Podcast Summary: Dirtbag Climber | S34 E2: Highlander
Podcast: Dirtbag Climber (Uncover, CBC)
Episode Title: S34 E2: Highlander
Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Stephen Chua
Brief Overview
This episode of Dirtbag Climber deepens the investigation into the unsolved murder of a rock climber known as "Jesse James"—later identified as Andrew Britt Greenbaum—discovered dead in Squamish, BC. Journalist Stephen Chua explores Greenbaum's troubled and complicated past, returning to his roots in Massachusetts to speak with family, friends, and experts in an attempt to reconstruct the identity of a man with many aliases. The episode examines Greenbaum’s formative years, early signs of social disconnection, intellectual brilliance, fascination with extremism and violence, and ultimately, his dangerous embrace of neo-Nazi ideology—despite being Jewish. The narrative paints a startling portrait of a person whose dualities and provocations grew more severe over time.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Identifying the Victim and Early Investigation
- 2017 Murder in Squamish: Jesse James found dead in a burned-out car; real identity unknown for years.
- Unmasking "Jesse": DNA connected the victim to the Greenbaum family in Medfield, MA, revealing his birth name: Andrew Britt Greenbaum.
"The truth about Jesse was finally uncovered when police were able to match his DNA to the DNA of a family in Medfield, Massachusetts." (Stephen Chua, 01:13)
2. Family Perspectives and Dynamics
- Father's Grief: Hyman Greenbaum is revealed as Jesse/Andrew's father, still searching for answers about his son’s death.
"Well, I mean, I wanted to know how and who. I mean, I still want to know who." (Hyman Greenbaum, 04:47)
- Memories of Childhood: Warm moments in their relationship are recalled, such as hiking and tennis.
"Think about all the fun things we used to do, you know, the mountain climbing, the tennis, the church, that sort of stuff." (Hyman Greenbaum, 05:05)
3. Troubling Youth: Isolation, Bullying, and Precocity
- Childhood Bullying: Peggy Greenbaum describes relentless bullying and physical abuse that shaped her son’s psyche.
"They would throw his papers, his essays and so forth in puddles... Eventually they started teasing him and then the teasing turned into physical abuse..." (Peggy Greenbaum, 07:08)
- A Mother's Insight: Peggy connects her son's anger and later personality issues to the trauma endured.
"That's probably the biggest part of the story of how a child builds up so much anger over the years and resentment that it explodes one day..." (Peggy Greenbaum, 07:44)
4. High School Years: Chess, Social Disconnection, and Identity Shifts
- Social Outsider: Former classmates describe Britt as intelligent, eccentric, and disinterested in social activities.
"He never went to parties, he never went to dances... But we would never invite him. Nor would he be expecting us to invite him." (Zachary & Mark Seraphim, 13:13–13:25)
- Chess Prodigy: Britt’s superior chess skills set him apart but also created friction and unease.
"He played for something else. He played for the—I think it allowed him to demonstrate his superior tactical intelligence." (Michael DeLuca, 15:04)
- Highlander Obsession: Fascinated with immortality, weapons, and the movie "Highlander," Britt emulates fictional anti-heroes.
"He actually thought he was a character in Highlander... it's a guy who lives, like, forever. He doesn't die…" (Zachary, 16:33)
5. Escalation into Extremism and Early Warning Signs
- Weapons and Risk: Accumulation of swords, knives, and “hit lists” alarms peers.
"One thing... he had a hit list... of students and teachers who he carried grudges against... he showed it to us..." (Mark Seraphim, 20:36)
- Hacker and Prankster: Known for malicious computer pranks and bullying teachers with tech.
"He was a whiz. He was a hacker extraordinaire. The man was phenomenal." (Zachary, 19:49)
- Embrace of Racism: Develops open admiration for the Confederacy and later, neo-Nazism.
"By senior year, everybody knew about him. He was that kid who was the Neo Nazi." (Zachary, 22:32)
- Local Provocation: Distributes racist flyers and founds a “pro-white” group, the "Knights of Freedom."
"He and a friend... distributed racist, anti-government and anti-immigrant fliers in Norwood, Massachusetts." (Marilyn Mayo, 23:45)
6. Conflicted Identity: Neo-Nazism and Jewish Heritage
- Conflict with Heritage: Despite being Jewish, Britt openly embraced white supremacy, confusing and shocking those who knew him.
"There’s one more thing you need to know about Britt... Andrew Britt Greenbaum was Jewish." (Stephen Chua, 27:54) "I don't think he ever saw it as a conflict. I think he saw it as a rejection of his background." (Mark Seraphim, 28:02)
- Parental Reactions: Hyman seems detached, believing the ideology was a con; Peggy expresses shock and devastation.
"For a while he was into this Nazi type stuff. I mean, I don't think he ever took that very seriously. I think it was more just to con people." (Hyman Greenbaum, 30:13)
"I was in such shock because it's not the child that I knew." (Peggy Greenbaum, 30:06)
7. Transformation and Renaming
- Name Change: Before heading to college in South Carolina, Britt legally becomes Davis Wolfgang Hawk, foreshadowing further transformations.
"When he turned 18... he changed his name to Davis Wolfgang Hawk." (Stephen Chua, 26:42)
8. Foreshadowing Dangerous Consequences
- Deepening Extremism and Criminality: The episode ends by previewing how Britt’s beliefs and behavior set him on a path to greater criminal activity and notoriety.
"As Davis Wolfgang Hawk, federal authorities had other ways of describing him. Conman, scammer, domestic terrorist." (Stephen Chua, 31:00)
- Ominous Hint at Future Violence:
"There’s a fella that came all the way from Kansas. He was another neo Nazi, and he was there to kill him." (Hyman Greenbaum, 31:27)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On bullying as root trauma:
"That's probably the biggest part of the story of how a child builds up so much anger over the years and resentment that it explodes one day and you all of a sudden you have a monster."
(Peggy Greenbaum, 07:44) -
On social alienation:
"He never went to parties, he never went to dances... But we would never invite him. Nor would he be expecting us to invite him."
(Zachary & Mark Seraphim, 13:13–13:25) -
On Britt's self-image:
"He actually thought he was a character in Highlander... He thought he was a Highlander at one point. That was very interesting."
(Zachary, 16:33–17:02) -
On growing extremism:
"By senior year, everybody knew about him. He was that kid who was the Neo Nazi."
(Zachary, 22:32) -
On neo-Nazism and Jewish identity:
"I don't think he ever saw it as a conflict. I think he saw it as a rejection of his background."
(Mark Seraphim, 28:02) -
On parental bewilderment and detachment:
"Well, yeah, I mean, for a while he was into this Nazi type stuff. I mean, I don't think he ever took that very seriously. I think it was more just to con people. But no, I think he just got a kick out of it."
(Hyman Greenbaum, 30:13)
Important Segment Timestamps
- 00:35–03:30: Overview of murder case, identification process, and intro of Greenbaum family
- 04:21–06:51: Hyman and Peggy recall Britt’s early childhood
- 07:08–08:21: Peggy on bullying and impact on Britt’s psyche
- 11:03–16:07: High school classmates reflect on Britt’s personality, habits, and social standing
- 16:26–18:12: Highlander obsession, weapons collection, and behaviors
- 19:49–21:24: Hacking exploits and emergence of disturbing behaviors
- 21:29–23:23: Overt racism, Confederate/neo-Nazi sympathies
- 23:23–24:33: Anti-Defamation League expert details early extremist activities
- 27:54–29:16: Jewish heritage and internal contradictions
- 29:16–30:35: Parents’ reflections on discovering Britt’s neo-Nazi activities and motivations
- 31:27–End: Teaser for future episodes; Hyman recounts threats from other extremists
Tone & Storytelling Style
The episode maintains a reflective, investigative tone, combining empathy for those impacted by Britt's actions with a candid, sometimes unsettling look at his radicalization and self-destruction. Stephen Chua purposefully centers authentic voices—family, classmates, experts—presented with minimal editorializing yet clear focus on the broader social implications and mysteries yet to be unraveled.