Podcast
American Nightmares
Hosted by Gamut Podcast Network · EN
Every headline hides a deeper story. American Nightmares pulls you into the most unsettling true crime cases—one season, one case at a time. These are the crimes that kept detectives awake, shattered families, and left entire communities on edge.Told through raw interviews, gripping investigative detail, and cinematic storytelling, each season reveals how these nightmares unfolded—and the long road to uncovering the truth. You may think you know the story. You don’t.
Season 6 - The Canal Murders
In the early 1990s, a serial killer stalked the canals of Phoenix, Arizona — a violent psychopath whose grisly methods chillingly echoed the macabre signature of Jack the Ripper. Two brutal homicides. A city gripped by fear. And a killer who hid in plain sight for decades while Arizona's most infamous cold case went unsolved. Now, host Brian Peter Falk is determined to get to the bottom of this twisted tale, digging deep into the evidence, the victims, and the secrets buried beneath the surface. Solving two murders is just the beginning — because the deeper you go, the darker it gets.
Season 5 - Gardens of Evil: Inside the Zion Society Cult
It looked like a quiet small-town neighborhood, defined by manicured lawns and flower gardens. But behind the façade, more than a hundred residents were part of the Zion Society, a secretive cult that hoarded weapons and groomed children for sexual abuse under the control of an unassuming, soft-spoken leader. When a young woman escaped and went to authorities, the truth finally began to unravel.
Season 4 - 22 Hours: A Second Look
Host Megan Cloherty returns for a new season of American Nightmares. In the upcoming season, we revisit the story that launched the series: a D.C. power couple, their 10-year-old son, and their housekeeper—held hostage for nearly 24 hours before being murdered inside their own home. Now, 10 years after the crime and 6 years since we first told the story, Season 1 returns with all-new content, fresh interviews, and exclusive updates that shed new light on a case that still resonates today.
Season 3 - Unknown Subject
For nearly a decade, he crept in the shadows, attacking women in the middle of the night — and then vanished. The 1998 murder of a brilliant scientist near Georgetown University marked a terrifying escalation. Investigators had DNA linking him to multiple crimes, but for years, he had no name — only the label “Unknown Subject.” This season uncovers the chilling case of the Potomac River Rapist, and the patrol cop who finally cracked it.
Season 2 - Murder in a Safe Place
In a quiet hospital just outside Washington, D.C., a 50-year-old nurse named Sherry Crandell was raped and murdered inside her workplace — a place that was supposed to be safe. With DNA, fingerprints, and even a witness to the crime, police had evidence — but no su...
29episodes
Episodes
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S5 E4 - The Buyer
Feb 2400:53:37Summary readyJeff Peterson has spent years trying to pull his kids out of the Zion Society - until the cult’s hunger for money creates an opening. When his ex-wife Carla asks for help selling the group’s lingerie line, “Sweet Things,” Jeff hires a private investigator to pose as a Las Vegas buyer and go undercover inside Northwood.What she captures on camera changes everything. But there’s a catch: Jeff’s custody deal comes with a vow of silence - until Detective Mike King’s investigation collides with Jeff’s case, freeing him to talk. With corroboration in hand and the clock ticking, Mike prepares to raid the quiet neighborhood at dawn.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryS5 E3 - The Alpha
Feb 1701:07:21Summary readyFrom inside the Zion Society, Erin (heard in rare archival audio) explains how predators exploit vulnerability - love-bombing, isolation, and religion used as camouflage. In Northwood subdivision recruiter and enforcer Carla tightens her grip, controlling access to Arvin Shreeve and pushing new women through a coded doctrine of “Zion vs. Babylon,” obedience, and fear.Meanwhile, Jeff Peterson’s family is torn apart when his wife disappears into the cult with their children. Jeff’s custody battle becomes a desperate negotiation - money, legal threats, and silence agreements - while Erin begins describing what’s happening behind closed doors: coercion, sexual control, and escalating punishment for resistance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryS5 E2 - To Hell And Back
Feb 1001:02:03Summary readyInvestigator Mike King is officially assigned to investigate Erin’s allegation - quietly, urgently, and under the threat of destroyed evidence and stockpiled weapons. But Erin’s aunt isn’t waiting for law enforcement. She drives into Northwood to reach Erin and her young daughter - and is met with intimidation and violence from Shreeve and his followers. As Erin’s family fights to pull her out, the cult’s control tightens…and the clock starts ticking.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S5 E1 - What Lies Beneath
Feb 300:50:24Summary readyWelcome to a new season of American Nightmares!A pristine neighborhood in Ogden, Utah hides something rotten. When a couple moves into Northwood subdivision in 1981, they’re welcomed with free landscaping, shared supplies, and a sense of family - until the community’s leader, Arvin Shreeve, reveals a secret doctrine of polygamy and sexual manipulation.Nearly a decade later, on July 9, 1991, a woman walks into the Weber County Attorney’s Office and confesses to detective Mike King that she was part of the Zion Society, a cult she says was abusing children.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryIntroducing Gardens of Evil - New True Crime Series
Jan 2600:03:56Summary readyNEW True Crime Series from Gamut Podcast Network. Gardens of Evil: Inside the Zion Society Cult begins February 3rd.It was just another quiet neighborhood in small town America. At least, that's how it looked. But the immaculately groomed yards, trimmed hedges, and brightly colored flower gardens hid an insidious secret.More than a hundred residents were members of a cult called The Zion Society. Hiding in plain sight, they hoarded guns and ammunition. They created, sold, and modeled sexy lingerie. They took children away from parents and groomed them for sexual abuse.Their beliefs were centered around satisfying the perverted desires of one man - their leader: an unassuming, soft-spoken landscaper. Neighbors knew something was amiss, but it wasn't until a brave young woman broke away from the secretive group and confessed to authorities that everything began to unravel for this dangerous cult. This is the story of that unraveling told by the people who lived it.Subscribe to Gardens of Evil: Inside the Zion Society Cult:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardens-of-evil-inside-the-zion-society-cult/id1748894795https://open.spotify.com/show/5w7xyH8ttWZKc64D9q08H4See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S2 E10 - Answered Prayers
Jan 1400:48:51Summary readyHe was known as the Terror of East Baltimore who wrote poetry and went to readings.A convicted criminal at 15 who started a prison riot. That's just a some of what we've learned about Edward Watts/Baari Shabazz — the man police say is responsible for the 1998 murder of Sherry Crandell. A man Sherry's oldest son calls a monster.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S2 E9 - Needle in a Haystack
Jan 1300:57:16Tap to summarizeHow did a 2012 murder in Baltimore, a name from an obituary, and DNA entered into an ancestry database lead to solving the 1998 murder of Sherry Crandell? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Part 1: Megan Cloherty Talks with Gardens of Evil Host Mike King
Dec 12Tap to summarizeThis is a special crossover episode with Mike King, criminal profiler - host of Profiling Evil and who's story is the subject of our next season of American Nightmares: Gardens of Evil..Megan and Mike sit down for an in-depth conversation about her time reporting on the Savopoulos family murders and the case against Daron Wint. Then the roles reverse. Megan turns the mic on Mike to talk about the upcoming Season 5 of American Nightmares: Gardens of Evil, premiering February 3rd. Mike offers a first look at the investigation, the survivors who came forward, and the disturbing truths behind a hidden religious community.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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S3 EP9 - Final Chapter
Dec 20, 202200:50:44Summary ready31 years after the Potomac River Rapist attacked his first victim, the detectives who solved the case are telling their story exclusively to WTOP American Nightmare Series Host Paul Wagner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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S1 E14: Appeal Denied
Dec 19, 202200:13:10Summary readyThe D.C. Court of Appeals has denied Daron Wint a retrial in his quadruple murder conviction. Hosts Megan Cloherty and Jack Moore sit down to talk about the three-judge panel's decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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