Crime and Punishment #7

Fred Goetz, a brilliant but unstable career criminal known as "Shotgun" George Ziegler, finds himself unraveling under the mounting pressure of his violent life—his compulsive need to brag about his crimes and associates draws dangerous attention and sets off a chain of betrayals. As his paranoia and trigger-happy nature spiral out of control, those around him, including his associate Gus Winkler, become targets in a desperate game where trust has become as deadly as the guns everyone is carrying. This true crime tale tracks how Goetz's own mouth and nerves become his worst enemies in a world where silence is survival.

In 1891 Chicago's notorious Bloody Maxwell district, the brutal thug Buff Higgins crosses paths with Iron-Puss McGee, a carnival strongman, leading to a clash of egos that spirals into escalating violence and revenge. As Buff's trail of victims grows and his notoriety spreads, the law closes in on the Terror of Bloody Maxwell—a man whose reputation for mercilessness finally catches up with him. This hard-hitting true crime tale charts the rise and fall of one of the era's most vicious criminals.

When an ex-convict named Elmer Pierce erupts into violence on a Milwaukee streetcar in 1941, he ignites a six-week reign of terror across two cities that leaves millions watching in fear. As police close in and Pierce flees between Milwaukee and Chicago, desperation drives him to increasingly brutal crimes—and toward the one person who might be his only connection to capture. This true crime story traces the manhunt for one of America's most unpredictable killers, where every moment could bring another victim.

George Barrett claws his way up from Kentucky mountain feuds into the criminal underworld, disguising himself as a motorman to move stolen diamonds through Cincinnati. When his past catches up with him during a visit home, Barrett's ruthlessness spirals into bloodshed—and forces him to abandon one dangerous scheme for another. This true crime story chronicles the relentless depravity of a killer who met his match in the hangman's noose.