← Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong
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- [00:01]
Sabrina d' Anarroga
Hey there, we're Sabrina d' Anarroga and Corinne Vian, hosts of Crimes of.
- [00:05]
Corinne Vian
Crimes of is a weekly true crime series with each season diving into a different theme, from unsolved murders to mysterious disappearances and the cases that haunt us most. And since it's Valentine's season, we are unpacking Crimes of Passion. When love turns into obsession, passion twists into paranoia, and jealousy drives people beyond the edge of reason.
- [00:27]
Sabrina d' Anarroga
Crimes of is a Crime House original. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. New episodes every Tuesday.
- [00:44]
Heidi Wong
This is crime house. A murderous small town pizza maker who who cooked his victim into a stew. A restaurant owner who got into an argument with his wife and ended up boiling her body. An aspiring chef who you could see on TV that turned into a serial killer. Or the successful caterer turned romance author who wrote about killing her husband and then went through with it. If this makes you think about the horror movie the menu, you're not wrong. Because turns out that being a chef isn't just stressful, it can also lead to murder. Welcome to Twisted A Crime House original. I'm Heidi Wong. Every week I'll take you deep into the true stories behind horror's biggest legends. From vengeful ghosts to bloody slashers to alien encounters and more, these real life accounts are guaranteed to keep you up at night. But scary stories aren't any fun if you're telling them alone. If you've ever had a haunted moment or a twisted tale of your own, I want to hear about it. Drop it in the comments. The creepier the better. Crime House is made possible by you. Follow Twisted Tales and subscribe to Crime House on Apple Podcasts for ad free early access. And if you're into true crime as well as horror, go search and follow Crime House daily. Our team's twice a day show bringing you breaking cases, updates and unbelievable stories from the world of crime that are happening right now. Today's theme, the menu. The off the wall horror satire about a demented chef taking his diner through the world's deadliest meal. The movie was inspired by some real world Kitchen Nightmares and today I'll take you through them along with some other tragic but true stories of chefs who cooked up recipes for murder.
- [02:36]
Sal or Hank (Carvana ad characters)
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- [02:59]
1-800-Contacts ad voice
Buy your car today.
- [03:01]
Heidi Wong
On Carvana.
- [03:03]
1-800-Contacts ad voice
Delivery fees may apply.
- [03:08]
Heidi Wong
Every society needs people playing different roles to make it all work. Policemen, firefighters, teachers, bankers. Science seems obvious, right? But apparently, according to some scholars, the world also needs psychopaths in order to function. At least according to British psychologist Kevin Dutton. Dutton believes that psychopaths need to make up a full 10% of society. It's apparently because people who have that extra edge to them will dedicate themselves to things that most people won't. And they appear in all sorts of professions, from surgeons to journalists. In Dutton's study, chefs come in ninth place for having the highest prevalence of psychopaths, at least in British society. And it turns out there's a long history of stories about chefs who use their skills to do more than cook up a meal. There's a story in Greek mythology about one of Zeus's mortal sons, Tantalus, who stole nectar and ambrosia from the gods, thinking it would make him immortal. Well, it didn't work. So to test the gods, Tantalus thought for some reason, he could kill his son and feed him to them. To nobody's surprise, the gods caught onto him. As punishment, Tantalus was doomed to spend eternity standing in water surrounded by fruit. But anytime he tried to eat or drink, it pulled away from him. A couple thousand years later, William Shakespeare took his own spin on the topic of dangerous cooking with his play Titus Andronicus, which is about a Roman general who kills and cooks two men into pies after they assault and mutilate his daughter. And this theme has continued into modern times, from Game of Thrones to South Park. And in recent years, maybe the most famous instance of a chef turned killer is 2022's the Menu. In the Menu, chef Julian, played by Ralph Fiennes, invites his guests to enjoy a meticulously planned, brilliantly unraveling culinary horror show. It's giving. Yes, chef, for sure. Among the diners are a once famous movie star, Tech Bros. An absurdly wealthy couple, and of course, Margot, played by Anya Taylor. Joy. The meal begins with elaborate small bites that are more art than food. But as the night goes on, things take a dark turn. And it starts with a chorus called the Message, where a sous chef kills himself in front of the diners. And then it unravels even more until guests themselves become part of the final dessert. Our eyes and ears throughout the movie is Margot out of everyone. Only she really sees the insanity of the entire night. And because she doesn't really buy into fine dining, she's the only one to survive. Of course, this is an over the top satire of how intense chefs can be about their craft, or really, anyone can be about their craft. Screenwriter Will Tracy was inspired by a dinner he had at an exclusive restaurant in Norway. The name of that restaurant translates to Cornelius Seafood Restaurant. It's located on a private island, and Tracy had to take a private boat to get there. As he sat for his meal, he felt a weird sense of dread. Tracy didn't think the chef was going to kill him, but he did wonder what would happen if somebody had an emergency. They were miles from the mainland and anything could happen. Thankfully, Tracy and everyone else that night made it home safe and sound. But the crazy thing is, when it comes to some chefs, your safety isn't always guaranteed. If you're looking for an ultimate getaway, there's nothing quite like the south of France. The weather, the food, the history. You can't do much better. And the village of Brasquet seems to live up to that. This small, rural community of less than 200 residents is perched at the top of a scenic plateau surrounded by rolling hills and rivers. It looks like it's straight out of a storybook, but it's also the place of nightmares. In February 2023, a local pizza chef named Philippe Schneider and his buddy, a gravedigger named Loop, were on the hunt for a score. They heard a rumor that a guy named George McClair had a few extra bucks and and some weed somewhere in his property, which was in an isolated wood. So Philippe and Lou decided they would go and take it all for themselves. Once they made it into Georges property, the details get a bit fuzzy. Here's what we do know. Philippe and Lou came across George, who decided not just to hand over his things. Thinking he'd resist and call the cops, Philippe and Lou tied George up and gagged him. The only problem, they also suffocated and killed him. All of a sudden, what was supposed to be a simple burglary turned into murder. Philippe and Lou had no idea what to do with the body. They weren't exactly hardened criminals. You'd think since Lou was a gravedigger, they could just bury George's remains. Instead, they decided to make use of Philippe's background and keep him with something a little more unorthodox. Philippe wasn't just a pizza maker. He was also a trained butcher. And he decided to make use of his skills by taking George's body home, dismembering his limbs and chucking them into pots to stew down with vegetables. Apparently, this was to cover up the odor of a rotting corpse. Phillipe also burned his organs and his head, hands, and feet. Then he took the guy's ashes and spread them in a nearby yard. And Phillipe wasn't exactly safe. Subtle after that, either. Eventually, he and his girlfriend were spotted driving George's car around town. When someone asked what he was doing with the guy's car, Philippe replied that George was letting him borrow it, which was not exactly believable. After that, George's daughter started receiving strange text messages from his number and said that he was going out of town with a friend. But the tone didn't sound like him. The situation was extremely fishy. Before long, Philippe was taken in for questioning. He didn't bother denying what he'd done and confessed to everything. Philippe was charged with kidnapping, leading to death, concealment of a corpse, and endangering the integrity of a corpse. His accomplice, Lou, was charged with being complicit as well. When Philippe finally decided to speak to the press, he said the following. I have no words to express my guilt and my many regrets, but I understand the anger and disgust I can evoke. I offer my sincerest apologies to the family. This is an act of madness that should never have happened. I plead guilty to all the charges against me. The phrase an act of madness sticks out to me, given the correlation that we just talked about between chefs and psychopaths. Even so, he's not the only chef to cook. Their victim, David Viens, oversaw Time Contemporary Cafe in Lomita, which is just over 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles. One night in 2011, David and his wife dawn, decided to take a break from fine dining and go out to a reliable classic California pizza kitchen. After their dinner together, it's reported that David bailed to go shoot some pool with his buds. By all accounts, it was a tame evening until things went south. According to his testimony, David headed home after he was done playing pool. But the night wasn't over. When he got home, he and Don did some cocaine together. He says they began to fight after that. And while he didn't give many details, he did say that he suspected dawn was stealing money from him. And also she was pestering him a lot that night. Who knows if he was telling the truth, but what we do know is this. David duct tapes Dawn's mouth shut, then bound her hands and feet. But the next morning when he woke up, he freaked out. Why? According to him, Don was, quote, hard. And these are his words. It's clear that whatever happened that night, Don Viens died because of David. And like in our last story, he decided to use his culinary skills to get rid of the evidence. He took Dawn's body, stuffed it face first into a 55 gallon drum of water, and boiled it over the course of four days. Afterwards, he took what remained of her and mixed it with waste from his restaurant. Then he stuffed it all into garbage bags and threw everything into the dumpster, just like that. And he did keep one thing, her skull. And allegedly, he put it in his mom's attic. But he couldn't keep quiet about what he'd done. This is like Ed Gein level deranged, you guys. This is actually crazy. Note, this is not all chefs, okay? Just because you're good at cooking does not mean that you're going to do a bunch of drugs and then tie up your wife and then chop her into bits and then cook her. This is definitely an extreme. David. What the hell? David eventually confessed to his daughter, as well as a woman he dated after he killed Don. When David learned that investigators were on his tail, he threw himself off an 80 foot cliff, hoping the fall would kill him. It didn't. David recounted the ordeal in court from a wheelchair. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. And with that, justice was served. But if you think cooking is the only way that psychotic, murderous chefs get rid of their victims, just wait until you hear about this next one. Growing up in England, Stephen Port was a quiet, creative kid. When he got older, he went to art school and was passionate about cooking. But there was a side of him he'd been hiding. Steven was gay, and he was afraid of what his family would think, so he hadn't told them. And when he finally did come out, his mom's reaction was exactly what he feared it would be. And this wasn't the only disappointment Stephen felt from his family. Around the same time, he had to drop out of our school because he couldn't afford it. But Stephen kept cooking, and he even appeared in the background of an episode of Celebrity MasterChef. It seemed like things were looking up for him. Steven was also exploring his queer identity, notably on the Grindr app. But instead of flourishing in this newfound freedom, Steven became the exact kind of person you'd be terrified to meet online. Once he got onto Grindr, Steven developed an entire alter ego. On his profile, he said that he was a member of the Royal Navy and attended Oxford, neither of which was True. And while that's really sketchy, plenty of people lie about themselves online. But it didn't stop there for Stephen. Soon enough, he was luring young men to his apartment to hook up and do drugs, typically Mephedrone and Ecstasy. He escalated to drugging them with ghb, a powerful sedative that can easily kill you. And it didn't take long before he did. Stephen's first Victim was a 23 year old fashion student named Anthony Walgate. After meeting on an escort website, Anthony came over to Stephen's apartment, where Stephen drugged, assaulted, and killed him. He did the Same thing to 22 year old Gabriel Kovari, a Slovakian kid living in South London. Steven did this four times before he was caught. And what makes it even more tragic is that after an internal investigation, the police realized they'd made some serious, serious mistakes. They actually could have identified Stephen much earlier, right after he killed Anthony Walgate. Now, it doesn't seem like the pressures of the kitchen are what led to Stephen Port's crimes. If anything, cooking was one of the only bright spots in his life before it all went wrong. But in other instances, the obsessive internal drive to succeed in so many chefs can lead to tragedy. And sometimes that tragedy happens to themselves. Themselves. Bernard Watteau was no ordinary chef. His restaurant received the incredible honor of three Michelin stars in 1991, when Bernard was only 40 years old. In case you're not familiar with the Michelin system, receiving three stars is practically unheard of. For reference, there are only 157 three star restaurants in the entire world. Getting just one star means you're one of the best in the the game. Three stars means you're one of the greatest of all time. You know, the goats of the culinary world. And for someone like Bernard, who first started working in kitchens as a teenager, it was the ultimate payoff for a life spent obsessing over perfection. And after he got his three stars, Bernard ascended even more. Not only was his restaurant a hit, but Bernard himself was too. He became the first chef in France. France whose brand was a publicly listed company on the stock market. And he branched out to build an empire that soon included multiple restaurants. But that kind of success was hard to ustain. And in February 2003, there were whispers that Bernard's restaurant might be downgraded to two stars instead of three. Even though the rumor turned out not to be true, Bernard was supposedly really shaken up by it. Now, having two Michelin stars is still a huge honor, literally. In Hong Kong, the two Michelin star restaurants all have the chef's picture, like in front. Like that was the vibe that it gave, you know. But for Bernard, who couldn't accept anything less than perfection, it would have been unacceptable. According to his wife, Bernard's behavior started to change after this rumor came out. He was on edge, unable to be reasoned with. And in a tragic turn of events, on February 24, 2003, 52 year old Bernard took his own life. Bernard's wife said that he was prone to bouts of manic depression. He'd be giddy one moment and then in a deep well of despair the next. And it seemed like the thought of his life's work being unraveled was something he sadly just couldn't overcome. If we learned anything so far, it's that being a chef comes with intense pressure. We've seen that manifest into all kinds of tragic violence. And in this next case, it came in a way that you would never expect. Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today.
- [18:03]
1-800-Contacts ad voice
Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast.
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Heidi Wong
And breathe.
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1-800-Contacts ad voice
Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste.
- [18:20]
Heidi Wong
Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Daniel Brophy was the kind of chef who loved to spread the joy of cooking. Not only was he talented in the kitchen, but but he was also a beloved instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute. Daniel loved to explore the latest techniques, ingredients and trends in the food scene. He shared that curiosity with his students. He wouldn't just teach them in the kitchen, but he would take them on field trips to learn everything about the journey from farm to table. Sure, he had a reputation for being a bit rough around the edges, but that just made him even more lovable. Especially for one of his students, a woman named Nancy Crampton. Born in 1950, Nancy grew up in Texas. She seemed to be a practical minded person, going on to major in economics at the University of Houston before marrying a police officer. But Nancy didn't want that life. She and her husband divorced, and in 1990 or 1991, 40 year old Nancy moved from Texas to Oregon for a fresh start. As a part of this change, she decided to enroll at the Culinary Institute. And in her first class there, she met Daniel Brophy. The two of them quickly built a bond that went beyond the kitchen. Both of them were around the same age and Nancy immediately liked how intelligent Daniel was. And his skills in the kitchen were pretty impressive too. Daniel was married and had a kid though, so at first they were just friends. But in 1994 he got a divorce and Nancy made her move. The two of them started dating and in 1999 they had a huge wedding celebration, but they didn't file the actual paperwork until 17 years later in 2016. But they were basically married and they started building a life together. The Brophys were a power couple in the Portland dining scene. On top of Daniel's teaching, Nancy ran a successful, successful catering company. But after 911 it started to struggle with the economy. Struggling businesses were more focused on layoffs than parties. The demand for catered events just wasn't there and Nancy was forced to cut back. Before long, Nancy called it quits. She wasn't all that passionate about cooking anyways. She was more on the administrative side of things. So she shifted to selling life insurance. It was less physically demanding and it let Nancy focus on her real writing. After graduating from culinary school, Nancy got involved in local writing groups, but she didn't get all that serious about it until she changed careers. With more time on her hands, Nancy started writing romance novels and in 2013 she self published the first of a five book series called Wrong Never Felt so so Right. Nancy girl, what are we doing? What are we doing Nancy? Because the first one was titled the Wrong Brother. Nancy said it in small town Texas and the plot deals with a sexy Navy SEAL who falls in love with his brother's girlfriend, a graduate student with pent up sexual desires. The Wrong Brother was not a smash hit. She released the other four books in the series which with titles like the Wrong Hero, the Wrong Cop and the Wrong Husband. The Wrong Husband was about a woman trapped in an abusive marriage with a United States Senator. She makes a desperate attempt to escape him after their shipwrecks during their anniversary cruise. So yes, there was a lot of, I would argue mostly fantasy with this one. But she did draw on some real life experiences here because the main conflict revolves around the husband trying to kill the heroine to collect on her life insurance policy. It's giving projection. It doesn't seem like anyone was raising any alarm bells though. Daniel and Nancy seemed just as strong as ever. While she focused on her writing, he was able to pursue his passions like going into the forest to forage and work on new recipes. But on the more morning of June 2, 2018. Everything changed that day. Daniel's students arrived at the Oregon culinary institute for a normal day of classes. But instead, they found his dead body, along with two 9 millimeter shell casings. Police determined that he'd been shot once in the back, then directly into his chest. At first, investigators wondered if a disgruntled student was the killer. But their main focus was Nancy. When they talked to her after Daniel's death, she told them that she'd been at home all day, and she'd only seen her husband in the morning before he left for work. But that's not what the evidence showed. The police found surveillance footage from businesses around the culinary institute that showed Nancy driving around the neighborhood about an hour before the shooting and then leaving just a few minutes after they believed Dan was killed. The pieces fell into place from there. As investigators looked more into Nancy, they found out she bought a ghost gun kit online, which would let her assemble a weapon that couldn't be traced. Allegedly. But assembling a ghost gun is complicated. And it seems like Nancy decided to go another route, because the police also found that she bought a 9 millimeter Glock pistol at a gun show in February. February of 2018, just a few months before Daniel was murdered. Then she bought an extra barrel and slide for it, which would make the gun untraceable. So, yeah, things weren't looking good for Nancy. And they only got worse when investigators found an incriminating blog post. No way. Now, what is even more sketchy than working for life insurance and then buying a whole bunch of guns and planning to kill your husband? Nancy had written it back in 2011, seven years before Daniel's murder. It was titled how to murder your husband. Yes, really, girl, that is called foreshadowing. In the post, Nancy wrote that she spent a lot of time thinking about murder, but only because she was a romantic suspense writer. It went through the different reasons you might want to kill your husband, including finances. Now, in Nancy's blog post, she did say that she wouldn't ever murder someone herself, since she didn't like jumpsuits and orange wasn't her color. But it just so happened that in late 2017, a few months before Nancy bought her ghost gun, Daniel had to take $35,000 out of their retirement account to cover his and Nancy's credit card debt. Apparently, their finances were not in good shape. Things were so bad, they were planning to sell their house to pay off more debts. And then investigators learned that Nancy was going to receive $800,000 from Daniel's life insurance policy. But before she could get the money, Nancy was arrested three months after Daniel's murder. She went on trial a few years later in April 2022. Although prosecutors weren't able to use Nancy's police blog post as evidence, they had plenty more against her. Nancy decided to testify in her own defense. She denied killing her husband and said she bought the ghost gun to research for a novel. As for what happened the day of Daniel's murder, Nancy said she couldn't remember. She had no idea why she was driving around the Culinary Institute that morning, that maybe she had gone to Starbucks and just gotten lost in her thoughts. The jury didn't buy it. After only eight hours of deliberation, they found her guilty of second degree murder. Nancy was sentenced to life in prison and wouldn't be eligible for parole for 25 years when she's 91, which gives her plenty of time to get used to wearing orange. If there's anything to take away from today's stories, it's that maybe the menu isn't as far fetched as you might think. Of course, not everyone. In fact, most people who work in the food industry will never turn into a murderer. But working in a kitchen does come with a lot of real pressure. That's not to say you should be afraid to make your next dinner reservation, but make sure you think twice before you head to a restaurant on a private island. Sure, you might miss out on the meal of your life, but at least you won't become the dessert.
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Tide ad voice
Foreign.
- [26:58]
Heidi Wong
Thanks so much for joining me on this episode of Twisted, a Crime House original. I'd love to hear from you. What did you think of today's stories? Anything you're dying for me to COVID Leave a comment or review wherever you're tuning in. And be sure to follow twisted tales so we can keep building this community together. I'll be back next week with another unbelievable true story. Until then, stay curious. And remember, remember, there's no reason to fear the dark unless you try to hide from it.
- [27:27]
Tide ad voice
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Heidi Wong
Sure thing.
- [27:40]
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Barbecue sauce. Tide's got you covered. You don't need to use warm water. Additionally, Tide pods let you confidently fight tough stains with new coldzyme technology. Just remember, if it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be Tide.
- [27:56]
Sabrina d' Anarroga
Hey there. We're Sabrina d' Anarroga and Corinne Vien.
- [27:59]
Corinne Vian
Hosts of Crimes of Crimes of is a weekly true crime series, with each season diving into a different theme, from unsolved murders to mysterious disappearances and the cases that haunt us most. And since it's Valentine's season season, we are unpacking Crimes of Passion. When love turns into obsession, passion twists into paranoia, and jealousy drives people beyond the edge of reason.
- [28:22]
Sabrina d' Anarroga
Crimes of is a crime House original. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube. New episodes every Tuesday.