A Spree Killer, A Drifter, A Lover, Stranger Danger, A Murderous Wife, An Update, and a Cold Case

In my ongoing exploration of the history of homophobia in life and the law, I've been researching the trends, and I do mean trends, of attacks fueled by the targeting of mostly gay men.

From the late 1950s through the 1970s in the United States, "Rolling a Queer" became such an epidemic that both Democrats and Republicans came together to introduce legislation that would create some minor protections for gays and lesbians. It failed, of course, and the attacks continued at pace. 

This crime wave helps to explain why the "Homosexual Panic Defense" began to be used in the 1960s in courtrooms across the country. A young man defending himself from the advances of a predatory homosexual is much more defendable than a defendant targeting gay men for fun and profit. 

I have many more of these stories from the 1950s through the 1970s to share.

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In this week's episode:

 Sam Nordquist left home to visit his online girlfriend. When his mother and other family members couldn't get ahold of him, they begged authorities to help him, but sadly, help came too late. 

In September 2024, Zsolt Zsolyomi disabled his leg monitor and disappeared onto the north Florida Island of Miami Beach and Little Havana using an alias to court, rob, batter, and then murder two older men with disabilities. Would the police stop him before he could kill again?

In 1973, the Long Beach murder of a World War II veteran and beloved school teacher, Hollis Voas, exposed the escalating cycle of rolling a queer that spiked during the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. Law enforcement quickly tracked down the suspects Don James Myers and Kenneth Evans, after discovering the victim tied to his blood-soaked bedroom. Thirty-nine pieces of evidence, a stolen Cadillac, and a childhood friend would lead police to the perpetrators a few hours after the murder. I saw this 1973 news item so quietly tucked away in a newspaper that I knew I had to share his story. Thanks to one of Mr. Voas' relatives for sharing a picture of him for the YouTube coverage.

The 1953 murder of bartender Walter Thalen by a drifter who wandered into the bar where Thalen worked at the end of a night of drinking would have a devasting impact far and wide. 

In March of 2025, Buffalo, New York, Allentown was rocked by the double murder of two beloved men. Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto contributed to their community in art and activism, and they were snatched away senselessly and violently. 

49, California Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi and 53, Yolanda Olejniczak-Marodi, began dating in 2018, marrying in 2022. By February 2025, Marodi was ready to end what friends called a controlling and isolating marriage, but she would never get the chance. This wasn't the first time Yolanda Olejniczak-Marodi was involved in a murder.

Reports of intimate partner violence among lesbians are the most underreported. If you or anyone you know needs help, use the resources below.

Finally, an update on cases we've covered on the channel and a cold case. 

I hope you stay with me as I continue to share more of these hidden stories of lives lived and snuffed out. They deserve our loving attention.

 If you'd like to watch any of these episodes, you watch them all at:

https://www.youtube.com/@panicqueertruecrime

 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE 

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233

Online live chat: thehotline.org

If you or someone you know is in danger, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Thanks to Mystic Magazine for the global resource guide, one of the first to be compiled.

https://www.mysticmag.com/psychic-reading/domestic-violence-resource-guide/

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