A new true crime podcast goes into a deep analysis into the mind of a serial killer.
“Killer Psyche” is hosted by Candice DeLong, a retired FBI criminal profiler. In each episode, DeLong aims to analyze how and why some of the nation’s most infamous serial killers commit their heinous crimes.
DeLong spent several years as a psychiatric nurse at Northwestern University Hospital. It was during her time at the hospital that she found herself drawn to the patients that had committed crimes like murder.
“Periodically, we had a patient that had committed murder on our maximum security unit for 30 days,” said DeLong. “I was drawn to work with them. Many didn’t want to work with them, but I thought this is interesting. I wanted to know why this happened and how it happened.”
DeLong was given the opportunity to join the FBI as a crime scene analyst, eventually making her way over to Quantico after she was assigned to Chicago. DeLong worked on several high profile cases, including the Chicago Tylenol murders and the Unabomber case in San Francisco, before ultimately retiring in 2000.
Amid the pandemic, DeLong found herself visiting a particular restaurant where she built up a friendly rapport with an employee there. He knew that DeLong was an FBI profiler in her professional life and would often ask her to check out a true crime podcast that he would listen to.
“I had never listened to a podcast. It was winter of 2020, deep in COVID shutdown, I went for a walk to listen to it so I can get him off my back,” said DeLong with a laugh. “I was listening to an episode about a murder familiar with, the Lipstick Killer. I knew a lot more and I could say a lot more than the killer than the presenter. Most of the presenters of true crime pods are not professionals — they are really good storytellers, but I could bring something to the table to make it more interesting.”
With this thought came the beginnings of the “Killer Psyche” podcast. In creating the pitch for the podcast, DeLong and her team came up with two years worth of material to help get the podcast in motion. “Killer Psyche” was quickly picked up by Wondery, and the first episode of “Killer Psyche” officially dropped online in July 2021.
Since the premiere, “Killer Psyche” has done a deep analysis on the murderers in classic cases such as the Lipstick Killer, Dr. Death, and the Amityville Horror House, just to name a few. The podcast also takes a look at some more recent cases, such as the murder of Gabby Petito.
“We knew starting out that we had to take a break from what plan was when big news and deserved news. The Gabby Petito case had a life of its own, we should pay more attention to it. What makes it different is that I get into the mind of the killer,” said DeLong. “I’ve worked with victims of violent crimes, those in psych units, victims of abuse, neglect, or grow up with problems. I saw what I believed on part of Brian Laundrie to be classic abuser behavior — he was cool, calm, and collected as he blamed her, she could barely get a sentence in. A witness called police saying they saw him slap her, in the car and on the sidewalk. Looking at this, I thought that there’s a lot to be learned here.”
DeLong relies on her knowledge and experience in FBI profiling to establish why those who commit heinous crimes do what they do, which sets “Killer Psyche” apart from other true crime podcasts. DeLong hopes that those who tune in to an episode of “Killer Psyche” can take the information and be able to apply it to their own lives, whether you are a civilian or are in law enforcement.
“I hope they can learn something that it’s the palm of their head to forehead moment, where they say ‘Oh my god, that almost happened to me,’ or ‘My daughter is seeing someone who is pushing around,’ or even some time in their life they see sit developing the situation they are in and think, ‘I remember seeing this on a tv show or on a podcast, I’m in trouble. I’ve got to get out of this,’” said DeLong. “The warning sides, the red flags. That is my hope. Not just for potential victims, but for law enforcement. Those cops, they’re the ones on the front line. They need this information.”
You can listen to “Killer Psyche” wherever you get your podcasts.
