The Tylenol Killer: Chicago's 1980s Cyanide Spree

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  • Опубликовано: 17 фев 2021
  • Do you want to hear Simon talk about insane criminal stuff? OF COURSE YOU DO. So subscribe to the Casual Criminalist on iTunes (apple.co/35JuYoP), Spotify (spoti.fi/3paOrWB), or even RUclips (ruclips.net/channel/UCp1t...! We publish two new episodes every week.
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    Source/Further reading:
    SOURCES GO HERE

Комментарии • 1,1 тыс.

  • @sirnik84
    @sirnik84 3 года назад +955

    Tamper proof packaging is everywhere. I just encountered it on a bottle of paint stripper. Wouldn't want any poison in my poison.

    • @TunnelV1sion
      @TunnelV1sion 3 года назад +74

      That might be so some dipshit working a warehouse doesn't try huffing it tho xD

    • @tyler6602
      @tyler6602 3 года назад +109

      @@TunnelV1sion would be a shame If someone huffed it before I could

    • @Monasaurus_Rex
      @Monasaurus_Rex 3 года назад +22

      This comment section is literal comedy gold

    • @mahtoosacks
      @mahtoosacks 3 года назад +11

      Its for kids... 🤦‍♂️

    • @moreroidsmoreboys
      @moreroidsmoreboys 2 года назад +23

      @@mahtoosacks it’s a joke 🤦

  • @bradlevantis913
    @bradlevantis913 3 года назад +675

    I was a kid when this happened. We were vacationing in Disney world and the front desk had a big bin that you could throw your Tylenol bottles in. It was crazy

    • @carolinagoldgirl8706
      @carolinagoldgirl8706 3 года назад +11

      Thanks for the story :) crazy how this happened.

    • @dx1450
      @dx1450 3 года назад +5

      I was 11 when it happened. Yeah, it was a crazy time.

    • @usefulpineapple4538
      @usefulpineapple4538 3 года назад +30

      Mickey be like: Hey Kids, throw your poisoned medicine in this bin, ha ha!

    • @Cbd_7ohm
      @Cbd_7ohm 3 года назад +3

      @@usefulpineapple4538 lol

    • @THEJesusChristyoutubechannel
      @THEJesusChristyoutubechannel Год назад

      @@carolinagoldgirl8706 why do you care? Also, FEMALEEEE!!! WOMAN

  • @carschmn
    @carschmn 3 года назад +1695

    We studied Johnson and Johnson’s response in my public administration classes as an example of how to handle a crisis.

    • @BookofProverbs
      @BookofProverbs 3 года назад +28

      Did they do a good job?

    • @carschmn
      @carschmn 3 года назад +325

      @@BookofProverbs it’s usually seen as an example of excellent crisis management. The recalling of all Tylenol is especially seen as smart because it was showing the public they were taking responsibility even when the crisis wasn’t their fault - which helped make people more willing to buy Tylenol in the future.

    • @nadeen3157
      @nadeen3157 3 года назад +84

      Comparing that to the baby powder incident a couple of years back....yikes

    • @carschmn
      @carschmn 3 года назад +79

      @@nadeen3157 yeah there was also another Tylenol issue about 10 years ago where bottles were getting contaminated by a leaky roof in a warehouse. J&J just covertly bought out the affected stock vs ever admitting it was an issue. They definitely backslid.

    • @caliguleah1338
      @caliguleah1338 3 года назад +1

      @@BookofProverbs a good time for a trip too flavour and aroma and flavor and I am not able and I am

  • @cathyeller5722
    @cathyeller5722 3 года назад +612

    I cuss and damn the Tylenol killer every time I struggle with getting a bottle open.

    • @amandajones661
      @amandajones661 3 года назад +13

      Me too!

    • @Monasaurus_Rex
      @Monasaurus_Rex 3 года назад +17

      Felt that a little too much

    • @The412Devil
      @The412Devil 2 года назад

      That's a child proof top idiot

    • @cathyeller5722
      @cathyeller5722 2 года назад +4

      @@The412Devil There is this computer thing, if you look up Tylenol killer you will see why they started putting "child proof" things on bottles. Before, then (your more than likely a child yourself) they didn't have child proof crap. Calling someone an idiot is not nice, and I usually don't answer. However, the amount of anger and ugliness that is going around is getting out of hand. Please go outside and sit in the sunshine and calm yourself. If this does not work, please seek medical attention about your issue. By the way I am the Devils daughter.

    • @The412Devil
      @The412Devil 2 года назад

      @@cathyeller5722 youre right. with simple internet search youd see that the pppa act was put in 1970 long before the aspirin tampering incident in 1982. So maybe before you preach to me about the use of a computer you use one first. Idiot.

  • @noominiacal
    @noominiacal 3 года назад +2013

    There's still pieces of human trash who open tubs of ice cream and lick them. People don't understand how serious product tampering is.

  • @TheJimbop
    @TheJimbop 3 года назад +441

    I wonder if the guy who poisoned the Tylenol shorted the stock before killing. Everyone thinks he was a serial killer, but what if he was in it for the money?

    • @ronkledonkanusmoncher564
      @ronkledonkanusmoncher564 3 года назад +69

      The massive recall effort cost millions and its very likely that the intent was to hurt Johnson and Johnson as a company, with the human lives lost just being a means to an end.

    • @dx1450
      @dx1450 3 года назад +71

      @@ronkledonkanusmoncher564 That's what I'm thinking, whoever did it had a grudge against J&J, else they might have targeted other products besides Tylenol. If you're just a psychopathic killer, you'd not only poison Tylenol but as soon as they figured out that was poisoned you'd probably switch to other products. But the fact that only Tylenol was tampered with makes me think they targeted that particular company.

    • @tallmilwaukee4452
      @tallmilwaukee4452 3 года назад +8

      Seems great minds think alike lol. Glad I scrolled down to see this after commenting 👌

    • @dx1450
      @dx1450 3 года назад +21

      @The Whore's Whisperer Kind of like the Beltway Sniper. He really just wanted to kill his ex-wife. So he planned to kill a bunch of people and kill her as well to make it look like she was the victim of a random killer. But he and his son got caught before he shot her.

    • @Nimbus3690
      @Nimbus3690 3 года назад +6

      @@dx1450 Tylenol's popularity alone may have been the reason for targeting. There may have been no grudge against J&J.

  • @amalfi460
    @amalfi460 3 года назад +272

    How did he only get charged with 2nd degree murder.... it was premeditated

    • @rorrim0
      @rorrim0 3 года назад +42

      It was quite likely that the guy's orginal motivation was to bitch at the barkeep but his motivation turned to murder on the dime.
      It's also very likely that because he was intoxicated his lawyer might've argued that such premeditation was unlikely because of his state of mind, and if he were not drunk it likely not of happened.
      Who knows.

    • @kevinkevin9525
      @kevinkevin9525 3 года назад +48

      It was pre*medicated*.

    • @ophiolatreia93
      @ophiolatreia93 3 года назад

      It was only 2degrees at the time that's what happened.

    • @ophiolatreia93
      @ophiolatreia93 3 года назад

      @@rorrim0 barkeep?

    • @rorrim0
      @rorrim0 3 года назад

      @@ophiolatreia93 Was the person shot just a bartender? or were they the owner of the bar?

  • @louthegiantcookie
    @louthegiantcookie 3 года назад +596

    This story always scared the crap out of me. It's just so senselessly cruel.

    • @theenzoferrari458
      @theenzoferrari458 3 года назад +12

      Nah its not cruel. Its population control

    • @ThisIsWhyYourDadLeft
      @ThisIsWhyYourDadLeft 3 года назад +108

      @@theenzoferrari458 ooh you're hard

    • @mintoo2cool
      @mintoo2cool 3 года назад +26

      @@theenzoferrari458 and population control is not cruel ?

    • @BookofProverbs
      @BookofProverbs 3 года назад +13

      @@theenzoferrari458 Corona virus is population control, this is evil

    • @brainsareus
      @brainsareus 3 года назад +1

      Thankfully; Arsenic is a lot less lethal than Cyanide.

  • @mommat794
    @mommat794 3 года назад +247

    I remember this very well. My foster mom threw out all OTC pills in the house, even vitamins. To this day when ever I struggle with the tamper proof packaging I curse 'one nut with a bottle of Tylenol'.

    • @ophiolatreia93
      @ophiolatreia93 3 года назад

      You struggle with packaging?😂

    • @basic5926
      @basic5926 3 года назад +21

      @@ophiolatreia93 Well they were alive in 1982 so chances are they're decently old, so don't make fun of them silly. Hell, even as a young person I can find myself getting annoyed at packaging.

    • @ophiolatreia93
      @ophiolatreia93 3 года назад +1

      @@basic5926 annoyed at packaging? Yeah me too. Only just this morning i wrote my cereal box a strongly worded critique

    • @ember-evergarden
      @ember-evergarden 3 года назад +3

      @@basic5926 Being born in 82 is decently old? Lmfao, humans live to be fucking 100, that's not even close to old.

    • @basic5926
      @basic5926 3 года назад +11

      @@ember-evergarden Friend, if they remember something that happened in '82, chances are they weren't born in the same year :/

  • @MrRyan-wu4jx
    @MrRyan-wu4jx 3 года назад +109

    Criming was so much easier to get away with back in the day.

    • @andiward7068
      @andiward7068 3 года назад +5

      Depending on Statutes of Limitations criminals also must escape future technologies. Not leaving fingerprints was well known, but then DNA came along. Now even smaller samples of unknown DNA can be used and larger samples of known DNA make it easier to match. Who knows what's next?

    • @tncorgi92
      @tncorgi92 3 года назад +22

      And they would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids.

    • @m0rbidhusky
      @m0rbidhusky 2 года назад +10

      Now, you need to be rich or politically connected to get away with crime. Sad.

    • @gorukooo
      @gorukooo 2 года назад +2

      In the US sure. People get killed all the time in other countries often without consequence.

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 2 года назад +1

      Indeed

  • @Mortheous
    @Mortheous 3 года назад +362

    Simon: "I want to give a quick shout-out to...Myself!" 😂

    • @geromelegnome5446
      @geromelegnome5446 3 года назад +9

      GANG GANG!!!

    • @michaeldonlon8239
      @michaeldonlon8239 3 года назад +16

      On the podcast he should thank himself for the shoutout

    • @amruthanand1330
      @amruthanand1330 3 года назад +9

      Well.. Simon is RUclips. So....

    • @stiofanofirghil1916
      @stiofanofirghil1916 3 года назад +4

      @@amruthanand1330 I know!! 🤣 Does the man even eat or sleep?! 🤣

    • @Panama_Red
      @Panama_Red 3 года назад +4

      He will soon be a self perpetuating advertisement

  • @johnstevenson9956
    @johnstevenson9956 3 года назад +157

    It's amazing when you start investigating a crime like this, how many other psychos you dig up.

  • @uzaiyaro
    @uzaiyaro 3 года назад +84

    A fantastic case study in how to do recalls right was a case here in Australia, in my home state of Queensland involving a company called Arnotts which makes all sorts of biscuits and whatnot. A woman had threatened to poison one type of biscuits in South Australia and Victoria unless she was paid a ransom. The company immediately pulled every single product they made from every single shelf in the entire country. They had taken out full page adverts in newspapers and on TV, publishing the extortion letter, warning people to not eat any of their products until the police deemed it was safe, as well as updates on the police investigation as they happened. I believed the CEO of the company was on the TV ads but don't quote me. This urgent recall cost the company $22 million, which was a huge figure back then.
    In the end, because of their transparency, after the scare (nobody was actually harmed, it was just a threatening letter), Arnotts not only retained their market share, but their market share actually grew as a result of the recall, because they were open, honest, held nothing back, and had played it safe by recalling every product nationwide.
    I'll be happy to provide further reading into this if anyone cares enough.

    • @khuntasaurus88
      @khuntasaurus88 Год назад +3

      I remember a few years ago they also found a bunch of needles in strawberries so Aussie farmers had to recall fresh produce. Absolutely maddening

    • @uzaiyaro
      @uzaiyaro Год назад +2

      @@khuntasaurus88 oh that one hits close to home. My brother was head farm manager at the time, also on a strawberry farm, and the strawberry pins happened on the farm next door to the one he worked on at the time. The place was crawling with feds for weeks, and it cost a massive amount of money. This is a farm with something like 2 million plants and millions of dollars a week of trade.
      I think it was again a case of extortion, although it was also a case of protest against the management. I believe the culprit was found and arrested, eventually being deported back to Vietnam, but don’t quote me on this, this was a while ago.

    • @StiffyLongJohn
      @StiffyLongJohn Год назад

      22 million is still a big figure

    • @hundkebab2433
      @hundkebab2433 Год назад

      great marketing slogan
      NEW: NOW WITH 100% LESS POISON

  • @dlyman87
    @dlyman87 3 года назад +373

    For those of you wondering, I can confirm that the caplets shown at 12:26 are Trader Joe’s vitamin B Complex. The fact that I know this, and felt it necessary to share, fills me with the appropriate amount of shame.

    • @Abcwhatever
      @Abcwhatever 3 года назад +53

      I do not care, but I do thank you

    • @ItsAsparageese
      @ItsAsparageese 3 года назад +17

      There's no shame in taking a B complex nor in getting it from a pretty good ethical brand :) That's pretty cool that you knew that, IMO

    • @inanna1916
      @inanna1916 3 года назад +8

      Shame? Why?

    • @CoopDVille-rx3hp
      @CoopDVille-rx3hp 3 года назад +10

      I hate seeing phrases like "...fills me with the appropriate amount of shame",knowing how often I've said the same thing. And,just like what you used the phrase in reference to,it's almost never something to ACTUALLY be ashamed of. Not that that ever stops me from feeling that way.

    • @juleswinter7083
      @juleswinter7083 2 года назад +6

      Yeah I recognized them as well lol. My mum always wanted us to take these for some reason

  • @ernestgrouns8710
    @ernestgrouns8710 3 года назад +71

    I remember this when I was a kid... My parents didn't buy Tylenol for at least another decade after all this went down.

  • @ignitionfrn2223
    @ignitionfrn2223 3 года назад +135

    1:45 - Chapter 1 - Prelude
    2:30 - Chapter 2 - Death in chicago
    4:20 - Chapter 3 - The panic
    5:45 - Chapter 4 - The investigation begins
    7:10 - Chapter 5 - The extortionist
    9:20 - Chapter 6 - Mistaken identity
    10:45 - Chapter 7 - Copycats & preventative measures
    12:45 - Chapter 8 - The uncaught killer

  • @laurawillits176
    @laurawillits176 3 года назад +90

    I was 23 and living in Illinois when it happened. Really scary. In hindsight, it was like an echo of how we felt after 9/11. Fear and paranoia.

    • @dx1450
      @dx1450 3 года назад +6

      I was 11 and hundreds of miles away from Chicago, and there was plenty of fear and paranoia in the rest of the country, too.

    • @Cbd_7ohm
      @Cbd_7ohm 3 года назад +1

      Tylenol is trash anyway.

    • @RaiderGannon12
      @RaiderGannon12 2 года назад +1

      I was 3 at the time, my mom was 23 both born in Chicago, living in the Dallas, Fort Worth area for a little bit, before eventually returning back to Chicago around 1983 or 1984.

    • @twistedyogert
      @twistedyogert Год назад

      Except that you don't know who the Tylenol killer is or was.

  • @redparth
    @redparth 3 года назад +88

    Murder- 15 years in jail
    An attempt at extortion- 20 years in jail
    And then they ask what's wrong with our country

    • @kenny3949
      @kenny3949 3 года назад +6

      he was wanted for more than only extortion. The man was on the run and had already changed his name. you don't do that for a simple extortion offence.

    • @redparth
      @redparth 3 года назад +15

      @@kenny3949 doesn't matter what he was wanted for. He was charged with and convicted for extortion.

    • @owenshebbeare2999
      @owenshebbeare2999 3 года назад +2

      Not just with your contry, the same lunatic invest the legal systems of every Western country. You can get more gaol time for minor traffic offences than for serious assault too.

    • @rwentfordable
      @rwentfordable 3 года назад +1

      And life for weed dealing.

    • @redparth
      @redparth 3 года назад +1

      @@samuelw4492 google it, you dense kid.

  • @rs47vh36
    @rs47vh36 3 года назад +498

    wow... 20 years for writing a letter and 15 for shooting someone... something is horribly wrong there...

    • @kenny3949
      @kenny3949 3 года назад +102

      he was wanted for more than only extortion. The man was on the run and had already changed his name. you don't do that for a simple extortion offence.

    • @fvckyoutubescensorshipandt2718
      @fvckyoutubescensorshipandt2718 3 года назад +78

      20 years for a long laundry list of crimes. Extortion was just one of them. Also keep in mind in the 1970's and 1980's there were few "tough on crime" policies so automatic death penalty or life without parole for murder was rare. With 15 years it was probably downgraded to manslaughter as a plea deal or something.

    • @damienairalay552
      @damienairalay552 3 года назад +6

      That's a fair point

    • @RGC-gn2nm
      @RGC-gn2nm 3 года назад +16

      Until the digital age it was very easy to just disappear and start somewhere else. Federal crimes were the only way you would not be forgotten. Who remembers wanted posters at the post office?

    • @superleipoman
      @superleipoman 3 года назад +2

      Law is also concerned with mens rea, including motive. It usually is more lenient on passionate crimes (like killing someone who ratted you out) versus the deliberate extortion which isn't exactly spur of the moment either. Also as other stated, it wasn't the only charge.

  • @c.l.7525
    @c.l.7525 3 года назад +68

    I was 9 years old when this happened and still remember it.

    • @heyheytaytay
      @heyheytaytay 3 года назад

      you're OLD

    • @BelenPeralta1
      @BelenPeralta1 3 года назад +6

      @@heyheytaytay ummm but they’re not. They’re in their 40’s that’s not old. You’re fucking rude though.

  • @whitestains1656
    @whitestains1656 3 года назад +169

    I remember this,
    "Tamperfroof " became the norm

  • @robertslater8293
    @robertslater8293 3 года назад +438

    Love your content Simon. Would love to see a biographics on lewis and Clark. Could tie it into a geographics on the Louisiana purchase

    • @pyrix
      @pyrix 3 года назад +4

      I second this idea.

    • @ninjabiatch101
      @ninjabiatch101 3 года назад +3

      Yesss

    • @jasonwaddle6573
      @jasonwaddle6573 3 года назад +6

      That actually would be an awesome idea.

    • @robertslater8293
      @robertslater8293 3 года назад +1

      @Mike W not that I've seen. I think it would be a good crossover with geographics and/or megaprojects

    • @benpope1585
      @benpope1585 3 года назад +3

      A triple header would be perfect. A Lewis and Clark video in this channel, a Louisiana Purchase video on geographic’s and a mega projects video on the westward expedition.

  • @ronsbookreview1010
    @ronsbookreview1010 3 года назад +18

    I lived in Chicago, and I was eight years old when this happened. It was a living nightmare since the news and television were saturated with the poisoned Tylenol. I remember my teachers giving lectures on Tylenol and Cyanide.

    • @justrelax3323
      @justrelax3323 3 года назад

      I am about four years older than you. Poor Chicago area, went from Gacy in the late 70's. the cyanide in Tylenol, and the Brown;s chicken massacre in Palatine in the early or mid 90's.

  • @bigimskiweisenheimer8325
    @bigimskiweisenheimer8325 3 года назад +33

    I remember when this happened. This marked the beginning of my distrust in my fellow human beings.

  • @Vikanuck
    @Vikanuck 3 года назад +12

    So, I’ve been sick in bed all day after a horrible bout of food poisoning yesterday, I woke up at 2pm, and it’s now 10pm, and I only just realized that I have literally done absolutely *nothing* but lay in bed all day, watching Biographics haha 😂
    I started with Marc Antony, and now I’m here.
    This channel is one hell of a rabbit hole lol.

  • @jeremycash1990
    @jeremycash1990 3 года назад +61

    You Tube thinks it's hilarious playing an add for Advil while I watch this, algorithm got to algorithm. LOL

    • @dx1450
      @dx1450 3 года назад +9

      At least it wasn't Tylenol.

    • @beckigreen
      @beckigreen 2 года назад

      Liar.

  • @Pupeyes
    @Pupeyes 3 года назад +18

    He said: “... Johnson & Johnson, one of the most trusted American companies...”
    Also Johnson & Johnson: We totally knew talc was cancer causing to women and we did nothing about it.

    • @KB4QAA
      @KB4QAA 3 года назад +2

      No, talc is not cancer causing. SOME talc sources had small amounts of asbestos in it, naturally occurring. This would vary even within a given mine as the source was mined out. Sometime is had asbestos minerals included, sometimes not. Now, you may continue the story....

    • @Pupeyes
      @Pupeyes 3 года назад +1

      @@KB4QAA, thank you. I didn’t know which component caused the cancer.

    • @Jacob_Overby
      @Jacob_Overby 2 года назад +3

      let's be real, none of the big pharma companies are trustworthy to begin with

  • @TheBrianFlanagan
    @TheBrianFlanagan 3 года назад +28

    Sources/Further Reading:
    “SOURCES GO HERE”
    I knew Simon was up to something.

  • @Morbos1000
    @Morbos1000 3 года назад +22

    This was probably the first sensational news story that I can remember. I would have been 8 or so at the time and was too young to understand that it was taking place in Chicago only, not where I lived over 1000 miles away. So it freaked me out.

  • @violinda.
    @violinda. 3 года назад +10

    My dad was a chemist for FDA in Mpls at the time. I remember this very well, as he worked on checking capsules from Chicago.

  • @QuinnParsley
    @QuinnParsley 3 года назад +2

    Love this series and the great work you all do!

  • @adamc7758
    @adamc7758 3 года назад +2

    Another great show Simon. Thanks for all the great podcasts. I don’t know when you even get a chance to sleep with all the content you put out but it’s very much appreciated 👍🏻

  • @Missing_Xindi
    @Missing_Xindi 3 года назад +4

    I was a cashier at a grocery store in the Chicago suburbs during the Tylenol murders and it was more terrifying than you can imagine. We were afraid to take an aspirin for years. Every time you break a seal on any food product - remember it was because of these murders.

  • @ladyrazorsharp
    @ladyrazorsharp 2 года назад +5

    Folks were still paranoid by Halloween that year, and my parents and some friends had us kids dress up and go to an arcade instead of trick or treating. They bought our candy and inspected it thoroughly so they felt ok giving it to us. We had an absolute blast that year but I remember it was my first encounter as to why people would be so cruel.

  • @Pygmyz06
    @Pygmyz06 3 года назад

    YES! I saw someone recommended this on another of your good videos, and have been waiting for it ever since.
    Thanks for sharing!

  • @jacobprice2579
    @jacobprice2579 3 года назад +41

    Okay I’ll say it. When are we going to get a BioGraphics on Simon Whistler?

    • @ephin3242
      @ephin3242 3 года назад

      Apparently people already have and he’s said no.

    • @thorpeaaron1110
      @thorpeaaron1110 3 года назад +2

      @@ephin3242 I can see that he wants to keep his personal life private

    • @ARC--ms1se
      @ARC--ms1se 3 года назад

      Because he’s not Michael mcCrudden lol

    • @leonardocaicedo1273
      @leonardocaicedo1273 3 года назад +2

      He has to become a killer first

    • @ephin3242
      @ephin3242 3 года назад

      @@thorpeaaron1110
      I think he said it was too boring.

  • @glasswhisperer
    @glasswhisperer 3 года назад +27

    Biography of the Tylenol killer: we have no idea who it is. The end. Lol

    • @21stcenturyfossil7
      @21stcenturyfossil7 2 года назад +1

      Everything about James Lewis fits except how he might have traveled from New York City to Chicago without being noticed. Good enough to be the #1 suspect but not good enough for conviction.

  • @andrewcather8949
    @andrewcather8949 3 года назад +26

    Simon, I swear you are the busiest man on RUclips.

  • @pagandeva2000
    @pagandeva2000 2 года назад

    I just want to say that I love 💕 ALL of your channels, Simon! Thank you for enlightening us!

  • @nikkineurotic5581
    @nikkineurotic5581 3 года назад

    Love your content Simon! Keep up the good work!!!

  • @supportyourtroopsathletes6460
    @supportyourtroopsathletes6460 3 года назад +5

    I remember my parents talking about the tylonol killer but I was a little child at the time. I always wanted more information so thank you Simon.

  • @websyhd762
    @websyhd762 3 года назад +91

    I have learned more watching this channel than I ever did at school

    • @FIRSTNAMELASTNAME-zt4kf
      @FIRSTNAMELASTNAME-zt4kf 3 года назад

      Yes history always gets screwed in school.

    • @iateyourkeysandyourwallet1380
      @iateyourkeysandyourwallet1380 3 года назад +2

      Exactly. So i quit school. Its great

    • @hockeyprofit19
      @hockeyprofit19 3 года назад +1

      Assuming it was a public school. Public school teachers stink on ice.

    • @watcherofwatchers
      @watcherofwatchers 3 года назад +6

      Seems like that may be more of a commentary on you than anything else.

    • @websyhd762
      @websyhd762 3 года назад +1

      @@watcherofwatchers how so? this bring in all the important details in a informative manner. School use to be "read this then write a report"

  • @pnutbutrncrackers
    @pnutbutrncrackers 3 года назад +1

    Very good summary of a case that is often left off of "Top Unsolved Crimes" lists. It is easy to forget all the changes in society for which terrible crimes were a catalyst: tamper-proof bottles, widespread video surveillance, ID checks, background checks, etc. Once upon a time such safeguards hardly seemed necessary.

  • @roberthenry9319
    @roberthenry9319 2 года назад +1

    Marvelous presentation. Subscribed.

  • @totallylooney8292
    @totallylooney8292 3 года назад +6

    I grew up in Evanston in the 70s and 80s. I was a little young to fully understand what was going on, but I remember everyone being utterly panicked. Kudos to J&J for coming up with a solution that made OTC medications safer overall.

  • @oscarlindahl5662
    @oscarlindahl5662 3 года назад +3

    This Walgreens is literally a mile away from where I’m watching this video right now, small world

  • @richneedre48
    @richneedre48 3 года назад +2

    Ive been marathon watching your content. I love it. Funny that Tylenol situation happened not to far from where I grew up .and after your pixy stick candy video I was hoping you did one on the Tylenol ✌

  • @debzcharlesworth9886
    @debzcharlesworth9886 3 года назад

    I am obsessed with the podcast soooo good, great job!

  • @johnnybeasley3675
    @johnnybeasley3675 3 года назад +12

    To be fair, their headaches were cured.

  • @angelawheeler7825
    @angelawheeler7825 3 года назад +6

    I love this man's voice he could read a cook book and I would enjoy it he is great.

    • @katherinesproat1081
      @katherinesproat1081 3 года назад

      Go listen to Stephanie harlowes story telling of this story. Worth the listen

  • @myinfinity309
    @myinfinity309 2 года назад

    I was in high school at the time this Tylenol incident was going on. All over the news and drug stores and super markets have bare shelves were Tylenol would have been. I'm from Philadelphia and it seemed as if Chicago, which is about 2000 miles from Philly was too close to home. Pennsylvania was in a panic.
    Simon you are so great at being an historian. Your research and knowledge of the events you cover is A+...... Thsnk you!

  • @LapseLifeProductions
    @LapseLifeProductions 3 года назад +1

    Great job putting this together! Interesting learning about the past and how it affects how we live our lives today.

  • @thesuccessfulone
    @thesuccessfulone 3 года назад +53

    I always say "it was them!" about the first suspect introduced.

    • @daerdevvyl4314
      @daerdevvyl4314 3 года назад +11

      I do the same thing when I’m called for jury duty. Except I shout it. I’m always dismissed from jury duty.

    • @forevermarked5826
      @forevermarked5826 3 года назад

      @Eastern fence Lizard lol

    • @MrRyan-wu4jx
      @MrRyan-wu4jx 3 года назад

      The primary suspect is most often the one that did it, it’s not a bad strategy.

    • @clintlarvenz2570
      @clintlarvenz2570 3 года назад

      @@MrRyan-wu4jx the first suspect brought up in crime documentaries is almost never the one who did it though

    • @basic5926
      @basic5926 3 года назад +1

      @@daerdevvyl4314 I get that it's a joke and all, but you usually don't get called for jury duty more than once in the US.

  • @Drinnan
    @Drinnan 3 года назад +10

    20 years for extortion but only 15 for murder? Ok

    • @rwentfordable
      @rwentfordable 3 года назад

      That's the States for ya.

    • @ToxicJ12
      @ToxicJ12 3 года назад

      Depends on the state

  • @nathanhardy3187
    @nathanhardy3187 3 года назад

    I was so excited for this video! Once i read the title i couldn't wait to watch it. Ive heard about this case a few times but its not been covered like this before.

  • @jonathanseta1477
    @jonathanseta1477 3 года назад +1

    Please update these to the podcast version! I love them before bed!

  • @johnchedsey1306
    @johnchedsey1306 3 года назад +3

    Any of us who were still young enough to go trick or treating but old enough to grasp the seriousness of the situation totally remember it. I remember getting a very serious talk from parents about accepting candy that year (though I grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other) and the word "tampering" became part of our vocabulary.

  • @sktbug6833
    @sktbug6833 3 года назад +15

    I remember being terrified of tylenol as a child because of this.

    • @akashaiz8815
      @akashaiz8815 3 года назад +2

      I was 15, my mom freaked out and threw out all her
      Meds,

  • @astroblemeRC
    @astroblemeRC 3 года назад

    Already a regular of the Casual Criminalist, the dark humour is exactly what I need!

  • @--enyo--
    @--enyo-- 3 года назад +1

    Casual Criminalist went straight to my favourite of his channels. It’s like old Business Blaze crossed with Biographics. Perfection.

  • @georgemcmillan9172
    @georgemcmillan9172 3 года назад +8

    I remember this very well. We lived in Ohio at the time, but when the story broke in the news, my mother and just about everyone we knew immediately got rid of all Tylenol products. Every local store pulled all Tylenol products from their shelves, well before the recall. It takes a special breed of sick, twisted, and vile person to come up with and execute such a diabolical plan...

  • @carouselofagony3276
    @carouselofagony3276 3 года назад +8

    I'd love to get a bio of the whole Sackler family. Arguably the most detrimental people in American history

    • @tashahatzidakis5680
      @tashahatzidakis5680 3 года назад +1

      Sackler’s aren’t fully to blame

    • @carouselofagony3276
      @carouselofagony3276 3 года назад +3

      @@tashahatzidakis5680 come on bro. The buck stopped with them as the head of Purdue. Their propaganda and bribery insured it was the worst possible outcome for this crisis.

    • @tashahatzidakis5680
      @tashahatzidakis5680 3 года назад

      @@carouselofagony3276 yea but the crisis became worse when they stopped prescribing and everyone turning to dope fentanyl That how they die

    • @ryanr5139
      @ryanr5139 2 года назад +2

      @@tashahatzidakis5680 The Sacklers are directly responsible for all of those people becoming addicts and all of the deaths.

  • @micaharies
    @micaharies 3 года назад

    i was hoping you'd do this one, cheers!

  • @trirellb2028
    @trirellb2028 3 года назад

    Sweet, looking forward to listing to the podcast!!

  • @ianmort1711
    @ianmort1711 3 года назад +7

    would love to see one on the dc snipers, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo

  • @RGC-gn2nm
    @RGC-gn2nm 3 года назад +7

    Grew up during this era. Amazing how we trusted open packages back the.

    • @akashaiz8815
      @akashaiz8815 3 года назад

      We had no reason not to until this

    • @commisaryarreck3974
      @commisaryarreck3974 Год назад

      Used to be a high trust society
      The kind where you could leave your door open without worrying
      Amazing how fucked we are now

  • @tysondennis1016
    @tysondennis1016 Год назад +2

    My two leading theories on the Tylenol Killer is that they are either working for a competitor brand to discredit Johnson and Johnson, or they are a disgruntled employee with a very low regard for human life. The motive is clear: To drag Johnson and Johnson under, and as there is no legit ransom note, it's clear that whomever the killer was, their tampering with bottles was their manifesto. The tampering happened when the bottles were on store shelves, so it wasn't someone at the assembly line, and it makes no sense why Johnson and Johnson would spike their own medicine with deadly poisons.

  • @christopherryan6111
    @christopherryan6111 3 года назад

    Great video. Very interesting story and history lesson.

  • @pirateadam3686
    @pirateadam3686 3 года назад +16

    Wait, so they guy who wrote a letter to try and set up someone else on a crime that he knew they would get away with just to get back at him - he got 20 years. But the guy who murdered a random guy only got 15?!

    • @LSSYLondon
      @LSSYLondon 3 года назад +4

      American justice is as good as you can afford.

    • @sethgrubb926
      @sethgrubb926 3 года назад

      @@LSSYLondon he also had a long list of priors and he was on the run for other crimes, the man who shot and killed a dude thought it was a different guy and he was intoxicated so 2nd murder is a charge

  • @abbysapples1225
    @abbysapples1225 3 года назад +5

    I was born in 1979 and I remember in the 1990s my dad refuse to take capsule pills I never knew why until now.

  • @7777srd
    @7777srd 3 года назад

    I was just thinking about this case a few days ago and your video appears. It was a surreal time in the country of the surreal.

  • @chillphil967
    @chillphil967 3 года назад

    One of your best

  • @Mrgunsngear
    @Mrgunsngear 3 года назад +8

    Thanks

  • @dorothyw1934
    @dorothyw1934 3 года назад +58

    Please please do a video on Eugene Bullard. Coolest dude ever! I believe he was the first black fighter pilot ever and he led the most interesting life. Everyone will love it!

    • @RedBear535
      @RedBear535 3 года назад

      I hope Netflix does a series on him soon!

    • @paspax
      @paspax 3 года назад

      @@RedBear535 ...
      Movie: 'Flyboys'
      Movie: 'Black Jacques'.

    • @ryanr5139
      @ryanr5139 2 года назад

      I won’t.

  • @michellerindal8836
    @michellerindal8836 3 года назад

    My dad told me about the Tylenol killer. I like how you explain it better than the other video I watched on it.

  • @ryall1673
    @ryall1673 3 года назад

    Love that shirt, getting that dot effect all over. Great video, keep em coming!

  • @ivionnaarceneaux8441
    @ivionnaarceneaux8441 3 года назад +5

    Now I know why my mother always told me to check the seal before taking any medication

    • @williambrandondavis6897
      @williambrandondavis6897 3 года назад

      @Indian Head Sense Do you all not realize how easy it would be to reseal a tamper seal? Tamper seals are usless against any motivated person with an IQ over 75. Whatever makes you feel better. Lol

  • @stevesloan7132
    @stevesloan7132 3 года назад +8

    In Madison during Halloween on State Street there were a number of people who came dressed as bottles or boxes of Extra Strength Tylenol that year. I remember thinking that this was in extremely bad taste.

  • @justinweber4977
    @justinweber4977 3 года назад

    Nice to see this out. It's a hell of an event, really...
    Have any of Simon's channels done a video on the Glico-Morinaga incident/Monster with 21 Faces?

  • @IceBloodKing
    @IceBloodKing 3 года назад +1

    Nice.. An episode to watch just before bed..

  • @HistoryOfRevolutions
    @HistoryOfRevolutions 3 года назад +6

    Fun fact:
    Last year an important revolutionary anti drug cartel fighter passed away. José Manuel Mireles Valverde (24 October 1958 - 25 November 2020) was a Mexican medical doctor and leader and founder of the paramilitary self-defense groups that fought against the Knights Templar Cartel, and other cartels, in the state of Michoacán and others, in México. Mireles emerged as an important figure within the self-defense militias during the fall of 2013 as self-defense groups were fighting against the Knights Templar Cartel in Apatzingán and other municipalities on the Michoacán coast.

  • @PrezMaks
    @PrezMaks 3 года назад +13

    Please make a video on Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim good sir.

  • @TriforceElder08
    @TriforceElder08 3 года назад

    Amazing video!

  • @hasnainshah866
    @hasnainshah866 3 года назад

    Love your content 💓

  • @blaze6502da415
    @blaze6502da415 3 года назад +3

    With April fools day coming up please do one on John Constantine

  • @anthonylewis6656
    @anthonylewis6656 3 года назад +6

    I thought this was casual criminality when I clicked on it I watch you too much. Also biographics on Danny when

  • @shantanusapru
    @shantanusapru 3 года назад

    Great video!!

  • @jfrdz1977
    @jfrdz1977 3 года назад

    I loved the biographics on Machiavelli. Will you do a biographics on The Medici family, and origins?

  • @spirospagiatis4731
    @spirospagiatis4731 3 года назад +8

    Make a video about the "Pirate Admiral" Peter Easton , please!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @sisterbear5742
    @sisterbear5742 3 года назад +3

    Simon are the sources supposed to just say "sources go here"? Lmao

  • @LeoDomitrix
    @LeoDomitrix Год назад +1

    We lived nowhere near the targeted areas, but my mom threw out every J&J painkiller in the house; they stopped using them at the hospital where she worked (as a nurse); etc. This had a huge impact, and that it's not solved really unnerves my mother to this day. It still freaks me out. TBH.

  • @tripiehendrix1
    @tripiehendrix1 3 года назад

    Brand new outta the oven new content 😋 It's a good morning ty Simon💛

    • @dudepool7530
      @dudepool7530 3 года назад

      It feels more like reheated leftovers lmao.

  • @kuelapfortress1687
    @kuelapfortress1687 3 года назад +5

    "Hey, Babish here!"

  • @claressalucas8922
    @claressalucas8922 3 года назад +13

    I was a 9 yo in the Chicago area when this happened. Bonus, John Wayne Gacy played the birthday party of my best friend's brother that year. Truly an interesting time and place to be a child.

    • @lemonlover6666
      @lemonlover6666 3 года назад

      wow

    • @dsala2614
      @dsala2614 3 года назад

      GACY WAS ARRESTED BEFORE THIS HAPPENED...GACY'S MURDER SPREE ENDED IN DECEMBER OF '78 TYLENOL POISONING WAS OCTOBER OF '82...

    • @lemonlover6666
      @lemonlover6666 3 года назад

      @@dsala2614 You're right. I've watched several docs about Gacy and knew he got arrested in the seventies. I don't even know why I thought that original commentor was right. I kinda knew it was off but just went with it. Thanks for clarifying.

  • @claireh539
    @claireh539 3 года назад +1

    Oooo I was just watching Stephanie Harlowe’s hour long video on this. Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the incidents

  • @loupiscanis9449
    @loupiscanis9449 3 года назад

    Thank you

  • @doombottv6524
    @doombottv6524 3 года назад +18

    My sister brought to my attention youtubers that do "Make up and Murder" videos. Usually some ditsy girl breezing over topics as if they're gossip. Yet they get over a million views on every video. It blows my mind well researched and organized channels/vids like this don't get more views or attention.

    • @hamslicemcdooogle8080
      @hamslicemcdooogle8080 3 года назад +4

      This is one of Simon’s several “2nd channel”s that is more successful than some full time independent channels. His main channel is exactly like you’re taking about, multi millions on essentially every video.
      Don’t worry about Simon. I’m sure he wants his channels to grow, but at the same time I don’t think he’s struggling in the slightest.

    • @glowgurl777
      @glowgurl777 3 года назад +2

      Who cares if they are ditzy if they are well researched and accurate? You can like both

    • @doombottv6524
      @doombottv6524 3 года назад

      @@glowgurl777 never said you couldn't. But most of them aure as hell aren't well researched.

    • @KittyWhisperASMR
      @KittyWhisperASMR 3 года назад +4

      I'm sorry but I disagree. I follow one RUclipsr that makes makeup and murder videos and she does do the research. She's not ditzy at all. She has a bubbly personality. Her name is Bailey Sarian and she deserves the 4 million subscribers she has :)

    • @doombottv6524
      @doombottv6524 3 года назад +1

      @@KittyWhisperASMR That's okay That's your opinion Nd it explains why some people decide to subscribe to these accounts. But you also must notice I said most and not all. I'm sure some are well researched but most of the one's I have regrettably given up time to watch seem like gossip hour and not an informational video. But you have your opinion and I have mine.

  • @FussyPickles
    @FussyPickles 3 года назад +11

    That dude spent only 14 yrs for killing a random guy, damn.

  • @taelorwatson9822
    @taelorwatson9822 3 года назад

    I remember this whole thing. Seems like a hell of a lot to go through to get rid of your headache

  • @johnl7115
    @johnl7115 3 года назад

    are you done updating the Biographics podcast? i really enjoy listening to them while i work and/or drive