October 18, 2025 • 30 mins
Two young men, Jason Gailhouse and Michael Wachholtz, disappeared without a trace from the LGBTQ+ community in Tampa in 2003. What appeared to be a routine missing persons case soon turned into a horrific tale of torture, manipulation, and brutal murder committed by Steven Lorenzo—a man who hid his dark side behind his normal life as a small businessman. Along with his partner, Scott Schwikert, Lorenzo lured his victims through online BDSM-themed relationships that eventually turned into deadly traps.
In this episode, you’ll learn how two ordinary men became cold-blooded killers, how the investigation uncovered a hidden network of violence that had been operating for years, and why Lorenzo ultimately requested the death penalty for himself. This story will leave you wondering: how far can someone go to hide the darkness within themselves? And has justice truly been served for the victims whose bodies were never found?
In this episode, you’ll learn how two ordinary men became cold-blooded killers, how the investigation uncovered a hidden network of violence that had been operating for years, and why Lorenzo ultimately requested the death penalty for himself. This story will leave you wondering: how far can someone go to hide the darkness within themselves? And has justice truly been served for the victims whose bodies were never found?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz both went missing in the
year two thousand and three, both from Tampa, Florida, both
from the heart of the city's vibrant LGBTQ plus community.
We just call his his face, and he didn't look
the same about nothing behind His eyes were dark.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
His face was contorted, which.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Further pangs me.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
But what happened next was far worse than anyone could imagine.
These weren't just disappearances. They were brutal, unspeakable murders that
shocked and terrorized the entire LGBTQ plus community.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
I don't even have a gray a body or a tombstone.
I had the city dump with my son round up
like hamburger meat and a dirt.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The man behind these twisted acts would become a living nightmare,
his name forever linked to horror.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
For me, it will be just as to find out
what happened about those other men. I want that man
to get the penalty and nothing less.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So who was this monster and how did he evade
justice for so long? Stay with us as we dive
into the dark truth behind these gruesome crimes. And trust
me when I say this, this is the kind of
case that will haunt you for days, making you question
how anyone could be so cruel, so heartless to take
(01:25):
lives in such a twisted and unimaginable way. To even
understand how things went so wrong, we need to start
by getting to know Scott, another man at the center
of this case. It was October two thousand and three
when Scott made the bold decision to leave Chicago behind
and start a new chapter in Orlando, Florida. At that time,
(01:47):
he had just turned thirty eight and was in the
middle of completing a course to become a personal trainer.
On the outside, it looked like Scott was simply focused
on his career and a fresh start. But little did
anyone know there was much more to him than met
the eye. Now, Scott wasn't the loud, attention seeking type.
In fact, he kept a relatively low profile, staying out
(02:10):
of the spotlight. But there was an entirely different side
of Scott that he kept hidden from those around him.
You see, Scott was an active member of an online
platform specifically for gay men, where he went by the
name Master Scott. It was on this platform that he
met another user who went by the handle dom Dude
for Sub, a Florida native who was not too far
(02:33):
from where Scott had just moved the fact that they
were now closer physically made their interactions all the more convenient,
and it wasn't long before they began talking more frequently.
What initially seemed like a simple connection over shared interests
soon revealed a darker and more complex side. Scott and
(02:53):
dom Dude for Sub quickly discovered they both shared a
fascination with BDSM, particularly the dominant submissive dynamic. They were
both intrigued by the idea of power control and the
psychological elements that came with such a relationship. But their discussions,
which began as casual chats about fantasy, soon escalated into
(03:15):
something far more dangerous. As they kept talking, things got
creepier and more dangerous. They started talking about kidnapping men,
keeping them as slaves, torturing them, and possibly selling them.
In their chats, they even had the perfect place to
hide someone, a small, hidden apartment in Seminole Heights. It
(03:37):
was quiet, out of the way and nobody would hear
a thing. They even planned to do a test run
just to see how it would go. But that wasn't
all They also talked about using GHB, a drug that
makes people black out and forget everything. It would leave
their victims totally helpless, unable to fight back or even
(03:59):
remember what happened to them, and their talks got even worse.
They said they worked well together and could do it again.
Then they started planning for the future. They talked about
buying a cheap piece of land far away from the city,
somewhere they could take people without anyone noticing. Dom Dude
for Sub even suggested looking east of Tampa near Interstate four.
(04:23):
He said it would be easy to find a place
out there where screams wouldn't be heard. So by the
time December two thousand and three rolled around, Scott decided
to take the next step and meet dom Dude for
Sub in person. He traveled to Tampa, excited to take
their online connection into the real world and in person.
(04:45):
The man was Stephen Lorenzo, who was a bit older
than Scott and had more experience in the world they
both shared. Stephen, born on May twenty seventh, nineteen sixty one,
had an unassuming start to life, one that seemed like
it could belong to anyone. He grew up in a
typical American family, and from the outside everything seemed normal.
(05:07):
His childhood was calm, with no signs of any future notoriety.
To those who knew him back then, Stephen was just
another guy in the neighborhood, quiet, reserved and blending into
the background. But if there's one thing we know is
that the quietest people sometimes harbor the darkest secrets. Eventually,
(05:28):
Stephen settled in Tampa, Florida, hoping to lead a peaceful life.
He ran a small cleaning company, which made a decent
living and kept him busy. To his clients, he was
the friendly guy who would show up to clean their
carpets or furniture. He was polite, professional, and unassuming, with
no reason to suspect anything beyond the surface. But as
(05:49):
Scott later realized, while Scott had fantasies, Stephen had the
kind of real life experiences that would pull Scott deeper
into a world far darker than he ever in anticipated.
Because even before Scott made his way to Tampa, Stephen
had already been in contact with another man online, arranging
a meeting where all three would engage in a dominant
(06:11):
submissive role play. The third man, identified only as OAR
by the police would play the submissive, with Stephen and
Scott assuming the dominant roles, and when they first met.
It happened in a parking lot, where the three briefly
exchanged words through their car windows for about five minutes
before heading back to Stephen's house. There was no indication
(06:33):
of drugging or anything illicit. Oar was fully willing to participate.
Once they arrived at Stephen's home, Oar was restrained to
a bed with leather restraints and the session began. The
encounter continued for some time, but towards the end Oar
began to feel uncomfortable and requested they stop. Later, Oar
(06:55):
would tell the police that he had been assaulted, claiming
a rod had been inserted into his body and that
he was violated while Stephen tried to comfort him with
calming techniques. However, according to Scott, Oar did not mention
any assault during the session. In fact, both Scott and
Stephen parted ways with no sense that any boundaries had
(07:15):
been crossed. The morning after, Scott left and returned to Orlando. Then,
on the afternoon of Friday, December nineteenth, two thousand and three,
Scott made his way back to Tampa, he met Stephen
once again, and the two spent some time hanging out
in the city before heading out for drinks. Around nine
(07:35):
thirty pm. They went to a local bar for a drink,
then made their way to the two six six Club,
one of the premier gay clubs in Tampa at the time,
where their night would take another unexpected turn. Scott and
Lorenzo had initially planned to lure someone else to Lorenzo's
home with the promise of work. In fact, Scott had
(07:56):
someone in mind, but the person stopped responding toils. It
was then that Lorenzo introduced Scott to someone new, someone
who would soon become an integral part of the chilling
events that would follow. This man was named Jason Galehouse.
At the time, Jason was twenty six years old and
had recently moved to Tampa from Sarasota, hoping to build
(08:19):
a new life. He worked as a florist and had
plans to pursue a career in interior design, taking college
classes to prepare. Jason was described by those who knew
him as an outgoing, charismatic young man. He stayed in
touch with his family, especially his mother, and was known
for his upbeat personality. Little did Jason know that this
(08:43):
night would be the beginning of his tragic end. As
mentioned earlier, Lorenzo introduced Jason to Scott with the intention
of bringing him into their world, which they had both
been exploring online b DM. Jason, however, didn't know the
full extent of what he was walking into. They didn't
(09:03):
waste any time, and soon Jason, Scott, and Lorenzo found
themselves at Lorenzo's house, a seemingly ordinary setting that would
quickly turn into the scene of a nightmare. As they
all settled in, Lorenzo excused himself to go to the bathroom.
While he was away, Jason and Scott shared some intimate
moments in the living room. It seemed innocent enough at first,
(09:27):
but that would all change when Lorenzo returned. Now, according
to Scott, he stepped away to use the bathroom for
a while, but when he came back, Lorenzo had Jason
in a chokehold. By this time, Jason was struggling his legs,
kicking in panic, desperately trying to break free from Lorenzo's grip. Lorenzo,
calm and methodical, asked Scott to help him hold Jason down. Scott,
(09:52):
in a state of shock, followed Lorenzo's instructions. Together they
restrained Jason and after what felt like an eternity, the
kick king stopped and Jason was now dead. But according
to Lorenzo, this is how it went.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Mister Schwiker wanted to have a video done of him
having experience as a master's trump and I was videotaping. Well,
I was doing this, mister Schwiker got carried away. He
lost control. He did that once before on the meeting
I had with a group. Thing we did together once
(10:28):
before and scared the heck out of the other guy.
But anyway, he lost control. The kids started the screen
and get all upset. We did the video. We put
a gas mask on him because he did not want
to be identified while being videos, so that's why the
gas mask level. We realized that the kid was going
(10:49):
to probably call the police on all of this, so
we had a power and we said this kid can't leave.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
But no matter what the truth was about that night,
it didn't changed the fact that they dismembered Jason's body
using power tools, specifically a saws all an industrial grade
power saw. The two men set to work. The harsh
grinding sound of the saw cutting through flesh and bone
echoed through the garage, a chilling soundtrack to the brutality
(11:19):
of what they were doing. They severed Jason's limbs, removed
his head, and methodically cut his body into pieces small
enough to be hidden. Every part of him was mutilated,
each piece taken apart with horrifying precision. After they were
done with Jason Galehouse, they didn't panic, They didn't act
like people who had just done something horrifying. Instead, they
(11:43):
calmly put his body parts into six separate trash bags,
each one holding a piece of him. But these weren't
carefully hidden or buried. No, they scattered them across Tampa
like it was nothing, just tossing them into random dumpsters,
as if Jason had never mattered. And the scariest part,
(12:03):
before they even began cutting up the body, they went
out for an early breakfast like it was just another
normal day. And when they finally returned home, Lorenzo casually
took a nap while Scott stayed up drinking beer, haunted
and sleepless. But for Lorenzo, one night of horror wasn't enough.
He wanted to do it again, and the very next evening,
(12:26):
he and Scott were back at the twenty six six Club.
That's where they met Michael Wocholtz, a twenty seven year
old waiter who had recently moved to Tampa from tarp
And Springs. Michael was friendly but private. He just started
reconnecting with his mom and was trying to rebuild his life. Unfortunately,
he had no idea what he was walking into when
(12:48):
he agreed to party with the two men at Lorenzo's house.
The setup began again. Scott distracted Michael in the kitchen
while Lorenzo mixed GHB into his drink. Things didn't go
as smoothly this time. Michael didn't pass out right away. Instead,
moments later, Scott heard Lorenzo yelling from the living room.
(13:09):
He rushed in and found Michael struggling underneath Lorenzo shouting,
this is not consensual. Michael was fighting with everything he had,
but he didn't stand a chance. Scott helped hold him down,
and then Lorenzo pulled out a chemical spray called Maximum
impact ethyl chloride. It's a toxic inhalent that knocks people
(13:30):
out fast. Lorenzo soaked a handkerchief with it and pressed
it to Michael's face until he went limp. With Michael unconscious,
they stripped him, tied him up, and taped his mouth
shut so he couldn't scream. But during the attack, something
went wrong. Michael's body began to shake uncontrollably, then stopped moving.
(13:52):
The drugs had taken a deadly toll this time, though
Scott refused to help with another dismemberment. Maybe guilt was
up to him, maybe the shock was too much. Either way,
they decided to do things differently. They wrapped Michael's body
in a bed sheet, gathered his belongings, and stuffed everything
into trash bags. Then they loaded it all into Michael's jeep.
(14:15):
Wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. They drove the jeep
to an apartment complex, parked it, and walked away into
the night like nothing had happened, no panic, no regrets.
Lorenzo in fact, seemed proud. That's when it hit Scott.
Lorenzo had done this before. In a later timeline. This
(14:36):
was how the prosecutor opened her statements, emphasizing just how
calculated Stephen and Scott were in their crimes.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Let's violate the world. Let's bring our fantasies to realities.
I'm extreme, calculated and loving. Easy to take the vanish
with no link to us in the least, easier to
find a loner guy less connection. I do a chokehold
(15:07):
from behind you, holding down, shrouding up, not to be
found again. He wasn't going to be going back. These
are quotes from a Marable online incident messages between masters sought,
who we all know is Stofschweihert, and Dom Jude or
(15:29):
sub who we all know is Cino Lorenzo.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
This was the moment the police knew they were up
against someone truly sinister. Just in the video of Stephen
smiling as he looked on during the prosecutor's statements, it
was chilling. It sent a cold shiver down everyone's spine,
a stark contrast to the horror of his actions. And
then came the agonizing waiting. On January sixth, two thousand
(15:56):
and four, seventeen days after Michael Walchhold had been abandoned
in his suv by Stephen Lorenzo and Scott Schweikert, his
body was finally discovered. It was found in a Tampa
apartment complex left to rot in the vehicle. The smell
was unbearable. Officers arrived to find the scene marked by
(16:17):
the unmistakable signs of decomposition, making it nearly impossible to
pinpoint how he died. Sergeant Junior Burton, leading the Homicide
Division of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, explained that the
time lost in the heat of the Florida sun had
stolen precious evidence. As days passed, memories blurred, and even
(16:39):
the smallest details slipped away, making the investigation feel like
an impossible puzzle. The Medical Examiner's Office, after examining Michael's remains,
called the cause of death undetermined due to the severe decomposition.
For the investigators, this was a gut wrenching blow. Without
(16:59):
a clear cause of death, they had no direction to
go in Toxicology reports came back inconclusive, offering little to
no insight, and as you can probably imagine, justice didn't
come quickly. After Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz were reported missing.
The police acted fast because, as it turns out, they
(17:22):
weren't the only ones who went missing between December two
thousand and the present. The Tampa Police Department has originated
four missing persons investigations within Hillsborough County, Florida. Clearwater Police
Department has originated one missing person's investigation within Penelas County, Florida,
(17:42):
and Fort Lauderdale Police Department has originated one missing person's
investigation in two thousand and four and two missing persons
investigations in nineteen eighty eight within Broward County, Florida. All
of the victims have been identified as gay men who
went missing from local nightclubs, and only one one body
has been recovered. Officers immediately started asking questions. They went
(18:06):
to the victim's families, friends, even neighbors, trying to figure
out where the two young men were last seen. Nobody
expected what would come next, but everything changed on November two,
two thousand and four, the day Stephen Lorenzo was finally arrested.
But this moment didn't just happen out of nowhere. It
(18:27):
was the result of months of non stop investigation. The
turning point came when someone, a friend of one of
the missing men, stepped forward with crucial information. They told
police that their friend had been last seen with Stephen Lorenzo,
and they didn't just stop there, they gave detectives a
full account of Lorenzo's strange behavior that night, how he talked,
(18:50):
how he acted, and how something just didn't feel right.
This gave detectives their first real lead, a piece of
the puzzle that made them take an even closer look
at Lorenzo. As they dug deeper, a dark and terrifying
pattern started to emerge. Lorenzo wasn't just connected to one
or two cases. He was connected to several strange disappearances,
(19:13):
and these weren't coincidences. He had a method. He would
lure young men, usually gay men, with offers of friendship, drugs,
or parties. Sometimes he used money to gain their trust,
but once he got them alone, everything changed. He would
drug them, often using powerful sedatives, and then assault them.
(19:35):
At first, the police thought these might just be isolated cases,
but the more they looked into it, the more they
realized Lorenzo had been getting away with this kind of
behavior for years. There were older police reports. Survivors had
come forward in the past. Some of them had told
officers how Lorenzo tried to drug them, or how they
(19:56):
woke up after a night they couldn't remember injured. Can
fused and terrified. One survivor said he was lucky to
escape and that escape probably saved his life. In fact,
this was Lorenzo's victim back in two thousand.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Was there anything else that you could feel because you
could not see.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
You said you had ductives over your eyes. Could you
feel anything else about your body and how.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
You were positioned?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Yes, that was my arms.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Also one.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
That war one under and that connected to anything else,
my genitals.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Real trouble because it was he didn't look at the
same person. That was just nothing there.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
February of two thousand.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yes, the evidence started piling up fast, with more and
more victims speaking up and new details coming to light.
It was clear that Lorenzo had been hiding in plain sight.
He had built a twisted world right under everyone's noses,
one where young men disappeared and no one knew why.
With everything finally coming together, the authorities acted. On that
(21:08):
November day, Stephen Lorenzo was placed in handcuffs. The man
who had lived a double life for so long was
now exposed to the world. But even though the arrest
brought a sense of relief, it was just the beginning.
Justice wasn't done yet. Eventually, police got a search warrant
for Lorenzo's home, and what they found inside was worse
than anyone expected. It was like stepping into a nightmare.
(21:31):
Behind closed doors, Buried in drawers and boxes were the
clues to a horrifying truth. Investigators found disturbing photographs, images
of his victims that were deeply personal and painful to
look at. They also found items that had clearly belonged
to the missing men, wallets, pieces of clothing, even personal
(21:52):
ID cards. But it didn't stop there. There were also
tools objects used to overpower, control, and silence his victims, restraints,
syringes filled with drugs, and strange equipment that no one
should ever have. These weren't just random things. They were
tools of torture, control, and death. When they finally brought
(22:16):
Stephen Lorenzo into the station for questioning, everyone noticed how
strangely calm he was. It was the kind of calm
that didn't feel right. There was no panic, no fear
in his eyes. He acted like he had nothing to hide,
like he was just a man being wrongly accused. He
denied everything, every single accusation thrown at him. He shrugged
(22:38):
it off.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
See this campaign. Okay, listen I don't remember this day.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Well, you're going to listen to him. You need to
talk to him.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Tell us what happened.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I don't remember it.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But detectives weren't buying it because the truth the evidence
was overwhelming. It was stacked high and deep. There were photographs, drugs,
personal items that clearly belonged to the missing victims, and
perhaps most powerful of all, the heartbreaking testimonies of survivors
who had lived through terrifying experiences. And finally something broke.
(23:14):
Lorenzo confessed. He admitted to several murders. He described what
he did in chilling detail, but even then he didn't
tell the whole truth. He wouldn't say how many people
he had actually killed. He wouldn't explain exactly what happened
to all of his victims. He held on to those secrets,
keeping the full truth from the families who desperately needed closure.
(23:38):
One of the biggest shocks came when investigators discovered that
Lorenzo had drugged at least nine men, using a combination
of GHB and other sedatives to paralyze and control them.
These weren't just random acts, it was a calculated pattern.
Among those nine were Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz, two
(23:58):
young men whose names would forever be linked to this nightmare.
Both of them were lured, drugged, and killed, And sadly
they were only the confirmed cases. Authorities believed there were more,
possibly many more, whose stories ended the same way but
were never fully uncovered. And what about Scott Schweikert, the
(24:21):
man who had once been Lorenzo's partner in crime. He
didn't stay silent. Pressured by the mountain of evidence and
haunted by what he had done, Scott confessed too. He
admitted that he had helped Lorenzo commit some of the crimes.
As part of a plea deal, he agreed to testify
in court. His confession was brutal and painful to hear.
(24:45):
He described how they chose their victims, how they gained
their trust, how they drug them until they couldn't fight back.
Some were sexually assaulted, some were killed. Scott's testimony filled
in the missing pieces of a puzzle that had tormented
investigators and families for years. His words confirmed the horror.
(25:06):
By the year two thousand and five, the charges against
Stephen Lorenzo were finally official. He was accused of some
of the most horrific crimes imaginable murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault.
For the families who had been waiting for justice, it
was a sign of hope. After years of uncertainty, grief,
(25:26):
and desperate searching for answers. They were about to see
the man responsible face the consequences of his actions. But,
as they would soon discover, the road to justice wasn't
going to be easy. In two thousand and six, Lorenzo's
trial began, and it didn't take long for it to
capture national attention. The crimes were so shocking, so gruesome,
(25:48):
that the public couldn't look away. Lorenzo was accused of
killing Jason Galehouse and Michael Wochholtz, but everyone knew there
were more victims, victims whose names hadn't been uncovered yet. Yet,
the prosecution came prepared. They had photographs, DNA evidence, and
survivor testimonies that painted a picture so disturbing it felt
(26:10):
like a nightmare. The courtroom was packed, the air thick
with anticipation as everyone waited for the truth to unfold.
But Stephen Lorenzo wasn't done playing his twisted games. In
a move that stunned everyone. He chose to represent himself
in court, no lawyer, no legal team, just him. This
(26:32):
decision wasn't about clearing his name. It was about dragging
the case out, delaying justice at every turn. The trial
stretched on for years. Lorenzo would argue over the smallest details,
waste time with bizarre motions, and even question the relevance
of things like homemade sex tapes found in his home.
(26:52):
To the families of the victims, each delay felt like
a slap in the face. The pain was still fresh,
and every additional day they had to wait for closure
made it harder to bear. Inside the courtroom, the families
sat through every moment of the trial. They forced themselves
to hear every devastating detail of what had happened to
(27:13):
their sons, brothers, and friends. They learned how their loved
ones were tricked, drugged, and ultimately taken from them forever.
For many, it was unbearable. Some cried quietly in the back,
holding onto photos of their lost ones, trying to find
a small piece of comfort amid the overwhelming sorrow. The
(27:34):
grief was suffocating. Then, in December of twenty twenty two,
nearly twenty years after the crimes were committed, something shifted.
Stephen Lorenzo finally stopped fighting the truth. In a shocking twist,
he pleaded guilty to the murders of Jason Galehouse and
Michael Wachholtz. He admitted what he had done, no longer
(27:57):
hiding behind lies and excuses, and in a moment that
stunned everyone in the courtroom, he requested the death penalty.
He said he deserved it. After so many years of
denying his crimes, of manipulating the system and playing games,
Lorenzo finally came clean. But even in that moment of confession,
(28:17):
he didn't give the families everything they were hoping for.
He still held back. He didn't reveal the full extent
of his crimes, didn't confess to every murder, and didn't
say where the other victims might be. The families were
left with more questions than answers, and the closure they
longed for remained just out of reach. The jury in
(28:39):
Hillsborough County found him guilty on two counts of first
degree murder, along with kidnapping and sexual assault. The weight
of the verdict hit hard. There was relief. Finally, after
all these years, justice had been served, but it was bittersweet.
Justice was partial. The victim's families knew that there were
still other victims out there, still people whose loved ones
(29:03):
were missing, still families left in the dark. On February
twenty five, twenty twenty three, Judge Christopher Sabella looked Lorenzo
dead in the eyes and delivered the final blow. He
sentenced him to death.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
From one Italian to another, t condono amorte, that translates
to I sentence you, mister Lorenzo, to death. That is
the punishment that you deserve for these horrific crimes.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Now, Stephen Lorenzo sits on death row in a Florida prison.
His reign of terror is over, His manipulations have come
to an end. And to this day, Jason Galehouse's body
has never been discovered. His mother, forever haunted by the unknown,
has only one thing to say. The pain of never
(29:56):
having closure is a wound that will never heal. The
unanswered questions continue to weigh on her heart, the grief
compounded by the mystery of where her son's remains might be. Now,
I want to hear your thoughts on this. Do you
believe justice has truly been served or do you think
Stephen Lorenzo deserves more. Has the system done enough or
(30:20):
is there more that should have been done
Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz both went missing in the
year two thousand and three, both from Tampa, Florida, both
from the heart of the city's vibrant LGBTQ plus community.
We just call his his face, and he didn't look
the same about nothing behind His eyes were dark.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
His face was contorted, which.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Further pangs me.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
But what happened next was far worse than anyone could imagine.
These weren't just disappearances. They were brutal, unspeakable murders that
shocked and terrorized the entire LGBTQ plus community.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
I don't even have a gray a body or a tombstone.
I had the city dump with my son round up
like hamburger meat and a dirt.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The man behind these twisted acts would become a living nightmare,
his name forever linked to horror.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
For me, it will be just as to find out
what happened about those other men. I want that man
to get the penalty and nothing less.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So who was this monster and how did he evade
justice for so long? Stay with us as we dive
into the dark truth behind these gruesome crimes. And trust
me when I say this, this is the kind of
case that will haunt you for days, making you question
how anyone could be so cruel, so heartless to take
(01:25):
lives in such a twisted and unimaginable way. To even
understand how things went so wrong, we need to start
by getting to know Scott, another man at the center
of this case. It was October two thousand and three
when Scott made the bold decision to leave Chicago behind
and start a new chapter in Orlando, Florida. At that time,
(01:47):
he had just turned thirty eight and was in the
middle of completing a course to become a personal trainer.
On the outside, it looked like Scott was simply focused
on his career and a fresh start. But little did
anyone know there was much more to him than met
the eye. Now, Scott wasn't the loud, attention seeking type.
In fact, he kept a relatively low profile, staying out
(02:10):
of the spotlight. But there was an entirely different side
of Scott that he kept hidden from those around him.
You see, Scott was an active member of an online
platform specifically for gay men, where he went by the
name Master Scott. It was on this platform that he
met another user who went by the handle dom Dude
for Sub, a Florida native who was not too far
(02:33):
from where Scott had just moved the fact that they
were now closer physically made their interactions all the more convenient,
and it wasn't long before they began talking more frequently.
What initially seemed like a simple connection over shared interests
soon revealed a darker and more complex side. Scott and
(02:53):
dom Dude for Sub quickly discovered they both shared a
fascination with BDSM, particularly the dominant submissive dynamic. They were
both intrigued by the idea of power control and the
psychological elements that came with such a relationship. But their discussions,
which began as casual chats about fantasy, soon escalated into
(03:15):
something far more dangerous. As they kept talking, things got
creepier and more dangerous. They started talking about kidnapping men,
keeping them as slaves, torturing them, and possibly selling them.
In their chats, they even had the perfect place to
hide someone, a small, hidden apartment in Seminole Heights. It
(03:37):
was quiet, out of the way and nobody would hear
a thing. They even planned to do a test run
just to see how it would go. But that wasn't
all They also talked about using GHB, a drug that
makes people black out and forget everything. It would leave
their victims totally helpless, unable to fight back or even
(03:59):
remember what happened to them, and their talks got even worse.
They said they worked well together and could do it again.
Then they started planning for the future. They talked about
buying a cheap piece of land far away from the city,
somewhere they could take people without anyone noticing. Dom Dude
for Sub even suggested looking east of Tampa near Interstate four.
(04:23):
He said it would be easy to find a place
out there where screams wouldn't be heard. So by the
time December two thousand and three rolled around, Scott decided
to take the next step and meet dom Dude for
Sub in person. He traveled to Tampa, excited to take
their online connection into the real world and in person.
(04:45):
The man was Stephen Lorenzo, who was a bit older
than Scott and had more experience in the world they
both shared. Stephen, born on May twenty seventh, nineteen sixty one,
had an unassuming start to life, one that seemed like
it could belong to anyone. He grew up in a
typical American family, and from the outside everything seemed normal.
(05:07):
His childhood was calm, with no signs of any future notoriety.
To those who knew him back then, Stephen was just
another guy in the neighborhood, quiet, reserved and blending into
the background. But if there's one thing we know is
that the quietest people sometimes harbor the darkest secrets. Eventually,
(05:28):
Stephen settled in Tampa, Florida, hoping to lead a peaceful life.
He ran a small cleaning company, which made a decent
living and kept him busy. To his clients, he was
the friendly guy who would show up to clean their
carpets or furniture. He was polite, professional, and unassuming, with
no reason to suspect anything beyond the surface. But as
(05:49):
Scott later realized, while Scott had fantasies, Stephen had the
kind of real life experiences that would pull Scott deeper
into a world far darker than he ever in anticipated.
Because even before Scott made his way to Tampa, Stephen
had already been in contact with another man online, arranging
a meeting where all three would engage in a dominant
(06:11):
submissive role play. The third man, identified only as OAR
by the police would play the submissive, with Stephen and
Scott assuming the dominant roles, and when they first met.
It happened in a parking lot, where the three briefly
exchanged words through their car windows for about five minutes
before heading back to Stephen's house. There was no indication
(06:33):
of drugging or anything illicit. Oar was fully willing to participate.
Once they arrived at Stephen's home, Oar was restrained to
a bed with leather restraints and the session began. The
encounter continued for some time, but towards the end Oar
began to feel uncomfortable and requested they stop. Later, Oar
(06:55):
would tell the police that he had been assaulted, claiming
a rod had been inserted into his body and that
he was violated while Stephen tried to comfort him with
calming techniques. However, according to Scott, Oar did not mention
any assault during the session. In fact, both Scott and
Stephen parted ways with no sense that any boundaries had
(07:15):
been crossed. The morning after, Scott left and returned to Orlando. Then,
on the afternoon of Friday, December nineteenth, two thousand and three,
Scott made his way back to Tampa, he met Stephen
once again, and the two spent some time hanging out
in the city before heading out for drinks. Around nine
(07:35):
thirty pm. They went to a local bar for a drink,
then made their way to the two six six Club,
one of the premier gay clubs in Tampa at the time,
where their night would take another unexpected turn. Scott and
Lorenzo had initially planned to lure someone else to Lorenzo's
home with the promise of work. In fact, Scott had
(07:56):
someone in mind, but the person stopped responding toils. It
was then that Lorenzo introduced Scott to someone new, someone
who would soon become an integral part of the chilling
events that would follow. This man was named Jason Galehouse.
At the time, Jason was twenty six years old and
had recently moved to Tampa from Sarasota, hoping to build
(08:19):
a new life. He worked as a florist and had
plans to pursue a career in interior design, taking college
classes to prepare. Jason was described by those who knew
him as an outgoing, charismatic young man. He stayed in
touch with his family, especially his mother, and was known
for his upbeat personality. Little did Jason know that this
(08:43):
night would be the beginning of his tragic end. As
mentioned earlier, Lorenzo introduced Jason to Scott with the intention
of bringing him into their world, which they had both
been exploring online b DM. Jason, however, didn't know the
full extent of what he was walking into. They didn't
(09:03):
waste any time, and soon Jason, Scott, and Lorenzo found
themselves at Lorenzo's house, a seemingly ordinary setting that would
quickly turn into the scene of a nightmare. As they
all settled in, Lorenzo excused himself to go to the bathroom.
While he was away, Jason and Scott shared some intimate
moments in the living room. It seemed innocent enough at first,
(09:27):
but that would all change when Lorenzo returned. Now, according
to Scott, he stepped away to use the bathroom for
a while, but when he came back, Lorenzo had Jason
in a chokehold. By this time, Jason was struggling his legs,
kicking in panic, desperately trying to break free from Lorenzo's grip. Lorenzo,
calm and methodical, asked Scott to help him hold Jason down. Scott,
(09:52):
in a state of shock, followed Lorenzo's instructions. Together they
restrained Jason and after what felt like an eternity, the
kick king stopped and Jason was now dead. But according
to Lorenzo, this is how it went.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Mister Schwiker wanted to have a video done of him
having experience as a master's trump and I was videotaping. Well,
I was doing this, mister Schwiker got carried away. He
lost control. He did that once before on the meeting
I had with a group. Thing we did together once
(10:28):
before and scared the heck out of the other guy.
But anyway, he lost control. The kids started the screen
and get all upset. We did the video. We put
a gas mask on him because he did not want
to be identified while being videos, so that's why the
gas mask level. We realized that the kid was going
(10:49):
to probably call the police on all of this, so
we had a power and we said this kid can't leave.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
But no matter what the truth was about that night,
it didn't changed the fact that they dismembered Jason's body
using power tools, specifically a saws all an industrial grade
power saw. The two men set to work. The harsh
grinding sound of the saw cutting through flesh and bone
echoed through the garage, a chilling soundtrack to the brutality
(11:19):
of what they were doing. They severed Jason's limbs, removed
his head, and methodically cut his body into pieces small
enough to be hidden. Every part of him was mutilated,
each piece taken apart with horrifying precision. After they were
done with Jason Galehouse, they didn't panic, They didn't act
like people who had just done something horrifying. Instead, they
(11:43):
calmly put his body parts into six separate trash bags,
each one holding a piece of him. But these weren't
carefully hidden or buried. No, they scattered them across Tampa
like it was nothing, just tossing them into random dumpsters,
as if Jason had never mattered. And the scariest part,
(12:03):
before they even began cutting up the body, they went
out for an early breakfast like it was just another
normal day. And when they finally returned home, Lorenzo casually
took a nap while Scott stayed up drinking beer, haunted
and sleepless. But for Lorenzo, one night of horror wasn't enough.
He wanted to do it again, and the very next evening,
(12:26):
he and Scott were back at the twenty six six Club.
That's where they met Michael Wocholtz, a twenty seven year
old waiter who had recently moved to Tampa from tarp
And Springs. Michael was friendly but private. He just started
reconnecting with his mom and was trying to rebuild his life. Unfortunately,
he had no idea what he was walking into when
(12:48):
he agreed to party with the two men at Lorenzo's house.
The setup began again. Scott distracted Michael in the kitchen
while Lorenzo mixed GHB into his drink. Things didn't go
as smoothly this time. Michael didn't pass out right away. Instead,
moments later, Scott heard Lorenzo yelling from the living room.
(13:09):
He rushed in and found Michael struggling underneath Lorenzo shouting,
this is not consensual. Michael was fighting with everything he had,
but he didn't stand a chance. Scott helped hold him down,
and then Lorenzo pulled out a chemical spray called Maximum
impact ethyl chloride. It's a toxic inhalent that knocks people
(13:30):
out fast. Lorenzo soaked a handkerchief with it and pressed
it to Michael's face until he went limp. With Michael unconscious,
they stripped him, tied him up, and taped his mouth
shut so he couldn't scream. But during the attack, something
went wrong. Michael's body began to shake uncontrollably, then stopped moving.
(13:52):
The drugs had taken a deadly toll this time, though
Scott refused to help with another dismemberment. Maybe guilt was
up to him, maybe the shock was too much. Either way,
they decided to do things differently. They wrapped Michael's body
in a bed sheet, gathered his belongings, and stuffed everything
into trash bags. Then they loaded it all into Michael's jeep.
(14:15):
Wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. They drove the jeep
to an apartment complex, parked it, and walked away into
the night like nothing had happened, no panic, no regrets.
Lorenzo in fact, seemed proud. That's when it hit Scott.
Lorenzo had done this before. In a later timeline. This
(14:36):
was how the prosecutor opened her statements, emphasizing just how
calculated Stephen and Scott were in their crimes.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Let's violate the world. Let's bring our fantasies to realities.
I'm extreme, calculated and loving. Easy to take the vanish
with no link to us in the least, easier to
find a loner guy less connection. I do a chokehold
(15:07):
from behind you, holding down, shrouding up, not to be
found again. He wasn't going to be going back. These
are quotes from a Marable online incident messages between masters sought,
who we all know is Stofschweihert, and Dom Jude or
(15:29):
sub who we all know is Cino Lorenzo.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
This was the moment the police knew they were up
against someone truly sinister. Just in the video of Stephen
smiling as he looked on during the prosecutor's statements, it
was chilling. It sent a cold shiver down everyone's spine,
a stark contrast to the horror of his actions. And
then came the agonizing waiting. On January sixth, two thousand
(15:56):
and four, seventeen days after Michael Walchhold had been abandoned
in his suv by Stephen Lorenzo and Scott Schweikert, his
body was finally discovered. It was found in a Tampa
apartment complex left to rot in the vehicle. The smell
was unbearable. Officers arrived to find the scene marked by
(16:17):
the unmistakable signs of decomposition, making it nearly impossible to
pinpoint how he died. Sergeant Junior Burton, leading the Homicide
Division of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, explained that the
time lost in the heat of the Florida sun had
stolen precious evidence. As days passed, memories blurred, and even
(16:39):
the smallest details slipped away, making the investigation feel like
an impossible puzzle. The Medical Examiner's Office, after examining Michael's remains,
called the cause of death undetermined due to the severe decomposition.
For the investigators, this was a gut wrenching blow. Without
(16:59):
a clear cause of death, they had no direction to
go in Toxicology reports came back inconclusive, offering little to
no insight, and as you can probably imagine, justice didn't
come quickly. After Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz were reported missing.
The police acted fast because, as it turns out, they
(17:22):
weren't the only ones who went missing between December two
thousand and the present. The Tampa Police Department has originated
four missing persons investigations within Hillsborough County, Florida. Clearwater Police
Department has originated one missing person's investigation within Penelas County, Florida,
(17:42):
and Fort Lauderdale Police Department has originated one missing person's
investigation in two thousand and four and two missing persons
investigations in nineteen eighty eight within Broward County, Florida. All
of the victims have been identified as gay men who
went missing from local nightclubs, and only one one body
has been recovered. Officers immediately started asking questions. They went
(18:06):
to the victim's families, friends, even neighbors, trying to figure
out where the two young men were last seen. Nobody
expected what would come next, but everything changed on November two,
two thousand and four, the day Stephen Lorenzo was finally arrested.
But this moment didn't just happen out of nowhere. It
(18:27):
was the result of months of non stop investigation. The
turning point came when someone, a friend of one of
the missing men, stepped forward with crucial information. They told
police that their friend had been last seen with Stephen Lorenzo,
and they didn't just stop there, they gave detectives a
full account of Lorenzo's strange behavior that night, how he talked,
(18:50):
how he acted, and how something just didn't feel right.
This gave detectives their first real lead, a piece of
the puzzle that made them take an even closer look
at Lorenzo. As they dug deeper, a dark and terrifying
pattern started to emerge. Lorenzo wasn't just connected to one
or two cases. He was connected to several strange disappearances,
(19:13):
and these weren't coincidences. He had a method. He would
lure young men, usually gay men, with offers of friendship, drugs,
or parties. Sometimes he used money to gain their trust,
but once he got them alone, everything changed. He would
drug them, often using powerful sedatives, and then assault them.
(19:35):
At first, the police thought these might just be isolated cases,
but the more they looked into it, the more they
realized Lorenzo had been getting away with this kind of
behavior for years. There were older police reports. Survivors had
come forward in the past. Some of them had told
officers how Lorenzo tried to drug them, or how they
(19:56):
woke up after a night they couldn't remember injured. Can
fused and terrified. One survivor said he was lucky to
escape and that escape probably saved his life. In fact,
this was Lorenzo's victim back in two thousand.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Was there anything else that you could feel because you
could not see.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
You said you had ductives over your eyes. Could you
feel anything else about your body and how.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
You were positioned?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Yes, that was my arms.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
Also one.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
That war one under and that connected to anything else,
my genitals.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Real trouble because it was he didn't look at the
same person. That was just nothing there.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
February of two thousand.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yes, the evidence started piling up fast, with more and
more victims speaking up and new details coming to light.
It was clear that Lorenzo had been hiding in plain sight.
He had built a twisted world right under everyone's noses,
one where young men disappeared and no one knew why.
With everything finally coming together, the authorities acted. On that
(21:08):
November day, Stephen Lorenzo was placed in handcuffs. The man
who had lived a double life for so long was
now exposed to the world. But even though the arrest
brought a sense of relief, it was just the beginning.
Justice wasn't done yet. Eventually, police got a search warrant
for Lorenzo's home, and what they found inside was worse
than anyone expected. It was like stepping into a nightmare.
(21:31):
Behind closed doors, Buried in drawers and boxes were the
clues to a horrifying truth. Investigators found disturbing photographs, images
of his victims that were deeply personal and painful to
look at. They also found items that had clearly belonged
to the missing men, wallets, pieces of clothing, even personal
(21:52):
ID cards. But it didn't stop there. There were also
tools objects used to overpower, control, and silence his victims, restraints,
syringes filled with drugs, and strange equipment that no one
should ever have. These weren't just random things. They were
tools of torture, control, and death. When they finally brought
(22:16):
Stephen Lorenzo into the station for questioning, everyone noticed how
strangely calm he was. It was the kind of calm
that didn't feel right. There was no panic, no fear
in his eyes. He acted like he had nothing to hide,
like he was just a man being wrongly accused. He
denied everything, every single accusation thrown at him. He shrugged
(22:38):
it off.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
See this campaign. Okay, listen I don't remember this day.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Well, you're going to listen to him. You need to
talk to him.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Tell us what happened.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I don't remember it.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
But detectives weren't buying it because the truth the evidence
was overwhelming. It was stacked high and deep. There were photographs, drugs,
personal items that clearly belonged to the missing victims, and
perhaps most powerful of all, the heartbreaking testimonies of survivors
who had lived through terrifying experiences. And finally something broke.
(23:14):
Lorenzo confessed. He admitted to several murders. He described what
he did in chilling detail, but even then he didn't
tell the whole truth. He wouldn't say how many people
he had actually killed. He wouldn't explain exactly what happened
to all of his victims. He held on to those secrets,
keeping the full truth from the families who desperately needed closure.
(23:38):
One of the biggest shocks came when investigators discovered that
Lorenzo had drugged at least nine men, using a combination
of GHB and other sedatives to paralyze and control them.
These weren't just random acts, it was a calculated pattern.
Among those nine were Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz, two
(23:58):
young men whose names would forever be linked to this nightmare.
Both of them were lured, drugged, and killed, And sadly
they were only the confirmed cases. Authorities believed there were more,
possibly many more, whose stories ended the same way but
were never fully uncovered. And what about Scott Schweikert, the
(24:21):
man who had once been Lorenzo's partner in crime. He
didn't stay silent. Pressured by the mountain of evidence and
haunted by what he had done, Scott confessed too. He
admitted that he had helped Lorenzo commit some of the crimes.
As part of a plea deal, he agreed to testify
in court. His confession was brutal and painful to hear.
(24:45):
He described how they chose their victims, how they gained
their trust, how they drug them until they couldn't fight back.
Some were sexually assaulted, some were killed. Scott's testimony filled
in the missing pieces of a puzzle that had tormented
investigators and families for years. His words confirmed the horror.
(25:06):
By the year two thousand and five, the charges against
Stephen Lorenzo were finally official. He was accused of some
of the most horrific crimes imaginable murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault.
For the families who had been waiting for justice, it
was a sign of hope. After years of uncertainty, grief,
(25:26):
and desperate searching for answers. They were about to see
the man responsible face the consequences of his actions. But,
as they would soon discover, the road to justice wasn't
going to be easy. In two thousand and six, Lorenzo's
trial began, and it didn't take long for it to
capture national attention. The crimes were so shocking, so gruesome,
(25:48):
that the public couldn't look away. Lorenzo was accused of
killing Jason Galehouse and Michael Wochholtz, but everyone knew there
were more victims, victims whose names hadn't been uncovered yet. Yet,
the prosecution came prepared. They had photographs, DNA evidence, and
survivor testimonies that painted a picture so disturbing it felt
(26:10):
like a nightmare. The courtroom was packed, the air thick
with anticipation as everyone waited for the truth to unfold.
But Stephen Lorenzo wasn't done playing his twisted games. In
a move that stunned everyone. He chose to represent himself
in court, no lawyer, no legal team, just him. This
(26:32):
decision wasn't about clearing his name. It was about dragging
the case out, delaying justice at every turn. The trial
stretched on for years. Lorenzo would argue over the smallest details,
waste time with bizarre motions, and even question the relevance
of things like homemade sex tapes found in his home.
(26:52):
To the families of the victims, each delay felt like
a slap in the face. The pain was still fresh,
and every additional day they had to wait for closure
made it harder to bear. Inside the courtroom, the families
sat through every moment of the trial. They forced themselves
to hear every devastating detail of what had happened to
(27:13):
their sons, brothers, and friends. They learned how their loved
ones were tricked, drugged, and ultimately taken from them forever.
For many, it was unbearable. Some cried quietly in the back,
holding onto photos of their lost ones, trying to find
a small piece of comfort amid the overwhelming sorrow. The
(27:34):
grief was suffocating. Then, in December of twenty twenty two,
nearly twenty years after the crimes were committed, something shifted.
Stephen Lorenzo finally stopped fighting the truth. In a shocking twist,
he pleaded guilty to the murders of Jason Galehouse and
Michael Wachholtz. He admitted what he had done, no longer
(27:57):
hiding behind lies and excuses, and in a moment that
stunned everyone in the courtroom, he requested the death penalty.
He said he deserved it. After so many years of
denying his crimes, of manipulating the system and playing games,
Lorenzo finally came clean. But even in that moment of confession,
(28:17):
he didn't give the families everything they were hoping for.
He still held back. He didn't reveal the full extent
of his crimes, didn't confess to every murder, and didn't
say where the other victims might be. The families were
left with more questions than answers, and the closure they
longed for remained just out of reach. The jury in
(28:39):
Hillsborough County found him guilty on two counts of first
degree murder, along with kidnapping and sexual assault. The weight
of the verdict hit hard. There was relief. Finally, after
all these years, justice had been served, but it was bittersweet.
Justice was partial. The victim's families knew that there were
still other victims out there, still people whose loved ones
(29:03):
were missing, still families left in the dark. On February
twenty five, twenty twenty three, Judge Christopher Sabella looked Lorenzo
dead in the eyes and delivered the final blow. He
sentenced him to death.
Speaker 5 (29:17):
From one Italian to another, t condono amorte, that translates
to I sentence you, mister Lorenzo, to death. That is
the punishment that you deserve for these horrific crimes.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
Now, Stephen Lorenzo sits on death row in a Florida prison.
His reign of terror is over, His manipulations have come
to an end. And to this day, Jason Galehouse's body
has never been discovered. His mother, forever haunted by the unknown,
has only one thing to say. The pain of never
(29:56):
having closure is a wound that will never heal. The
unanswered questions continue to weigh on her heart, the grief
compounded by the mystery of where her son's remains might be. Now,
I want to hear your thoughts on this. Do you
believe justice has truly been served or do you think
Stephen Lorenzo deserves more. Has the system done enough or
(30:20):
is there more that should have been done
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