Human Wreckage True Crime
Join us as we navigate the wreckage left behind by humanity’s darkest instincts.
Disturbing True Crime Stories, These include, murderers, kidnappings, serial killers. Solved and unsolved.
Human Wreckage True Crime
He wanted to become Dexter Morgan, so he started killing. Mark Twitchell
Welcome to Human Wreckage, the podcast that pulls back the curtain on the most disturbing crimes and the minds behind them. I'm your host, thomas. Today's episode is about Mark Twitchell, an aspiring filmmaker from Canada who didn't just admire Dexter Morgan, the fictional vigilante killer from the TV series Dexter he tried to become him. What happens when fantasy overtakes reality, when obsession becomes identity? Join me as we dissect the story of Mark Twichell, a man who blurred the line between entertainment and evil. So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so. Born on July 4th 1979, mark Andrew Twitchell grew up in Edmonton, alberta. By all accounts, he was a bright kid with a strong interest in filmmaking, science fiction and fantasy. As a teenager he loved Star Wars and comic books normal interests for someone who later pursued creative endeavors. But even early on, mark had a knack for pretending He'd tell elaborate lies to impress friend stories of Hollywood connections, overseas adventures, even false claims of wealth. His filmmaking journey began in earnest in his late 20s. He directed a low-budget Star Wars fan film called Secrets of the Rebellion and started networking within the Edmonton film community. He wasn't a household name, but he had ambition and he wanted attention. But behind the camera, something darker was brewing.
Speaker 1:In 26, showtime aired the first season of Dexter, a wildly popular series about a forensic analyst who leads a double life as a vigilante serial killer. To many viewers, dexter Morgan was a complex anti-hero, but to Mark Twitchell, dexter was something more A role model, a hero, a blueprint. He didn't just binge the show, he internalized it. He wrote on his Facebook profile Mark has way too much in common with Dexter Morgan, and soon he was writing his own scripts, some for film, others for life.
Speaker 1:In the fall of 2008, mark was producing a short film titled House of Cards. It was a horror story about a man who lures another man to a garage via an online dating site, kills him and covers up the murder. The script had chilling parallels to Dexter's methodical kill ritual. But House of Cards wasn't just a film, it was a rehearsal. Using the Craigslist dating section, twitchell created a fake female persona named Sheena and lured a real man to the garage where the movie was filmed. That man was Jills Tetralt. On October 3rd 2008, jills Tetralt arrived at the garage expecting a date. Instead, he was ambushed by a man in a hockey mask who attempted to stun him with a baton and zip tie his hands. Tetrult fought back hard and miraculously escaped. He didn't report the incident immediately. He was embarrassed, confused and believed it might have been a robbery gone wrong. What he didn't know was that he had just narrowly escaped, becoming Mark Twitchell's first murder victim, and Twitchell wasn't going to give up.
Speaker 1:One week later, on October 10, 2008, twitchell used the same fake profile to lure another man, 38-year-old Johnny Altinger. Johnny was a nit professional, friendly and known for his sense of humor. He told his friends he was going to meet a woman named Sheena. He never came back. When his friends received strange emails claiming he had gone on a last-minute trip to Costa Rica with a new girlfriend, they grew suspicious. Johnny wasn't the type to disappear, especially not without telling someone. His apartment was untouched. His passport was still there. The emails were a cover-up and they weren't written by Johnny.
Speaker 1:By mid-October, police began investigating Johnny's disappearance. One clue led them to the garage Twitchell had rented. Inside they found blood, splatter, cleaning supplies, plastic sheeting just like in Dexter's kill room. Later, a laptop found in Twitchell's car contained a deleted document, a 42-page manifesto titled SK Confessions SK for Serial Killer. In it, twitchell described in chilling clinical detail how he planned and executed a murder. Though he changed the names, the events mirrored Johnny Altinger's disappearance with terrifying precision. And this wasn't a fictional story. It was a confession disguised as fiction.
Speaker 1:On Halloween 2008, mark Twitchell was arrested. At first he denied everything. He claimed the SK Confessions document was a work of fiction. Research for a novel perhaps, but forensic analysis proved otherwise. Blood evidence matched Johnny Altinger. His car contained more traces of the crime. Surveillance footage showed Twitchell buying the tools he later described in the SK Confessions document. The evidence was overwhelming Twitchell had killed Altinger, dismembered his body and disposed of the remains in a city sewer. When asked why, he said simply I wanted to know what it felt like.
Speaker 1:In March 2011, twitchell went to trial. Prosecutors painted him as a narcissistic psychopath who wanted to become a real-life Dexter. The SK Confessions document was read in court. Its contents graphic and horrifying. Despite claiming it was a fictional script, the details were too precise. Johnny's family sat in court as their loved one's final moments were recounted word for word, blow by blow. After a six-week trial, the jury took just five hours to reach a verdict. Mark Twitchell was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 25 years, the maximum under Canadian law.
Speaker 1:In prison, twitchell embraced his infamy. He responded to fan letters. In one infamous exchange, he even admitted to being a fan of Dexter and said he still watched the show in his cell. He also began working on more writings, though authorities limited his communication. In 2020, the CBC revealed that Twitchell was corresponding with journalists, seemingly enjoying the notoriety Some say he never stopped performing, never stopped pretending to be the dark, brilliant killer he fantasized about.
Speaker 1:The case of Mark Twitchell is one of the most disturbing intersections of fiction and reality in modern true crime. This wasn't just a man influenced by the media. This was someone who modeled his identity after a character, blurring the boundary between who he was and who he wanted to become. Twitchell wasn't a serial killer. He was caught after his first murder, but his planning, documentation and motives suggest he fully intended to kill again. What if Jill's tetral hadn't escaped? What if the police hadn't found Johnny's blood? What if no one had asked questions? Mark Twitchell is serving a life sentence at Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary, but his story serves as a dark warning that obsession, if left unchecked, can become something monstrous. If you found today's episode impactful, consider subscribing and leaving a review.
Speaker 1:The story of Mark Twitchell is not only disturbing, it's deeply instructive. It reveals just how thin the line can be between fascination and fixation, between fiction and reality and between fantasy and violence. Twitchell wasn't born a killer. He was a filmmaker, a husband, a friend. By many standards he appeared ordinary, perhaps even likable, but under the surface there was a growing detachment from empathy, an obsession with control and an alarming lack of moral restraint. He didn't just admire Dexter Morgan, he believed he could become him. That belief, unchecked and fueled by ego, led to the brutal and senseless murder of Johnny Altinger.
Speaker 1:What makes this case so chilling is the deliberate, calculated nature of the crime. This wasn't a crime of passion or desperation. It was an audition for infamy. Twitchell rehearsed it, he wrote about it, he documented it. He wanted the world to know what he had done, but on his own twisted, theatrical terms.
Speaker 1:Johnny Altinger was not just a victim of murder. He was a victim of someone else's delusion. A man who trusted a stranger online, showed up for a date and instead walked into a trap he couldn't escape. He was a brother, a friend, a man with hopes and plans that were stolen in the most callous way imaginable. And then there's Jill's Tetral, the man who got away. He survived by instinct, determination and perhaps luck, but the trauma of that night stayed with him. He later said he felt like a ghost, living with the knowledge that he narrowly avoided becoming a headline.
Speaker 1:The Twitchell case reminds us why we tell these stories not to glorify killers but to remember the victims, to understand the warning signs and to examine the complex layers of the human psyche. It asks us to reflect on the impact of media, the dangers of obsession and how quickly illusion can become a deadly reality. As we close this episode, let's remember it's not the fascination with darkness that's dangerous, it's what we allow it to become. Stay safe, stay aware and remember. Not all monsters hide in shadows. Some are hiding in plain sight. Thank you.