Podcast Summary: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: ZONE 7 — "The Photo, the Killer, and the Woman Who Got Away" with Georgia Durante

Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Cheryl McCollum
Guest: Georgia Durante

Overview

This gripping episode centers on Georgia Durante—a former mob wheelman, model, and renowned stunt car driver—who shockingly discovers her own photo while watching a true crime documentary about serial killer Joseph Naso. The conversation delves into her unexpected connection to the killer, the chilling details of her near escape, and the mysteries that remain about why she survived while so many others did not. The episode explores trauma, survival, and the unresolved questions of Naso's crimes, with both Cheryl and Georgia contemplating a face-to-face confrontation with the killer.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Georgia’s Shocking Discovery

• Setting the Scene: Georgia was relaxing at home, ready to watch a crime show she’d DVR-ed: Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer (03:08).
• As she watches, she’s stunned to see her own photograph uncovered by detectives investigating Naso's murders, with police thinking she was one of his victims.
• “They pull this picture out of the ground that the serial killer had buried, and it was my picture… and they were trying to figure out which victim I was.” — Georgia Durante (03:29)

2. Who Was Joseph Naso?

• Naso was a photographer who became a notorious serial killer—confessing to 26 murders according to notes from a prison acquaintance.
• He targeted sex workers and vulnerable women in California and possibly linked to unsolved murders in Rochester, NY ("The Alphabet Killer") (08:52).

3. The Chilling Photo Shoot

• Georgia models for Naso around 1970–1972, possibly after being contacted through the Rochester Institute of Technology or due to her then-husband’s nightclub.
• Georgia does not recall the exact shoot but remembers his face and the woods setting.
• The photo: Unlike hundreds of others, Naso enlarges hers to 11x14, encases it, and buries it—a unique act among his works (10:32).
  • “He had pictures of hundreds of girls, but mine was the only one that he blew up and buried.” — Georgia Durante (10:32)
• Possible explanations: Her celebrity status as “the Kodak Girl,” her mob-affiliated husband, or simply that she wasn’t the typical vulnerable target Naso selected.

4. Could Georgia Have Been His Victim?

• Georgia reflects on why she wasn’t murdered. She speculates it might be because she was famous, and her disappearance would bring unwanted attention. Alternatively, her marriage to a mobster may have made her a dangerous target (06:07, 07:20).
• “Maybe by killing me would bring more attention to him.” — Georgia Durante (05:53)
• Cheryl reiterates Naso’s usual victim profile: marginalized women often overlooked by society.

5. Plans for a Prison Confrontation

• Georgia expresses a desire to meet Naso in person and ask why he didn’t kill her, believing his ego might lure him into a confession (08:28, 10:58).
• She contemplates using flattery or playing to his ego to get answers, even humorously considering invoking serial killer statistics (“Bundy killed 36, Gacy killed 38…”).
• “Maybe I killed him with kindness or something.” — Georgia Durante (10:38)
• “If I do have the opportunity…‘Joe, you’re 92, you’re gonna die soon. Don’t you want to go out on top?’” — Georgia Durante (11:18)

6. Unsolved Murders & Renewed Investigations

• Naso’s diaries and notes from a fellow inmate are reigniting investigations into unsolved cases, like the "Alphabet Murders" in Rochester, where Naso lived in the early 1970s (08:52).
• The authorities continue attempting to match his photographs and diary clues to victims.

7. The Survivors’ Club

• Georgia relates a story of another woman who escaped Naso after offering him food during the shoot, wondering if her own potato recipe story might be connected to her survival (14:55).
  • “She said, I think it was the chicken soup that saved my life…Maybe she gave him chicken soup, I gave him chicken soup for the soul…” — Georgia Durante (15:20)

8. Cold Case Detective’s Reaction

• Georgia proactively contacts the cold case detective working on the case to clarify her identity.
  • “I found his website and I emailed him: the woman you think is a victim from Mount Tam is me…That is not who you think it is.” — Georgia Durante (13:34)
• The detective is astounded and relieved by her message.
  • “He said, ‘You have no idea how many nights I’ve been up trying to figure out who you were… I am so thankful you’re still living.’” — Georgia Durante (25:05)

9. Psychological Analysis & the FBI Profiler

• Cheryl promises that her friend, retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley, will provide professional insights into Naso’s possible motives.
• Cheryl surmises that Naso may have seen Georgia as unattainable or “the one that got away” (24:51).

10. Personal Impact and Courage

• Georgia remarks on the surreal nature of her life, how friends joke, “Only you!” (26:01).
• Despite others’ warnings about the dangers of facing Naso or his “followers,” Georgia feels undeterred: “That doesn’t faze me at all.” (28:37)
• Cheryl and Georgia discuss the importance of confronting the past and reclaiming the narrative, noting how this chapter would add to Georgia’s already incredible life story.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Georgia’s Shock:
  “Here you are at home in the bed, lights are out…and you’re looking at your own photograph.”
  — Cheryl McCollum (04:45)

• On Naso’s Victims:
  “He kind of chose women that were prostitutes and drug addicts and, you know, women that wouldn’t necessarily be missed... Maybe by killing me would bring more attention.”
  — Georgia Durante (05:50)

• On the Unique Photo:
  “He had pictures of hundreds of girls, but mine was the only one that he blew up and buried.”
  — Georgia Durante (10:32)

• On Confronting Naso:
  “I wanna go into the prison. I want to see this guy face to face, and I want to ask him why he didn’t kill me.”
  — Georgia Durante (08:15)

• Detective’s Response:
  “He said, ‘You have no idea how many nights I’ve been up trying to figure out who you were…’”
  — Georgia Durante (25:05)

• Cheryl on Georgia’s Character:
  “You handled it like you’ve handled everything, with such good humor, with grace, and just saying, hey, I’m gonna confront this head on.”
  — Cheryl McCollum (28:11)

Important Timestamps

• Georgia’s Discovery (03:08 – 04:45): Georgia recounts seeing her photo on TV.
• Naso’s Profile and Georgia’s Theories (05:50 – 07:44): Why she might not have been killed.
• Desire to Confront Naso (08:15 – 10:58): Georgia’s plan to face the serial killer.
• Alphabet Killer Discussion (08:52): Possible link to Rochester murders.
• The Unique Photograph (10:32): Significance of the photo Naso buried.
• Cold Case Detective Contacted (13:34): Georgia reaches out, resolves at least one mystery.
• Survivor Anecdotes (14:55): Chicken soup story and possible links.
• FBI Profiler Julia Cowley’s Role (21:21, 22:03): Bringing in expert analysis.
• Detective’s Relief (25:05): Heartfelt reaction to Georgia’s survival.
• Themes of Survival & Moving Forward (28:37): Georgia’s courage in confronting the past.

Episode Conclusion

Cheryl closes with a quote from Joseph Naso’s 2013 trial, highlighting the killer’s denial:

“I am not the monster that killed these women. I dated, I danced, I took pictures. But I don’t kill people and there’s no evidence of that.” — Joseph Naso, self-rep at trial (32:36)

Cheryl expresses admiration for Georgia’s courage and determination. The episode concludes with plans for Georgia and Cheryl to pursue answers—possibly via a prison visit and expert criminal profiling—continuing the search for closure in one of crime’s most chilling survivor stories.

This episode is a riveting exploration of trauma, close calls, survivor's guilt, the ongoing search for truth in serial crime cases, and the power of confronting the past head-on.