Episode 747: Ricky Kasso: The Acid King | Forensic Files

Hey weirdos, I'm Elena. I'm Ash. >> And this is Morbid. >> [music] [music] >> This is Morbid. Uh first thing I want to
say is [ __ ] ice so hard. >> Times two. >> Yeah, [ __ ] ice. [ __ ] that whole thing.
Um it's absolutely tragic what happened to Renee Good. >> Yeah, she was murdered.
>> I I have no words. I have no words. It's horrific what's happening, but the fact
that we live in a place where a man can shoot a woman in the face in broad daylight over essentially nothing.
>> Mhm. That's scary. >> Yeah, I think I think it's We've all seen the videos. We've all seen it and you know
I I I know what I saw. Yeah, she was turning her car around. >> what I saw. Uh but one thing I do want
to say is like it's really hard right now to be happy about anything or find any kind of joy in anything and I I
totally get that, but it's a really important that you try to. >> Yes. >> [laughter]
>> It's really important. Like even just little things. Like you know how I mentioned like turn on some [ __ ] soft
jazz >> on your old radio. >> old-timey Bluetooth radio >> Yes. >> in the morning. [ __ ] like that.
>> one of those the other day. >> Yeah, just make like any little thing you can find that makes it a little
easier to to exist. >> Do you know what I found so much joy in >> What? the other day? I'm tradwifing so
close to the sun lately. >> Oh, damn. Mopping all my floors. I found I'm not kidding. I found such [ __ ]
joy mopping my floors the other day. The smell of Pine-Sol sends me. >> Hey, whatever sparks joy.
>> It sparks joy and makes the place clean. >> Made the place clean, smells good, woke
up this morning, [ __ ] still smelled like Pine-Sol and I organized my little beverage drawer.
>> Ah. And a lot of people said, Ash, where are the fridge siggies? And I'm trying
to give them up. >> She's trying. >> I'm really trying to give them up. I'm not going to tell you to give them up. I
think you should still drink them. >> Especially if it brings you joy. >> If it brings you joy, crack open a cold
one, baby. >> Cuz I'm I'm being like we're we're like we're joking about these silly like
fridge cigarettes and everything, but I'm being very serious when I say I really think it's important to find
little joys because everything sucks so much. And I've seen a lot of people like
saying like they feel really depressed and I get it. We all get it. Like that's And I just don't want I don't want
everyone falling into like not being able to find anything because then we'll all
then it just really sucks. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> Um but so it's And again, little things.
>> What are you finding joy in aside from your radio? What's your newest joy? My
cooking. Cooking, meal prepping. >> Yeah, I love it. Getting ready for the like that get that gives me some sense
of joy. And like I have my little notebook that I'm obsessed with. >> I bought one.
>> See, you got to get yourself a nice notebook that And it's got to be a notebook that if you're one of those
people, cuz I'm one of those people that was obsessed with planners forever, but
you would buy a planner every few months, start it, and then abandon it immediately.
>> I too am one of those people because it's pre-planned out. >> That's the thing. I'm I'm here to tell
you that it's not that you don't want to be organized or that you don't want like
it it's not you. It's not you. It's the planner. >> It's not you. And I think if that is
you, cuz that was me, get yourself a plain fancy leather bound if you want or anything that you feel special about
notebook and then you can make it your own. And I swear to you that changed my life.
>> Yeah, I really want to start junk journaling. I keep seeing TikToks of people doing that and they put like
stickers and they write calligraphy and they just like one page is like all the books they read and the next is like a
calendar. Like there's no rhyme or reason and that's how my brain works. >> Yeah.
>> If it's in a planner, it's like what are you doing on Monday? What about Tuesday?
Thursday, [ __ ] what's going on? And I'm like feels a little too old. And then you can make your own
little weekly like I make my own weekly plan thing on a page and then I control it.
>> Yeah, it's controlled. >> I think it's important that control what you can control right now. Mhm. It's my
advice. Even who knows? Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but that's all I got. That's all you have for right now.
>> so vulnerable right now. Uh-oh. No, it's fine. I'm just kidding. >> [laughter]
>> No, it's literally fine. I found joy in one of those foot mask things and I'm
going to find joy when my feet start peeling. >> I'm really excited. >> guys haven't seen those, they're pretty
[ __ ] great. >> gnarly as hell. I showed it to Drew last night and he was like, that's going to
happen to your feet? >> like little booties that have like this crazy lotion in them and you let them
sit for a while. It's not I don't love that part of it. >> love that part. >> not like the feeling of that.
>> so much sense. >> Uh I loved that part of it. It was so lovely cuz it's like a cold like
>> Yeah, I did not like that part. >> It's not even it's like a kind of liquidy a little bit.
>> Yep. Sure it is. >> it a lot. >> I didn't keep it on for as long as I should have because I could not handle
it. >> I kept it on for an hour and a half. >> That's wild. >> How long did you leave yours on for?
>> Probably 20 minutes. >> And your foot still peeled? Your feet? >> Cuz a few days later your feet will
start to peel and then you have like baby's butt feet. >> But it looks crazy. >> It does. I'm afraid for some reason I'm
going to be the I'm afraid of my feet peeling like that and I'm also afraid that they're I'm going to be the one
person it doesn't work on. >> Yeah. I I have such fear related to feet. >> [laughter]
>> way, really. Those are the two ways it will go. >> Yeah, there's only two. Well, hopefully
>> It'll either peel or won't peel. >> What if I just wake up with no feet? That would be
>> [laughter] >> crazy. They just peel off. >> That that's a lawsuit. So that That that I feel like you could win.
There you go. I could find joy in winning that. >> Yeah, find joy. Um but yeah, we What
else is has been has been going on besides >> Your book is out. >> Oh, yeah, that's a big deal. Sorry.
>> [laughter] >> Sorry, everybody. >> I think you wrote another book. >> Cuz there's a lot going on. It's hard to
think of these things. Um but yeah, uh The Butcher Legacy is out. It's out. It's about It's ready to
be pre-ordered. Go get it. >> There's still special editions, too. >> There's still special editions. There's
also signed editions at Barnes & Noble. And there's only a limited number of those and they're almost gone. So if
you're looking for a signed edition, go to Barnes & Noble and get it because they will be gone.
>> And to find all of the links, you can go to >> butcherlegacy.com. Comes out August
11th. You can pre-order it now. >> Perfect. Perfect. So books, feet, >> books, feet,
>> joy, find some joy if you can. >> And [ __ ] ice and you know ev you know here we are, everybody.
>> Here we are. We love you. Love you. And we're in this together. Together. So here we are.
>> Here we are. Um just a little quick side note for you guys. Going forward, so this uh new moon
bonus episode is going to be a little bit later than we said. We just need like a little more time to get it
together. And going forward, we're going to be releasing all the bonus episodes on the last Friday of the month.
>> Yeah, so this one will be coming out on the 30th, January 30th. So it's just 2
weeks from now it'll be coming out. So look forward to that cuz we're putting all the [ __ ] work into it. And it's
going to be great. >> And we're excited for the rest of them. >> I [ __ ] love doing this little series.
>> Hell yeah. Um I have a crazy case for you today. >> as well. I might as well. Why not?
>> We are going to be talking about Ricky Kasso, the acid king. Ah. >> And I'm talking LSD. I'm not talking
>> like acid that puts people in barrels. Which is a honestly an important distinction on this podcast.
>> Oh my god, I was You took the words out of my mouth. I said in a place of morbid, you must distinguish.
>> Because to be quite honest, when you first said that, I was like, uh-oh. Do you know I saw that in your eyes and
that's why I differentiated. >> going for it. >> I said I'll tell you exactly what we're
getting into. It's brutal. >> going to say it's probably still brutal, but just in a different way. So let's
talk about it. We're going to talk about an area situated on Long Island's North
Shore, about 50 miles from Manhattan, called Northport. It's like the quintessential bedroom community. It was
dotted with Victorian houses, ice cream shops, antique stores. I would have wanted to go there and walk around. Just
your typical in a quiet town where nothing terrible ever happened. Keith Morrison just walked right in. Thank
you. I really did a bad impression of him, but that was my attempt. >> Yeah, I mean there's only one Keith. OG
Keith. But given how popular the occult had become by the early 1970s, it was only a matter of time before that made
its way to Long Island. >> good for the occult, you know. Yeah, the occult gaining popularity. The occult
You're The occult is a big part of this story and also no part of this story at the same time.
>> Love that. It's interesting. >> That's interesting, for sure. So on November 13th, 1974, you might remember,
23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed all six members of his family in Amityville.
>> I do remember that. >> That's only about a half hour from Northport. Wow. Mhm, okay. To
everybody's surprise, he later claimed that he was possessed by an evil entity at the time of the murders. You know,
you remember. It really didn't do much to help his defense, but it did hypercharge the growing interest in the
occult and the supernatural. And that had a lot to do with Ed and Lorraine Warren. I'm sure you know them.
You know them. >> Yeah, within a few days or a few years, excuse me, of the which is honestly
surprisingly it wasn't a few days. >> [laughter] >> I'm surprised it wasn't hours. Within
within a few minutes >> Yeah. of the murders, the Warrens and other experts in the paranormal were on
magazines, they were appearing on talk shows, tabloids all across the country, either promoting their services or
warning about the increasing influence of the devil the devil on American culture.
>> [snorts] >> So the murder of the DeFeo family was obviously a huge moment that only added
fuel to everybody's obsession with the supernatural, especially in the '70s and the '80s. But there had actually been
rumors of an evil preven evil presence on Long Island even before those murders occurred.
>> Mhm. According to author Jesse [ __ ] in the early 1970s, the villagers of Northport began to whisper about a coven
of witches meeting inside the forest holding midnight ceremonies after an evening of robbing graves. Okay, aside
from the robbing graves part that sounds awesome. I knew you were going to say that. We got to get rid of the robbing
graves. Yes, don't rob the graves. Jesus, that's actually that's something that just happened. What?
>> side quest. Would that become another another part of my story today? Tell me.
The big story just came out. It happened in Pennsylvania. This guy, what the [ __ ] is his name?
Tell me. Jonathan Gerlock, I believe. He had basically a hundred bodies, like parts of bodies, like
hundreds of them. He had grave robbed forever and he had them around his house. He was selling them. He's He's
He's Ed Gein, essentially. >> He had like an online presence, too, I guess. And people didn't know that he was like
doing this [ __ ] but I think what was his name? His name was like dead dead stuff daddy or something like that.
Something very >> If that's not exactly what his name was, I won't I don't even think it's that far
off, to be quite honest. Dead stuff daddy? Hold, please. I'm going to look it up. Hello? It's a big deal. Like he
was He wasn't like he was robbing graves. He was breaking into mausoleums to steal like literally destroying
mausoleums, like crazy [ __ ] >> you want a mausoleum? That's the So I mean my mausoleum now I got to upgrade
the security on the mausoleum, I'll ensure that if you go first. That's the one thing about being
cremated that is maybe a little bit better. Like nobody can steal your body later,
but that does happen because there's all those crazy stories about cremation where like you go in to get cremated and
they don't even cremate your body. They just keep you. Exactly. And then they just like stack you somewhere. It's
really [ __ ] terrible that you have to Do you really want to know about what happens after you die? Like you kind of
do, but like you're dead. But this is awful. So there's more than a hundred human remains, some dating back decades
or even centuries. Centuries? >> Yep, they said they He was selling some of these things online. Some of these
remains included infants. Um Oh, that's so sad. >> He I mean he had he He admitted to
stealing from at least 30 graves in like a nearby cemetery. There was corpses hanging from the
ceiling. In his house? >> Yeah. There was eight more bodies in a storage locker.
He uh he used he like used tools, like literally crowbars and [ __ ] to break into mausoleums, burial vaults, all
kinds of things. >> I feel like the scary thing about this, too, is it's like I don't know how
things are now as far as like laws go with grave robbing and that kind of thing, but remember that podcast that we
listened to about the guy who worked at the crematorium Yeah. Noble. Such a good show. Please listen
to that podcast. >> But remember when it came time to prosecute that guy, there was all these
issues because they didn't really know what charges to bring against him. It's so weird.
>> And that was like way back in the I think like early to mid-2000s. >> It's I don't know what that I mean he's
definitely being charged with stuff. >> say what he's been charged with yet? I don't know yet. I'm sure they have, but
I don't By the way, his name online was dead [ __ ] daddy. So I was not far off.
Oh my god. >> I told you I was not kidding. That was not me being a person. >> online? Um I think he just had like a
lot of like what people with like art and stuff. >> They thought was art. >> were just thinking it was like spooky
art. >> Yeah. Like I mean who knows how many people knew what was going on, but like
yeah, it's like a big deal. It's like an ongoing thing right now. It's a very big
>> was just arrested. Yeah, he was just arrested. Literally with corpses hanging
from a ceiling. Like it is straight up Ed Gein. >> That's like almost worse. Yeah.
He just had that like murdered someone like Ed Gein. But like that's a mass The amount And
the thing is he was going like like some of the most of these cemeteries were being like kind of like abandoned
almost, like not being kept up. And then some of them were, obviously, but like he was kind of going towards ones that
were like vulnerable. >> Yeah. We got to take care of cemeteries. >> We absolutely do. They're really not
well taken care of like at all. >> it's a bummer. >> I follow so many people that go and like
clean up gravestones and that kind of thing. It's awesome. And I think there's like
there's I donated to this like foundation [snorts] to keep up cemeteries and they they've
been keeping up cemeteries in New Orleans, like trying to keep those going. Save our cemeteries. Save our
cemeteries. I'd donate. Yeah, and you can donate to them. They do a lot of benefits. That's
really cool. And they just they're trying to preserve like historical cemeteries and any kind of they just
want to keep cemeteries like taken care of and safe. Hell yeah, donate to them. And you can find them at
savesourcemeteries.org. That's so easy. Yeah, so easy. So do that because especially with this [ __ ]
going on, if you can even donate like a dollar or something to it. Just to Clearly we need more [ __ ] being
happening to our cemeteries to keep them safe. Yeah, we need some upkeep. >> Cuz there needs to be respect.
Well, I don't really know how to transition back into this. >> That just it really reminded me that
that's a big thing happening right now and I was like I should tell you. >> That wasn't me saying how dare you
interrupt me. That was just like damn, that's a hard segue. >> Here we go. Here we go. He was grave
robbing. These witches who were probably just women hanging out probably weren't.
Okay. So, but years earlier, the woods in Northport had become a popular lovers lane area with teenagers.
>> Oh, excuse me. So the rumors of witchcraft in the woods were probably just an attempt to keep them from going
out there. People were like maybe don't park in the woods, like that's dangerous. I mean that's a good way to
do it. Yeah, but still with fears of Satanism on the rise and the supposedly supernaturally motivated DeFeo murders
having happened nearby and pretty recently, the whispered rumors of the witches soon became a widespread local
legend. So in the years since the murder of Gary Lauwers, which we're going to talk about today, rumors and all these
urban legends about the woods around Northport have multiplied and they've gotten all like mixed up in the game of
telephone. Some people say it started all the way back in 1658 when Goody Garlick, Yep. a local occult
practitioner, Garlick? Goody Garlick, a local occult practitioner, was charged with witchcraft and put on trial. No.
That was the start of the Northport woods drama. Listen to me right now. If somebody whose name is Goody Garlick
tells you some [ __ ] it's true. It's 100% true. >> It's fact. And you you move with that
information as if it is fact. >> You must listen. Yeah. And if she was hanged, I'm done. I'll
revolution. Truly. >> Goody Garlick? Goody Garlick. We we ride for Goody Garlick.
>> Garlick. Like I'd like to look into if I'm an ancestor. I was going to say cuz
any recipe that calls for garlic doubled, tripled, quadrupled, in fact. Obviously just the whole whole thing. I
measure garlic with my heart. >> Oh, absolutely. >> Especially garlic. Garlic and vanilla
extract you measure with your heart. Vanilla extract, two tablespoons, obviously.
>> from me to you. Yeah, no, not really, but So others connect the supernatural happenings to tortured spirits of former
Native Americans who belonged to the area first and obviously were wrongfully killed.
>> Also valid. Very valid. But whatever the case, rumors about the Northport woods
would soon give way to an even more horrifying and very true story that would shake the residents of Northport
for decades to come. So let's get into it. In the early 1960s, Richard Dick Cavasso was teaching
at Northport Junior High and he met his future wife Lynn, who was also a teacher.
They dated for a few years. They got married in 1965 and their son Ricky Jr., who we're going
to be talking about today, was born a couple years later in 1967. They had three more kids, all girls, shortly
after Ricky. And to their friends and neighbors, they pretty much appeared to have an idyllic
life. A home in a quiet neighborhood. They had reliable jobs. They had a happy family. They went to church every
Sunday. What more could you ask for? >> literally just going to say that. What more could you ask for?
As a child, Ricky Jr. was pretty ordinary. He was much like other kids. He liked to be outside. He
which it sounds crazy now, but I think it was a little more popular like in the '60s and '70s. He spent a lot of time in
the woods. He was collecting leaves, rocks, insects. >> That was popular in the '90s, babe.
That's crazy. >> [laughter] >> We were in the woods I grew up in the '80s when you could not be in the woods
anymore. I'm surprised my mom didn't let me go in the woods, to be honest. [ __ ] killer clowns walking around.
Not until 2016, but damn, still. I know. I mean we went to high school parties in
the woods. That was That was brave. But anyway, he got along well with his three sisters, but he got along the most
with his youngest sister Wendy. Family friend Sue remembered, Ricky loved Wendy. He would say, "My Wendy, my
little Wendy Lou." Aw. He seemed to be like more than just a brother or protector. He was her closest friend.
And this is so sad. He seemed to be the only person in the family who really paid any attention to Wendy. Aw, poor
Wendy. >> she just got like the [ __ ] end of the stick. >> Yeah. But it wasn't just his sister Ricky was
popular with. He had friends in the family's neighborhood in Northport. He would play football with them, other
sports out in the neighborhood. And for Dick Cavasso, the his dad, the coach of the local high school football
team, there was nothing that could have made him made him happier that his only son showing a super strong interest in
sports, especially football. Sports. Wendy said, "Nothing else could compete with my father's love of sports, not
even his kids. Sports were his entire life." That's the worst, truly. Like that is the As someone who genuinely
enjoys some sports, Yeah. >> that's the worst. >> I just started enjoying one sport, yeah,
basketball, but >> shouldn't come before your kids. It will never come before my kids. Yeah. Uh but
all of the Casso children had to play sports. They had no choice and Dick was pretty explicit in his expectation that
they had to win as well. >> Oh, okay. >> Like you you sport and you win at sport.
>> you win. That's it. Win, sport, sport, win. Don't sport unless you're going to
win. Wendy said if you were if what you were [laughter] doing wasn't related to sports, it wasn't important.
No sport, no important. No important. >> No sport, no important. >> their motto. Yeah.
TM. TM. So Ricky's interest in sports might have made his dad happy, but that didn't mean that he was particularly
interested in playing them or that he was really even very good at any of the sports that he played. I feel like I'm
saying sports so much. >> Sports. Sports. Ricky go sports. Go sports. Ricky was pretty average in a lot of things that
he did. He was a good brother, a good friend, a good neighbor, but when it came to things like school and sports,
sports. he put in a pretty modest amount of effort and got modest results. >> Hey, all right.
>> You know, he did what he could, got what he did. You get what you put out, I suppose. Also, the sports thing, I'm
taking another turn. It's really quick though. >> Do it. I don't know if I've mentioned
this TikTok creator before, but you should go follow them. They're Vintage Recipes. Vintage Recipes.
>> Yeah, and he makes crazy ass vintage recipes, but he's the funniest person ever and every time he does something
like throw something in the air and catch it, he says sports. I've seen him. >> It makes me laugh every time. Sports. I
like and also you say that a lot now too. >> Yeah, or he'll like that. >> [laughter]
>> I in fact don't like that. I think it's the funniest thing in the world. dislike
that. >> I watch it, you'll love it. I like his videos. Yeah. I think when you say it,
it freaks me out. I don't know why. It's nothing personal. I still like it. >> Wow. Wow. Carry on, I guess.
>> [laughter] >> I don't like it. So for Dick, the modest effort was fine when Ricky was like 8 or 10, but once he
got into middle school, Ricky's like ambivalence became a very big point of contention between them. One of Casso's
Little League teammates said, "Dick used to scream and degrade his kid whenever Ricky didn't perform well." So he was
like not great. >> like we've all seen that dad who you're like They're in third grade and this is like
competition. This is a relay race, sir. Like It's okay. [laughter] It's like really.
But while things at home were growing increasingly tense because sports as Ricky got older, sports. he started
spending a lot less time at home and much more time looking for opportunities to escape his unpleasant life.
One day in the fall of 1977 when he was in fifth grade, a friend's brother gave him a hit off a joint and the experience
changed his life. >> He's in fifth grade? >> He was 10. My god. >> He was 10. Lord. So when he was high,
everything felt better, more enjoyable, his life didn't seem as difficult. And at first he would just smoke
occasionally whenever the opportunity presented itself, which for a 10-year-old was not that often.
I would imagine. But I mean it was the '70s. Yeah. But by the time he was 12, his peers had also really developed an
interest in smoking weed. >> no. I did not smoke weed that early. But soon Ricky
>> Really just to be clear. >> I'm like let's be explicit right now. It wasn't much later than that, but it was
not 12. Damn. Yeah, it was a tough life. But soon Ricky was leaving home early every
morning to get high with his friends before school. And we're talking like sixth and seventh grade.
>> Oh my god. It's sad. Babies. I do remember kids though like doing that in like seventh, eighth grade. Lord. That
is when it started. Scary. So for Ricky who was constantly seeking an escape, smoking weed obviously led to
experimentation with other drugs and he managed to get his hands on what he and his friends thought was mescaline or
mescaline, but what turned out to be acid or LSD. Oh [ __ ] Yeah. A little different.
>> Yeah. And he was young. Yeah, he was very >> never something you want to be surprised
with, I imagine, but No, definitely not. >> mean mescaline would also probably be
pretty bad. I'm pretty sure there's like I don't even know what that is. What I looked it up, but I think there was I
think there's like peyote in it. Holy [ __ ] >> I could be wrong. Let me double check so
I'm not giving you false information about drugs. Peyote's come up a lot in our lives.
>> No, I know. That's why I remember that. But just to clear that up. So [laughter]
it there's Go watch The Watcher. Yeah, it came up in The Watcher. That's actually why I remembered that. So it
there's not peyote in mescaline, but it's similar. Like if the effects are similar to if you did peyote.
>> Peyote vibes. Peyote vibes, exactly. [laughter] Put that on a shirt. >> Got it. So he they thought they were
getting that kind of vibe and so they got LSD, which I would assume is kind of similar. Yeah, I mean that yeah. But
from what little I know about those two experiences, I imagine they're kind of similar. Yeah, I don't know. I never
tripped. >> Yeah. But his friend Mark Fisher told a reporter, "First time he tripped in
seventh grade art class, art class. Holy [ __ ] he'd drawn a dragon on the board and said it started to move." I
mean I was like that's the most quintessential trip story I've ever heard in my life.
>> also very uh kind of adorable. Yeah, in a weird way. >> stories go. Like I drew it. I was in art class. I
drew a dragon and the dragon moved. That's the kind of awesome. >> you would been in high school, not
seventh grade. Yeah, I wish you were not a child on acid at that moment, but like
[laughter] But if but if but if you I wish you were not a child on acid go squatting But if
you must be, drawing a dragon and having it move, I suppose is the best case scenario to be quite honest. Facts.
Agree. Agree hard. This is just pretty terrible all of the way around. >> It gets worse. I'm just trying to find
the joy, you know. >> you are. Like you said at the top of this in the little thing.
So in the eyes of a lot of his friends and his classmates, Ricky's drug use, especially during class, made him seem
cool. We all remember that one kid. It's not cool, kids. Drugs aren't cool. Drugs
are bad. I wonder if DARE was a thing back then. I don't know when DARE started.
Wasn't that like an '80s thing? I think you're right. When did DARE start? >> Yeah, might have been '90s.
1983. Oh, there we go. Look at that. >> you're I it made sense that it was the '80s. It felt it feels like a very '80s
or '90s thing. I remember the especially the logo DARE so vividly. I did too. Remember that big suitcase full of
[ __ ] paraphernalia and pills that they showed us? >> anyone will ever forget the day that
they brought like Vicodin and cocaine and heroin into our class. >> on that big like thing, yeah. Like the
suitcase and then they opened it and it was like zooms down. The cocaine package just like fell down.
>> like [laughter] holy [ __ ] >> oh my god, there's drugs. They were like, "Ricky, his older
brother says that drugs are cool. What would you say?" >> say? I was like not cool. What would you
tell him? And we And we we did the pact. And I signed that [ __ ] >> of people that broke that [ __ ] pact.
I broke I broke that pact not two years later. [laughter] I I kept that pact. >> what? I you can't sign under distress
and I was probably just That is signing under distress. [laughter] We weren't old enough to sign contracts.
>> Yeah, my I was not legally binding. Thank god. So people at first thought he was cool.
Yeah. His friend said, "We had a sit-out one time." Could you imagine a junior high sit-out did it today? Holy [ __ ]
man. It's crazy. Holy [ __ ] Soon Ricky had become kind of like the de facto leader of a small group of boys who
looked up to him and they'd all get high together before, during, and after school at this point. They're all high
high y'all high. >> They're all high. All the time. So the thing was for 12 and 13-year-olds, money
was scarce and without it, there wasn't [laughter] going to be any drugs. So in order to support now like a
growing habit, which like we can joke, but now he's like slowly getting addicted to drugs.
>> Horrifying. Like this is a horrifying situation that like literal children are
hooked on acid at that point. It's bad. This is gross. So Ricky turned to petty theft and he broke into a nearby church
where not he not only stole money from the collection box, but he even grabbed a box of the body of Christ crackers on
his way out the door. He stole not only money, but the body of Christ. That's big. That's I mean that's
>> I'm also like why would you choose those crackers? I've never had them, but I
heard they're not good. I think it maybe That's also coming up a lot in our life
later. >> What is going on right now? >> Life is a simulation. We're plugged in somewhere.
>> is coming up right now, but I was saying this and you can feel however you want to feel about the body
of Christ crackers. What are they? Communion Eucharist. Eucharist. Boom. Look at you. I didn't even do that.
Eucharist. I think it is terrible. That's just me. I think it tastes like water. Like a
I think it tastes like a stale It's like when you have COVID and you bite into a
sandwich and you can't taste it and it just tastes like water. Yeah. Yeah. I think That's just me though.
>> like he didn't steal those to eat. I feel like he had to have stolen them just like for shits. But like why else
are you stealing them? Cuz like like you're stealing the body of Christ from a church. Just for the
just for the rush of it. To be like I took their [ __ ] crackers, too. >> the body of Christ. What are they going
to do tomorrow? >> What are they going to do? >> know. What are they going to do
tomorrow, you know? I don't know. What are they going to do? I don't know. What did they do? Earlier today I said that
if I was allowed to take the body of Christ back in like when I did go to church sometimes,
I would just go eh if I could. If I was allowed to take the Eucharist, I would make the stallion it, but eh.
They try to get that on my tongue. Because I feel like some we were saying some older people don't do the hand
thing where you put it in the hand, they just stick their tongue out and they're
like put it right on there. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, that's adult. I don't like that. I don't like it.
>> I would not want to be the guy giving it out either. >> No. So anyway. >> Just in case. By the next year, Ricky's
criminal behavior escalated to the point where he was not only stealing the body
of Christ, but he was also breaking into houses and stealing from his neighbors,
which is an un-neighborly thing to do. >> And really [ __ ] up and it also shows a
level of desperation that is very sad. This is also just [ __ ] insane. Wait until you hear this. Retired police
officer Gene Rohmer remembered there was a newspaper back then called the Northport Journal. We used to call it
the criminal's best friend because they would announce when locals would be going on vacation and how long they'd be
gone. Who the [ __ ] came up with that? >> thought of that? >> Why would you Why would you ever Stand
up. Who the [ __ ] [laughter] did that? >> Like, why? >> That's literally diabolical.
>> No, it is. >> That was made by a criminal. >> Absolutely. >> to have been. And also, how the [ __ ] do
you know when I'm going on vacation and how long I'll be? >> Well, that's the other thing. I was
like, people must have had to be like, "Oh, me and the Jones family are going to the Bahamas for 7 to 10 days."
>> I I >> Why would you submit to that? >> I rebuke that. >> I rebuke that. I do, too. No. But now
armed with a schedule of locals' vacations, Ricky and his friends could just be pretty sure they were in the
clear to sneak into those houses and steal everything that they could to get drugs.
>> Here you go. Without anybody even realizing that they'd been there. Yeah, you might as well roll out the red
carpet at that point. Honestly. >> Let's go. It just reminds me of Home Alone. Yeah. So, unfortunately, Ricky's
luck obviously eventually ran out. And that was when he and some friends were picked up by police after breaking into
a local house where they stole alcohol and silverware. Shitty. Yeah. At first, his parents
>> Exactly. At first, his parents took him >> I mean, he did, not the people who
weren't there. Oh, yeah, absolutely. It was Ricky. >> clear, I wasn't like, "You had to come
and then he was going to steal your stuff." You idiots, why would you tell them when you were going on vacation?
[laughter] No, Ricky. So, at first, his parents took the news in stride. They were like, "You know,
maybe it's just our son sowing his wild oats, breaking into homes." Youthful being
But when they searched his room looking for the stolen items and they found a bong, their attitudes changed. Yeah.
Now, like, finding a bong in your kids' room is always pretty bad, but especially I think back then it was even
worse parents were like, "Oh my [ __ ] god." Like, I would imagine it would be so much worse back then.
I mean, I personally, if I found one in my child's room now, it would be as worse, I think.
>> Yeah, I believe that. Yeah. And as it should be. Yeah. I mean, if I find a bong in my kids' room, I'm going to have
like zero legs to stand on, but I'm going to be so [ __ ] angry. >> Yeah. That's the thing that sucks. But a few
years earlier, two local kids were killed in a car accident while they were driving under the influence. And in
response, the town council approved the development of what was called Concepts for Narcotics Prevention, CNP. It was
like a church-run center that served as an alternative to like DARE, because DARE didn't exist They didn't figure
that amazing program out yet. They didn't They didn't get all the suitcase in order yet.
But after finding the bong in Ricky's room, his parents were concerned, obviously, that he was developing a
serious problem. So, they brought him to CNP to see a counselor. He was 13 at this point, by the way. 13?
>> like stealing from churches, breaking into neighbors' houses, dependent on drugs,
>> like fully dependent on drugs, scheduling sit-outs with his friends in junior high, high in school before
school and after school, like Damn. >> It's bad. Yeah, that's really bad. So, he showed no interest, obviously, in
stopping or even slowing down his drug use. And when he was confronted about the bong, he told the CNP counselor, "I
like what I'm doing." I mean, he's just telling it like it is at that point. >> Well, and it's a it's an escape for him,
which is sad. Like, if they had gone a little deeper, they probably would have been able to figure out why he needed to
escape from life. >> got to look at the root of the problem here. Mhm. But especially at 13 years
old. I don't think therapy was then what it is now. I know it's definitely not. >> [laughter]
>> So, the meeting at CNP marked a change in Ricky's relationship with his parents. He didn't go back to the center
again, but they did make him attend therapy with a psychiatrist, even though he didn't want to. Which was pretty good
parenting, I would say. Mhm. As again, especially for back then. Yeah, that's like pretty big. Yeah, cuz like nobody
was especially not sending boys to therapy. >> No, definitely not. Which is [ __ ]
crazy. But Ricky refused to engage with the psychiatrist, and after a few sessions,
the doctor was like, "Yeah, this is a waste of my [ __ ] time. I can't just sit here and stare at him." Yeah, he
said Ricky was sabotaging the sessions. Which, you know, like, it happens. I sabotaged a few psych- psychiatric
sessions, too. >> been there? I don't know." >> Yeah. But in the months that followed, Ricky's
relationships with his parents started to decline even more so. And by Christmas of 1980, he was no longer
living at home. He's literally a child. >> like 14 at this point. This is upsetting. Instead, he just kind
of like he would stay with friends, including his newest friend, Jimmy Trionfo. Like Ricky, Jimmy was also a
heavy drug user, who by all accounts was a quote, "failure at school to a degree
you would not believe." Whoa. Yeah. According to his classmates, Jimmy had an "I'm going to get you before you get
me" kind of personality, and he was constantly in trouble for breaking rules, getting into fights, being
disruptive, like he sucked. And his parents tried to encourage him to adopt a better attitude by also
taking him to CNP to see a counselor. But just like Ricky, he didn't take to the counseling. The senior counselor
there said, though, "Jimmy concerns me, because to put it simply, he had a problem seeing the difference between
right and wrong." Oh, that's really scary. >> Ricky was like, "Yeah, I like what I'm
doing and I'm going to keep doing it." But this guy had a problem. Jimmy was like, "I don't what's the [ __ ] issue?
Like, I don't give a shit." >> The the "I'm going to get you before you get me" thing is is definitely scary.
>> Yeah, especially for like a 14, 15-year-old. Exactly. So, the closer Ricky and Jimmy got, the worse their
relationship with everybody else got. Because I'm sure they developed that like, "Oh, it's it's us against the
world" mentality. >> us. That's the thing. us. Yep. They encouraged each others' drug use
and bad behavior. And whenever they got kicked out of their respective houses, they would hitchhike more than 200 miles
to the Castos' vacation cabin. Damn. They would hitchhike 200 miles? >> 200 miles.
Wow. >> Isn't that insane? >> I can't believe they got out of that. Especially in the Well, this was in the
early '80s, I guess. >> Early '80s, but still. >> So, pretty much every time that
happened, they were picked up by the police and returned to Northport, where they would be returned to their parents
and the cycle would just start all over again. This happened tons of times. Between 1980 and 1984, Ricky and Jimmy
fell into what was arguably the worst possible crowd they ever could have found themselves associated with, Cool.
the local drug dealers and teenage burnouts. Oh, boy. And during that time, their drug use escalated from weed and
acid, and now included PCP. Oh. Which like That can get scary. >> Yeah, PCP is very much known for causing
severe long-term effects on users. At the time, the two boys had been associated with a group of teenage drug
users who referred to themselves as the Knights of the Black Circle. Wow. Yeah. That's so cool.
Yeah. Rock on. >> Wow. So, for years, this is really sad, cuz remember, Northport has all these
like whispers of like occults happening. >> Yeah. For years, farm animals and the
occasional pet had gone missing in Northport. >> No. Yes, which fed the local rumors
about Satanism and witchcraft happening in the area. And in December of 1981, some locals
found the burned remains of a goat fetus on one of the stones one of the stone chessboards in the park.
>> Come on, man. Later, it would be revealed that an unhoused man had found the fetus in one of the fields of
Northport. He was starving and desperate, and he tried to cook it to feed himself, which is
even sadder than what you would imagine. >> that destroys me. But when it was first
discovered, it was understood by many to be further evidence of devil worship in
the area. And somebody reported to the Northport police that the Knights of the Black Circle were behind it. Ah.
Ultimately, they were not. What happened is what I told you. But everybody was like, "It must be the devil worshipers."
>> And then it doesn't matter what the facts are, it's just this is what I think, so this is what I'm going with.
>> Cuz then the when they tell you the real story, everybody's like, "Oh, that's a
cover-up." Yeah. And it's like, "No, that's actually much more plausible." >> No, that's literally what happened. So,
there were never really any real means of identifying who was a devil worshiper, like ever. But throughout the
1980s, as Satanic Panic was ever present in the US, Satanism quickly became associated, as we know, with a very
popular aesthetic, Yeah. >> People who were assumed to be involved in Satanism wore denim, which is insane.
Oh, yeah. >> Doesn't everybody wear denim? Every time I see someone in denim, I'm like,
"Trouble." Trouble, Satan. Mhm. Or they wore all black clothing, they had long hair, probably like dyed black hair,
they drank, they did drugs, and they listened listened to heavy metal music. >> Oh, this is very Paradise Lost. It's so
Paradise Lost. It's always what I think of whenever we talk about a case that involves Satanism, like {quote}
{unquote}. So, in Northport, that criteria best described the kids who called themselves
the Knights of the Black Circle. The discovery of the goat fetus and them being labeled as bad kids led to them
being associated with Satanism, but most of the teenagers who were in that little
like club weren't really into the occult at all. Just the aesthetic. Just the aesthetic, and like they were just using
drugs. Like, they weren't Satanists, they just had problems. So, Jonathan McCullar said of himself
and his friends in the Knights, "We were the absolute last of the hippies. We were about peace, love, and harmony."
Okay. >> Not Satanism. Yeah. Which actually, if you really look at Satanism, Yeah,
exactly. It actually is about that. >> [laughter] >> So, still though, like what they looked
like and the fact that they listened to heavy metal music and they it made the locals nervous. And that fear and
anxiety was projected onto them as a whole. Yeah. And he said he goes, "I guess it was because we were all a bunch
outcasts." Yeah, which is really sad. >> It really is, like, Paradise Lost. >> Yeah.
So, while they they may have been mostly harmless, that didn't mean that they were very big on the rules. Like Ricky
Kasso and his friends, the Knights spent a lot of time getting high, listening to
music, and when they weren't doing drugs, they were selling them or getting into fights over drugs and where you
like who could sell drugs where, territory. Sounds great. Yeah, it's all a mess.
Even McCullar was willing to admit that the group sometimes went out of their way to antagonize the locals. He said,
"The colors of The colors of our jackets were demonic, and that was to freak people out. It had nothing to do with
Satan. We just did that to repel people, which we accomplished. The Valid. I was
like, what color is demonic? Yeah, what is it just black? >> it black? >> Red. >> [snorts]
>> So, to Ricky Kasso, who was already spiraling out of control, associating himself with the Knights just made
sense. They were outcasts in one way or another. They really liked to get high a
lot of the times, and some of them had expressed interest in the occult. Okay. Which like In and of itself, that's not
a bad thing. >> In and of itself, exactly, it's not a bad thing. And at round that age, I
think a lot of people express interest Yeah, who wasn't a witch? Yeah, I had a [ __ ] coven in third grade.
>> Hell yeah. And I literally got a phone call home about it, you know. But in Ricky's case, his interest was
sparked innocently when he found a book on the occult at the local library. But according to his dad, it wasn't until
Ricky reached his teens that his interest became somewhat concerning. Dick Kasso later said, "The really
bizarre, really deviant behavior started in the seventh grade." Which makes sense, that's like Yeah.
>> really when he got like super into drugs. >> Yeah. From there, they said his interest in
the occult only and that scared both of his parents. Now, based on some people's memories, Ricky
had a very strong interest in the occults and like stories, things like that. But it's really unclear how strong
that interest was. >> Okay. Lots and lots of pretty innocuous things at that time were deemed to be
like related to Satanism and the occult, especially through the lens of the older
generation. Yep. And as devout Christians, Dick and Lin Kasso probably interpreted a lot of those interests
that were benign as being satanic. >> Yeah, that makes sense. But it should also be said that as a teenager looking
for attention wherever he could get it, there's a very good chance that Ricky played up his supposedly satanic
interest to get a reaction out of people. >> Which he basically said he did. >> Yeah, exactly.
>> Like the the Knights did. One local said, "Ricky was of the devil." When he was on acid, he'd go back up into the
dark woods up in Azetakia, and he would talk to the devil. He said the devil came in the form of a tree, which
sprouted out of the ground and glowed. Who said that? A local. Okay. Um Period. Period. Period. [laughter]
Wow, imagine believe Well, imagine being described as as of the devil. >> Of the devil. I'm kind of upset. If
somebody described me as of the devil >> Yeah. I think I might take that as a compliment.
>> described as of the devil. Absolutely, you have. [laughter] Positive of that.
Yeah, but but don't you kind of take that as a compliment? Yeah, the devil has never come to me in the form of a
tree. No. That I I can't claim. In the form of something else? >> No, I mean I don't think so. Okay. Yeah,
I'm sure. Like maybe an ex. Yeah. [laughter] Perhaps. Mine came in the form of my mom, so I got it. So, maybe
there's that. Not a tree though. No, not a tree. I'd actually like that. Yeah. Yeah. That's a lot less distressing. It
is. You know. So, by 1983, Ricky's antics had led to him becoming an outcast even in his own friend group.
>> Ooh. Uh by their own admission, they were the local outcasts, and now he was an outcast of outcasts.
>> Holy [ __ ] >> No bueno. So, in response, he dove obviously deeper into drug use, and he spent more
and more time with Jimmy alone or just completely by himself. By that point, he was dangerously close
to getting expelled from school because he had taken a teacher's checkbook from her desk and like threatened to use it
essentially. Like he was going to steal her checkbook. >> What? He also had been deemed, and this
is not a term obviously that we use anymore, but that's what they said back then. He had been deemed emotionally
handicapped by the school's district committee. Wow. They were like, "He cannot be helped." No. At the same time,
his parents were starting to look into other options for his education, but a lot of those would include him being
sent away essentially. Yeah. In reality, a school experience with educating kids
like him, like with behavioral issues and drug issues, probably could have helped him.
But every time his parents would arrange for an interview, he would run away or he would find ways to dodge the
appointment. Uh and at least they're trying. Yeah, it does seem like they tried.
I don't obviously nobody knows what was going on in that house, but from everything we do know, it seems like
they tried to get him help. In late March of 1983, they reached the end of their wits with Ricky, and they
went to the local police chief, Robert Howard, hoping that there was something the authorities could do to straighten
their kid out because they were desperate. >> Damn. So, Chief Howard, he was like,
"Yeah, of course I'll help you." And that month, Ricky was involuntarily admitted to South Oaks Hospital in
Amityville for treatment and observation. While he This is really sad and um trigger warning for suicide.
While he was at South Oaks, he tried to hang himself in the shower with a sweater, but he was discovered luckily
before any serious damage had been done. He also tried to run away at least five
times and had to be tracked down by the police and brought back to the hospital.
>> Wow. So, he was released from South Oaks in May, and for a short time, things at the
Kasso house were quiet. But by the end of the year, his resentment toward his parents and just frustrations in general
had returned, and so did his bad behavior. And this time, it seemed like he was even meaner than he had been
before. That's scary. In one instance, and this is just like it's so petty, but it's so mean.
He covered his arms in ketchup and yelled for his mom in to come into his bedroom and yelled at her, "Look what I
did." And for a minute, she believed that he had cut himself and was like bleeding profusely.
But when she realized it was only ketchup, he started laughing at her, and Lin just started gathering all his [ __ ]
and throwing it onto the front lawn, and she told him to get out. >> Honestly, like that's that's so [ __ ]
up. >> Yeah. And it's like That's wild. I don't It's >> imagine being in that position.
>> I can't imagine being in that position. I'm It's easy to look at it from here
and be like, "You should never throw your kid out when they're like 16, >> but I haven't lived that.
>> But we haven't lived that. We don't know what they were going through. And that
is emotionally traumatizing. >> So, at that point, she did kick him out. And he was like, "Okay, cool. See you."
And from that point forward, he basically just spent his time wandering the streets of Northport and couch
surfing. That's wild. >> Yeah. By early 1984, 17-year-old Ricky and whatever friends he had left could
usually be found hanging out at the various cemeteries around Northport. The cemeteries were usually empty, and there
was also several crypts and obscured areas, so they could use drugs without being caught or they could crash there
if like Ricky, they didn't have any home to go back to. Damn. And like they kind
of had shelter, which is awful. >> In a mausoleum and a crypt, but they did. Around this time, Ricky started to
spend a lot of time with 16-year-old stoner Randy uh Guthler. Like Ricky, Randy was like a local
misfit. He was a heavy drug user at 16 years old. And he spent most of his time getting high and causing trouble. In
October, so weird that you had mentioned this earlier, and you had no idea that this was coming. No. Randy broke into
one of the crypts and stole a skeletonized hand from a 54-year-old grave site. >> What the [ __ ] And this kid's 16 years
old. Holy [ __ ] >> the hand in a brown paper bag and just loved took any chance he could to show
it off to the other kids and like horrify them. What the [ __ ] A few weeks after he had
he had just taken the hand from the site, he went back with Ricky to the cemetery where they stole the skull from
the same grave site. What? This poor person. >> of straight-up douchebags. This person
had been laying to in rest for 54 years. >> Then these [ __ ] teenagers come and
just pick apart his body. Jesus Christ. >> Exactly. So, the police ended up getting
involved, and they took the case very seriously. And in April, Ricky and Randy were arrested and charged with violation
of a public health law. Which is so interesting. It's like I was saying earlier, like I think they have to be
kind of creative about charges for grave robbing. >> now they have better charges for it.
>> I think there's definitely better ones, but even still, like I think they could use some work.
Cuz I assume like desecration of a corpse and stuff should be Yeah. >> Definitely.
And I think even a grave, like disturbing a grave site is a uh charge. So, not one to pass up the opportunity
to defy authorities, when he was interviewed about the grave robbery, Ricky told detectives that he had
procured the remains for use in a satanic ritual. >> Oh, please. He's obviously just [ __ ]
with them. Like I don't think he's really He's just a kid. >> of a satanic ritual. No.
According to Detective Douglas Varney though, when he was arrested, he was carrying satanic material, the pentagram
and a list of hierarchy in hell, names given the devil such as Beelzebub, and a whole group of Latin names. Wow. I said,
"I'm sure." He's probably so legit. Definitely. >> Yeah. Like he's like 17. I'm not that
worried about it. I'm more worried about the fact that he's grave robbing and yeah, like actually doing it.
>> Yeah. The hand was confiscated by the police upon their arrest, and the following month, the skull was
discovered, and everything was put back. So, at the same time that Ricky was destroying his relationships and earning
a a reputation as one of Northport's most notorious Satanists, Gary Lauwers was on his own decline,
unfortunately. Once known among his friends as the type of guy that everybody liked, by 1984, he
had developed a somewhat serious drug habit himself, and he had started stealing in order to support the drug
habit. According to his friend Dan, Gary would do things for the moment. He wouldn't think about the next day, what
was going to happen to him. He totally [ __ ] somebody over and not think about the consequences of it.
>> Oh, not a good way to live. Because his front his frontal lobe is not developed
yet. Oh, you We're talking about all these people, and it's like You think they're like 30. And it's like you're
doing these serious, serious drugs, and you are stunting the [ __ ] out of yourself because your brain isn't even
finished growing yet. >> Well, and it's like hearing about all these people that it's like, "Oh, they
had a serious drug problem, and they were going through this." And you think you're talking about like a 30-year-old,
but you're talking about a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old. >> So sad. So, in the summer of 1983, Gary
stole some money from his parents, who eventually just didn't know what to do with him anymore, much like Ricky's
parents, and they kicked him out of the house. Just like Ricky, Gary managed to find
some places to stay. He kind of couch surfed. He also slept in various clubhouses around town, or he broke into
the lumber yard and would sleep in one of the few abandoned buildings on the property.
That's so sad. >> It really is. Like a 16-year-old just roaming around town. >> Yeah. It's just awful. A few years
earlier, Gary had started casually dealing drugs to support his own habit, and that's how he got to know Ricky,
Casso, and Jimmy Traiano. So, one night in April, Ricky and Gary happened to be at the same party
together, and Ricky had passed out after a night of drinking. While Ricky was unconscious, Gary went
through his jacket and stole 10 envelopes of PCP. >> Jesus. And then snuck out before Ricky
woke up. A few days later, Ricky and Jimmy tracked Gary down, and they said, "We know you did this."
And he admitted he did, but that he still had half of the envelopes, like he had five of the 10.
So, he gave back what was left, and he promised to pay Ricky back for what was missing, but they beat him up
regardless. He got a bloody nose, a black eye, and some cuts on his face. >> Damn. And according to his friend,
Michelle Devoe, Ricky told Gary if it happened again, he would kill him. Whoa. So, by that summer
>> serious. Very serious. By that summer, Ricky was mostly living in the woods, and he had what most
described as a serious addiction to PCP. >> he's living in the woods addicted to
PCP. Yeah, and he's like 17 years old. >> Holy [ __ ] Um I also PCP, it feeds paranoia.
Like people become insanely paranoid. Keep that in mind. He was regularly traveling to the Bronx
in order to buy PCP. Friend Johnny Howard said, "It got dark after he started doing all the angel dust, which
is PCP." He said, "You don't want to do anything like that when you're really depressed, because it's going to make it
worse. If you smoke a joint of angel dust and read the Satanic Bible, it will amplify the feelings you presently
have." Ooh. So, that was obviously bad, but if his addiction to PCP wasn't enough reason
for people to keep their distance, the recent reports of his grave robbing were. Yeah. He really only had a few
friends, if that, left, and they tried to keep him grounded in reality, but he just wasn't there.
>> So, he spent most of his time alone, and he spent a lot of that time fixated on
how he was going to get revenge against Gary for stealing from him. Oh boy. >> And his rage is only growing throughout
this whole period. Not good. So, on the night of June 19th, Gary and a small group of his friends were hanging out at
a gazebo in Cow Harbor Park. He had plans later that night to go to the movies with his new girlfriend,
Grace. But he also told friends that he was going to hang out with Ricky that night, because he really wanted to
repair their friendship. The plan seemed very strange to everybody who was there. They were like,
"Ricky wants revenge on you. Like I don't think you should go hang out with him. He's really pissed at you."
And he's pissed that you still haven't paid him back. So, they were like, "Don't go with him. Hang out with us.
Like stay here. We're concerned about this." But Gary allegedly told them, "It's okay, guys. I swear, it's fine."
So, shortly after that, Ricky and Jimmy arrived at the same park, where it was clear to everybody that they were
tripping on LSD. Once he spotted Ricky, Gary approached, and he handed Ricky $50 that he had owed
him for the drugs, for the stolen drugs. But to his surprise, Ricky was like, "No, I don't want the money." And
instead, he opened his hand and offered Gary some of the LSD that he had. Which obviously Gary accepted, and soon they
were all tripping, and they seemed to be getting along just fine. Mhm. At some point, Ricky, Jimmy, Gary, and another
friend, Albert, decided to go to like this makeshift campsite in the Northport woods to continue drinking and listening
to music and tripping. Nobody can be completely positive about what happened in the woods that night,
what the actual truth is, because all we have are accounts from the two people who were involved, or two of the people
involved. But according to Jimmy, Jimmy Traiano, they were all sitting around the fire, and he said, quote, "Ricky
kept telling Gary to donate some of his clothes to the fire." The [ __ ] >> Which is a weird [ __ ] way to put
that, and like weird thing to ask anybody to do. Desperate to be on good terms with the
group, though, Gary was just doing what Ricky said, and he started throwing pieces of his clothing into the fire.
Which also, remember, these kids are unhoused. Like they don't have a lot of clothes, so that's sad in and of itself.
A short time later, though, they started fighting, Gary and Ricky. Jimmy later told the police, "Suddenly, me and
Albert heard Gary say, 'I love you, Mom.' And when they looked to see what was happening, they saw Ricky stab Gary
in the back suddenly." >> The [ __ ] He said, "I love you, Mom." >> you, Mom." Ugh.
Gary tried This gets even worse. Gary tried to run away, but Ricky tackled him before he could get far. He then bit his
neck like it insanely hard, and started dragging him by the ankles back to the campsite.
>> He then just started stabbing Gary over and over in the back, screaming for him
to say, "Love you, Satan." What the [ __ ] Which like he's on drugs. >> Yeah. In response, Gary just kept
repeating, "I love my mom." Oh. Which ruins you. Before finally saying, allegedly, "I love you, Satan."
Holy [ __ ] >> Yeah. So, Ricky stabbed Gary Lauwers nearly 30 times in the face, back, and
eyes. >> Eyes? Eyes. Once he was dead, they searched his pockets, and they found his wallet,
which allegedly contained a list of the dignitaries in hell, and instructions on how to conduct a
Satanic ritual. Who knows if that's true. I doubt it. >> It was about 3:00 a.m. by that point,
and everybody wanted to get out of the woods. So, they covered Gary's body with dirt, leaves, and branches, and then
just started walking out of the woods. Like no big deal. >> Like nothing had ever happened. Like
they hadn't That Ricky hadn't just stabbed somebody 30 times, or more than 30 times.
>> Yeah. While Gary Lauwers' murder was brutal and completely shocking in and of
itself, what was even more shocking was that between the teenagers who committed
and witnessed the murders, and then those who heard about it, nobody really seemed to care that much or sympathize
in any way. >> That is so scary. The general apathy there is really scary. >> It absolutely is. Ricky obviously
couldn't help but brag to his friends about what he had done, cuz he's a piece of [ __ ] He told two friends, "I started
kicking Gary's ass for stealing from me. There was this crow flying overhead screeching. That was a sign from Satan.
He was ordering me to kill Gary. So, I pulled out my knife, and I stabbed him once before he ran away." And he even
went as far as taking other people into the woods to go see Gary's body to prove
that he had done it. >> Yeah. Holy [ __ ] In the days before the murder, Gary had apparently made a few
comments about leaving Northport. So, when he wasn't around all of the sudden, most people just assumed he had left
town. It wasn't until July 1st, almost 2 weeks later, that an anonymous call came into
the Northport police regarding Gary's murder. Before hanging up, the caller just said, "There's a body in the woods
behind Gunther's Tap Room." Whoa. To the officer on the receiving end, the caller sounded like a young woman, maybe
a teenager, and he thought it was probably a prank. And as far as he knew, there was nobody missing in Northport,
so seems like it was just a prank. That's one thing you should always do as a member of law enforcement, assume that
these things are prank. >> write it off. It really It works out most of the time.
>> Don't go out and check. >> Yeah, definitely don't. >> Mine Yeah. Why spend the resources, you
know? >> Yeah. Like dude. Yeah. My brother in Christ. >> Yeah. Go take a peek. Go Just go. Go
look. It could be a prank, but you know, check it out. >> Hey, whatever. Egg on your face, you
know? >> Exactly. You'd You'd rather be safe than sorry. >> that egg on your face.
So, things took a more concerning turn the next day, when the head nun at Madonna Heights School, which imagine
going to Madonna Heights School. >> I know. I was going to say something. >> Pretty rad, especially in the '80s.
>> Like I mean >> Height of Madonna. Can you imagine? >> Yeah. Back to the story.
The head nurse there, sister nun, excuse me, Sister Mary James, reached out to the Northport police to report that one
of her students, Jean Wells, had reported something shocking to one of the school counselors.
According to Sister James, Jean had gone to the counselor after coming home from a weekend in Northport, where
she learned that one of her friends, Gary, had been murdered and buried in the woods.
Officers went out to Gary's house, where his mother said that she hadn't seen him
for a few weeks, but that wasn't that unusual. Still, the officers asked that she and
Gary get in touch, and let them know as soon as she saw him. So, after leaving his house, the
officers paid a visit to Jean's house, and Jean explained that she had gone into Northport for the weekend to visit
her friend, Karen, whose boyfriend, Jimmy Traiano, >> Ah. had been in the woods the night that
Gary was killed. It was while all three of them were together that Jimmy casually mentioned Ricky Casso was
keeping a low profile, because he had killed Gary. And then, Jimmy offered to take Jean out
to the woods to see the body. What the >> So, they were all just being like, "You
want to go see?" "You want to go check it out?" >> to go check it out?" >> "Yeah, I can show you."
>> "Oh, okay, great." Like what the [ __ ] >> Like that is some cruel ass [ __ ]
>> Absolutely, it is. It's unhinged. >> Yeah. So, the casual way that Jimmy was talking and even laughing about the
entire situation made Jean wonder if he was telling the truth, and she explained
that to the officers. Detectives of Northport were still skeptical of Jean's story. I'm like,
this poor girl is in emotional distress, Yeah. and she's like reaching out to anybody she can to be like, "I I'm
pretty sure this is true." >> for this body in the woods. Like that's She's begging you.
So, they waited until the next day >> Oh my god. Like you said, my brother in Christ.
What are you waiting for? >> Like when they got around to it, I guess. >> Jesus. And they went out to the area
known as the Estique Woods, but it didn't take long for them to find exactly what they were looking for.
About 100 yards from the opening to the path that led into the woods, detectives
Roemer and McCready found one of the cadaver dogs pulling on something buried in the dirt.
>> say. And when When got close enough to pull the dog away, they discovered the
dog had been chewing on a bloody piece of human scalp. Holy [ __ ] Yeah. Holy [ __ ] So, it had
rained heavily the night before. So, when technicians arrived at the scene, they didn't have to work very
hard to unearth Gary's remains from what was the very shallow grave that Jimmy and Ricky had buried him in. Honestly,
calling it a grave is a stretch. >> going to say cuz they just keep showing people his body as well.
>> They keep showing people his body and they hadn't really even dug a grave. They just covered him in about like an
inch of soil, leaves, and debris. Yeah. At first, investigators did believe that
Gary had been decapitated since his head had been separated from his body when he'd been buried a couple weeks earlier.
I think they later determined that it was just decomp. Ooh. But, the rest of his remains were equally battered and
brutalized and that indicated that whoever had killed Gary had been very angry at the time. Yeah.
So, it took some time, but eventually detectives managed to catch up with Ricky, Jimmy, and Albert on July 5th and
they were all arrested on suspicion of murder. Not surprisingly, Ricky was defiant and
basically refused to say anything. But, Jimmy barely hesitated before telling investigators
almost every last thing Holy [ __ ] >> to Gary. He said Gary had stolen the 10 packets
of PCP from Ricky a few weeks before the murder and on the night of June 19th while he was high, Ricky stabbed Gary to
death for it. >> Jesus. In his version of events, Jimmy let it slip that during their walk to
the woods, Albert quietly mentioned to him that Ricky was planning on killing Gary once they got there.
>> Holy [ __ ] So, it was just completely planned and known. That's what No one stepped in. Yeah, that's what they
thought. This came as a shock to detectives who assumed that Gary had just been killed in a fit of rage. But,
if what Jimmy was saying was true, that meant that Gary's murder was premeditated.
>> That's murder one, babe. >> And that changes everything. Now, in his description of the events,
Jimmy also mentioned that Ricky and some of the others in their squad, I guess, Mhm. had expressed some
interest in the occult and in Satanism. But, he was also fairly explicit that the murder was related to Gary having
stolen Ricky's drugs and that Ricky was also on drugs when Gary was killed. >> That's the thing. I believe this is a
very like grounded in a shitty reality kind of thing of like drugs. Yeah, it's all It all just leads back to drugs.
Because even if they're talking about Satanism, they're high on drugs. >> Exactly. So, it's all
drugs. >> they're hallucinating on drugs. >> Yeah. It all goes back to drugs like you
just said. >> as a judge people sitting here murdering people for Satan. >> for Satan. No.
>> Yeah. But, still, Robert Don of the Northport Homicide Squad told reporters, "You've got a whole bunch a whole group
of Satan worshipers. This was a sacrificial killing. They built a roaring fire in a field near the woods.
I don't know what this is supposed to mean, but this is what they did. It's pure Satanism." Well, and that's and
just to be clear that like even if they were sober as a judge killing someone, that's equally as bad. I'm saying like
to to pin this on like, "Well, they're Satanists and that's the reason." It's like No, you don't have to do that. This
is as bad. They were all on drugs and they killed someone over drugs. Like it's it's It's bad even either way.
You don't need to add in Satanism element to And that's That's exactly the point here is that why are you adding on
Satanism when this poor kid was nearly decapitated? He had been stabbed so many times.
>> a very stupid like for drugs. >> Mhm. Yeah. It's like you said. It It just doesn't
need the added layer. >> No. And it was It was to like glorify that. Not glorify this, but
>> Exactly. Exactly. So, in a press conference the next day, Assistant District Attorney William Kean
said, "They treated this living and breathing 17-year-old man as a sacrificial animal. They slaughtered and
mutilated him." Which is true. They did. He went on to describe the murder as nothing less than a sadistic, torturous,
sacrificial killing, a satanic ritual murder. I was like, "You had me until the very end." You're partially right
there. I was like, "Guys, it like that's not the point that matters." Yeah. Which
was wild because again, Jimmy just mentioned all the occult stuff in passing probably when he was like probed
about it. >> Yeah. And told them the the majority of this entire thing was over drugs.
>> Yeah. Not like not even the majority, just all of it was about drugs. >> All Ricky told the police was, "I
stabbed him. He got what he deserved." >> Yeah. Which is nuts. He literally stabbed him in the eyes. And to be that
callous. Yeah. I don't think that kid stood a chance. >> You start doing drugs when you're 10 and
you get into PCP by the time you're like 13, you're going to lose all that basic
empathy. Unfortunately. So, in the days after Ricky and Jimmy's arrests, adults and the press in Northport made a
huge deal of the supposed satanic aspect of the murder, apparently completely unaware of the contradictory statements
from Ricky's friends and associates. One friend told a reporter, "I doubt they really were into Satanism." And most of
the teenagers interviewed by the police and the press explained that Ricky had bragged about devil worship and occult
practices, but nobody really believed his interest was anything more than him just trying to get attention.
>> Which I feel like if he really was a devil worshiper or whatever the hell they're trying to say he is, he would be
doing that pretty quietly. I don't think he'd be running around doing If he's bragging about it and being like, "Ah,
raising the devil." and all that, he's doing it to get reactions. It's that's basic human behavior. Well, and
I'm obsessed with this comment. Chief Robert Howard, who was the first one to actually try to help Ricky when his
parents went to the authorities, he said, "It was a group of losers looking for something to make them special to
get attention. They got it." Yeah. I That attitude is so Red Foreman. >> Because it's so like he's literally
being like, "Yeah, we can sit here and sensationalize and pick hair and split hairs. It's just a bunch of [ __ ]
They were trying to make a name for themselves. They got mad over drugs and they killed another human being." Like
that's simplistic as that. >> lost in the minutiae. >> Shitty all the way around. So, on July
7th, Ricky Kasso hanged himself in his cell Holy [ __ ] and what the medical examiner listed obviously as an apparent
suicide. Given his confession and Jimmy Trion's, Ricky had reason to believe that and he
probably would have that if he was found guilty of murder and sent to prison, it
would be for a very long time. >> Yeah. The sheriff told the reporters he exhibited no undue stress and was
treated as any other inmate. And Ricky left no note explaining his actions. >> He wanted to get out of what he was
going to get into. I feel really bad for his parents. >> Yeah. And obviously for Gary's parents
as well. >> Yeah. All of these kids' parents. It's just like oh. Yeah. Uh >> And his sister, Wendy. Yeah. Who like he
was close to. That's got to be hard. >> It's awful. >> To watch that evolution happen. Yeah,
and to live in a house, too, that was probably so chaotic because of his drug use and behavioral issues. Like I think
she lost who her big brother was for very small amount of time in her life. >> Uh with Albert Quinones having been let
go without charges, he was just there that night. >> Yeah. Uh and Ricky dead, that left only
Jimmy Trion alone to face trial for Gary's death. He did go on trial in early April of 1985 and by then the
judge had ruled out any possibility that the murder was ritualistic or occult in
nature. Instead, Jimmy was just being tried as an accomplice in Gary's murder. The jury was told that Jimmy held Gary
while Ricky had stabbed him. Damn. The prosecution's entire case was based on the investigators' belief that Jimmy had
participated, however minimally, in the assault and that made him culpable for murder.
They said any statements made by Jimmy himself to the contrary couldn't be trusted given his character. Which you
can understand. >> Yeah. But, still, both Jimmy and Albert testified that Jimmy never restrained
Gary, never tried to prevent him from leaving the area, and the violence inflicted on Gary and the murder were
entirely Ricky's doing. Which is also very easy to do though when Ricky is no longer here to uh Absolutely. You You
can pin it all on him now. >> Absolutely. >> saying that's not what happened. It's
just It's like that's why I said it >> you second guess That's why I said it up the way I did like when we first started
talking about it. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the full truth of
that night. The only truth that we do know is that Gary was viciously murdered. We don't really know exactly
who did what. >> Yeah, like we know clearly Ricky was heavily >> Yeah, obviously he was there and I do
think he stabbed him, but who knows what other people's input was. After more than 10 hours of deliberation
though, the jury ultimately sided with the defense and Jimmy was acquitted of the charges and allowed to leave a free
man. All of the jurors refused to comment on what led them to an acquittal. All they
said was, "We all had a job to do and we did it well. It was a long deliberation
and therefore you can conclude it was well thought out." Okay. So, in his statement to the press,
Jimmy's lawyer Eric Nyberg was equally vague and just said, "There's proof of the defendant's guilt, but also
reasonable doubt. I don't think anybody but God knows what happened that night."
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I also think the people that were there know what happened that night. Yeah, exactly. But,
sure, just God. >> Yeah, for sure. Yeah. In November of 1984, before the trial had even been
scheduled, journalist David Breskin published an article called Kids in the Dark in Rolling Stone magazine. That's
spooky. It really is. More than simply just coverage of Gary's murder, the article was a very lengthy interview
between Breskin and several of the kids in and around Jimmy's circle. Interesting. Yeah. Unlike other national
press outlets who did obviously mention the satanic and occult interests, but mostly stuck to the drug story, Breskin
painted a picture of suburban teenagers gone wild, abusing some of the scariest drugs on the streets at that point, and
engaging in dark religious practices. So, the article poured gasoline on an already raging satanic panic fire. Mhm.
TM. And for a while, Ricky Kasso became the new face of Satanism in America. An ordinary kid who slid far too easily
into drug abuse, heavy metal music, and finally ritualistic murder. Unfortunately, and what's really
just it breaks my heart, the truth of Gary's murder has been completely forgotten. And
nobody will ever really know exactly what happened that night except like you said the three people that were there.
But obviously the salacious rumors of Satanism and the occult remain to this day and everybody gets a little too
focused on that. >> Yeah, and once they're put into a story, it's hard to take it out.
>> It is. >> Cuz there's always going to be people that you can throw the evidence right in
front of their face and they're going to say, "Nope. Satan." In my opinion, this was all drug fueled.
>> like it was very much drug fueled and I'm sure there was like Satan [ __ ] being
thrown about. >> Sure. They're teenage boys. >> more for uh shock value than anything
else. I don't think that they were I honestly don't think they were like capable of organizing actual like
religious practices here. I just don't see them like organizing, you know, ritualistic [ __ ] I think they just did
it to shock people and it worked. People gave them what they wanted. Nothing about the murder was ritualistic at all.
You know, like >> like a brutal murder that someone who is not completely in their right
mind would commit. Exactly. Yeah. Wow, that's really sad. It is a really sad one. Gary. Poor Gary. Poor Gary's
family. They the victim will get lost in these kind of things when it gets too focused on like the salacious like
Satanism [ __ ] and like, you know, ritualistic [ __ ] and all that. >> Yeah. Like Gary will get lost like more
and more as it goes. >> Exactly. No. And it's sad because obviously Gary was having some kind of
struggle. He was 16 years old and didn't live at home anymore. >> Yeah. And was addicted to drugs.
>> You look it up though, he looks like a baby. >> Yeah. >> so young. >> Yeah, it's awful.
>> really sad. >> All of these kids were so young and like living the hardest [ __ ] lives.
>> Yeah. It's awful. Mhm. And it's time for a fun fact. And I think it's your turn to find
a fun fact. >> I thought it was your turn. >> Is flipped in 1 minute is 140. Holy [ __ ]
>> That's a lot of [ __ ] pancakes. >> flip one. >> In a minute? I wonder what counts as a
successful flip. Mhm. You know? I mean, it's got to be like a full full flip around.
>> have like edges cur- like curled under or anything. It's got to be a full flip.
>> Yeah, that's what I would think. >> Holy [ __ ] 140. I mean, good for you, person who did that.
>> Oh yeah, let's look up who did that. That's pretty impressive. Of course it was an Australian. Australians do great
things. Australian celebrity chef Brad Jolly, who I don't know, flipped a pancake 140 times in a minute in Sydney,
Australia on February 21st, 2012 setting the world record for most tosses of a pancake in 1 minute.
>> I think Robert Irwin did it. Probs. >> Yeah. But also, are you flipping fre- like it that sounds like he's just
flipping the same pancake over and over. Oh. That feels No, if you're just flipping the same pancake
>> it. But that feels a little bit easier than flipping a fresh pancake. You know
what I mean? Like batter side over. Oh, cuz honestly, you really couldn't do it that way anyways cuz you when you flip a
pancake, you have to wait for it to bubble >> Oh. Yes, he flipped the same pancake 140
times. I mean again, I'm not saying I could do it. >> No, I'm definitely not saying that.
>> I couldn't I couldn't do it. We're going to try that tomorrow and we'll get back
to you. >> We'll try it. >> So we hope you keep listening. >> And we hope you >> keep it weird. But not so weird that you
don't have a contest with your friends and family about flipping pancakes. Yeah.
I want pancakes now. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music]
[music]

In the early summer of 1984, seventeen-year-old Gary Lauwers was murdered by his friend Richard “Ricky” Kasso in the small Long Island suburb of Northport, New York. Lauwers was stabbed more than thirty times in the attack and his body showed signs of what appeared to be torture. The death itself was shocking to the tiny community of Northport, but the details that emerged in the wake of Kasso’s arrest would shock the entire nation.

References

Breskin, Davkd. 1984. "Kids in the Dark." Rolling Stone, November 22.

Cassidy, Jerry. 1984. "Cops say 2 teens sought corpses for satanic rites." Daily News, April 26: 352.

Gruson, Lindsey. 1985. "L.I. jury acquits defendant in killing of youth in woods." New York Times, April 26: B2.

—. 1985. "L.I. murder trial opens; confession is described." New York Times, April 5: B2.

Maier, Thomas J., and Rex Smith. 1984. "2 teens arraigned in murder." Newsday (Suffolk edition), July 7: 3.

McFadden, Robert. 1984. "Youth found hanged in L.I. cell after his arrest in ritual killing." New York Times, July 8: 1.

Newsday. 1984. "Police reports; Grave robbing." Newsday (Suffolk Edition), April 25: 33.

O'Neill, Jim, and Dennis Hevesi. 1984. "2 Northport youths charged in 'Satanic' killing of teen." Newsday (Suffolk edition), July 6: 3.

Pollack, Jesse P. 2018. The Acid King. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Listener Tale Theme Music licensed from https://www.purple-planet.com Main Theme: Matti Paalanen — Trick or Treat — Provided by Jamendo Ad Music: Title: Artist: BlueJay Studio — Spooky Waltz — Provided by Jamendo

Brief Summary

Ricky Kasso murders Gary Lauwers amid drug abuse and sensationalized satanic panic in 1980s Northport, New York.

Key points

Finding Joy Amidst Chaos. Elena and Ash discuss the importance of finding small joys in life, especially during tough times.
The Legend of Goody Garlick. The hosts delve into local legends, including the tale of Goody Garlick, a supposed witch.
Ricky's Idyllic Childhood. Ricky Jr. had a seemingly perfect childhood with a loving family and a happy home.
The Shift to Drug Use. Ricky's life took a turn when he began using drugs to escape his unhappy reality.
Escalating Criminal Behavior. Ricky's petty thefts escalated as he sought to support his growing drug habit.
Ricky's Decline. Ricky's relationships with his parents deteriorate, leading to him living away from home.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's really important to find little joys because everything sucks so much.

Discussing the importance of finding joy in tough times.

2:24WatchJan 15, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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