DEVIANT

In small towns, fear doesn’t always hide in the shadows. Sometimes it writes letters. Sometimes it carries a shotgun. In this episode of DEVIANT, host Dan Szematowicz takes you inside two real American nightmares. In Circleville, Ohio, thousands of anonymous letters turn a quiet town inside out, exposing secrets, destroying lives and leaving behind a mystery that’s never solved. In Skidmore, Missouri, a man named Ken Rex McElroy terrorizes his neighbors for years while the law looks away. And then, one July afternoon, the town decides to take justice into its own hands. Two towns. Two reckonings. One truth: when fear becomes unbearable, silence breaks. Follow on Instagram and TikTok @deviant.podcast. SOURCES: State of Ohio v. Paul Freshour (1983); Columbus Dispatch archives; Circleville Herald archives; Unsolved Mysteries (NBC, 1993); CBS 48 Hours (2021); In Broad Daylight by Harry N. MacLean; Kansas City Star and Washington Post archives; FBI and Missouri State Highway Patrol case summaries. Copyright 2025, Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are major changes afoot here at DEVIANT, and the show is evolving in a big way. Dan Szematowicz and Andrew Iden update you on what's happening, and what you can expect from the show moving forward. Buckle up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(PART 5/5) In the final episode of the series, Andrew Iden continues his conversation with Tyler DiPeppe, a former member of Atomwaffen Division who now works to help others escape extremism. Tyler talks about leaving the movement, the work of de-radicalization, and the effort to build a life after hate. He also reflects on family, forgiveness, and what it means to live with the residue of old ideas while trying to help others move past them. This episode closes the story of Devon Arthurs, Brandon Russell, and the network of hate they helped build — and it points to what comes next: understanding the poison to find an antidote. Episodes weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. 👉 Support the show + get exclusive content: www.deviantpodcast.com 👉 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @deviantdopodcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Part 3/4) Six years after he murdered his two roommates, Devon Arthurs stands before a judge in Tampa and says he’s ready to change. But as psychiatrists describe hallucinations, self-choking episodes, and conflicting diagnoses—from schizophrenia to schizoaffective disorder—one question dominates the courtroom: Is Arthurs genuinely ill… or performing for leniency? Host Andrew Iden examines how the case twisted through years of mental-competency hearings, how experts view the psychology of radicalization, and what drives young men toward hate. Featuring analysis from Luke Baumgartner (George Washington University’s Program on Extremism), Hannah Gais (Southern Poverty Law Center), and journalist Ali Winston, this episode unpacks the intersection of ideology, identity, and illness in one of America’s most disturbing true-crime stories. 👉 Subscribe to DEVIANT for more true crime stories about murder, hate, and the American underworld. 👉 Support the show + get exclusive content: www.deviantpodcast.com 👉 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @deviantdopodcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Part 1/4) On a Friday afternoon in Tampa, 18-year-old Devon Arthurs walks into an apartment leasing office and says “I just killed two people.” Those two: his roommates...young men caught in the grip of online radicalization. What follows is a hostage standoff, a web of neo-Nazi ideology,and the unraveling of a case that exposes the violent underbelly of American extremism. Hosted by Andrew Iden, this episode of DEVIANT examines how ordinary lives spiral into hate, how the internet fuels extremist communities and how one murder case reveals the very real dangers lurking in plain sight. 🔎 New episodes weekly. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. 👉 Subscribe for more deep-dive true crime conversations: https://www.youtube.com/@deviant.podcast 👉 Support the show + get exclusive content: www.deviantpodcast.com 👉 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @deviantdopodcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former ATF agent Jay Dobyns spent 27 years undercover, from Waco and Columbine to infiltrating the Hell’s Angels in Operation Black Biscuit. In this Off Script conversation, he tells hosts Dan Szematowicz and Andrew Iden what it takes to live inside America’s most violent worlds—and survive. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former cop, detective and firearms instructor Glen Williams sits down with host Andrew Iden to talk about what the job really does to people—and how to survive it. This is a candid conversation about trauma (on the street, at home, and inside the chain of command), the cases that stick with you, and why talking about it might be the only way through. If you work in law enforcement, EMS, fire, dispatch—or you cover crime—you’ll feel this one. GET GLEN'S BOOK: https://a.co/d/3cL2kgw IN THIS EPISODE: How a beat cop becomes a detective—and what actually makes a good one “Leadership trauma” vs. “relationship trauma” vs. “experiential trauma” Nightmares, gallows humor, overworking, and the slow creep of PTSD What departments get right (and wrong) about “officer wellness” Why community rapport solves cases The most realistic cop shows (yes, NYPD Blue gets love) ABOUT THE GUEST: Glen Williams is a retired law enforcement officer (patrol, detectives, firearms/SWAT instructor). He wrote Bridging the Gap about mental health in policing and appears in the documentary Is There Something Going On at Home? Find the book on major retailers. JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you’re LEO/first responder/journalist: How do you cope—and what actually helps? Drop your tools, routines, or resources below. We’ll highlight thoughtful replies. SUPPORT & RESOURCES: If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional or local peer-support resources. NEW HERE? Subscribe for long-form, straight-talk conversations about crime, policing, and the people inside the system. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Co-host Andrew Iden sits down with James A. Gagliano — West Point grad, former FBI Hostage Rescue Team operator, undercover agent, and two-term mayor — for a no-BS debrief on what the job really takes and how the mission shifted after 9/11. If you care about organized crime, counterterrorism, and the reality of modern policing, this one delivers. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices