The Beast of Baltimore: The Joseph Roy Metheny Murders
Elliot Christopher
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1994–1996 · Baltimore, Maryland
Joe Metheny
The story behind The Beast of Baltimore: The Joseph Roy Metheny Murders
Joe Metheny killed Catherine Magaziner and Kimberly Spicer in Baltimore, concealing their remains on the grounds of the pallet business where he worked. The investigation exposed violence against women living in vulnerable circumstances. His sensational claims about additional crimes attracted headlines, but those claims should not be confused with the murders established in court.
EXPLORE THE CASE
The Story
When1994–1996
WhereBaltimore, Maryland
In this collection34 resources
Start here.
Choose a book, screen story or audio episode from this case’s collection.
Gruesome — Joe Metheny
Spotify
An audio option for exploring this case while listening.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon buttons marked “paid link” may earn us a commission. Affiliate disclosure
Where are they now?
1 itemsAbout these sources
Dated updates, not live custody records. Check the source date before treating information as current.
WBAL-TV · August 7, 2017
Joe Metheny — died in prison in 2017
Joe Metheny died in prison in August 2017.
Entry updated:
Dated Case UpdateAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Nicknames & media names
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
EXPLORE THE CASE
Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
From the journal
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
Bonnie’s Blog of Crime
Serial Killer: Joe Roy Metheny *The Cannibal Killer*
A dated collection of reporting links about Metheny. His sensational claims should be distinguished from established convictions.
Outside CommentaryAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
EXPLORE THE CASE
Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
Search this case on Amazon · paid linkSearch results may include unrelated titles. Check the author, edition, and case connection before purchasing.
Explore Reading & Streaming Options · Our case guides are free.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon buttons marked “paid link” may earn us a commission. Affiliate disclosure
Books
1 itemsElliot Christopher
The Beast of Baltimore: The Joseph Roy Metheny Murders
An independently published account. The linked catalog verifies the title; this listing is not an endorsement of every claim in the book. Compare it with the court record below.
BookAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Search Amazon · paid linkExplore this book
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
EXPLORE THE CASE
Movies & TV
Movies
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
TV & documentaries
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
EXPLORE THE CASE
Audiobooks
Explore the shared audiobook connected to this case below, or search for other audio editions.
Check Audio Formats For This Book
These books are in this case’s collection. An audiobook version has not been verified for the listings below.
The Beast of Baltimore: The Joseph Roy Metheny Murders
Search Audiobook Editions · paid linkElliot Christopher
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon buttons marked “paid link” may earn us a commission. Affiliate disclosure
EXPLORE THE CASE
Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
No verified fictional adaptation or inspiration has been identified in this collection. Nonfiction coverage is listed in the other media sections.
EXPLORE THE CASE
Podcasts
Podcasts
16 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
Spotify
Gruesome — Joe Metheny
Direct episode page for this case or its screen adaptation. Open it for listening options and the publisher’s episode notes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Morbid
Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released June 26, 2023. About 66 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Psychopedia: True Crime & Criminal Psychology
EP129: Cannibal Serial Griller: Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released June 11, 2025. About 65 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
RedHanded
Bonus Patreon Upcycle - Joe Metheny: Hate, Heroin & Human Hog Roasts
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released January 5, 2023. About 33 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
The Casual Criminalist
"Sloppy Joe" Metheny: The BBQ Burger Butcher
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released February 24, 2023. About 45 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
True Crime Guys
#100 Bodies In Sandwiches - Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released June 17, 2020. About 72 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Show 10 more podcasts
Murder In America
EP. 101 MARYLAND - The Cannibal Serial Killer of Baltimore: Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released March 3, 2023. About 63 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
True Crime Kent
Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released April 12, 2021. About 116 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Patos
Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released March 13, 2026. About 47 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
True Crimecast
The Cannibal - Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released March 30, 2021. About 34 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Lady, You’re Scaring Us
Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released July 23, 2024. About 27 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Mama Mystery with Kelly Evans
Ep 109 : Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released October 31, 2022. About 31 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Serial Killing : A Podcast
Joe Metheny
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released April 23, 2021. About 27 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
V černém
JOE METHENY - Lidské maso namlel do burgerů a prodával je svým zákazníkům
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released October 20, 2025. About 24 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
The Misery Machine
Joe Metheny: The Baltimore Cannibal? [TRUE CRIME]
Podcast coverage of the Joe Metheny case. Released March 8, 2021. About 43 minutes.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone · Tony & Al Ciaglia · November 13, 2023
Murder Phone — Rest in Peace, Catherine (S5 E7)
An episode about Catherine Magaziner and the hosts’ correspondence and recorded conversation with Joe Metheny. Explicit content. Statements by Metheny are his claims and should be checked against independent reporting.
PodcastAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
EXPLORE THE CASE
Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Where would you start?
Choose your reading route, then share a question with your community.
Your choice stays on this page. No vote is submitted or counted.
Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
EXPLORE THE CASE
News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
0 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
No additional case-specific reading source was confirmed in this review. The reporting and original summaries elsewhere on this page remain available.
Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
Newspaper clippings
1 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.
York Daily Record · 1996-12-19 · Page 33
Charges filed in Baltimore killings
An Associated Press report on the investigation of Joe Metheny describes a body found near pallets at his workplace and the statements police were investigating.
An early investigation report. This clipping is a partial article; allegations here predate trial findings.
Newspaper ReportingAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Read the original at Newspapers.com. Access and subscription requirements are set by the archive.
Open full clipping at Newspapers.comKeep following the newspaper trail.
Search original reporting, follow the trial, and compare how newspapers covered the case over time.
Explore more on Newspapers.comNewspapers.com controls access to its archive. A subscription may be required; existing subscribers can sign in.
Internet Archive
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
EXPLORE THE CASE
Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court opinionOfficial court
Metheny v. State — conviction and sentencing opinion
The original 74-page appellate opinion concerning Catherine Magaziner’s murder. The court affirmed the convictions, vacated the death sentence, and remanded for a new sentencing proceeding.
- Court / agency
- Court of Appeals of Maryland
- Document date
- July 24, 2000
- Case / citation
- 149, September Term 1998
- Hosted by
- Maryland Judiciary
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
EXPLORE THE CASE
Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
12 itemsAbout these sources
Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.
The Casual Criminalist
"Sloppy Joe" Metheny: The BBQ Burger Butcher
Video from The Casual Criminalist covering the Joe Metheny case. Length: 41:39.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
WJZ
Convicted Serial Killed Joe Metheny Found Dead In Prison
Video from WJZ covering the Joe Metheny case. Length: 0:21.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Facebook · Creator community
Murder In America — Facebook group
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “EP. 101 MARYLAND - The Cannibal Serial Killer of Baltimore: Joe Metheny.” This discussion group covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. Group rules or membership approval may limit access.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Facebook · Creator channel
Murder In America — Facebook page
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “EP. 101 MARYLAND - The Cannibal Serial Killer of Baltimore: Joe Metheny.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — Getting to Know Joe — S5 E2
The hosts introduce their correspondence with Metheny. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — A Monster in the Making — S5 E3
The hosts discuss Metheny’s letters and accounts of his crimes. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Show 6 more social media
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — First Kill — S5 E4
The hosts examine Metheny’s account of an alleged first killing. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — The T-Shirt and the Tooth — S5 E5
An installment about items and correspondence Metheny sent to Tony Ciaglia. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — Rest in Peace, Catherine — S5 E7
The video edition of the episode discussing Catherine Magaziner. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — Joe Metheny — S5 E8
This installment examines Metheny’s statements about his victims. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — Joe Metheny — Audio Clip
A short clip published on the show’s own YouTube channel. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Murder Phone Podcast · Official YouTube
Murder Phone — Joe Metheny — Visit With a Monster Preview
Tony Ciaglia introduces the show’s visit-related coverage. Explicit content; offender statements are not independent proof.
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)