The Kansas City Butcher Preview

There were no screams. Just photographs.

For years, Rob Berdella tortured and killed in near silence—his victims disappearing without a sound, their agony captured in Polaroids and handwritten logs. Neighbors heard nothing. The house stayed quiet. But behind closed doors, a methodical horror unfolded, room by room, tape by tape. 

Berdella kept records like trophies: Polaroids, notes, fragments of lives erased. This isn’t just a story about a serial killer. It’s a question: What happens when suffering echoes... and no one is listening?

This isn’t just the story of a killer. It’s a catalog of cruelty... and the moment one survivor finally shattered the silence. And it also begs the question, what would you do if were suffering but no one was around to hear it? 




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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This taking contains content that may not be suitable for
all audiences. Listener's discretion is advised. Jerry Howell stares out

(00:24):
of the passenger seat, half listening to Bob Burdella, the
driver speak, as everything familiar melts away into a blur.
The rhythmic drone of the tires on asphalt fills the
silence between Bordella's words it's trance like. Burdella occasionally glances

(00:45):
at Jerry from the corner of his eye with an
unreadable expression, as he continues to talk about the dance
contest and marry him. All of Burdella's words are a
bit of a blur to Jerry. A low hum in
the background. Jerry nods absently, the edge of his energy

(01:08):
dulled by alcohol warming his veins. His movements feel slower now,
his thoughts clouded, though he can't quite place why. Of course,
he's had a few drinks tonight, provided by no other
than Burdella himself, But he shouldn't feel this drunk, This

(01:32):
quick drunk may not even be the best word to
describe how Jerry feels. The car rolls to a stop
in Burdella's driveway. The house looms ahead It's outline, an

(01:52):
ugly splotch against the dim yellow street lights. Amazingly, the
glow of the dim light ends just before the windows
of his house. Jerry stumbles slightly as Burdella helps him
out of the car, his grip firm. Inside Burdella's house,

(02:23):
the air feels cooler, and there's the faint scent of
antiseptic filling the air, masking something metallic beneath. The eerie
silence is broken by the soft clink of glasses as
Burdella pours another drink and places it into Jerry's unsteady hands.

(02:47):
The action seems deliberate, as though rehearsed. As Jerry's SIPs,

(03:21):
his limbs grow heavier, his head begins to tilt, as
though he no longer has control. There's a strange fog
filling the room, and it thickens, swallowing him inch by
inch until his awareness collapses entirely. Verdella moves without hesitation,

(03:46):
guiding Jerry's now unconscious body toward the bedroom. His footsteps
are measured. Every moment has been made before countless times
in his mind. He can't wait to see every part
of him. He can't wait to make parts out of him,

(04:10):
The bettest stripped bare save for a grid of ropes
coiled neatly at the corners. Waiting, Burdella secures Jerry's wrist
and ankles, pulling each knot tight with an unsettling precision.
He stands back. His breath is steady as he reaches

(04:30):
for a syringe waiting on a nightstand. The liquid inside
glints in the faint light. A cocktail of chemicals chosen
with care, chosen with only the most warped sense of
mercy in mind. The needle slides into Jerry's arm with
a practiced ease, the plunger pressing down slowly. Burdella watches,

(04:55):
his head tilted curious as the tranquilizer takes hold. The
room feels smaller to Jerry now, the shadows darker outside.
The distant sound of a train rumbles past, unnoticed. Carrying
on is the nothing's wrong. But in here, in this

(05:19):
silent house, it's relentless horror, and everything is wrong. We

(06:01):
hope you've enjoyed this preview of the Kansas City Butcher.
Next story from Less Taken Season four, Shadow Lands. In
this upcoming episode, we explore the story of Robert Burdella,
a quiet Kansas City shopkeeper with a strange fascination for chemistry,

(06:22):
A man who turns this curiosity into a chilling ubsession.
Between the years of nineteen eighty four and nineteen eighty seven,
he llures six young men into his home, where his
experiments and control and cruelty reveal the true horror of
the Kansas City Butcher. Whole episode drops the first Tuesday
of May, and that goes for all of our story episodes.

(06:45):
You can catch them the first Tuesday of every month,
and of course there'll be a preview just a week
or two before. In between, we'll throw some of those
roads Less Taken episodes where we explore details left out
of the stories and also take a cool, kind of
eerie road trip from our previous destination to our next.

(07:06):
Please let us know what you think of this preview
or any of our episodes by leaving a fair rating
and review wherever you're listening. You can also leave reviews
at lesstakanpod dot com, where we have everything less Taken,
additional notes, additional media, and of course our merch Follow
us before we follow you on Facebook and Instagram under

(07:27):
the handle at less Taken pod a quick note on
our storytelling. While we do our best to stick to
the facts, we sometimes take creative liberties to maintain narrative cohesiveness.
I'm Seam Humphreys and this is Less Taken real life
horror stories from the Midwest. Once again, thanks for listening,

(07:49):
and join us next Tuesday for the full version of
the Kansas City Butcher. They're not. They're not. They're not.
They're not. They're not. They're not. They're not. They're not.

(08:13):
They're not. They're not.