Ep 146: Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter by Troy Hillman

 CHASING DOWN THE ZOMBIE HUNTER

                       By Troy A. Hillman

Buy Chasing Down the  Zombie Hunter on Amazon!

Troy Hillman- Then and Now!

**Locations where the Murders Occurred**

Phoenix Canal System 

Bike Path near the canal at dusk

Angela's purple mountain bike - it was never found.

Angela- Crime Scene; retrieving the head found in the canal.

Melanie Bernas Crime Scene: Blood trail to the canal.

Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas were victims of the serial killer

Angela Brosso's head is located

Melanie Bernas found dead

Melanie was found wearing a turquoise bodysuit, several sizes too small.

Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas murders are linked!

Reward Poster for information about the Canal murders.

(Garett Mitchell, The Republic.com)

25 Years Later Article on the Murders of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas by Ed Montini.

Dr Colleen Fitzpatrick, Forensic Genealogist, founder of Indentifinders. 

January 2015- Cold Case Arrest!

Bryan with his father and mother. 

Bryan Patrick Miller, age 16

     

Martha 'Ellen' Miller and son, Bryan Patrick Miller

'The Plan' was written by Bryan Patrick Miller; his mother, Ellen Miller, turned it in to the police as his release from juvenile incarceration was approaching.

Mug Shot Bryan Patrick Miller 2025 (CSBNews.com)

Suvivor -Celeste Bentley, stabbed by Bryan Patrick Miller age 16, in Paradise Valley Mall (CBSNews.com)

Washington State Victim of Stabbing, Melissa Ruiz-Ramirez; Bryan Miller was acquitted.

The Zombie Hunter Car (CBSNews.com)

Brandy Myers; Her missing poster

Linking Canal Murders to missing Brandy Myers?

CHART: SEXUAL MURDER

Richard Walter & Robert Keppel- Types of Sexual Murder

State transition (Psychological, Physical, and Sexual) diagram for type of abuse experienced, typology, and crime scene behavior (Standardized residuals indicated by line thickness. -Morono, Reid, Yaksic & Keatley)

Deputy Prosecutor Suzanne Cohen tried the Goudeau case- The Baseline Killer

(She will be the judge in Arizona vs Miller)

EVIDENCE - MURDERS OF BROSSO AND BERNAS

Turquoise Body Suit

Chili's mug used to collect the suspect's DNA

Invisible Woman Doll - with removable organs

Violent Comics

Hoarder House of Bryan Patrick Miller, Zombie Hunter 

(courtesy of Troy Hillman)

Close-up of the frozen head cartoon, on Bryan Patrick Miller's refrigerator door, hidden in plain sight- Proof to Jill that he DOES remember the murders!

(Courtesy of Troy Hillman)

Miller: Sentenced to death.

SOURCES

Angela Marie Brosso, FindaGrave.com, June 2023.

An Introduction to Familial DNA Searching for State, Local & Tribal Justice Agencies, Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative; April 2012.

Briana Whitney, Psychologist testified Bryan Patrick Miller's dissociative amnesia could be related to Canal Murders, ArizonaFamily.com, Jan. 9, 2023.

Briana Whitney, Morgan Loew, Victim describes 1989 'Zombie Hunter' stabbing attack during trial, AZ Family.com, Oct. 11, 2022.

Bryan Patrick Miller Sentenced to Death, Maricopa County Attorney's Office, June 3, 2023.

Ed Pilkington, Vidocq Society- the murder club, The Guardian, March 3, 2011.

EJ Montini, Brosso's Mom wants us to know about murdered daughter, AZCentral.com, Jan. 14, 2025.

Heather Walker, Brie and Cranberry bites/Loaf, AZFamilyDigitalStaffNews.com, Dec. 15, 2023.

John Hook's Original Melanie Bernas Murder Report, Fox 10 Phoenix, 2015.

John Luciew, 'Justice' for central Pa. woman beheaded in Phoenix as 'zombie hunter' killer found guilty 30 years later, PennLive.com, April 11, 2023. 

Lane Sainty, Canal killings: Expert cites Bryan Miller's 'immaatue' brain, impaired judgment in murders, AZCentral.com, April 27, 2023.

Lane Sainty, 'Canal Killings' Part 1: Brutal slayings end the lives of 2 young Phoenix women, AZCentral.com, August 28, 2023.

Lane Sainty, 'Canal Killings Part 2: After 20 years, Bryan Patrick Miller emerges as a suspect, AZCeentral, August 29, 2023.

Lane Sainty, 'Canal Killings' Part 3: DNA breakthrough helps Phoenix police catcha killer in decades old case, AZCentral.com, August 30, 2023.

Lane Sainty, 'Canal Killings' Part 4: Bryan Miller stands trial for 30-year old Phoenix slayings, AZCentral.com, August 31, 2023.

Lane Sainty, 'Canal Killings' Part 5:Miller gets ultimate punishment; families, friends mourn Phoenix victims, AZCentral.com, Sept 1, 2023.

Lane Sainty, 'Immeasurable pain', Family of canal killings victims describe impact as judge mulls penalty, Arizona Republic, April 18, 2023.

Melanie Beth Bernas, Find a Grave, 1993.

Morgan Canty, The Case Against the Zombie Hunter, 48 Hours, CBSNews.com, August 17, 2025. 

Morgan Loew, Cody Lillich & AZFamily News Staff, 'Zombie Hunter' Bryan Patrick Miller found guilty in Phoenix Canal murders, AZFamily News.com,

April 11, 2023.

Naman Shrestha, Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas Murders: When is Bryan Patrick Miller Now? Moviedelic.com, August 16, 2025. 

Nicole Garcia, A Look at the evidence of the Canal Killer Trial as Bryan Patrick Miller is on death row, Fox10.com, August 28, 2023.

Olivia Land, Man dubbed 'Zombie Hunter' sentenced to death for 1990s murders, New York Post, June 8, 2024.

Paul LaRosa, Convicted killer known as the Zombie Hunter, says life on death row is cold, food is 'not great', CBSNews.com, July 13, 2024.

Peter VanSant, Arizona's Zombie Hunter's unique murder defense: His mother created a monster, CSBNews.com, Aug 17, 2025.

Peter VanSant, "Unmaking the Zombie Hunter", 48 Hours, Oct 21, 2023.

Shivangi Sinha, Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas murder: How did they die? Who Killed them, TheCinemaholic.com, Oct 21, 2023.

The True Crime Story of Bryan Patrick Miller- AKA Zombie Hunter, Cold Cases Matter, 2025. 

Troy A. Hillman, Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter, Pegasus Crime, Oct. 5, 2025.

Vidocq Society, 2025.

Ep 146-149 Baked Brie & Cranberry bites Appetizer & Wine Pairing

 

BAKED BRIE AND CRANBERRY BITES

By Heather Walker of AZ Family

I couldn't find phyllo cups! Bon Appetit! 

INGREDIENCE

15 phyllo cups
4 oz. Brie Cheese
1/2 Cup dried cranberries or 1/2 can of cranberry sauce
2 springs of fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the phylo cups on a cookie sheet and preheat the oven to 350° .
2. Remove the rind from the brie cheese, cutting the cheese into small bites.
3. Place the brie bites into the center of the phyllo cups.
4. Add 3-4 dried cranberries or spoon a dollop of cranberry sauce into each phyllo cup.
5. Add 2-3 small thyme leaves on top of the Brie.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the cups are golden brown. Remove from heat and serve while warm.

NOTE: You can score a loaf of sourdough bread, stuff the brie and cranberries in between the cuts in the bread. Brush the stuffed loaf with melted butter, and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted.

And I am pairing this delicious brie with Naked Wines Dave Harvey Sweetish Riesling 2022! This goes perfectly with the ceeamy brie and tart cranberry, offset by delicious ripe peach, dried apricot, and candied apple. When you join the Naked Wines club, becoming an Angel, the price is $11.99!

B0N APPETIT!

The Las Vegas Massacre Connections by Mark Gray

 

Guns were left in the 2nd bedroom, where the perpetrator locked himself out, preventing him from using them. (Crimecon 2022)

Suspect in a hotel suite at Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas. You can see 1,000+ gun shells scattered about the room.  He lies dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

SOURCES

Laura Margosian, Las Vegas Honors victims 8 years after Route 91 Shooting, KUTV.com, Oct. 1, 2025.

Mark Gray, The Las Vegas Massacre Connections, October 5, 2025.

Mark Gray, I Arrived at Route 91 as a Reporter. I left as a Survivor of a Mass Shooting, Rolling Stone Magazine, Sept. 25, 2022.

Mark Gray, People Magazine, 2025.

When She Says Baby, Jason Aldean, Youtube.com, 2025.

Special Episode 145: Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter By Sheryl 'Mac' McCollum

 

Listen to Ep 145- SWANS DON'T SWIM IN A SEWER by Sheryl 'Mac' McCollum on the Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast

BUY SWANS DON'T SWIM IN A SEWER BY Sheryl 'Mac' McCollum on AMAZON.COM

Buy SWANS DON'T SWIM ON BARNES AND NOBLE.COM

Buy SWANS DON'T SWIM ON INDIGO.com

Going to Crimecon Las Vegas 2026 to see Sheryl and me?  Use my code    murdershelf  to save 10% on your Crimecon badge! 

https://www.crimecon.com/CC26

WILDLIFE CSI 2026! Get the latest and ticket information! 

Air Fryer Scottish Eggs

By allrecipes.com! 

Ingredients

              Scottish Eggs                                         Dipping Sauce

1 lb of sausage (Jimmy Dean works!)             3 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled                             2 Tbsp Mango Chutney

1/3 cup of flour                                             1 Tbsp Mayonnaise

2 eggs, lightly beaten                                    1/8 tsp salt

* 1 cup panko bread crumbs                          1/8 tsp pepper

cooking spray                                               1/8 tsp curry

                                                                   Optional- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix dipping sauce ingredients in bowl. Refrigerate.

2. Divide sausage into 6 equal parts. On parchment paper, flatten into a thin patty. Lightly dust hardboiled eggs with flour. Place 1 hardboiled egg in the center of a patty. Wrap sausage around the egg, sealing all sides. Set aside.

3. Preheat air fryer to 390.

4. Place the flour in a small bowl.  Put 2 beaten eggs into another small bowl. Place panko on a plate. Dip each sausage-wrapped egg into flour, then dip into beaten egg, letting excess drip off. Roll in panko, place on a plate. Repeat 5 more times. 

5. Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray. Arrange eggs in basket in a single layer, with no touching. Do not overcrowd. Book in batches if necessary. Cook in preheated air fryer for 12 minutes, turning eggs over halfway through.

6. Serve with dipping sauce!

* Feel free to spice the panko to your taste preferences!

Thank you allrecipes.com! 

Paired with Sweet and Salty Scottish Coffee

By Johnnie Walker

1. Mix 1.2 oz Johnnie Walker Black Lable with 3.5 ox of coffee and 1 tsp of salted caramel in a tempered glass.Stir well.

2. Pour a dash of thick cream SLOWLY into glass, sliding it in via the back of a spoon. Cream should float on top of the coffee mix. 

3. Optional- garnish with grated shortbread cookie. 

Thank you Johnnie Walker!