Bloody Angola: A Podcast by Jim Chapman

In the early morning hours of January 7, 2012, beloved Sidney High School math teacher Sherry Arnold laced up her running shoes for a routine jog through her quiet Montana neighborhood. She never came home. What began as a desperate search for a missing wife, mother, and pillar of the community quickly spiraled into one of the most shocking crimes in northeast Montana’s history.

Two men from Colorado — Lester Waters and a young Michael Spell — had driven to the region chasing oilfield work during the height of the Bakken boom. High on crack cocaine and looking for trouble, they spotted Arnold running alone in the dark and made a split-second, horrific decision.

In this episode of 50 Shades of Evil, Jim Chapman breaks down the full story of Michael Spell’s Montana crimes: the random abduction, the violent struggle inside their Ford Explorer that ended Sherry Arnold’s life, the desperate attempt to hide her body across the state line in North Dakota, and the intense investigation that followed. We explore Spell’s troubling background, his significant intellectual disabilities, the lengthy competency battle that delayed justice, and his eventual guilty plea to deliberate homicide.

Jim examines the broader impact on the once-sleepy oil boom town of Sidney and the lingering questions about culpability, manipulation, and evil when drugs and damaged minds collide. Later, while serving his 100-year sentence inside Montana State Prison, Spell faced new criminal charges — including allegations tied to violence against another inmate and a 2024 incident involving a female corrections officer.

Chapters 
07:12 Fatherhood and Addiction
09:10 Early Criminal Trouble 
16:22 Sherry Arnold's Final Jog 
22:17 Competency Battles 
29:21 Prison Violence Continues 
35:44 Spell's Grim Present

Michael Spell, Sherry Arnold murder, Sidney Montana, Bakken oil boom crime, Montana true crime, teacher abduction, crack cocaine murder, deliberate homicide

Part 4 of a 4 part series
Jim Chapman brings you into the shadows of one of America’s most notorious serial killers: Ted Bundy.
This episode covers Bundy’s Florida trials, including the Chi Omega and Kimberly Leach cases, both ending in death sentences. It also follows his time on death row, marriage, daughter, final interview, and execution.

Behind the handsome face, law-school smile, and easy charm lurked a predator who terrorized the United States from 1974-1978. From his first known murders in Washington state to his cross-country killing spree, daring prison escapes, and final rampage in Florida, Bundy left behind a trail of at least thirty confirmed victims— young women who never stood a chance against his calculated manipulation.

Jim examines how a seemingly ordinary man used his intelligence, good looks, and fake casts and crutches to lure victims into his Volkswagen Beetle, and how he repeatedly slipped through the fingers of law enforcement. You’ll hear about the shocking courtroom moments, the media circus that turned him into a celebrity monster, and the psychological profile that still fascinates criminologists today. From his troubled childhood to his final days on death row, this is the complete, unflinching story of Ted Bundy—the charming killer whose crimes changed the way America hunts monsters.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Chapters
07:06 Trial Begins
09:54 The Bite Mark Breakthrough
18:59 TV Circus Around Bundy
22:01 Kimberly Leach Trial
27:12 Death Row Manipulation
28:05 Prison Marriage Secret
31:46 Execution Day Arrives
34:46 Bundy's Lasting Evil
37:24 Final Interview Begins

Join Bloody Angola on Patreon for Commercial Free Early Releases and more here: www.patreon.com/bloodyangolapodcast

Part 3 of a 4 part series
Jim Chapman brings you into the shadows of one of America’s most notorious serial killers: 
Ted Bundy.

This episode covers Bundy’s 1975 attacks and murders in Colorado and Utah, his 1977 multiple escapes, the Chi Omega attack in Tallahassee, and the abduction and murder of Kimberly Leach just prior to his final capture in Florida.

Behind the handsome face, law-school smile, and easy charm lurked a predator who terrorized the United States from 1974-1978. From his first known murders in Washington state to his cross-country killing spree, daring prison escapes, and final rampage in Florida, Bundy left behind a trail of at least thirty confirmed victims— young women who never stood a chance against his calculated manipulation. Jim examines how a seemingly ordinary man used his intelligence, good looks, and fake casts and crutches to lure victims into his Volkswagen Beetle, and how he repeatedly slipped through the fingers of law enforcement.
You’ll hear about the shocking courtroom moments, the media circus that turned him into a celebrity monster, and the psychological profile that still fascinates criminologists today. From his troubled childhood to his final days on death row, this is the complete, unflinching story of Ted Bundy—the charming killer whose crimes changed the way America hunts monsters.

#bloodyangolapodcast #podcast #Washington #tedbundy #podcast #truecrime #florida #colorado #Serial 

Chapters
04:05 Julie Cunningham
06:04 Denise Oliverson 
11:23 The Youth Conference 
14:58 The Traffic Stop Discovery 
16:35 Inside Bundy’s Beetle
20:38 The First Jail Escape
22:21 The Florida Escape
24:32 Chi Omega Bloodbath
30:44 Kimberly Leach Abduction
34:45 Bundy’s Final Arrest

Join Bloody Angola on Patreon for Commercial Free Early Releases and more here: www.patreon.com/bloodyangolapodcast

Part 2 of a 4 part series
Jim Chapman brings you into the shadows of one of America’s most notorious serial killers: Ted Bundy. Behind the handsome face, law-school smile, and easy charm lurked a predator who terrorized the United States from 1974-1978. From his first known murders in Washington state to his cross-country killing spree, daring prison escapes, and final rampage in Florida, Bundy left behind a trail of at least thirty confirmed victims— young women who never stood a chance against his calculated manipulation.

Jim examines how a seemingly ordinary man used his intelligence, good looks, and fake casts and crutches to lure victims into his Volkswagen Beetle, and how he repeatedly slipped through the fingers of law enforcement. You’ll hear about the shocking courtroom moments, the media circus that turned him into a celebrity monster, and the psychological profile that still fascinates criminologists today. From his troubled childhood to his final days on death row, this is the complete, unflinching story of Ted Bundy—the charming killer whose crimes changed the way America hunts monsters.

“50 Shades of Evil” is a podcast series brought to you by “Bloody Angola Podcast”.

Chapters
01:12 Hawkins on Sorority Row
07:41 Lake Sammamish Attacks
21:06 Utah Hunting Grounds
26:52 Melissa Smith Targeted
31:35 Halloween Night Attack
38:50 Carol DaRonch’s Escape
44:45 Colorado’s Ski Lodge Murder

Join Bloody Angola on Patreon for Commercial Free Early Releases and more here: www.patreon.com/bloodyangolapodcast

Part 1 of a 4 part series
Jim Chapman brings you into the shadows of one of America’s most notorious serial killers: Ted Bundy. Behind the handsome face, law-school smile, and easy charm lurked a predator who terrorized the United States from 1974-1978.

From his first known murders in Washington state to his cross-country killing spree, daring prison escapes, and final rampage in Florida, Bundy left behind a trail of at least thirty confirmed victims— young women who never stood a chance against his calculated manipulation. Jim examines how a seemingly ordinary man used his intelligence, good looks, and fake casts and crutches to lure victims into his Volkswagen Beetle, and how he repeatedly slipped through the fingers of law enforcement. 

You’ll hear about the shocking courtroom moments, the media circus that turned him into a celebrity monster, and the psychological profile that still fascinates criminologists today. From his troubled childhood to his final days on death row, this is the complete, unflinching story of Ted Bundy—the charming killer whose crimes changed the way America hunts monsters.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and SA. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Chapters
05:17 The Birth of Evil
10:38 The Family Lie
12:31 First Signs of Evil
17:59 Karen Sparks 
19:56 Linda Healy 
25:51 Donna Manson 
39:19 Susan Rancourt 
46:53 Roberta Parks 
53:54 Brenda Ball

Join Bloody Angola on Patreon for Commercial Free Early Releases and more here: www.patreon.com/bloodyangolapodcast