Cold Call | 2 - Kill List | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Summary

Kill List: Episode 2 – "Cold Call"

Overview

In the second episode of Kill List titled "Cold Call," host Carl Miller delves deeper into the harrowing investigation of a darknet murder-for-hire website. Faced with a burgeoning list of potential victims, Carl and his team develop a strategic approach to identify and warn those endangered by covert kill orders. This episode chronicles the emotional and logistical challenges involved in reaching out to targets, culminating in a tense confrontation with one of the individuals on the list.

The Pipeline: A Strategic Approach

By July 2020, Carl Miller’s investigation, aided by hacker Chris Montero, had uncovered nearly 600 active users on the Hitman for Hire site, with new kill orders continuously emerging. Recognizing the overwhelming volume, Carl, Chris, and their team of journalists and producers devised a triage system dubbed the "Pipeline." This system prioritized threats based on the immediacy and severity of the danger to individuals.

Carl Miller [06:00]: "Step one we narrowed the cases down to the most dangerous threats. Not everyone who messages the assassination site ends up paying for a hit."

Identifying and Verifying Threats

The first step involved confirming the legitimacy of kill orders by analyzing blockchain data to trace Bitcoin transactions linked to specific targets. Chris Montero played a pivotal role by accessing the backend of the Hitman website, enabling the team to verify payments and identify genuine threats.

Carl Miller [06:51]: "Brenna Smith was our open source intelligence expert. Her job was to make absolutely sure we had the right person and to find a way to contact them."

Brenna Smith, an open-source intelligence expert from Bellingcat, meticulously scoured social media platforms to locate and verify the identities of potential targets. Her dedication underscored the meticulous nature of their investigation.

Crafting the Message: A Sensitive Approach

Acknowledging the gravity of informing individuals about impending threats, Carl collaborated with clinical psychologist Dr. Howard Fine to develop a compassionate communication strategy. The goal was to deliver the unsettling news without causing undue panic, allowing targets to maintain a sense of control over their next steps.

Dr. Howard Fine [07:39]: "The conversation was designed to gradually put them back in the driving seat."

The script emphasized providing information about the dark web presence and setting up a secure time and place for further discussion, ensuring that the revelation was both impactful and sensitive.

The Struggle of Cold Calling

Carl’s attempts to execute the cold calls were fraught with anxiety and frequent rejections. The initial attempts were met with skepticism and outright refusal, highlighting the immense difficulty in convincing individuals of the veracity of his claims.

Carl Miller [09:30]: "The cold call doesn't fucking work. People think it's scams."

Despite these setbacks, Carl persisted, driven by the urgent need to save lives. The breakthrough came when he managed to connect with Elena, a target on the kill list.

A Breakthrough with Elena

After numerous unsuccessful calls, Carl finally reached Elena, a woman in her 60s who was indifferent to the revelation that someone had paid to have her killed. This interaction provided crucial insights into the motivations behind the kill orders.

Elena [27:11]: "I'm having an ugly divorce. It's going on for about three years now. And my husband actually doesn't Want to pay it."

Elena revealed that her estranged husband was likely behind the kill order, motivated by financial disputes arising from their prolonged and contentious divorce. Her calm demeanor contrasted sharply with the severity of the situation, adding layers of complexity to the investigation.

Escalating Threats and New Orders

Just as the team began to gain traction, new kill orders started flooding in, intensifying the urgency of their mission. Nordwald, the alias of the individual placing orders, became increasingly impatient, pressuring the team to fulfill assassination requests swiftly.

Carl Miller [19:46]: "Until Nordwald is caught, Elena's life is in danger."

This escalation underscored the persistent and growing threat posed by the darknet platform, emphasizing that the team’s efforts were racing against time.

Expanding the Team: International Collaboration

Confronted with the global spread of kill orders and the limitations imposed by COVID-19 lockdowns, Carl expanded his team by enlisting freelance journalists from various countries. These journalists were tasked with approaching targets face-to-face, a risky but necessary step to ensure effective communication and safety.

Carl Miller [17:41]: "This is an interesting journalistic assignment."

The inclusion of international collaborators like Franziska in Switzerland, Esperanza in Spain, and Jonathan in Holland highlighted the expansive and collaborative nature of the investigation.

Climactic Confrontation and Emotional Toll

The episode reached its climax when Franziska Engelhardt, the Swiss journalist, successfully coordinated a live call with Elena. The conversation was heart-wrenching as Carl struggled to convey the dire situation without overwhelming her.

Carl Miller [24:32]: "I'm sorry to disturb you like this. My name's Carl and I'm a journalist."

Elena’s revelation about her husband's potential threat and her nonchalant reaction provided a stark example of the varied human responses to imminent danger. The emotional weight of this conversation left Carl feeling more burdened and uncertain about the effectiveness of their efforts.

Conclusion: The Unfolding Crisis

As the episode concludes, the team grapples with the realization that merely warning victims may not be sufficient to ensure their safety. With Nordwald’s threats intensifying and more kill orders being placed, the urgency to apprehend the mastermind behind the operation grows.

Carl Miller [30:35]: "How long will it be before he realizes that he's been scammed? And when he does, will he take matters into his own hands?"

Key Takeaways

Strategic Triage: The "Pipeline" system effectively prioritized threats, enabling the team to focus on the most imminent dangers.
Emotional and Ethical Challenges: Delivering life-threatening news imposed significant emotional strain on Carl and his team, highlighting the ethical complexities of such an investigation.
Global Collaboration: Expanding the team internationally was crucial in addressing the widespread nature of the darknet kill orders.
Escalating Threats: The increasing volume and pressure from Nordwald underscored the persistent and growing danger posed by the darknet platform.

Notable Quotes

Carl Miller [06:00]: "I think it should just be threat to life. I don't think we should do it by investigatory potential."
Brenna Smith [07:04]: "It's kind of a mind fuck looking for these people because I feel like I'm hunting them too when somebody else also wants them to be hunted."
Carl Miller [09:30]: "People think it's scams."
Elena [27:11]: "I'm having an ugly divorce. It's going on for about three years now."
Carl Miller [30:35]: "How long will it be before he realizes that he's been scammed?"

Final Thoughts

Episode 2 of Kill List masterfully intertwines investigative journalism with real-life suspense, showcasing the relentless pursuit of truth in the face of digital menace. Carl Miller’s journey is a testament to the complexities and perils inherent in exposing covert criminal operations, setting the stage for further revelations in subsequent episodes.

Transcript

Carl Miller (0:00)

Wandery plus subscribers can binge all episodes of Chaolist early and ad free, join Wandri in the Wandary app, or on Apple podcasts. Oh, I just wanted a quiet life. I know, man. I hear you. I hear you. Okay, well, I've been dreading this moment. Right. Let's do it. All right. I hate cold calling people. I don't know why. Whether it's because I'm British or just awkward, or that I don't like talking to strangers, but I really can't stand it. And this is quite literally the most awkward conversation of my life. I need to tell the person on the other end of the phone that someone is trying to. To kill them something. Hello there. Can I speak to, please? Yes, me. Hold this. Hello? It's me. Who are you? My name is Carl Miller. I'm a journalist. I'm hoping you might be able to help me on a story that I'm working on. Okay. I'm starting with a man in Canada. I can't tell you his name, but someone on the Dark web has paid around $5,500 for his murder. I've already reported the details to the British police along with the other kill orders that we found. They told me they passed the information over to Interpol, the international policing organization. But it's now been six weeks since I've heard from them. Those six weeks of silence have been terrifying. If something were to happen to this man in Canada, I need to know that I've done everything I can to warn him. It's to do with scam sites on the Internet, although it's kind of reasonably sensitive in nature. So I wonder whether I could give you my email address and you can let me know when would be a good time for us to talk. So what is the subject? It's like the scam from the Internet. Yeah. Well, we've been doing an investigation into various scam sites on the Internet. We've come across some information which we believe might relate to you. So we just kind of want to take you through the information to me personally related to my professional. What? Related to you personally? Oh, okay. No, I'm not interested. Thank you. Yeah, not a great start. I was awful. And he's just the first of many more people on the kill list. I have to figure out a way to not only warn them, but to be believed, or more people could end up dead. Imagine a world where stories come alive, where every word paints a vivid picture in your mind. That's the power of audible dive into thrilling tales like the Book of Murder A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death, by former senior deputy District attorney and current ABC News legal analyst Matt Murphy. Experience the gripping narrative of a seasoned prosecutor as he navigates the complexities of love and death in the criminal justice system. And whether you're commuting, working out, or simply relaxing at home, Audible transforms your everyday moments into extraordinary adventures. With thousands of audiobooks at your fingertips, there's always more to imagine when you listen. 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From Wandering A Novel I'm Carl Miller, and this is kill List Episode 2 Cold Call By July 2020, my source, the hacker Chris Montero, had identified nearly 600 active users on the Hitman for Hire site, and there were new kill orders coming in all the time. I needed to bring some kind of order to the list, or I knew it would overwhelm me. But looking around, there's no precedent for how you handle Darknet murder orders. So Chris and I and a team of journalists and producers invented our own workflow, a triage system. We called it the Pipeline. My suggestion for a way of prioritizing I think it should just be threat to life. I don't think we should do it by investigatory potential. Step one we narrowed the cases down to the most dangerous threats. Not everyone who messages the assassination site ends up paying for a hit. So we started with the people who were actually putting up money to kill a specific target. By parsing blockchain data, I have found the actual wallets in question, which I would then use back to trace to the original transactions. Chris could access the back end of the Hitman website. That meant he could see not only the orders, but also the payments. They were nearly always in Bitcoin. Chris would look for a transaction of exactly the same amount at the same time on the public ledger of all bitcoin transactions, known as a blockchain. If it all tallied, we had a confirmed payment, a crime, and a serious threat to life. Step two was to track down the victim. What's our level of, like, confidence? It sounds like we're on the cusp of thinking that this is definitely, definitely her, but there's a few kind of flags in the way.