Season Explores the Groundbreaking Hunt for an Attacker Who Stalked His Victims
Listeners Can Subscribe to The Binge For The Full Season Now
New York, NY – November 3, 2025 – Sony Music Entertainment today announced the season premiere of Hunting the Bogeyman, a new podcast uncovering a serial predator’s alarming pattern of stalking and assaulting victims across Northern California for decades, and how the survivors finally found justice. The first episode is available now, and subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes today.
Hosted by journalist and producer Peter McDonnell, Hunting the Bogeyman follows Nicole Earnest-Payte’s harrowing journey to identify and unmask the serial predator who attacked her in her own home when she was 21 years old. Nicole’s immediate report to the local police did not turn out as planned. Her case grew cold, until celebrated investigator Paul Holes uncovered a disturbing pattern of similar attacks, revealing that a serial predator was attacking women across Northern California and no one could find him. Holes and investigators from Davis, Sacramento, and other cities stopped at nothing to find the “bogeyman,” but it would take a historic forensic breakthrough to finally unmask him.
Hunting the Bogeyman offers listeners first time insider access into one of the longest and toughest successful investigations in American history, anchored by raw, intimate interviews with Nicole, and investigative storylines from Paul Holes, Detective Avis Beery, and the prosecutors. The story is filled with twists and turns as Holes and others hit seemingly impassable roadblocks, before making a historic investigative breakthrough with genealogy. At the heart of this thrilling forensic mystery, is Nicole’s courageous hunt for justice, understanding, and healing, as she turns fear into action and pursues answers about who did it, how he did it, and why. Her hunt eventually leads her to try and meet the captured, imprisoned rapist face to face.
“Nicole’s story captivated me the second she told me about it,” says host Peter McDonnell. “Without giving anything away, she faced obstacles that shocked me, and yet she never gave up trying to do the right thing for her community and for herself. This is one of the most incredible investigative stories ever, but it’s a truly memorable, inspiring, and unexpected story because of Nicole. And she told it so bravely.”
Hunting the Bogeyman is produced by Perfect Cadence in association with Sony Music Entertainment. It’s hosted, written, and executive produced by Peter McDonnell. Catherine Saint Louis is the executive producer for Sony Music Entertainment.
Listeners can subscribe to Hunting the Bogeyman on The Binge today to listen to all episodes, all at once. Hunting the Bogeyman is also available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. For more information on other Sony podcasts, follow @SonyPodcasts on Instagram.
The post Sony Music Premieres “Hunting the Bogeyman” a Chilling, Thrilling New Podcast of the 27-Year Search for One of the Worst Serial Predators in America appeared first on Sony Music.
