This is a three-part podcast series dedicated to understanding how serial killers form, and how we can stop them before they strike again. Hosted by award-winning crime scene investigator Sheryl McCollum, each episode features a guest expert who brings unique expertise into the psychology, behavior, and patterns of serial offenders.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, sits down with Phil Chalmers, a seasoned criminal profiler whose life’s work has taken him face-to-face with some of the most notorious killers in American history. Phil shares what it’s really like to sit across from people like Charles Manson and David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam. Today, Sheryl and Phil go deeper than infamous names; it’s about understanding why people kill. Phil breaks down the roots of violent behavior, pointing to patterns like fatherlessness, childhood trauma, and relentless bullying. He also challenges long-held assumptions about what a serial killer looks like, arguing that the modern offender is often far from the stereotypical white male.

Guest Bio and Links:

Phil Chalmers is a 40 year American Criminal Profiler, true crime writer, and host of the Dennis Quaid owned podcast “Where The Bodies Are Buried.” His live trainings are legendary in the law enforcement world, as he trains police officers, the FBI, probation officers, school administrators, and many other professionals. You may have seen Phil on A&E’s Killer Kids, or Fox’s Crime Watch Daily. He has interviewed hundreds of violent killers, including serial killers, school shooters, mass murderers, family annihilators, and spree killers. Names you might know on his interview list include Charles Manson, The Son of Sam, BTK, The Hillside Strangler, The Gainesville Ripper, The Zodiac Copycat, The Smiley Face Killer, and the Amityville Horror Killer.

Listeners can learn more about at Phil Chalmers at his website, on IG @philechalmerprofiler and his podcast - Where The Bodies Are Buried

Resources:

Inside the Mind of a Teen Killer

Serial Killers: The Experience Tour

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum
• (0:20) Sheryl introduces guest,  Phil Chalmers to the listeners
• (2:00) Phil gives a brief background of himself and his work
• (3:00) Inside the mind of a serial killer
• (5:00) Twelve myths of serial killers
• (11:00) Bullying and the path to school shootings
• (12:00) 13 reasons kids kill
• (13:30) The number one reason teens kill
• (15:00) Myths in serial killer profiling
• (18:30) Phil discusses reasons he works with serial killers
• (20:30) Background of Amon Pressley
• (23:30) What to look for to connect serial killer cases
• (25:30) The signature vs. MO distinction
• (30:15)  ”The MO changes.” - Phil Chalmers
• Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving the show and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review!

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

Social Links:

• Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Nancy Grace and Sheryl McCollum break down how small forensic details like a balaclava, a knife sheath, and an Amazon purchase, can construct a damning mosaic of guilt. Sheryl emphasizes the importance of visual testimony and the nuanced strategies prosecutors must deploy when sequencing their witnesses. Nancy and Sheryl draw parallels from cases like Casey Anthony, Ted Bundy, and Lori Vallow, showing how digital footprints, careless mistakes, and chilling premeditation can expose even the most calculated crimes. Lastly, the two probe how character witnesses, or the lack thereof, may influence the perception of innocence or guilt.

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Welcome! Nancy and Sheryl introduce this week’s crime roundup
• (0:15) Happy Birthday to host, Sheryl McCollum (actual birthday March 25th)
• (2:00) Updates on Bryan Kohberger case
• (2:25)  ”Don't order your crime doings on Amazon or leave a credit card trail.”
• (3:00) The balaclava evidence and eyewitness testimony
• (8:00) Why the drawing matters
• (15:00) Flashbacks to Lori Vallow and amazon evidence
• (17:00) Casey Anthony’s perjury and misleading evidence
• (24:00) Why the state can’t introduce bad character
• (27:00) Traffic tickets leading to arrests
• (29:00) “ You can't hide your own eyebrows. You can't hide your own DNA. You can't hide your own height. Dylan Mortenson saw him within feet. Those eyebrows, she'll never forget 'em, and the biggest mistake he made was not leaving his DNA on that sheath, was not using his own card, was not using his own debit card, but leaving that witness alive.”
• (29:30) Witness strategy, mistakes, and what comes next

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Nancy Grace is an outspoken, tireless advocate for victims’ rights and one of television's most respected legal analysts. Nancy Grace had a perfect conviction record during her decade as a prosecutor. She is the founder and publisher of CrimeOnline.com, a crime- fighting digital platform that investigates breaking crime news, spreads awareness of missing people and shines a light on cold cases.

In addition, Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, a daily show hosted by Grace, airs on SIRIUS XM’s Triumph Channel 111 and is downloadable as a podcast on all audio platforms - https://www.crimeonline.com/

Connect with Nancy:

X: @nancygrace

Instagram: @thenancygrace

Facebook: @nancygrace

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.

Connect with Sheryl:

Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, sits down with Linda Kenney Baden, a former prosecutor and private defense attorney to dissect the legal intricacies, discrepancies, and various ethical issues surrounding the trial of Karen Read. They cover the problems with evidence collection, the lead investigator's conduct, and the lack of a clear cause of death. Sheryl and Linda also discuss the role of experts in the retrial, what could be expected during the new trial, and the emotional toll on both Read and O'Keefe's families.

On January 29, 2022, Karen Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV during a snow storm. Read's second trial is now set to begin with jury selection on April 1, 2025 after months of additional pretrial hearings following the mistrial.

Guest Bio and Links:

Linda Kenney Baden is a former prosecutor and seasoned criminal defense attorney known for her work on high-profile cases such as Phil Spector, Casey Anthony, and Aaron Hernandez. She is a contributor to Law & Crime and the Huffington Post, and co-hosts coverage on Justice Served TV. She brings decades of legal expertise to the public discourse on justice and ethics in the courtroom.

Listeners can learn more about Linda Kenney Baden at her website, on X @KenneyBaden

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum
• (1:15) Sheryl welcomes guest, and former prosecutor Kinda Kenney Baden to Zone 7
• (2:00) Discussion on case coverage and high-profile trials
• (3:30) Analyzing the evidence and prosecution's strategy
• (6:30) Ethical concerns and prosecution tactics
• (13:15) “ I looked at what they did in the first trial, but I was stunned by what they didn't do.” - Sheryl McCollum
• (13:45) Glass evidence and shards that don’t match
• (15:00) Crime scene failures and inconsistencies
• (18:30)  ”As somebody that's been in this business for 42 years, I have never in my life seen a homicide case with a lead detective that didn't go to the scene, doesn't have chain of custody, has a confession that nobody bothered to write down, has glass they can't explain, has an injury they can't explain, has a tail light busted they can't explain.” - Sheryl McCollum
• (19:00) Ethics of prosecutors
• (23:00) Battle of the experts
• (23:30) The Sandra Birchmore case
• (27:00) The Proctor factor - bias and controversy
• (30:30) Hypotheticals and jury considerations
• (36:00) Trial two predictions and new expert strategy
• (40:00) Trial round two - what to expect
• (44:30)  ”40% of homicides go unsolved. You know, that's not a very good record. And also, 95% of convictions come from plea bargains, which is often coerced. It's like we have the worst of both worlds. We don't convict the guilty enough and we coerce the innocent too much.” -Bill Maher
• Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving the show and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review!

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

Social Links:

• Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.