Could a sinister figure from Denver's past rival the infamy of Jack the Ripper? Join us as we team up with our friends from the Dark Mysteries Podcast to unravel the chilling enigma of the Denver Strangler. From 1894 to 1903, this elusive killer cast a shadow over Denver, preying primarily on French prostitutes. Together with hosts Hannah, Jess, Christine, and Jessie, we dissect the haunting details of victims like Bina Tapper and Marie Constetto, drawing eerie parallels to infamous murderers like Jack the Ripper and H.H. Holmes. With a meticulous examination of the gruesome crime scenes and the perplexing circumstances that baffled law enforcement of the time, this episode promises to leave you questioning the very nature of evil.
Journey with us into the eerie atmosphere of the late 1800s, where the absence of forensic technology and the rise of spiritualism painted a macabre backdrop. We'll explore the suspected victims, such as the clairvoyant Julia Vought and Mabel Brown, and consider the harrowing possibility of the Denver Strangler's reach extending to other states. As we scrutinize the main suspects, Richard and Frank Rock, uncover the chilling details of Richard's mysterious move to Brazil post-trial and the swift exoneration of Frank. Through fresh insights and theories presented by our guest hosts, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the dark mysteries that continue to haunt the streets of Denver.
If you'd like to show your support for Wicked Wanderings and join our community of dedicated listeners, you can start contributing for as little as $3 a month. Your support helps us continue to explore the darkest and most intriguing mysteries, bringing you captivating stories from the world of true crime and the unexplained. Click the link to become a valued member of our podcast family.
We'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to email us @ wickedwanderingspodcast@gmail.com.
Wicked Wanderings is hosted by Hannah Fitzpatrick and Jess Goonan. It is produced and edited by Rob Fitzpatrick. Music by Sascha Ende. Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 L...
Could a sinister figure from Denver's past rival the infamy of Jack the Ripper? Join us as we team up with our friends from the Dark Mysteries Podcast to unravel the chilling enigma of the Denver Strangler. From 1894 to 1903, this elusive killer cast a shadow over Denver, preying primarily on French prostitutes. Together with hosts Hannah, Jess, Christine, and Jessie, we dissect the haunting details of victims like Bina Tapper and Marie Constetto, drawing eerie parallels to infamous murderers like Jack the Ripper and H.H. Holmes. With a meticulous examination of the gruesome crime scenes and the perplexing circumstances that baffled law enforcement of the time, this episode promises to leave you questioning the very nature of evil.
Journey with us into the eerie atmosphere of the late 1800s, where the absence of forensic technology and the rise of spiritualism painted a macabre backdrop. We'll explore the suspected victims, such as the clairvoyant Julia Vought and Mabel Brown, and consider the harrowing possibility of the Denver Strangler's reach extending to other states. As we scrutinize the main suspects, Richard and Frank Rock, uncover the chilling details of Richard's mysterious move to Brazil post-trial and the swift exoneration of Frank. Through fresh insights and theories presented by our guest hosts, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the dark mysteries that continue to haunt the streets of Denver.
If you'd like to show your support for Wicked Wanderings and join our community of dedicated listeners, you can start contributing for as little as $3 a month. Your support helps us continue to explore the darkest and most intriguing mysteries, bringing you captivating stories from the world of true crime and the unexplained. Click the link to become a valued member of our podcast family.
We'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to email us @ wickedwanderingspodcast@gmail.com.
Wicked Wanderings is hosted by Hannah Fitzpatrick and Jess Goonan. It is produced and edited by Rob Fitzpatrick. Music by Sascha Ende. Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 L...
Speaker 2:
Hi, I'm Jess and I'm Hannah. Join us as we delve into true crime, paranormal encounters and all things spooky.
Speaker 3:
So grab your flashlight and get ready to wander into the darkness with us.
Speaker 2:
This is Wicked Wanderings.
Speaker 3:
Hey, wanderers, it's Hannah. Over the next two episodes, we have collaborated with our friends from Dark Mysteries Podcast. The episode you're about to hear is a Dark Mysteries episode that Jess, rob and I had the honor of being a part of Next week's adventure. They graciously accepted our invitation of being our guest hosts. While Jess tells us the grim tale of the killer nurse from Northampton. We are loving getting to know fellow weirdos like us, so check them out, and we hope you enjoy the show. We are loving getting to know fellow weirdos like us, so check them out, and we hope you enjoy the show. Always remember to keep on wandering.
Speaker 4:
This is Christine.
Speaker 5:
This is Jessie.
Speaker 4:
And this is Dark Mysteries.
Speaker 1:
A mist creeps up and the dust comes in. Evil starts to stir, the sun goes down. Bad things are coming, the devil's on the loose, dark mysteries, dark mysteries, dark mysteries, dark mysteries, dark mysteries In the night.
Speaker 4:
Alright, so this week we have some guests. We have Hannah and Jess from Wicked Wanderings Podcast.
Speaker 2:
Hello, hello guys, hi guys, thanks for having us.
Speaker 4:
So glad you guys are here. This is exciting.
Speaker 3:
We love to make new friends though, yes, who like the same weird shit we do, yeah, same.
Speaker 4:
That's true. Yeah, so we're going to do a case that is from Denver and it's a cold case. Jesse did all the research on it. I really know nothing about it, so we're going to learn together, nice.
Speaker 5:
All right, I'll take it away. So we're doing the Denver Strangler. Yeah, it's a really crazy case. So it started in 1894 and then ended in 1903. Most of the three documented killings that they can prove was this guy all happened in a 10-week span.
Speaker 3:
Oh, wow.
Speaker 5:
The rest are just kind of random that they think he did. He operated mostly off of Market Street. At that point it was known as Strangler Row. Ooh, it started, like I said, in 1884. So this area also brought in a lot of evasive serial predators like Jack the Ripper. So there's speculation that he is Jack the Ripper.
Speaker 2:
Really Not, hh Holmes.
Speaker 4:
Well, they thought he was Jack the Ripper too.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's what I'm saying, Jack the.
Speaker 3:
Ripper gets around.
Speaker 2:
He does. I'm telling you.
Speaker 5:
So the reason they have even considered that as a possibility is because Jack the Ripper's criminal acts ended in 1888. And that was just a few years before the Denver Strangler came out.
Speaker 1:
and that was just a few years before the Denver.
Speaker 5:
Strangler came out, so because of all of this they dubbed him the Jack the Strangler.
Speaker 2:
Jack the Strangler, they can't be original names.
Speaker 5:
So where Market Street was at that time was in an area that traditionally housed immigrants, especially those from Europe. There were many arrests on these murders but none of the suspects at the time even matched up. It's a really confusing case, because they had so many suspects but yet they didn't, if that makes sense. Mm-hmm, yeah, it was, I don't know. So the arrests were based on grouping of the murders, similarities in the method and common acquaintances and social patterns. His victims of three for sure and two that are suspected, so a total of five. Victim number one is Bina Tapper. She was a French prostitute. She was a mistress of Richard Demby, and just remember that name because he will pop back up. All right, both of them were part of a secret French order in which Tapper played a role of a sex servant.
Speaker 3:
Oh.
Speaker 5:
She was found strangled to death on her bed on Market Street on September 3rd 1894. The most that was known about her was that she lived in Minnesota before moving to Denver and, like I said, we'll get back into Richard shortly.
Speaker 4:
So I'm assuming because he's compared to Jack the Ripper and this lady was a prostitute. All his victims were prostitutes, Almost all of them. That would kind of go with Jack the Ripper, and this lady was a prostitute all his victims were prostitutes almost that would kind of go with jack.
Speaker 2:
I mean yeah, yeah, that was definitely a question. I was gonna ask if they were ladies of the night yeah, and didn't also jack the ripper.
Speaker 3:
Wasn't he known for, kind of like, how he bludgeoned the bodies too? Because didn't they think like he was?
Speaker 4:
they cut him up yeah, but these ladies weren't they were just strangled, huh, oh yeah, because Jack the Ripper definitely didn't. He removed some organs and split throats, right yeah.
Speaker 5:
He was brutal, yeah. Victim number two is Marie Constetto.
Speaker 4:
It's French, I can't pronounce it, you know what I get it.
Speaker 2:
I know we both have done an episode on the Dyatlov Pass and those Russian names are very hard.
Speaker 4:
Oh, those were so hard. I kept passing my notes over to Jesse's husband. I'm like how do you?
Speaker 5:
say this word and we'd say it just great when my husband would tell us. And then the minute we started recording, we're like ah, we totally forgot how to say that.
Speaker 2:
Words are hard when recording.
Speaker 5:
Exactly so. She was again also a French prostitute with ties with the same sex servant French order. She was living with her lover, tony Sanders. I wasn't able to find exactly what day she was murdered, but on the day of her murder her lover had fallen asleep reading the newspaper in his chair and typical old man her sugar daddy she uh was later found on her bed strangled by a small stout cord. The cord was so tight that it was found like buried into her skin on her neck oh yeah, I can only imagine and he never woke up.
Speaker 2:
He fell asleep and he didn't hear anything.
Speaker 5:
Come on you would think there'd be some commotion right and that's the thing about, I think, think, this one and this next victim. How does a house full of people not hear?
Speaker 4:
So was it her lover that did it.
Speaker 5:
You know, actually he never was one of the suspects.
Speaker 4:
I don't believe that he's a suspect in life.
Speaker 2:
Mr Tony Sanders was never, I mean if this was her lover, I feel like. He'd be suspect number one.
Speaker 3:
So if this is the lover, then think about this way. We have interest, course right, and the man passes right out, right afterwards, so I'm not surprised, right you have a very sorry, honey, but rob you have any comment? Am I right? I have no comment. Thank you, okay, there you go agrees.
Speaker 5:
And there were also visible finger marks on her neck. It didn't say whether it was like defensive or if, like, he tried to strangle her first and it didn't work, so he turned to a cord. I'm going with that one, just the way it is.
Speaker 4:
I would think she was trying to pull the cord away yeah, maybe I don't know. Or both. To pull the cord away yeah, maybe I don't know or both.
Speaker 5:
So at first they considered this to be a robbery because she was more of a wealthier woman and all they found on her was 75 cents. So this is where Richard comes back into play. Is he had made advances towards her, richard, and then four other men were arrested as suspects in her murder, two of them, antonio and Emil. Emil Emil, that's what I thought. Okay, both of them had been quickly dismissed.
Speaker 5:
Antonio had just recently been dismissed from the police force and was working as a messenger, with the concierge showing preference towards him. So he was like a messenger for like this group, yeah, and he had proof that he wasn't around that area at that time. It didn't really say why Emil was dismissed, but he cooked for Marie, which was victim number two, so he was a cook for her and it was known to be jealous of Antonio, which I don't know why. That was relevant, but it was Pretty much. Both of them were released due to lack of evidence. But, fun fact, this is where it gets crazy. Both of them were in the home when the murder occurred, but claimed they heard nothing or saw nothing.
Speaker 2:
That sounds suspicious.
Speaker 4:
So they were all part of this group? Yeah, and if they were all part of this group, yeah, and if they were all part of this group, they were probably all in it in some form or another well, you gotta think three, three men were in this house when this murder occurred I think they're all involved.
Speaker 5:
They would have to be, they would absolutely have to be yep, I mean, I agree, I can understand one heavy sleeper but not three.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, exactly, there goes my theory it was a good one, though.
Speaker 2:
Thank you, it was a great one, yeah kaiku omae.
Speaker 5:
Omae was a japanese immigrant that first came to the us through chicago at the time of the world's colomb Exposition. It was said that she got involved with IME. He was a cook. They came to Denver in November of 1893. I'm guessing this is when she got involved with the prostitution business. Police had raided a local prostitution business at that time, just a few days before her death. During this said raid a lot of her associates were arrested. Kaikyu, with the help of a French saloon keeper, secured all of their release, but the saloon keeper later demanded a big lump sum back from her.
Speaker 4:
So was she not involved in this?
Speaker 5:
group.
Speaker 4:
No, she was Well not when they got raided, but that sex group from the other two.
Speaker 5:
I'm going with yes because I'm assuming that I mean.
Speaker 4:
Well, and who's gonna know about those things Like it's the landkeeper.
Speaker 5:
Ta-da, so he was demanding his money back for his efforts. This made her really angry and she would bicker with him about it a lot. It was later known to be found out that she would go around talking shit about this saloon keeper, which obviously did not make him happy. So after she talked with friends one night, she went home and went to bed. This is November 13th. Her lover, lemai, went for a walk conveniently.
Speaker 2:
I was gonna say how convenient, right.
Speaker 5:
All this seems out of convenience, right? They conveniently fell asleep.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 5:
When he returned home, he found her on the bed with a towel around her throat. She was still alive at this point, barely. He quickly took the towel off her throat Again. This is weird, and in a full panic he ran across the street and called Hannah, another Japanese woman, for help. Kayu had died by the time they arrived back with Officer Carberry. So isn't that weird that, like your person's dying?
Speaker 4:
Well, scream out the window or something right I feel like everyone knew each other's business back then yeah, right so, yeah, she died before they got back.
Speaker 5:
But the officer didn't like their behavior caught his attention and when he looked around there's a strong indication of a struggle, like the bedsheets they had blood on them. They were dismay like there was a second towel found that was damp. The room drawers were rifled through keys that had both front and back door keys were missing.
Speaker 4:
So it almost seems staged to me my thing is how is this the same person that killed the other two? Because it seems a lot different, besides the strangulation.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it does seem a little bit different, yeah.
Speaker 4:
Maybe because these other murders happened. He's like, well, I'm going to murder her and I'm going to make it. Try to look like a copycat.
Speaker 5:
Yeah, when I did that this victim that's kind of what I got was it was just big fight, everything happened, and now he's going to make it look like what's been going on in the town.
Speaker 4:
They needed us for detectives back then.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, Put us on it and the case would have been solved right.
Speaker 5:
Right. So the towel that was on her neck was like deliberately like grotted, like when you twist something so tight I was thinking tourniquet, but I don't think that's the right term either it's like, yeah, but maybe I don't know where's the husband when I need him. He explained it perfectly last night. So her lover, along with several japanese women, were arrested on suspicion but again quickly released because of lack of evidence.
Speaker 4:
So why were these women arrested?
Speaker 5:
I'm wondering, maybe just because they were in the vicinity? Okay, that's dumb. They seem to like to arrest people and then let them go.
Speaker 3:
Right, yeah, because how I don't.
Speaker 4:
I mean not to hate on the female sex, but like I don't think we'd be strong enough necessarily yeah, because it takes a lot of strength to strangle someone and it takes a long time to kill somebody.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, like seven to eight minutes strangling, I think Is it really Last time I did it, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 4:
I think after a couple minutes I would give up. Yeah, I'm like okay.
Speaker 5:
I'm like okay, I'm tired, I'm done, I'm done, sorry about that I know I'm still stuck on the wet towel for some reason I was too, and it never went into any description or anything. It just said it was found next to her body and it's like did she get out of the shower? And I don't know. That's's weird.
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
My mind is strangely going to like um, it's a six toe, oh no I was going to let her mind Well.
Speaker 4:
I was kind of thinking is he trying to clean away evidence? But they didn't have DNA back then, or that?
Speaker 3:
leave it to Jess to go dirty what's the stuff that makes you fall asleep? Is the chloroform?
Speaker 5:
oh yes so she wouldn't struggle would they be able to tell?
Speaker 2:
I like yours better than mine.
Speaker 5:
I don't know back then if they'd be able to tell they didn't really have yeah, I don't know when.
Speaker 4:
I mean, I'm sure it doesn't I don't think they'd go around smelling the town. Find out real quick if it is.
Speaker 2:
That might be a little gross oh my goodness so, and I can just see you walking around why would I? Do that I don't know, you tell me anyway, it's something I would do.
Speaker 4:
I'd be like, oh no, uh-uh anyways no, you need the one being like you dumbass. What is wrong with you?
Speaker 5:
So there was two suspected victims Julia Vought. Julia did not live on the notorious Market Street, she lived nearby, on Champa Street during these murders. She was a known clairvoyant and medium in these murders. She was a known clairvoyant and medium, so during one of her trances she claimed to authorities that the spirits had given her a full description of the Denver Strangler. So she was later found dead on the floor of her apartment with a towel around her throat. This was, I think, on October 7th 1898. Some think the Strangler killed her because she actually had information on him or he was superstitious, and then deciding to get rid of her to avoid exposure.
Speaker 4:
Really actually makes sense.
Speaker 3:
Yeah. So this is interesting because this was the time for, like, spiritualism was a big deal, yeah Right.
Speaker 4:
So like when people were into like mediums and seances and stuff, so that's really interesting, so I could totally see whoever this murderer was being okay, they're gonna, I'm gonna get caught because of this woman and totally she was a target after that after yeah, I agree, hers makes a lot of sense because of that.
Speaker 5:
You know what I mean. Yes, so the next one was mabel brown. In 1903, about nine years after the first murders occurred, living on market street, mabel was found dead in her room and this is weird tied by a pair of suspenders, a handkerchief in her mouth and marks of strangulation. What makes this as possibly a victim is, like like most of the others, she was found on her bed. So all the other three others were all found on their bed.
Speaker 3:
I feel like they're using a weapon of opportunity in each one.
Speaker 5:
Yes, because there's no set thing He'll always use something that would have been found in the room, a cord or a towel Like the cord was close by, or the towel, or yeah, I agree right right it said that this strangler had at least two unsolved murders in two different states. There was a third, but someone else died from the death penalty on that one. So one of the first ones was minnie keent she was on May 31st 1894, New York City, New York, and Josie Bennett June 30th 1894 in Buffalo, New York, and then Mary Eckert, and I swear done something with not a case, but maybe that name does sound familiar.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, it really does. Mary Eckert. Yeah, don't, it really does. Eckert Mary Eckert.
Speaker 5:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Don't we work with some Eckerts at White Lion?
Speaker 3:
Oh, maybe that's why.
Speaker 2:
That's why yeah.
Speaker 3:
We work at a brewery part-time, so that's why.
Speaker 1:
That's why yeah.
Speaker 3:
Okay, never mind.
Speaker 5:
Oh, but somebody had already been convicted and died of the death penalty for her death, so she got kind of taken off the playing board for one of his victims.
Speaker 4:
Well, whoever this is, if he did do those other ones, he sure did move around a lot. Yeah, he did. If this was Jack the Ripper.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 5:
Like I said in the beginning, there were so many suspects, but I'm only going to tell you about the couple that kind of stood out to me. Of course, we're going to go back to Richard. He was only charged with Lena's death and all the evidence they had on him was circumstantial, but at the time he was the most considered suspect for all the other ones. At trial, a total of 45 witnesses were brought to testify against him, one being a woman that he was being intimate with. Her name was Laura Johnson and she was supposed to have like this huge, incredible testimony against him. It didn't say whether or not she did. They also brought forward a man and a woman who claimed that they witnessed her struggling with Richard through a window. He was also accused of trying to bribe a judge, and prosecutors claim they had a copy of the check that proves said claims.
Speaker 5:
Oh, that's never, good but even with all of that, the jury acquitted him of all charges and right like literally right after the trial he moved to brazil.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, he's guilty, he probably bribed them too.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and let's remember, I don't think women could get on juries till what? 1940 or something, so it's probably all men they're like oh, shut them off he'll be fine.
Speaker 4:
She was just a prostitute. Who cares, right? Yeah? I think, at least for hers, he's at 100 if he wasn't guilty, he wouldn't have moved to brazil, right?
Speaker 2:
maybe a couple states over, but all the way to brazil, right um.
Speaker 5:
The next one was frank rock. He was a married french canadian who lived close to market street and he was said to match the description of a man running away from caillou's crime scene. He was really shortly after that, because the cops couldn't get a confession and realized very quickly he couldn't be the killer. They didn't explain why?
Speaker 4:
Why couldn't he? Because they couldn't do their job right.
Speaker 2:
Probably I'm with you on that one.
Speaker 5:
I'm going with. He probably was like a smaller person, I don't know. Okay, and then the last suspect. They didn't have an actual first name for him. It's H Miller. He was an Italian man that was very briefly considered a suspect after an incident that happened on November 18, 1894, where he had entered a house belonging to Marie Vendris and, after a quarrel between the two, he began to strangle her. When police arrived, he was just about ready to cut her throat with a razor. Oh, like you're just going to continue as police are barging in, but what do I?
Speaker 4:
know Well, that doesn't match the MO either.
Speaker 2:
so yeah, I was going to say the other ones weren't cut.
Speaker 5:
That's why he was not considered a suspect anymore. They just assumed that he had a really bad temper and he wasn't getting what he wanted typical male I was gonna say what a cry baby right that is my case on the denver strangler. Awesome, I don't know. Could it be jack the ripper?
Speaker 2:
I don't, I don't think so I don't he would have had to completely change his mo. Yeah, yeah, he like cut women up yeah, I don't think it would be.
Speaker 4:
I just think they connected the time period and the prostitutes and yeah, yeah, yeah, like he was the only one kind of makes you wonder, though, though like what happened after? Could HH Holmes have been Jack the Ripper? I think so.
Speaker 2:
I mean he had a whole hotel.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, that guy was committed, it's just London wasn't doing it for him anymore. Yeah, we're going to move to Market Street. Anyways, that's all we have for you tonight, yay.
Speaker 2:
Awesome, thank you.
Speaker 4:
Thank you for letting us come on. Yeah, you're welcome, this is fun.
Speaker 2:
Yes, we should do it again. Yeah, thank you Every week.
Speaker 3:
I'm just kidding, we could do that we don't want to scare them off. Jess, I'm sorry.
Speaker 5:
I just want more friends.
Speaker 2:
We'll be your friends, Okay good, we're officially friends, now All right, good night.
Speaker 3:
Thanks for listening today.
Speaker 2:
Wicked. Wanderings is hosted by Hannah Fitzpatrick and me, jess Gunan, and it's produced by Rob Fitzpatrick. Music by Sasha.
Speaker 3:
End. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to leave us a rating and review.
Speaker 2:
And be sure to follow us on all our socials. You can find the links down in the show notes and if you're looking for some, Wicked Cozy t-shirts or hoodies.
Speaker 3:
Head over to our merch store.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for being a part of the Wicked Wanderings community. We appreciate each and every one of you. Stay curious.
Speaker 3:
Keep exploring and always remember to keep on wandering.
