Panic 26: Love, Death, and Defiance
Panic: Queer True Crime
In this episode an update, stories of intimate partner violence, and folks you should know about. I wanted to bookend the episode with a story of bravery and power. Please stick around til the end, you will want to know about Chris Bearchell. She rocks. I’d like to thank for alerting us to the amazing fact that Panic: queer True Crime is, for the second year, in the top ten most listened to queer true crime podcasts. Thanks to Feedspot and thanks to you for making it happen. Hugs! Fanny & Stella: A Wild, Wild Victorian Ride Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park were...
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Heartbreak and Victory: Stories of Resistance, Violence, and Change
Panic: Queer True Crime
At first glance, these stories might seem disparate in time, history, and gender—but they aren't at all. From resistance to bar raids, arrests, and harassment long before Stonewall, to hate crime murders and legal defenses ratified in courts across the world, until gay panic could no longer be sustained as a murder rationale. Each one of these stories of heartbreak and victory adds a vital detail to the larger story of queer folks and their struggle to achieve equality and full protection under the law. Please subscribe and share these stories. 1. The Homosexual Advance Defense...
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Panicked: Brent William Bedayan and the Murder of Three Members of the Schallock Family
Panic: Queer True Crime
On March 16th, 1973, three members of the Schallock family were found dead in their driveway as their home burned behind them. This episode explores the tragic descent of Brent William Bedayan, a former athlete whose treatment of schizophrenia couldn't prevent the devastating, violent outcome. Discover how the defense relied on the discredited psychiatric theory "homosexual panic," even though the decade had ushered in advances in the understanding and treatment of paranoia and schizophrenia. Join me to explore the rarely discussed intersection of mental health, LGBTQ+ history, and...
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Sex, Identity, and a Fight for Survival
Panic: Queer True Crime
Sex, Identity, and The Fight for Basic Rights Two landmark cases that overturned the targeted attempts on the part of states across the United States to criminalize being queer. In 1982 and 1998, both Michael Hardwick, John Geddes Lawrence Jr., and Tyron Garner were arrested for having sex in the privacy of their own homes. A State of Emergency: Violence Against Black Trans Women, A Cry for Justice 4 Black Trans Women Killed – A State of Emergency from across the country of black transgender women murdered by gun violence. All but one of these cases is solved. All of the women deserve the...
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A Serial Killer in the Suburbs of Paris, The Death of a Small Town Legend, Domestic Violence in Harlem, A Repeat Offender, and a Black Trans State of Emergency
Panic: Queer True Crime
A Serial Killer in the Suburbs of Paris The first victim was spotted by a passerby on August 13, 2025, as officials fished the body out of the Seine in a suburb of Paris near a known gay cruising spot. Divers searching the area found another body, then another, then another. As investigators search for answers and other possible victims, speculation swirls about the motive for the murders. The Murder of Ryan Godbey: A Family Seeks Justice Ryan Godbey, a beloved member of Canton’s LGBTQ+ community, whose a disappearance and murder shocked the Canton, Ohio area in 2025. The arrest...
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Intimate Partner Violence, a Mysterious Hanging, a Hate Crime or Self Defense, and The Murder of Three Transgender Women of Color, State of Emergency
Panic: Queer True Crime
Paul Carlile and William Sakosky On November 5, 1982, Paul Carlile and William Sakosky checked into a room at the gay Florida resort Parliament House, only one of them would leave. Alana Miccolis and Megha Saluja Alana Miccolis and Megha Saluja agreed to spend a weekend at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Florida. No one could have imagined how the trail of texts would lead detectives to a volatile trail of obsession, intimate partner violence, and death. Timothy Charles Lee On the evening of November 2, 1985, 23-year-old fashion design student Timothy Charles Lee fell asleep on the Bay Area...
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Ian McLoughlin: Allowed to Kill,
Panic: Queer True Crime
The story of Ian McLoughlin's murder spree contains mentions of crimes against teenagers and children. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. This content is intended for educational purposes only and aims to examine flaws in the justice system. It is not suitable for viewers under 18. Please prioritize your mental health and well-being. Ian McLoughlin - a serial killer who exploited the UK's controversial "provocation defense" to escape murder charges and continue killing for decades. In 1983, McLoughlin brutally murdered Len Delgatty but convinced a jury he was "provoked" by alleged audio...
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PRIDE. BABY!
Panic: Queer True Crime
To belatedly celebrate Pride, this special month-long podcast series highlights four extraordinary figures—some queer, some allied—whose lives and work shaped LGBTQ+ history in ways both bold and quietly revolutionary. We begin with the mysterious, evocative collaboration between African American model T and famed artist John Singer Sargent. Their decade-long connection, hidden in Sargent’s private collection, speaks volumes about art, desire, and survival in the shadows. Next, we honor Lorraine Hansberry—a trailblazing playwright, civil rights activist, and quiet radical. Though best...
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The Montagu Case: A Peer of the Realm Caught in a Gay Sex Scandal
Panic: Queer True Crime
Two corrections: The pronunciation of Beaulieu is closer to "B-you-ly" or BYOO-lee. In the episode, I mention that the age of consent was 16. That was the age of consent for heterosexuals only. Homosexuality was illegal across all ages until a minor reform in 1967. The Sexual Offences Act 1967 legalized homosexual acts between two men over 21 in private. This did not apply to the armed forces or the merchant navy. Lesbian acts were never criminalized, so there was no legal age of consent. In the spring of 1953, four men, including a British lord and two RAF officers, would become the...
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Murder and Hatred in the UK and Across The USA
Panic: Queer True Crime
Several of these stories and their victims are part of the anti-queer wave of legislation put in place by the UK conservative government seeking to outlaw homosexuality. As the anti-queer rhetoric rose, so did the violence against the LGBTQ+ community. The de Gruchy case was the first time the mainstream press began to use the term “queer-bashing” to describe the murderous level of hate crimes. Before this, the tone was unmistakably mock and/or cruel, but the standard would not hold. In 1969, Michael de Gruchy was attacked and beaten to death by a teen gang trolling a gay...
info_outlineIn this episode an update, stories of intimate partner violence, and folks you should know about. I wanted to bookend the episode with a story of bravery and power. Please stick around til the end, you will want to know about Chris Bearchell. She rocks.
Fanny & Stella: A Wild, Wild Victorian Ride
Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park were “respectable” Victorian gentlemen who found freedom onstage as Fanny and Stella. Their drag performances thrilled audiences across 1860s–70s England—until they brought their show into the streets. Their arrest and scandalous trial exposed the era’s hypocrisy and crushed both love and ambition. Fanny, Stella, and their circle lived boldly in a world that punished authenticity, making them pioneers to be celebrated.
2025 Update: Justice for Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee in the Ole Miss Murder Case
After an 11–1 mistrial and the later discovery of Jimmie “Jay” Lee’s body, Timothy Herrington Jr. took a plea deal for Lee’s killing. The judge said Mississippi “got it right this time,” yet the state still lacks LGBTQ+ protections or hate crime coverage. Both young men had promising futures ended by homophobia—a reminder that being gay isn’t deadly, but hate is.
Her Short, Brilliant Life Was Cut Short by Violence
When Girlalala (LaLa) and her boyfriend, Shanoyd Whyte Jr., fought on November 14, 2025, tragedy struck. Whyte pulled a gun and killed LaLa, leaving the community in shock. Intimate partner violence is alarmingly high in the trans community—but help is available. If you or someone you know is in danger, please seek support.
Timothy Smith Murder Trial Update
Timothy Smith and Herbert Swilley seemed the picture of happiness in Ocala, Florida—until coworkers found Smith dead in March 2023. He’d been drugged, strangled, and left in a staged scene. Months later, Swilley was charged with first-degree premeditated murder.
Warrior Chris Bearchell: “No More Sht”
Christine “Chris” Bearchell was a fearless Canadian lesbian activist who helped reshape LGBTQ+ rights. From challenging sexist dress codes in high school to leading protests after Toronto’s 1981 bathhouse raids, she fought back against police harassment and public shaming. A founder of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and key voice in securing Ontario’s human rights protections, she also championed sex workers’ rights and HIV/AIDS outreach. Bearchell died in 2007 at 53—remembered as a visionary warrior who deserves wider recognition.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
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