My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Hosted by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff
Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark return for a new episode of My Favorite Murder, covering two notorious and unsolved or historic criminal investigations. Georgia dives into the tragic and still-unresolved 2008 Lane Bryant shooting in Tinley Park, Illinois, where five women were killed and a sixth survived to give a chilling timeline. Later, Karen explores the history of the Houston Police Department's groundbreaking Chicano Squad, a bilingual task force established in 1979 that dramatically raised the clearance rate for homicides in Hispanic neighborhoods despite deep-seated institutional racism and hostility from colleagues. The hosts also share personal updates and pay tribute to Georgia's long-time cat, Mimi.
The episode opens with a series of commercial spots for Zillow, OnDeck, and other sponsors before the hosts begin their conversation.
Karen and Georgia introduce the episode, joking about a basement party and setting a light‑hearted tone for the discussion.
The hosts dive into a quirky tale about geodesic domes, indoor pools, and a sound‑bathing experience that sparked their curiosity.
They announce a planned watch‑along for the upcoming Lizzie Borden series, teasing future content and fan engagement.
Karen explains the unsolved 2008 Lane Bryant murders in Tinley Park, detailing the victims, the suspect, and the ongoing investigation.
The hosts discuss the difficulties investigators face, the survivor’s testimony, and the lack of leads despite extensive DNA and tip‑line efforts.
Georgia recounts the 1979 creation of Houston’s bilingual task force, its impact on solving Hispanic‑community crimes, and the legacy of the Chicanoh Squad.
The Chicano Squad’s proactive door‑to‑door outreach builds trust and yields immediate leads.
Cecil Mosqueta’s approach solves a long‑standing homicide by engaging hesitant witnesses.
Within 90 days, the unit clears an impressive 80% of its assigned murders, earning city recognition.
The squad’s quick call‑in system leads to the arrest of a repeat offender in a local bar.
The squad’s Spanish‑speaking network traces a missing baby across borders, restoring her to family.
Georgia details the February 2008 murders at a Lane Bryant store in an extremely safe Chicago suburb. A lone gunman held multiple victims captive for 40 minutes before executing five women and leaving one survivor.
Houston Police Disparitiesdata
Karen explains the stark contrast in 1979 Houston, where murders of white or Black victims had a 70% clearance rate, while crimes involving Hispanic victims sat at just 20% due to language barriers.
Forming the Chicano Squadstrategy
Detective Jim Montero convinced his chief to form a 90-day pilot task force of bilingual patrol officers to bridge the massive trust gap between the Hispanic community and a corrupt police department.
The Flaco Misunderstandinginsight
The bilingual task force quickly discovered that white detectives had failed to investigate a key lead because they mistook the Spanish word for skinny, 'flaco', for a proper name.
Resenting the Task Forcedebate
Hostile white detectives tried to overwhelm the unit with cases and mocked their competence, motivating the squad to work harder and prove their capabilities.
Assigned 52 cold cases to test them, the Chicano Squad cleared 40 murders in just 90 days, eventually reaching a remarkable 91% clearance rate by 1997.
Zero Officer-Involved Shootingsinsight
Founder Jim Montero proudly noted that despite making numerous arrests in a violent era, the Chicano Squad never fired their weapons or killed a single suspect.
“The survivor says he was between 5'9" and 6'2". He looked to be in his mid-20s to mid-30s and had a broad, solid build.”
“"We started out as interpreters, that lasted about a week."”
“"We put the word out. We're not in the deportation business. We're there to help. You've got to talk to them, get them to trust you."”
“We did a lot of foot investigation, a lot of knock and talks. We didn't just sit there. It was hands‑on. We did whatever it took”
“When I did my first murder, being able to bring that closure, I felt good about that. That gave me purpose”
“They were thrown everything they had, anything that sounded like a Spanish surname, more in resentment of their existence. But these guys worked them all”
This week, Georgia covers the unsolved Lane Bryant murders and Karen tells the story of Houston’s Chicano Squad. For our sources, please visit https://www.myfavoritemurder.com/episodes. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3UFCn1g. Head to social media to share your favorite moments from this episode. Instagram: instagram.com/myfavoritemurder http://instagram.com/myfavoritemurder Facebook: facebook.com/myfavoritemurder http://facebook.com/myfavoritemurder TikTok: tiktok.com/@my_favorite_murder http://tiktok.com/@my_favorite_murder Send your hometown stories to [email protected] mailto:[email protected]. Join the Fan Cult to access ad-free episodes of My Favorite Murder. Members also receive merch store discounts, exclusive audio and video content and more! Visit www.fancult.supercast.com http://www.fancult.supercast.com/ to join. Shop for My Favorite Murder and other Exactly Right merchandise here: www.exactlyrightstore.com http://www.exactlyrightstore.com/. Rate, review and follow My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you like to listen. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12,363 words · 8 speakers
Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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