The Prosecutors: Episode 330 – The Vampire of Sacramento: Dance Macabre

Date: October 7, 2025
Hosts: Brett and Alice
Podcast: The Prosecutors (PodcastOne)

Overview

In this harrowing October episode, Brett and Alice delve into the case of Richard Trenton Chase—the "Vampire of Sacramento"—one of the most shocking and disturbing serial killers in American history. They offer not only their prosecutorial analysis but also candid reactions to a series of gruesome crimes that push the boundaries of even true crime podcasting. The episode examines Chase’s background, the escalation of his psychosis and violence, the chilling sequence of his murders, and why his crimes continue to horrify. The hosts also discuss the criminal justice and mental health system’s role, and the legacy and lessons of the case.

Main Discussion & Key Insights

1. Trigger Warning and Introduction

• The hosts open with strong warnings about the deeply disturbing nature of Chase's crimes, underscoring that, while they cover true crime "horror" cases every October, this is among the darkest and most twisted they've ever encountered.
• Alice (01:50): “Let me just be clear, this is the truest of crimes. There is nothing paranormal about it. What's so freaky about it is, in fact, it's not paranormal. It's not at all.”

2. Richard Chase's Early Life and Mental Deterioration

• Normal beginnings: Richard Trenton Chase, born 1950 in Sacramento, had a superficially normal childhood—active in scouts, sports, and social.
• Family instability emerged when Chase’s mother demonstrated paranoia and developed a drinking problem; the household devolved into suspicion and instability.
• Macdonald Triad: Even before his parents' divorce (1973), Chase exhibited all three "serial killer triad" behaviors: fire-setting, animal torture, and chronic bedwetting (05:35).
• As a teenager, Chase’s personality abruptly shifted—grades dropped, drug use (marijuana, LSD, amphetamines) began, and he developed pronounced mental health difficulties, culminating in severe paranoia and bizarre behaviors (07:58).
• Quote – Alice (07:58): “When you add drugs to the mix, which can have this, like, mental effect on really the most mentally stable people, there are cases where people take LSD... and it, as they say, like, breaks their brain, right?”

3. Escalation: From Paranoia to Psychosis

• Post-high school, Chase’s paranoia intensified; he exhibited hypochondria, obsession with his body, cut out organ pictures from "Gray’s Anatomy," and repeatedly sought unnecessary medical attention.
• By the mid-1970s, he believed his organs were missing or rearranged (11:11).
• Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he was intermittently institutionalized, but his mother opposed medication due to its “zombie” effect, leading to further decline.
• Animal violence: He began mutilating animals—injecting their blood, and later drinking animal (dogs, rabbits, birds) blood, both in and out of psychiatric care (13:21).
• Despite staff warnings at Beverly Manor psychiatric hospital of his extreme danger, Chase was released in September 1976—a catastrophic mistake.

4. The Murders—Chronology of a Killing Spree

First Kill: Ambrose Griffin

• On December 29, 1977, Chase randomly shot and killed Ambrose Griffin, a 51-year-old engineer, in a drive-by as Griffin unloaded groceries (21:24).
• No connection was found—purely random violence. Early signs (reported by neighbors) suggested Chase had indiscriminately fired gunshots in the neighborhood before.

Escalation and Home Invasions

• In January 1978, Chase’s behavior spiraled. He set fires, broke into homes, and began a pattern of targeting random victims whose doors were left unlocked (“invitation” in his twisted logic) (36:16).
• Quote – Brett (36:43): “He said if the door was locked, that meant the person didn't want him to enter. But if the door was unlocked, he considered that an invitation.”

The Wallen (Waylon) Murder

• January 23, 1978: Chase invaded the home of 22-year-old Teresa Wallin, shot her, and committed extreme sexual mutilation and cannibalism (27:48).
• He drank her blood from a yogurt cup, fulfilling the “vampire” nickname.

The Miroth Family Massacre

• January 27, 1978: A quadruple murder at the home of Evelyn Miroth. Victims included Miroth, her son, a visiting friend, and a two-year-old nephew, David (31:25). Chase killed all, mutilated and drank blood, and abducted David’s body.
• The scenes were so horrific that police and later, the hosts, refrained from detailing the full extent of the mutilations out of respect for listeners and the victims.
• Notable detail: A six-year-old neighbor girl knocking at the door likely interrupted Chase, sparing her own life (34:39).

Aftermath and Manhunt

• Police linked the crimes through ballistic evidence and eyewitness accounts, eventually closing in on Chase after a tip from an old classmate (38:37).
• Host Reflection (38:37): They emphasize the importance of reporting even minor concerns, as this tip proved pivotal.

5. Capture and Apartment of Horrors

• Richard Chase was apprehended after a brief standoff and attempt to flee (40:50). On his person and in his apartment, police found overwhelming forensic evidence: the murder weapon, body parts, blood-soaked rags, animal organs, and walls smeared with pictures (and remnants) of internal organs (42:36).
• The pervasive stench and horror inside his apartment defied description.

6. Psychiatric Evaluations, Trial, and Aftermath

• Despite his history, Chase was found competent to stand trial (47:40), a distinction explained by the hosts as being able to understand charges and assist his defense even while extremely mentally ill.

• At trial in early 1979, Chase’s insanity defense failed—he admitted his crimes on stand, undermining his own case. The jury quickly convicted him of six counts of murder and sentenced him to death (49:11).

• Quote – Alice (47:55): “We got to laugh so we don’t cry… His defense attorney… was hoping for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity because it seems very clear that he did it all. So that's his best defense…”

• Before the sentence could be carried out, Chase killed himself in prison by saving up and overdosing on prescribed medication (Sinequan) on December 26, 1980 (57:24).

• Poignant “vampire” irony: Sinequan can make one smell like garlic (“He ends up being killed by a garlic-like substance” – Brett at 58:11).

7. Aftershocks and Lessons

• The hosts recount Chase’s calendar, where he’d marked his murder days as “Today” and pre-selected further intended murder dates (58:25).
• Both hosts reflect candidly on the lasting psychological effect of covering this case:
  • Alice (61:16): “Sometimes you come across a case that changes your perspective on everything…every night since I've researched this case, I've gone around the house twice to check all my doors are locked…”
• The case is held up as a warning: of the seriousness of untreated psychosis, the importance of follow-through regarding dangerous individuals, and the lasting trauma on both victims and those who study the crimes.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Alice (01:50): “If you think you know twisted, you're about to get into some of the truest of crimes, twisted crimes I've ever read in my life…”
• Brett (02:24): “What’s so freaky about it is, in fact, it’s not paranormal.”
• Alice (07:58): “When you add drugs to the mix…it’s like you have no idea what sort of Pandora’s box you’ve opened.”
• Brett (36:43): “He said if the door was locked, that meant the person didn’t want him to enter. But if the door was unlocked, he considered that an invitation.”
• Alice (61:16): “Every night since I’ve researched this case, I’ve gone around the house twice to check all my doors are locked…now I look like a paranoid crazy person, but I know…there are really crazy people.”
• Brett (57:01): “If you are familiar with Jack the Ripper…multiply it by like 10, and you'll get what Richard Chase did.”
• On the aftermath – Alice (49:24): “If you want to go find out more specifically what he did to his victim…just reading it...will make the strongest of men and women cry.”

Timestamps of Major Segments

• 00:46–03:21: Introduction, context, and trigger warnings.
• 03:21–11:11: Chase’s early life, family, mental illness, and signs of psychosis.
• 13:21–14:06: Escalation—animal violence and psychiatric institutionalization.
• 21:24–24:11: First murder of Ambrose Griffin, police initial confusion.
• 24:11–27:48: Fires, home invasions, and set up for Wallin murder.
• 27:48–30:04: Murder and mutilation of Teresa Wallin.
• 31:25–36:16: Miroth family murders.
• 36:16–38:37: Chase’s “vampire invitation” logic, neighborly vigilance.
• 38:37–42:36: Manhunt; classmate’s tip leads to arrest.
• 42:36–44:12: Shocking discoveries in Chase’s apartment.
• 47:40–49:11: Competency, insanity defense, trial, and conviction.
• 57:24–58:11: Suicide in prison and symbolic “garlic” connection.
• 58:11–60:38: The calendar and "today" notes—plans for further murders.

Takeaways and Reflections

• Systemic Failure: The tragic consequences of underestimating or under-resourcing responses to severe mental illness and violent behavior.
• Random Victimology: The role of victim selection and how mere chance (an unlocked door, a child’s knock) could mean the difference between life and death.
• Lasting Impact: The hosts, both seasoned prosecutors, openly acknowledge the long psychological shadow cast by this case—even on them.

Final Thoughts

Hosts Brett and Alice candidly admit this is the darkest episode they’ve ever done, and express a hope that future October cases will not approach these depths. They caution listeners against delving too deeply into the crime scene specifics—“there are things you cannot unsee”—and urge vigilance both personally and community-wide. They stress, too, the importance of reporting odd behavior, as one classmate’s call likely saved further lives.

Listener Note:
If you’re new to "The Prosecutors," this is not a typical case—most cases are less graphic and less psychologically taxing, making this a fitting, if deeply unsettling, episode for true crime enthusiasts seeking the extreme limits of the genre.

Next Episode Teaser:
Upcoming October episodes promise to be “a little more happy and uplifting” by comparison, with the hosts giving a strong nudge to lock your doors—and perhaps cleanse your mind with a good horror movie instead.