Most Evil Season 1 Episode 12 Richard Farley, Gerald Atkins

Richard Farley was a 27-year-old computer programmer from San Rafael, California when he committed his heinous crime in 1988. Farley was obsessed with a 22-year-old co-worker named Laura Black, and when she rejected him, Farley plotted his revenge. He began stalking her, leaving her threatening notes and even breaking into her apartment to steal her underwear.

Farley eventually decided to take matters into his own hands and he purchased a handgun. On October 17, 1988, he went to Laura's workplace and shot her eight times, killing her instantly. He then fled to Los Angeles, where he holed up in a hotel and began plotting his next attack. Farley’s calculating mind, isolated lifestyle, and near-contempt for women would lead to what law enforcement called a “self-proclaimed crusade against feminism.”

Gerald Atkins was a truck driver from Memphis, Tennessee who was convicted of 9 murders in 1998 and would later confess to an additional 5. Atkins targeted prostitutes and would lure them into his truck with the promise of money or drugs. Once he had them inside, he would rape and strangle them to death, dumping their bodies in remote locations.

Atkins' killing spree lasted from 1992 to 1998, but it wasn't until he was arrested for another crime that he was connected to the murders. During his interrogation, Atkins claimed that his killings were a way of enacting revenge on women for his troubled past with his mother.

In this episode of Most Evil, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Stone examines the cases of Richard Farley and Gerald Atkins, two men who targeted women and acted out of a sense of entitlement and a desire for control.

Stone delves into the childhood and adolescent experiences of both men, looking for clues that might explain their extreme behavior. He also analyzes their patterns of behavior leading up to their crimes and compares them to other serial killers to help categorize their level of evil.

Through interviews with law enforcement officials, family members, and experts, Stone provides insight into the minds of Farley and Atkins and helps viewers understand the motivations behind their heinous acts. He also looks at the societal factors that contribute to the development of men like Farley and Atkins, who feel justified in committing violence against women.

Most Evil is a true-crime series that explores some of the most disturbing cases of violent crime in history. Hosted by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Stone, the show examines the psychology of perpetrators of extreme violence and categorizes them based on a "scale of evil" that ranges from 1 (unorganized killers) to 22 (organized, sexual sadists). Each episode features multiple cases and delves into the background, motivations, and methods of some of history's most notorious criminals.