Killers Who Appeared on Television Before They Were Caught

Most serial killers get their nickname from their crimes. But John Cooper had two. One, the Pembrokeshire Murderer, because of the location of two high-profile murders.

And the other, the Bullseye Killer, thanks to an appearance on the gameshow in 1989 that led to his eventual arrest and conviction. Cooper had been arrested and served time after his appearance on the show for over 30 burglaries and an armed robbery.

However, it was thanks to a combination and the gameshow footage itself that led to his renewed arrest in 2009 and conviction in 2011, over twenty years after the crimes had been committed.

Police were able to use the footage to prove that despite his altered appearance with age, at the time of the murders, he fit the police sketch made from witness descriptions. He is currently serving four life sentences without the possibility of parole.

From 1986 to 1994, François Vérove committed a series of murders and sexual assaults in the Île-de-France region. Stunningly, during his spree, he was a member of several French police forces, including the National Gendarmerie, the Republican Guard, and the National Police.

He was also an elected municipal councilor. Police dubbed the unknown killer as Le Grêlé, or the Pockmarked Man after eyewitness testimony recalled the acne scars that covered his face.

Even though Vérove also had noticeable acne scars, it wasn’t until 1994 that police began to suspect that Le Grêlé was likely a police officer.

In 2019, Vérove appeared on the gameshow, Tout le monde veut prendre sa place, or Everyone Wants to Take Their Place, where he told the host he kept Parisians safe.

In September 2021, after his name appeared on a list of officers active in the region of the crimes at the time, Vérove fled his home and was later found dead of an overdose.

Paul Curry appeared on Jeopardy twice and walked away with more than $24,000 in 1989.

That same year, he met Linda Kinkade and the couple married a short three years later in 1992. That’s where the story takes a dark turn.

Immediately after their wedding, Curry began pressuring Kinkade to take out a large life insurance policy and put her assets in his name. As if that wasn’t a big enough red flag, Kinkade then began experiencing mysterious symptoms of an illness doctors couldn’t diagnose.

Sadly, two years later, Kinkade died. But it took over a decade before Curry’s crime was discovered thanks to an investigator reexamining the evidence and discovering Kinkade had 50 to 100 times more nicotine in her system as a non-smoker.

Authorities believe Curry used the substance to poison her and he's now serving a life sentence without parole.

By the time Edwards appeared on the first game show, he had already been imprisoned and released for a string of robberies that landed him on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted criminals.

He appeared on To Tell the Truth and What’s My Line in 1972. Producers were aware of his past, but Edwards was touting himself as reformed, and they felt that made him a compelling contestant.

Unfortunately, the good behavior didn’t last. Edwards escalated his crimes in 1977, murdering a young couple in Ohio. Over the next three decades, he killed a confirmed five victims—though the suspected number soars to well over fifteen.

Edwards died of natural causes on April 7, 2011, a mere four months before he was scheduled for execution via lethal injection.

In 2019, Timothy W. Bliefnick went on Family Feud with members of his family. Although he was married, his wife Becky was not one of the contestants.

The show raised eyebrows thanks to him answering that the biggest mistake of his wedding was saying ‘I do’. Two years later, Bliefnick filed for divorce. Becky fought the divorce, making proceedings contentious. 

One week before their trial would start, Becky’s father found her dead in her home. Police quickly realized she was murdered and Bliefnick became their primary suspect.

Two months after his arrest, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to three life sentences with the possibility of parole.

He is currently serving in prison.

Ryan Jenkins met his wife, Jasmine Fiore, in Las Vegas after he finished filming Megan Wants a Millionaire, a reality show where men attempted to romance model Megan Hauserman.

Jasmine and Jenkins had a whirlwind romance, marrying two days after they met in March 2009. The Canadian real estate developer then went on I Love Money 3, where fellow contestants and producers noticed that he was obsessively checking on Jasmine’s activities.

Shortly after filming wrapped, the couple went to San Diego where Jasmine was last seen alive. Her body was discovered one day later, on August 15, 2009. 

enkins immediately fled for Canada, where he ended his life six days after murdering his wife.

Fifteen years before Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested for murdering her two children, she appeared on Wheel of Fortune in 2004. She was married at the time and went by her first married name, Lori Ryan.

Around that same time, she was also participating in pageants, details that were revealed during her trial as a way of highlighting her need for attention.

Vallow Daybell made national headlines after the bizarre circumstances around the deaths of Vallow Daybell’s estranged husband and Chad Daybell’s wife occurred within months of her two children disappearing.

Vallow Daybell was arrested and charged with first-degree murder almost two years later. She is currently awaiting her trial scheduled for February 2025.

Before Port became known as the Grindr killer for luring his victims via the online app, he was a professional chef.

He used more than one dating app to meet his victims, lying about his education and profession before plying them with the date-rape drug GHB and sexually assaulting them.

He murdered his first victim in June 2014 when 23-year-old Anthony Walgate died from a fatal overdose of the drug. After realizing what happened, Port placed the body outside and called for an ambulance.

He ended up serving several months in jail for giving different accounts of the death, but was not considered a suspect at that time. He went on to commit at least a dozen more sexual assaults and murdering three more men.

Amid his criminal activity, Port appeared on an episode of BBC’s Masterchef, making meatballs with celebrities and serving them to the homeless.

He is currently serving a life sentence.