Unsafe Spaces: Part Two | A Preview

Unsafe Spaces returns on April 24. This season, we continue our investigation into Steven Lorenzo and Scott Schweickert, and the missing and murdered men who may be connected to them. Our investigation takes us across the state of Florida, and into Georgia, Illinois, New York and beyond; and we find it intersects with several other serial killers who were targeting similar victims. Over six episodes, we try to make sense of these men, their crimes, and the 25+ missing and dead men who could be connected to them.

Written, edited, and produced by Josh Hallmark. 
Featuring: Albert Perkins and Dr. Scott (LA Not So Confidential)
Music by: Neon Ridge

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
This is a studio both and production. I guess like
what I would ask is, what would you hope from
the rest of this investigation or podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
That if there is potentially that they feel like he's
connected to more, that they would choose their resources, all
their resources, and investigate this case thoroughly before they put him,
before he is gets under, before he gets executed, and
that information dies with him.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
When I started working on Unsafe Spaces back in twenty
twenty three, it was only meant to be an exploration
of the known crimes of a pair of mostly unknown
gay serial killers, Stephen Lorenzo and Scott Schweikert. I wanted
to examine how they got away with committing such brazen
crimes out in the open, how gay culture and homophobia

(01:07):
played a part in their crimes and ability to roam free,
and what other crimes they could potentially be linked to.
It was just meant to be an overview seven episodes.
But as I continue digging into the case and the
crimes and interviewing people connected to them, I realized there
was more work to do here, and as far as

(01:28):
I could tell, no one else was interested in doing it.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
I didn't know there were other ones, the many that
reported being just assaulted by him. I didn't realize they
were numerous.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yeah, I think our count right now is fourteen.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah, and they say nine in the original trial, and
they only report on you know, the mainstream.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Media just reports that he killed two people.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
But they the more you shed light on it and
say with the potentially that he's resolved for more. But
they I feel like they shut that discussion and down
when they just said that he's killed Jason and Michael.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Kind of is bother sing to me?

Speaker 1 (02:05):
There were potentially two serial killers who were criminally active
in at least seven different states for decades. They targeted
some of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations, gay men,
sex workers, college kids, transients, drug addicts.

Speaker 4 (02:24):
Your narrative actually took me in a slightly different direction
and understanding regarding the more dominant of the two of
the personalities and the driver I really thought was Lorenzo,
And then I'm realizing, oh no, no, no, no, this was
almost almost equal, like as far as them motivating each other,

(02:48):
they just have very different personality types. But you know,
not couldn't be a worse combination for two people to
find each.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Other Ultimately, Steven Lorenzo was found on two accounts of
both sexual torture and murder. He was sentenced to death
and today still sits on death row. Scott Schweikert took
a plea deal and a serving life in prison, although
a dozen men have come forward alleging that one or
both men drugged and raped them.

Speaker 5 (03:19):
I'm seeking to death penalty. It's in my best censest,
basically because it's a comfort. It's not I'll be living
a lot more comfortable than I would in the federal
system living on death row, believe it or not, And
of course that may sound selfish, but I've lived in
a private self for the last five years, and I'm
going to have a private cell on death row at

(03:41):
my age.

Speaker 6 (03:42):
I want to be comfortable.

Speaker 5 (03:44):
I want my privacy.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Several of those men say that Stephen Lorenzo threatened to
murder them, and that Stephen Lorenzo talked about murdering people
before them. The courts have rested, but there are people
who still want justice, surviving victims, victims' families, the gay community,

(04:07):
and even some law enforcement. For two years now, we've
been investigating deeper, meeting with people. Trekking out to Florida
and compiling a list of potential and likely victims, a
list of more than twenty five men, twenty five men
who disappeared or died, whose stories were never told, whose

(04:32):
cases were never solved. So what you're saying is, while
Schweikert and Lorenzo were operating in Tampa, there was another
gay serial killer in the area targeting a similar victimology.
And while we believe Lorenzo was operating in Georgia, there
was another serial killer in the same area targeting gay men.

(04:53):
Unfucking believable. Part two of Unsafe Spaces premieres on April
twenty fourth. Listened to part one. Now, wherever you get
your podcasts.

Speaker 6 (05:03):
Let's violate the world. Let's bring our fantasies to realities.
I'm extreme, calculated and loved. Easy to make them vanish
with no link to us in the least, easier to
find a loner guy less connection. I do a chokehold

(05:26):
from behind. You hold him down, strap him up, not
to be found again. He wasn't going to be going back.
These are quotes from America Online instant messages between Master Scott,
whom we now know is Scott schweiert and dom dude

(05:49):
for sub, who we now know is Stephen Lorenzo