What did investigative journalist Peter Crimmins learn about R.C. Horsch more than a decade before the Philadelphia investigation that would put Horsch’s former home in the Olney neighborhood under intense scrutiny? On this episode of True Crime with the Sarge, I sit down with Peter Crimmins, investigative reporter for WHYY, to revisit his remarkable 2014 interviews with Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, the late Philadelphia man whose home became the focus of a disturbing investigation involving the disappearances of women and a massive collection of digital evidence. Twelve years ago, Crimmins interviewed Horsch about his life, his controversial creative work, and his criminal past. During one conversation, Horsch described himself as a sociopath. Years later, those recordings took on new significance as investigators examined the circumstances surrounding his former home on Chew Avenue in Philadelphia’s Olney section. In his WHYY essay, Crimmins recounts his firsthand encounters with Horsch and reflects on the challenge of separating fact from fiction when interviewing a man with an extraordinary and often difficult-to-verify personal history. In this episode, we discuss: * Peter Crimmins’s original 2014 interviews with R.C. Horsch. * What Horsch revealed about his background, criminal history, and controversial photography and filmmaking. * Horsch’s self-description as a sociopath and how he presented himself during the interviews. * The significance of the recordings after the investigation into Horsch’s former Philadelphia home emerged. * What journalists can learn from interviewing a subject whose past and statements raise so many questions. * The unanswered questions surrounding the Olney investigation, the women connected to the case, and the ongoing search for the truth. This is a rare opportunity to hear from a journalist who personally interviewed Horsch years before the current investigation brought renewed attention to his life and home. Read Peter Crimmins’s original WHYY essay: https://whyy.org/articles/peter-crimmins-rc-horsch-olney-murder-interview/ Subscribe to True Crime with the Sarge for investigative reporting, cold cases, homicide investigations, forensic evidence, criminal justice analysis, and conversations with the journalists, detectives, and experts who help us understand the facts behind the headlines. Join the conversation in the comments: What questions would you ask a journalist who interviewed R.C. Horsch years before this investigation came to light? #RCHorsch #PhiladelphiaCrime #truecrime #truecrimecommunity

Watch Roll Call on True Crime with the Sarge every Friday at 8AM ET Join the Sarge and retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar for a new episode of Roll Call on True Crime with the Sarge, where we break down the latest developments in criminal investigations, murder cases, and criminal justice. This week, we examine four major stories raising questions about public safety, investigative strategy, and justice. 🔎 CRISTA PIKE: WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS? What possible scenarios could unfold in the Crista Pike case? We examine the key questions, potential outcomes, and investigative considerations surrounding this developing story. 🚨 IS THERE A SERIAL KILLER IN LANSING, MICHIGAN? Are investigators confronting a possible serial killer in Lansing? We look at the reported cases, the questions investigators must ask, and what evidence is needed to determine whether separate incidents may be connected. We distinguish between established facts and unanswered questions. ⚖️ MATTHEW KONEN FOUND GUILTY IN TENNESSEE A jury found Matthew Konen guilty in connection with the deaths of his father-in-law and ex-wife. We discuss the case, the jury’s verdict, and the broader investigative and legal issues surrounding the prosecution. 🚔 EDWARD BYRNE: CONTROVERSY OVER A POSSIBLE PAROLE RELEASE The New York State Parole Board is reportedly nearing a decision that could lead to the release of an individual convicted in the 1988 killing of NYPD Police Officer Edward Byrne, who was ambushed while sitting in his patrol car in Queens, New York. We examine the history of this case, the significance of Officer Byrne’s murder, and the public safety and accountability questions surrounding a potential parole release. Hosted by Joseph L. Giacalone, the Sarge, with retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar, Roll Call brings an experienced law enforcement perspective to the cases making headlines. 📺 Watch Roll Call live every Friday at 8 AM ET on True Crime with the Sarge. Subscribe for true crime analysis, homicide investigations, cold cases, criminal trials, forensic evidence, police procedures, and expert discussions of the cases that matter. 💬 Join the conversation: Which of this week’s cases deserves the closest scrutiny? Share your thoughts in the comments. #TrueCrime #RollCall #truecrimecommunity #truecrimepodcast #MichaelAlcazar #CristaPike #LansingMichigan #MatthewKonen #EdwardByrne #NYPD #SerialKiller

Live Phase 2 of the investigation into the RC Horsch home on Chew Avenue in the Olney section of Philadelphia. I’m present at the former Chew Avenue home of photographer R.C. Horsch and his son, Eugene. Investigators returned a few days ago with a new warrant. Phase 2 begins shorty and it is expected that they will be bringing in heavy equipment. What are they looking for? Seven women have ties to the home. Two are still missing and five are believed to be deceased. #rchorsch #eugunehorsch #truecrimecommunity #truecrimestories

What if four serial killers were operating on Long Island during the same period? In this premiere collaboration between True Crime with the Sarge and https://www.youtube.com/@UCgKPaaMQI1pFCUTo03e8V5g Winter Brothers Stories, we take a deep investigative look at one of the most disturbing chapters in Long Island true crime history: 1993 and 1994, when the cases of Joel Rifkin, Rex Heuermann, Robert Shulman, and John Bittrolff intersect the broader history of serial murder on Long Island. From the murders that initially went unsolved to the investigations that eventually identified and captured these killers, we examine what investigators knew, what they missed, the evidence that ultimately broke the cases, and what these investigations can teach us about serial murder investigations today. We also bring in expert perspective, including former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and profiler Mark Safrik, to examine investigative patterns, offender behavior, victimology, evidence, investigative breakthroughs, and the challenges law enforcement faces when multiple offenders may be operating in the same geographic area. THE FOUR CASES 🔎 Joel Rifkin One of New York’s most notorious serial killers, Rifkin murdered women during the early 1990s before his arrest in 1993. 🔎 Rex Heuermann The former Long Island architect pleaded guilty in 2026 to seven murders and admitted killing an eighth woman, including Sandra Costilla, whose 1993 murder became an important part of the later Gilgo Beach investigation. (Scripps News) 🔎 Robert Shulman We examine the investigation into Shulman’s Long Island murders and how investigators ultimately connected him to the crimes. 🔎 John Bittrolff Bittrolff was convicted of murdering Rita Tangredi in 1993 and Colleen McNamee in 1994, two cases that remained unsolved for more than two decades before DNA evidence helped investigators identify him. (Wikipedia) THE BIG QUESTIONS • How could multiple serial killers operate in the same region during the same era? • Were there investigative connections that could have been recognized earlier? • What did investigators know in 1993 and 1994? • How did DNA and advances in forensic science change these cases? • What finally led investigators to the killers? • What can modern investigators learn from these investigations? • Does the history of Long Island serial murder change how we understand the later Gilgo Beach investigation? This is more than a look at four notorious killers. It is an examination of cold cases, serial murder investigations, forensic evidence, DNA, profiling, victimology, investigative strategy, and the evolution of law enforcement techniques. And with the perspective of a former FBI profiler, we take a closer look at the behavioral and investigative questions surrounding these cases. True Crime with the Sarge brings law enforcement experience, investigative analysis, and expert interviews to some of the most complex criminal cases in America. Subscribe to True Crime with the Sarge for true crime investigations, cold cases, serial killer cases, forensic science, criminal investigations, law enforcement analysis, and exclusive interviews with investigators and experts. Watch. Investigate. Learn. Music by https://www.youtube.com/@UC7OIhwOjoasnXsbMm-xYRCQ Colleen McNamme crime scene location photo https://www.youtube.com/@UCgCUq3edHdqenwVJXrdunjA #TrueCrime #LongIsland #SerialKillers #RexHeuermann #JoelRifkin #JohnBittrolff #RobertShulman #GilgoBeach #LongIslandSerialKiller #ColdCases #SerialKiller #FBIProfiler #MarkSafrik #CrimeInvestigation

Roll Call is an official YouTube Show that can be seen and heard every Friday morning at 8AM ET right here on True Crime with the Sarge! Roll Call with the Sarge is back with retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar to break down three major true crime and criminal justice stories making headlines. First, we examine the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Pike survived after receiving two doses of lethal injection drugs on September 30, 2026, and was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. The unprecedented execution attempt has prompted questions about Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol, what went wrong inside the execution chamber, and what happens next. Tennessee officials have said the state followed its established execution protocol. (AP News⁠) Then we turn to David Prevatte and his murder trial in North Carolina, examining the allegations, the evidence presented in court, and the investigative and courtroom issues surrounding the case. Finally, we look ahead to the federal trial of former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer Matthew Farwell in the death of Sandra Birchmore. Jury selection is scheduled to begin October 5 in federal court in Boston. Farwell is accused of killing Birchmore in 2021 and staging the scene to make her death appear to be a suicide. (Boston.com⁠) Retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar brings his investigative experience to Roll Call with the Sarge, where we examine the facts, evidence, investigative questions, and legal developments behind some of the biggest cases in true crime. Topics covered: * Christa Pike’s botched Tennessee execution * Tennessee lethal injection protocol and what happens next * The David Prevatte murder trial in North Carolina * Evidence and investigative issues in the Prevatte case * Matthew Farwell and the Sandra Birchmore case * Federal jury selection and the upcoming Farwell trial * What investigators and jurors will be looking for as these cases unfold Subscribe to True Crime with the Sarge for true crime analysis, cold cases, homicide investigations, courtroom developments, forensic science, and conversations with experienced investigators, prosecutors, attorneys, journalists, and experts. #truecrimepodcast #truecrimecommunity #christapike #davidprevatte #matthewfarwell #sandrabirchmore #rollcall

What happened to Sandra Birchmore? On this special episode of True Crime with the Sarge, I’m joined by investigative journalist Michele McPhee, Senior Editor at Los Angeles Magazine, for an in-depth discussion of the Sandra Birchmore case and the federal murder charges against former Stoughton, Massachusetts police officer Matthew Farwell. Sandra Birchmore was a young Massachusetts woman whose death initially raised questions that have since led to a major federal investigation and murder prosecution. Farwell, a former Stoughton Police officer, has been federally charged in connection with Birchmore’s death. Michele McPhee brings her investigative journalism experience to the case as we examine the known timeline, the allegations against Farwell, the investigation into Birchmore’s death, and the questions that remain unanswered. In this episode, we’ll discuss: • Who was Sandra Birchmore, and what is known about her life and death? • What led investigators to focus on former Stoughton Police officer Matthew Farwell? • What are the federal murder allegations against Farwell? • What does the evidence and investigative timeline reveal? • What role did the Stoughton Police Department and other law enforcement agencies play in the case? • What questions remain surrounding Sandra Birchmore’s death? • What happens next in the federal case against Matthew Farwell? Join Joseph L. Giacalone, the Sarge, and investigative journalist Michele McPhee as we take a closer look at one of Massachusetts’ most closely watched true crime cases. Important: Allegations discussed in this program are allegations unless and until proven in court. Matthew Farwell is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Subscribe to True Crime with the Sarge for true crime analysis, cold cases, criminal investigations, law enforcement perspectives, forensic science, breaking developments, and conversations with investigators, journalists, attorneys, and other experts. 🔔 Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss new episodes and live shows. 00:00 Introduction to the Sandra Birchmore Federal Trial 02:40 The Discovery of Sandra Birchmore and Initial Police Response 05:50 Matthew Farwell's Alibi and the Night of the Murder 10:15 The Army National Guard Connection and New Witness Revelations 13:40 Damning Evidence: Hanging Training and Missing Clues 15:10 Overlaps with the Karen Reed Case and Department Credibility 21:00 Disturbing Revelations from the Investigation and Grooming Allegations 31:00 The Medical Examiner's Ruling Change and Police Pressures 36:00 The Battle for Justice: Family Advocacy and the Federal Probe 48:30 Jury Selection Challenges and Change of Venue Motions 54:00 Final Analysis on the Prosecution's Case Against Matthew Farwell #SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #TrueCrime #MicheleMcPhee #StoughtonMassachusetts #StoughtonPolice #MassachusettsTrueCrime #FederalMurderCase #SandraBirchmoreCase

What does it take to prove a homicide when there is no body? On this special episode of True Crime with the Sarge, retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone sits down with former Assistant U.S. Attorney and No-Body Homicide Cases author Tad DiBiase to examine one of the most difficult questions facing investigators and prosecutors in the unfolding Eugene and R.C. Horsch investigation in Philadelphia. Philadelphia police and the FBI are examining more than one million photographs and videos recovered from the Olney home connected to Eugene Horsch and his late father, Raymond “R.C.” Horsch. Investigators have said digital evidence appears to show five women who may have been injured, unconscious or deceased. However, no bodies have been recovered, and authorities continue to investigate exactly what happened. (NBC10 Philadelphia) So how do you build a homicide case when the victim’s remains have never been found? Tad DiBiase, author of No-Body Homicide Cases: A Practical Guide to Investigating, Prosecuting, and Winning Cases When the Victim Is Missing, brings his experience as a former federal prosecutor to the discussion. His book examines how investigators and prosecutors can establish that a homicide occurred through circumstantial evidence, forensic evidence, digital evidence, behavioral evidence and other investigative findings when a body is missing. (Google Books) In this episode, the Sarge and Tad discuss: 🔎 The Eugene and R.C. Horsch investigation 🔎 What investigators can establish from digital evidence 🔎 The difference between disturbing video evidence and proof of a homicide 🔎 How prosecutors approach a no-body homicide case 🔎 What evidence can establish that a missing person is actually deceased 🔎 Circumstantial evidence and proving a homicide beyond a reasonable doubt 🔎 The importance of corroborating digital evidence 🔎 How investigators can move from suspicion to admissible evidence 🔎 The challenges prosecutors face when there are no human remains 🔎 What the Horsch investigation could teach investigators about no-body homicide cases The Horsch investigation is still unfolding, and authorities continue to analyze the enormous volume of digital evidence recovered from the Philadelphia property. Recent reporting indicates investigators are still working to determine what portions of the material depict actual events versus staged or fictional content. (NBC10 Philadelphia) This is not about jumping to conclusions. It is about understanding what investigators need to prove a homicide when there is no body. Subscribe to True Crime with the Sarge for expert analysis of cold cases, homicide investigations, missing persons, forensic evidence, courtroom strategy and the criminal justice system. 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 03:15 The Core Challenge of No-Body Murder Cases 12:40 Tad DiBiase on Prosecutorial Strategies and Past Precedents 24:50 Analyzing the R.C. Horsch Investigation 38:20 Overcoming the Defense When a Corpse is Missing 50:10 Q&A and Final Thoughts #TadDiBiase #EugeneHorsch #RCHorsch #HorschCase #PhiladelphiaCrime #NoBodyHomicide #NoBodyMurder #MissingPersons #HomicideInvestigation #TrueCrime #ColdCases #CriminalInvestigation #Philadelphia

🚨 ROLL CALL WITH THE SARGE IS LIVE EVERY FRIDAY AT 8 AM ET! Retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar joins Joseph L. Giacalone, the Sarge, for another edition of Roll Call with the Sarge, breaking down the biggest true crime, homicide and cold case developments of the week. This week, we examine four major cases generating questions across the country: 🔴 TOMASZ KOSOWSKI FOUND GUILTY A Pinellas County judge found former plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder in the death of attorney Steven Cozzi. Kosowski represented himself and waived his right to a jury trial. We break down the evidence, the prosecution’s case, the fact that Cozzi’s body was never recovered, and what comes next in the sentencing phase. (Bay News 9) 🔎 NOLAN WELLS GRAND JURY DECISION A Mississippi grand jury declined to indict anyone in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, whose body was recovered after he disappeared following a Fourth of July outing on Horn Island. The grand jury found no credible evidence of criminal conduct, while questions remain surrounding the circumstances of Wells’ death and the determination of the cause and manner of death. We examine what the grand jury decision means and what questions remain. (Reuters) 🏠 THE R.C. HORSCH INVESTIGATION IN PHILADELPHIA What is the latest in the investigation surrounding the Olney property connected to Raymond “R.C.” Horsch and his son Eugene Horsch? Investigators are continuing to examine a massive collection of digital evidence, with authorities linking seven missing women to the investigation and five feared dead. No homicide charges have been filed, and investigators continue working to determine what the evidence actually proves. (CBS News) 💊 ARE THE CHICAGO TYLENOL MURDERS REALLY SOLVED? A stunning new development has renewed interest in one of America’s most infamous cold cases. Idaho investigators identified the man previously known as the “Unknown Wanderer” as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, who died from cyanide poisoning in Boise in 1982. Authorities have identified a possible connection to the Chicago Tylenol murders, but they are NOT officially naming Betkouski as a suspect, and Chicago police continue to treat the 1982 murders as an open cold case. So, after 44 years, are we any closer to knowing who killed seven people with cyanide-laced Tylenol? (NBC Chicago) 👮 ROLL CALL WITH THE SARGE Every Friday at 8 AM ET, the Sarge and retired NYPD Detective Michael Alcazar take you inside the week’s biggest true crime stories from a law enforcement and investigative perspective. We’ll separate the facts from the speculation, examine the evidence, and ask the questions that matter. Subscribe to True Crime with the Sarge and turn on notifications so you don’t miss Roll Call every Friday morning. 00:00 Introduction and RC Horsch Case Overview 04:47 RC Horsch Crematorium and Art Exhibit Links 09:25 Chew Avenue Search Warrant and Neighborhood Impact 17:03 Caleb Flynn Murder Trial and Text Messages 21:55 Tomasz Kosowski Guilty Verdict Analysis 33:04 Tylenol Murders Cold Case Update 40:35 Nolan Wells Grand Jury Decision 51:07 Richard Allen and General Q&A #RollCallWithTheSarge #TrueCrime #TomaszKosowski #StevenCozzi #NolanWells #RCHorsch #TylenolMurders #ChicagoTylenolMurders #ColdCase #ColdCases #NYPD #MichaelAlcazar #TrueCrimeNews #CrimeNews #HomicideInvestigation