Real Life Vampires, the First Serial Killer, and the Ghosts of Austin
HORRORble PodcastPlay episode
Show notes
Askia sits down with Austin ghost tour guide David to to talk haunted history, military trauma, America's first serial killer, and whether vampires are walking among us. From the Servant Girl Annihilator murders to hallucinating the devil during a 100-mile ultra run — this one goes deep.
______________________________
Book a haunted tour with David:
https://ghostcitytours.com/austin
Get Yumwoof, the healthiest food for dogs, for 20% with our code HORRORBLE
https://yumwoof.com/HORRORble
Go check out Warming Trends, the company that built the amazing fire centerpiece on our set! https://www.warming-trends.com
Produced by
Q6 Media
https://q6.media
______________________________
David isn't your typical ghost tour guide. He's a Marine Corps veteran, Army chaplain, ultramarathoner, and a guy who genuinely felt the presence of LBJ in a hotel lobby. This episode covers the dark corners of human nature — from Austin's first serial killer case (the Servant Girl Annihilator) and early criminal profiling, to moral injury in the military, the insanity defense, and why the scariest thing on earth isn't a monster — it's a person.
They get into the concept of ghosts as grief, what happens when trauma goes unbelieved, modern-day vampires (yes, really), and what David saw when he nearly died in a spinning helicopter over Baghdad. Plus — his 11-year-old son won't go in one room of their house. Make of that what you will. If you're into horror, history, the paranormal, military stories, or just want to hear someone talk honestly about war, death, and the afterlife — this episode delivers.
______________________________
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introducing David from Ghost City Tours
03:41 - Superstitions and ghosts in the military
04:56 - The living history of Austin
06:54 - America's first serial killer (Servant Girl Annihilator)
09:24 - What makes a murderer?
14:32 - How violence affects the soul
19:59 - The horror of disbelief
24:40 - Paranormal experiences on tours
26:44 - David's ghost encounters
27:54 - David's Satan hallucination
35:17 - Why do we love ghost stories?
37:31 - The ghosts of Austin
40:06 - The haunted Driskill Hotel
41:58 - Dark ghosts and energy on tours
46:49 - The military training you to die
53:22 - How war traumatizes you
57:06 - Being a noncombatant in the army
59:40 - The horrors of war
1:01:39 - David's helicopter near-death experience
1:03:43 - Human cruelty
1:06:28 - Real life vampires
1:12:52 - What happens when we die?
