Richard Chase

Welcome to Seros and Schemes. I'm Sam. Hello, I'm Sandy. This is a true crime and conspiracy podcast. Our podcast is intended for mature audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Before we begin, I just want to do a trigger warning, guys. So this episode contains discussions of extreme violence, murder, child death, mutilation, necrophilia, and mental illness. The crimes of Richard Chase are particularly disturbing, involving graphic details of blood consumption, organ removal, and harm to both adults and children. We understand that this content may be deeply unsettling for some listeners. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, we encourage you to skip this episode or step away as needed. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please reach out to a professional or a trusted support system. Resources will be linked in the episode description. Hello and welcome back to Seros and Schemes, if you're new here. Hey, I'm Sandy. And I'm Sam. And today I'm going to be telling you all about the Vampire of Sacramento. The Vampire of Sacramento? Vampires, I'm interested. Yes, well, he is not on the same level as Damon, unfortunately. I'm just going to find my way out. There's the door. I'll just tell our beautiful listeners about it instead. Cool, let's get into it. So, born on the 23rd of May 1950 in Santa Clara County in California, Richard Chase was born to parents Richard Chase Sr. and Beatrice Chase. It's the juniors you've got to watch out for. Every junior. Also, it's interesting that he's not called Junior, he's just Richard Chase. His dad is Richard Chase Sr. How was he born Richard Chase Sr.? You're the youngest in the family, how have you been named Sr.? He was the first one, the only one until then. Yeah, maybe it's a title instead of a name. Anyway, that's who he was born to. So, Richard Chase, also known as the Vampire of Sacramento, had a childhood that in hindsight was filled with red flags. His story isn't just about horror, it's about how early warning signs of severe mental illness and violence were ignored or misunderstood. So, let's start with his home life. Chase's father was known to be strict, possibly abusive. Some reports suggest his discipline was harsh, though details vary. What's clear is that their relationship was tense, and Chase already was showing signs of emotional instability, and he didn't cope well. Then there were the behaviors that, in the world of psychology, set off alarm bells. One of them was persistent bedwetting. Now, accidents happen, especially with young kids, but Chase continued well into adolescence. It's one of three behaviors that make up something called the McDonald triad, along with fire-starting and animal cruelty, patterns that sometimes show up in violent offenders later in life. And in Chase's case, the next piece of the puzzle was deeply disturbing. Animal cruelty. He didn't just harm animals, he killed and mutilated them. This wasn't random violence, it was part of a growing obsession. Later, he would claim he needed to drink animal blood to keep his heart from shrinking, a delusion that, over time, only got worse. Definitely delusional, you'd have to have a fucking heart. Yep. So here we have a child in an unstable home, exhibiting clear psychological distress, engaging in behaviors linked to future violence, and yet no real intervention. Although that's how it always goes, right? In hindsight, oh yeah, they did exhibit those. Except now we, I mean, this is 1950. And we're much more aware of it. So I take back what I said about not having a heart. I suppose, like, it is difficult when, you know, this is your life. Yeah. I mean, still, it's still fucked up. Yeah. But... So, no real intervention, no help, no one recognizing what was happening beneath the surface. And that's where things took an even darker turn. As Richard Chase entered his teenage years, his troubles became even more apparent. He wasn't just a troubled kid. He was a young man spiraling deeper into instability, and much of it was fueled by his increasing substance abuse and extreme social isolation. By high school, Chase had developed a serious problem with alcohol. He drank heavily, often to the point of blackout. His drinking wasn't just recreational, it was compulsive, and it made his already fragile mental state even worse. Then came drugs. Chase began using marijuana, but it didn't stop there. He moved on to hallucinogens, particularly LSD. Now, LSD can cause temporary hallucinations and paranoia, even in people with no underlying mental illness. But for someone like Chase, who was already showing signs of schizophrenia, the effects were catastrophic. LSD blurred the lines between reality and delusion. Chase started believing in bizarre conspiracy theories, many of them centered around his own body. He became convinced that his heart was shrinking and that his blood was turning to powder. He thought he needed to drink blood, first from animals, then from humans, to survive. While other teenagers were forming friendships, dating, and planning for the future, Chase was withdrawing more and more. He had a few acquaintances, but they found him strange, unpredictable. He was awkward, emotionally disconnected, and unable to maintain normal social interactions. At one point, he tried living with roommates, but his behavior became so disturbing that they eventually kicked him out. He would walk around their apartment naked, completely oblivious to how unsettling this was. He refused to bathe, he barely ate, and let his hygiene deteriorate. His paranoia became impossible to ignore. He started accusing his roommates of poisoning him. By the time he was in his early 20s, Chase was completely alone. His drug use had fried whatever grip he had on reality. He wasn't working, wasn't in school, and wasn't maintaining relationships. Instead, he was trapped in his own mind, believing he was wasting away, searching for a way to cure himself. This was the turning point. His delusions, once strange but harmless, were now leading him down a path of true horror. And soon they wouldn't just affect him, they would take the lives of innocent people. Still not worrying about puppies. By the time he reached his early 20s, his mental state had deteriorated beyond eccentricity. He was now exhibiting full-blown psychotic symptoms. His delusions, paranoia, and erratic behavior became impossible to ignore, and for a brief time he did receive some psychiatric interventions. But like many aspects of his life, it wasn't enough to stop the inevitable. Chase's family and former roommates had already noticed that something was seriously wrong. He was convinced that his organs were failing, that someone had stolen his pulmonary artery, that his blood was turning to powder. He thought his bones were shifting under his skin and that his heart was shrinking. These were classic signs of paranoid schizophrenia. Severe delusions, bodily hallucinations, and an inability to distinguish reality from fantasy. At one point, his mother, who had a complicated, often enabling relationship with him, finally agreed to have him committed to a mental hospital. There, doctors formally diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. This was a major moment, a chance for intervention. But the way Chase responded to treatment was unsettling. Instead of improving, he doubled down on his delusions. He began injecting himself with animal blood, convinced it would restore his body. He even stole syringes to continue this disturbing ritual. Doctors saw these behaviors and recognized that he was deeply unwell, but instead of keeping him in for treatment, he was eventually deemed not a danger to himself or others. And released back into the world. Once discharged, Chase was prescribed antipsychotic medication, but he wasn't consistent in taking it. And here's where his mother played a devastating role. She believed he didn't need it. Thinking the drugs were making him worse, she pushed for him to go off them entirely. This was a fatal mistake. Without medication, Chase's psychosis took over completely. His hygiene, which was always bad, became non-existent. Barely eight, losing so much weight, he looked emaciated. He would walk around his mother's house in a daze, muttering about government plots and how Nazis were controlling him. His paranoia became overwhelming. He believed his skull was shifting in shape. He thought someone was stealing his blood through his soap dish. My uncle has schizophrenia, and he's like this with the CIA. He's on a no-fly list. Don't know how that happened, though. I think he's like this with the CIA. Oh. I mean... Yeah. But it's okay. He's on a no-fly list, but he does need to get to Vietnam. That's how he says it. It kills me every time. He needs to get to Vietnam to help. Not sure what he's helping, but he's going there to help. But the CIA and the FBI are organizing a container from down in Auckland Harbour that's going to pick him up. Vietnam. They're not going to know. No one's going to know. He said it's okay. If he goes missing, that's where he is. Don't worry about it. He's saving everyone. He'll be fine. Also, he's Jesus. On Christmas, he's here, and Gran's like, David, that's enough. And Uncle David's like, you're not even trying to be a father. He was like, 50 or something. I don't know. Yeah, 50. And he's like, you're not even my real mom. Mary's my mom. And it's my birthday. And no one has said happy birthday to me. But this is like after we've become Christian, and so Gran's embarrassed because he's like, oh my God. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. You're embarrassing me. He's like, Mom, it's all right. And then she's like, he's just, but yeah, he says it wasn't. David, it's not your birthday today. And he's like, he just has this like teenage temper tantrum. He's just like, it is, Mom. You're not. Okay, all right. Okay. Okay. Oh, it's so funny. The only thing that's funny isn't like how he talks to Trinity, but like just like the toad and the fish. Just some of the shit. I remember like one time we were visiting when we were kids, and he goes up to my dad and he goes, I can hear voices. And my dad's like, me too. And he's like, no, I'm being serious. My dad goes, yeah, me too. They're called Sam, Emma, Hannah, Jared, and Rebecca. I've got five of them. Uncle David's like, no, I'm not kidding. There's voices in my head. And my dad's like, yeah, okay. Just get to the car and drive off. Oh, my God. The road doesn't matter. Oh, my God. And then my dad just, he saw like what my grandparents went through, like Uncle David tried to kill himself, you know, like jump off the bloody Harbour Bridge and all that sort of shit. And it was just like, it was a huge toll on his parents. And yeah, anyway. Fun times. I'm like, why are they just watching this dude catching pigeons out the window? And oh, he's Dracula. He's given him a little nickname. How about you fucking stop him from killing birds? I mean, I don't know. Put him in a barred room. What the fuck? Padded room. His belief that his organs were deteriorating had intensified. And he was convinced that consuming blood was the only way to prevent his body from wasting away. Once again, doctors recognized that he was profoundly unwell. But despite his obvious and dangerous psychosis, he was released, this time with even less oversight. The justification? The hospital was overcrowded, and he wasn't deemed an immediate threat. Oh, they're twisting off birds' heads mid-air, bruv. That's not a threat. It's just schizophrenia. Don't worry about it. It's like they're treating him like a cute, quirky little thing that's going on. I know, I know. It's so weird. Fuck. It's so weird. Upon his release, Chase attempted to return home, but at this time, his mother refused to let him live with her. She had already struggled with his deteriorating condition and didn't want to deal with his increasingly bizarre and frightening behavior. So she helped him get his own apartment, paying for it even though she wouldn't let him stay in her house. This left Chase completely alone. No medication, no supervision, and no support system. Okay, so what do you reckon? Do you think his mom made the right call? I mean, obviously we're talking about someone with severe history of mental illness, and maybe being with family could have helped him, or someone could have been on top of it with giving him medication and supervising him. But, on the other hand, like, this is Chase the Dracula that you're talking about, you know? Yeah, it's complicated. Because from a purely emotional standpoint, it's easy to say he's her son, she should have taken him in. But at the same time, let's be real, Chase wasn't just struggling, he was dangerous. His behavior wasn't improving, and at some point you have to think about safety, hers and everyone else's. Yeah, I mean, and let's not forget, she'd already seen the warning signs firsthand. The paranoia, the obsession with his body deteriorating, and the incidents that landed him in the site care twice. So she knew what he was capable of, at least on some kind of level. Yeah, exactly. But here's the thing, whether she realized it or not, that decision changed everything. Because Chase wasn't the kind of person who would take rejection and try to move forward. He saw it as confirmation of his worst fears. Yeah, I mean, that's also pretty unsettling, instead of it being a wake-up call, it just pushed him further into isolation. But a person with mental health issues, like if you've got no one to care for you, that is the natural direction. Yeah, and that's the danger zone. Because now Chase wasn't under anyone's watch. No doctors, no family, no structure, just him and his thoughts, which, let's be honest, were getting darker by the day. And so if this was the moment where he officially lost any tether to actual reality, what happened next? Well, let's just say, once Chase was out on his own, his paranoia got worse, his obsessions became even more intense, and before long, the violence started. Alright, let's get into it. What happened when Chase left Will Dev to his own devices? Why didn't anyone stop him before it was too late? After Richard Chase's mother refused to let him stay with her, he moved into his own small apartment in Sacramento. This was a critical turning point. Now completely alone, Chase's mental state deteriorated at an even faster rate. There was no one to check on him, no one to make sure he was taking medication, which he wasn't, and no one to stop him from descending deeper into psychosis. His apartment quickly became a nightmarish reflection of his mind. Dirty, foul-smelling, and filled with blood-soaked rags and animal carcasses. He rarely ate proper food, instead living off raw animal organs and blood, which he believed would prevent his body from wasting away. As he became more unhinged, he stopped taking care of himself entirely. He lost a dangerous amount of weight, his hygiene was non-existent, and his paranoia grew so extreme that he believed his own skull was shifting under his skin. Without a job, friends, or structure, Chase spent most of his time wandering the streets of Sacramento aimlessly, sinking deeper into his delusions. And then his behavior escalated from self-destruction to stalking and home invasions. With no one to intervene, Chase began prowling neighborhoods, particularly in the East Sacramento area. At first, his movements seemed random, but there was a pattern. He was searching for victims. Chase developed a chilling habit, walking through residential areas and testing front doors. If a door was locked, he took it as a sign that he wasn't welcome. But if it was unlocked, he considered it an open invitation to enter. I mean, it's fair. These people are playing around, so let's find out. In one incident, Chase entered a home where a woman was inside. She screamed upon seeing him, and he calmly walked out as if nothing had happened. She said, you never saw me. I was never here. In another case, he broke in, wandered around the house, stole nothing, but urinated in a drawer of baby clothes and smeared feces across the bedroom. These acts weren't motivated by theft. They were part of his growing psychosis and a need to assert control. Chase became particularly obsessed with watching and following women. He would stand outside their windows for long periods, staring blankly inside, his expression completely emotionless. Some women reported seeing him outside their homes repeatedly, always watching but never speaking. Others noticed him following them in public. One woman recalled him trailing her to her car, standing motionless, just staring blankly inside. These behaviors were precursors to violence. He wasn't just observing, he was choosing his targets. As his behavior escalated, Chase began carrying a gun. Who gave him a gun? At one point, he attempted to kidnap a woman at gunpoint, but she managed to escape. One of the most chilling encounters with law enforcement happened months after his first known murder. A moment that, in hindsight, should have been a massive red flag. One day, police in Sacramento received a call about a disturbing sight. A man wandering through a field completely naked and covered in blood. Officers arrived to find Richard Chase standing in the open, his body smeared with dried and fresh blood, his expression blank as if he were in a trance. Naturally, they demanded an explanation. What's going on here, eh? What's happening? You don't talk to us! Who told you to paint the car red? Caught red-handed. Read everything. Chase, in his usual detached and emotionless manner, told them that the blood wasn't human, it belonged to a cow. Oh, so that's alright then. Don't worry about it. Go home, mate. Go to shower. Don't worry about it. It's just a cow. All good. Officers, understandably disturbed, questioned him further, but he stuck to his story. There was no evidence of a crime at that moment. Who's fucking cow was it? There's a crime right there. A farmer somewhere's piss. Okay? It was costing them like 500 bucks. And despite how bizarre and unsettling the situation was, they let him go. But here's what the police- Oh my god. I know. We know. How many times did I have to let him fucking go, man? But here's what the police didn't know at the time. Chase had never killed a cow. The blood covering his body almost certainly belonged to an animal he had caught and mutilated himself. Could have been a cow. But apparently he didn't kill one. So, who knows what it was. He used to kill all sorts, but he could actually just capture them. You know- I mean, he's catching fucking birds in the air, bro. Like, I'm sure he can do anything. He's like- Santa's a vampire. It's Cinderella. Who's spoke to animals? Who was one of them? I think all the Disney princesses spoke to animals, didn't they? All the what? Disney princesses. I first said the zebras, and I was like, no, those are animals. Yeah, well- Tiana was the frog. Yeah. Alden. And they said- Sage was the beef. To be fair, she also talked to crockery. She skipped to animals and then to crockery. She's tight with the beef and a bunch of crockery. Who else? Sir White thought she was, um, thought she was what? The ferret in the land. Dorothy, with the little munchkins. That's not animals. They're just little people. That's true. Well, uh, I think we're removing that one from this episode. Okay. I meant no offense to anyone who is little. I'm considered the little person. But- You're not considered the little person, you just disrespect them again. Hey, I'm pretty sure I'm not the little person. I'm not the little person. I'm not the little person. I'm not the little person. Hey, I'm pretty sure, this is what we just said. I'm pretty sure if you look up the term midget, um, Matt's mom and I, our height fits under that category. What height are you? Uh, 150 something, seems. Was it me or Matt's mom? I think I just, I think I'm just out of it. I think Matt's mom is in it. Because she's like here for me. Oh, okay. So I think like I'm just not. That's four foot eleven, I think. I think I'm five foot two. I'm five foot one. I look like a giant next to them. I'm like five one or five two. Somewhere around there. We're just all tiny. You know, I- Look, there's different things to go. I was the smallest person in all my friend groups. Like, I was always the shortest. And now I'm surrounded by short people. Like, it's weird. It's super weird. I'm always the shortest person in my group as well. Yeah. I still am, I would say. That's weird. At this point, Chase was already deep in his rituals of blood drinking and organ consumption. His escalating need to consume blood, first from animals, then from humans, was driving him further into violent, uncontrollable psychosis. This was yet another missed opportunity to intervene before he became a full-fledged serial killer. The fact that law enforcement had encountered him half-naked, drenched in blood, armed in his car, and still failed to take action is one of the most haunting failures in this case. This is one of the most haunting facts of this case. Yeah. This is fucking harrowing. Yeah. The authorities didn't- They're like, this seems sus. Man streaking in a field covered in blood. Like, I'm sorry. Lock the cunt up. Yeah. That was really psyching. I only hit that one. I'm sorry. Chase continued his disturbing rituals of killing animals, mainly rabbits, dogs, and cats. He would shoot them, drink their blood, and even blend their organs into a grotesque paste which he consumed. But soon, this wasn't enough. The blood of animals no longer satisfied him. He needed more. And that's when he turned to human victims. Bro, I actually had them on to you before we even started, and I feel like this has cured it. Bro, if you want animal paste, just add chicken nuggets. Okay, why? So shut the fuck up. Why, bro? I'm trying to help your diet. Don't suck the joy out of things. I can't hear you. Pig's pleased. You look like you're about to cry. I want to. I'll never look at nuggets the same. Yeah. Richard Chase was 27 years old when he committed his first non-murder. By this time, he had spent years descending into violent psychosis, stalking neighborhoods, breaking into homes, and killing animals to drink their blood. His delusions had convinced him... What is that song that says something about delusions? It just came into my head. POV of ADHD person telling a story. Sorry. Okay. His delusions had convinced him that his body was deteriorating and that he needed fresh blood, and animal blood was no longer enough. On December 29, 1977, Chase crossed the final threshold. That day, he killed a human being for the first time. On that December afternoon, 51-year-old Ambrose Griffin, an engineer and father of two, was outside his home in East Sacramento, helping his wife unload groceries. He had no idea that, just down the street, Richard Chase was lurking nearby, armed and looking for his first victim. Because by this point, Chase had begun driving aimlessly through neighborhoods, looking for easy targets. His method was terrifyingly random. He didn't stalk Griffin or plan the attack. Instead, he was simply looking for someone, anyone, to kill. Sitting behind the wheel of his station wagon, Chase pulled out a .22 caliber handgun and began firing at strangers from his car as he drove past houses. One of those bullets struck Ambrose Griffin in the chest. At first, his wife didn't even realize what had happened. She thought he had simply collapsed from a heart attack. But when she and a neighbor rushed to his side, they saw blood pooling beneath him. He had been shot in the heart. Another bullet struck the Griffin house, narrowly missing their son, who was inside at the time. Chase, meanwhile, kept driving as if nothing had happened. The randomness of the killing left police baffled. There was no apparent motive, no robbery, no connection between Griffin and his killer. It seemed like a completely senseless act of violence. But what they didn't know was that Chase was just getting started. This wasn't an isolated incident, this was a test. He had killed a human for the first time, and in his warped mind, it proved that he could do it again. Oh my days. That's a lot. And, like, hearing how all of these little moments are, like, stacking up, it's kind of like watching a three-car accident in slow motion. In slow motion. Yeah. And we've, like, hit the pinning point, so I feel like I have to ask you, do you think Chase always had an intent to kill people, or do you think this was just, like, the perfect storm of all the circumstances surrounding him? Well, that's the big question, isn't it? And honestly, I think it's both. Chase didn't just wake up one day and decide to kill. He had been spiraling for a while. But at the same time, there's a difference between fantasizing about something and actually doing it. It takes a trigger, an opportunity, or even just a shift in their own mindset. Yeah, I guess, you know, once you've crossed that line. Yeah, there's no going back. The first kill is almost like a psychological dam breaking. Some killers hesitate, maybe even feel guilt, but Chase, from everything we know, there wasn't any hesitation, and that's terrifying. Yeah, because that means there wasn't some kind of, like, heat of the moment thing. It's more like it was always going to happen, like it was inevitable. Exactly, and that's why looking back, it's chilling. Because the moment Chase left that crime scene, he wasn't the same person. He wasn't just someone with dark thoughts. He was a killer. Yeah, and worse, a killer who got away with it. Yeah, for now. But as we know, that didn't last long. In fact, what came next was even more disturbing. Right, fine. Let's get into it. What did Chase do after his first kill, and why did it only fuel him to keep going? He was now fully spiraling, and his delusions about blood and bodily fluids consumed him entirely. He didn't just need to kill anymore. He believed he needed to siphon life energy, consume organs, and drink blood to stay alive. His paranoia about being poisoned by his own body grew stronger, and this obsession pushed him to act out more violently than ever. On January 23, 1978, Richard Chase murdered Teresa Worland, a 22-year-old woman who was pregnant with her son. Chase had been roaming the neighborhood, and much like with his other victims, targeted Teresa without any clear provocation. He shot her in the head at close range, killing her. After shooting her, Chase mutilated her body in a grotesque manner, consistent with his escalating obsession with blood and organs. Chase didn't sexually assault Teresa, but he did engage in post-mortem mutilation. He removed her organs and drained her blood, which was consistent with his delusions that he needed to consume blood to survive. He also removed her fetus, and in a particularly disturbing act, decapitated the baby and removed his organs. These actions were a continuation of his belief that consuming blood and organs would keep him alive, and written of the toxins he believed existed in his body. To clarify, while Teresa was not raped, the level of violence and mutilation that occurred after her death was extreme. It was a horrifying example of the depth of Chase's delusions and psychosis, and the brutal way he escalated from one murder to the next. The crime scene was brutal and grotesque, fitting perfectly into the disturbing pattern of Chase's escalating violence. In the aftermath, when investigators found out about the other victims and began to link them together, they realized they were facing something far darker. A killer with no remorse, no plan, and no rationality. On January 27, 1978, Chase struck again, but this time it was far more savage. How does it get more savage? Like, actually, how? Yeah, how does it even get worse than that? A hundred percent. Just wait, it does. He randomly selected the home of Evelyn Myroff, a 38-year-old woman who was babysitting her nephew. He forced his way inside. Evelyn wasn't alone. In the house with her were her 6-year-old son Jason, her 22-month-old nephew David, and her friend Dan Meredith, who had stopped by for a visit. Chase shot Dan Meredith first, stealing his car keys in the process. Then he turned his attention to Evelyn, shooting her and mutilating her body. He didn't stop there. He also murdered Jason. After shooting Evelyn Myroff, Chase didn't just leave her body as it was. He brutally mutilated her in ways that aligned with his delusions. He dragged her body into the bedroom, where he performed grotesque post-mortem mutilations. Using a knife, he opened her abdomen and removed several of her organs, setting them aside in the room. Police also found that she had been raped after her death. Chase then bathed his hands in her blood, consuming some of it directly. Investigators later determined that he had also used a yogurt cup as a makeshift ladle to drink more blood. His obsession with blood and internal organs had now become the driving force of his crimes. As for 6-year-old Jason, Chase shot him twice in the head at close range, killing him instantly. His body was found in the bathroom, and while it's unclear exactly why Chase moved him there, it suggests some level of staging, though not in any traditional methodical sense. Chase wasn't trying to cover his tracks. He was just acting purely on impulse and delusion. The most horrifying part, however, was what Chase did next. He took 22-month-old David with him, disappearing from the scene. The fate of the infant would not be discovered until later, and by then, Chase's level of depravity would reach a whole new level. When authorities later found the scene, they realized David's body was missing, leading to a frantic manhunt for Chase. Okay, let me back up for a second. So, we know Chase was erratic. He didn't exactly turn things the way, like, say, a typical serial killer might. So how did he even get inside Evelyn's house? Like, was this another case of an unlocked door? Not this time, actually. Chase actually forced his way in. We don't know if he specifically targeted Evelyn or if it was just about opportunity, but what we do know is that once he saw an opening, he took it. He went straight for the front door and just kicked it in. No hesitation, no subtlety, just sheer brute force. My God, so he wasn't even being careful anymore. Like, this was a huge shift from before. Yeah, exactly. With his first murder, there was at least some level of restraint. You know, waiting for an open door, acting more impulsively. But now, he didn't care. He was fully embracing the chaos. Right, and I guess that explains why Dan Meredith was his first victim. He was just in the way. But was there anything more to it? Surprisingly, no. Dan was the only one Chase didn't mutilate. He shot him in the head, took his car keys and moved on. Almost like Dan was just an obstacle, not part of his ritual. It's possible Chase was too focused on what he really wanted, Evelyn and the children. And that's where things take an even darker turn. Because not only did he kill them, he took the baby. That's the part that I can't stop thinking about. Like, where did Chase take him? That's the part that still haunts people to this day. Chase left the house, carrying 22-month-old David Ferreira's body, and disappeared. At that moment, no one knew where he had gone or what he planned to do next. But when authorities finally pieced it together, when they found what he had done, it was somehow even worse than what had happened inside Evelyn's house. I don't really want to ask, but what did they find? Well, let's just say Chase had fully given in to his delusions, and by the time they caught up to him, it was already too late. So this murder spree was significantly more violent and ritualistic than his first. Chase had moved beyond simply killing. His psychosis was driving him to act out increasingly gruesome fantasies. After Chase fled Evelyn Myroth's house with 22-month-old David Ferreira, law enforcement was immediately on high alert. The crime scene they had just discovered was one of the most gruesome they'd ever seen, and the fact that a baby was missing made the case even more urgent. Authorities quickly put together a profile of the killer based on witness accounts and forensic evidence. Chase had been seen in the neighborhood before, and a previous erratic behavior had already drawn attention. It didn't take long for investigators to link the crime to him. The stolen car belonging to Dan Meredith, which Chase had taken after the murders, was another crucial lead. They found the abandoned car not far from the crime scene, covered in blood. This only confirmed their worst fear. Whatever had happened to baby David, it hadn't been a simple kidnapping. They knew they had to find Chase fast. Acting on a tip from someone who had encountered Chase, police obtained a warrant and raided his apartment. What they found inside his apartment was beyond horrifying. The place was a nightmare. Blood was smeared across the walls, furniture, and floors. Animal remains, organs, bones, and body parts were scattered throughout, remnants of Chase's earlier experiments with blood consumption. But then, in the kitchen, they found something even worse. Chase had killed baby David Ferreira in an unspeakably brutal way. He had fractured the infant's skull, some reports say by a gunshot, others suggest a blunt force injury. But the horror didn't stop there. Baby David Ferreira's body and head were found separately. When police raided Chase's apartment, they discovered David's decapitated head inside a bucket or cardboard box. Different articles say different things. His blood had been drained into a bathtub, further supporting Chase's belief that he needed to consume blood for survival. The rest of David's body was later found discarded in a vacant lot not far from Chase's apartment. The discovery confirmed the extent of Chase's depravity. He had not only killed the infant, but had also mutilated and cannibalized parts of his body before disposing of the remains. This final discovery cemented the urgency of bringing Chase to justice. Just that. I mean, he's done so many other things and now you're like, oh, there's urgency. His crimes weren't just violent, they were ritualistic, compulsive and completely unhinged. There was no doubt that if he hadn't been caught he would have continued killing. This was the final undeniable proof that Chase wasn't just a murderer, he was operating entirely under the grip of his deranged fantasies. When officers finally apprehended him, Chase didn't resist. He was covered in filth, his clothes stained with blood. He looked more like a man who had been living as a wild animal than a person functioning in society. With Chase in custody, the killing spree was over, but for investigators, the question now was, what exactly had driven him to commit these horrific crimes? Was it pure psychosis, or had something even deeper and more sinister been at play? I don't even know what to say after hearing all of that. This is by far one of the most grossest and depraved and just so cruel. I mean, the fact that the baby's remains were treated like that, and the way that Chase's crimes escalated so quickly, it's like, it's beyond comprehension. It was like, once he did that first murder, he was like, oh, that was pretty easy, actually. I'll just carry on. Yeah. Fucking hell, man, it's so cold. And so, once they had him in custody, what happened next? How did they finally bring him to trial? Yeah, it's a tough one to wrap your head around, but once they got Chase, the evidence was overwhelming. His arrest was pretty straightforward, he didn't resist when they found him. He was almost like a shell of a man at that point, covered in stilts and blood, and there was no denying what he had done. And so, once they had him, they obviously started building their case. But what was his defense? I mean, I guess by reasonability, but like, how else did he try and justify any of this, or did he even try? Yeah, so his defense team did try to argue that he was insane, that he wasn't in control of his actions due to a severe mental illness. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia which played a major role in how the court viewed him. But despite that defense, the prosecution made it clear that this wasn't someone who snapped. Chase had a clear pattern of deliberate violence and his delusions had driven him to kill. Okay, so they weren't able to argue that it was some kind of spontaneous, uncontrollable outburst or an episode. He plainly carried out these murders in the most methodical and horrific way. Yeah, exactly. And despite his defense team trying to paint him as completely insane, the jury found him guilty of all the charges. On May 8th, 1979, Chase was convicted of six counts of first degree murder. The court ruled that he was legally sane at the time of the killings and they sentenced him to death. Okay, wow. And where did things go from there? Like, did he ever show any remorse, or was he completely detached the whole time? Chase remained emotionally detached throughout the entire process. He never really expressed remorse. Even after being convicted, his mental state was so far removed from reality at that point that he wasn't interested in anything outside of his own delusions. He spent the rest of his life on death row until he was found dead in his cell in 1980, just a year after his conviction, reportedly due to suicide. It's actually, like, really staggering to think about how someone can spiral so far into delusion and violence and even being so detached from who they are or even as a human being, being detached from being a human being. Yeah. Like, that's actually crazy. And to think about, like, the impact his crime had on the fact that his family is... It's a tragedy that never should have happened, and I feel like could have been somewhat prevented. Yeah, absolutely. And that's the chilling part. Chase wasn't just a killer. He was a man consumed by paranoia and delusions. He didn't care about life, and in the end, he took far too many of them. His story is a reminder of how deeply unchecked mental illness can distort reality and just how dangerous that can become when left untreated. Yeah. Haunting a spark, that's for sure. Yeah. But, yeah, that wraps up another episode of Zeroes and Skins. Stay tuned, and as always, thanks for listening, guys. Oh, we'll see you guys next time. See you next time. Bye. Thank you for listening to our telling of this horrific case. We would love to hear what you thought of it on our socials, and if you haven't yet reviewed our podcast, we would really appreciate that if you, like, listen to us. Don't review it until you actually, like, listen to us. And if you like us, then hit follow. Oh, and I'll see if you don't like us, then hit follow. We'd appreciate any support. And we'll have a new case next week, but until then, catch us on our socials at ZeroesAndSkinsPod. See you next time. See ya. Bye.