WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:04.480 Hi guys. I'm Courtney and I'm Lisa, and we are 2 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:07.000 the hosts of the Book of the Dead, a true 3 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:10.480 crime podcast based out of New Jersey, where we tell 4 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:14.240 you about the most obscure cases that you may have 5 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:16.839 never heard of. So join us in the Book of 6 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:19.480 the Dead Library for another chapter of the Book of 7 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:21.640 the Dead. Wherever you get your podcasts. 8 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:31.079 Hi guys, this is darkcast Network, the best in indie podcasts. 9 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:33.880 Check out all of the amazing dark Cast shows at 10 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:38.479 darkcastnetwork dot com. Hey there, I'm Milana of Castles and 11 00:00:38.520 --> 00:00:42.159 Cryptids and you are listening to Rainbow Crimes with hopefully 12 00:00:42.280 --> 00:01:00.960 some Unicorn justice. 13 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:05.680 Hey guys, it's me CJ. I'm back safely from my 14 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:09.359 road trip to California for my niece's wedding, and I 15 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:13.719 got to meet my three great nephews. They truly are great. 16 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:18.319 We had so much fun seeing everyone. The boys are 17 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:22.560 adorable and so smart. I played lots of catch with 18 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:26.040 the oldest. He's now eight years old. I tried to 19 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:28.439 win over the four year old early on by making 20 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:32.519 him laugh. He's the shock jock of the family, so 21 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:35.159 I told him. His grandma told me that he likes 22 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:38.200 to pick his nose and eat his boogers. I asked 23 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:40.079 him if I could pick one of his boogers and 24 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:43.439 eat it, and that got him laughing because he knows 25 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:47.200 what I said was inappropriate. I played a little with 26 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:51.159 toy dinosaurs and action figures with him and the older boy. Also, 27 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:54.879 I got to hold the baby, who is my sister 28 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:59.799 says is delicious. He's just a roly poly bundle of joy. 29 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.760 It was really something I needed to do to see 30 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:07.400 my family again, although I did break two pairs of 31 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:10.919 my reader glasses, so now everything's kind of blurry until 32 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:15.039 my new ones come on Sunday. My daughter had fun too, 33 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:18.439 but she was prone to a lot of emotion. She 34 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:21.360 cried about not getting to see our family members for 35 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.719 about ten years. So I know my next move is 36 00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:27.599 to get serious about fixing up this house we're in, 37 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:31.400 getting it on the market, and moving closer to our family. 38 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:35.120 That means, you know how I usually do a month 39 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:39.120 of minisodes in like July, I'll most likely be taking 40 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:41.639 the month the kids are gone plus a couple of 41 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:45.039 extra weeks to be minisod month this year so I 42 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:48.000 can do some deep work around the house and get 43 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:50.319 some new T shirts made for our Pride in the 44 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:54.360 Park on August first. The minisodes will be coming out 45 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:58.400 June thirteenth through the end of July. Okay, with that 46 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:01.159 house keeping out of the way, let's see what our 47 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:05.960 main case is this episode. We have an unsolved case 48 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:10.199 out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida in twenty twenty three. I 49 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:14.000 know when solved cases aren't everyone's favorite, but if we 50 00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:16.800 can shine more light on a case with no resolution, 51 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:21.439 maybe we can reach that listener or listeners who might 52 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:25.919 have information on the case that'll help it be solved. Plus, 53 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:28.879 with this case only being a few years old, there 54 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:33.599 is still a lot of hope for justice. At thirty 55 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:36.879 six years old, Jason Maruse was a lot of things. 56 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:41.159 He was adorable, with big dimples when he smiled. He 57 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:46.599 was vibrant, compassionate, and the spirit of adventure. He was 58 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:50.639 born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and he partook in 59 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:56.000 many family barbecues neighborhood gatherings along with the pound pound 60 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:00.840 pound of his father's construction sites. The early exposure to 61 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:05.599 construction would be the foundation for Jason's future. After he 62 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:09.240 graduated high school in two thousand and five, Jason had 63 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:13.800 mastered the fundamental skills of carpentry, and that led him 64 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.240 to a career as a carpenter. But aside from his 65 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:21.399 woodworking skills, Jason had a special knack of bringing people 66 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:24.800 together in many ways, for being an ear that would 67 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:28.439 listen to having a quick and easy laugh that drew 68 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:32.199 a vast number of people to him. For the next 69 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:36.399 nine years, Jason would be a successful contractor known for 70 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:42.399 his precision and reliability. But for Jason, there was something missing. 71 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:48.120 That was a connect with his community, the LGBTQ. Plus, 72 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:53.439 he craved being a part of something more, something somewhere 73 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:58.800 where his full identity would be celebrated and understood. In 74 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:02.639 April of two thousand and fourteen, Jason, who was now 75 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:06.000 twenty seven years old, would make the decision to move 76 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:10.680 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He knew Fort Lauderdale was a 77 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:14.759 magnet for people of the LGBTQ community, and he was 78 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:18.879 down to find more of his people. Jason also had 79 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:22.800 his zest for nature. In being in the outdoors, he 80 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:25.439 found a group of friends in the community and he 81 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.800 spent time paddleboarding and kayaking with them. He enjoyed taking 82 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:34.360 photographs of wildlife. He was part of a community garden, 83 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:37.000 and he had planners he built on the rooftop of 84 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:41.639 his condo where he grew herbs. Jason would deliver meals 85 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:45.360 to hungry neighbors in need, and he would offer woodworking 86 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:48.920 trinkets he made to his friends. He was indeed a 87 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:54.800 kind soul. In spite of Jason's parents being divorced, both 88 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:58.800 would visit him at different times. His mom even had 89 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:02.439 plans to retire in Fort Lauderdale to be closer to Jason. 90 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.720 On January sixth, twenty twenty three than now, thirty six 91 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:11.439 year old Jason would leave his apartment between midnight and 92 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:15.920 one am to meet his boyfriend at Eagle. Eagle is Eagle, 93 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:20.600 Wilton Manors, and It's a premiere LGBTQ plus and leather 94 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:25.279 fetish bar located in Wilton Manors, right next to Fort Lauderdale. 95 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:30.879 It's a popular, high energy venue featuring international DJs, themed 96 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:34.680 nights like Harness and Underwear Night and Go Go dancers 97 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:39.879 dedicated to the kink community. But that night, Jason would 98 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:44.560 never arrive to meet his boyfriend. Worried when Jason didn't 99 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:47.319 show up to the club or respond to his texts 100 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:52.399 or phone calls, his boyfriend drove to Jason's condo. He 101 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:56.480 checked Jason's condo out, but he didn't find him there. Next, 102 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:58.839 he went back out to the parking lot and he 103 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:04.079 saw Jason's vehicle. As the boyfriend got closer, he saw 104 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.560 Jason slumped over the steering wheel. Jason was bleeding from 105 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:11.800 a gunshot wound to his neck, and he was unresponsive. 106 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:16.279 The boyfriend called nine to one one for emergency services, 107 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:20.199 and even though it only took responders just minutes to 108 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:25.959 the location, Jason was dead. Unseene, there appeared to be 109 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:30.439 no forced entry into Jason's vehicle, although his driver's store 110 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:35.360 was slightly open, his personal effects were untouched, removing any 111 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.839 suspicion of a robbery, and there didn't seem to be 112 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:43.600 any witnesses in the surrounding area who heard a gunshot. 113 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:47.040 The Fort Lauderdale Police didn't waste any time looking into 114 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:52.040 Jason's thomicide. They canvassed the area near Jason's home. They 115 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:57.319 interviewed neighbors and online friends. Nothing on Jason's phone offered 116 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:59.720 any leads as to who would have done this to him, 117 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.759 and no DNA other than Jason's led them to a killer. 118 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:08.879 They have surmised his killer opened Jason's driver's side door 119 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.240 with his finger upon the trigger of the gun that 120 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:15.319 he was holding, and fired directly into Jason's vehicle at 121 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:20.199 point blank range. Police did release a surveillance picture of 122 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.040 a person of interest. The person of interest appears to 123 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.519 be a large man, but the surveillance footage is in 124 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:30.399 black and white, and it makes it very hard to 125 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:33.759 tell what race this guy is. He looks to be 126 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:38.440 a large man, at least stocky, maybe in his early twenties. 127 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.480 He's wearing a light colored, long sleeved t shirt, a 128 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:47.320 light colored baseball cap turned backwards, and dark colored pants, 129 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:53.399 possibly beggy jeans. Now that is not official information, it's 130 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:55.639 just what it looked like to me when I viewed 131 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:59.639 the surveillance footage. It's also very tough to tell if 132 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:02.559 the man in the video has any facial hair, but 133 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:05.480 he does seem to have a distinct way of walking. 134 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:09.600 It's now been three and a half years since Jason's 135 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:13.039 life was stolen from him. Police have pretty much said 136 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:16.080 the case is getting cold, but they're still looking for 137 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:21.159 new leads, retesting any DNA they found, and even reinterviewing 138 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:25.919 people that they've already spoken to. Should anyone have information 139 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:29.720 on this case, there is a fifty thousand dollars reward. 140 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:35.480 Police call Broward Crime Stoppers at area code nine five 141 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:41.759 four four nine three eight four seven seven. There have 142 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:45.360 been theories tossed out into the universe that maybe this 143 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.120 was a drug deal gone bad, but there were no 144 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:52.600 signs of any drugs in Jason's vehicle. Another is that 145 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:56.399 it was a possible love triangle gone wrong, but there 146 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:00.799 is nothing to back that up. The working theory now 147 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:05.679 is that this murder was out of randomness, senseless and random, 148 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:09.679 which to me kind of makes the most sense. But 149 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:13.720 why why would anyone want to murder a random person 150 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:20.279 mistaken identity? Maybe for my research, it didn't seem like 151 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:24.200 Jason was loudly out. Although he moved to an area 152 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:26.240 where he could live his truth out in the open, 153 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:29.360 he still liked his privacy when it came to his 154 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:34.840 sexual identity, and honestly, Jason didn't seem quackable as a 155 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:39.120 gay man. I wouldn't rule out a hate crime altogether, 156 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:44.200 though I feel until the perpetrator is captured, we might 157 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:49.120 never know the motive for Jason's murder. Rests and power Jason. 158 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:53.919 Our true crime quickie is from Queens, New York in 159 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:58.159 nineteen seventy six. But because it was so long ago, 160 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.159 I'm going to do my best piece of together, as 161 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.600 there isn't a whole lot of information, just what I 162 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:09.360 could gleam from some court documents and some old newspaper articles. 163 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:14.600 In the mid nineteen seventies, two women who ironically had 164 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:18.840 the same last name of Taylor met socially. They were 165 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.000 twenty eight year old Carol Taylor, who was married to 166 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:25.759 a man named Herbert Taylor, and thirty nine year old 167 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:30.159 Elizabeth Taylor. Not to be confused with the actress Elizabeth Taylor, 168 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:35.399 nor was Elizabeth related to Herbert or Carol. During their 169 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:39.480 time together, Carol and Elizabeth developed a close bond and 170 00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:43.759 a friendship, and after some amount of time, they became 171 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:48.399 romantically involved with one another. This was after Carol left 172 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:53.840 her husband. Things in Carroll's relationship with Herbert had become 173 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:59.840 ugly quickly, and the two would have multiple altercations over money. Plus, 174 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.960 her and Herbert had two young sons together, and Carol 175 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:08.039 was fearful that Herbert would use her newfound sexual identity 176 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:13.320 to take the boys away from her. During this tumultuous time, 177 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:17.639 Carol desperately wanted to cut all ties with Herbert, and 178 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:20.159 she wanted to live a life where she felt free 179 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.120 enough to be her true self and pursue a lasting 180 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:27.879 relationship with Elizabeth, all of course, while maintaining custody of 181 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:33.919 her sons. Carol shared these feelings with her new love interests, Elizabeth, 182 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:37.360 and the two women began to conspire on a plot 183 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:42.279 to murder Herbert. With Herbert out of the picture, Carol 184 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:45.080 would stand to gain about one hundred and thirty four 185 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:50.600 thousand dollars from Herbert's life insurance policy. This would help 186 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:52.960 her to make a fresh start on her new journey 187 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:56.600 with Elizabeth. I know one hundred and thirty four thousand 188 00:12:56.679 --> 00:13:00.000 dollars doesn't sound like much, but back then it was 189 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:04.600 a lot. In today's money, that would be over three 190 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:10.320 quarters of a million dollars, nice chunk of change. Carol 191 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:13.720 offered her brother Robert ten thousand dollars to take care 192 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:17.679 of Herbert, and when he wouldn't do it, Carol visited 193 00:13:17.720 --> 00:13:22.480 her friends Anthony and Teresa Pascarelli. She told them that 194 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.919 Herbert had learned of her lesbian relationship with Elizabeth. And 195 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:29.759 how she was very frightened that Herbert would use it 196 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:33.480 as leverage to take the boys away from her. She 197 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:36.360 told them she would pay them ten thousand dollars to 198 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:39.600 arrange a hit on Herbert. She could even pay them 199 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:42.919 some now, and the balance when she collected his life 200 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:48.120 insurance ten grand back then was about sixty grand today. 201 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:54.840 The Pascarellis refused Carol's offer Frantick to find someone to 202 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.720 do the deed. Carol reached out to a professional hit man, 203 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.159 and she offered him ten thousand dollars to do the job. 204 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:08.120 On March thirteenth, nineteen seventy six, Carol had her sons 205 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:11.879 with her at Elizabeth's place. The hit man went to 206 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:15.080 the bungalow that she had once shared with Herbert, and 207 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:18.840 the hit man shot Herbert to death. His body wasn't 208 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:22.639 found until the following day. The identity of the hit 209 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:28.039 man was never discovered. A few weeks after Herbert's murder, 210 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.720 Carol told her brother and sister, if everyone would just 211 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:35.000 keep their mouth shut, they'd all stand to earn ten 212 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:41.080 thousand dollars. Apparently this is Carroll's favorite sum, but Carroll's 213 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:44.360 brother was the first to dime out as sister Carol. 214 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:47.840 He went to the authorities and he told them about 215 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:52.559 her offer of money to murder Herbert. Shortly after, Carol's 216 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:57.159 sister Barbara also went to law enforcement and she told 217 00:14:57.200 --> 00:15:00.840 them she had overheard Carol on the phone discussing the 218 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:06.159 murder for Higher Plan with her lover Elizabeth. These accusations 219 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:09.200 were enough for the police to arrest both Carol and 220 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:15.279 Elizabeth and charged them with Herbert's death. At their court trials, 221 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:21.039 Carroll's brother Robert, sister Barbara, and the Pascarellis all testified 222 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:26.200 on behalf of the prosecution. The defense countered that all 223 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:30.840 of these alleged witnesses were lying. They were lying to 224 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:35.679 cover up Robert and Anthony Pascarelli being a culpable part 225 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:39.320 of the murder for Higher Plan. But you know what, 226 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.679 the jury didn't buy what the defense was selling. And 227 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:47.559 even though the higher gun could never be found, both 228 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:51.320 Carol and Elizabeth were found guilty of second degree murder, 229 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:55.759 which held a twenty five year to life sentence. They 230 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:59.399 were found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and that 231 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:03.240 held a eight to fifteen year sentences, and they were 232 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:07.919 found guilty of criminal solicitation, which held a two to 233 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:13.320 seven year sentence, all to run concurrently, so essentially they 234 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:19.159 both received twenty five years to life. Both women filed appeals, 235 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:24.440 and both were denied. Elizabeth ended up dying in prison. 236 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:28.919 Carol would die in October of twenty eleven of a 237 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:35.000 brain tumor. Rest in power, Herbert, I'm sorry, guys, I 238 00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:37.960 realized this episode might be a bit on the short side, 239 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:40.840 but I did my best to make it a full episode, 240 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:45.279 which means it must be time for a bit of sunshine. 241 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:50.480 Woo woo. I got jokes. How did the gay man 242 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:54.559 get lost going to the store? His GPS told him 243 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:58.360 to go straight and he just couldn't do it. What 244 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:03.200 do you call a gay cowboy a jolly rancher? Now 245 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:07.400 here's a little science humor at web point? Does gender 246 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:14.000 fluid become gender solid? Where do bad rainbows go to prism? 247 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:19.599 It's a light sentence and it gives some time to reflect. Next, 248 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:24.039 what do you call lesbian with a big tongue? Well hung? 249 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:31.319 And lastly, what did one lesbian frog say to the other? Gee, 250 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:34.799 we really do taste like chicken. That's it for me 251 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:39.359 until next week. I love you, guys, You matter so much. 252 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.640 Remember it is not a crime to be gay or 253 00:17:43.680 --> 00:18:04.519 to live your truth, unless you're a murderer.