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The Guilty FilesTrue Crime Odyssey is a show that deals with some of the worst crimes ever committed against men, women, and children. We take a hard look at the evidence, the circumstances, and at times the motivation that drives those responsible to inflict such... Author: Paranormal World Productions
Welcome to The Guilty Files Podcast, where two former police officers take you beyond the headlines and deep into the heart of true crime.Each week, Brian delivers the hard factslaying out the case details with precision, just like he would in an investigation. Then, Dani takes those same files and flips the perspective, analyzing the psychological and sociological aspects of the crime. But he doesnt stop therehe reimagines key moments, asking What if? to challenge the way you think about justice, motive, and the human mind.Finally, in a third episode, Brian and Dani come together to break it all down, debating theories, dissecting motives, and revealing insights only former cops can bring to the table. If you love true crime but crave deeper analysis, unexpected twists, and expert perspectives, you're in the right place. Two Hosts. One Crime. Double The Story. Language: en Genres: Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Murder Cult
Tuesday, 24 March, 2026
On May 20, 1999, South Australian police forced open the vault of a disused State Bank building in the small farming town of Snowtown, roughly 90 miles north of Adelaide. Inside they found six black plastic barrels containing the dismembered, acid-soaked remains of eight people. Two more bodies were later excavated from a backyard in Salisbury North, and two earlier deaths were subsequently linked to the same killers. In total, twelve people were murdered between August 1992 and May 1999 in and around Adelaide's northern suburbs.The killings were orchestrated by John Justin Bunting, a charismatic and deeply manipulative man who used a self-styled crusade against pedophiles and homosexuals to justify sustained torture and murder. Bunting recruited Robert Joe Wagner as his primary enforcer and groomed teenager James Spyridon Vlassakis into an active participant. A fourth man, Mark Ray Haydon, assisted in the storage and transport of bodies and rented the Snowtown bank building where the barrels were hidden.The twelve victims were Clinton Trezise, Ray Davies, Suzanne Allen, Michael Gardiner, Vanessa Lane, Thomas Trevilyan, Gavin Porter, Troy Youde, Frederick Brooks, Gary O'Dwyer, Elizabeth Haydon, and David Johnson. Most were friends, neighbors, or family members of the killers.Many were intellectually or physically disabled, suffered from mental illness, or were receiving government welfare. The killers tortured their victims to extract financial information, recorded their voices to create cover stories, and continued collecting their welfare payments after death, stealing approximately $97,200 AUD.The investigation was driven by the disappearance of Elizabeth Haydon, which led to surveillance of Mark Haydon and the tracking of welfare fraud tied to several missing persons. Bunting, Wagner, and Haydon were arrested on May 21, 1999. Vlassakis was arrested five days later and became the prosecution's key witness after pleading guilty to four murders.he trial of Bunting and Wagner lasted nearly twelve months, the longest in South Australian history. On September 8, 2003, Bunting was convicted of eleven murders and sentenced to eleven consecutive life terms without parole. Wagner was convicted of ten murders under identical conditions. Haydon received 25 years for assisting with the disposal of bodies.More than 250 suppression orders were imposed on the case and not lifted until 2011.Haydon was released on parole in April 2024. Vlassakis was initially granted parole in August 2025, but the decision was overturned in December 2025. Bunting and Wagner will never be released.If you’re drawn to real criminal investigations, cold cases, and the details that don’t always make it into the official report, make sure you’re following The Guilty Files wherever you listen.Turn on automatic downloads so you never miss an episode — because each case unfolds in two parts, and the truth is rarely found in just one.If you value careful analysis, real law enforcement insight, and true crime without the sensationalism, consider leaving a five-star rating and written review.It helps more than you know and allows us to keep bringing these case files to light.Until next time —The facts matter.The details matter.And the truth is often redacted.
