The Frankston Murders

In June 1993, Elizabeth Stevens, 18, was murdered on her way home from the bus stop. Her death began a seven-week reign of terror for the people of Frankston. A serial killer was on the loose. No one was safe, not young mother, Debbie Fream, 22, taken on a trip to the shops, nor Natalie Russell, 17, murdered on her way home from school. The serial killer, Paul Denyer was captured and sentenced to life in prison. On appeal, he was granted a 30-year minimum sentence. Fast forward 30 years and Denyer has applied for parole. Award winning crime writer Vikki Petraitis was on patrol with police the night the final murder took place. She wrote the bestselling book, The Frankston Murders which has never been out of print. Vikki has revisited the case in a longform podcast to remind the world why Denyer must never be released. The Frankston Murders Podcast uncovers new material and new victims stalked by Denyer in the lead-up to the killings. Vikki interviews prison guards, police officers, family members, and people caught in the periphery of a serial killer.Credits:Created by Vikki PetraitisResearch and writing by Vikki PetraitisAudio production and scoring by Mike Migas (https://mikemigas.com/)Audio production by Anthony TelferArchive production by Catherine Seccombe/Arcdive (https://www.arcdive.com/)Archival audio supplied by The Footage Company / Nine Network Australia

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Recent Reviews

SuzzieSeaTurtle

Extremely interesting

I binge listened to this podcast and the story is so compelling and presented in such depth, compassion and is easy to follow. Fantastic job and keep it up.
Sharon L. Clark

Excellent, but grab your tissues

Vicki, what an excellent job on this. It was almost as if I was there amongst the crowds, feeling both anger and profound sadness. These poor families, I cried for them. Thank you for a thorough and well written podcast.
KaraMara1988

Pronouns

Why are respecting a serial killers prounouns?🙄
CFicken

Well done!

This podcast was well researched, well organized, and very well done. A chilling series of crimes that I didn’t know about before and the sick, twisted individual behind them.
Luleelmom

Sooo good.

This podcast was so well organized and the stories/interviews/history of each girl was so well done. I highly recommend!!!
Eli W.

This is an exceptional podcast mini-series

I like a lot of listeners consume a lot of true crime. This far and away is the best I’ve ever heard. There was clearly an exceptional amount of interviewing and research put into this and that’s what makes this podcast so good. I most appreciate how the creator of this podcast Vikki Petraitis painstakingly documented the many many encounters the killer had with people before he killed — being a nuisance, harassing, creeping, crowding, offending, tormenting, and terrorizing dozens of people (probably more) over the years he was a free child and man. I’ve also never listened to a podcast that so profoundly made me care about the victims. For me the story of Elizabeth is the most heartbreaking because my early childhood shared similarities with hers. What a tragedy her work to make a good life for herself as she entered adulthood was destroyed. Very thought provoking. An exceptional podcast.
ClaraBowie

Great podcast, extremely irritating commercials.

I can’t tell you how jarring it is when you’re listening to a podcast, and they’re discussing the horrific murder of women, and then, with no warning whatsoever there’s some guy screaming to you about Albertson’s with clown music behind him. It’s jarring, I think it’s a little insulting, honestly, and I don’t know why there can’t be a pause of at least a second or a chime or something before some idiot starts screaming. I’m guessing that you don’t give warnings before the commercials so that people don’t fast forward. Well, I guarantee I never listened to to a single commercial because I found them so irritating.
mhs1994

Incredibly moving and important story that needed to be told

I’ve listened to many, many true crime series, but very few have been as impactful, as effective, and as compassionately told as this one. At the conclusion I’m left with the families, friends, and the girls’ stories above all else. The story of community and the work of the police, it’s lasting impact on them and the wider community, will be something that stays with me for a long time to come.
YayaYelper

Really found this podcast fascinating.

It was gripping from the start and was very easy to follow the way the storylines were laid out.
Sarahlee137

Great Storytelling

The pace and layout of this podcast were excellent! Plenty of details without getting “lost in the margins”. Informed, complete reporting while honoring the victims and their families.
eg portland

The best of true crime

High quality true crime podcasting. This is a case unfamiliar to most in the US and stands out from most of the new podcasts out there. Great writing and though it doesn’t shy away from details, it respects the victims .
Weeeeman069

You lost me at

We’ve chosen to use the preferred pronouns
Noelle0214

Very well researched and produced!!

Very well researched and produced!!
Dizzyinahaze

Excellent.

Well done. Thank you
Jootbox

Binged

Really enjoyed this podcast
The Len-Man

Wow

As a fan of true crime, this is one of the most interesting cases ever. As a true crime podcast listener, this is one of the best-produced stories ever. Definitely something worth listening to again, to pick up details missed the first time around. If you are a CaseFiles fan, you will feel at home with this one.
ZoomVirtualAssistant

TERRIBLE narration

Literally couldn’t get through ten minutes. Sounds like that weird tiktok voice filter that turns voices into robots. Baffling and bad
MSfromKY

Frankston Murderes

It’s interesting that several reviews were horrified by the violence against animals, but not against young women. Sad story, well told
billthick

Twenty stars

Best podcast ever
b3853r

Poignant, horrifying & infuriating stories told well

This podcast does a wonderful & tough job of telling us the facts without making a spectacle of the victims or their families. The murderer & his, now, light sentence angers me greatly! I will be following the news to see if the justice system really grants his parole. Thank you Vikki for doing doing such a great job informing us of the original crimes & sentencing & giving us the disconcerting news that those 30 years are up.
ArcticCrimeAddict

Excellent podcast, serious, well researched and compassionate

Excellent work honoring the victims and their loved ones, without voyeuristically prying into their grief and personal lives.
christyDfw

Binged

I rarely binge even if all the episodes are out. This is so well written, the balance of the narration and the victims telling their stories is perfect. I usually get antsy if there are too many people talking, and not the narrator. I already knew about the Frankston killer, or so I thought. This was fascinating. There was so much more to this story, and you researched, pieced it all together! Also your voice is perfect for true crime. I hope you are already working on your next podcast, please!
jbmonte44

Stopped less than 3 minutes in

Pandering to the preferred “pronouns” of a serial killer? Really? No thanks.
Nanc Y

Stop What You Are Doing

Binge this well researched and written documentary about a serial killer. The stories of the victims and the families are compelling. Seems a rare thing in true life crime podcasts: making the victims and the devastation of their families visible. So impressive!!! I hope you are successful in keeping this dangerous predator behind bars the rest of his life. Thank you!!!
Mr. Nod

Ignore the complaint about the lack of content warning for animal abuse

Seriously, people need to stop and reconsider what they’re saying when they complain about a lack of content warning for animal abuse. This is a true crime podcast about the murder and attempted abductions of women and girls (including descriptions of the autopsies), and you’re more bothered by the killing of cats? The torture and murder of innocent animals is certainly horrific, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that the torture and murder of innocent women and girls should disgust us far more than a crime against an animal. If anything, you should be complaining that this podcast contains descriptions of crimes against minors without the standard content warning (which Casefile is usually diligent about providing, but didn’t provide for some reason for this show).
SM_Reviewer

Highly recommend

Well narrated, thorough and authentic series. I found it to be very informative and interesting. My best wishes to all those whose lives were impacted by that psychopath. Good luck in your fight to keep him where he belongs.
jannaTR

Question

If I am a casefile premium subscriber, why am I getting ads listening to this casefile presents podcast??
Viking-Hen

So gripping!

Aside from the animal abuse that I had to quickly fast forward through, I was gripped by the writing and delivery of the heartbreaking stories of what unfolded. Please, in the future, give us a warning about the abuse of animals. Otherwise, I was enthralled by the storytelling and moved by the intention behind revisiting these crimes! Great work, team!!
K_@_K

Well researched

This is a thorough and thoughtful retelling of the Frankston murders. The inclusion of the families highlights the long term impact of the murders (and makes for some heartbreaking moments). The final few episodes make the case that Denyer should not be released on parole. This is where the story breaks down and becomes a kind of freeform exploration of why Denyer is bad. Episode 10 in particular feels almost completely unstructured and at times almost tabloid. Also, it is disappointing that no experts on trans issues were included in the lengthy discussion of Denyer’s sincerity. The majority of the episodes are first rate, but the last few are a departure. As an aside - the ad placements are incredibly jarring and repetitive.
cmdm

finally…the victims are the focus…

i appreciate this so much…there is information about the murderer but there’s a lot of time spent on the family and friends of the three young girls…i wish more true crime took this approach…
Dan Greenfield/13th Dimension

Content warning would have been appreciated

I got through most of the first episode, but there was an extended, gratuitous description of very graphic violence toward animals, and I finally had to stop. It just went on and on. I’ve never stopped listening to a podcast for violence, but this was too much for me.
Jra4776

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I heard about the podcast this morning, and I’ve listen to every single episode. I could not stop. Wow! I definitely recommend!! Incredible job. I hope that monster is never free again.
npelosi

Extremely well done!

Professional, thoughtful, and relevant. Thank you!
JoelD88

Garbage

Starting the series by bringing up the preferred pronouns of a serial killer. You are a joke.
Lindsaytexas

TW: Animal Abuse

I really wish a warning would have been posted regarding the animal abuse.

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