My Favorite Murder: Episode 506 – New York Favorites
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Air Date: November 13, 2025
Network: Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
Episode Overview
This special "quilt" episode of My Favorite Murder features the hosts sharing two of their favorite true crime stories centered in New York:
- Georgia recounts the chilling tale of the "New York Zodiac Killer"—a 1990s shooter who fashioned himself after the infamous Zodiac and terrorized NYC.
- Karen explores the fearless and groundbreaking journalism of Nellie Bly, focusing on Bly's undercover work exposing the horrors of the Blackwell’s Island asylum in the 1880s.
Both segments are full of sharp historical context, dark humor, and the hosts' trademark empathetic storytelling, bringing listeners both gruesome true crime details and the resilience of those seeking justice.
Segment 1: The New York Zodiac Killer
Storyteller: Georgia Hardstark
Segment starts: [05:07]
Setting the Scene
- 1990, New York City, "the bad old days" with a record 2,605 homicides (compared to 386 in 2023)
- [05:07] "This is the year New York City's homicide rate peaked with 2,605 killings." — Georgia
The Attacks
- May 31, 1990: 79-year-old Joseph Proci is shot on his front steps in Queens.
- Evidence: The shooter uses a homemade zip gun. A taunting note is left, adorned with zodiac astrological symbols and a familiar crosshair image.
- [07:31] "At the bottom of the piece of paper is a familiar image, a circle with crosshairs drawn through it." — Karen
Copycat Killer Emerges
- Notes sent to the media and police claim three shootings, all of which match real attacks on vulnerable men whose zodiac signs correspond to symbols in the notes.
- [10:26] "Each victim's birthday coincides with the astrological signs that were drawn on the note." — Georgia
- The killer aspires to kill across all 12 zodiac signs.
Investigation & Media
- Police consult astronomers and astrologers, discovering attacks coincide with specific constellations in the sky.
- The press leaks the case details, inciting public panic and a controversial wave of stop-and-frisk policing, predominantly impacting men of color.
- [12:03] "That's like, straight out of a 90s movie." — Karen
Continued Attacks and Disappearance
- Next shooting: June 21, 1990, in Central Park. The victim, an unhoused Cancer, survives but recalls being asked his birthday by a stranger.
- Even with increased police presence, the killer is not apprehended; he vanishes for several years.
The Break in the Case
- 1994: A new letter claims credit for more attacks, referencing victims by details and location, not name.
- One attack, a stabbing of Patricia Fonti (over 100 wounds), stands out for its brutality; others involve shootings with diverse zodiac signs.
Apprehension of the Killer
- 1995: During a domestic hostage standoff, negotiator Detective Joe Herbert notices familiar handwriting with crosshairs on the perpetrator's confession.
- [22:19] "He shows it to one of his colleagues who had also worked on the New York Zodiac shootings... ‘it looked like my wife's shopping list. That's how familiar that lettering was.’" — Georgia
- The suspect is Eriberto Seda, a young man previously known to police as a vigilante.
Confession, Motive, and Aftermath
- Seda confesses after being confronted with evidence, admitting he used astrology as a facade—a "character" for the media.
- [25:10] "He's conventionally attractive...If he had come up to someone on the street, they wouldn't have equated him with a murderer, you know?" — Georgia
- The case ends with Seda convicted for three murders and six attempted murders. His claims to Zodiac-style motives are confirmed to be a ruse.
- [26:55] "He really doesn't know anything about astrology, just a construct..." — Georgia
Notable Discussion Points & Quotes
- Discussion of media-driven fear and the dangers of copycat crimes.
- Reflection on human psychology—how individuals let their guard down around "charming" or "safe" seeming strangers.
- [25:14] "Good looking people get away with a lot." — Karen
- Commentary on NYPD resource limitations and bad luck with identifying Seda sooner.
Segment 2: Nellie Bly and Blackwell’s Island
Storyteller: Karen Kilgariff
Segment starts: [29:53]
Introducing Nellie Bly
- Elizabeth Jane Cochran ("Nellie Bly"), born 1864, loses her privileged childhood after her father's death.
- Experiences hardship and fights patriarchal norms to secure independence.
- [36:04] "You're supposed to be unhappy and unfulfilled when you're 20...And it continues on until you go through a bunch of different versions of your life..." — Karen
Becoming Nellie Bly
- At age 20, writes a passionate rebuttal to a sexist column, catching the attention of the Pittsburgh Dispatch, which marks the beginning of her journalism career.
- [39:04] "She was the original blogger." — Georgia
- Takes on challenging, unapologetic assignments, building a reputation as a fearless reporter.
Assignment: Expose Blackwell’s Island Asylum
- 1887: Nellie, seeking serious journalistic assignments, pitches herself to The New York World's editor Joseph Pulitzer.
- She is tasked with going undercover to report on the infamous women's asylum on Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island).
- [44:06] "She wants to capture an authentic depiction of what life is like inside. And the only way to get that story will be for Nellie to arrive on Blackwell's island as a patient, not a journalist." — Karen
Going Undercover & Daily Horrors
- Feigns mental illness and is quickly admitted, exposing the ease with which vulnerable women are institutionalized.
- [47:55] "That idea alone... total nightmare, revolution." — Georgia
- Once inside, Nellie experiences and documents abuses: freezing baths, starvation, humiliation, and physical violence.
- [53:16] "Eventually it becomes a sort of sludge, which is so disgusting." — Karen
Reporting and Impact
- Bly realizes many institutionalized women suffer not from mental illness but from poverty, immigrant status, or even inconvenient marriages.
- [56:58] "Take a perfectly sane and healthy woman, shut her up, and make her sit from 6am to 8pm... Give her bad food and harsh treatment and see how long it will take to make her insane." — Nellie Bly (quote via Karen, [56:59])
- After 10 days, Pulitzer's team orchestrates her release. Her expose shocks NYC and the nation, leading to reform and a $1 million (≈$32M today) funding increase for NYC mental health care.
Lasting Legacy
- Bly becomes a national sensation and paves the way for investigative "stunt girl" journalism.
- [65:46] "Publishers start hiring what they call stunt girls to take on their own socially conscious undercover assignments." — Karen
- Later exploits include: traveling the world in 72 days (besting Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg), explorations of societal issues, and direct interviews with figures such as Emma Goldman and suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- [60:21] Nellie, on being ignored by doctors: "There are 16 doctors on this island, and excepting two, I've never seen them pay any attention to the patients. How can a doctor judge a woman's sanity by merely bidding her good morning and refusing to hear her pleas for release?"
- [62:39] Nellie, on reforms: "On the strength of my story, the committee of appropriation provides $1 million more than ever was given before for the benefit of the insane."
- [73:13] "She is the shit." — Karen
Reflections
- Hosts discuss the overlooked legacy of Bly as a pioneering voice for women’s rights and journalistic courage.
- [75:31] "It's those people that make, like, incremental movements forward that as a whole... each little story and each life contributes so much to how you and I are able to talk about ourselves and women and how we're able to be these confident women who we owe." — Georgia
Key Segments and Timestamps
- New York Zodiac Introduction: [05:07]
- Zodiac Astrology Link: [10:26]
- Police/Media Response: [12:03]
- Final Zodiac Attack & Capture: [18:25]–[23:32]
- Zodiac Confession & Reflection: [23:43]–[27:19]
- Nellie Bly’s Early Career: [29:53]–[44:04]
- Undercover in Blackwell’s Island: [44:04]–[53:56]
- Bly’s Reporting & Reform Impact: [56:59]–[62:39]
- Nellie Bly’s Later Adventures & Legacy: [65:41]–[73:39]
- Closing Reflections: [75:31]
Final Thoughts
This episode wove together two iconic, New York-based true stories: one a tale of crime and terror, the other of resilience and reform. Karen and Georgia offered not only rich historical deep-dives but also critical commentary on the justice system, the power of journalism, and the ongoing struggle for dignity by society’s most vulnerable.
Unmissable for true crime and history buffs—equal parts chilling, inspiring, and delivered with the signature MFM blend of candor and compassion.
Notable Quotes
- "Take a perfectly sane and healthy woman, shut her up... Give her bad food and harsh treatment and see how long it will take to make her insane." — Nellie Bly ([56:58], via Karen)
- "You love your cat, but nobody loves the litter box. It'd be weird if you did." — Georgia, offhandedly breaking the grim with humor
- "Good looking people get away with a lot." — Karen ([25:14])
- "She is the shit." — Karen on Nellie Bly ([73:13])
- "It's those people that make incremental movements forward..." — Georgia ([75:31])