Author: Twistedphilly

Episode 15 – Originally published in 2016

Trigger warning – discussions about murder

In the 1930s Philadelphia, like the rest of the country, was suffering from the great depression.  While the rest of the country was at a 15% unemployment rate, Philly was doing much worse at 25% unemployment.  With a population of about 2 million people, a half million people were unemployed in the ’30s, which created an atmosphere of desperation. As a result, Philadelphia was rife with opportunity for those who pray on the desperation of others to make money.

What began as two men trying to make a quick buck, running insurance scams and counterfeiting money, quickly became the largest poison ring in history.  The Petrillo cousins business was murder, and business was good.  With help from Dr. Morris Bolber – a faith healer, and Carina Favato – sometimes referred to as a marriage consultant, other times referred to as a witch, 16 people were eventually arrested for the murders of over 50 immigrant Philadelphians between 1932 and 1938. 

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 14 – Originally Published in 2016

Trigger warning – discussions about spree killing and gun violence

To recap part one, Sylvia Seegrist was a resident of Springfield, Pennsylvania, a suburb about 10 miles outside the city of Philadelphia.  On Wednesday, October 30, 1985, Sylvia brought an automatic rifle to the Springfield mall and in a span of less than 15 minutes killed 3 people, and seriously wounded 7 others. 

Sylvia was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in 1975 when she was just 15 years old. Over the next ten years, Sylvia was institutionalized a dozen times.  In the years leading up to the massacre at the Springfield Mall, Sylvia’s behavior continued to decline.  She was frequently escorted out of local businesses for scaring patrons and making threats against society. 

Part 2 discusses Sylvia’s trial and incarceration, taking a deeper look at the mental health system with help from TwistedPhilly listener Jen.  Too often cases like these are sensationalized to focus only on the violent crimes, when we also need to consider the needs for mental health support in preventing stories like Sylvia’s.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 13 – Originally Published in 2016

Trigger warning – discussions about spree killing and gun violence

About 10 miles outside of Philadelphia sits the Springfield Mall in Springfield, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1974 and was a hangout for thousands of Gen Xers through the 80s. The Springfield Mall was frequented by Sylvia Seegrist, a young woman the locals called “Ms. Rambo” who struggled with severe mental health issues.

She was often seen marching in the mall in military fatigues, ranting and yelling at passersby.  On Wednesday, October 30, 1985, while parents put finishing touches on Halloween costumes, and made last minute grocery store runs for candy, Sylvia Seegrist prepared to unleash her demons in a local mall.  Before the day was out, three people were dead, and seven more seriously inured. 

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 12 – Originally Released in 2016

I love a good legend.  I believe the legends hold some element of truth to them. For example I don’t believe in unicorns today, but is it possible that hundreds or even thousands of years ago there was some weird horse like creature with a horn on it’s head?  Sure I think that’s possible.

Recently I’d been researching some Philly and Pennsylvania legends, trying to pick something that might be a little less well known when I stumbled upon a legend I knew – but it wasn’t familiar to me because of where the legend originated, it was familiar to me because I heard this story when I was about 6 years old, and I heard happened somewhere else.

This is the story of a crazy, creepy, bizarre park with stories of ghosts and princesses, of lost love and hairy little men.  All that weirdness in one spot?  You bet, after all this is Twisted Philly.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 11 – Originally Published in 2016

Trigger warning – discussions about murder including the murder of a child.

In Part 2 you’ll learn more about the investigation of Lisa and Devon Manderach’s murders, including charges against Caleb Fairley. Fairley made a deal with prosecutors – it’s a deal that lead investigators to Lisa, but some people felt it was a deal that haunted the community.  

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 10 Part 1 – Originally Published in 2016

Trigger warning – discussions about murder including murder of a child.

On September 10, 1995, Lisa Manderach and her 19 month old daughter Devon, left their Limerick, PA, home around 3:30 to check out a new children’s clothing store in a nearby shopping center and never returned.

This is their story, and the story of Caleb Fairley; a young man who was referred to by people who knew him from high school as strange, quiet, odd.

How did Lisa and Devon cross paths with Caleb?  Their lives took a tragic and devastating turn in a matter of hours.  This is part 1 of a two part episode.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 9 – Originally Published in 2016

It’s 1838.  A struggling writer moved to Philadelphia in the hopes of skyrocketing his career.  It’s hard out there for a writer, especially one who is brilliant and unusual, with personal demons like Edgar Allen Poe.

Poe lived in Philadelphia for almost 7 years in the late 1830s to early 1840s.  These were some of his most successful and prolific years as a writer, although they weren’t the most lucrative.  While Poe lived in Philly, he was inspired by a raven named Grip, Charles Dicken’s pet raven who, after death, found a home in Philadelphia.

This episode explores the connections between Dickens and Poe, Poe’s life in Philadelphia and the infamous raven.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 8 – Originally Published in 2016

When Roy Kirk purchased the abandoned home adjacent to Anne Hoover in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh in 1992, no one suspected their new neighbor would become the neighbor from hell.

What started out as an amicable relationship between neighbors, with Roy joining a local homeowner’s club focused on beautifying the community, first turned into annoyance, then frustration then fear.  No one expected a disagreement between neighbors could turn deadly.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 7 – Originally Published in 2016

America’s first hospital was built in 1751, the Penn Medicine Hospital in Philadelphia. The city was a hub for young medical students. If you wanted to be a physician, and you weren’t able to study in Europe, you came to Philadelphia.

With the influx of aspiring doctors and surgeons, the need for test subjects grew. Philadelphia and other parts of the US have a long history of grave robbing, body snatching and resurrectionists; people who used unscrupulous means to provide cadavers to medical colleges. This is a tale of Victorian grave robbing, the man behind it in Philadelphia, and the tragic impacts to the community.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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Episode 6 – Originally Published in 2016

Trigger Warning – discussions of murder

On June 20, 1996, I drove south on Rte. 476, the “Blue Route,” stuck in traffic.  On the side of the road police walked through brush and weeds near an abandoned car.  This looked like just another car left on the side of the highway, but it was something far worse.

Aimee Willard was the definition of the All American Girl: a star athlete, a star daughter, a bright future ahead of her when her light was snatched before it even had a chance to shine to it’s fullest potential.

This is Aimee’s story, and in a way it’s a story that could have happened to any 20something Delco girls who hung out at Smokey Joes and drove the Blue Route late at night in the summer, thinking about jobs, school, friends and our future.

TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly To see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show. 

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