This series contains adult language and depictions of graphic violence.

Listener discretion is advised.

Three years ago, the story that launched this podcast series dropped and became a surprise hit.

No one was more surprised than me. It was the story of Tommy Sullivan and his rapid descent

into satanic oblivion that claimed the life of his mother

and ultimately himself.

Was he possessed by a demon? Opinions vary depending on the person you're asking.

Possessed or not, there were some obvious signs that something was terribly wrong with the boy that everyone either missed or ignored.

I was the same age as Tommy, lived close by, and while not in his immediate friend group,

our circles overlapped and I saw him pretty regularly, especially in the summer months when all the kids were out in the streets.

It took me more than 30 years to get his story out of my head, to talk to the people who were involved,

an attempt to figure out what really happened that snowy night in January all those years ago.

And if I'm being honest, I didn't do a great job.

I did the best I could, but when the facts run out and there are still a bunch of unanswered questions, I guess the

storyteller and me takes over and I try to wrap everything up in a nice little

bow. Or in this case a Jersey Devil origin story.

Yes, the genre mash up of investigative storytelling and

fictional horror storytelling

pissed off the die-hard true crime fans out there.

But I was new to podcasting and figured what the hell.

Maybe it'll find an audience.

So three years, three full seasons seasons and dozens of weekly episodes later, here we are.

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