Gary Heidnik

⚠️ This episode contains descriptions of kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, murder, dismemberment, and death.

Between November 1986 and March 1987, Gary Heidnik kidnapped six women and held them captive in the basement of his North Philadelphia home, while holding church services on the floor above. Two of them never made it out. The case would go on to help inspire Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, and Heidnik would become the last person executed in Pennsylvania.

In this episode of How to Get on Death Row, we follow Gary Heidnik from his childhood in Ohio, through his time in the Army, his career as a nurse, and the self-made church that gave him cover. We go inside the four months on Marshall Street through the accounts of the women who survived it, including Josefina Rivera, whose escape finally brought police to his door, and we look at the missed chances that could have ended it sooner.

From the Philadelphia courtroom, where his defense argued insanity, to his 1988 conviction and his execution on July 6, 1999, we break down how Gary Heidnik ended up on death row, and what it means for the women he left behind.

In memory of Sandra Lindsay and Deborah Dudley.

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SOURCES & MORE INFORMATION

For sources, court documents, photographs, and additional information about the Gary Heidnik case, check out our website!

https://howtogetondeathrow.com/

Further reading:

Cellar Girl by Josefina Rivera

Cellar of Horror by Ken Englade

Interrogation audio from Monster Preacher (Oxygen).

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🎙️ HOW TO GET ON DEATH ROW

Each episode breaks down real death row cases from start to finish— exploring the crime, the investigation, the trial, and the decisions that change everything.

We dive into the evidence and the legal, personal, and ethical factors that can tip the scales between life and death.

Every case tells a different story—but they all answer the same question: how do you get on death row?

Subscribe for new cases and follow along as we examine the people, crimes, and cases that ultimately led to death row.

How to Get on Death Row is an Esper Creative Production.

Hosted by Olivia Costantino.

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