Suspect #1 /// Part 2 /// 936

Summary

True Crime Garage – “Suspect #1 /// Part 2 /// 936” (June 17, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this gripping second part, Nic and the Captain continue their deep dive into a series of eerily similar Florida murders from the early 1990s and beyond, focusing on the investigative trail that converges on one main suspect: Curtis Huff Jr. The hosts piece together evidence from multiple unsolved cases, explore law enforcement perspectives, and share both circumstantial and behavioral links, all with their trademark blend of sharp commentary and detailed storytelling.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Re-Examining the Murders (03:32–12:06)

• Recurring Similarities: Nic and the Captain revisit the cases of Ruth Hauck and Mary Ellen Wise. Both women were abducted, forced to make bank withdrawals, and ultimately murdered—details that suggest a single perpetrator with evolving methods.
• Entry Point Analysis: Nic considers whether Mary Ellen Wise would have opened the door to a stranger, referencing the lack of forced entry (04:20).
• Handyman Theory: The Captain suggests (05:46) a possible link to a handyman or someone posing as one, given physical evidence and a witness report of a truck at one scene.

"Either this was somebody that she knew and she did let in… or the assailant had to approach the victim inside of that garage."
— Nic (04:22)

The Anonymous Letter & Linking Cases (06:14–10:32)

• Anonymous Tip: An anonymous letter named a young man who was a boxer and a dog owner, but it did not solve the case—it simply became part of the long, uneasy trail.
• Investigative Connections: Detectives considered that the same killer may have been responsible for multiple crimes due to similarities in time frame, victimology, and financial motives.
• Adaptation in Methods: Nic argues that the perpetrator learned from earlier mistakes and adapted (changed vehicles, methods) to avoid detection as he repeated similar crimes (08:36–11:56).

"All the similarities tell me it's the same person. The things that are different tell me that they're different for a reason: that he is evolving, he's trying to get better."
— Nic (10:32)

A Broader Pattern Emerges (12:06–21:02)

• Expansion to More Victims: The discussion moves to other murders, including Antonio Zuko and Bonnie Goodson, both of whom were killed during business robberies in November 1992. The brutality and use of blunt force trauma are notable patterns.
• Motive Exploration: The hosts debate whether the killings were simply to cover up robberies or if the violence itself was a primary motivator.

"The brutality of these attacks, especially with the type of instrument used... it's Ted Bundy without the rape portion of it."
— Nic (15:49)

The Attempted Robbery and Curtis Huff Jr. (29:26–44:53)

• Curtis Huff Jr. Identified: In a dramatic retelling of an attempted robbery at the Maple Leaf Motel in January 1993, the hosts introduce Curtis Huff Jr., a violently habitual offender with a ticket selling background, as a central suspect.
• Inmate Bible Study Twist: Despite leading a Bible study in jail, the judge saw through Huff's facade, noting "something psychologically wrong and violent."
• Behavioral Patterns: Victims describe Huff as initially calm and charming, then snapping without warning into violence (41:03).

"Both of them said the same thing—that that comfortable moment didn’t last... The shift in this individual is not gradual, it was abrupt. They both said the same words: he snapped."
— Nic (41:03)

Evidence Linking Huff to Multiple Crimes (44:53–52:36)

• Physical and Circumstantial Links: Evidence against Huff includes a matching red GMC Sonoma pickup truck, a matching cassette tape at the scene, tire and shoe prints, and witness statements tying him to the victims and locations.
• Personal Connections: Huff’s parents previously lived across from victim Mary Ellen Wise, and his stepfather testified to his knowledge of her personal situation (he knew of her settlement and routine).
• Overlap with Victims’ Spaces: Items linked to Huff (like the bed cover) were purchased at the victim’s store.

"Huff’s parents knew Mary Ellen Wise. They lived across the street from her... and said that Curtis Huff knew her as well."
— Nic (48:49)

The Aftermath & Helen McPherson Case (53:40–58:11)

• Ongoing Threat: Huff served only 12 of his 20-year sentence, released in 2005, and moved within a mile of the next victim, Helen McPherson, brutally murdered in 2006.
• Forensic Complications: Although Huff was a suspect, his fingerprints did not match those found at the McPherson scene—possibly explained by his habitual use of gloves.

"The case, just like the others, had been in and out of the news over the years."
— Nic (57:56)

Final Reflections & Unanswered Questions (58:11–End)

• Possible Undiscovered Crimes: Both hosts speculate that Huff may have committed many more crimes, given his mobility across states and long criminal history.
• Lingering Injustice: Despite the wealth of circumstantial evidence, Huff was never charged with any of the Florida murders, and all cases remain officially unsolved.

"This case... has been in and out of the news since 2006 and the earlier crimes of 1992. But there’s been not any real movement on the cases, even though they've been in and out of the news since."
— Nic (58:17)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On criminal intent:
  “Remind yourself that you're not a criminal and that they call it psycho for a reason.” — Nic (29:26)

• On the challenge of prosecuting circumstantial cases:
  “Similarities do not by themselves deliver a conviction. They do, however, shape how people, family members, detectives, journalists understand what might have happened and who might be responsible.” — Nick (21:02)

• On the experience of attack survivors:
  “It was like his nose spread and his eyes seemed to turn hard. Very violent. It wasn’t only what he did, it was how quickly…the person in front of me no longer matched the man who had been chatting with me moments earlier.” — Patricia Bennett (via Nic, 41:06)

• On the lasting impact for victims’ families:
  “These unsolved five homicides remain for the families more than cold case files. These are ongoing stories without endings, without answers. Stories marked by very specific dates, specific places, and a recurring name that investigators had pointed to...” — Nic (59:36)

• On law enforcement’s enduring hope:
  “‘We're confident that we're going to get there.’” — Indian River County Sheriff's Office, regarding Helen McPherson’s murder (61:59)

---

Timeline of Important Segments

• 03:32 Similarities between Mary Ellen Wise and Ruth Hauck discussed; introduction of forced entry and victimology points.
• 06:14 Details about the anonymous letter received after Mary Ellen’s murder.
• 12:06 Robbery and murder of Antonio Zuko introduced.
• 17:30 The brutal beating and death of Bonnie Goodson, highlighting the parallel nature of the cases.
• 29:26 The Captain queries if the violence is the true motive, leading to wider motivations discussion.
• 29:53 FBI insights on intent and the link between sexual, robbery, and violent crimes.
• 32:27 Detailed retelling of the attempted robbery at Maple Leaf Motel and introduction of Curtis Huff Jr.
• 44:53 Evidence section—links between Huff, his vehicle, victims, and items from crime scenes.
• 53:40 Helen McPherson’s 2006 murder in Vero Beach, post-Huff’s prison release.
• 57:56 Reflection on the number of possible unknown victims and enduring toll on families.
• 61:50 Closing thoughts on open cases and law enforcement’s hope.

---

Closing Thoughts

This episode meticulously outlines Curtis Huff Jr.’s thread through a string of unsolved Florida murders—unfolding a compelling, if frustrating, story about the limits of circumstantial evidence, evolving criminal patterns, and the persistence of law enforcement and affected families. Nic and the Captain intersperse their expert insights with dark humor and unflinching commentary, leaving listeners pondering the boundaries of justice and the longevity of unresolved grief.

---

To support True Crime Garage or to dive deeper, visit truecrimegarage.com.

Recommended Reading (62:52):
"Mass Murders: Human Time Bombs" (from the files of True Detective Magazine, edited by Rose Manslinberg)

Transcript

[Oregon Lottery Announcer]

Oregon parks make an Oregon summer. But what makes an Oregon park well, Oregon Lottery gameplay helps no matter the game Megabucks, video lottery or keno funds from lottery games help support parks projects across the state, ensuring they stay safe, accessible and open for all. In fact, Discover State park scratches are in stores now. It's the perfect way to put a little bit of Oregon's parks in your pocket. The Oregon Lottery Together we do good things. Must be 18 or older to play. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only.

[Nick]

Oyendia entender los planes de las compagono es comon drama de una telenovela. Pero verizon a terminado coneso presentamos el simplicity Plan un solo Plan un solo. Estra mejor red 5g.

[Captain]

Sam.

[Nick]

Foreign. Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Thanks for listening. I'm your host, Nick and with me as always, is a man who's been let loose from his noose that's kept him hanging around. Here is the cap and it's good

[Captain]

to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend

[Nick]

Today we are still sipping on this hazy IPA called Boneface Killer from Tactical Brewing. Very fittingly featuring a Skeletor type character imagery on the beautiful beer can art. And Tactical has some of the very, very best beer can art in all of the business. Pour this one in a glass cuz she got good body. Garage grade four and three quarter bottle caps out of five. And let's give some thanks and praise to our good garage friends. First up and cheers to Amy Burch in Louisville, Texas and a big tall

[Captain]

cans in there to Sophie and Minnesota.

[Nick]

Next up we have Jen Daly in Osceola, Indiana. And last but certainly not least we have a triple cheers to Dave, Nikki and Randy and Northern Utah. Everyone we just mentioned they helped us out with this week' beer fund, gave us a beer for the show and for that we thank you.

[Captain]

Yeah BWR you and Beerun for everything. True crime. Check out truecrime garage.com if you need more content then check out our show off the Record on Patreon or Apple podcast subscription and we will tickle your earballs. And that's enough of the business.

[Nick]

All right everybody gather round, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some True crime.

[Captain]

Foreign.

[Nick]

We left off here, Captain. We have two unsolved murders and in my humble Garage opinion, they are eerily similar in nature and in the details. And it seems like the detectives agreed as well. Back in 1992, when they were conducting their investigations. Regarding the investigation to the second murder of. In this series, here is Mary Ellen Wise. And we talked at length about her abduction and then being moved to two different banks to make transactions and then later her body being found. But one thing that we will read in the papers and see on the news when the detectives are asking for help or being probed themselves and being asked about the. The case and the investigation is detectives explained why the lack of forced entry mattered in the Mary Ellen Wise case. And they stated clearly that if Mary Ellen did not know her abductor, it would mean that she opened her door to a stranger. This would be in complete contrast to something that her family said to investigators. They're saying she would not. This was not her nature. She was very, very cautious, a very cautious person. She would not open her door to a stranger. So that either means a. Like we talked about in episode one, perhaps the assailant approached her while she was in the garage. Garage door open, she's doing laundry. We know that there certainly had to have been a lot of activity in that garage based off of blood evidence, clear signs of a struggle. And again, we talked about her dogs. So either this was somebody that she knew and she did let in. The dogs didn't perceive any kind of threat. They perhaps went out to the garage together and then the attack happened. Or the assailant had to approach the victim inside of that garage on that morning.

[Captain]

Well, like I said, if they left the door open, maybe it's a sneak attack or maybe there's some ruse. And then the first murder because of the. Some of the items left behind, the duct tape, the gloves, and then the eyewitnesses seeing this small truck with possibly, possibly a toolbox in the back. It makes me wonder if there's some kind of connection to a handyman or handyman service.

[Nick]

About a week after the murder of Mary Ellen Wise, an anonymous letter was sent to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. Now, we don't have the complete contents of this letter, and to my knowledge, I don't think it's ever been made public. Now, we don't know what was discussed in the letter, what was mentioned or how or the length of the letter, other than what law enforcement has chose to make public. And what they've made public is that in one portion of this letter, the writer offered an opinion about the killer's identity and mentioned a young man who was a boxer and a dog owner. And what I am here to tell you all of these years later is, while very interesting, the letter did not solve the case. It just simply became part of the long, uneasy paper trail. Just another fragment of this story. As investigators reviewed the pattern in Mary Ellen's case. Abduction, forced bank withdrawals, a body left in a rural area, they increasingly considered whether her murder could be connected to other crimes, possibly committed by the same person who had killed Ruth how just eight months prior.

[Captain]

But these are different locations. So. And I understand that there's similarities, but there's similarities in a lot of crimes. What, what do you think sparks the interest or the speculation that it's the same perpetrator?

[Nick]

Well, these are different areas, but if I'm reading my notes correctly here, you do have one agency that is involved in. So you have multiple agencies that are involved in these investigations, but one agency that's involved in both. And so I think it's easier to draw a line from A to B when you have investigators working crimes that not only appear to be similar in nature, but also they're, they're similar in victimology. They're also similar in the fact that they took place within just an eight or nine month span of time.

[Captain]

And do these victims have similar looks?

[Nick]

I think it might be a stretch to say yes, but I also would, I would say that they don't look crazy dissimilar from one another. But keep in mind, when you have two cases with no rape or sign of sexual assault, I don't think that the, the, the appearance of the victim is what the perpetrator was honing in on. And, and look, the bank activity in both is very interesting. It's, it's not completely off the radar, right, that somebody's abducted and then taken to a bank, but it doesn't happen that often. And in this case, it happened in both of these cases. And so where I say the victimology is very similar, it's similar in the nature that these individuals had access to funds. And clearly that's what the perpetrator wanted. If you want me to go into full profile or mode here, what I, what I see is somebody who changed and adapted to the situation. Okay, so we both agreed that the first crime has indicators that suggest that it's well thought out and it's well planned. However, what was the outcome? Well, there was a security camera at the atm, there was someone who may have spotted the suspect's vehicle. And so what do I, if I'm that guy or the perpetrators and I want to do a repeat, but what am I going to want to do. I'm going to want to eliminate all of the things that could have got me caught in the first one. And I'm going to want to exploit all of the things that I did that didn't, that people have no witness of. So I don't want to drive my, if, if, if I'm sitting here going, oh yeah, I killed that lady and my red truck was spotted at the orange grove.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

Guess what I don't want to do this time is use my vehicle. I, Mary Ellen Wise, abducted eight, nine months later, was abducted using her vehicle. What else do I not want to do? I, I mean you did the report is that the, an ATM was accessed in Mary Allen Wise's case. But did the perpetrator make Mary Allen Wise do that? Because what I think is a difference here and I couldn't find verification of it. I think that the dry, I think that the ATM withdrawal in Mary Ellen Wise's case was a drive up atm. And what, what else is different in this, the second case, that, that didn't go well for the perpetrator. In the first one he actually got money from the withdrawals. In the second case, the first case, he didn't. What did police tell us about the first case? They think that it was actually the perpetrator, the abductor who was attempting to access that atm, who accesses the ATM and who, who completes the withdrawal at the drive thru was the victim. So to me the, all the similarities tell me it's the same person. The things that are different tell me that they're different for a reason, that he is evolving, he's trying to get better.

[Captain]

So because there's no sexual assault, that's probably not the motivation. So is it just simply the motivation is monetary?

[Nick]

Yeah. Cash box stolen at the first one. Bank card used at the first one. This one we have, we have a withdrawal and a bank card used again in the second one. Now keep in mind this is Mary Ellen Wise is killed, abducted and killed on November 2, 1992 and her body was found, what, eight days later. So let's go on our timeline here to November 21, 1992. So we're now in the state, same month, same general area of Florida when a discount ticket salesman, his name Antonio Zuko, was beaten to death at a location on West US Highway 192. So tourists stopping to ask for directions and to do some shopping. So they stop, they find this Antonio Zuko, the victim, age 50 at the time, in the bathroom of his ticket shop in tourist information Center. An undisclosed amount of cash and a number of tickets to area attractions were taken along with Zuko's wallet. Deputies think that the murder weapon may have been a hammer. The Osceola Sheriff's Office was the lead investigating agency on this one. So in different parts of the country, especially in the 90s and especially in Florida, you would have these places that they would sell tickets to area attractions. And Florida being a huge tourist destination, you're going to have a lot of these people that they're. They're basically vendors that sell the tickets. They make a little bit of money for selling the tickets. And this is what Antonio's business was. And it appears to detectives that somebody came in there with the intent of robbing him. But he's not abducted. Right, but. But also keep in mind, if the intent was robbery, that cash is on hand. I'm not going to argue that.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

But what I would argue is I. I'm looking for the part of, in the piece of this story that tells me that the killer didn't think that he had to kill Antonio Zuko. I'm looking for the part of. Of where Antonio Zuko fights back or puts the. Puts the robber in a position where he thinks he has to kill to get out of there or severely injure the individual. That part of the story. We don't have any good witnesses, so we don't have that part of the story.

[Captain]

But is it also something very simple, just the size and weight of the victim or like you said, the aggression back? It's more risky to try to abduct this individual.

[Nick]

One of the. The major reasons for murder would be to cover up another crime and then how many times. It's always. You see it in the movies all the time, but it's all. It's a sad fact of life with these evil people that commit crimes. They don't think the way that you and I think. They don't see the victim as a human being that has a family and is probably. It is a great guy and all these good things. They don't see that. They don't care. That's. It's. Leave no witnesses. Who knows what Antonio could have told us about the person who robbed him and attacked him if he would have been around to tell us.

[Captain]

Well, there's a. There's a possibility. There's no disguise. This killer could have just saw this as an opportunity. But would I be correct in saying that if you're law enforcement, you're looking for an individual more like the i70 killer? Than a Ted Bundy.

[Nick]

Yes. The brutality of these attacks, especially with the type of instrument used on Mary Allen Wise and now Antonio Zuko.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

I mean, it's, it's Ted Bundy without the rape portion of it.

[Captain]

The motivation seems to be simply money.

[Nick]

Yes. But I also think that there, there, there's a reason for the killing, and it's either the, the. If, if these are connected, we need, we need to be very clear about that. If these are connected, there needs to be a reason for the killing. Could it just simply be. Leave no witness? Very likely. Could it be that the individual thinks that they could be identified later or that they know any of these victims, or I believe in very rare occasions, the killer just can't stop themselves? It's part of, it's part of it. And I can't tell you without more information if I feel strongly about that here, but it could just be part of it. And now we have to introduce to everyone another individual named Bonnie Goodson. And she lived a life that took her across several corners of this great country before it ended in a way that no family should ever have to imagine. Bonnie Goodson was born in Eicott, New York, and over time, her life carried her far from her hometown. Eventually, she made her way to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. From there she relocated again, this time to central Florida. Moving to kissimmee, Florida In 1975, she built a working life that placed her in a position of trust and familiarity in the community. She became a manager at a Kissimmee truck accessory store, also referred to as the truck accessory Superstore. Now, by the early 1990s, Bonnie was not only working, but pushing herself forward in a very personal way. She had recently returned to school through adult education classes. And after doing that while working her job, continuing her work responsibilities and her home life responsibilities, she managed to graduate and received a degree in June of 1992. Our timeline, we are now in November of 1992. This was the kind of milestone this degree was supposed to be, the kind of milestone that tends to mark a new chapter in someone's life. This was certainly proof that she was still building something for herself. She was also a wife and a mother. But then in late 1992, her life was broken by violence. On Monday, November 30, Bonnie Goodson was at the truck accessory store located at 205 S Bermuda Ave.we've heard that, that road name before, right this in Kissimmee. It was an afternoon, it's daylight, an ordinary time of day when People would be out shopping, working, running errands as such and such. At some point between 1:30pm and 3:00pm A robbery occurred inside the store. During that robbery, Bonnie was attacked. Police said she had been beaten unconscious, struck with a blunt instrument. Two city employees entered the store and found her there and she was airlifted to the hospital at about 3pm that afternoon. An undetermined amount of cash was missing from the store and an early description of the scene and the investigation from police made it clear that they were trying to piece together what happened and who was responsible. Their words were, we are at the scene and we are scraping for clues. This is as they put it to the press, right?

[Captain]

Do have any eyewitness that sees any vehicle here?

[Nick]

We have very little in the way of any type of witnesses and same. It's very similar in that regard to the Antonio Zuko murder that took place really just days prior to this, where it appears somebody entered a building, entered a business, a store and attacked a rock, robbed and killed the solo individual inside that business. Bonnie was taken to the Orlando Regional Medical center, listed in critical condition. The injuries of course, were severe. She underwent multiple surgeries. She spent hours in the intensive care unit as doctors fought to save her. And despite those efforts, she died that night around 9:45pm after several hours of, of what they were hoping would be life saving surgeries.

[Captain]

And that'd be tough too, because as, as a doctor, you're going, okay, I can save this life. But also we might be able to get justice for a bill to save her and she's able to tell us what happened.

[Nick]

Absolutely. In the aftermath of this, the Kissimmee police asked the public for help emphasizing this little narrow window of when the attack occurred. Right. They were asking anyone who had been in or near the truck Accessory Superstore at 205 South Bermuda Avenue between 1:30pm and 3pm on November 30, 1992. What remains clearest in this telling is not only the brutality of this specific crime, a senseless homicide committed during an afternoon robbery, but also the shape of the life it cut short. A mother with two daughters, a woman who had just celebrated the achievement of finishing her education in June of 92, only to be taken before she could fully step into whatever would come next for her. We only have small amounts of information, but I don't think that I need to point them out here that we have strong similarities to the Zuko murder that took place just days prior. And speaking of similarities, the grim symmetry between Ruth Houts still, unsolved case from February of 92 and Mary Ellen Wise's case continue to stand out to police even clearer. In fact, much, much clearer as their investigations would drag on and those there would be Both women were kidnapped, both were connected to bank withdrawals, and both were ultimately found dead in an outdoor rural location in Florida. But as we know, Captain, similarities do not by themselves deliver a conviction. They do, however, shape how people, family members, detectives, journalists understand what might have happened and who might be responsible, Right? The year of 1992 would cast a long dark shadow over central and southern Florida, linking a series, potentially linking a series of brutal unsolved crimes with an unnerving thread of similarity. Groons survives every chaotic stretch because it's literally one daily pack of gummies. No bottles to track, no powders to mix. Just done. Backed by over 35,000 research publications, Grooms are a convenient, comprehensive formula in one delicious daily pack of gummy bears. This isn't a multivitamin, a greens gummy or a prebiotic. It's all of those things and then some at a fraction of the price. Groons have more than 20 vitamins and minerals and 60 ingredients which include nutrient dense and whole foods. Plus their daily pack of Gummies has 6 grams of prebiotic fiber which is 3 times the amount of dietary fiber compared to the leading greens powders and more than two cups of broccoli. They're vegan, nut free, gluten free and dairy free with no artificial colors or flavors. And bonus, they taste great. Save up to 52% off with code GARAGEROONSCO. That's code GARAGE@G R U N S.CO so many people are focused on where their money is today. Acorns is the financial wellness app that cares about where your money is going tomorrow and with the Acorns potential screen you can find out what your money is capable of. Acorns is easy. You can sign up in minutes and start automatically investing your spare money even if all you've got is spare change. Sign up now and Acorns will boost your new account with a $5 bonus investment. Join the over 14 million all time customers who have already saved and invested over $27 billion with Acorns. Head to acorns.com garage or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns tier 2 compensation provided potential subject to various factors such as customers accounts, age and investment settings does not include Acorns fees. Results do not predict or represent the performance of any Acorns portfolio investment results will vary. Investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC Registered Investment Advisor. View Important [e-mail] Garage Summer always changes how you get dressed. You want pieces that feel lighter and more breathable. Things that are easy but still put together. That's where Quince comes in. They focus on high quality essentials that feel and look amazing. Think breathable linen and soft organic cotton. And Quint goes way beyond clothing. They have custom upholstered sofas, ceramic cookware, premium bedding and more for your home. It's the kind of brand you end up recommending to everyone for everything. I've been recommending Quints for a couple years now and I've been shopping quince.com for a couple of years now. Why? Because they keep me coming back because they got the good stuff. I love their classic fashion. They got me looking good for any situation. And you can shop quince.com for men's fashions, women's fashions. Shop for kids. They have travel essentials. And here's a secret. I've purchased a lot of gifts on quints.com elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quint.com garage for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's qui n c e.com garage for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com garage mint mobile plans are only $15 per month. Wondering what's the catch? There isn't one. There are no gimmicks and no gotchas. Just unlimited talk, text and data, fast reliable coverage on the nation's largest 5G network and an award winning care team that makes Mint Mobile a catch. Since switching to Mint Mobile, I am getting the same great service as I got with the bigger, more expensive carrier. But I'm saving $10 a month. And to be honest with you, the service might even be better. To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com tcg that's mintmobile.com tcg cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com tcg that'S it. There's no catch. $45 upfront payment required equivalent to $15 a month. New customers on first three month plan only speeds slower above 40 gigabyte on unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees and restrictions apply. Cement Mobile for details.

[Captain]

All right, we are back. Thanks for telling your mother. Thanks for telling your brother. Tall cans in the air. Cheers to the people in the Back,

[Nick]

you know, thanks for telling your uncle. That would be your mother's brother.

[Captain]

Yeah, if, if she has one. But this, these crimes, to me, it makes you wonder is just the killing, the motivation and the money is an afterthought. Well, I abducted her, I should take the money. I have her. I'm not, I haven't killed her yet.

[Nick]

But I'm glad you bring that up because that's hard for a lot of people to comprehend that idea because murder is obviously such a much more consequential, heinous crime than robbery. But we are not criminals. We do not think like criminals. So when this hits your earballs, remind yourself that you're not a criminal and that they call it psycho for a reason.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

That it's not easily understood. So where, where this sort of thinking would work out is into a different type of crime. And this is something that we were educated by the FBI on. So what we were told by an FBI agent, retired now, Jeffrey Reineck, who investigated a lot of crimes, child murders, sexual crimes, crimes that were sexual in nature, rape and things of that, serial rapists. One thing he taught us was that oftentimes when you're looking for a serial rapist, you may only have one actual rape or at least only one in your file that's made it to your file. Because we do know, unfortunately, due to the, the, the shame and the embarrassment and, and how the person is victimized, that some assault victims will not even come forward. But what he said is that oftentimes what he would find is that his perpetrator would be locked up or have been charged with other crimes that are not rape. And so that would be things of burglary or robbery where the offender broke into a home or an apartment with the intent of sexually assaulting or raping the female individual that's inside that dwelling, right? But because the person woke up startled, the burglar or the break in or the would be rapist fought him off, managed to call police. Police show up any number of reasons. The person doesn't get charged with rape because they didn't commit the sexual assault or the rape, even though that was their intent when they broke into the home, they get charged with breaking and entering or robbery or burglary because they got caught inside the home or caught fleeing the home, right? And so that goes along to with what you're thinking and where again, rape, sexual assault, much more heinous than just breaking in and hoping to steal some valuables. But it goes to intent. Now intent is very hard to prove intent is also very difficult to get direct line of insight on for these individuals. Again, they call it psycho for a reason. We finished up 1992 before the break talk hands in the air. But 1993 in Central and South Florida is going to start off very differently. Thank God. We're now at January 22nd, 1993 on our timeline. This was a day that did not go as planned for one individual and that individual is a one Curtis Huff Jr. So the story I'll summarize, but as printed in the Orlando Sentinel under the headline Motel owner shoots robber. Again, this is in Kissimmee, Florida and we are at the Maple Leaf motel on West US Highway 192. Oh, also another road that we have mentioned in previous cases thus far in the telling of this true crime story. So this is a framed. This is framed as an account of a robbery attempt that didn't go the way the attacker expected because the motel owner, Hamid Jabaili. This is my dude. This guy is a dude. He refused to stop fighting even after he had been badly injured by the robber by his attacker. Deputy said the incident happened on a Friday afternoon inside the motel office. Jabaili was confronted by Curtis Huff Jr. A 24 year old from Kissimmee, Florida. According to Jabailey and what he told police, Huff came in acting like a normal customer, asking about buying discount tickets to local attractions. Hmm, where have we heard that before? Ticket sales. For a moment, Jabaili said it looked like an ordinary interaction until Huff abruptly escalated the situation by throwing coffee into Jabaily's face. So the store owner is blinded by this hot coffee and shocked. And he says that is when Huff Jr attacked him with a tire iron and Huff beat him in the head with it hard enough to leave him with multiple head injuries and cuts. The assault was so severe that later witnesses would describe Jabaily as drenched in blood and unrecognizable. But even so, deputies said the beating wasn't the end of it. In the chaos, Curtis Huff Jr. Produced a gun. What followed, investigators believed, was a violent struggle in close quarters. Who for control of that weapon. What ends up happening here is Curtis Huff Jr. Fires three shots during the course of this time that the two men are grappling. None of these shots thankfully hit Hamid Jabaili, our dude. Jabaili manages to wrench the gun away from Curtis Huff Jr. And now the balance of power has changed, my friends. Two more shots were fired, but this is not while the gun is in the hands of Curtis Huff. Junior Jabailey's got control of this firearm. So by the time the struggle broke apart, Curtis Huff Jr. Had been hit. Detectives said that he was struck in the right calf, but the scene did not end neatly. So after he's hit, the robber, later identified as Curtis Huff Jr. Attempts to flee. Now, our victim, even though he's. He's shot Huff Jr. He's very badly injured. So he collapses briefly, and I think this gives Huff the opportunity to try to get out of there. Jabaily, soaked in his own blood, keeps fighting. He gets up with sheer willpower, and he goes outside after Huff Jr. And so it. There's a lot going on right here, right now. But you have two people that know Hamid Jabaili. They pull up. This is Eric and Jane Albery. They pulled up for what they would typically do. They would do this often. They would drop in for a quick visit to say hello to their friend. But instead, they pull up in their vehicle, and they see their friend, who they don't recognize because he's drenched in blood, coming out of his own business, and he's holding a gun. So they're freaking out. Hamid is yelling at the guy who's attempting to flee on foot through the parking lot, but he's hobbling because he's been shot in the leg and he's trying to. Bailey is trying to shoot him again, but because there's so much blood on the gun and on his hands, he couldn't quite get the hammer pulled back. So this is called in. This is the. It was a.38 caliber gun. And as said Jabailey's thumb, thumb kept slipping off the hammer because it was too slick with blood from. From him to cock it. And the gun had already been fired five times by this point. So it seems like he was attempting for a sixth and maybe final shot on this dude. But the blood coating his hands defeated him in the moment. So police pull up. They. They end up getting a life flight helicopter for Curtis Huff Jr. And he is flown to the same medical facility where one of our victims, Goodson, had passed away prior that Orlando Medical Center. Now, Huff's injuries are far less severe than what Goodson's were, and he survives being shot, but now he's being arrested for his robbery and assault on Hamid Jabaili at the Maple Leaf Motel. The Osceola Sentinel wrote about Curtis Huff Jr. And described him as a ticket salesman with a reputation for two things that did not seem to belong together. Charm and sudden violence. He was identified as a habitual violent Felony offender. And of course, this means he has a history and a pattern of violence that is recognized by our legal system, and he's been caught for these actions. Now, the short of this here, Captain, is that Curtis Huff Jr. Would plea no contest to the charges brought against him in his robbery attempt at the Maple Leaf Motel. They linked him to another robbery. This was in the summer of 1992, when a ticket seller, again an occupation we've already mentioned before, was attacked inside their business and left hogtied. Now, I wish we had further details on that, why this person was left alive. And it appears that that was not the intent here. I don't believe he. After striking Hamid in the head with a tire iron and then pulling a gun. I don't. I can't imagine that he. His intent was to leave Hamid alive. But regardless, what takes place here is he pleas no contest to the crimes that we know he's absolutely guilty of. The Maple Leaf Motel attack, an attempted robbery to the one he suspected of that they were going to charge him with. But they don't charge him with that robbery from the summer of 92 in sort of a plea agreement.

[Captain]

So he's going to be locked up.

[Nick]

He's going to be locked up. But. But what's interesting here is we get. We have two witnesses now, right? The hog tied victim and. And our dude Jabali. So these two cases, both victims tell a story that starts off very similar of Curtis Huff Jr. Doing something that it's. It's routine business, right? The victims say that he approached them simply wanted to buy tickets to an attraction. They both described his demeanor as calm, friendly and chatty. They say the type of person that's easy to talk to and the type of person that you can talk up and very quickly become familiar with just simply within minutes. But both of them said the same thing, that that comfortable moment didn't last. And they said that the shift in this individual is not gradual, it was abrupt. They both of them said the same words. He snapped. It was like he snapped. So Patricia Bennett was the victim who was hogtied in the summer robbery. She said that, like, his physical description changed too.

[Captain]

Well, we've heard this from other detectives.

[Nick]

She said that when she was looking at him, when she believes it was that he snapped, she says these are her words. It was like his nose spread and his eyes seemed to turn hard. Very violent. It wasn't only what he did, it was how quickly. The person in front of me no longer matched the man who had been chatting with me moments earlier. So both of them simply say that he seemed to snap at the same time, that he demanded money and he became very violent right away. And Bennett, she says that the situation became almost as non negotiable. She says he's putting on rubber gloves, and now I'm begging for my life.

[Captain]

Well, we have gloves in other cases as well.

[Nick]

So this, Chris, this Curtis Huff Jr. Was designated as a habitual offender. And this was tied to. He's still Fairly young. He's 24. But this is tied to an earlier chapter in his life. He had served time in prison in Indiana for a string of Midwest robberies that took place in the late 1980s. Again, a pattern reportedly looking somewhat familiar to what's going on here in Florida. Well, at least the two we know he's guilty of. He was allowed to serve out his parole. Once he's paroled for those crimes, he was allowed to serve that out in the state of Florida. He is originally from Vero Beach. As I understand it, he's a graduate of Vero Beach High School.

[Captain]

So going back to his hometown to commit crimes.

[Nick]

Well, I imagine that's probably why he was allowed to serve his parole in that state, because that's not typically the way these things go down. They don't. They don't really love you moving out of state in most cases. Once he's back in Florida, he found work as a ticket salesman for area attractions. Again, this is a job that itself mirrors some of these robberies.

[Captain]

Right. So he would have an understanding of the layout, possibly understanding of how the business works, how they collect money, and

[Nick]

also, you know, while he's. So this is May of 1993. He attempted to rob the motel in January. And after his arrest and they pull the bullet from his leg. He's. Of course, he's. He's a great guy, Captain.

[Captain]

He.

[Nick]

He was leading. He's at the Osceola County Jail leading a Bible study group.

[Captain]

Oh.

[Nick]

Oh, yeah. We probably shouldn't give him the maximum penalty, should we? He's a man of God, and he's trying to educate the other individuals and lead them to the light.

[Captain]

Well, in fairness, the Bible is a very violent book.

[Nick]

It's. It's. Yes. The violence in the Bible is they crucified a guy. They did.

[Captain]

Yeah.

[Nick]

That was part of it.

[Captain]

That. That's a little part of it.

[Nick]

Yeah, that's a little bit of a part of it. But so the judge thankfully sees through this BS of him being a Bible study leader at the jail, and he gets he receives 20 years, a 20 year sentence, and he will not be eligible for parole for 10 years of that. And look, this punishment was structured to ensure a long stretch of confinement for this individual. And I'm looking to see if I have in my notes here what the judge said at the sentencing, because it.

[Captain]

He said, listen here, you little piece of shit.

[Nick]

I don't have it, the direct quote in my notes here, but basically he's saying, like, when I look at you and I see you and I review what you are here being charged with in the details of these crimes, that there's something psychologically wrong and violent with you. So While Curtis Huff Jr. Is locked up in 1995, Osceola county investigators officially named Curtis J. Huff Jr. As a primary suspect in the murder of Ruth Haupt, the chiropractor. They say that the circumstantial evidence against him was substantial and damning. And then they also say that there are similarities in that crime, that mere other crimes, unsolved crimes that they have in that area at about that same time period, those being the ones that we just got went through. So let's go through this evidence here, Captain. First, the truck. Curtis Huff Jr. Owned a red 1991 GMC Sonoma pickup truck matching the description of the vehicle seen near the orange grove where Ruth's body was found. Another witness says that they saw a pickup truck near Antonio Zuko's business. Now, we don't get a great description of that pickup truck other than a small pickup truck. We do know that tire tracks at the Houck crime scene where her body was found matched for the BF Goodrich tires that were found to be on Curtis Hough's truck. A Children of the sun cassette tape with no case was found inside of Curtis Huff's truck. Remember the empty case for that exact tape? Or well, maybe not that exact tape, but. Right, but a tape matching that was found near Ruth's body. ATM footage. Remember the physical description provided by police? After further analysis of that footage, a smaller man, Curtis Huff Jr. Is 5 foot 4 inches tall.

[Captain]

There you go.

[Nick]

And this seems like a. Like a kind of not so important thing, but they're saying he was known to wear hooded sweatshirts a lot. He grew up in Vero Beach. He lived a short distance from the very bank where Ruth's ATM card was used. His girlfriend at the time told police that he traveled there often to that bank. Footprints from Reebok sneakers were found at the crime scene where Hout's body was found. Matched a pair of Reeboks that were seized from Curtis Huff's father's home in St. Cloud, where he was living at the time of his arrest.

[Captain]

Well, well, well.

[Nick]

The Mike Greenwell appointment. The name used for the final appointment at Ruth's office, Mike Greenwell, was the name of a Boston Red Sox left fielder. As we said earlier, Curtis Huff was an avid baseball fan who also played left field for a local softball team. Huff's girlfriend in 1992 lived near Ruth Hout's chiropractic office. Furthermore, detectives verified that a cover, a truck bed cover, the one on the bed of Huff's truck, had been purchased from the very store where Bonnie Goodson worked and was murdered. And we know that Curtis Huff was also in the ticket business. And what did they find on him when he was arrested? He had Antonio Zuko's business card in his wallet when he was arrested.

[Captain]

And you wonder if they're able to get any DNA off the glove that was found.

[Nick]

It doesn't stop there. Huff's parents knew Mary Ellen Wise.

[Captain]

Can't stop, won't stop.

[Nick]

They lived across the street from her. Now, not at the time of her murder, but she lived in that house for a long period of time. They knew her. And they said that Curtis Huff knew her as well. And it goes beyond that. His stepfather, his name is John Heron, said that they were close, fairly close friends with Mary Allen Wise, and later told investigators that Curtis Huff knew Mary Allen, knew Mary Ellen had been hurt in an auto accident and received a large settlement. So, remember, we talked about her being severely injured in a car accident. She from a lawsuit of that injury from that car accident. They settled. The settlement was for, I believe, a million or a little more than a million dollars. It took her 10 years to recover, physically recover. She had to damn near teach herself to walk again.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

She spent a lot of time in hospitals, a lot of surgeries to put her back together again. And she gets the settlement. But the settlement was a stipend. They paid it out in monthly payments. And from my understanding, she received $1,500 a month. Oh, well, that pretty much matches up with what's reported on how much was withdrawn from her bank account on the day that she was abducted. 500 bucks from an ATM. $1,000 for a check written for the drive thru and his stepfather. When John Heron was shown the ATM photo from the Ruth homicide, the stepfather says, look. Although the suspect's face isn't visible, the posture suggested to him that the person could very possibly be his stepson. His Exact words, very possibly could be my stepson in regard to the Mary Ellen Wise case. Now see, now the detectives are starting to open up, but they need they collected. Keep in mind they're getting a lot of this information, a lot of this evidence after the fact that he's arrested. And then they get a search warrant for Curtis Huff's father's home where he was living, and they find some additional evidence there. This is all building and building with this Curtis Huff thing. I think they had some suspicions that some of these cases were connected, but now they have a lot of suspicions and they're being a little more vocal about what their suspicions were early on in some of these investigations. Stating that, look, when we were looking into the Mary Ellen Wise case, the lead investigators stated very quickly that I don't think it's this the first time this killer's acted. Two of the autopsy reports, okay, so you have those of Mary Ellen Wise and Bonnie Goodson were described by the lead investigator as eerily similar. Both victims had 11 fractures to the skull and defensive breaks to the arms. Homicide by blunt force trauma to the head is relatively uncommon, making a pattern like this stand out. Despite the mountain of circumstantial evidence, Curtis J. Huff Jr. Was never charged with the murders of Ruth Hout, Mary Ellen Wise, Bonnie Goodson, or Antonio Zuko. In Bonnie Goodson's case, a witness saw a man walking away from the crime scene but was unable to pick Curtis Huff out of a lineup. Ultimately, prosecutors could not indict Huff for the Goodson murder. And the evidence across the other three cases wasn't strong enough to charge him.

[Captain]

But how much time is he going to spend?

[Nick]

Well, remember, he, he received a 20 year sentence. In the end he served 12 years. So using our highly sophisticated garage math, that means that this guy gets out in 2005. And because law enforcement simply could not get him for any of these murders, this 5 foot 4 inch shit stack built like a fire plug is free to roam and kill again. Right.

[Captain]

And Will, I mean, like you said, charming with a very short fuse seems to be very, a unique characteristic.

[Nick]

Well, and you know, and you hear, in all fairness, we have to be clear, as we were just very clear, he's not been charged any of these murders, not been convicted of any of them. But you, we heard this in John Wayne Gacy, we heard it with Ted Bundy. He didn't look like a killer. I would tell you that he, Curtis Huff Jr. Does in pictures. Does not look like a killer to me either.

[Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

Doesn't mean that he isn't. These guys are not so easily spotted. So the years passed since the 1992 murders. A new brutality shocked Vero Beach, Florida. This is In July of 2006 when 87 year old Helen McPherson was murdered in her home. Helen lived in vero beach for 60 years. She was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church. She was widowed in 2000 and so she spent her days at her home and in her neighborhood. On the Evening of Friday, July 14, 2006, Helen's son Doug and her daughter in law took Helen to dinner at Swenson's Restaurant. I love Swensons. If you have one near you, go to it immediately.

[Captain]

Keep listening to the sponsor but we, yeah, would love for them to sponsor the show.

[Nick]

I love this. I love the sloppy joe. All right, so this Swensons is on U.S. highway 1 in Vero Beach. After dinner. What a good son. Taking mom out to dinner, brings her back home, returns her to her home. They're watching TV for a little bit and then they leave. They say between 8 and 9pm when they leave, Goodson reminds mom, lock your door. The next day, Saturday, July 15, a neighbor noticed a screen missing from Helen's door. So she's got the screen door and then you have the actual door, the screen is missing from that screen door. So the neighbor calls the son, says hey your, the screen door is popped out or you might want to go check on your mom. He tries calling her. We're now at 5:35 5:45pm the following day, can't get her on the phone. So they decide they're going to drive out there and check on mom. So around 6pm unfortunately, they found Helen's lifeless body in her bedroom lying against the wall with blood on her face. The home and her bedroom had been ransacked, things turned upside down. They call 911 immediately. The medical examiner revealed multiple injuries from both strangulation and blunt force trauma inflicted with a sharp edged object. And the investigators on the scene described the killing as among the most vicious they had ever seen. There were no gunshots, no stab wounds. Helen had been beaten with an unknown object or instrument. They said she was not sexually assaulted. There were signs of forced entry through the carport door. And they also noted in the report that there had been or according to the son and the neighbor, an attempted break in 10 days prior that Helen did not report. So Curtis Huff Jr gets out in 2005 after serving 12 years of his 20 year sentence. Upon release, he moved to 5825 20th street in Vero beach, about a mile from Helen's residence. He's living just north of a Target store and across from the Ryan Wood Shopping Center.

[Captain]

This guy's a real douchebag.

[Nick]

These are places that Helen's son would tell police that, that she went frequently. And so he is suspected of involvement in prior cases that have similarities. And some of this is a lot of this really is the blunt force trauma along with the robberies to his defense here. Captain, investigators compared his fingerprints, which obviously they are going to have on file, to partial prints that were recovered from Helen's crime scene. They did not match. What do we know about. If Curtis Huff committed these Priorities murders? What do we know about that killer? He wear, he wore gloves. So it's logical to assume that maybe he did. If he was in fact the person that broke into Helen McFerson's home. The case, just like the others, had been in and out of the news over the years.

[Captain]

Well, and hold on for a second, because we have a handful of crimes that we see the similarities, we see the connections, but those are just the ones we know of. This guy could be responsible for so many crimes.

[Nick]

You're exactly right. And keep in mind, he lived in a couple of different states, and so he has.

[Captain]

When did this start? I mean, yes, he's pretty young when he first gets locked up, but this could have started late teens.

[Nick]

Well, you can track his footprints to areas like Michigan, Indiana, and, and then regarding the charges that he gets convicted of, and we know he's later on parole for, in Florida were for robberies in what's simply stated as Midwest states. So how far did he travel during that time? And like you said. Yeah, I think it's, Look, I, I don't know that he did all five of these. I feel very confident that he did two or four of them. And if he did any of them at all and he's got other priors, like you said, I, I, it's, it's very, it would be dumb not to question how many other cases could this guy be involved with and if he is of the type that the violence and the murder is part of it for him or that it's simply leave no witnesses. Does he have other homicides in and out of the state of Florida? This case, they have openly said. They have openly said in some of these cases that Curtis Huff Jr. Is a suspect. They've also openly named him as a person of interest. So this is nothing new here with this guy. It's just a name that most of us have never heard and crimes that need more awareness, a string of crimes that need more awareness outside of this area. This case, just like, just like so many that we've covered, has been in and out of the news since 2006 and the earlier crimes of 1992. But there's been real, not any real movement on the cases, even though they've been in and out of the news since. We are told that the cases are not cold and that law enforcement agencies continue to work the cases. I would put together a task force on these five homicides led by a cold case expert. Underline the word expert about 10 times. I believe that there are reasons to work some of these cases together and others on the periphery. So these unsolved five homicides remain for the families more than cold case files. These are ongoing stories without endings, without answers. Stories marked by very specific dates, specific specific places, and a reoccurring name that investigators had pointed to but never successfully carried through to a prosecution. As Of June of 2026, 34 years have passed since the terrible string of murders in 1992 and 20 years since Helen McPherson was killed in her home. The murders of Ruth Howe, Mary Ellen Wise, Bonnie Goodson, Antonio zuko, and Helen McPherson remain officially unsolved. Investigators continue to ask the public for help, hoping that one tip will finally break the silence. The families are still suffering, trapped in the torment of not knowing. While a prime suspect in at least four of the cases was never brought to trial for them, for the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, the promise to Helen's family remains firm. Quote, we're confident that we're going to get there. End quote. So in the quiet seaside community of Vero Beach, Florida, a shadow from the past looms large, a chilling narrative of violence that has haunted families in this community for decades. This story begins and ends with with a man named Curtis Huff Jr. Whose name is linked to a string of brutal unsolved murders that terrorized central and South Florida. With a criminal history that already included an attempted murder conviction, Curtis Huff Jr. Is a central figure in a dark chapter of Florida's history. Foreign.

[Captain]

Thank everybody for joining us here in the garage. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and check out truecrowngarage.com Carl do we have any recommended reading for the beautiful listeners?

[Nick]

Yes, Captain. Let's go way back. This title is from 1983. I love these old back pocket true crime paperbacks.

[Geico Gecko]

Yeah.

[Nick]

This one is titled Mass Murders. Human Time Bombs. They explode in violence to kill by the dozen. This is way back when they still sold True Detective magazine. And this is from the files of True Detective magazine. Mass Murderers from True Detective Magazine, edited by Rose Manslinberg. You don't have to write down that title now. We will have it listed on our website on our recommended page. Just go to truecrime garage.com and until next week, be good, be kind and don't limit.

[Oregon Lottery Announcer]

Oregon Parks make an Oregon summer. But what makes an Oregon park? Well, Oregon Lottery gameplay helps no matter the game. Megabucks, video lottery or keno funds from lottery games help support parks projects across the state, ensuring they stay safe, accessible and open for all. In fact, Discover State Park Scratches are in stores now. It's the perfect way to put a little bit of Oregon's parks in your pocket. The Oregon Lottery Together we do good things. Must be 18 or older to play. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only.

[Geico Gecko]

And now for a bit of breaking news. Between your breaking news with me, the Geico Gecko, here are some things you ought to know today. People who switch their car insurance to geico save about $900 a year. Experts are calling that nice to know. Also, plants can hear when bees buzz. My ficus just heard that. And finally, animal experts have confirmed that goats have regional accents. I'm getting a hint of Irish there.

[Nick]

It feels good to get good news. It feels good to gecko.