Episode 11: I'm About To Save Your Life

FromCriminal

Start listening View podcast show

Episode 11: I'm About To Save Your Life

FromCriminal

ratings:

Length:

21 minutes

Released:

Oct 30, 2014

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

In 1977, a mild-mannered aeronautical engineer sideswiped a parked car in Compton, CA. When he stopped his car to survey the damage, a man opened the driver-side door, shoved him over, and started driving. He said, "I'm about to save your life."

Released:

Oct 30, 2014

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Criminal is a podcast about crime. Not so much the "if it bleeds, it leads," kind of crime. Something a little more complex. Stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, and/or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. We are a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm.

Skip carousel

Episode 11: I'm About To Save Your Life: In 1977, a mild-mannered aeronautical engineer sideswiped a parked car in Compton, CA. When he stopped his car to survey the damage, a man opened the driver-side door, shoved him over, and started driving. He said, "I'm about to save your life." by Criminal
21 min listen
Episode 22: Ex Libris: Hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books have been disappearing across America since the late 90s, and haven't resurfaced in the marketplace. They've just vanished, never to be seen again. But unlike most thieves, this thief is... by Criminal
24 min listen
Episode 8: Can't Rock This Boat: In March 1964, a 35-year-old African American woman named Johnnie MaeChappell was walking along the side of the road in Jacksonville,Florida. Four white men were driving around listening to the local raceriots on the radio. They had a gun on the... by Criminal
19 min listen
Episode 16: Poster Boy: On July 17th, 1889, the residents of Clayton County, Iowa woke up to news of the worst crime in their history. A Civil War veteran and his young wife had been murdered in their bed in a grisly attack. Their two children... by Criminal
20 min listen
Episode 39: Either/Or: In 1983, three men were prepared to plead guilty to a violent sexual assault in Anderson, South Carolina. Defense attorneys did not want their clients to go before a jury, and arranged a plea deal. This left the sentencing in the hands... by Criminal
30 min listen
Episode 31: American Dream: When we're kids, we have ideas of what we want to be when we grow up -- movie star, doctor, astronaut. But what if we dream of being like Butch Cassidy, Jesse James, or John Dillinger? And what happens when you're not a kid anymore but you're still... by Criminal
23 min listen
Episode 69: Becoming Chief Brown: Shortly after David Brown was sworn in as the Dallas Chief of Police, his son shot and killed a police officer. Just before he retired as chief, 5 Dallas officers were shot and killed in what was said to be the deadliest attack for law enforcement... by Criminal
33 min listen
Episode 45: Just Mercy: As a law student, Bryan Stevenson was sent to a maximum security prison to meet a man on death row. The man told Stevenson he'd never met an African-American lawyer, and the two of them talked for hours. It was a day that changed Stevenson's life.... by Criminal
28 min listen
Episode 35: Pen & Paper: As a young woman in the 60s, Andy Austin talked her way into a job as a courtroom sketch artist in Chicago. She spent 43 years sketching everyone from disgraced governors to John Wayne Gacy, and says she only made someone look bad on purpose... by Criminal
19 min listen
Episode 24: Pearl Bryan: In February of 1896, a little boy discovered a woman's headless body in a farmer's field in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. No one knew who she was, or what had happened. Newspapers carried headlines like "Hunt for the Head" and "Headless Horror."... by Criminal
22 min listen
Episode 53: Melinda and Judy: When Melinda Dawson was seven years old, she learned that she was adopted under mysterious circumstances. As she got older and had children of her own, she tried to learn something about her biological parents. And when she went to the county... by Criminal
27 min listen
Episode 30: The Agreement: In 2005, Danny Egipciaco had the opportunity to participate in a robbery of a drug supplier's stash house. He was told he'd take home between $100K-200K. In the end, the robbery never happened, so why has Danny spent the last ten years at... by Criminal
22 min listen
Episode 36: Perfect Specimen: The 500-year-old Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas was once called "the most perfect specimen of a North American tree." But in 1989, Austin's city forester realized that the Treaty Oak didn't look so good, and began to wonder whether someone... by Criminal
26 min listen
Episode 34: The Stay: Michael Ross was the first person in Connecticut to be sentenced to death since 1960. He claimed that he wanted to die in order to atone for what he had done. One journalist spent twenty years trying to figure out whether or not his... by Criminal
28 min listen
Episode 68: All the Time in the World: The “body farm" at Texas State University is a place almost no one except researchers and law enforcement are able to see, because it's one of very few places in the world that deliberately puts out human bodies to decompose in nature. Forensic... by Criminal
33 min listen
Episode 6: We Lost Them: On April 13, 2014, former KKK member Frazier Glenn Cross pulled into a Jewish Community Center and ambushed a grandfather and grandson, killing both. He then killed another woman a short distance away. What does the family left behind do... by Criminal
16 min listen
Episode 57: Everyday Genius: To close out 2016, we're bringing you two lighter stories of people exhibiting everyday genius under. . . unusual circumstances. Comedian Dave Holmes' story begins with an upsetting phone call from the IRS. Then we meet a Baton Rouge attorney with a... by Criminal
20 min listen
Episode 28: P.D.I.D.: Patti Hammond Shaw is a transgender woman. She's legally female on her birth certificate and driver's license, and has been since 1993. But when she was arrested in 2009, male officers strip-searched her in front of male detainees, and held her... by Criminal
20 min listen
Episode 50: This is Criminal: To celebrate Criminal's 50th episode, we check in with some of our most memorable guests including Fran Schindler from Episode 17: "Final Exit," Dan Stevenson from Episode 15: "He's Neutral," Corporal Scott Foster from Episode... by Criminal
40 min listen
Episode 21: Bloodlines: Julius Robinson had killed for revenge before, and so when his sister was brutally murdered in her sleep last year, he says he planned to "get" the killer. He felt like his family expected him to get revenge, because that's what he'd always done, both... by Criminal
22 min listen
Episode 40: Pappy: When it comes to the bourbon Pappy Van Winkle, it doesn't matter who you are or how much money you have -- you can't get it unless you're exceptionally lucky or willing to break the law. The Pappy frenzy has law enforcement, bartenders, and even the... by Criminal
28 min listen
Episode 43: 39 Shots: In 1979, a group of labor organizers protested outside a Ku Klux Klan screening of the 1915 white supremacist film, The Birth of a Nation. Nelson Johnson and Signe Waller-Foxworth remember shouting at armed Klansmen and burning a... by Criminal
33 min listen
Episode 65: The Kingfish: In 1928, Huey P. Long became the youngest Governor in Louisiana’s history. He bragged that he bought lawmakers like “sacks of potatoes, shuffled ‘em like a deck of cards.” By the time he was 39 years old, he’d made his way to the U.S.... by Criminal
30 min listen
Episode 38: Jolly Jane: Jane Toppan was born in Massachusetts in 1857. She attended the Cambridge Nursing School, and established a successful private nursing career in Boston. Said to be cheerful, funny and excellent with her patients, nothing about "Jolly Jane" suggested... by Criminal
29 min listen
Episode 47: Brownie Lady: Shortly after Meridy Volz moved from Milwaukee to San Francisco, she received a phone call from a friend asking her to take over a small bakery business. Meridy agreed to run the bakery, but she only wanted to sell one thing: pot brownies. Her... by Criminal
25 min listen
Episode 26: Angie: In July of 2002, Philadelphia Homicide Detective Pat Mangold was called to the scene of a gruesome murder on the Schuylkill River. When he wasn't able to determine the victim's identity, he expected the case to remain unsolved.... by Criminal
27 min listen
Episode 58: Walnut Grove: In 2010, Michael McIntosh's son was incarcerated at the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility in the small town of Walnut Grove, Mississippi. One Sunday, McIntosh went to visit his son and was turned away because, he was told, prison officials... by Criminal
34 min listen
Episode 64: 420: The Colorado Department of Transportation says the 420 mile markers on the state's highways were stolen so often, they had to replace them with 419.99 mile markers. Many people know that "420" represents marijuana - hence the popularity of the mile... by Criminal
19 min listen
Episode 51: Money Tree: When Axton Betz-Hamilton was 11 years old, her parents' identities were stolen. At that time, in the early 90s, consumer protection services for identity theft victims were basically non-existent. So the family dealt with the... by Criminal
29 min listen
Episode 55: The Shell Game: The Magic Castle in Hollywood has been a private club for magicians since 1963, and its walls are lined with portraits of magicians past and present. Among them is a portrait of one of the earliest American organized crime bosses and conmen, Jefferson... by Criminal
17 min listen

More Episodes from Criminal

Skip carousel

Episode 203: Dog in the Bed, Cat in the Bag, Camel on the Golf Course: Stories of animals really going for it. by Criminal
46 min listen
Episode 202: Across the Atlantic: In February of 1910, members of the Music Hall Ladies Guild in London received a strange letter from their treasurer – a singer who went by the name Belle Elmore. It said that she suddenly had to travel to the United States, and that she was resigning from her position. Several weeks later, at the Music Hall Ladies Guild fundraising ball, Belle's husband arrived with a date. And she was wearing Belle's brooch. by Criminal
49 min listen
Episode 201: The Tylenol Murders: On September 29, 1982, Adam Janus suddenly collapsed in his home outside of Chicago. He died within hours. Later that same day, in the same house, his brother also collapsed — then his sister-in-law. All three of them had been healthy. Nobody could figure out what was going on. by Criminal
52 min listen
Episode 200: We Interrupt This Program: On a Saturday night, in February 1949, the music programming on one of the most popular radio stations in Quito, Ecuador was interrupted with an urgent news bulletin: strange objects in the sky that looked like large disks with bright lights were using a powerful ray to destroy a nearby city. And they were heading right for Quito. by Criminal
40 min listen
Episode 199: Ghostwatch: On Halloween night, in 1992, an unusual television special aired on the BBC. Nobody expected what happened next. “The technicians were looking up at the big screen in the lobby, saying to each other, ‘My God, what's going on in Studio One?'” by Criminal
55 min listen
Episode 198: The Hammersmith Ghost: In the winter of 1803, residents outside of London reported strange encounters with a ghost. Some said it looked like Napoleon Bonaparte, or a horse without a head. Others said the ghost breathed fire and smoke. By Christmas, there was a “full-scale phantom panic.” Shortly after the New Year, one man decided he’d stop the ghost once and for all. by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 197: Mantrap: Ed and Bertha Briney’s unoccupied farmhouse was reportedly broken into 50 times over 10 years. They put up “No Trespassing” signs, repeatedly complained to sheriffs in two different counties, nailed doors shut, and boarded up windows - but nothing worked. So they decided to try something else. by Criminal
41 min listen
Episode 196: Hungryland: In March of this year, a biologist working in a nature preserve in Florida saw an alligator swimming along a canal with something in its mouth. When she looked closer, she realized it was a human arm. by Criminal
39 min listen
Episode 195: The Procedure: In 1967, a very unlikely group of individuals gathered to quietly break the law and help facilitate abortions. They established a phone number. When you called it, a recording of a woman's voice would tell you what to do next. by Criminal
34 min listen
Episode 194: The Divorce Colony: This episode picks up where Episode 193 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order. Blanche Molineux visited her husband while he was in prison for murder to keep up what she called the “ghastly pretense.” But eventually, she couldn’t keep it up anymore, and bought a train ticket to a place called "The Divorce Colony." by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 193: A Ring and a Bottle: In 1895, Blanche Chesebrough moved into a small apartment in Gramercy Park, in New York City. She brought a portrait of her parents, a vase for flowers, and her piano. She later said, “music had been my one absorbing interest,” and that she wasn’t interested in getting married. But eventually, she agreed to anyway. When she returned home from her honeymoon, she learned her husband was suspected of murder. by Criminal
35 min listen
Episode 192: The Devil’s Hole Pupfish: There is a cave in the middle of the Mojave Desert called Devil's Hole. It's home to a small iridescent blue fish, called the Devil's Hole pupfish - and you can't find them anywhere else in the world. There are fences, cameras, and motion sensors for security. In 2016, three men rammed the fences and broke in. by Criminal
35 min listen
Episode 191: The Sailor's Teeth: In 1982, forensic dentists examined the teeth of thousands of sailors stationed on an aircraft carrier called the USS Carl Vinson in Newport News, Virginia. It’s been called “the largest dental dragnet likely in U.S. history.” by Criminal
43 min listen
Episode 190: Day In, Day Out: When Laura Coates decided to become a prosecutor in Washington, D.C., she was told that the job would be “human misery.” She says she remembers thinking, “If there's one person in the justice system who could do something about human misery, surely, it's the powerful prosecutor.” After four years, she quit. by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 189: The Doctors: In 2018, we talked with three of America’s most experienced trauma surgeons about what happens when someone is shot. We wanted to spend some time with that conversation again this week. by Criminal
25 min listen
Episode 188: John & Trooper by Criminal
22 min listen
Episode 187: 427 Emails: Pontiac Correctional Center is a maximum security prison in the small town of Pontiac, Illinois. It’s the oldest in the state - founded in 1871 - and has a reputation for being one of the most violent. by Criminal
48 min listen
Episode 186: The Magpie: When Shigeru Yabu was 9 years old, he and his family were incarcerated at Heart Mountain Internment Camp. by Criminal
40 min listen
Episode 185: The Princess: One night in 1817, a woman appeared in the village of Almondsbury, in England. No one could figure out who she was. But everyone wanted to solve the mystery. by Criminal
37 min listen
Episode 184: Ransom: Miles Hargrove was in his sophomore year of college when he got a phone call that his father had been kidnapped. by Criminal
46 min listen
Episode 183: Breaking into the F.B.I.: In 1971, a woman visited an F.B.I. office in Pennsylvania “to see whether there were security alarms before we could decide if we could break in.” by Criminal
48 min listen
Episode 182: The Midnight Slider: "Murder is not something that occurs in this neck of the woods very often." by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 178: "The experiment requires that you continue.": 1. Please continue. 2. The experiment requires that you continue. 3. It is absolutely essential that you continue. 4. You have no other choice, you must go on. by Criminal
42 min listen
Episode 176: The Red Flag: In 2006, a man named William Ramsey went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for a life-saving liver transplant. It was a success, and so when his health started to decline after the procedure, doctors couldn't figure out why. by Criminal
40 min listen
Episode 175: Ghost Racket Crusade: The story of two famous friends — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini — and the disagreement that ended their friendship: can we speak to the dead? by Criminal
43 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Episode 8: Can't Rock This Boat: In March 1964, a 35-year-old African American woman named Johnnie MaeChappell was walking along the side of the road in Jacksonville,Florida. Four white men were driving around listening to the local raceriots on the radio. They had a gun on the... by Criminal
19 min listen
Episode 6: We Lost Them: On April 13, 2014, former KKK member Frazier Glenn Cross pulled into a Jewish Community Center and ambushed a grandfather and grandson, killing both. He then killed another woman a short distance away. What does the family left behind do... by Criminal
16 min listen
Episode 24: Pearl Bryan: In February of 1896, a little boy discovered a woman's headless body in a farmer's field in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. No one knew who she was, or what had happened. Newspapers carried headlines like "Hunt for the Head" and "Headless Horror."... by Criminal
22 min listen
Episode 36: Perfect Specimen: The 500-year-old Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas was once called "the most perfect specimen of a North American tree." But in 1989, Austin's city forester realized that the Treaty Oak didn't look so good, and began to wonder whether someone... by Criminal
26 min listen
Episode 151: The Many Lives of Michael Malloy: In 1932, a group of men in a speakeasy in New York City hatched a plan — to take out life insurance on a loner named Michael Malloy, and make his death look like an accident. They thought it would be easy money. But Michael Malloy would become known as the man who just wouldn’t die. by Criminal
35 min listen
Episode 202: Across the Atlantic: In February of 1910, members of the Music Hall Ladies Guild in London received a strange letter from their treasurer – a singer who went by the name Belle Elmore. It said that she suddenly had to travel to the United States, and that she was resigning from her position. Several weeks later, at the Music Hall Ladies Guild fundraising ball, Belle's husband arrived with a date. And she was wearing Belle's brooch. by Criminal
49 min listen
Episode 193: A Ring and a Bottle: In 1895, Blanche Chesebrough moved into a small apartment in Gramercy Park, in New York City. She brought a portrait of her parents, a vase for flowers, and her piano. She later said, “music had been my one absorbing interest,” and that she wasn’t interested in getting married. But eventually, she agreed to anyway. When she returned home from her honeymoon, she learned her husband was suspected of murder. by Criminal
35 min listen
Episode 182: The Midnight Slider: "Murder is not something that occurs in this neck of the woods very often." by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 38: Jolly Jane: Jane Toppan was born in Massachusetts in 1857. She attended the Cambridge Nursing School, and established a successful private nursing career in Boston. Said to be cheerful, funny and excellent with her patients, nothing about "Jolly Jane" suggested... by Criminal
29 min listen
Episode 16: Poster Boy: On July 17th, 1889, the residents of Clayton County, Iowa woke up to news of the worst crime in their history. A Civil War veteran and his young wife had been murdered in their bed in a grisly attack. Their two children... by Criminal
20 min listen
Episode 35: Pen & Paper: As a young woman in the 60s, Andy Austin talked her way into a job as a courtroom sketch artist in Chicago. She spent 43 years sketching everyone from disgraced governors to John Wayne Gacy, and says she only made someone look bad on purpose... by Criminal
19 min listen
Episode 184: Ransom: Miles Hargrove was in his sophomore year of college when he got a phone call that his father had been kidnapped. by Criminal
46 min listen
Episode 22: Ex Libris: Hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books have been disappearing across America since the late 90s, and haven't resurfaced in the marketplace. They've just vanished, never to be seen again. But unlike most thieves, this thief is... by Criminal
24 min listen
Episode 176: The Red Flag: In 2006, a man named William Ramsey went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for a life-saving liver transplant. It was a success, and so when his health started to decline after the procedure, doctors couldn't figure out why. by Criminal
40 min listen
Episode 163: The Ghoul of Grays Harbor: The Pacific Northwest was said to be terrorized by a serial killer in the early 20th century. A local police chief told reporters that he believed that they were dealing with “the greatest murderer of the age.” But the real story was a lot more complex, and the wealthiest and most influential people in town were interested in keeping it quiet. “They saw him as a thorn in their side and as a person who needed to be removed.” by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 194: The Divorce Colony: This episode picks up where Episode 193 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order. Blanche Molineux visited her husband while he was in prison for murder to keep up what she called the “ghastly pretense.” But eventually, she couldn’t keep it up anymore, and bought a train ticket to a place called "The Divorce Colony." by Criminal
38 min listen
Episode 170: Ian Manuel: At 14 years old, Ian Manuel was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and spent an estimated 18 years in solitary confinement. Today, he tells his story. by Criminal
39 min listen
Episode 201: The Tylenol Murders: On September 29, 1982, Adam Janus suddenly collapsed in his home outside of Chicago. He died within hours. Later that same day, in the same house, his brother also collapsed — then his sister-in-law. All three of them had been healthy. Nobody could figure out what was going on. by Criminal
52 min listen
Episode 189: The Doctors: In 2018, we talked with three of America’s most experienced trauma surgeons about what happens when someone is shot. We wanted to spend some time with that conversation again this week. by Criminal
25 min listen
Episode 21: Bloodlines: Julius Robinson had killed for revenge before, and so when his sister was brutally murdered in her sleep last year, he says he planned to "get" the killer. He felt like his family expected him to get revenge, because that's what he'd always done, both... by Criminal
22 min listen
Episode 197: Mantrap: Ed and Bertha Briney’s unoccupied farmhouse was reportedly broken into 50 times over 10 years. They put up “No Trespassing” signs, repeatedly complained to sheriffs in two different counties, nailed doors shut, and boarded up windows - but nothing worked. So they decided to try something else. by Criminal
41 min listen
Episode 149: Dr. Parkman is Missing: In the mid-1800s, Harvard Medical School had a reputation for being a "den of body snatchers." And then, in November 1849, the school’s most prominent supporter went missing. He was last seen walking into the medical school building. by Criminal
42 min listen
Episode 200: We Interrupt This Program: On a Saturday night, in February 1949, the music programming on one of the most popular radio stations in Quito, Ecuador was interrupted with an urgent news bulletin: strange objects in the sky that looked like large disks with bright lights were using a powerful ray to destroy a nearby city. And they were heading right for Quito. by Criminal
40 min listen
Episode 187: 427 Emails: Pontiac Correctional Center is a maximum security prison in the small town of Pontiac, Illinois. It’s the oldest in the state - founded in 1871 - and has a reputation for being one of the most violent. by Criminal
48 min listen
Episode 178: "The experiment requires that you continue.": 1. Please continue. 2. The experiment requires that you continue. 3. It is absolutely essential that you continue. 4. You have no other choice, you must go on. by Criminal
42 min listen
Episode 34: The Stay: Michael Ross was the first person in Connecticut to be sentenced to death since 1960. He claimed that he wanted to die in order to atone for what he had done. One journalist spent twenty years trying to figure out whether or not his... by Criminal
28 min listen
Episode 26: Angie: In July of 2002, Philadelphia Homicide Detective Pat Mangold was called to the scene of a gruesome murder on the Schuylkill River. When he wasn't able to determine the victim's identity, he expected the case to remain unsolved.... by Criminal
27 min listen
Episode 28: P.D.I.D.: Patti Hammond Shaw is a transgender woman. She's legally female on her birth certificate and driver's license, and has been since 1993. But when she was arrested in 2009, male officers strip-searched her in front of male detainees, and held her... by Criminal
20 min listen
Episode 135: 527 Lime Street: Just before midnight on October 15, 1990, police arrived at 527 Lime Street in Jacksonville, Florida to find the small wood-frame house on fire. There was a man standing in the front yard. He said there were people inside the house. What happened next was so unusual that it changed the way we think about arson. by Criminal
33 min listen
Episode 192: The Devil’s Hole Pupfish: There is a cave in the middle of the Mojave Desert called Devil's Hole. It's home to a small iridescent blue fish, called the Devil's Hole pupfish - and you can't find them anywhere else in the world. There are fences, cameras, and motion sensors for security. In 2016, three men rammed the fences and broke in. by Criminal
35 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Episode 11: I'm About To Save Your Life

Episode 11: I'm About To Save Your Life

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Criminal

Related podcast episodes