“Iron Mike” Malloy survived not one, not two, but more than nine attempts on his life before he finally met his end. Malloy became the target of a group of acquaintances later dubbed the “Murder Trust,” who conspired to kill him for insurance money. What followed remains one of the most astonishing strings of failed murder attempts in history.

The conspirators served him cocktails laced with poison, swapped in antifreeze, turpentine, and even rat poison—none of which seemed to affect him at all. When that failed, they tried abandoning him in a snowbank to freeze, and later even staged a taxi hit-and-run. Each time, Malloy recovered, defying their plans and cementing his status as a near-mythic figure in true-crime lore.

Writer Riley Knight has chronicled the story of Mike Malloy along with some of history’s other strangest deaths. Some true crime, others simply unbelievable.

You can read his book, History's Strangest Deaths, here and listen to his podcast, Half-Arsed History, here.

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CREDITS

Guest: Riley Knight

Host: Claire Murphy

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Audio Engineer: Tina Matalov

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