Our True Crime Podcast

In the early hours of December 4, 1979, something jolted Edith Hastie awake—and within seconds, her worst fears were confirmed. Fire was already inside her home on Selby Street in Kingston upon Hull, climbing fast, swallowing the staircase, cutting off escape.Her four young sons were still inside.What followed was a frantic, desperate race against heat and smoke, one that would end in unimaginable loss, an act of quiet heroism, and questions that would linger long after the flames were extinguished. Three boys would be pulled from the wreckage with catastrophic burns. But this wasn’t just a tragic house fire. It was something far more disturbing.Because as investigators began to piece together what happened that night, a chilling pattern would emerge, one that pointed not to an accident, but to a firestarter hiding in plain sight. 

Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast as we discuss ‘Firestarter: Crimes of Bruce George Peter Lee.’

Listener discretion is by @octoberpodVHS

Music is by our editor @theinkypawprint. 

Episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. 

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Sources:

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/hulls-worst-serial-killer-bruce-6621713

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/531/644/115751697w16/purl=&dyn=11!pdy_3_0FFO-1981-JAN21-003-F?sw_aep=corlonli

Ron Sagar MBE Hull, Hell And Fire The Extraordinary Story Of Bruce Lee (Highgate publications, 1999)

The Daily Mail (Hull) December 5th 1979- January 31st 1981, February 11th 1981, 10th December 1983.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/A-city39s-memories-branded-in.5883752.jp

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/32/498/118877646w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS85296526&dyn=5!xrn_1_0_CS85296526&hst_1?sw_aep=corlonli

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2022-02-08/serial-arsonist-bruce-lee-loses-appeal-over-string-of-fatal-fires-in-1970s

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/fire-master-forgotten-manchester-born-31350618

https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Bruce_George_Peter_Lee

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-58876813

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-58876813

https://web.archive.org/web/20181019135453/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/a-city-s-memories-branded-in-fire-of-killer-s-reign-of-terror-30-years-ago-1-2314856

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/hulls-notorious-serial-killer-bruce-6625127

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/A-city39s-memories-branded-in.5883752.jp

The Yorkshire Post, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Telegraph (January 21st-23rd 1981)

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/531/644/115751697w16/purl=&dyn=11!pdy_3_0FFO-1981-JAN21-003-F?sw_aep=corlonli

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***Content Warning***

This episode contains discussion of violence, torture, and murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

At 16, Suzanne Capper was just a girl trying to find her place in the world and hanging out with a group she thought were her friends. But on a freezing morning in December 1992, a man named Barry and some of his coworkers were driving to work when their headlights caught a figure in the darkness.

Standing by the side of the road was a young girl, her hair was gone, and her skin was blackened and charred from fire. Somehow, against all odds, she had crawled out of the woods to find help.

The chaos that followed was something that none of the men in the van that morning would ever forget. The UK would wake up to news that there were people who lived among them, who had a main objective in life, which was to inflict pain. And the story would prove to be too much for them.

A huge Thank You to our team:

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/912473189/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/909560806/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper https://www.newspapers.com/image/1275999766/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/909562093/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper https://www.newspapers.com/image/751595698/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/804903275/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/804903275/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper https://www.newspapers.com/image/819771054/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/260286579/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/718999408/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/914588854/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/914590083/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.newspapers.com/image/881733646/?match=1&terms=Suzanne%20Capper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVyc4GeDMuw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Suzanne_Capper

https://confidentials.com/manchester/exclusive-20-years-on-the-suzanne-capper-case

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It was November 15, 2004, 52-year-old Peter Porco woke up like he always did: early, well before his alarm, with a few minutes to gather his thoughts in the quiet of his Delmar, New York, home. Peter was a fixture in the local legal community, serving as a state Appellate Division court clerk.

Peter got out of bed, walked to the bathroom, and stood at the sink.  He then made his way to the kitchen to pack his lunch for the day, just like any other workday. He always enjoyed the quiet mornings before the day started. He performed his morning routine like he always did. He started to load the dishwasher. He packed his lunch. He even wrote a check to pay a parking ticket. 

Peter was known as someone you could count on to be there every day, doing his job no matter what. So when Peter failed to show up to work, one of his coworkers was sent to his home to check on him. When he arrived at the Porco home, something immediately stood out. The house was eerily quiet, the blinds drawn. He tried calling the landline. No answer. He called the police. 

Officers arrived on the scene and approached the front door. He noticed something strange: a smear of blood on the doorknob, small droplets trailing down the porch.  The front door was slightly ajar. With a sense of dread, Officers opened the door. And that’s when he saw it.

Peter Porco was on the ground, his face covered in blood and his eyes wide open. Peter was dead.

Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Family Ties, Killer Lies: The Murder of Peter Porco.’

Listener discretion by @octoberpodVHS

All music is by our editing team @theinkypawprint

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-porco-murder-did-a-college-student-take-an-ax-to-his-parents/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911062/

https://www.timesunion.com/porco/

https://abcnews.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=2179489&page=1

https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/christopher-porcos-bid-to-overturn-conviction-in-the-hands-of-schenectady-prosecutor-albany-kindlon-bethlehem-axe-murder

https://www.recordonline.com/story/news/2006/08/11/porco-guilty-ax-murder-hacking/53064979007/

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Porcos-son-indicted-578542.php

https://www.spotlightnews.com/news/2006/07/20/jurors-see-video-of-yellow-jeep-leaving-campus/

https://www.spotlightnews.com/news/2006/08/11/jury-delivers-quick-verdict-porco-mom-absent/

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ax-murderer-Christopher-Porco-new-lawyer-17705959.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK_5DMwS20Y

https://web.archive.org/web/20070205100216/http://www.cbs6albany.com/sections/news/porco/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pc8B9PQ0To

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2012/dec/05/porco-case-grist-tv-movie-drama

https://www.spotlightnews.com/news/2006/12/12/christopher-porco-gets-maximum-sentence-convicted/

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This month's special, Cam and Jen talk with Jenny from It's Murder Up North. Her podcast covers crimes from the north of England; everything from the obscure to the infamous.

In 1986, Diane Sindall's van ran out of gas, and she set off on foot to find a gas station. Her body was found in an alley. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death. Peter Sullivan was convicted of Diane's murder the following year.

In 2023, DNA from the crime scene was tested and exonerated Sullivan as Diane's murderer. He was finally released from prison in 2025. Leaving Diane Sindall's murder unsolved and Peter Sullivan as one of the UK's longest wrongful imprisonment cases.

Jenny did want us to mention that Sullivan had been diagnosed with the mental age of a ten-year-old, but she misspoke; she was thinking of the case she is working on currently. A psychologist said that Peter is "suggestible" and has a "limited intellectual capacity."

Please make sure to subscribe to Jenny's podcast, It's Murder Up North. Her 10-part series of the White Farm House Murders is fantastic.

Listener Discretion by Edward Octoberpod from Octoberpod AM

Editing and music by Nico & Jesse from The Inky Paw Print

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For many young travelers, a gap year is a chance to explore, to grow, to feel free. For Grace Millane, it was all of that and more.

She had already crossed continents, shared daily memories with her family, and embraced every moment of her journey. But in Auckland, New Zealand, a simple date would mark the beginning of her final known hours.

When Grace suddenly went silent, those closest to her knew something wasn’t right. As investigators retraced her steps, a chilling picture began to emerge, one that would leave an entire country asking how something like this could happen.

If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic abuse, you’re not alone. Help is available through the following numbers

In the United States

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text 8878

In the UK

0808 2000 247

In Australia

1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 792

In South Africa

0800 150 150

If you would like to donate to the charities mentioned in this episode:

Visit Love Grace at https://www.lovegrace.co.uk/

to donate  https://www.lovegrace.co.uk/donate

Visit the White Ribbon Campaign at  https://www.lovegrace.co.uk/donate

A huge Thank You to our team:

Listener Discretion by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edward October ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Research & Writing by Lauretta Allen

Executive Producers Nico & Jesse of The Inky Pawprint

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://theinkypawprint.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/07/grace-millane-trial-cctv-footage-shows-uk-backpackers-final-hours

https://www.the-sun.com/news/32364/grace-millane-inside-blood-stained-hotel-room-where-brit-backpacker-was-strangled-to-death-by-tinder-date/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Grace_Millane

https://youtu.be/QSwuN4pgTmw?si=53XtPF74rqZx7xOG

https://youtu.be/uP3lSc3jwMw?si=0Wk5cYYmBf7-UmG7

https://youtu.be/qvrTGrQZtSs?si=iBoAQ78eM30ewGXq

Faking It: Season 1 Episode 1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1125339782/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1135744594/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1133440647/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1126113738/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1217485915/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1217485905/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22 (rough sex article)

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1126158104/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1126153960/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1159276964/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1137086337/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/512871617/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1217468266/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1217353512/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1137052189/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1133183143/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1128428887/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1126025057/?match=1&terms=%22Grace%20Millane%22

https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6628&context=jclc

https://historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/the-rough-sex-defence-lessons-from-history/

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