Richard Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 17, 2025 · 37 MIN

Richard Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento

from Splintered Minds: The Psychology of the Unthinkable · host Sebastian Gray

He didn’t stalk. He turned doorknobs. Locked, he walked away. Unlocked, he walked in—and Sacramento became a hunting ground.    This episode dives into the collapse of Richard Trenton Chase, the “Vampire of Sacramento”: a man convinced his organs were vanishing and his blood was turning to dust. From animal blood rituals and delusions about stolen arteries to random door checks that ended in slaughter, we follow how unchecked psychosis, a gun, and a city full of unlocked homes produced one of the most disturbing murder sprees in American crime.   No heist. No master plan. Just a mind coming apart—and the bodies left behind.

He didn’t stalk. He turned doorknobs. Locked, he walked away. Unlocked, he walked in—and Sacramento became a hunting ground.    This episode dives into the collapse of Richard Trenton Chase, the “Vampire of Sacramento”: a man convinced his organs were vanishing and his blood was turning to dust. From animal blood rituals and delusions about stolen arteries to random door checks that ended in slaughter, we follow how unchecked psychosis, a gun, and a city full of unlocked homes produced one of the most disturbing murder sprees in American crime.   No heist. No master plan. Just a mind coming apart—and the bodies left behind.

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Richard Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento

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This episode is 37 minutes long.

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This episode was published on December 17, 2025.

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He didn’t stalk. He turned doorknobs. Locked, he walked away. Unlocked, he walked in—and Sacramento became a hunting ground.    This episode dives into the collapse of Richard Trenton Chase, the “Vampire of Sacramento”: a man convinced his organs...

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