Introducing . . . The Poet

About this episode

The episode introduces 'The Poet', a story about a woman facing blackmail during the BTK Strangler's reign of terror.

Coming soon to the Binge is The Poet! In 1977, during the BTK Strangler’s reign of terror in Wichita, a woman named Ruth Finley receives a threatening phone call from an unidentified man. He’s blackmailing her about a secret from her past. The harassment escalates to letters, then poems, then attacks. The Wichita police wonder if this is the work of BTK. But the deeper their investigation goes, the darker and stranger the questions become. Binge all episodes of The Poet July 1st by subscribing to The Binge. Visit ⁠The Binge Crimes⁠ on Apple Podcasts and hit ‘subscribe’ or visit ⁠GetTheBinge.com⁠ to get access. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Topics covered

• true crime
• blackmail
• investigation
• harassment
• mystery
• Wichita

Keywords

• BTK Strangler
• Ruth Finley
• blackmail
• Wichita
• poems
• threatening phone call
• true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wichita police, The Binge, Apple Podcasts, GetTheBinge.com

Books & works: The Poet

More episodes of The Binge Crimes: What Happened to the Harrisons?

• The Poet | 3. The Stabbing · July 13, 2026 · 36 min
• The Poet | 2. Where’s Ruth? · July 8, 2026 · 34 min
• The Poet | 1. The Call · July 1, 2026 · 40 min
• Cut, Color, Kill | 6. Betrayal · June 5, 2026 · 45 min
• Cut, Color, Kill | 5. The Other Man · May 29, 2026 · 40 min
• Introducing . . . U R NEXT · May 26, 2026 · 2 min