CAPS AND GOWNS… AND CASKETS: True Stories of Murders Taking Place at Graduation

Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, True Crime, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

Darren Marlar

True Crime, History, Society & Culture, Documentary, Science, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

They wore caps and gowns to celebrate the future — but before the night was over, some would lie dead in pools of blood, their dreams buried with them.

Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

IN THIS EPISODE: Graduation is a special time in just about everyone’s life when they make their way from childhood, to adulthood. And while that step might be a bit scary for some, we all get past it – we have to. But what if there is something truly to be afraid of at your graduation? Like the possibility of being murdered? (Murdered During Graduation) *** Joseph McKinnon strangled his girlfriend Patricia Dent, then died while trying to bury her body in their garden. (Killed By Karma) *** When you die, do you know that you are dead? A new study says that maybe… yes. You might still be conscious enough to know you are dead even after your body ceases to live. But for how long? (When You Die, You Are Conscious Long Enough To Know It) *** The term Zodiac in true crime circles invokes images of serial murder, cryptograms and bragging letters in and around San Francisco. But the California Zodiac is not the only Zodiac out there. (A Tale of Two Zodiacs)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00.00.000 = Disclaimer and Show Open (Coming Up In This Episode)
00:02:11.275 = Murdered During Graduation
00:15:02.622 = A Tale Of Two Zodiacs
00:37:49.386 = When You Die You Are Conscious Long Enough To Know It
00:46:56.122 = Killed By Karma
00:50:33.040 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“A Tale of Two Zodiacs” by Paul Drexler for Crime Traveller: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ycknuxfd
“Killed By Karma” by Kaleena Fraga for All That’s Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/pzrdsmsy
“When You Die, You Are Conscious Long Enough To Know It” by Matthew Lavelle for Ranker’s Graveyard Shift:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4kkcc9m7
“Murdered During Graduation” by Mary Fetzer for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p92rn29
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
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Originally aired: May, 2022
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CapsGownsCaskets

Transcript

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0:00.0	The weather. Tomorrow, expect a biting cold front. Hmm, how naughty. I wonder what I'll be
0:06.8	wearing or taking off. The night will be wild and untamed. Expect heavy, lashing rain
0:13.0	that'll soak you to the skin. By Monday, temperatures will rise slowly but surely reaching
0:18.7	their peak in the afternoon.
0:23.0	Not in the mood for miserable weather?
0:25.8	Fly cheaply to Turkey with Sun Express.
0:28.7	Sun Express, non-stop sunshine.
0:39.6	Step into the shadows with tainted, a bone-chilling collection designed to haunt your darkest nights, tales filled with a spectrum of horrors, from evil spirits to bleeding caves, haunted sewers, and sinister
0:46.8	childhood games.
0:48.9	In this installment of the Dark Intrigues book series, J. C. Moore delves deep into the darkest recesses of the human
0:56.2	psyche. Brace yourself for a modern journey through the twisted corridors of terror. Listen,
1:02.9	if you dare. In this book, The Ordinary Become Ominous, the mundane turns malefic,
1:09.1	and they reveal the tainted secrets of the human
1:12.0	heart in all their gruesome glory.
1:16.0	Dark intrigues, Tainted, a collection of short horror stories by J.C. Moore.
1:22.5	Purchase the audiobook or hear a sample on the audiobooks page at weirddarkness.com.
1:29.0	As heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third-party agencies
1:33.2	outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself.
1:37.6	Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended
1:41.9	for mature audiences only.
1:43.7	Parental discretion is strongly advised.
1:46.0	Welcome Weirdos, I'm Darren Marler, and this is Weird Darkness.
	...

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