This week, we continue our deep dive into the suspected victims of serial predator Mike DeBardeleben. The women we’ve discussed so far were all real estate agents targeted while showing homes to male clients. But today’s case breaks that pattern entirely.

In this episode, we examine the murder of Joe Rapini, who was taken hostage alongside his roommate, David Starr. What followed was a calculated and terrifying bank robbery and extortion scheme. Under explicit threats, David, a bank manager, was forced to withdraw nearly $38,000 from his own vault to satisfy the masked gunman’s demands.

But even after the money was delivered, Joe Rapini was killed.

The extortion money was never recovered. And although Mike DeBardeleben emerged as a prime suspect, he was never formally charged in the case.

Join us as we unpack the timeline, the unanswered questions, and what links this case to one of the most methodical criminals we’ve ever covered.

Purchase Stephen Michaud’s book “Beyond Cruel” - https://books.apple.com/us/book/beyond-cruel/id6503722963

Sources:

• Phillips, Kate & Mandelaro, Doug, Bank audit shows $37,000 ransom, April 20, 1983, The Times Union
• Phillips, Kate & Martelle, Scott, Extortion victim eulogized; ransom drop site revealed, April 19, 1983, The Times Union
• Meade, Laura, Trail is cold but search goes on for man’s killer, June 1, 1983, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Meade, Laura, Gunman wanted 3rd hostage, April 20, 1983, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Meade, LauraHostage slaying baffles police, April 16, 1983, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Redmond, Jim, Body found after Greece extortion try, April 15, 1983, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Search for leads in slaying, April 19, 1983, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Phillips, Kate, Witnesses sought in extortion and slaying, April 18, 1983, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Monroe slaying brings in FBI, April 16, 1983, Press and Sun Bulletin
• Police hunt clues in extortion murder, April 16, 1983, The Ithaca Journal
• Phillips, Kate & Mandelaro, Doug, $25,000 ransom drop, 1 dead in bank drama, April 15, 1983, The Times Union
• Michaud, Stephen, Beyond Cruel: The Chilling True Story of America’s Most Sadistic Killer, May 1994, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Support the show

If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form

You can follow Cardinal Crimes on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @CardinalCrimes.

The best way to support the podcast is to follow/like/subscribe, share with friends and family, and write us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

If you liked the show and are interested in supporting my work, check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CardinalCrimes?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

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Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson

If you have information on this case, contact the Arkansas State Police at 870-777-8944.

On July 20, 1978, Mary "Bo Bo" Shinn left to show a client a home she had flipped, but never returned. Her final words to a friend over the phone were "If I don't come back, send someone to look for me". Hours later, her vehicle was found abandoned behind a grocery store. All signs pointed to foul play. To this day, she has never been found.

In this episode, we discuss the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, the timeline of her last known movements, the various tips that came in, and recent developments in the case.

We also talk about Mike DeBardeleben as a possible suspect, and the similarities between Bobo, Terry, and Jean's cases.

Listen to the Trace Evidence episode on this case: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trace-evidence/id1239217007?i=1000694217709

SOURCES:

• Monae, Chelsea, 44-year-old mystery of “Bobo Shinn” still haunts small Arkansas city, August 18, 2022, KTVE/KARD
• Reward offered for woman’s return, July 25, 1978, The Batesville Guard
• Family of missing Magnolia woman increases reward offer to $35,000, July 31, 1978, The Batesville Guard
• Bocklage, Judy, One Officer continues to work on Shinn Case, October 27, 1978, The Batesville Guard
• Suspect might be questioned in disappearance, February 2, 1984, The Batesville Guard
• Monae, Chelsea, Haunting disappearance: woman vanished in South Arkansas 47 years ago, July 24, 2025, KTVE/KARD
• Woman missing, July 23, 1978, The Daily World
• Detective says he has prime suspect in disappearance of Magnolia woman, November 22, 1979, The Shreveport Journal
• Martin, Phil, The 6-year search for Bo Bo Shinn, October 30, 1984, The Shreveport Journal
• Foul play is feared, July 22, 1978, The Sun
• Reward offered in search for missing woman, July 25, 1978, The Sun
• Second Reward is Now Offered, July 30, 1978, The Sun
• Bocklage, Judy, Another Dead-End in Search, October 27, 1978, The Sun
• New search for woman launched, July 25, 1978, The Southwest Times Record
• Magnolia woman believed abducted, July 26, 1978, The Southwest Times Record
• Investigation of disappearance develops baffling dead ends, October 27, 1978, The Southwest Times Record
• https://dps.arkansas.gov/law-enforcement/arkansas-state-police/divisions/criminal-investigations/cold-cases/mary-jimmie-bobo-shinn/
• Trace Evidence: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trace-evidence/id1239217007?i=1000694217709

Support the show

If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form

You can follow Cardinal Crimes on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @CardinalCrimes.

The best way to support the podcast is to follow/like/subscribe, share with friends and family, and write us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

If you liked the show and are interested in supporting my work, check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CardinalCrimes?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Save $20 on a Buzzsprout paid plan using this referral link!: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2372693

Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson

Eleven years before the brutal murder of Jean McPhaul in Bossier City, Louisiana, Edna Terry Macdonald was killed in Barrington, Rhode Island. After the arrest of Mike DeBardeleben, Bossier City investigators began to notice chilling similarities between the two crimes. The cases were nearly identical. From the victims’ professions and victimology to the offender’s MO and the manner of death, this couldn’t be a coincidence.

This week, we dive into another murder that DeBardeleben was ultimately indicted for but was never brought to trial. We walk through the timeline of Edna Terry Macdonald’s last known movements, the crime and investigation, and the striking parallels between her case, Jean McPhaul’s, and Dorothy Miller’s.

Purchase Stephen Michaud’s book “Beyond Cruel” - https://books.apple.com/us/book/beyond-cruel/id6503722963

SOURCES:

• Michaud, Stephen, Beyond Cruel: The Chilling True Story of America’s Most Sadistic Killer, May 1994, St. Martin’s Paperbacks
• Woman’s body roped, May 2, 1971, The Democrat and Chronicle
• Ex-Island legislator’s wife slain, May 2, 1971, Staten Island Advance
• Find murder victim’s car, May 3, 1971, Staten Island Advance
• Customer suspect, Seek real estate agent’s killer, May 2, 1971, Syracuse Herald Journal
• R.I. slaying suspect sentenced 100 years, August 3, 1984, The Boston Globe
• Accused of killings, torture, ‘Sadomasochist’ draws 100-year term, August 3, 1984, The Morning Union
• Sentencing due for poison ‘lifer’, May 4, 1985, The Morning Union

Support the show

If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form

You can follow Cardinal Crimes on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @CardinalCrimes.

The best way to support the podcast is to follow/like/subscribe, share with friends and family, and write us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

If you liked the show and are interested in supporting my work, check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CardinalCrimes?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Save $20 on a Buzzsprout paid plan using this referral link!: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2372693

Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson