Season 4: Ep. 9 - "Dr. Death" The Strange Life of Dr. Michael Swango
Release Date: 09/15/2026
Season 4: Ep. 11 - A Deeper Look at The Last Hitman
Dead Before Deadline
Your host, Robin Yocum, released his latest novel, The Last Hitman, in December. New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box said of the novel, “The Last Hitman is a rollicking tale of mob violence, betrayal, attitude, and homicidal psychos that I thoroughly fell for. A terrific read.” Publishers Weekly called it “electrifying.” Jaclynn interviews her dad on the novel, its origins, and the difference between covering crime for the newspaper and writing crime fiction. As always be sure to check out for more information on all the latest from Robin and be on the look out...
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Season 4: Ep. 10 - The Riverside Homicides and a Bloody Day for the FBI
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On the afternoon of Dec. 30, 1983, the bodies of Joyce McFadden and Patricia Matix were found in a research laboratory at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. They had been stabbed to death. The case would frustrate detectives for years as every lead turned cold. That was until April 11, 1986, when William Matix, Patricia’s husband at the time of her murder, and his partner-in-crime, Michael Lee Platt, were involved in one of the bloodiest shootouts in FBI history. Finally, detectives had some possible answers. As always be sure to check out robinyocum.com for...
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Season 4: Ep. 9 - "Dr. Death" The Strange Life of Dr. Michael Swango
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Michael Swango is believed to have been one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Some estimates put his body count at 60 in the United States and Africa. There were telltale signs that the brilliant medical student had a dark side when he ignored his medical school studies to work on an ambulance crew where several patients under his care coded on the way to the hospital. Classmates nicknamed him Double-O Swango, a nod to 007 James Bond and the fictional spy’s license to kill. When he arrived for his residency at University Hospital on the campus of Ohio State...
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Season 4: Ep. 8 - Why are the ATMs Running Out of Money?
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The vice president of security at Bank One called Mark David Huffman “a trusted employee.” That was until he stole $409,000 of the bank’s cash. Huffman was one of the few employees at the bank entrusted with restocking the ATMs. On the Saturday before Christmas of 1980, bank officials were scratching their heads, wondering why the ATMs were running out of money. “Has anyone seen Huffman?” they asked. As it turned out, no one would see him for quite a while. Be sure to check out robinyocum.net for all the latest from your host Robin Yocum!
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Season 4: Ep. 7 - A Detective’s Worst Nightmare: The Murders of Lynn and Jeremy
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Twenty-three-year-old Lynn Vest and her 18-month-old nephew, Jeremy Pickens, left the house on Nov. 12, 1980, to go to the bank and run a few errands. They never returned. Late that night, their bodies were found in the back of Lynn’s car. She had been strangled, and Jeremy had been smothered. Lynn was the daughter of Columbus Burglary Detective Don Hochuli; Jeremy was his grandson. The Columbus Police detective bureau threw all its resources at the case, but it would remain unsolved for more than four decades before DNA evidence identified one of the suspects in the case. Be sure to check...
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Season 4: Ep.6 - The Belle in the Well
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For nearly 40 years, the Belle in the Well was a mystery in Lawrence County, Ohio. In 1981, two girls playing in the woods near their house lifted the cap on a cistern and discovered the body of a woman. She had been strangled and dumped in the cistern. Her body was too badly decomposed to make an identification. The decades-long efforts of Bill Nenni, an investigator for the coroner’s office, came to fruition in 2019 when DNA evidence identified the woman as Louise Virginia Peterson Flesher. While she has been identified, her murder has never been solved. (Note: Yes, it was a cistern...
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Season 4: Ep. 5 - The Disappearance of Donette Crawford
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Donette Crawford went out for a night of fun with a friend and never came home. She was just twenty and a young mother when she disappeared. Police searched for weeks, but had few clues and no suspects. Things changed when a criminal named John Glenn Roe was arrested breaking into a Radio Shack in Dayton, Ohio. He said he had information on Donette’s disappearance, which he was willing to trade for leniency on the burglary charges. As it turned out, there was a reason why Roe had inside information on Donette’s disappearance. Be sure to check out for all the latest...
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Season 4: Ep. 4 - How Randy Walker Solved a Heinous Murder from his Wheelchair
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Randy Walker was destined to become the chief of police in Columbus, Ohio. Anyone who knew him would validate that claim. Then, on July 23, 1975, an assailant’s bullet slipped through an opening in his bulletproof vest, paralyzing him from the chest down. It was during his next career as a civilian polygraph expert that Randy made his biggest contribution to law enforcement. Florida officials were ready to throw in the towel on their murder of 10-year-old Stacy Weinstein, but Randy had other plans. He extracted a confession from an unlikely suspect. As always be sure to check out...
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Season 4: Ep. 3 - The Buried Treasures of John Dillinger and “Pretty Boy” Floyd
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Legends exist in opposite ends of Ohio – northwest and southeast – about the hidden loot of two of America’s most notorious gangsters, John Dillinger and “Pretty Boy” Floyd. Dillinger supposedly buried his loot on a Leipsic, Ohio, farm owned by the family of his wingman, Harry Pierpont. Floyd reportedly buried his loot on a farm in the unincorporated coal-mining community of Rush Run, near the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio. Your host, Robin Yocum, has a family connection to the legend of “Pretty Boy” Floyd’s buried loot. Be sure to check out for...
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Season 4: Ep. 2 - Catherine Wanner was Killed 75 Miles from College, but Only a Mile from Home
Dead Before Deadline
Catherine Wanner was a freshman accounting major at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She was carrying a 3.56 GPA. On Feb. 22, 1982, she was found shot to death in a Columbus apartment. She was 75 miles from her dormitory, but less than a mile from her parents’ home. How did a beautiful 18-year-old end up dead in the apartment of Roy Sage, an unemployed carpenter nearly 30 years her senior? Sage had superficial bullet wounds. He claimed it was a botched double suicide. Columbus homicide detectives believed otherwise. Be sure to check out for the latest updates from Robin.
info_outlineMichael Swango is believed to have been one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Some estimates put his body count at 60 in the United States and Africa.
There were telltale signs that the brilliant medical student had a dark side when he ignored his medical school studies to work on an ambulance crew where several patients under his care coded on the way to the hospital.
Classmates nicknamed him Double-O Swango, a nod to 007 James Bond and the fictional spy’s license to kill. When he arrived for his residency at University Hospital on the campus of Ohio State University, patients again began mysteriously dying.
It would be years and many deaths later before authorities were able to get the evil doctor behind bars.
Be sure to check out robinyocum.net for all the latest from your host Robin!
Get "The Last Hitman" here