Costa later found a girlfriend in a woman named Barbara Spaulding, who left her child and family and vanished when Costa went to Massachusetts. Her sister had thought she had just left for Europe. So many things, especially sins of this sort, should be tossed in God's great sea of forgetfulness., More:What to do with an empty, 4-bedroom house in Provincetown? Fortunately, Rodmans husband and children encouraged her excavation. Several people close to the case told her she was lucky she was so young when she met Tony, and that he was probably grooming her to be one of his kid chicks.. Arrives by Wed, Nov 23 Buy Helltown : The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod (Hardcover) at Walmart.com His trial began on May 6-29, 1970. Tony said that Sydney had set off for Europe and that Susan had joined a bunch of druggies on their way to Mexico. American Author Kurt Vonneguts daughter, Edith, had summered in Provincetown when she was 19 and had partied with Costa on several occasions, but she thankfully had declined his invitation to see his garden. All three did die, but it turned out their deaths had nothing to do with Costa. Some people kind of scoff and laugh about the serial killer that was living in their midst, but they don't realize how brutal he was, and I wanted to present that in a very unvarnished way., The early July release of his Helltown: The Untold Story of A Serial Killer on Cape Cod, and a potential related miniseries in development with actor Robert Downey Jr.s production company will likely bring more attention to the grisly local crime. Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Memorial ID At the age of nine, she considered herself a garden connoisseur. Tony Costa was convicted of murdering two young women in Provincetown, Massachusetts and sentenced to life in prison. Birth Date He considered his garden modest, as it only had 2 female plants. Provincetown is a small historical fishing community but its also an incredibly vibrant arts district. The first time Liza Rodmans babysitter, Tony Costa, took her to his secret garden, she was puzzled. Walpole, Massachusetts After learning of the disappearances, Gunnery later said he believed a victim could have been in Costa's trunk. Sherman has written about criminals, including mob boss Whitey Bulger, and deals with true crime on his two-season Saints, Sinners & Serial Killerspodcast with co-author Dave Wedge that they recently turned into a Boston stage show. Antone Charles Costa One year prior Costa had told local police names of suspected dope dealers, who had subsequently been arrested. The Volkswagen Bug the girls had been driving was seen parked along the dirt road behind the cemetery. It was assumed she just left. He has over 245k followers on the channel. Costa began dating his wife Adamari Lopez in 2011. Not long after, Walsh and the rest of Wysocki's body were found in a forest clearing that Costa had used for growing marijuana. Costa had been arrested at sixteen for assaulting a teenage girl, and several young women he met a couple of years later had gone missing. She was described as submissive. They would pack picnic lunches, bring shovels. She was last seen by her sister getting into Tonys car. Serial KillerNecrophiliac (presumably)Cannibal (possibly) One week after she moves in with him (Labor Day) she disappears. Early life and crimes [ edit] Antone Charles Costa was born on August 2, 1944, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. View all posts by SH, Your email address will not be published. Meanwhile, Tony had absconded to Boston and then Burlington, Vt., in Walshs car. But Vonnegut also admitted that chopping up 4 innocent girls as an act of revenge seems a bit far-fetched. The pair dated for three years before finally getting engaged in 2014 during one of their vacations in the Dominican Republic. It wasnt a very trusting environment Im amazed at people who had warm, nurturing parents, because that just wasnt our experience. If it doesnt have an impact on you, youre not doing a job well.. He was 18 when he married his 14-year-old bride, Avis, at a Catholic church in Provincetown. One week after the burglary 18-year-old Sydney Monzon leaves home for a party and is never seen again. And Tony said, Its a deal.. Post-Vietnam Freak culture during the 60s and 70s, and the town was filled with authority challenging Hippies with plenty of LSD, Pot, and Speed. Charged with burglary and assault, Costa was sentenced to three years' probation and a one-year suspended sentence. Antone Charles "Tony" Costa (August 2, 1944 May 12, 1974), was an American serial killer who achieved notoriety for committing serial murders in and around the town of Truro, Massachusetts, in 1969. As Rodman tells it, the most startling element was that not only had she never been afraid of Tony, but that he was a rare trustworthy adult figure in her life. The celebrity couple had a steady relationship for around a decade before deciding to go separate ways sometime in 2021. In The Babysitter, she recounts a difficult childhood. A short while later, $5k worth of medical/surgical equipment and drugs were stolen from the same office. Jack O'Connell/Globe Archive By Kevin Slane January 22, 2021 The story of a notorious 1960s. There have been several rumors on the internet about Costa being gay. Both women apply the same intellectual rigour to their present-day examination of Costas crimes. Tony Costa Tony along with his wife Lindsey are Senior Pastors and founders of Revive the World Ministries in Greenwood IN. Costa was disappointed that the first child was a boy, "depressed' second was a boy, but "over joyed" that third child was a girl. Tony Costa on the fourth day of his murder trial in Barnstable, Massachusetts, on 14 May 1970 (AP Photo/Frank Curtin) Throughout The Babysitter, Costa ferries Rodman and her younger sister. Rodman had vague memories of a string of murders that occurred in Provincetown, Mass., where her family spent summers in the late 1960s: scary stuff about missing girls and shallow graves and dismembered bodies. August 1968 he is officially divorced and his new girlfriend, Susan Perry, moves in with him. He was also, as Rodman and Jordan recount, responsible for the deaths of five women, four of whom were found buried in the Truro woods. There still today exists doubts of Costa's innocence or guilt in the murders. Suspended one-year sentence + three years probationLife imprisonment He stood over her bed and fled when she woke up and screamed at the sight of him. But she didnt think too much about it: She was used to men disappearing from her life. While Sherman plans multiple personal appearances on a summer Helltown book tour, including around the Cape, he plans to turn to crime on the opposite coast for his next book. He was really gentle.. Later on February 8, the mutilated and buried body of Susan Perry was found at the Old Truro cemetery. *Marquis De Sade: 18th century French noblemanbest known for his erotic works, which combined philosophical discourse with pornography, depicting sexual fantasies with an emphasis on violence, suffering, criminality, and blasphemy against Christianity. Around a large tree at the burial site was a rope covered in red stains and pill bottles were scattered throughout the area. But he never really fit in. Moreover, his popular YouTube video is his duet dance with his partner, Adamari Lopez, on the showMira Quien Bailain 2011. The girl survives and Costa claims it was an accident. Her death is ruled Drowning/Overdose. Trust is an issue., The Babysitter: My Summers With a Serial Killer is published by Atria Books (Simon & Schuster), Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. var cid='2438531626';var pid='ca-pub-3621518944223410';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=2;var alS=2021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);container.style.width='100%';var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;if(ffid==2){ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive='true';} They also travel locally and globally to help empower people to become all God created them to be. Shortly before the trial conclusion, Costas mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He sings along to the radio in the car. Type She and co-author Jennifer Jordan tell Clmence Michallon how the truth came to light, and how the two friends wound up investigating his crimes together, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Tony L. Costa. What are we looking at? Rodman recounts on the phone decades later. While incarcerated at Walpole Correctional Institution, Costa began to stock his cell with books on ritual magic and the occult, including a copy of Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible. We had a lot of babysitters in those days, said Rodman. Up until Costa wrote his memoir, Carl had never been mentioned before. January 24, 1969 Patricia Walsh and Mary Ann Wysocki take an offseason trip to Cape Cod and rent a room in a cottage in Provincetown. A serial killer? her mother dismissed her concerns. He never yelled. ins.style.display='block';ins.style.minWidth=container.attributes.ezaw.value+'px';ins.style.width='100%';ins.style.height=container.attributes.ezah.value+'px';container.appendChild(ins);(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'stat_source_id',44);window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'adsensetype',1);var lo=new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent);lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId+'-asloaded'),{attributes:true}); Costa is a 38 years old social media celebrity, YouTuber, dancer, and TV host. I started researching him and going back through my own memories to see where my life and his life lined up, Rodman said. In 2021, Liza Rodman wrote a book about her encounter with Costa during her childhood. Costa was disappointed that the first child was a boy, depressed second was a boy, but over joyed that third child was a girl. Another young woman, Susan Perry one of Tonys troubled teen acolytes, who he called his kid chick vanished in September. The District Attorney, Edmund Dinis kept making inflammatory statements, stating things such as the heads were removed and that there was evidence of cannibalism. There is an evident vulnerability to Rodmans account. He died four years later, and while his death was ruled a suicide, some believe that the other inmates might have killed him. While growing up in Hyannis, best-selling author Casey Sherman had heard about Antone Tony Costa, the serial killer from Provincetown in the late 1960s, but Sherman focused any attention related to gruesome murders on the darkness in his own family. Cambridge, Massachusetts [10] In May 1970, he was convicted of the murders of Mary Anne Wysocki and Patricia Walsh and sentenced to life in prison at Massachusetts' Walpole Correctional Institution. "This is a story that I think fascinates readers and Tony. Rodman was 7 years old in 1966 when she first met Tony Costa. Accused serial killer nurse allegedly tried to murder premature infant twice, The Babysitter: My Summers With a Serial Killer. In May 1968, a pretty local waitress named Sydney Monzon went missing. Liza Rodman hadnt thought about Tony Costa in three decades when, in 2005, she had a nightmare about him. Toni Costa, the famous Spanish ballroom dancer, and YouTuber have come to the limelight. Mid-February Susan Perrys body was discovered behind Old Truro Cemetery. May 12, 1974 (aged 29) The cavalier way [she] described it like it was no big deal it just really pierced me, stopped me in my tracks, Rodman said. in season six. The murders depicted in this book are all too real.. Sherman writes about how Costas crimes are likely less notorious because they ended up being overshadowed in the news by the moon landing, the Vietnam War, the killings by Charles Mansons followers in California, and the scandal following the death of Mary Jo Kopechne after getting trapped in a submerged car with Edward Ted Kennedy on Chappaquiddick. Costa was arrested when the burial site was discovered to be his private marijuana and drug garden and he was found in possession of Walsh's Volkswagen van, which he, according to a suspicious bill he produced, bought from them before they went to Canada. And he found what he considered new ways to tell the 50-year-old story by tying it into the context of the time of reckoning that was 1969, and by focusing on two literary titans who were on Cape Cod then and whom Sherman said were obsessed with the murders: Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut. Her first small part in a movie was in There's One Born Every Minute in 1942 but her first starring role was in National Velvet in 1944. Tony never really met his father as he died a hero during WWII while Tony was only an infant. He said he was going to take them to Pennsylvania and then to California, but later told police that he attempted to take them to Hayward, but never arrived. The person I knew certainly was not the person I researched, she said. Moreover, his popular YouTube video is his duet dance with his partner, Adamari Lopez, on the show'Mira Quien Baila'in 2011. Cory then shot Walsh and Wysocki. The girls were Bonnie Williams & Diane Federoff. He was a little bit older and he had kids and a wife and he wasnt as accessible as a cousin is, but he was cool, Rodman says. His aunt had been the final victim of the Boston Strangler from about the same era, and that case in 2003 inspired the first of Shermans 15 books and an investigation into a type of horror he said he was not eager to revisit.