July 15, 2026

50 Shades of Evil: Minnesota - Michael John Anderson

50 Shades of Evil: Minnesota - Michael John Anderson

“The Craigslist Killer” In October 2007, 24-year-old Katherine Ann Olson, a bright theater and Hispanic studies graduate from St. Olaf College, responded to what seemed like a straightforward babysitting job posting on Craigslist. She arrived at a...

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Season 9
“The Craigslist Killer”
In October 2007, 24-year-old Katherine Ann Olson, a bright theater and Hispanic studies graduate from St. Olaf College, responded to what seemed like a straightforward babysitting job posting on Craigslist. She arrived at a home in Savage, Minnesota, expecting to care for a child.
Instead, she walked into a nightmare. This episode dives deep into the chilling case of Michael John Anderson, the 19-year-old who posed as "Amy" online to lure his victim. What started as a seemingly random ad quickly unraveled into a premeditated murder driven by a disturbing desire to know what it felt like to kill. Anderson shot Katherine in his parents' home, leaving behind a trail of evidence that would lead to his swift arrest and conviction.
Jim explores Anderson's background, the investigation that exposed the deception, the dramatic trial where he was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder (among other charges), and his life sentence without parole. This case marked one of the earliest high-profile "Craigslist Killer" stories, highlighting the hidden dangers of early online classifieds in an era before widespread awareness of internet safety.

Timestamps
03:18 Catherine Olson’s Childhood
06:56 Michael Anderson’s Early Years
10:09 College Dreams and Warning Signs
13:45 The Fake Babysitting Ad
17:45 Missing Person Leads Police
23:53 Detective Closes In
25:56 The Car and Body Found
28:39 Anderson’s Interview Unravels
30:41 Trial and Verdict
34:05 Sentencing and Aftermath

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WEBVTT

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Hey everyone, and welcome back to Bloody Angola. I'm your

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host Jim Chapman, and today we are continuing on with

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the fifty Shades of Evil series. We're going to go

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to the state of Minnesota and I'm going to give

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you all the deep dive details into the murder of

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Catherine Ann Olsen by Michael John Anderson, also known as

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the craig List Killer. Now, there have been several evil

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individuals dubbed with this moniker, if you will, but Michael

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John Anderson was the first and really raised some early

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red flags on how the Internet could quite literally be

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used to kill in that highlighted the very dangers that

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existed in these early days of Internet classified ads. Now,

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Katherine Ann Olsen, she was a vibrant, talented twenty four

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year old, had her whole life ahead of her. And

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Michael Anderson, he was a nineteen year old living at home,

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seemingly trying to figure out his path in the world,

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and those paths would cross over a fake babysitting ad

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on Craigslist. Now in a matter of minutes, one precious

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life was taken when on October twenty six of two

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thousand and seven, authorities in Minneapolis responded to a report

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of an abandoned vehicle in what's known as the Burnsville

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Nature Preserve. Inside the trunk of that car was the

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body of a young woman. She had been shot in

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the back, and that was Catherine Ann Olsen, and she

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had been simply looking for nanny type work to bude

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her time after college until her dream job had come along.

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But what investigators would uncover next would lead them to

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a quiet suburban home in Savage, Minnesota, a nineteen year

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old named Michael John Anderson, in a case that quickly

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would earn that label Craigslest killer. So before we get

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into it, a couple of things to remind you regarding Craigslist.

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In the late two thousands, Craigslist was the go to

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platform for everything from furniture to jobs to yeah, you

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named it, you know what I'm talking about. For many,

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it was convenient and harmless. Think of it as the

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online version of newspaper classified ads. But like everything else

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on the Internet, what law abiding good citizens would see

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as harmless and good change and something that benefits the

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Internet as it relates to technology, bad actors they would

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discover ways to exploit it and in the case we're

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discussing today.

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It was.

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It's really one of the first cases that thrust this

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issue so far into the national spotlight that it forced

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these giant dot com type businesses to rethink everything from

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access to security on those platforms. So let's get into it,

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and I'm going to take you back to September sixteenth

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of nineteen eighty three in Savage, Minnesota, where Catherine Ann

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Olson entered the world.

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Now.

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She grew up in what's known as Cottage Grove. This

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is a suburban community. It's along the Mississippi River just

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southeast of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her parents were the Reverend

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Roth Olson and Nancy Olsen, and they provided a stable,

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faith centered home that emphasized compassion, education, and being creative.

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And Catherine was the middle child. She had an older

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sister named Sarah a younger brother named Carl, and family

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was everything to the Olsens, just your all American family

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living their version of the American dream.

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Good people. Now.

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From an early age, Catherine developed quite the personality. Friends

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and family would recall her as someone who would light

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up every room she went into. She was outgoing, she

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was kind hearted, just one of those full of life, people,

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and she had a natural curiosity about the world, especially

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about other cultures. And these passions weren't just hobbies, they

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will become central to who Catherine was now. Her father,

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a preacher, he often spoke about how Catherine would embody

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the self above others' mentality, serving people and connecting with people,

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and those were values that she carried throughout her short

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but very impactful life, and education, of course, a major

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role in shaping her Even at a very young age,

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she would attend local schools and Cottage Grove where her

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brain power it would be quickly noticed. Teachers would recall

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her dedication to school, her quick mind, her ability to

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balance school work with extra activities, and by the time

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she reached Park High School, Catherine was a standout student.

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She didn't only excel in the classroom, though she also

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excelled in theater production. She was quite the lactress and

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that fed her love of performing, and she would build

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strong friendships through that that would last far beyond her

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graduation from high school. So in two thousand and two

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she would graduate. She was co valedictorian of Park High

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School and it was a proud moment, obviously for her parents.

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That not only did she graduate with high marks, I

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mean she was co valedictorian, very smart. Her friend's super

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proud of her, and later they would describe her as

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a young woman who wasn't just books smart, but also

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deeply empathetic and really cared for people. So Catherine's childhood

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wasn't without the normal ups and downs of growing up.

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Everything sounds perfect, it's not. You know, everybody goes through things,

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and Catherine she struggled a little bit with some insecurities

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that just about every teenager has, most kids have, but

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that love and stability from her family would help her

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to navigate those things and it was never really an

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issue now. Her parents were very encouraging and by the

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time that she left for college, she was confident. She

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was accomplished, an eighteen year old ready to embrace the

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next chapter that life was going to bring her. Her

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early life and cottage growth equipped her with everything that

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she would need to succeed in the world. So, while

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Katherine Anne Olsen was growing up in this supportive, academically

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focused household and cottage grove about thirty miles away in Savage, Minnesota,

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another young life was taking shape under very different circumstances.

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Michael John Anderson. He was born October sixteenth of nineteen

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eighty eight.

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He was the.

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Youngest of three children to Stephen and Barbara Anderson and Savage.

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That community is a typical suburban community. It's in the

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Twin Cities metro area. You got families, you got quiet streets,

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and of course a mix between working class and middle

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class homes. And the Andersons they lived in a pretty

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nice two story house where Michael spent most of his childhood.

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Now Michael's dad, Stephen, he worked as a mechanic for

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Northwest Airlines before he got laid off and he would

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transition into trucking, while Michael's mother, Barbara managed the household

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and Michael's older siblings. They would round out that family.

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By outward appearances, it was just an ordinary upbringing. The

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family had access to all the amenities, if you will,

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of the area of parks, schools, just small town America, right.

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But those who spoke later about Michael, they would describe

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a boy who struggled socially to make friends in those

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early years. As a child, he would develop an interest

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in activities that were structured, very structured stuff or just

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solo stuff, gaming, etc. And one passion he had was paintball.

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He enjoyed the equipment, the strategic side of paintball, and

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the outdoor aspect of that sport. Now neighbors would later

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recall him as quiet, somewhat reserved, and he attended the

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local schools in the Savage area during his elementary and

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middle school years, and reports indicate he was a student

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who was average. He wasn't horrible, wasn't a standout like Catherine.

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Was just average student. Whi's nothing wrong with that.

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Now.

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Michael, as I said, was the baby of the family,

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and like many of the youngest children, you would think

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he would benefit from the experience his parents had raising

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his older siblings. You know, parents learn from their mistakes,

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and as these kids come along, they learn more and more.

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You would think that would help. One thing he did

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share with his dad, in particular, was his love for

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mechanical things and auto work especially and working with engines

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things like that. And we'll get into more of that later.

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But his childhood in the late nineteen nineties and early

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two thousands seems and appears normal. The only thing that

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is maybe off putting or would signal anything going on

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in his life was, he would isolate himself often. There

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were no major family disruptions though, or any sort of

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public trouble where he got arrested something like that that

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would point to this kid, ever committing a heinous act

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like you're about to learn about. So in two thousand

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and two, Catherine she heads off to college at Saint

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Olaf College. This is in Northville, Minnesota. It's a liberal

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arts school. It's known for strong academic programs in a

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very vibrant campus life. And at that school, Catherine pursued

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dual degrees in theater and Hispanic studies, which look these

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fields were perfect for her. She could focus on her

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creative spirit with theater and her love of culture. With

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that Hispanic Studies degree in theater would allow her to

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perform direct immerse herself in storytelling, and of course, the

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Hispanic study side would feed her curiosity about the world

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outside of Minnesota. Friends and professors would later describe her

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as dedicated, enthusiastic, and very talented. In college life, that

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would suit Katherine well. She formed more close friendships. That

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outgoing personality that benefited her in high school just natural transition.

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She was a connector, the kind of person that you

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really wanted to be friends with. And it was during

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this time at college she began exploring nanny positions as

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a way to make extra money and support herself. And

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one notable opportunity would take her all the way to

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Turkey where she worked as a nanny through a Craigslist

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ad and she just had a great, wonderful experience doing this.

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So by her early twenties, Catherine was confident, well rounded,

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and she had big dreams.

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Now.

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She had planned to study theater in Madrid, Spain, and

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that was as part of a graduate program with Saint

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Olaf College and in two thousand and seven. At this point,

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she's twenty four years old. She had just graduated a

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couple of years earlier. She had her own life ahead

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of her, and she's still trying to kind of figure

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it out, what's my next move gonna be. So as

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Catherine was doing that, Michael John Anderson's teenage years they

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would unfold in a much more isolated manner in Savage, Minnesota.

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By his mid teens, Michael had transitioned from a regular

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school to an alternative high school after struggling in the

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more traditional school setting, and he would eventually drop out

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of high school and at this stage, Michael's living at

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his family's two story home with his parents. Michael would

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start taking on jobs in auto parts warehouses and that

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work would align with his mechanical interest and it would

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provide some structure and income for him. And he also

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would work for an airport as sort of a mechanic,

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but he wasn't like building airplanes. He was filling gas

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to things like that. And he would spend a significant

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amount of his time away from work buying and selling

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truck parts online, and he became especially familiar with a

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platform like Craigslist to list and sell these parts. Think

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of it like the mid two thousand's version of what

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Facebook marketplace is today. So socially, Michael didn't get any better.

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He remained withdrawn and reports from that time would describe

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him as someone who had never dated, never attended a

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high school dance, He lacked close friendships, and those warning

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signs were really starting to develop with this kid. So

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on October twenty second of two thousand and seven, Katherine

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and Olsen she was taking temporary nanny positions while planning

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her next move. In that day, she was scanning Craigslist

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as she had done successfully so many times before. And

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she responds to an ad that she saw and it

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looked promising and the posting was from a woman named Amy,

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and Amy was looking for a babysitter for her five

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year old daughter in Savage, Minnesota. So Catherine exchanges emails

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with Amy. She arranges a time to meet with Amy,

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and on October twenty fifth of two thousand and seven,

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three days later, she drives from Minneapolis to that address

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provided in the emails. So that morning, just prior to

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nine o'clock am, Catherine called Amy and left a voicemail

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with her eta and she heads Amy's way and she

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arrives at twelve six four to nine Kipling Avenue South

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and upon arriving, Catherine meets Amy. Only it wasn't Amy.

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It was nineteen year old Michael John Anderson, so a

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neighbor she would later report seeing a car parked in

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front of the house for more than two hours. Now inside.

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According to the prosecution's reconstruction in the events many years later,

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Catherine met Michael.

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And something went wrong. She tried to leave.

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Maybe she had the spidey senses. Something's not right. There's

227
00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:25.200
no Aimy here and I'm getting the hell out of here.

228
00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:29.720
But Anderson goes and retrieves his father's three point fifty

229
00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.799
seven magnum revolver, and he shoots her in the back,

230
00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:37.480
and the physical evidence left little room for argument. Catherine's

231
00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:41.919
blood was found in multiple locations inside that home, including

232
00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:45.720
a trail in drag marks on the stairway leading from

233
00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:50.759
the bedroom area and in Anderson's bedroom. Investigators would recover

234
00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:54.919
a handgun later, as well as spent shell casing and

235
00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:58.960
bloody towels, one of which bore Anderson's name.

236
00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:00.519
I'm assuming these.

237
00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:05.519
Towels were like embroidered with this nineteen year old kid's name, which,

238
00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.840
if that don't scream weird, I don't know what does

239
00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:14.519
what nineteen year old gets tiles embroidered. But besides the point,

240
00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:18.960
at that point, he drags her downstairs and he ties

241
00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.600
her ankles with red twine, and he cleans up those

242
00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:26.519
trails of blood that had descended down those stairs. But

243
00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:30.879
he's sloppy, he doesn't notice, and he misses blood on

244
00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:34.759
the risers of those stairs. He then wraps her up

245
00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.120
in a sleeping bag, tosses her in the trunk of

246
00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:42.440
his own car, and drives her to Burnsville Nature Preserve,

247
00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:45.720
which is nearby, where he abandons the car with her

248
00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:49.360
body in the trunk and tosses her purse into a

249
00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:54.360
trash can, and then he simply walks back home, and

250
00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:57.480
later that day he reports to work at his airport

251
00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:02.159
job where he fuels planes as if nothing ever happened.

252
00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:02.879
Now.

253
00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:06.000
When he gets home later that night, he even gives

254
00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:10.160
his bloodstained work jacket to his mother, and when she

255
00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.799
inquired about what was all over his jacket, he tries

256
00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:16.680
to tell her it was jet fuel from work. And

257
00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:21.640
it's interesting that prosecutors would mention later that Anderson had

258
00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.359
been posting multiple ads in the weeks leading up to

259
00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:31.839
this day, some seeking quote sexy voiced women models, actresses,

260
00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.519
So he was getting really freaky already on this site.

261
00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:39.319
And you can see this kid is off the deep end.

262
00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:42.839
So obviously at this point in the story, nobody outside

263
00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:45.960
of Michael Anderson knows any of this has taken place.

264
00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:50.839
The next day, a good samaritan at the preserve calls

265
00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:55.000
police and tells them, Hey, I found a purse in

266
00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:59.799
a garbage can, and officers swell. He goes and meets

267
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:04.720
the person at that preserve and he retrieves said purse,

268
00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:08.039
and as luck would have it, and to the credit

269
00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:12.079
of the sheer stupidity of this nineteen year old idiot,

270
00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:16.920
Michael had not even pulled out her driver's license. Catherine's

271
00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:20.480
driver's license was still in the purse, so police knew

272
00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:23.880
exactly who this purse belonged to. Now, they didn't know

273
00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:27.839
she was in any dress or anything, but you find

274
00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:31.440
a purse like that, you get very curious. The officer

275
00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.599
goes back to the station, he runs the license, and

276
00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:38.119
then he heads to the address on that license to

277
00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:41.680
deliver the purse. And when he gets to that address,

278
00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:46.880
he speaks to Catherine's parents. Now, Catherine's parents explained to

279
00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:49.680
the officer that they had not talked to her in

280
00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:52.559
a day or so. She didn't actually live with her parents,

281
00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:56.240
She lived in an apartment nearby. It was very out

282
00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:58.640
of character for her not to speak to her parents

283
00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:01.720
throughout the day every day, so they.

284
00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:02.559
Tried to call her.

285
00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.599
They couldn't get in touch with her, and her mother, Nancy,

286
00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.759
went on to say, they called the roommate trying to

287
00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:12.480
locate her daughter in The roommate said that he had

288
00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:15.880
not talked to Catherine. Her roommate was a mail His

289
00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.000
name was Matt and when police spoke to him, he

290
00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:24.079
confirmed everything Catherine's mother, Nancy had told them. However, he

291
00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:27.200
did mention the police that the last time he had

292
00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:30.720
spoken to Catherine, she said she had a job doing

293
00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:34.759
some nanny work for a woman named Amy through Craigslist.

294
00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:37.960
And he also mentioned that Catherine had shown him some

295
00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:42.000
of the emails back and forth between Catherine and Amy,

296
00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.200
and in his mind they were a little off. He said,

297
00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:48.759
the emails were just a little strange. And it's at

298
00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:51.559
this point that police say, hey, you've happened to know

299
00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:55.880
her password or can you access her email? And we

300
00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:58.839
check out what these emails said. And I don't know

301
00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:01.359
if she was already long or if he knew her

302
00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:05.039
email password, but he was able to access her email

303
00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:09.359
for the police, and in those emails, the police were

304
00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:13.559
able to determine the address and phone number of Amy,

305
00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:17.960
which we know is really Michael. So by five point

306
00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:22.880
fifteen pm that very same day, police already had an

307
00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:26.519
address and phone number the last place this young lady

308
00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:29.799
was known to be, and a female detective by the

309
00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:34.240
name of Detective quus Nika. I believe I'm pronouncing that right,

310
00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:37.880
heads to that address to see what was up. However,

311
00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.039
when she gets there, she knocks on the door and

312
00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:44.920
nobody answers. She waits around for a little while, kind

313
00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:48.880
of looks through the windows, doesn't see anybody, so she

314
00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:53.000
leaves her business card in the door and she turns

315
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:55.960
to walk back to her police ye in it now.

316
00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:59.079
At this point she actually sees a neighbor and the

317
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.240
detective's speaks to this neighbor and she asks that neighbor, Hey,

318
00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:05.559
do you know anything about the people that live here?

319
00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:07.920
Is there an Amy that lives here?

320
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:08.559
Et cetera?

321
00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.359
And the neighbor's like, no Amy lives there, and she

322
00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:16.759
goes through. It's a mom, a dad, and a son.

323
00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:20.680
His name is Michael Anderson. And at that point the

324
00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:25.160
detective knows something's not right if an Amy doesn't live

325
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:29.880
there and no child lives there, especially remember there's supposed

326
00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:32.559
to be a five year old there. Those spidy senses

327
00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.960
go up and she heads back to the station and

328
00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.960
it's there that this female detective gets the deats on

329
00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:44.839
Catherine's car and tag number. Because at this point Catherine

330
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:49.519
is a missing person. Nobody knows anything nefarious has actually happened,

331
00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:53.839
they do suspect it. So around six pm, that officer

332
00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:58.519
that actually found the purse officers Swell. He returns to

333
00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:02.000
that area where the purse found. He's thinking, I wonder

334
00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:06.079
if there's other clues, maybe around that garbage can where

335
00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:09.240
I found the purse, or maybe in the garbage can.

336
00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:13.519
So he starts digging through the trash where that purse

337
00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:19.480
was found, and that's where he discovers that bloodstained towel

338
00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:23.440
inside of a garbage bag, and he unrolls that towel,

339
00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:28.079
which keep in mind it's embroidered with this freaking kid's name,

340
00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:30.640
and I know what you're thinking. This kid is not

341
00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:35.119
exactly a genius, obviously, but he unrolls it, and he

342
00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:39.839
discovers a smashed cell phone inside of that towel, which

343
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.519
was later determined to be Catherine's cell phone. So now

344
00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:47.680
we got signs of foul play because you got bloody

345
00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:51.240
towels inside of this garbage can. Remember, they haven't been

346
00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:54.359
in his house yet. So immediately, this officer he calls

347
00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:58.680
for backup to help search this area, thinking maybe her

348
00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:01.920
body's out here, or maybe she's hurt out here.

349
00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:03.000
We got to find her.

350
00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:06.759
Any clues to this girl's disappearance that were in the

351
00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:09.759
area they're going to have to search for. And while

352
00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:14.160
that is going on, Detective quus Nika she gets a

353
00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:19.200
phone call from Michael's mother, Barbara. Michael's mother, Barbara found

354
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.279
that business card left on the front door of the

355
00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:26.680
residence and she tells the detective Michael was at work

356
00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:31.200
at the airport currently. So that detective as for Michael's

357
00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:34.640
cell phone number, the mother gives it to her, and look,

358
00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:38.599
this was really smart. It wasn't because this detective wanted

359
00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:41.880
to call Michael. She was seeing if the number matched

360
00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:46.400
up to quote unquote Amy's number, and guess what it matched.

361
00:23:47.079 --> 00:23:52.799
Amy had given Catherine the same number, that is Michael's

362
00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:55.960
cell phone number. So at eight forty pm that evening,

363
00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:59.880
a detective Hennon he speaks with airport police and he

364
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:04.200
basically tells the sergeant what's going on and that they

365
00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:07.720
think Michael may have some knowledge to where Catherine is

366
00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:11.119
and that they need to speak to him and hold

367
00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:13.880
him at that airport until they get there, and the

368
00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:18.480
sergeant complies, he does exactly that. So the detectives they

369
00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:21.519
arrive at the airport and they take Michael into an

370
00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:25.319
interview room at that airport, and they explain to him, Hey,

371
00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:28.839
you're being detained because we have a missing person's and

372
00:24:28.920 --> 00:24:31.599
we think you were the last person to see this

373
00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:34.799
person alive and we need to talk to you in

374
00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:39.839
regards to the investigation into her disappearance. Now, for whatever reason,

375
00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:43.480
at that point, rather than interview Michael at the airport,

376
00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:46.960
they go ahead and they transport him to the Savage

377
00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:50.359
Police Department. And this isn't nine to twenty pm that

378
00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:54.440
same evening, so they're moving fast. And remember this is

379
00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:58.440
just the next day from this incident occurring. Now in

380
00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:01.960
the meantime, police are still looking for signs of Catherine's vehicle.

381
00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:03.799
They haven't found it yet, but they have.

382
00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:09.480
Helicopters in the air and especially circling this nature preserve.

383
00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:13.359
And as this helicopter is circling, he finds a car

384
00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:17.200
parked in that nature preserve and he radio is it

385
00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:20.759
in an Officer Swell, who's still working. This guy's been

386
00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:21.440
working all.

387
00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:22.000
Day and night.

388
00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:25.359
He goes out there for a third time and he

389
00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:30.480
locates that car. He confirms the tag number, the make,

390
00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:35.400
the model, and realizes this is definitely, without a doubt,

391
00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:40.119
Catherine's car. So he takes his flashlight because it's nighttime, right,

392
00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:42.920
it's late, it's after nine thirty at night, and he

393
00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:46.319
starts looking inside the vehicle. He doesn't see anything that

394
00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:49.799
would indicate any sort of struggle. He doesn't see any

395
00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:53.839
blood anywhere. It just looked like a regular car parked

396
00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:57.920
in the nature preserve and abandoned. So at this point

397
00:25:58.039 --> 00:26:03.920
two agents for the MENTA Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Their

398
00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:08.680
names are Agent Swanson and Agent Evans. They arrive and

399
00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:12.559
they ask a pretty simple question, which is has anybody

400
00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:15.759
looked in the trunk? Obviously no one had, so they

401
00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:20.200
pop that trunk and sadly, that is where they discover

402
00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:25.119
the body of Catherine Olsen. And all of this is

403
00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:31.200
done by ten twenty pm, and that is fantastic police work. Now,

404
00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:33.640
it's at that time that they head to Michael's home

405
00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:37.160
because they're pretty sure his home is now an actual

406
00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:40.200
crime scene and they want to secure that while they

407
00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:43.839
seek a search Warran. So when they get there, Michael's

408
00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:47.000
father he greets them at the front door and he

409
00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:50.279
actually lets them in the house and directs them to

410
00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:55.240
Michael's personal computer. Michael's mother actually had the log in

411
00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:58.920
information for that, because it was more like a family computer,

412
00:26:59.079 --> 00:26:59.799
even though.

413
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:01.279
Michael used it the most.

414
00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:05.119
But these parents shout out to them they were cooperating

415
00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:08.519
with police. Maybe they felt like Michael had nothing to

416
00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:11.319
do with it and they're trying to help the police,

417
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:14.160
or maybe they figured he did have something to do

418
00:27:14.279 --> 00:27:17.200
with it and they're doing the right thing. But regardless,

419
00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:21.319
at this point, they are cooperating. So while searching the home,

420
00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:24.079
as I told you, Michael did not do a great

421
00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:28.319
job of cleaning, police, they would discover blood spatter in

422
00:27:28.519 --> 00:27:32.240
multiple areas, and so they would kill the lights and

423
00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:36.000
they would actually use a chemical called luminol, which if

424
00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:38.960
you're not familiar with that, it's a spray you can

425
00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:43.119
use at a crime scene that will eliminate blood even

426
00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:45.640
if it's been wiped up and you can't see it

427
00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:50.039
with the naked eye. So everywhere that this kid cleaned up,

428
00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:54.079
when they killed those lights and they sprayed that luminol,

429
00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:57.920
it glowed like the freaking fourth of July in there.

430
00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:00.599
And you know, I was curious that, well, how did

431
00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:02.759
his parents not see this when they got home? But

432
00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:06.000
remember this is a two story home. They may not

433
00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:09.480
have went upstairs, and he did clean up the blood

434
00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:13.559
on the stair way. They did find some blood spatter

435
00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:17.720
or some blood that had touched the top of the railings,

436
00:28:18.119 --> 00:28:20.400
but his parents may not have noticed any of that.

437
00:28:20.480 --> 00:28:23.839
They may have stayed kind of down stairs most of

438
00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:26.759
the time. Maybe his bedroom, well his bedroom for sure

439
00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:30.160
was upstairs. Maybe theirs was downstairs and they were in

440
00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:32.920
the den or something, and they go to bed and

441
00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:34.599
they never even go upstairs.

442
00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:35.400
I don't know.

443
00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:38.000
He wasn't home, he was at work, so there would

444
00:28:38.039 --> 00:28:40.640
be really no reason to go up there. But it

445
00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:42.960
bothered me, and I'm trying to make sense of that.

446
00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:47.079
Now you got all this evidence and police at this

447
00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:50.559
point they got this piece of shit dead to rights

448
00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:53.720
and they have him back at the station. Remember, so

449
00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:56.839
they go ahead, they ring him his Miranda rights, and

450
00:28:56.880 --> 00:29:01.480
this was around eleven twenty pm. Michael, he agrees to

451
00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:05.880
talked to the police, and he lies his fucking ass off.

452
00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:09.680
He tells police he hasn't been on Craigslist since January

453
00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:12.920
of that year, two thousand and seven, and he said

454
00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:16.880
he primarily used his father's personal computer and not the

455
00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:21.000
one everybody in the family used. So he actually, in

456
00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:24.000
my opinion, was trying to throw this off on his

457
00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:28.680
own father at this point, but again he's no rocket scientist.

458
00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:32.240
And one thing police asked him was, hey, what's your

459
00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:37.400
email address? Well, this moron gives them his real email address,

460
00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:42.440
which matched the email address that he was emailing Catherine,

461
00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:43.640
saying he was Amy.

462
00:29:43.799 --> 00:29:45.640
So he's giving them this.

463
00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:50.279
Evidence at this point, and police made Michael aware, Hey,

464
00:29:50.359 --> 00:29:53.160
we have your phone number. We have the fact that

465
00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:56.920
she called your phone number to arrange this namy job.

466
00:29:57.359 --> 00:29:59.720
And if you're saying you had anything to do with this,

467
00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:02.480
does anyone else have access.

468
00:30:02.039 --> 00:30:04.039
To your phone? And he says no.

469
00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:09.119
But even though he said that, he continues to deny

470
00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:13.440
having any contact with Catherine, and then under pressure, he

471
00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:16.839
makes up another total lie, totally out of left field,

472
00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:20.720
and he says, Okay, I was present when Catherine was killed,

473
00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:23.519
but I didn't kill her. A friend of mine killed her,

474
00:30:23.720 --> 00:30:27.039
named Antoine. And he can tell by this point that

475
00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:30.640
police they know he's full of shit. There's no Antwine.

476
00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:34.519
So he stops the interview and he says, hey, I

477
00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:38.039
want to lawyer up, and of course that ends everything.

478
00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:41.839
And this is at twelve forty am.

479
00:30:41.960 --> 00:30:45.720
Now in the meantime, the Corners did what they do,

480
00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:49.519
and they determined she was shot while she was standing,

481
00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:54.359
meaning Catherine, she fell forward which created injuries to her

482
00:30:54.440 --> 00:30:59.119
face and her knees. And also they sadly determined she

483
00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:03.720
had lived approximately twenty minutes after she had been shot

484
00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:08.680
and stuffed into that trunk. Just horrible, And it didn't

485
00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:11.480
take long for this case to get out and draw

486
00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:16.440
national attention. It was almost immediate media outlets would label

487
00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:22.000
Anderson quickly the Craigslist killer, and the trial it would open.

488
00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:25.039
This was in March of two thousand and nine in

489
00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:28.680
Scott County and a district judge by the name of

490
00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:33.680
Mary Thesen presided over that case and the trial lasted

491
00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:38.359
a week. Prosecutors presented a case of premeditated first degree

492
00:31:38.519 --> 00:31:43.519
murder that he carefully constructed a false identity of amy,

493
00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:47.359
that that choice right there, and I agree with them,

494
00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:51.799
proved he knew what he was doing. That also the

495
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:55.559
fact that he cleaned up the scene that proved or

496
00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:59.279
attempted to clean up the scene, that proved that he

497
00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:00.599
knew what he.

498
00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:01.359
Was doing was wrong.

499
00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:06.759
Because look, most people are going to plead this insanity

500
00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:09.319
defense or race lawyer is going to have their people

501
00:32:09.400 --> 00:32:11.880
plead this and The problem with that is when you

502
00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:13.799
clean up a scene, it proves you knew what you

503
00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:18.160
did were wrong. Truly insane people have no idea what

504
00:32:18.200 --> 00:32:21.240
they did was wrong. So anytime you try to cover

505
00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:26.319
your tracks or you premeditate something, that basically blows a

506
00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:30.960
hole in an entire insanity defense. So the defense had

507
00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:33.279
a problem, but they came up with a different approach.

508
00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:38.480
They argued that shooting was not premeditated, but it was accidental,

509
00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:41.440
and they said it was the tragic result of a

510
00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:45.880
socially awkward young man who had as Burgers. But the

511
00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:51.839
judge ruled the Assburger's evidence inadmissible. Now she's not debating

512
00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:56.119
maybe this kid had Asberger's. The problem was that was

513
00:32:56.640 --> 00:32:58.920
he tried to clean up, and that proved he knew

514
00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:02.680
it was wrong. Usburgers are not If you know something's wrong,

515
00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:06.079
and he definitely knew killing someone was wrong, you don't

516
00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:11.599
do it now. Throughout the proceedings, Anderson largely remained expressionless,

517
00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:15.680
and prosecutors would point to this lack of visible emotion

518
00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:20.039
as further evidence of just how cold hearted.

519
00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:22.160
This kid was. He just didn't give a shit.

520
00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:27.519
Catherine's family sat through the testimony they heard clinical details

521
00:33:27.519 --> 00:33:30.680
of the crime scene and the autopsy, and of course

522
00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:34.880
that's a very emotional weight to carry. But on April

523
00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:39.000
first of two thousand and nine, after deliberating for less

524
00:33:39.039 --> 00:33:43.319
than six hours, the jury returns its verdict and it

525
00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:47.960
was six total counts, including first degree premeditated murder, and

526
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:52.200
he was found guilty on all six counts. Now I

527
00:33:52.240 --> 00:33:55.000
can imagine for Catherine's family it was a moment of

528
00:33:55.160 --> 00:34:01.279
profound relief mixed with just this ongoing pain of loss.

529
00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:04.920
And for Anderson, then twenty years old, it would seal

530
00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:09.639
his fate and sentencing would follow on April second, where

531
00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:13.639
he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

532
00:34:14.199 --> 00:34:18.280
And one thing you get during these sentencings is victim

533
00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:21.960
impact statements, which to me are one of the most

534
00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:26.000
important things in the justice system, the ability of these

535
00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:31.239
victims to address killers and rapists and people like that.

536
00:34:31.800 --> 00:34:35.679
And Nancy Olsen, Catherine's mom, she spoke with some pretty

537
00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:39.719
raw honesty. She would describe how her daughter's dreams had

538
00:34:39.719 --> 00:34:43.639
been stolen from the moment that Catherine knocked on this

539
00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:47.440
kid's door, and she would talk about wonderful memories of

540
00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:53.159
Catherine singing, attending Bible, Camp, loving life, etc. And she said,

541
00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:57.639
I am incapable of forgetting, and I can't forgive Michael.

542
00:34:58.039 --> 00:35:02.000
He's not asked to be forgiven, nor has he admitted

543
00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:07.559
any wrongdoing. This kid denied it, even through the victim

544
00:35:07.639 --> 00:35:12.519
impact statements. In the judge he imposes the mandatory sentence

545
00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:17.119
life in prison without the possibility of parole. Anderson gets

546
00:35:17.239 --> 00:35:21.079
led away to serve that sentence, and of course, as

547
00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:25.039
you know, appeals are going to follow. Anderson's attorneys they

548
00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:28.960
would continue to argue about the exclusion of Asperger's evidence,

549
00:35:29.320 --> 00:35:32.039
and they would say that denied him a fair trial.

550
00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:36.000
But the Minnesota Supreme Court said bullshit. They upheld the

551
00:35:36.039 --> 00:35:39.679
conviction and the sentence. So Michael John Anderson he begins

552
00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:43.639
serving a sentence of life in prison, and today, more

553
00:35:43.719 --> 00:35:48.039
than seventeen years later, he remains behind the walls of

554
00:35:48.199 --> 00:35:52.880
Minnesota's highest security prison and according to the Department of

555
00:35:52.960 --> 00:35:57.320
Corrections in Minnesota, his offender ID number is two two

556
00:35:57.360 --> 00:36:00.920
eight nine to ninety four. His current stat is listed

557
00:36:00.960 --> 00:36:05.440
as incarcerated, and his current facility is the Minnesota Correctional

558
00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:09.480
Facility oak Park Heights, often referred.

559
00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:10.719
To as OPH.

560
00:36:10.800 --> 00:36:15.239
He has been there continuously since his admission to that

561
00:36:15.320 --> 00:36:18.760
facility on April tewod of two thousand and nine. Now,

562
00:36:18.800 --> 00:36:24.239
Oak Park Heights is Minnesota's only Level five maximum security prison.

563
00:36:24.679 --> 00:36:28.000
It opened in nineteen eighty two, and it is designed

564
00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:33.320
to house the state's most serious evil offenders, those requiring

565
00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:37.480
the highest level of security and control. It can hold

566
00:36:37.559 --> 00:36:42.960
approximately four hundred and seventy three incarcerated individuals, and most

567
00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:47.360
of the people house there are classified maximum or close

568
00:36:47.559 --> 00:36:51.119
custody levels. And to tell you how strong Oak Park

569
00:36:51.239 --> 00:36:54.960
Heights is on security, the prison has never had a

570
00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.159
successful escape. So guess what, Michael Anderson, you ain't getting

571
00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:02.239
out of there now. Anderson was a young adult when

572
00:37:02.239 --> 00:37:05.360
he entered the system. He's now in his late thirties.

573
00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:08.679
There's no publicized reports that I could find of any

574
00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:13.719
major discipline problems involving Anderson, and as far as I know,

575
00:37:14.199 --> 00:37:18.920
he remains listed at oak Park Heights, continuing to serve

576
00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:24.199
the sentence handed down to him in two thousand and nine. Now,

577
00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:29.440
for the Olsen family, Anderson's incarceration, it represents the legal

578
00:37:29.519 --> 00:37:33.199
system's final answer to the loss of their daughter. Now,

579
00:37:33.239 --> 00:37:36.840
in the years following the trial, they have spoken about

580
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:40.440
focusing on Catherine's memory rather than on the man who

581
00:37:40.440 --> 00:37:44.599
took her life. They established a scholarship at Saint Olaf

582
00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:48.800
College in her name and that supports students pursuing theater

583
00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:54.480
and Hispanic studies, which the very same subjects Catherine loved.

584
00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:57.159
In this case, as I told you, was one of

585
00:37:57.159 --> 00:38:02.800
the earliest to spotlight the potentials of online classified ads.

586
00:38:03.440 --> 00:38:09.920
It prompted important conversations about safety, verification, trusting your instincts

587
00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:14.920
when something fills off. Now, while technology and safety practices

588
00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:18.719
they've evolved since two thousand and seven gotten much better,

589
00:38:19.119 --> 00:38:23.360
the core lesson remains. Real people exist on the other

590
00:38:23.440 --> 00:38:27.320
side of every screen, y'all, and vigilance stand on top

591
00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:31.519
of your shit matters, And in my opinion, many things

592
00:38:31.559 --> 00:38:35.079
as it relates to the Internet have gotten more dangerous,

593
00:38:35.559 --> 00:38:39.480
especially now in this day and time with phone apps

594
00:38:39.800 --> 00:38:46.239
and gaming apps like roadblocks, etc. These seemingly innocent gaming

595
00:38:46.360 --> 00:38:52.719
platforms have become an absolute cesspool for many sick human beings,

596
00:38:52.719 --> 00:38:56.760
but none more sick than child predators. So if you

597
00:38:56.800 --> 00:38:59.320
have children, pay attention to what they're doing on the

598
00:38:59.400 --> 00:39:04.039
Internet and their phones. Get in their business. Because there

599
00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:08.760
are millions and millions of predators out there on those

600
00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:12.280
apps right now. Catfishing kids guaranteed.

601
00:39:12.480 --> 00:39:13.440
And with that, of.

602
00:39:13.400 --> 00:39:17.039
Course, my thoughts and prayers go out to Catherine's family

603
00:39:17.320 --> 00:39:21.239
and all who knew and loved her, and to all

604
00:39:21.320 --> 00:39:24.440
the listeners. Thank you so much for supporting me everything

605
00:39:24.440 --> 00:39:27.280
I do with Bloody and Goal of Podcasts. I really

606
00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:31.400
hope you're enjoying the fifty Shades of Evil series, where

607
00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:35.039
of course I cover an evil human being from each

608
00:39:35.079 --> 00:39:38.639
of the fifty states. I'm about halfway through, y'all, and

609
00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:42.800
I hope you're enjoying it. Share this podcast with others

610
00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:46.480
if you think they will enjoy it. It is absolutely

611
00:39:46.960 --> 00:39:50.039
the only way I'm going to continue to grow and

612
00:39:50.079 --> 00:39:53.559
that I can continue bringing you these stories. Check us

613
00:39:53.599 --> 00:39:57.559
out on Patreon if you'd like to support. Patreon dot com,

614
00:39:57.599 --> 00:40:01.480
slash Bloody and Goal of Podcasts, comercial free early releases,

615
00:40:01.519 --> 00:40:04.119
and more. I could not do this show without them,

616
00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:07.719
simply could not do it. Too expensive and requires too

617
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:13.559
much time, so please consider supporting through Patreon, and until

618
00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:17.960
next time for Bloody and Gola, I'm your host, Jim Chapman.

619
00:40:18.559 --> 00:40:19.199
Much love,