SERIAL KILLER: The Midnight Assassin Pt. 2
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A&E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series, The First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. The interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs in the critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow The First 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This is Crime House. Sometimes you just want to blend into the crowd. Maybe you put on a hoodie and sunglasses to run errands, or you sit in the back of the classroom or conference room. It's normal to not feel like your best self sometimes and to avoid unwanted attention. But for some, anonymity isn't just a coping mechanism. It's a tactic, a way to avoid detection when carrying out nefarious and even gruesome acts. In 1880s Texas, a brutal killer, or killers, perfected the art of going incognito. And to this day, we're left to wonder if whoever was behind the violence hadn't just targeted the city of Austin, but cities all over the world.
The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love, and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Serial Killers and Murderous Minds, a Crime House Original. I'm Vanessa Richardson.
And I'm forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer. Crime House exists because of listeners like you.
Want even more? Join Crime House Plus and get both parts of every story dropped on the same Monday, completely ad-free. No waiting three days for part two, plus Crime House bonus episodes every month. To join, go to crimehouseplus.com, or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, tap Try Free at the top of the Serial Killers and Murderous Minds page. Before we get started, be advised this episode contains discussions of murder and sexual violence against women and minors, so please listen with care. Today we conclude our deep dive on the Midnight Assassin, an unidentified serial killer who terrorized the city of Austin, Texas for years, shedding light not just on deep racial prejudice, but inadequate investigative resources.
The case of the Midnight Assassin, also known as the Servant Girl Annihilator, remains a haunting mystery. And nowadays, people wonder if the killer may have actually been one of the most gruesome in the world.
As Vanessa goes through the story, I'll be talking about things like how distrust toward law enforcement can impact investigations, why investigators sometimes conceal key information from the public, and how some serial killers are able to blend into society and hide in plain sight.
And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer? By September of 1885, six members of Austin's Black community were brutally killed in their sleep. Molly Smith, Eliza Shelley, Irene Cross, Mary Ramey, who was just 11 years old, Gracie Vance, and her boyfriend, Orange Washington. Most of the victims died from severe head wounds, and at the most recent crime scene, when Gracie and Orange were killed, police found a bloody axe. And despite the sheer level of violence involved with each crime, some cases stood out. First, Mary and Gracie had each been sexually assaulted before they died, and Orange was the only male victim whose injuries had resulted in death. Finally, police found bare footprints at the scene of Eliza and Mary's murders,
which they believed had been left by the killer. And when they looked closely at the prints outside Mary's home, it appeared her killer was missing his pinky toe. Even before the MO of the attacks began to shift, many investigators believed the murders were being carried out by different people. This was largely because at the time, the concept of a serial killer wasn't very prevalent. despite this belief the media and many members of the public had started to think a sole culprit was behind each crime and the media had dubbed the unidentified killer the midnight assassin or the servant girl annihilator this theory also led to outrage that police hadn't uncovered any legitimate leads or brought charges against anyone since each victim was black austin authorities mainly targeted black men as suspects
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–25:24
2
How did the Midnight Assassin first terrorize Austin’s Black servant community?
25:24–30:57
3
What physical evidence pointed to a distinctive killer (missing pinky toe and footprints)?
30:57–38:57
4
How did investigative bias and bloodhounds escalate fear and mistrust in Black neighborhoods?
38:57–46:20
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Serial Killers & Murderous Minds
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