INFAMOUS: The Dexter Killer

The 'Crime Junkie' podcast episode 'INFAMOUS: The Dexter Killer' recounts the chilling story of how Johnny Altinger, a 38-year-old man, fell victim to a murder inspired by the television series 'Dexter'. Johnny, described as a bit nerdy by his friends, was excited about a date with a woman named Jen whom he met on the dating site Plenty of Fish. The date's setup was unusual; Jen provided cryptic directions to a garage, bypassing the provision of her street address. Johnny's friend, Dale, felt uneasy about the situation but could not dissuade Johnny from pursuing the date. After Johnny went missing following the date, Dale received a suspicious email claiming Johnny had been whisked away on a tropical vacation, raising Dale's suspicions further due to its uncharacteristic tone and content.

As days passed without any direct contact from Johnny, Dale reported his friend missing. The police initially dismissed his concerns, suggesting Johnny had voluntarily disappeared with his new romantic interest. However, Dale's insistence and subsequent discovery of Johnny's untouched passport and belongings at his apartment led the police to take the case seriously. They traced Johnny's last known location to a garage rented by Mark Twitchell, a filmmaker who had recently shot a horror film there. Though Twitchell cooperated with the investigation, his accounts of recent events raised red flags, including a bizarre story about buying Johnny's car from a stranger.

The investigation revealed eerie parallels between Twitchell's horror film and the circumstances of Johnny's disappearance. Twitchell's film depicted a serial killer luring men through dating websites and then killing them, similar to the 'Dexter' TV series. Police found a document on Twitchell's computer titled 'SK Confessions', which detailed a murder that closely mirrored Johnny's case. The document, along with physical evidence such as a blood-stained hockey mask and a list with chilling tasks, pointed to Twitchell as the perpetrator. Despite his claims of innocence and self-defense, Twitchell was eventually convicted of first-degree murder after a trial that hinged on the overwhelming evidence against him.