The D.C. Snipers: Murder Manipulation and a Lost Boy Pt. 1
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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. We all like knowing someone has our back. Whether it's a friend or a family member, it's important to know they'll be there through the good times and the bad. Otherwise, life can feel daunting. And when people feel alone, they can make bad decisions. In the early 2000s, Lee Boyd Malvo desperately wanted someone to be there for him. And eventually, a man named John Muhammad stepped up to the plate. John gave Lee everything he'd been longing for, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and a safe place to rest his head. Lee couldn't live without John. However, he only knew one side of him. And once John had Lee wrapped around his finger, he roped him into one of the most shocking killing sprees in American history.
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.
How did Lee Boyd Malvo’s early childhood and family instability shape his sense of worth?
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, please be advised that this episode contains discussion of animal abuse, child abuse, spousal abuse, suicide, gun violence, and murder, so please listen with care. Today, we're beginning our deep dive into Lee Boyd Malvo and John Muhammad, better known as the DC Snipers. In the early 2000s, John and Lee terrorized the Washington D.C.
metropolitan area and the rest of the nation. They killed almost 20 innocent victims and injured even more, all so that John could get to his real target, his ex-wife. But despite all of John's planning, a series of careless mistakes finally brought them down.
As Vanessa goes through this story, I'll be talking about things like how growing up in an unstable and violent household can make someone more susceptible to emotional manipulation down the road, how master manipulators play the victim to control others, and how some killers justify extreme violence.
And as always, we'll be asking the question, what makes a killer? Lee Boyd Malvo always believed he was unlovable. He was born on February 18, 1985, in Kingston, Jamaica, and right away he got mixed messages from his parents because his mom, Una James, and his dad, Leslie Malvo, couldn't have been more different. Leslie wanted Lee to be a kid and have fun. From a young age, Lee had dreams of becoming a pilot one day, and Leslie watched happily whenever his son flew around the room with outstretched arms. Una, on the other hand, expected her son to work hard. She set impossible standards for him, like learning to read when he was just three years old. Una made Lee study words until he could barely stay awake.
And if he made a mistake, she'd pinch or even hit him. Whenever Una lost her temper, Leslie stepped in to defend Lee, and Lee only felt safe around his dad. But unfortunately, he was about to lose that sense of comfort, because in 1990, when Lee was five years old, his parents' relationship hit rock bottom. Una accused Leslie of cheating on her. She emptied their joint bank account, then fled to her sister's house in St.
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Chapters
3 chaptersSpeakers
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