Ep 13: Cannibal Clarks pt 1

Part 1 of the story of 2 bizarre brothers and the lives that lead to the murders of Trisha Mak, Michele Dorr, and Laura Houghteling

Show Intro:

Of the four Clark children, 3 were boys.

And Bradfield had always been considered the best and brightest of the bunch. As the firstborn of very successful parents, much was expected of Bradfield, and he did not disappoint them.

After completing his undergraduate studies, he went on to earn a master in business, and then a Ph.D. in behavioral psychology.

From there he moved West to Silicon Valley, where he thrived. He was well-liked and even called in to negotiate during difficult situations in the workplace.

But Bradfield's personal life was kind of a mess. He seemed to try to be a good husband and partner, but his first marriage was short-lived and things seemed to only get worse when, in 1984, he developed a fascination with the John Gardner's book, "Grendel".

Grendel was a cult classic about a half-human monster who is overly close to his mother and enjoys eating people.

Later that year, Bradfield met Patricia Mak, with whom he had a playfully flirtatious working relationship.

She was 29 years old, smart, ambitious, and beautiful. She was also married.

On Friday, July 20th, 1984, Bradfield called Trish to see if she and her husband Sidney were interested in coming over to his place for dinner.

It just so happens that Sidney was out of town that night, but Trish decided to head over anyway.

When she got to the apartment, she and Bradfield began working on getting dinner prepared. As they worked on preparing broccoli and potatoes, Bradfield made a move on Trish, touching her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

What happens next is shocking and brutal. When Trish rejected him, Bradfield became enraged, he hit her and slammed her head against a wall.

The order of the following events is unclear, but by Bradfield's own account, he grabbed the knife with which they'd been cooking and stabbed her. he tore at her breasts with his teeth, and once she was dead, Bradfield cut her breasts off, cooked, and ate them.

Who could have known, that at the very same time, across the country, in suburban Maryland, Bradfield's younger brother, Hadden, was hunting, killing, and consuming victims of his own?

This is the beginning of the Cannibal Clarks.