Imagine being ordered to kill innocent people.

The command comes from someone bigger, more powerful, maybe even God himself.

If you don't obey, they'll torment you until you do.

It's a terrifying inspiration for movies like Drop in the Belko experiment and the Black

Mirror episode Demon 79. But for some serial killers, that's their reality, or so they say.

According to criminologists Ronald Holmes and Stephen Holmes, these killers report visions

of a higher power, perhaps God, the devil or a demon.

The power orders them to kill. So at the first opportunity, they obey. They're called visionary

killers. Their crime scenes are chaotic, their methods inconsistent. They stay local, but they're

still hard to track. The victims are anyone

they can overpower. Once apprehended, most are diagnosed with a mental illness that causes hallucinations,

but until then, they murder in a deal with their personal devil. Like today's killer,

he once claimed a being named Charlie ordered him to kill everyone on earth so he could become a god.

Welcome to Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. Every Monday, we bring you the true crime stories that stand out. I'm Janice Morgan. We'd love to hear from you. Follow us on Instagram at Serial Killers podcast

and share your thoughts on this week's episode.

Or if you're listening on the Spotify app,

swipe up and leave a comment.

This episode contains discussions of murder,

violence against children,

sexual assault and suicide.

Consider this when deciding how and when you'll

listen. To get help on mental health and suicide, visit Spotify.com slash resources. Stay with us.

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