Scams, Money, & Murder

Episode: True Crime This Week: Fugitive Mass Murderers

Host: Vanessa Richardson
Date: January 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of "True Crime This Week" dives into the chilling stories of two infamous fugitive mass murderers: Klaus Barbie, the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon" who evaded justice for decades in South America, and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, a ruthless mafia hitman and boss who led the Lucchese crime family before his dramatic capture in New Jersey. Host Vanessa Richardson traces each man's descent into brutality, their years on the run, and the relentless pursuit that ultimately led to their capture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Klaus Barbie: The Butcher of Lyon

[04:47–27:38]

Early Life and Nazi Rise

• Vanessa Richardson describes how Barbie’s aspirations shifted after personal tragedy and the Nazis’ rise to power (05:42).
  • "The young Barbie initially wanted to be a priest. But in 1933, the sudden loss of his father and brother altered the trajectory of Barbie's life..." (05:45)
• Becomes indoctrinated through the Hitler Youth and quickly rises in the SS, becoming notorious for his brutality.

War Crimes in France

• Appointed Gestapo chief in Lyon, France (1942), Barbie orchestrates torture and executions targeting resistance members and Jews.
• His most notorious crime: overseeing the deportation and murder of 44 Jewish orphans (12:45).

Evasion and Collaboration with US Intelligence

• After WWII, Barbie goes into hiding under various aliases.
• Captured multiple times by Allied forces, but repeatedly escapes due to mistaken identity or lax oversight (13:36–15:00).
• In 1947, US counterintelligence hires Barbie to infiltrate and disrupt communist networks, ignoring his war crimes due to Cold War priorities (16:16).

Exile and Unmasking in South America

• The US smuggles Barbie to South America under a new identity, Klaus Altman (16:55).
• Secures powerful allies in Bolivia’s military, running a national shipping company and aiding the regime with torture training and weapons smuggling (18:32–19:51).
• Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld exposes Barbie’s true identity in a French newspaper in 1972, sparking international pressure (04:47, 21:36).
  • Quote from a Munich anthropologist: "If Altman is not Barbie, he is his brother. But we know that Barbie has no brother." (05:22)

Fallout and Final Reckoning

• Despite exposure and attempts at extradition, Bolivian authorities shield Barbie until 1982. After regime change, he is deported to France (24:40).
• At trial, Barbie remains unrepentant:
  • "I am proud to have been a commanding officer of the best military outfit in the Third Reich. And if I had to be born a thousand times again, I would be a thousand times what I’ve been." (26:50–27:05)
• Dies in French prison in 1991—surviving many of his victims.

Notable Moment:

• Gustavo Stier, a Holocaust survivor, confronts Barbie in a Peruvian café:
  • "Aren't you shooting people in the back anymore?" Stier asks; Barbie "just sulked and walked away." (23:40)

2. Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso: Mafioso on the Run

[29:30–end]

Origins, Rise, and Reputation

• Born into Brooklyn street gangs, Casso earns his nickname for his violent tactics (30:20).
• Quickly ascends through the Lucchese ranks as an enforcer and hitman.
• Partners with Vittorio Amuso to pull off sophisticated bank heists ("Bypass Gang"), netting as much as $100 million over a decade (32:05).

Notorious Murders and Feuds

• Casso executes both rivals and his own men, often preemptively targeting anyone suspected of disloyalty.
  • "Casso loved herding people just for fun, which made him a great fit for the job." (31:27)
• Tasked with assassinating Gambino boss John Gotti after Gotti breaks Mafia codes by murdering his own boss (36:10).
• Casso’s failed car bomb kills Gotti’s advisor instead—escalating gangland revenge.

Killing with Impunity and Turning on Allies

• Repeatedly evades prosecution through intimidation; witnesses are too frightened to testify (32:37).
• By the late 1980s, Casso’s paranoia leads him to kill friends, underlings, and loved ones of associates—crosses Mafia taboos (43:55).
  • "Ordering a hit on a mobster’s family was unheard of, a violation of another one of the five Families’ cardinal rules." (44:55)

Fugitive Life and Capture

• Goes on the run in 1990 after looming racketeering indictments, orchestrating operations remotely from his mistress’s house in New Jersey.
• Orders numerous murders while at large.
• Betrayed by his top handler, Al Darko, who flees and turns FBI informant (45:00).
• After more than a year, the FBI raids Casso’s hideout:
  • "52-year-old Anthony Casso appeared on the staircase, holding his hands above his head... he’d been in the shower when they knocked." (29:54)

A Turncoat—and Downfall

• Casso agrees to cooperate with prosecutors, confessing to dozens of crimes and exposing corrupt NYPD officers (53:50).
• Government revokes the deal when Casso continues to break rules in prison (54:45).
  • Ultimately sentenced to 455 years in ADX Florence—dies of COVID-19 in 2020 at age 78.

Notable Moment:

• The death of Bruno Facciola, with a dead canary stuffed in his mouth, symbolizing betrayal—"singing" (43:45).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Barbie's confrontation:
  Gustavo Stier to Barbie: “Aren’t you shooting people in the back anymore?” (23:40)

• Barbie’s unapologetic courtroom statement:
  Klaus Barbie: “I am proud to have been a commanding officer of the best military outfit in the Third Reich. And if I had to be born a thousand times again, I would be a thousand times what I’ve been.” (26:50–27:05)

• On Casso’s lack of loyalty:
  Vanessa Richardson: “Ordering a hit on a mobster’s family was unheard of, a violation of another one of the five Families’ cardinal rules.” (44:55)

• Casso's arrest:
  Description: “52-year-old Anthony Casso appeared on the staircase, holding his hands above his head... he’d been in the shower when they knocked.” (29:54)

Chronological Timestamps

• [04:47–16:15] — Klaus Barbie’s early years, Nazi career, and post-war escape.
• [16:16–27:38] — Barbie’s collaboration with US intelligence, exile in South America, capture, trial, and death.
• [29:30–45:00] — Anthony Casso’s criminal rise, notable hits, ascent to power, and internal Mafia feuds.
• [45:00–54:45] — Casso in hiding, betrayal by allies, capture in New Jersey, turning informant, final imprisonment, and death.

Tone and Language

Vanessa Richardson sustains a dramatic and gripping narrative tone, blending detailed historic exposition with vivid, suspenseful storytelling. She combines empathy for the victims with sharp, clear-eyed reporting on the cruelty and depravity of the episode’s subjects.

Summary

This episode unpacks the stories of two of the world’s most notorious mass killers who evaded capture for years but ultimately could not outrun justice. Through relentless investigation and the determination of survivors and law enforcement, both Klaus Barbie and Anthony Casso were brought to account, their chilling legacies serving as a stark warning that "eventually the law always catches up with you." (57:10)