PODCAST: “True Criminals Among Us”
Episode Title: “The Man Who Fought the Booby-Trapping Kid”
Recording Date: October 5, 2010

HOST (Kelly Duvall): Welcome to “True Criminals Among Us.” Today, we have a rather infamous guest: Marv Merchants. He and his partner, Harry Lime, attempted multiple burglaries in the early ’90s and were famously thwarted by a child in Chicago. Marv, thank you for joining us.

MARV MERCHANTS: Thanks for having me.

HOST: Take us back to that night in December 1991. You and Harry broke into the McAllister home, right?

MARV: We’d been scoping the neighborhood, but that kid—Kevin—he turned the whole house into a warzone. I’d never seen anything like it. Hot iron to the face, blowtorch on the head, nails on the basement steps…

HOST: And how did that experience shape you?

MARV: *Laughs* It shaped me into a permanent klutz, maybe. I still limp sometimes. But more than the physical scars, it was how cold that kid seemed. We were criminals, sure, but he laughed while we screamed. I swear I could see something in his eyes. That’s not normal for an eight-year-old.

HOST: Do you think he was just protecting himself, or was there something more?

MARV: It was personal for him. Like he took pleasure in seeing us hurt. Even at that age, he had a twisted side.

HOST: Have you heard from Kevin McAllister since?

MARV: Nah, I try to keep outta that mess. But I heard rumors. People saying he got into designing “special projects,” if you get my drift. Traps. Dark stuff. I can’t prove nothin’, but man… I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out there, somewhere, still schemin’.

HOST: Fascinating—and chilling. Thank you, Marv, for sharing your story.

MARV: You bet. Just… watch your step. (Laughs nervously)

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]