In short
Rotten Mango Podcast Episode #310: She Tracked Down Her Brother's Killer Through Facebook
Episode Overview In this episode of Rotten Mango, the host delves into a chilling true crime story involving a harrowing boat trip that escalated into torture and murder. The narrative centers around a man named Silas Duane Boston, who displayed early signs of violent tendencies and eventually committed brutal acts of murder against a couple, Chris Farmer and Peta Frampton, while they were traveling in South America.
Key Themes and Elements
The Setting
- Boat Trip: Five strangers, including an American father and his sons, and a couple from the UK, embark on a sailing journey on a cramped 32-foot boat named the *Justin B*.
- Isolation: The strangers were trapped together at sea, leading to heightened tension and the emergence of dark personalities.
Character Backgrounds
- Silas Duane Boston:
- The main antagonist, exhibiting troubling behavior even before the trip, having a history of violence and a fascination with death and torture.
- Worked as an ambulance driver and collected gruesome images of deceased bodies.
- Chris Farmer & Peta Frampton:
- Young couple and high school sweethearts, eager to explore the world before starting their careers.
- Their innocence stands in stark contrast to Silas's malicious intentions.
Escalation of Events
- Initial Goodwill: Initially, the trip is marked by camaraderie and excitement, but quickly devolves as tensions rise and Silas's true nature emerges.
- Violence and Control: Silas's abusive behavior becomes apparent, culminating in a violent confrontation with Chris, where he uses physical weapons against him.
- Murder: The episode details the horrific murders of Chris and Peta, emphasizing Silas's sadistic enjoyment of control and torture.
The Aftermath
- Families' Struggle: Chris's sister, Penny Farmer, embarks on a relentless quest for justice following her brother's disappearance, driven by grief and determination.
- Tracking Down the Killer: Utilizing social media, Penny successfully finds and contacts the Boston family to confront the truth behind the murders.
Psychological Depth
- Silas's Justifications: The episode reveals Silas's warped mindset, where he rationalizes his actions and views himself as a victim of circumstance.
- Survivor's Guilt: Russell Boston, Silas's son, grapples with his father's violent legacy and seeks redemption by cooperating with law enforcement.
Key Takeaways
- The Nature of Evil: Silas’s character represents the embodiment of evil, showcasing how charm and charisma can mask sinister intentions.
- Persistence in Seeking Justice: Penny’s journey to find closure highlights the importance of relentless pursuit of justice in the face of overwhelming adversity.
- Impact on Families: The episode profoundly illustrates the long-lasting effects of violence on families and individuals, emphasizing themes of loss, guilt, and the quest for truth.
References
- Book Mentioned: *Dead In The Water* by Penny Farmer, which recounts the true story of the events that transpired and Penny's pursuit of justice.
Conclusion This episode encapsulates a tragic narrative of murder and survival, exploring the psychological intricacies of both the perpetrator and the victims, while underscoring the profound impact of loss on families. Through Penny's determination, the story serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of darkness.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:025 strangers sail out on the coast of South America and they would be trapped on a boat together for weeks at a time. They're not lost at sea, but they're going on this long, treacherous journey down the coast. Five people. So we've got an American father and his two teenage sons. Then we have a couple from the United Kingdom, a doctor and a lawyer. They're both really young. They're like 25 years old. So five people on this one small, small boat. And at first, everyone's getting along fine. But you know, as time goes on, as they're trapped out on sea together, these little red flags, they start to show.
0:42And it would be found out too late that one of them was a serial killer in the making. He got off on death. When he saw people in utter terror, there was just something in him that felt this insane surge of energy, this sense of power. Before this, he worked as an ambulance driver, and he made scrapbooks of all the gruesome bodies that he came across. He would take pictures of them. When he was called out to the site, take a picture, throw it in a scrapbook. He wanted to see people in pain. He wanted to see them tortured. He wanted to see them begging to be saved. And that was his ultimate life prize, the feeling of that.
1:25And now he had just trapped his next victims out at sea, isolated and vulnerable. For the next 36 to 48 hours, he would play mind games with them, physically, emotionally, mentally torturing them before tying them up with rope, attaching heavy engine parts to them, and then throwing them overboard with plastic bags over their heads while they were still alive. And the only reason he was caught was because one of the victim's sisters tracked him down on Facebook. As always, full show notes are available at RottenMinglePodcast.com. there is really an incredible book on this case written by the sister of one of the victims Penny Farmer it's called Dead in the Water it was such a moving book I think first of all Penny Farmer is an incredible woman and the way that she's able to find justice for her brother and never give up through this whole process is one of the most admirable things that I've read about in a really long time but also her ability to bring out a ton of emotions into the book I mean you could feel everything that her family was going through and had been through in this book.
2:32And it's a lot. So I'm going to link that below. There's also a really good podcast by the BBC that I'm also going to link. But with that being said, let's get into it. When Chris finally comes back home after being missing for 10 months, the whole family, their goal is we're going to spend every second celebrating the rest of our lives together. Joy is probably not even the right word to use in this situation. It feels like a miracle. Something that only happens in the movies. What do you mean you're back after being missing after 10 months? It showed the family every day needs to be celebrated.
3:07Life needs to be celebrated. So they threw this huge party for Chris's return. He's alive and well, you know, and Penny's watching as her brother is smiling at all the party guests. And then once everyone leaves and, you know, the night quiets down, she decides to go into his room and tell her older brother how happy she is that he's back home, how much she missed him while he was missing. Chris is in bed, so he's either dozing off, already asleep, and Penny walks in, sits at the foot of his bed, and she's like, Chris, and something doesn't feel right. She reaches for the blanket that was covering her brother's face, pulls it down just a bit, and there is a total stranger sleeping in Chris's bed and next to him on the nightstand was a rubber face mask that looked exactly like her brother.
3:59You're saying he fooled everyone by a mask? Penny would wake up screaming. This was a common nightmare that she would have since her brother went missing. But what's worse when your dreams are like this vivid this disturbing or when you wake up and you realize okay that's a nightmare but my reality is so much worse because chris would not be coming back and penny was determined to make sure whoever took her brother was gonna pay for it she found the people on the boat on facebook she tracked them down and she starts writing them anonymous messages through anonymous facebook account and she's writing pretty scary ominous things to try and get them to respond she would write please reply i will tell you why i'm writing to you if you respond.
4:46She's like, I can't appeal to these people with a conscious. I can't be like, hey, let's talk about what you did. Like, I'm going to forgive you. So she's thinking maybe they're scared of being arrested. They're going to freak out. They're going to want to talk to her if only because they want to shut her up. But she gets no response. So she sends another one. Why won't you reply? Because you already know why I'm writing to you. Do you know or do you remember the truth? I will not leave this matter alone. Penny Farmer had no idea that while she had been looking for them on Facebook and crafting these messages to send them.
5:18They had been looking for her too. Where is the most vulnerable place to be trapped? That is my question to you. Like if you had to be trapped with strangers anywhere, where's the last place you would want it to be? In a locked room, in a mansion, in an isolated cottage, in an elevator. Yes. Or even a boat. you're out at sea for potentially weeks only stopping to grab supplies i mean it's it's a very weird experience you're cramped together limited food water resources probably limited patience at some point and the open sea is known to be ruthless like the tension and the stress that you're going to start building in your body as you're sailing as the waves get too high the wind is too strong you're bound to at least fight someone right there's just no way i've never heard of anyone even going on a cruise without getting into a fight.
6:11Off the coast of Belize in South America, there was a boat called the Justin B. Now don't think of like a small but well-appointed boat. Don't think of like a mini yacht. Think of a 32 foot long wooden boat. It was basically a working sailing boat. No real bedroom, no real bathroom. The bedroom in this boat is like a small little cubby so 32 foot is that considered small or large it's um it's large but it's a working boat so it's about three stories in length but none most of it is just on deck yeah so you're not you're not talking about bedrooms you're not talking about bathrooms where they're sleeping is you open this little cubby door and it's just a sheltered space there's a cramped galley kitchen in the back that you can cook in but otherwise nothing i mean no real bathroom, just sleeping in a cupboard with five strangers.
7:04And as for the bathroom, you would have to swing a rope over the side of the boat, hang off of it like Tarzan and just poo, hoping that no shark wants to swim up and take a bite. Wow. So on the Justin B, there's five passengers of the five passengers. One of them is a suspected serial killer. The five passengers on the boat were 36 year old Silas Duane Boston, boat owner, American, and honestly, just like straight out of a soap opera type of character. Everyone said that he doesn't even seem like a real person. Like he just has this crazy big personality and maybe not in the best way. He's loud, loves cheap rum, has this big, crazy hearty laugh that just like vibrates the floor.
7:47He made friends everywhere that he went and he would sit there and he would tell you about these crazy wild adventures that he had gone on. And these sharp blue eyes would just peer so deep into your soul. And there would be these moments like, you know, those people that are super drunk, or at least they seem super drunk, right? And then for a split second, they stare at you and their eyes are so laser focused. You have this unsettling moment of like, wait, are they not drunk? I'm so confused. It's just unsettling. It's so sharp. You almost think, what was that? Why would, why did they just look at me like that?
8:22But overall, Silas was known as a very charismatic, engaging person. He's not the most attractive guy out there, but he was a huge ladies man. There were women all over him just flocking. He had been married seven times. He had a ton of kids with seven different women. And the people who knew Silas said it was fascinating watching this guy around women. How old is he? 34? 36. Oh, okay. He was never particularly nice to women either. He just would tell these big, big jokes and he would throw these backhanded insults at them. But instead of being offended, these women, most of them would just stick around.
9:00It was really weird. Some of them said it's like they just couldn't stay away. And then there were two of Silas's sons. So, OK, well, two of his sons, he has more kids back in the US, but two of his sons were with him on the boat. 13 year old Vince and 12 year old Russell. And then you had the couple from the United Kingdom, Chris Farmer and Pettiframpton. Chris Farmer is a 25 year old doctor. Peta Frampton was a 24 year old lawyer. And both of them had been dating since they were 14 years old. They're like the epitome true high school sweethearts. And they're out here just trying to see a bit of this world before their careers get crazy, before their schedules get cramped.
9:37And they were introduced to Silas and his boat by another British traveler. So from there, Silas is like, hey, where are you trying to go? They're like, oh, we're trying to go to Honduras. Well, I'll take you there. For$500. I'll also give you the chance to sail, swim, snorkel. Like whatever you want to do. If you want to stop at any point along the coast, I'll stop. Like we could just have a fun. It'll be like an excursion. Silas was like, you know, it makes sense. Honduras is on the way. I'm going to Costa Rica to sell this boat. So, I mean, it can be like the last hurrah for the boat, for everybody.
10:12The first few weeks on the boat is great. Excitement is high. The chemistry between everyone is just meshing so well. Vince and Russell, the teens, they were so excited to have new people on board. They're 12 and 13, and they're just like sponges for knowledge at this age. Chris and Peta were teaching them about medicine, law, and then just like telling them random stories about their travels. Everyone's having a good time. Peta also made these amazing eggs. The kid said, I don't know what it was. Maybe it was the butter or like the way that she was constantly stirring the eggs. Her eggs would melt in your mouth.
10:45But then later when we tried to recreate it, it would just taste like rubber. Every night they would snorkel and spear fish and lobsters to cook up. The kids would just jump into this like turquoise blue warm water. Chris was learning how to sail, but also reading his medical textbooks. Silas would lounge out on the sun until he's red in the face, drinking cheap rum. And Petra would sit there and write these crazy lengthy letters to send back home. And she would send them out every time that they docked for extra supplies. And she's telling her parents about the Justin B, the boat, the owner, the two kids.
11:21And she's writing, you know, the pier is surrounded by millions of catfish. The water just starts boiling if anything gets thrown in because the catfish go crazy, but they're super tasty. It's also very peaceful and we can catch fish for supper. Catfish is really good, but it's also incredibly hot here. Tons of mangoes and papayas to eat, but no fresh vegetables. So I able to catch your own supper. During the night, the boat isn't very comfortable. It's a bit cramped for cooking and sleeping, but during the day, it's super. Just lying there, soaking up the sun while the boat flies along, and then everyone just jumps into the water to cool off.
12:00We've had thunderstorms, which are quite something on a boat. In other writings, Petra writes about how the sun is warm, the sky is cloudy, and the sea is almost this emerald green color, and the waters are a little choppy, but it kind of sounds like paradise. And so for a while, it's all, it's also pleasant. It's like lobster seafood boil and sardines on open waters until it wasn't. Somewhere along the ride, things start getting weird. Side note, there were actually two other people on this boat in the beginning of this whole trip. There were two other people on the boat, but once they get to shore randomly in the middle, they're like, you know what?
12:38I'm actually headed that way. I'm actually going to stay ashore. I'm getting a little sick of the sea. A lot of people wonder, did these two people see something in Silas that maybe Chris and Peta didn't quite see yet? Penny, Chris's sister, thinks that Chris isn't naive. He's not the most trusting of people. He's a good person. He always believes in the good in others, but I think it really helped that Silas had his two sons with him. but we start getting these glimpses that something is something bad is brewing on this boat and it's all through peta's letters so she went from writing about how uncomfortable the boat is but it's so worth it for the daytime views the lounging the sun and then she starts writing about how it's starting to feel a bit claustrophobic starting to feel like the walls are caving in just strangers on a boat in such a small space.
13:32She said, like all boats, this one has cockroaches. We sleep in the galley, a space about four feet by five. It's horrible. When we turn on the lamp, the cockroaches come out. We spray repellent every day, but they come out to die. I didn't mind cockroaches that much, but I like a little bit of space between me and them. Another reason that I wouldn't mind ending my sailing career now is the two sons of Silas, 12 and 13. They behave more like eight and nine-year-olds. I find that I have no patience with all of them. Of course, they squabble most of the time, but on a boat, there's nowhere to go.
14:09What makes it worse is Silas curses and puts them down continuously when things aren't going quite right. And Petra ends her letter by talking about how she wants to get out of here, go to the US. She's gonna extend her vacation there and ends the letter with enough about the future. I don't think that there's any more news. Nothing much happens on a boat. Lots of love, Peta. A lot of things were about to happen on this boat. The kids noticed Silas had been drinking a lot, a lot more than usual. You know, the longer that they're at sea, the more that their dad just keeps chugging down these cheap rums.
14:46And they knew what it's like when their dad is drunk. So growing up under Silas was is just a trip. Like it's really hard to tell if Silas is lying or not. Like that's the general consensus people have about this man. It's really hard to tell even if he's about to explode and beat you up or if he's genuinely just joking around when he says he's going to kill you. He keeps everybody around him on edge perpetually. So for example, he constantly told his kids that his first kill, his first murder was when he was eight years old. and he would sit them down and he would say, you know, I loved throwing rocks.
15:25That was my favorite pastime. So I would go to these train stations so that I could throw these big old rocks at the trains while they're moving. But one time I hit a man without a home on the train station. He was waiting on the platform and I saw him. He got hit in the head with the rock that I threw, slumped to the ground, dead. You'll never believe it. It was the most fun I've ever had. the thrill that's why i love war he said that he went to volunteer in vietnam and he loved killing but silas told his sons that he doesn't consider the vietnamese people he killed to be actual people because they're just insert racial slurs apparently he would also take a lot of pictures of the dead mangled bodies in vietnam and show them off later he loved the carnage that's what he said so the kids they had no idea how much of these pictures were his pictures where someone else's pictures?
16:18Did he really kill someone at eight years old? They have no idea if these stories are true or not. But one thing is for freaking certain, even just the sound of their dad breathing was enough to scare them. They're both terrified of this man. So one day on the boat, sun is shining so hard. They're getting sunburned and Silas is getting drunk yet again. It's another long day. And Russell, the youngest one, he hears his dad screaming at him. Russell, get your ass overboard right now. Overboard meaning into the water. What? Yeah. He's like, get your ass overboard right now. Russell's like, what? You heard me.
16:58Get your ass overboard now. Russell said that he was so scared of what his dad would do if he didn't. So he just jumped overboard. He was like, okay, jumped into the water. And now he's just kind of treading the water, like floating there, staring up at the boat. Why am I in here? And the dad says, there's an anchor stuck. Unhook it. So the anchor is the part that holds the boat stable and it's all the way down. Russell takes a deep breath, goes down into the water. But the deeper he goes, you know, of course, the murkier it gets, the less he can see. And it's freaking him out. The anchor doesn't even look to be stuck.
17:32So he gets back up on the board and he tries to pull the anchor up because he's like, the only way to prove to my dad that the anchor is not stuck is to pull the anchor up from the water. But as he's doing this, his back is turned to everybody and he's like pulling up the anchor. and his dad creeps up on him and just starts pummeling him. Punch after punch, like it was vicious. Chris and Petra, who have nothing to do with these people, really have nothing to do with the kids, they're screaming at him, stop, like what are you doing? Chris eventually runs up to physically pull Silas off of his own kid and screams, stop it, leave him alone.
18:09And he whips around and Silas says, don't you dare tell me how to raise my kids. He turns back around and goes back to beating up Russell. So Chris grabs him, pulls him off again, and Silas loses his mind. He goes to punch Chris with everything that he has. So he's like pulling his arm back. He's yanking it back, trying to get that momentum. But Chris dodges because, like I said, Silas is drunk, right? Silas throws his hand. Chris dodges. There's no impact. So he ends up tumbling forward, falling off the side of the boat. but as he's falling he's trying to grab onto the boat so you hear like the squeaky noises of his hand clasping onto the railing and the boat and he's like sliding down the side it was a pretty embarrassing fall like a soap opera fall everybody had no choice but to kind of let out a chuckle not because they think it's genuinely funny there's nothing funny about the situation but it's just such a spectacle it's like so dramatic it's oscar winning you know and then also they're laughing because what else can they do it's just so uncomfortable right now but silas he looks up at everyone on the boat laughing he looks at his own two sons and he just starts swimming circles around the boat glaring at them what for hours just glaring swimming around the boat glaring it's like a shark circling the boat like daring them to get into the water finally he gets back up onto the boat and it's just awkward the whole boat the energy has shifted it feels like a new chapter has started russell and vince they knew that their dad was never going to get over this when silas was back on board he told chris and peta that he was going to drop them off so that they could find their own damn way to honduras now now there's a lot of tension about this because they didn't reach an agreement that night chris and peta are saying okay well if you're going to drop us off halfway then we're only going to pay you half silas wasn't happy about this and that night Silas walked up to his two sons in the dark and he said I'm gonna kill him now the two boys they keep quiet and they didn't really think that he was serious they just thought dad is super drunk dad is super embarrassed but he's gonna sober up and you know the anger is it's gonna go away it did not go away the next day was like a nightmare nobody really knew what to expect there were no agreements yet on how much money Chris and Petta were gonna pay Silas it felt like everyone was being held hostage on the boat while they're heading back to shore.
20:38The tension is so thick. Nobody is talking. There's almost this feeling of let's not engage with anyone until we're around other people. Like it's so dangerous right now. Well, at least that's what everyone's thinking. But Silas.
20:58Russell said that he was zoning out. He's like trying to escape mentally. He's just looking out, getting closer and closer to shore. He's like, okay, thank God we need to get up sooner, right? And he just sees his dad totally sober. This is so strange. And even stranger is his dad is holding a billy club. A billy club is like a two foot long, thick wooden club. It's heavy. Vince, the other son, is just watching as his dad sneaks up on Chris and just starts pummeling him on the head. Rapid fire, again and again. Chris falls to his knees trying to cover his head immediately with his arms but there's blood spraying everywhere Chris was yelling at Silas to stop but Silas keeps going and Vince said that he could remember the sound and the sound was horrendous it was of skull cracking and everybody was in so much shock no one really knew what to do Chris is screaming asking Silas to stop but he's also asking like what's your game?
21:57what's your game? probably meaning like, what do you want from this? Like, let's just talk about it. Let me know what you want and we can solve this in some other manner. Vince and Russell were told to go down into the galley unless they wanted to be shot with this beer gun. And eventually Vince sees the billy club break from the impact of Chris's head. And now Chris is kind of stumbling around dazed, but he's trying to stand up. And it's clear that he's very, very, very, very badly injured and needs medical attention ASAP. But right as he finds his footing and get some stability, Silas punches him on the chest and he flies across the boat.
22:34But Silas had a knife in his hand, so he didn't just punch him in the chest. He stabbed him. Chris is crying out, please, please, please. I give up. I give up. And the only reason that Silas stopped physically assaulting him was because Silas was out of shape. His knife had broken from the impacts. His billy club had broken. And right now he was heaving. He's like doubled over, panting from all the physical activity of his own attacks. At this point, Chris is most likely suffering from a fractured skull, multiple broken bones, a concussion, possible internal bleeding, vomiting, and severe pain.
23:09But they were nowhere near the shore. They're all stranded, trapped together, still on this boat. And Russell remembers there was just so much fear in his body. And he looked over and Chris just asked, why? silas said because you didn't pay me i agree i agree i'm sorry i was wrong absolutely of course we'll pay you chris and peta paid him the 500 that he wanted and that night because they're still that far away from shore chris helped bandaged up silas from the pain that he was in for beating chris just chris bandaged him up because chris is a doctor this is a reminder that chris was in even worse shape but he still administered a muscle relaxant to help silas sleep that night this is a key moment so chris being a doctor he had his medical bag because he was kind of working through south america and he had more than enough supplies in there to quietly kill silas who had just tried to kill him he could have killed him they were trapped on a boat with an unhinged man i don't know if he would face charges but instead of killing him Chris helped him heal and he hoped okay this is me proving good on my character we've paid him we've given what he wants and now I'm helping him so he's gonna let us off the boat Chris was also a really good doctor and he took his Hippocratic oath very seriously he was a lifesaver he was not a killer even if Silas had just tried to kill him even if it was self-defense Vince said even though Chris was the one with all the real injuries he never complained and not only that, he kept telling Petta that it was going to be okay.
24:48So that night, they all just go to bed and Chris is still bleeding a lot. Petta's tending to all of his wounds and they just hope that tomorrow morning, everything's going to be okay. They're going to reach shore and they're going to be let off the boat and this nightmare will be over. Silas wakes up the next morning acting like nothing happened the night before. He doesn't even address anything. Everyone's avoiding eye contact with him because without making it so obvious, right? because they're worried it's going to trigger some sort of anger response in him. He's like an animal right now. He's the king of the boat.
25:20He's the unhinged one. Everyone is terrified of this guy. Near the afternoon, Silas tells everyone, all right, gather around. This is what's going to happen. We're going to drop off Chris and Peta somewhere very remote so that we can sail away before they get to civilization and report what I did to the authorities. Chris and Peta, they nod. They're like, we understand where you're coming from. And like, trust us. rest assured we're never going to go to the authorities about this. Silas didn't care. He's like, go pack your stuff, put it on the deck. They listen. They pack up all their things, put it in the little duffel bags on the deck.
25:53Now I'm going to need to tie you guys up to give me more time to sail away. Vincent Russell remembered Silas being able to say anything in such a nonchalant tone. Like it's as if he was suggesting that they eat eggs and toast for breakfast. Like this is the most normal thing ever. I'm just going to tie you guys up. No big deal. You guys have to see that this is the most logical thing for me to tie you guys up it's going to give me more time both chris and peta they were tied up not that they really had a choice okay and silas keeps saying i'm just going to tie you guys up not so tightly but once we get to shore i'm going to tie you up to a tree in the jungle just so it buys me time but trust me it's going to be loose enough that you can undo it yourselves chris and peta they have no choice but to go along at this point they've got no weapons no way of fighting back chris is still badly hurt all they can do is try and de-escalate the situation.
26:39That's their game plan since the night before. De-escalate, de-escalate, de-escalate. Russell remembered a shiver go down his back though because his dad starts stripping the two naked. He said it was really disturbing and creepy. And Petta just kept crying and he said he'll never get this image out of his mind. Petta was naked and crying and Chris was reassuring her, everything's gonna be okay. But Chris was also helpless, tied up and unclothed. Russell said dad was really good at tying knots it was like second nature to him there was no way they were getting out he kept Chris in the galley near the back and Petta down in the sleeping cabin in the front he spent some time alone with her it's likely he essayed her when he was done he asked me to watch Petta and I went down there and Petta was crying and telling me how I was going to go to hell and begging me to just let them go but there was nothing that I felt like I could do Dad tried to constantly make it a situation where Vince and I were accessories and accomplices to his crimes.
27:43And it was just all very scary and all very strange. Another whole night passed. They could have made it to shore by now. But Silas got other plans, okay? So the next morning, he's busy gathering a bunch of unused engine parts, heavy machinery, and he's doing this very quietly. So Russell and Vince, they glance at each other wondering, like, what the hell is our dad up to right now? the couple had been tied up mentally tortured for the past 24 hours chris is not in a good state without untying them silas drags them out onto the deck under the hot sun all their belongings are in front of them in small little duffel bags these were majority of their worldly possessions and silas dressed them in some random clothes and starts tightening the ropes he's not done playing games the rest of the day he would take the boat closer to shore and then turn around constantly taunting the couple so he undressed them the day before yeah is it just to humiliate them and break their ability to fight probably
28:50wow and he would say things like hey that looks like a nice sandy place to drop you doesn't it right and then he would turn the boat back around away from the shore while he heard the couple beg like please we won't go to the police but it's like he was getting off on the fact that he was the one in control he's the one with the power he's the one that decides who gets to live and who doesn't pedo is in a shock state and she's crying but she's not talking chris just kept reassuring her all day it's gonna be okay it's gonna be okay then he decides to amp up the attention. Grab the plastic bags.
29:27He grabs these black plastic bags, cuts little holes at the bottom of them so that air could flow through. And he says, I'm just going to put these around your head so you don't know where we're docking, but you can still breathe. Silas doesn't even wait for them to protest. He just jams plastic bags onto their heads. At this point, Peta and Chris, they could breathe, but they couldn't see where they were anymore. Russell and Vince stood there and things are escalating and there is no no point in which they felt that they could stop the escalation is what they said but it's amping up fast things are getting out of control so now with the couple's heads covered silas starts motioning for the boys telling them out loud hey go loosen their ropes a little so that they can actually free themselves when i throw them to the shore and the kids are staring at him because as he's saying this he's winking and like tilting his head towards the heavy machinery that was tied up with rope.
30:21Silas doesn't want them to loosen the couple's ropes. He wants them to pretend like they are, but tie them up to heavy machinery. The kids being teenagers, they do what they're told. And then it was silence. Nothing but water and the boat and the wind. Finally, Silas stops the boat and everyone looks around and only they can see. So Peta and Chris, they can't see. Silas and the kids look around. They are out in the middle of the ocean. Well, we're up on the shoreline now. The water is really shallow, so I'm just going to push you guys off the boat. It's not very deep, so you just have to stand up and you'll be fine.
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31:03And then we're going to leave and get out of here. The boys are looking at each other because they're miles away from the shore. Silas walks up to Chris, pauses, lifts him up off the deck and throws him into the water. And the heavy machinery is like flying in behind him and it's clanking. Russell said he was standing there in utter shock. Petra was still on the boat. She couldn't see. She heard the impact and like the sound of this heavy machinery. She heard the impact of Chris being thrown into the water. She doesn't hear Chris saying it's okay. It's okay. like everything's okay it doesn't sound like shallow water she keeps screaming for confirmation chris chris are you okay are you okay chris he's fine he's standing up the kid said that there was just sheer panic in peta's voice she was frozen in confusion and fear and then silas walks up to her ignoring her screams and throws her overboard too they said that the way that he threw the couple in it reminded them of like throwing away trash you're just throwing things you don't want off the boat.
32:06It was so callous. And they said that they would never forget the sound of Petta when she was drowning and she was screaming for Chris and they could see the air bubbles in the water. They stood there in silence for four minutes until there were no air bubbles, until the sea was completely calm. And Silas just turned to his kids and said, okay, they're dead now. And he starts sailing off. The boys were so scared they didn't even know what to do. And it was Silas who later approached them that night and said, Kids, you guys know that I had no choice, right? Chris gave up. He stopped fighting. The club, the billy club, when I was beating him, it broke.
32:45The knife that I stabbed him with, it broke. I had no more weapons on him. He could have easily overpowered me. He's 12 years younger than me. Side note, Silas is like way heavier than Chris. But he didn't. And that was a choice that he made. Chris could have killed me with the muscle relaxant, but he didn't. So I had to kill him. You know, I gave him a lot of chances to kill me first.
33:08the kids are looking at their dad like this guy cannot be real right now who thinks like that and silas says you know my only regret is i should have played with him a bit more i was thinking of a game where i could have pitted them against one another said that only one could live make them turn on each other i should have recorded it silas would go on to tell his children that he had to kill them next but because he was a loving father he would make sure that it was utterly painless because they had witnessed the murders he told them that yes and that night he got drunk and said i'm gonna do it tomorrow i'm gonna kill you guys tomorrow so whatever prayers you have get it out tonight and then he sat there and told them everything that he's done in his past.
33:53He confessed to at least 10 plus murders. And before they get off this boat, he would kill another two people, another couple. Another couple would bore the boat and he would kill them. He didn't end up killing his kids, but he did tell them, by the way, your mom didn't run away when you were young. she's not missing i killed her and now i'm gonna kill you if there's a heaven you can go find your mother this is unbelievable holy cow meanwhile for 10 months the families of peta and chris they lived frozen in time it's like everyone else around them are still moving forward and the family was just stuck penny said in her book there is however one thing worse than not knowing why a loved one has died.
34:43It's being stuck in limbo, not knowing if they're alive or dead, but they're classified as missing. It's a horrible word. And it's one that curdles the blood and sends shivers down the spine of any parent. And the brain does this thing where, you know, you start filling in the blanks. We're all really good at that. So the family, they had to wonder, are they being held hostage somewhere? Maybe they ran off. That's a comforting theory that they both ran off to just explore the world together but it just didn't make any sense they would never do that to their families chris and pettis bodies were actually found really early on but they were missing for 10 months how does that make sense because their families were never alerted the authorities where their bodies were found just buried them performed a really really shady autopsy and then just buried them they were like we don't really want to deal with this so how did they find it um like a connection two connections so nigel chris's brother so chris had an older brother as well and he said that he felt oddly enough that he knew chris and pet had been murdered early on around the time that they went missing nigel was in the car driving to work and both hands were on the steering wheel he was super deep in thought thinking about work and his meeting and he had this weird out-of-body experience where it was like a voice that was so close to him in the passenger seat.
36:06It's like someone was whispering in his ear and it kind of sounded like a mixture of his voice and Chris's voice. And it just told him out of nowhere, death is no big deal. The shock of it is like being shoved into a cold pool on a summer day, but it's not that bad. It's not the end. And it was so surreal. He had to pull over on the side of the road and collect himself. I mean, it was so weird. He said that has never happened in his life. And it has never happened since then. Never experienced anything like it. He didn't want to tell his family because that would just worry them more, but he just quietly told his wife.
36:43And later he found out that the day of the meeting coincided with the approximate date that they were murdered. And like, I don't know if you guys believe in stuff like that, but Nigel said that he never really did until this moment, he still has no idea what to make of that situation. But he thinks maybe it was his brother helping him. That statement, that feeling, it just made everything easier to cope with. After being missing for 10 months, Penny found out that her brother was dead when she was walking home from school. So she was a senior in high school and she called her mom to tell her, hey, I'm just going to go to my friends for dinner tonight.
37:22and her mom tells her in a very straightforward, stern voice like, no, come home right now. And she didn't say anything else, but they hung up and Penny knew. So Penny walked two miles home in the dead of winter and she said everything was like a blur. Everyone walking around her was a blur. And it finally hit her that her brother was never going to walk through that door ever again. She said it was like a bomb exploded in their family. just utter devastation. The biggest pain in her chest, she said, was soon after they found out about the deaths of Chris and Peta, Penny's mom had always been good about not crying in front of the other kids.
38:04So for the 10 months that he was missing, the parents tried so hard never to cry in front of the other two kids. But this time she's cooking dinner and she turns around and there's just tears streaming down her face. And she looks at Penny and says, I don't think I'll ever feel true happiness again. The best part of my life is over. But the only thing I think that they could find some comfort in was it made sense that Chris and Peta would be buried next to one another. They had been with each other for most of their lives. They're 24 and 25 when they passed, but they were dating since 14. They were neighbors, so they lived in the house across the street from one another.
38:47And they just had so many similarities in the sense that both of them loved education. They're super strong-willed. If they put their minds to something, there would be absolutely nothing that would take their eyes off the prize. Like they were determined people, family-oriented. They just lived life with such intensity that you just don't come across often. They were also really intense about one another. So most teenagers, when they get into a relationship, that like, oh my God, I'm going to marry this person for sure. And then all the parents, they roll their eyes like, okay, just wait six months.
39:18You're going to have a new partner, new boyfriend. But with Chris and Peta, nothing in their lives could tear them apart. Newcomers in school, different interests, academic pressures, nothing. They grew up together. They start building their lives with each other in it. And as early as high school, Chris wanted to be a doctor. He wanted to be a doctor since he was 10. So side note, this was a big thing. He was like, I'm gonna be a doctor the day that they would dissect a frog in science class knocked out fainted passed out on his back but he was like I gotta I gotta keep doing this because I need to get over this I need to be a surgeon he studied really hard but he also was known to play hard he has a photographic memory well that makes it sound like he doesn't study hard he studies really hard but he also loves to have a good time there was this one incident where everyone went on this school field trip.
40:08Chris and his buddies are like, there's a lake nearby. Few hours, people are just gonna be walking around touring this area. We could go fishing. We should bring our fishing poles. So they pack their fishing rods for a school field trip, sneak off to go fishing against the rules, okay? And by the time that they get back on the giant bus to head home, they've got a fish in their backpack. They're like, we haven't been caught until everyone is like, what is that smell? They're like, we need to bring it home so we can eat it. That's our reward. That's our dinner. That's our fish dinner. But the smell gave it away and they were caught for fishing on their field trip.
40:47Okay. And the lesson here is Chris, if he wanted to do something, he was going to do it. If he had a goal, he was going to achieve it. His family does not remember a single goal of Chris's that didn't work out. And this sounds so silly to say, right? But he was himself. They said it was just so magical to be around him because, okay, for example, And this isn't even in 2023. This is a long time ago. Chris would wear bell-bottom trousers. He would wear crop tops. He had these cowboy boots that he spray-painted silver. Like, he was just so authentic to himself and to PETA. So Chris graduated a year early, and PETA's still in high school when Chris gets admitted to the Cambridge University pre-med program.
41:32Wow. Intelligent. But he turns it down. because he promised Peta that the two of them would go to the same college together. And of course, Chris's parents were like, but it's Cambridge, you know, but they had to admire the fact that and honestly be proud of the fact that Chris was a man of his word. He was so determined. I mean, just the fact that he was doing it's it's hard to be upset. Eventually, keeping good on their promise, Chris and Peta would be at the same school, but Chris would be in med school and Peta would be in law school. and they were kind of like the it couple on campus. They were both known to be very eccentric and opposite yet so similar.
42:10So Petta was very feminine and strong. She just never really cared to impress anyone. Like they were just so themselves. It was almost intimidating because you just don't see those traits in people anymore. Everyone said it's a privilege to get to know them. Like they're the ones that you would want in your corner. Chris would have made a phenomenal doctor. He would do anything to help someone. And Petta, she would have just been such a fierce attorney who would stand up for you no matter what. And this reminds me of a recent case that we covered, but after spending a good chunk of their lives dedicated to their studies and making their ambitions come true, they wanted to make good on this other promise that they had made to each other a long, long time ago, which is they just want to see the world together.
42:52So they were going to go to Australia and then go from Australia to New Caledonia, Fiji, Hawaii, Los Angeles, travel down by car to San Diego, down into Mexico, and then head towards South America. And throughout the time, Chris would be, he had his medical bag because he was working kind of, not Doctors Without Borders, not that specific program, but the gist of it, something like that, right? So both families, they're obviously concerned for their safeties. It's a lot of traveling to destinations that these families haven't even thought of visiting. Feels like on the opposite side of the world, you know, to America, it sounds pretty close, But to them in the UK, it's like, what?
43:30That's literally so far away. But they find comfort in the fact that they have each other and the fact that Peta was this avid letter writer. So anytime she's traveling, she would just write 10 pages at a time, send it to her parents. She would keep them so updated on their adventures, their future plans, everything. And Peta would tell them that she's just so excited. They bought these backpacks and duffel bags so that they could leave most of their stuff behind. Now, Chris would, however, bring his most valued possession, which is his speaker, his boombox. He had these cassettes and vinyls that he loved listening to.
44:05And he also recorded blank cassette tapes to send back home instead of postcards or letters. So he would send his voice. And he just seemed really excited. They loved Mexico. They hated all the touristy areas. They really wanted to be with the people, be with the culture, immerse themselves. And their plan was just never really set in stone. A lot of the times it depended on is public transport available? Did we bump into another traveler or a local that speaks English and maybe we'll change our schedule to do something more exciting with them? It was kind of going with the flow. So, for example, when they get to Mexico, they meet an English couple who were headed down to Bolivia, but they're going to stop by Belize first.
44:42So Chris and Petra are like, you know what? We've always wanted to go to Belize. They've got some crazy coral reefs. We're good at snorkeling. This is perfect. but before they got to Belize they make a few pit stops they get drunk at a bar with Scottish soldiers like it's a lot like they're doing a lot they're having fun Peta would write to her parents Belize the best way to sum it up is they've got shirts with the slogan you better Belize it and she said pretty much sums up the place okay the people are nice they're very fun and she said that they were headed to the great blue hole so this is have you guys seen the great blue hole I'm sure you've seen pictures of it Oh yes yes the deep deep deep Okay Almost perfectly circular sinkhole in the water I mean the aerial shots Freaky like if you have a fear of open waters Like I do but it's a circular part Of the water that's deeper than the surrounding Water and it results in this deep Blue hole that looks like you're just going to Be sucked into the abyss like you don't even Know where this is going for anyone who's not Scared of open water it's actually considered One of the world's top diving and snorkeling Spots so I'm not sure if they were going to go into the Great Blue Hole or if they're just headed in that general direction.
45:51But they're kind of hanging out at this touristy part of town. And that's when they get introduced to Silas Duane Boston. And he's like, oh, okay, you're going to Honduras? Let me take you there. It's going to take a minute. I can charge you and we can have a whole bunch of fun. They even bought Honduras visas to get into Honduras for$100 each, which is kind of expensive considering the rates over there, right? it's just to show you Chris and Peta really wanted to be in Honduras but Chris and Peta they agreed because Silas seemed fun he seemed nice and he has two teenage kids they would never get to Honduras they fell off the grid cutting off all contact with their families I mean they had gone missing the family explored every avenue that they could think of where they kidnapped held hostage arrested on the run every theory just didn't make sense it didn't make sense for them to end up in a position that would danger them.
46:42It didn't make sense that the family wouldn't have gotten word about them. They had been tirelessly reaching out to different law enforcement agencies, friends in the area, embassies, counselors, everyone. And there was only one theory left because of the letters that Pettis sent. It was the people on the boat. Something happened on that boat. What does Silas say? Silas was like, oh, I dropped them off at shore. Oh, okay. They said that they would find their own way to Honduras. I don't know where they went. Now, there was only one theory left. It's Silas Dwayne Boston. He knew where Chris and Petta were.
47:16The family was sure of it. The last time Chris and Petta were seen by others was when they docked. There were five people getting on a boat and only three walked off the boat. And when they reached out to law enforcement agencies, they're like, yeah, OK, we're going to go ask this Silas man about it. But a lot of time had passed by the time that they're like, OK, let's look for this guy in this boat. He'd already sold his boat and he's gone. so they're like where is this elusive guy authorities were able to trace that silas had um changed the boat's name sold it flew to miami rented a car in miami and then drove all the way to california where he's from wow the farmer family they had been working with so many different law enforcement agencies and it just felt like silas was this slippery eel that would just slip through their fingers it's like they know his name they know everything about him but they they can't find him he just keeps escaping so penny decides i'm gonna take matters into my own hands she would try it her way she poured through every single file and document that they had on this case so far every letter that peta had sent letters from peta stating that a 36 year old man named silas was gonna let them on his boat the justin b 36 year old silas with his two children so she starts digging on facebook pinpointing that they were most likely in sacramento california now searching and searching until she finds the older son from the boat, Vince Boston, on Facebook.
48:37Through Vince, she finds Russell Boston, his younger brother. And then through him, she finds Silas Dwayne Boston. So this is after they found the bodies? Yes. Oh, okay. I see. So she's like, my brother has been killed. And what is going on? No one's going to stop the killer. I literally know the name of the killer. I'm assuming it's not the two teenage kids. I'm assuming it's the dad. So she's tracking down Silas Boston. She's going to make him answer to the police. She said that when she saw pictures of them on Facebook, she couldn't even help but feel jealous and angry at the kids, the teenagers.
49:16Because they're alive, but Chris and Pat are gone. But still, she was like a dog with a bone. When she found their Facebook pages, she starts sending Vince and Russell Facebook messages under an anonymous name telling them that she knows what happened, that she's not going to let this go. she's not going anywhere. And then she would sit around her computer just feeling desperate. And then finally, a ding comes in. The youngest son on the boat had just messaged her back, asking to know who she was and what she wanted to talk about. Penny contacted the Sacramento Police Department and they went through the U.S.
49:47police and it was agreed. Russell and Vince Boston were going to be brought in for questioning. They told the police everything. They told the police how after killing Chris and Peta, their dad decided to keep a lot of his records, like his speaker, his cassettes, and he was like the DJ of the boat. Just no remorse. But interestingly enough, he was superstitious. So the killer was superstitious. He refused to listen to the song Dogs by Pink Floyd. He hated the lyrics. The lyrics went, you gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder, you know? It's gonna get harder, harder, and harder as you get older.
50:25Just another sad old man all alone and dying of cancer. and when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest that you sow and as the fear grows, the bad blood slow and turns to stone. So have a good drown as you go down all alone. Dragged down by stone. A few weeks after Chris and Peta's murder, a large freak wave hits the boat, knocks over the boom box, goes into the water. Silas is frantic, like yelling at the kids, get the boom box, get the boom box, but it's too late. I mean, the boom box is covered in water. It's not gonna work even if they get it. Silas was pissed and he was so superstitious.
51:00He told the kids, I think Chris is reclaiming it from the grave. So eventually Silas and his two sons come back to the US. Silas thought that he committed the perfect murders. He didn't know Penny Farmer, a woman from the United Kingdom, was going to track him down. So through Facebook, through Penny's sleuthing, she tracks down Silas's two kids on the boat, as well as Silas, reaches out to law enforcement. They contact the two kids. And finally, Silas Dwayne Boston was arrested. He had white hair, a white beard. He was haggard. He was 75 years old. Because 39 years had passed since Chris and Petta's murders.
51:43The sister-lou for 39 years? 39 years.
51:53for the past almost 40 years penny farmer and her family had been hunting him down even vince and russell silas's own two sons had been repeatedly going to the local sacramento police interpol and fbi for the past 40 years of their lives and nobody listened to them they sat there and described in great detail their dad everything that their dad did on the boat nobody cared law enforcement agencies failed to connect the two cases together so they kept telling penny and her family hey the u.s police said they have no evidence to go off of and we don't even know like we don't yeah it's not in our jurisdiction then vince and russell would go to the u.s police and they'd be like well we don't even know who the victims are we don't even know where their bodies are oh they haven't connected no they connected 39 years later and that's when everything was solved yeah which is already so infuriating but it gets even crazier silas had a lot of people dying around him for the past 40 years and still somehow evaded police capture practically his whole life his whole like 75 years of living evaded police capture so is he still killing in those 40 years it suspects it so there were the only reason truly that they even gave a flying crap about Silas was because of a different serial killer.
53:15He was suspected of being a very different serial killer, a very notorious, the Golden State Killer. Yeah, we're going to get into it. So there were times where Silas was brought in. He was even brought in to be questioned about Chris and Pettis murders, but he was arrogant. He knew that there was no evidence and he knew that he was going to walk out free. But I imagine even if he knew that this was done in open waters where the U.S. can't easily get evidence, it would still be a nerve wracking experience being questioned by the police, right? Dealing with Interpol, dealing with potentially the FBI, but this man was confident.
53:45So it led a lot of law enforcement agencies to later believe, okay, what gives him this level of self-reassurance? Is it that this is not his first time? It was an open secret in the Boston family that Silas had killed one of his wives. He would later admit it on the boat to his kids, but even before it, it was an open secret in their home that Silas killed her. His third wife, Mary Lou, the mother of Vince and Russell, she mysteriously vanished 10 years before Chris and Petter were killed. So when Vince and Russell were babies and everyone that knew the family was like, you know, Silas did it, right?
54:20He told people he did it. He said that Mary Lou wanted to divorce him and he wasn't having it. So he convinced her to get into the car with him to take some sort of scenic ride where they would rekindle their love and talk things through. And instead he drove her out to a remote part of Sacramento and they're sitting under this tree in the woods talking about their relationship. He said out loud like a declaration, an announcement, I'm going to kill you. She thought he was joking but he was dead serious. He said that she was begging him, please don't and he just told her, you better run. She starts running and he gives her a few second head start before he starts shooting at her.
55:01He described in great detail to friends and family how her legs jerked around like a deer when they get shot and then he cradled her in his arms while she cried and died. Even after Chris and Peta's murders, it's suspected that he kept killing. Vince and Renssel recall another couple on the boat. They were foreigners from Germany and he kept calling them Vikings. I guess he thought they looked like Vikings. They spent a few days together on the boat before he let them offshore at night. He went with them, kept the kids on the boat. And then when he came back, he was like, yeah, I slit their throats and took their money.
55:36When he got back to California, he kidnapped his own kid. So Justin B is not just the name of his boat. It's actually the name of his four-year-old son from his fifth wife. He kidnapped him because she wanted a divorce. So he's like, I'm just going to kidnap our baby. The SWAT team had to come in and arrest him, but none of it really mattered because she would end up dropping charges and yeah, nothing really happened. And even with Chris and Peta's murders, he wasn't quiet about it. He would go get drunk at bars and he would talk to people and he'd say, you know, the only thing that I learned from killing that couple on the boat is that next time I throw someone overboard, I'm going to gut them so that their bodies don't bloat and float to the surface.
56:18He said it was funny hearing Peta cry and drown at the same time. side note i genuinely don't even know what kind of luck this guy has on his side but it was working over time at one point this was before chris and peta's murders he essayed a minor his sons had witnessed it like he was investigated by the police he was arrested but then hired a really sketchy attorney who like argued a bunch of disgusting stuff about well the victim consented because she willingly went to his home. The charges were dismissed. It's like this man had nine lives, legally speaking. But ultimately, his luck would run out because of the Golden State serial killer.
57:00Yeah, one of the most notorious serial killers to date who killed at least 13 people. Before authorities caught Joseph James D 'Angelo, they had a list of suspects and on that list was Silas Dwayne Boston, which even Russell and Vince were spooked out. Okay, they're like, I think that he might be that serial killer because the MO is so similar. So whether or not Silas was inspired by the Golden State Killer, we don't know, or just happened to think like him. But both possibilities are unsettling. To give you context, the Golden State Killer really enjoyed playing mind games with couples. He would break into sleeping couples' homes, tie both the man and the woman up, put the man in the room right next door, next to the primary bedroom.
57:38Sometimes, oftentimes, he would stack plates on his back and threaten him, if I hear the plates rattle, I'm going to kill everyone in this house. sometimes they even had small babies, they're young couples, and then he would go next door and brutally for hours assault the girlfriend or wife. And then he would just like walk around in their home. No one could move. No one could get help. He would ransack clothes, go through drawers. He would eat food from their kitchens. So the similarities between the two, they are strong in the sense that Silas wanted to play these mind games with couples. He got off on the fear and the control.
58:18But that's really the only reason he was investigated. Not for Petta, not for Chris, because when it was Penny Farmer and her family trying to get justice, nobody cared. When it was Vincent Russell trying to get justice, nobody cared. It was only when there was a high-profile serial killer that had to be caught that authorities were like, let's put all our time and energy into this. But how did they know he killed someone at that point? they already know the the witness statements from vince and russell so they don't have the proof and i think now i don't want to speculate this is my belief is that they probably felt like this guy probably did kill chris and peta not in our jurisdiction didn't happen in the u.s it's not even worth pursuing yeah you know whatever but now now they're like we need to catch a high profile serial killer so that we can get international notoriety as being the ones that put this man behind bars, put him on the list of suspects.
59:14Let's investigate him now because now it's worth it. Now it's worth putting him behind bars. Yeah, it was just a really messed up way for Silas to end up being caught. So after decades of the families of Petta and Chris begging for him to be investigated, authorities not caring until a high profile name was attached to the case, it's just a really shitty feeling. But at least they're finally getting some justice, right? But so much had changed in the past 38 years. Mr. Farmer, Chris's dad, who had been so pivotal in the fight for justice, he was now gone. Peta's parents, they were now gone. They would never see Silas in prison.
59:54Mrs. Farmer, Chris's mom, was still alive. She was in her 90s. And prosecutors in the U.S., they offered to come to the U.K., set up cameras so that the farmers could watch the trial through a camera and give their testimonies. But Mrs. Farmer refused. She said, I'm going to the United States. I'm going to talk to the judge myself. I'm going to share my story. But they would never get that chance. Silas lived a really bad life, not just morally, but physically. Smoking, drinking, doing God knows what else. Probably for over 60 years. That takes a toll on the body. When he was arrested, he was on a plethora of drugs, like a cocktail of medication.
1:00:38and he realized there's no way out. I don't want to die in jail. So he stopped taking all of his meds. He refused to take the medication that he needed to survive. He also refused food. His kidneys and liver immediately start failing. His bladder was backed up with the UTI. He refused to take antibiotics for it and he started rotting on the inside. He basically chose to exit his life. the day before he died Russell visited him not to support him but to ask where his mom's body was and Silas refused to answer he just glared at him the whole time and then he died Penny said in the book that the death was crushing after 38 years looking for truth and justice it was just like an abrupt stop with no closure at the end.
1:01:30The moment she got the email that he was gone, she said the finality of things, it made her physically ill. Like this cannot be how it ends. And this is crazy. But Penny was asked by prosecutors if she wanted to meet with Russell because he wanted to meet her. So they didn't know. Both Penny and her mom decided to video call him first. Eventually they would meet in person, but Penny said it was a, you know, I'm sure it's such a complicated, nuanced feeling that most of us will never experience. This is a man that was there when your brother and his girlfriend were murdered. This is a man that's the son of a killer and that might make you want to hate him.
1:02:09But then another part of you is like, okay, but he's also a victim. He was victimized by the same man and he has been trying to get justice for your brother. It's just weird. Penny said that they got emotional really quick over the phone. And for some reason, even though they knew not to judge a book by its cover. And because before the phone call, she just kept wondering, what if I see Silas in him? Like, is that going to be a visceral, physical reaction? And she said that she was pleased to not see him at all. Penny and her mom really liked Russell. They said that he was so warm and sweet and kind.
1:02:44And it was odd because a lot of the phone call, Penny and her mom ended up kind of being like counselors, which again is a very complicated feeling. Their son, their brother died, but they're trying to help Russell deal with his guilt because Russell's saying, I should have done something to stop the murders. You know, think about how complex that is. I can't even really grasp that. You're the ones that lost two people, yet you're comforting someone else that was there when they were murdered. I just imagine it's a very selfless act. Penny said it was the strangest and most unusual conversation I've ever had in my life.
1:03:22But they were really impressed that Russell was facing the situation head on. He was vulnerable with them. He did not shy away from anything. He told them the absolute truth with everything. And Penny even asked him, how can someone who's been brought up by such an immoral, evil person turn out so normal? He said, I always did the opposite of my dad and whenever I was conflicted I asked myself what would my mom want me to do and I just did that Penny said after she flew to the U.S. and met with Russell in person and she said when they were hugging goodbye it felt like she was saying goodbye to a friend she said I'm happy that Russell is the person he turned out to be even if we never meet again I hope that we stay in touch I wish him only the very best now one big question mark that was left behind was, is Silas Boston a serial killer?
1:04:11It is widely accepted that he killed at least three people. So technically, by definition, he could be. But it is suspected that by those close to him and his children that he killed 33 people in his lifetime. Wow. Most of them were done in South America, in different countries where the investigation processes just were not equipped to handle a serial killer of that magnitude. And just like a serial killer, Silas kept trophies. One of the main things the prosecutors had on him was he kept all the other cassettes that Chris had treasured. And Russell returned all of those to Penny. Russell said this about his dad.
1:04:51He was an absolute psychopath. He was an insane dog that needed putting down. One really sad detail about this case, and I don't think I've really seen these details in any other cases, but Peta actually had a will made for herself a year before they left to go on their vacation. She didn't have much because her career was just getting started. She was 23 at the time, but she wrote a will and declared that all her worldly possessions would go to, and I quote, my beloved best friend, Chris. Yeah. And another testament to the type of people that Chris and Peta were, they died trying to protect a child that they didn't even like peta wrote in her letter said she doesn't really like children she's not a children person and that russell and vince were getting on her nerves but they died because they saved russell from his own father and they paid the price with their lives and russell said i started to believe that if I thought about Chris and Peta every day, they would still be alive, at least on some existential level.
1:05:59And I could expunge some of that guilt for Chris saving me. A day doesn't go by that I don't think of how Chris saved my life. Wow, Russell is very impressive. Yeah, so is Penny. I mean, everyone. Chris and Peta are so impressive. I think even the way that Penny Farmer and her mom were able to be so selfless after 38 years, because it's so easy for time to build strong vengeance in people. But the fact that they're so selfless, they could have easily said, you know what, Russell may not be his dad, but I don't want anything to do with him. But instead they went out of their way to kind of absolve some of that guilt that he carried with him is just so crazy to me.
1:06:46I don't know. What are your thoughts on this case? Please leave it in the comments. Please stay safe. And I will see you guys on the next episode. Bye.
From the publisher
There were 5 people “trapped” on the boat, and 1 of them was a serial killer in the making. By the time the boat came back to shore, two people would be dead. They would have been mentally and physically tortured for two days straight.
The serial killer would play games with the two victims. He wanted to torture them not only physically and sexually but also mentally. He wanted to pit them up against each other and make them fight so only one could live.
The thrill of seeing them naked and terrified begging for their lives was euphoria for him. The worst part is - he would get away with all of it.
Book: “Dead In The Water” - by Penny Farmer
Full Source Notes: rottenmangopodcast.com
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