolen revolver.

But newly obtained police records reveal changing statements, hidden guns, a motel room reportedly wiped for fingerprints, and days of silence before John was finally found.

In this episode, American Dread reconstructs John’s final days and the troubling questions that still surround Room Five.

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On August 5, 1994, Decatur Realtor Sherry Lewis left to show a home. She never came home. More than three decades later, her murder remains unsolved. In this special anniversary episode, American Dread revisits one of Central Illinois' most haunting cold cases and the ongoing search for justice. 

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On the same day that the corpses of the last of the men who tried to revive the “Terrible Genna’s” operation was found, the Vice President of the United States, Charles Dawes, demanded that the U.S. Congress begin a federal investigation into the lawlessness that was occurring in the streets of Chicago...

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This episode was written by Troy Taylor

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When it comes to music curses – and the Devil’s Music itself – there is no musician more closely linked to the supernatural than Robert Johnson, the legendary bluesman who allegedly sold his soul to the Devil at a crossroads in the Mississippi Delta for magical playing skills and a handful of tunes. Robert would go on to become the founding member of the sinister “27 Club” but that’s not the only curse that’s been linked to the young guitar player.

There’s also the so-called CROSSROADS’ BLUES CURSE.

The legend of the curse states that Robert, with his deal with the Devil, became the first victim of the song that he wrote and made famous. He died a horrible death after being murdered by a jealous husband – stabbed, shot, or poisoned, depending on the version of the story you hear – and was buried in an unmarked grave for decades.

But Robert Johnson was only the first victim of his own curse – he wouldn’t be the last.

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On April 27, 1968, five children from the Cox family were murdered near their rural home outside Mattoon, Illinois. The killer was someone they knew and trusted: 18-year-old Thomas Charles Fuller II, who was dating their older sister. This is Five Little Birds: The Cox Family Murders. 

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In May 1925, Angelo and Lucille found a home they liked in suburban Oak Park and began planning to move. On the morning of May 25, Angelo set out in his Roadster coupe to pay for the new house in cash. He drove south from Belmont Harbor on Sheridan Road and then turned southwest onto Ogden Avenue, which at that time extended to Lincoln Park. 

As he approached Hudson Avenue, a large black touring car carrying four unknown assailants sped up next to Genna's car. The passengers in the other car opened fire with shotguns, spraying Angelo’s car with pellets. Angelo swerved wildly and lost control. He slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The auto screeched sideways and crashed into a light pole. The attackers gunned their engine and sped away, leaving Angelo battered and bleeding and slipping into unconsciousness. 

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In July of 1977, G. Ray Timmons left his Bloomington, Illinois home for a walk and never returned. Hours later, he was found murdered in a downtown alley off East Market Street, a cinder block had been placed on his neck and head. Nearly fifty years later, the most important hours of that night remain missing.

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The murder of Dean O’Banion – followed by the near-miss on John Torrio – became the opening battles in what would become the longest and bloodiest gang war in Chicago history. This wasn’t just gangland maneuvering, Hymie Weiss’ thirst for revenge – it went beyond all that. The control of the entire Chicago underworld was at stake. 

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Two days before Halloween in 1987, 13-year-old Billie Lee Boyce was found behind a garage in Springfield, Illinois.

She had left home two nights earlier and said she would be back in about an hour. She never returned. Her body was discovered near East Melrose Avenue, and her clothing was later recovered under a bridge along Fox Road.

Police investigated. A suspect was arrested and charged. DNA testing was expected to help move the case forward. But the charges were dropped before trial, no one was ever convicted, and Billie’s murder remains unsolved.

In this episode of American Dread, Adam White takes a closer look at Billie’s last known walk, the evidence left behind, the case that nearly reached trial, and the family that spent decades waiting for answers.

This is The Last Walk: The Billie Lee Boyce Story.

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Ghost stories recorded from friends and vendors at the 2026 Haunted America Conference.

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An update from Troy Taylor about the status of AMERICAN NIGHTMARES and an explanation about why it hasn’t been in your feed lately. In mid-June suffered a series of strokes and has been on the mend ever since. But new episodes will be coming in July, so thanks for all your support and good wishes.

If you’re feeling generous and would be willing to donate to the GO FUND ME for Troy’s medical recovery, you can follow the link to https://gofund.me/919e3e82c 

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Just as the door closed behind Capone, a long black car cruised slowly by. Inside the black car were North Siders Hymie Weiss, Vincent Drucci, and George Moran, all clutching shotguns and automatics. As they rolled up next to Capone’s car, the windows came down and they opened fire on Capone’s car. Bullets slammed into metal and windows shattered in the assault. 

A policeman was later quoted as saying: “They let it have everything but the kitchen stove.”

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In 1976, a quiet farm home outside Lincoln, Illinois became the scene of one of Logan County’s most horrifying crimes.

Lloyd, Phyllis, and Terri Schneider were murdered inside their own home, while two young survivors escaped into the darkness to get help. What followed was a disturbing case built around wealth, obsession, warning signs, courtroom testimony, and decades of fear every time Michael Drabing came up for parole.

This episode of American Dread goes inside the Schneider Triple Homicide — a brutal Heartland crime that still haunts Lincoln nearly fifty years later.

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The Day the Music Died happened February 3, 1959, when a plane crash in Iowa claimed the lives of rock-n-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson.

But the plane crash didn’t affect just those who died on that terrible morning. In the wake of their deaths, a story began about a curse that was connected to Buddy Holly and his music. Legend has it that one of those musicians was Bobby Fuller, who became famous for his outlaw anthem I FOUGHT THE LAW. He died mysteriously in 1966, leaving behind one of rock-n-roll’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

By popular request, this is the story of the mysterious death of Bobby Fuller. 

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On a cold December morning in 1969, a motorist pulled into an all-night Shell station near Glenarm, Illinois, along old Route 66. Inside, the counter was empty. In the storeroom, 18-year-old David Burch Jr. was found dead.

What began as a late-night robbery became one of Sangamon County’s most haunting murder cases: a young attendant killed on the graveyard shift, a father and son accused of the crime, a death sentence, and an abandoned station left rotting beside the changing highway.

This is the story of David Burch, Tuttle’s Shell Service Station, and the dark side of America’s Mother Road.

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