Mapping Evil with Mike King

It’s September 1952 on the night of the new moon and 22-year-old university student Betty Shanks is making her way home from evening classes. The journey from her tram stop to the home she shares with her loving parents is a mere 400 yards along a path Betty has strode countless times before. On this night, Betty would not survive the walk.

With the help of award-winning journalist Tory Shepherd, world renowned cold case investigat...

Touching down in Los Angeles after a fairly uneventful 14-hour flight from Australia, criminal profiler Mike King is tired but happy to be home after a gruelling fortnight of back-to-back meetings, events, and media engagements.

As he makes his way through LAX, his phone rings. On the other end the caller says: "I listened to your interview on the news. My father killed Betty Shanks".

In the explosive final episode of Mapping Evil,...

The first time Desche Birtles took her story to police she was a 16-year-old runaway. It was a harrowing account of a childhood trauma – one that tied Desche’s father to the brutal murder of Betty Shanks – and one that police would repeatedly dismiss.

For historian and author Ted Duhs, Desche’s tale was so compelling that he would dedicate decades of his life to investigating her claim that Betty Shanks died at the hands of her fat...

On a moonless spring night in 1952, a bright young woman – only metres from her home – screams out in terror as she is overpowered, brutally beaten and left to die on an otherwise safe suburban street.

The savage murder of 22-year-old Betty Shanks sent shock waves through the tight-knit community of Wilston and came to be known as the crime that stole Brisbane’s innocence.

World renowned criminal profiler and cold case investigator...

In a special case update from Mapping Evil, Mike and Tory investigate how the sad story of a missing Colorado mum morphed into a high-stakes, circumstantial murder trial – plagued by rumour and innuendo.

Suzanne Morphew – a vibrant mother-of-two – disappeared from her home on Mother’s Day 2020. One year later, her high school sweetheart and husband of 32 years was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder.

The case has gripped th...

In a special bonus episode of Mapping Evil, Mike and Tory revisit the macabre case of the Lafferty brothers (Episode 8) – a truly disturbing story of religious fanaticism and ritualistic murder.

Nearly 40 years on from the gruesome slayings of new mum, Brenda Lafferty and her daughter Erica, Mike shares candid interviews with convicted killer, Dan Lafferty and his brother, Ron – a self-professed prophet.

Hear from the killer himsel...

From the team who brought you Mapping Evil, join legendary Australian journalist and ‘gentlemen interrogator’ Stan Grant as he goes toe-to-toe with everyday people faced with extraordinary responsibilities.

In this special preview episode of Directions, Mapping Evil’s own Mike King shares his leadership lessons – from teaching top cops the art of criminal profiling, to b...

Exploring the terrain of where innocence is lost

Across the course of his career, Mike has found that a skilled predator will almost always leverage the element of ‘geography’ to turn the tables in their favour.

Whether a victim’s risk level is inherently high or low, and regardless of whether the victim is known or a stranger to a perpetrator – geography inevitably plays a key role in giving evil the upper-hand.

In this episode, M...

The man behind the map

In this special bonus episode of Mapping Evil with Mike King, award-winning journalist Tory Shepherd takes a closer look at the man behind the map. With a little encouragement from Tory, Mike delves deep into his past, sharing intimate details of the stories that have shaped his life and career.

From a near fatal accident during the earliest days of his time on the force, to his encounters with a sitting pres...

Mapping nature or nurture

When does a faith built on love and compassion transform into the darkest of beliefs? What is the catalyst that takes a devoted parishioner on a journey to become a prophet, and then a predator?

In this episode, Tory Shepherd and Mike King take a closer look at crimes committed in the name of God.

They explore the malevolence of Utah’s Lafferty Brothers and the appalling deeds that had many questioning whe...

Mapping precious last steps

Oliver Ben Gerrish is every parent’s worst nightmare – charismatic and cunning, he represents the most dangerous of serial predators.

By the end of his reign of terror, ‘Big Ben’ as he came to be known, had irreparably damaged the lives of more than 550 children and their families. 

In this episode, Mike and Tory discuss the key learnings from studying Gerrish’s modus operandi. Mike walks through the bol...

Exploring where cruelty blooms

Join Mike King and Tory Shepherd as they unpack the crimes of two of the most malevolent human beings to ever draw breath: Utah’s Blaine Hogge Nelson – suspected of 70 to 80 rapes across 11 states – and Australia’s own Boogieman, Mr Cruel.

Walk with King as he dramatically retraces the steps of both Nelson and Cruel – exploring what the geography of their crimes truly reveals about these sadistic seri...

Exploring where all is lost.

When married mother of two Suzanne Morphew went missing from her Colorado home on Mother’s Day 2020, it appeared as if she had simply vanished off the face of the earth.

Together with her anxious family, Mike King mobilised an army of 700 volunteers, all equipped with cutting-edge tracking technology, to scour and map more than 6,500 linear miles of remote and rugged terrain surrounding the Morphew’s Sa...

Hunting the hunters

Even for seasoned investigators like Mike King, crimes against the most vulnerable members of society – such as those in their twilight years – are amongst the most difficult to comprehend.

In a jailhouse interview with serial killer Daniel Ray Troyer – a man who is suspected of brutally murdering at least 13 elderly women – Troyer posed this very question to Mike, asking: “You’re having a hard time understandin...

When location becomes a liability

For veteran law enforcement specialist Mike King, the element of ‘location’ is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to investigating serial crimes.   Determining how, when, and why the paths of a predator and victim have intersected is crucial for investigators to understand victimology, which communities are at risk, and even the offender themselves. In this episode Mike ...

Taking down the Zion Society

“I've been involved in a cult that's sexually abusing children. Do you have a moment to talk to me?”

These were the words that turned what was otherwise a normal day for Mike King into the most pivotal moment of his law enforcement career.

What soon followed was a coordinated response of a magnitude rarely seen in US law enforcement. One that would eventually bring Arvin Shreeve – the self-anointed lead...

When profiling evil, what lessons can we learn? How can exploring the macabre crimes of Robert Ben Rhoades - the infamous Truck Stop Killer - help law enforcement officials half a world away? Join Mike King and Tory Shepherd as they peel back the layers of the investigation into one of the USA's most prolific serial sexual sadists.

Peek into the workings of a truly evil mind and learn more about the police tactics that eventually b...

Navigate the complex terrain between victim and predator

Mapping Evil is hosted by award-winning journalist Tory Shepherd, featuring renowned criminal profiler, cold case specialist, and crime mapping master – Mike King. Offering listeners a look at real crimes through an experienced investigator’s eye, Mapping Evil takes you on a journey into the minds of predators and the lives of those tasked with bringing them to justice. 

Fin...