7 | The Devil Won't Leave Me Alone

Summary

Crook County: Episode 7 – "The Devil Won't Leave Me Alone"

Release Date: March 18, 2025
Host: Kyle Tekiela
Produced by Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In Episode 7 of Crook County, titled "The Devil Won't Leave Me Alone," Kyle Tekiela delves deeper into the tumultuous life of his father, Ken Tekiela—a revered Chicago firefighter who simultaneously led a clandestine existence as a hitman for the Chicago mafia. This episode unpacks the intricate web of deception, violence, and corruption that plagued Ken's life and profoundly impacted his family.

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A New Beginning and Family Life

The episode opens with reflections on Ken's transition to civilian life. After surviving a tragic plane crash—the worst commercial air disaster in U.S. history—Ken found a new direction, deciding to become a paramedic firefighter. This career change marked the beginning of his attempt to leave his violent past behind and focus on building a stable family life.

Ken Tekiela [04:58]: "I really wanted to get back into civilian life. I was ready for it, man. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this girl... start having a normal life, you know?"

Ken quickly married his wife, Honey, and welcomed two sons, Kyle and Corey. Their suburban life appeared idyllic, filled with ordinary family joys like hockey games and weekend trips. However, beneath this veneer of normalcy lurked the shadows of Ken's unresolved past.

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Under the Surface: First Signs of Violence

Despite the outward appearance of stability, occasional incidents hinted at Ken's lingering connection to his criminal life. One notable event from Kyle’s childhood involved Ken violently disciplining an opponent’s parent during a hockey game confrontation.

Kyle Tekiela [08:43]: "I saw Dad lay the motherfucker out. Imagine that. And don't attack him."

Another disturbing revelation came when Ken returned home with visible gunshot wounds, contradicting his supposed departure from the mob life.

Ken Tekiela [10:11]: "I got shot... Small caliber gunshot. It was a gunshot."

These incidents were isolated yet critical indicators that Ken’s past was far from over, despite his attempts to shield his family from his violent dealings.

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Covering Up for Corrupt Cops

As Ken settled into his role as a firefighter, he found himself entangled once again with law enforcement corruption. The Chicago Outfit had deeply infiltrated the police department, enabling Ken to cover up murders and other illicit activities orchestrated by crooked cops.

Violent Cover-Ups

Ken was often called upon to manipulate crime scenes and reports to protect his mafioso associates. This moral compromise was a direct threat to his aspirations of a peaceful, family-oriented life.

Ken Tekiela [13:08]: "I'm covering up murders that these cops are doing... It’s the devil. It’s following me wherever I go."

The consequences of these actions were severe. Ken recounted harrowing stories of police brutality, including incidents where off-duty officers tortured and killed innocent civilians, demanding that Ken alter his official reports to conceal these atrocities.

Holly Fry [23:19]: "They forced him to eat out of a feed bag and tortured him, leading to his death... Your dad was furious that they bullied that kid and basically killed him."

Impact on the Family

Kyle and his family were largely oblivious to these dark undertakings, living blissfully unaware of the constant danger looming over them. The revelation of Ken’s double life shattered their perception of safety and trust.

Maria Tremarchi [12:59]: "It's so unsafe for your family, being in a world like that and doing things like that and jeopardizing your family and our safety."

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Mike's Testimony: A Glimpse into Ken’s True Nature

A pivotal section of the episode features testimonies from Ken's former partner, Mike—a close friend who worked with him at a private ambulance company and various fire departments over 18 years. Mike provides an unfiltered look into Ken's aggressive and protective nature.

Ken’s Temper and Loyalty

Mike illustrates Ken's confrontational demeanor and unwavering loyalty, traits that made him both respected and feared among peers.

Mike [16:23]: "Your dad was the one person I really felt comfortable with... Doesn't matter what happens because we can handle anything that comes down the pipe."

He recounts an incident where Ken violently subdued a disruptive paramedic partner, demonstrating his capacity for extreme measures to maintain control and protect his interests.

Holly Fry [19:16]: "Ken grabbed him by the neck and started choking him... The guy's head turned purple, and he passed out."

Unyielding Partnership

Despite the resulting tensions and the eventual directive from their fire department chief to cease working together, Mike and Ken's bond remained unbreakable, reinforcing Ken's dual existence as a family man and a mob enforcer.

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The Inescapable Darkness of Organized Crime

The episode further explores the pervasive corruption within Cook County's police force, highlighting how deeply the Chicago Outfit had embedded itself within law enforcement. This entanglement made it nearly impossible for Ken to fully detach from his criminal responsibilities.

Holly Fry [27:21]: "They had operatives all the way up... running their own jewel theft ring. Major corruption."

The influence extended to the judicial system, where even judges would dismiss cases involving Outfit members, ensuring a cycle of impunity and protection for organized crime figures.

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Struggles and Regrets

Ken’s internal conflict is palpable as he grapples with his inability to escape the criminal world. His acknowledgment of the devil's persistent presence signifies his torment and the inescapable pull of his past deeds.

Ken Tekiela [13:08]: "The devil. It’s following me wherever I go. I can't shake this son of a, he won't leave me alone."

His struggle was not just professional but deeply personal, as he had to reconcile his role as a protector of his family with his obligations to the mafia and corrupt officials.

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Conclusion: A Life of Deception and Its Aftermath

"The Devil Won't Leave Me Alone" paints a vivid picture of Ken Tekiela's complex dual life, illustrating how his relentless ties to organized crime undermined his efforts to maintain a normal family existence. The episode underscores the profound and lasting impact of Ken's actions on his family, revealing the heartbreaking reality of living with secrets and the constant threat of violence.

Kyle Tekiela's exploration in this episode serves as a poignant reminder of the intricate balance between personal desires and external obligations, and the devastating consequences when the two clash irreconcilably.

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Notable Quotes with Timelines

• Ken Tekiela [04:58]: "I really wanted to get back into civilian life..."
• Kyle Tekiela [08:43]: "I saw Dad lay the motherfucker out..."
• Ken Tekiela [13:08]: "The devil. It’s following me wherever I go..."
• Holly Fry [19:16]: "Ken grabbed him by the neck and started choking him..."
• Maria Tremarchi [12:59]: "It's so unsafe for your family..."

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"The Devil Won't Leave Me Alone" is a gripping installment of Crook County, offering listeners an unflinching look into the shadowy intersections of familial love, loyalty, and the inescapable past. Through personal anecdotes, firsthand testimonies, and raw emotion, Kyle Tekiela masterfully unravels the layers of his father's enigmatic life, leaving listeners both captivated and contemplative.

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Transcript

[Dan Goldberg]

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what? No one would know for decades he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown Host]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast.

[Maria Tremarchi]

I'm Maria Tremarchi.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Unknown Host]

Each season we explore a new theme.

[Maria Tremarchi]

From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.

[Holly Fry]

The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Unknown Host]

And tune in at the end of.

[Maria Tremarchi]

Each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. This season explores women from the 19th century to now. Women who were murderers and scammers, but also women who were photojournalists, lawyers, writers and more. This podcast tells more than just the brutal, gory details of horrific acts. I delve into the good, the bad, the difficult, and all the nuance I can find because these are the stories that we need to know to understand the intersection of society, justice and the fascinating workings of the human psyche. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Seal]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seal]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seals bestselling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Mark Seal]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown Host]

Crook county is released weekly and brought to you absolutely free. But if you wanna hear the whole season right now it's available ad free on Tenderfoot Plus. For more information, check out the Show Notes. Enjoy the episode. You're listening to Crook county the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are.

[Nathan King]

Solely those of the individuals participating in the podcast. This episode also contains subject matter, including graphic depictions of violence which may not be suitable for everyone. Listener discretion is advised.

[Unknown Host]

Previously on Crook County.

[Mark Seal]

We're reporting this afternoon on the worst commercial air disaster in United States history.

[Unknown Host]

A tragic plane crash gave Ken a new direction.

[Mark Seal]

That's when I decided wanted to be a paramedic firefighter. You know, I figured that's my career now. I'm gonna do this.

[Unknown Host]

And Ken fell for a club girl named Honey.

[Mark Seal]

I see that big smile on her. Everything went away. All the bad stuff went away.

[Unknown Host]

Turf wars broke out across the city.

[Mark Seal]

There was a couple attempts to take over the clubs. Yeah, it was a fucking gun battle that broke out.

[Unknown Host]

And amidst all the chaos, Kenny made his exit.

[Mark Seal]

So I knew that was my cue and I took it and I was gone. I.

[Unknown Host]

My name is Kyle Tequila. Welcome to Crook County.

[Mark Seal]

Lost in the Waves. Lost in the Waves.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah. Crook County. Yeah, there's no doubt about that. It's a den of thieves. The administration is a den of thieves.

[Mark Seal]

Technically, I'm out of the mob, but I'm still doing shady shit with the fire department. Covering the fucking roofs. And I raised my family doing that.

[Unknown Host]

Episode seven, the Devil Won't Leave Me Alone.

[Mark Seal]

I really wanted to get back into civilian life. I was ready for it. I was ready for it, man. I wanted to get back into the civilian life. You have to understand that. No, it's like anything else. It's like, thank God it's here. I got a job. I'm in a fire department. I got a job. I got a W2, you know, I gotta pay taxes.

[Unknown Host]

You're on the grid?

[Mark Seal]

Yeah, I'm on the grid, baby. You know, I was all excited. I was so just. Cause I didn't want to expose you guys to any of that shit, man, anywhere near that shit. So. No, there was no nothing. I just fell right into it. It was nice. Got back together with your mom, Lived together, got married. I said, listen, I just finally decided, listen, I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with this girl I know she wants to have kids, so let's just get this over with. I'm getting older. I'm with the departments now. I'm with the departments now. I'm with the fire department. And I says, let's start having a life, start having a normal life, you know?

[Maria Tremarchi]

He had a Friday night wedding, Big celebration because people are off of work, you know, it's Friday night. It was a Good night to have a wedding. I think everybody's in the party mood. And Kathy was there. She was one of my bridesmaids. And we were having fun, fun, fun. And finally after we were married and Ken went to Minnesota for his paramedic, you know, training. He was there nine months, and then he came back. And when he came back, he says, let's start a family. That night you were conceived, it was like, bing, bang, boom. Yeah. And my son Kyle was conceived. And nine months later, on January 29, 1985, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

[Mark Seal]

Had you. And life went on for 18 years or 19 years, 20 years.

[Unknown Host]

And life did go on, and it was good. A few years after I was born, we welcomed baby Corey into the family. Mom retired from work to focus on raising the kids, and dad was full time at the firehouse. It couldn't have been more different from the nightmare Ken was living only a few years prior. Just a regular boring suburban family doing regular boring family shit exactly how he wanted it. I will always say that my childhood was fucking fantastic. You remember my brother Corey? Our hockey days, I mean, they would travel fucking hundreds of miles, you know, on weekends, get us hotel rooms. And, you know, we just. We at the time, it was bliss. It was perfect. Well, maybe not exactly perfect. I do remember him beating the shit out of another dad, an opponent's dad, you know, I couldn't. I couldn't find the specifics, though, on it. Yeah, he got pissed at one of, like, the kids on the other team. Right, right. Because he was being like, a little shit. Sure.

[Mark Seal]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And the dad was. The dad of that kid was not happy that Ken. Because he. Ken was coach. Coach Ken. He was, of course, your hockey team. So the dad on this other team was not happy that Ken was calling out his son. So he comes sauntering over to the bench to have words with Ken, and he tries to dive over the bench. Like, he tries to, like, jump. Pull himself up over into the bench, like one. The other guy. Yeah. The dad tried to, like, jump into the box to go after Ken.

[Mark Seal]

Smart.

[Unknown Host]

And Ken just lay the motherfucker out. Could imagine. And don't attack him. And of course, like, the whole place is going like, bananas at this point. Like, it's pure chaos. And then the cops come and the fire department comes, and of course, naturally. Well, he's a fire. Walks away. Scott. He knows there's witnesses. He's like, he tried to come in my box and protecting my kids. And they let him go, and they arrested the other Guy for assault. It's just so amazing. He's fucking just out there, man. Holy shit. Total wild, man. There were, of course, those occasional flashes of violence we experienced growing up that were shocking and confusing to us. But other signs, more subtle yet even more dangerous, remained unknown to us at the time, even though they were right under our noses. You wanted to keep this away from us.

[Mark Seal]

Oh, God, yes. That was primary. Yeah. And mugs.

[Unknown Host]

So I guess just talk. Talk about that. You wanted to keep this away from us. Were there ever times where it got close? Because I remember once where you came home and you had a scar on your shoulder, like a fresh scar on your shoulder. And it was very noticeable because you used to just wear dagoatees all the time. It's not like you're trying to hide the thing.

[Mark Seal]

And that was a gunsh. I think I told you I had something removed, like a mole or something removed. But I never had a mole. Error.

[Unknown Host]

But it was a gunshot.

[Mark Seal]

It was a gunshot? Yeah, it was a small caliber gunshot.

[Unknown Host]

What happened?

[Mark Seal]

I got shot. I can't remember what that incident was. I. Fuck. What was that? I'm gonna have to really think back on this one. I got shot twice. Got shot in our left arm. I got shot in the right shoulder and I got. I get them both mixed up. But let me think about this for a minute.

[Unknown Host]

That right there.

[Mark Seal]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

That scar on your.

[Mark Seal]

Right there.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah.

[Mark Seal]

Came out.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, wow.

[Mark Seal]

Came out somewhere over here. They're both small calipers. This one went all the way through. That one was buried. One of my shoulder was buried. Had to be dug out.

[Unknown Host]

I don't know how you can forget the details of a gunshot wound, let alone two of them. But I guess when you've lived the life that he's lived, a couple shots to the arm don't really mean much. The troubling thing is these bullet wounds happened after I was born, after he had supposedly left the outfit.

[Mark Seal]

Well, I kept. I was kept. I kept it very much away from my boys. And when I got on the fire department finally, I was bound and determined to get out of it completely. Of course, that never happened. That never really happened.

[Unknown Host]

I asked my mom about these gunshot wounds, and here's what she had to say.

[Maria Tremarchi]

I just had no idea. And I'm shocked to this day that he led this double life for so long and without us really knowing about it.

[Unknown Host]

I just think it's so interesting that his job as a firefighter, you know, the hours are 24 on and 48 off. So it's the perfect excuse for him, if he had to go do something for the outfit, to say, hey, I'm taking an extra shift and be gone for a day or two and go handle that. And you wouldn't even think twice about it.

[Maria Tremarchi]

Exactly. Yeah. Who knows what he was doing? I have no idea. I mean, it makes me sick to my stomach. Especially when you have children. I mean, my God. I mean, you're just. You're making it so unsafe for your family, being in a world like that and doing things like that and jeopardizing your family and our safety and because I didn't know this was going on. You know, if I would have known this was going on, I definitely would have said bye bye and got out of there years ago. But this is pretty new to me within the last few years, so I can take back those years, but I mean, just thank God that nothing ever happened to me and my family because of his irresponsibilities and his horrible ways of life.

[Unknown Host]

So what the hell was happening all that time? Why is my dad getting shot at if he supposedly left the mob?

[Mark Seal]

So I'm working as a paramedic, firefighter. And just when you think you're away from all this. All right, you're done. You're done with all this shady lifestyle. I'm covering up murders that these cops are doing. That's why I think I'm getting out of this. I'm right fucking back in it. Yeah, I just like. It's. It's the devil. It's. It's following me wherever the I go. I can't shake this son of a. He won't leave me alone.

[Dan Goldberg]

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally Toy Soldier, available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Seal]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seal]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show, we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[Mark Seal]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Nathan King]

We sift through innumerable accounts.

[Mark Seal]

35 pages isn't very much.

[Nathan King]

Many of them conflicting.

[Mark Seal]

That's nonsense.

[Nathan King]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Unknown Host]

And they said we're finished. This is over.

[Mark Seal]

It only is not going to work.

[Unknown Host]

You got to get rid of those guys.

[Nathan King]

It's just that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Mark Seal]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

When I smoke weed, I get lost in the music.

[Mark Seal]

I like to isolate each instrument.

[Holly Fry]

The rhythmic bass, the harmonies on the piano, sticky melody.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Careful, babe. There's someone crossing the street.

[Holly Fry]

Sorry, I didn't see him there.

[Dan Goldberg]

If you feel different, you drive different. Don't drive high.

[Unknown Host]

It's dangerous and illegal everywhere. A message from NHTSA and the Ad Council.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

My name's Mike, and I was partner with your dad at a private ambulance company and at two different fire departments that we worked together at probably over the course of 18 years. So it was quite a long time together. Your dad's the one person I really felt comfortable with. You know that feeling? Cause, you know, sometimes you have a shitty partner and you're on the ambulance and you're thinking, I hope nothing really bad happens today because I'm with this guy, you know?

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Holly Fry]

But when I was with your dad on the ambulance, whether it was at the private ambulance company or at the firehouse, I was like, doesn't matter what happens because we can handle anything that comes down the pipe.

[Unknown Host]

I remember seeing Mike a lot when I was a kid. Of all my dad's friends, he was my favorite. Sure, he was big and loud and the perfect picture of an 80s era Chicago firefighter, but I think it's because I've never seen my dad laugh as hard as when he was around his buddy Mike. Plus, he rocked the best mustache I've probably ever seen.

[Holly Fry]

My earliest memory of you, you were small, like three. You were talking to me. I don't remember what we were talking about and your dad was being an ass. That day you said something to me, and I said, yeah, that's because Daddy's a dick. And you said, daddy's a dick. And Ken and I could not quit laughing. You kept repeating, daddy's a dick. Daddy's a dick. Your mom was so mad at us for teaching you that.

[Unknown Host]

Ken had only been a firefighter for a year or so before Mike was hired at the same station. But even that early in his career, he had already made a name for himself.

[Holly Fry]

I was brand new emt. They hired me. He wasn't there at the time. He was on a vacation in Arizona. And all these guys were like, yeah, Ken is this great guy and he's a legend and all of this shit they're telling me. And I was like, okay, this guy must practically walk on water, you know? And he came back from Arizona and he was like telling everybody what to do. And I was just watching, you know? And then one day they paired me up with him. We were working on the ambulance together, and before we went into a place to take care of a patient, he tells, I do all the talking. I call the hospital. I take care of everything. I'll tell you what to do. You just listen to me and do what I tell you. And I told him, fuck you, man. I know what I'm doing. I'm not one of these mopes that you work with here. I said, I know what's going on. Don't talk to me like that. And we were friends ever since then. There you go. Because I was the first person that stood up to him there.

[Unknown Host]

He tells me a story about Ken's first partner. Before he and Mike became partners, he.

[Holly Fry]

Had a partner who was a very strange person. And he was trying to tell Ken what to do. And Ken was yelling at him, and the guy started screaming at him. I know. Guy, like, lost his mind and started screaming at Ken. And Ken grabbed him by the neck and started choking him. And the guy's head turned purple, and he passed out on the back step of the ambulance.

[Unknown Host]

This was the guy that you worked with?

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, he was a paramedic that we worked with. And he just kind of turned his head turned purple, and he just kind of slumped over on the ambulance bumper. And then he wakes up. You know, your dad let go of his neck, and the guy, like, woke up right away, and he goes, you guys saw that. You guys saw that. He assaulted me. I was like, I don't see nothing. I'm going home. And all the firemen were like, I didn't see nothing. What happened? We didn't see anything.

[Unknown Host]

He was a little mob boss, huh?

[Holly Fry]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You know the old saying, you can take the boy out of the Mafia, but you can't take the mafia out of the boy.

[Holly Fry]

You know, taking it down a notch is not his specialty either. Once he gets cranked up, he pretty much doesn't care who's there. He's gonna say his piece.

[Unknown Host]

With Ken and Mike now partnered up, they quickly acquired a reputation as bossy and confrontational and probably a little psychotic.

[Holly Fry]

They wouldn't let us work together anymore. And the firemen were crying. They went to the chief, and the chief made the no more Mike and Ken rule because we weren't allowed to work together on the ambulance anymore.

[Unknown Host]

Rule or not, Mike and Ken are gonna do what Mike and Ken are gonna do.

[Holly Fry]

We would watch Doctor who together on Sunday nights. And then it started getting busy on Sunday nights. We were having a hard time watching Doctor who because we would have to do ambulance calls. So we both decided we weren't going to work Sunday nights anymore because we wanted to be able to watch Doctor who uninterrupted. So they were mad because we told them, yeah, we can't do any more Sunday nights. Cause we're missing Doctor who and it's not right. So we made our own Mike and Ken rule for that one.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it's about time. As fun as it is to hear these old stories, and it really is, it's been an absolute joy catching up with Mike. I now know that missing Doctor who on a Sunday night was the least of the problems. And though Ken was no longer in a day to day relationship with the outfit, the crime and corruption of police and officials in Cook county would inevitably make its way back into his life.

[Mark Seal]

So a cop would kill somebody, whether by accident or out of anger. Rev. I don't know. Anyway, you kill a civilian. But. And here's the sick twist here, man. Ken's got to come in as a paramedic, listen to the story that the cops are sticking to, and then I have to take. I have to look at the injuries of the dead guy and tailor their story to fit the injuries. And I gotta document this. In a million fucking years, did I ever think that was gonna happen? I mean. I mean, who even thinks of shit like that?

[Unknown Host]

Was this just a given part of your new career now? Or like, were you getting paid?

[Mark Seal]

No, no, no, no. This is. No, this is. This is the culture. It's the culture. This is the Part of my job. That's part of the job.

[Unknown Host]

I asked Mike what he thinks about this.

[Holly Fry]

It's kind of, you know, a hard thing to deal with, but that's how everything worked at that time. One of the ones that stands out to me was there was a cop and he was wasted and he crashed into a car and he hurt the people in their car real bad. And usually, you know, that would result in tickets and an arrest and stuff. And the cops, our cops came over and told us, don't mention that you smelled alcohol on this guy's breath or anything. Don't put it in your report. Don't mention it to the hospital. We don't want to get this guy in trouble. And I was like, he hurt people. He's wasted any hurt people. And they were like, don't do it. And you know, you know, they did the wrong thing and no one's going to hold them accountable for, for it.

[Unknown Host]

He tells me a few other awful stories of police brutality, but this next one was so cruel and vile, it truly shocked me.

[Holly Fry]

We had a guy and he was huge. He was like a £400 guy, you know, like 22, 23 years old, who worked in the hospital cafeteria at a hospital in that area. And we knew this guy, he was a nice kid, you know, he didn't ever hurt anybody. And he went to the bar one night and these off duty cops were harassing him and force feeding him shots. And then they strapped a feed bag on him and made him eat out of a feed bag and they were forcing food down his throat and they were just torturing the kid. And then the kid went home and passed out. Laid on his back in the kitchen and just kept vomiting. So he aspirated and he died. And that was another one where they were like, just put the facts into the thing. Leave out, you know, any hearsay, like, you know, off duty cops were involved or anything. Don't even mention that. Your dad was furious that they bullied that kid and basically killed him. And there was no way to prove it, you know, there's nothing we could do to prove it. They killed the kid, they killed a young man. They ended his life and he never hurt anybody. That's the thing. It's not like he was a terrible person or something. He was a nice kid, you know, that never hurt anyone.

[Mark Seal]

Now I got, you know, you know, so. So Ken's gonna die one day, so. And now Ken's gotta talk, you know, sit in front of the big guy and try to explain his Way out of this one. All right. You know, where I had every fucking opportunity in the world to do the right thing, but I chose not to.

[Unknown Host]

I mean, it wasn't much of a choice, though, was it?

[Mark Seal]

Well, I had a family, Kyle. You guys were born, you know, I had a family to fucking raise. I'm not gonna jeopardize my family.

[Unknown Host]

At first, I didn't understand why covering up murders for these crooked cops would be a required part of the job and even more, how not doing it could jeopardize our family. But Jeff Cohen of the Chicago Tribune isn't surprised and shared an interesting perspective on this sad reality. There was a significant issue in Chicago where the outfit had infiltrated the police department.

[Holly Fry]

They had operatives, you know, all the way up to.

[Unknown Host]

There was a guy who went down in a case who was the chief.

[Holly Fry]

Of detectives, who wound up running his own sort of jewel theft ring. I mean, they had major, major corruption.

[Unknown Host]

Problems related to organized crime. And so they could basically operate with.

[Holly Fry]

Impunity, more or less.

[Unknown Host]

And it got so bad in Cook county that you actually had a criminal court judge who threw a murder case on a guy who was in the outfit.

[Holly Fry]

So it went all the way to.

[Unknown Host]

Sort of cross the threshold that a lot of people never thought that it could get to.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, Crook County. Yeah, there's no doubt about that. It's a den of thieves. The administration is a den of thieves.

[Unknown Host]

But these abuses aren't just a symptom of the Chicago crime family's clause within law enforcement, because there's another family with their own set of rules that enabled these types of injustices to thrive.

[Holly Fry]

So the brotherhood of the cops, you know, and you're so dependent on them. They saved my life a bunch of times that I wouldn't even be here today if I hadn't stayed on the right side of that, you know, because you don't want to be the guy that they're like, oh, they know you're working on this ambulance, and then you're calling for police to come help you, and they go slow, because that could happen. I don't want to be the guy that they go slow to save their life, you know, so it's really a hard place, and it's a. It's a tough decision to make, and you got to live with it. For some people, you know, that don't really have them, like a soul or a conscience, that's easy, you know, but those are hard decisions to live with.

[Dan Goldberg]

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the Woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally Toy Soldier, available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Seal]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Mark Seal]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[Mark Seal]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Nathan King]

We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

[Mark Seal]

That's nonsense.

[Unknown Host]

There were 60 pages.

[Nathan King]

And try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Unknown Host]

And they said we're finished. This is over.

[Mark Seal]

It only stopped going to work.

[Unknown Host]

You got to get rid of those guys.

[Nathan King]

It's just that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Mark Seal]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

When I smoke weed, I get lost in the music.

[Mark Seal]

I like to isolate each instrument. The rhythmic bass, the harmonies on the piano. Sticky melody.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Hey, careful, babe. There's someone crossing the street.

[Holly Fry]

Sorry, I didn't see him there.

[Dan Goldberg]

If you feel different, you drive different. Don't drive high.

[Unknown Host]

It's dangerous and illegal everywhere. A message from NHTSA and the Ad Council. You know, the other side of this is and I don't know if you know any of this stuff, you know, he was a very private guy. But did you know of any of his involvement in organized crime?

[Holly Fry]

I know that he was in Cook County Jail prior to when I met him because he left his wallet on laying on the dresser. He threw his wallet on the dresser at the private ambulance company in the room where we would sleep. And he had a inmate card, you know, for when he was out on parole after getting out of jail. And I was like, okay. So that's one of the things I asked him about. And he gave me very little detail on it. I think he said like two sentences and then that story was done. He had said something about pimping for the outfit and he wasn't going to do that stuff anymore. And that was it. That was the end of the conversation. He didn't want to say another word about it. And I already knew him well enough to not ask another question about it because I wasn't going to get anything anyway.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, that was a charge for keeper of a house of prostitution.

[Holly Fry]

Right. I actually read about it in the paper, you know, when it went down, when they busted the place. But, you know, and then he told me about it and it didn't click in my mind till like a year later, you know, that that was probably the same thing.

[Unknown Host]

You know, Mike tells me there were other hints too, that Ken was probably connected. One incident in particular took place at my parents wedding, which was right around the time Mike and my dad became partners. And a year before I was born.

[Holly Fry]

I actually went to their wedding and the reception. I was a little drunk and got in a confrontation with some very Italian people there.

[Mark Seal]

Oh boy.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah. And there was a guy with the. I remember this guy, he was a smaller guy, you know, and he had a shiny suit. He had a very shiny silvery suit. And I was laughing about it and I was telling the people at my table how he's a farigati. That's a word that my sister and I use for real Italian people. We call them faragatis, you know. And what does that mean? Huh?

[Unknown Host]

Do you know what that means?

[Holly Fry]

No, I think it's just a made up word.

[Unknown Host]

Oh.

[Holly Fry]

You know, he's a fattagati, you know, so that's what we call him. And he heard me say it and he thought I was making fun of him. So he came over and got confrontational with me. So I was off my chair in a hot second and got confrontational right back with him. Then his friends started coming over and then the people I was sitting with were getting off their chairs and I remember your dad coming over and defusing the whole thing. Yeah. Cause that was about to get ugly. And that's not the thing to do at a wedding reception. It happens. It happens more than you would possibly think. I've been on that call a bunch of times where a wedding reception turned into a brawl or a stabbing. And he didn't. I don't think he wanted his wedding reception to be that. So he came over and intervened. And I don't know if he thought he was saving my life or what, but you know, those were probably some pretty serious people. Yeah, but I was young and strong and good for the scrap back in those days, and I was willing to get in it too.

[Unknown Host]

Whether Mike was good for the scrap or not. From what I've learned about my father's past, I think Mike was right. Ken probably did save his life that day. And as close as Mike and Ken were, I'm certain that my father did whatever he could to keep that dark world away from his friend, just like he kept it away from us, even though it was circling right overhead.

[Mark Seal]

I was working full time as a firefighter, paramedic and raising my family, but I was still connected. And I always had that pendulum swinging over my head that I could be called in at any time. And I was called in a couple of times, but I always had to keep that on the DL. I mean, no one could work, couldn't know, family couldn't know, nobody could know. I can remember heading off to work with the fire department still, and I'm on the Eisenhower Expressway. I see him, that fucking guinea fuck. And I know who he is. He's a soldier. But he's a higher end soldier. I've had experiences with him in the past and I never liked him, never appreciated him, never even wanted to recognize him as a human fucking being. And that was my mission. To snuff the fucking life out of this guy.

[Unknown Host]

Next week on Crook County.

[Mark Seal]

He saw me, he spun out of control and the race was on. That's how simple it can be to murder somebody. I'm just saying.

[Unknown Host]

Crook county is a production of I Hard podcast and Tenderfoot TV in association with Common Enemy. All episodes are written, produced and hosted by me, Kyle Tequila. Executive producers are Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. Original score by Makeup and Vanity Set Main title song is called Crush by the band Starry Eyes. End credits song is called Aloha, also by the band Starry Eyes. Sound mix by Cooper Skinner. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the excellent team at UTA for their support and to my fearless attorney, Wendy Bench for her guidance. To stay updated on all things Crook county, follow us on all socials rookcountypodcast or leave us a voicemail by visiting crookcountypodcast.com for more podcasts. Like Crook County. Search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening. The story continues next week.

[Dan Goldberg]

1942 Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's Personally Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown Host]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast.

[Maria Tremarchi]

I'm Maria Tremorki.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Unknown Host]

Each season we explore a new theme.

[Maria Tremarchi]

From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.

[Holly Fry]

The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Unknown Host]

And tune in at the end of.

[Maria Tremarchi]

Each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. This season explores women from the 19th century to now. Women who were murderers and scammers, but also women who were photojournalists, lawyers, writers and more. This podcast tells more than just the brutal, gory details of horrific acts. I delve into the good, the bad, the difficult, and all the nuance I can find because these are the stories that we need to know to understand the intersection of society, justice and the fascinating workings of the human psyche. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Seal]

I'm Mark Seal.

[Nathan King]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Dan Goldberg]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

[Mark Seal]

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Nathan King]

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seals best selling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Mark Seal]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Nathan King]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.