Ask Me Anything! | Q&A With Elissa Kerrill

·1 hr 16 min·5 clips

Elissa Kerrill reveals how a People magazine cover of Jeffrey Dahmer sparked her lifelong obsession with true crime.

This episode is a Q&A format where host Elissa Kerrill answers listener-submitted questions to mark her podcast's sixth anniversary. She begins by explaining her early interest in true crime, triggered by a People magazine cover of Jeffrey Dahmer and the movie 'Bram Stoker's Dracula.' Kerrill details how her podcast evolved from an Instagram account where she posted serial killer stories in daily chapters. She reveals the podcast now has nearly 9 million total listens and a global audience, with analytics showing listeners in almost every country. Kerrill discusses her podcasting process, noting her main show is scripted like an audiobook, while her spin-off 'Murder in the News' is unscripted. She answers questions about her intro 'hello, heathens,' linking it to her Viking ancestry and the show 'The Last Kingdom.' Kerrill shares personal insights, including relating to Edmund Kemper's childhood to process her own trauma and her lack of formal psychology degrees despite deep self-education. She names cases that disturbed her, like Albert Fish, and ones she finds fascinating, like Alexander Petrushkin. Kerrill announces she and her spouse are selling their house to live in an RV, planning to create travel vlogs. She also teases a potential new podcast with guest Doc, focusing on the science behind criminal psychology. The episode includes discussions on distinguishing psychopathy from sociopathy, the challenges of the criminal justice system, and how listeners can support the podcast through sharing or platforms like Ko-fi.

As heard by us

A Q&A that turns a true crime host's origin story into the main event.

Serial Killing: A Podcast uses its AMA edition to make listener questions the frame for a clear, personal origin story. The host traces an early pull toward true crime back to a blue People magazine cover about Jeffrey Dahmer on her mother’s coffee table, where the ordinary look…

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For when you want a true-crime origin story with the backstory left in view.

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