Wednesday, October 2, 2002.
Aspen Hill, Maryland. Northgate Plaza.
5:20 PM.
Inside Michael's craft supply store, cashier Ann Chapman rings up another customer. Then it happens. A loud crack; a gust of wind; the light in register five goes dark.
Over the next 23 days, the entire DC area will be thrust into a reign of terror unprecedented in American history. Sniper attacks targeting and murdering everyday citizens will bring the entire region to its knees, as a nation still reeling from the recent attacks of 9/11 and the anthrax scare, are forced to confront a new type of brutal assault-this time in their own backyard. As law enforcement grapples with the mass carnage and chaos, media's ravenous 24-hour cycle amplifies the very real fear, while steadily pumping new theories and bad leads onto a paralyzed public desperate for it all to end.
But who can stop it? And exactly how?
Call Me God is the never-before-told story of the fascinating and turbulent investigation that led to the diabolical and elusive killers' capture; one that pitted protocol against instinct, sacred institutions against individual insight. Told first-hand by those few who had the vision and expertise to solve it, and including a fascinating look into the behavioural, ballistic, forensic, and electronic analysis vital to cracking the case, FBI agent brothers Jim Clemente (former FBI behavioural profiler) and Tim Clemente (former FBI counter-terrorism expert) take us through every facet and flaw of a nationwide manhunt that pressure tested nearly every aspect of law enforcement capabilities-and its glaring vulnerabilities.
Anchored by harrowing accounts from victims, intimate conversations with family members of those deceased, as well as candid accounts from those who knew the perpetrators best, relive the haunting events of the DC Sniper attack and piece together a true crime phenomenon that's impact can still be felt today.
***
(Audible Original, 24 October 2019, 7 hours, @audibleuk Original Podcast, free with membership, narrated by Maureen O'Connell)
***
***
I tend to really enjoy the @audibleuk True Crime podcasts so expected to enjoy this. I did. I wasn't aware of the DC Sniper spree of killings so didn't have any expectations for the production. This isn't easy to listen to and is very graphic and violent at times as the Sniper, or actually the man and teenage boy responsible for the killings target people at random from all colours, age groups and walks of life. Call Me God is well researched. The podcast has multiple narrators including the police investigating the murders, victims, eyewitnesses and experts so you get a balanced overview of the case.
