Phone Call From a Serial Killer: Larry Gene Bell

Serial Killers

Spotify Studios

True Crime, History, Education

4.6 • 30.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

May, 1985. Two days before her high school graduation, Shari Faye Smith was abducted from her parents’ driveway in broad daylight. Her kidnapper taunted Shari’s family by phone for days, calling in the middle of the night and revealing bone-chilling details of his crime. With little evidence to go on, South Carolina investigators brought in FBI criminal profiler John Douglas and his colleagues, who used the recorded phone calls to create a profile of their UNSUB. About 2 weeks later, 9-year-old Debra May Helmick was kidnapped in a similar manner. When both girls turned up dead, investigators realized they had a probable serial killer on their hands – and they needed to find him before he could strike again. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's June 1985 when Sharon Shepard and her husband Ellis packed their suitcases again.
0:11.0	They've been doing some traveling lately and just finished a quick pit stop back at their home in South Carolina.
0:17.2	They've hired one of Ellis's assistant electricians to house sit while they're gone and give
0:21.7	them rides to and from the airport, so the three of them climb in the car together as the
0:26.4	shepherds head out on the next leg of their trip.
0:29.8	As they drive, the house sitter is talkative and seems fixated on one subject in particular.
0:36.4	He says while the couple was out of town, a major crime made news.
0:40.7	A teenage girl was abducted from her home about 15 miles away and was later found dead.
0:46.9	The shepherds find it all incredibly sad, and no matter how many times they try to change the subject,
0:53.3	the man keeps circling back to the murder.
0:56.0	He muses about all the possible ways the crime unfolded to the point that Sharon grows agitated.
1:02.9	Something else is bothering her, too.
1:05.8	Recently, the house sitter has started addressing her by a nickname.
1:09.7	Sherry. It's odd.
1:12.0	For one thing, they're not very close, and she goes by Sharon.
1:16.5	Second of all, Sherry is also the name of the teenage victim he can't stop talking about.
1:25.7	Welcome to Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast.
1:29.2	Every Monday, we bring you the true crime stories that stand out.
1:32.8	I'm Janice Morgan.
1:34.3	Be sure to check us out on Instagram at Serial Killers Podcast.
1:38.0	We'd love to hear from you.
1:39.5	If you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts.
	...

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