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That's A Crime
A fascinating true crime podcast dissecting everything from a misdemeanor to a murder.
Hosts: Jason Connell, award-winning documentary producer & true crime junkie, & Sal Rodriguez, comedian & toy expert/collector.
That's A Crime
Killer Writes Best-Selling Crime Novel (2007)
That's A Crime
Episode 12: Killer Writes Best-Selling Crime Novel (2007)
Jason Connell and Sal Rodriguez break down the true crime story of the Killer Writes Best-Selling Crime Novel in 2007. On December 10th, 2000, fiction crime writer, Krystian Bala, murdered business owner, Dariusz Janiszewski, in a crime of passion. In 2003, Bala would publish his best-selling crime novel, Amok, which essentially describes the murder and would lead to his arrest in 2007.
Original Episode: S01E12
Recorded: 09-17-21
Studio: Just Curious Media
https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/
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Welcome to Just curious media. This is that's a crime. I'm Jason Connell.
Sal Rodriguez:And I'm Sal Rodriguez.
Jason Connell:All right, Sal, we are back for another exciting crime.
Sal Rodriguez:This one is exciting. This one is a I think starts to get into the elements of morbidity or or morbid. It's more morbid. You know, this isn't a crypto crime. I mean, there's some there's some human suffering here going on.
Jason Connell:Not a coin thief.
Sal Rodriguez:No, no.
Jason Connell:And today, we're breaking down the True Crime Story of the killer Wright's best selling crime novel in 2007.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, you know, this is just one of those examples of keep your mouth shut. You know, it. I'm sure anybody listening, if you follow enough crime, you will find and this is a perfect example. People will basically give themselves up, they'll incriminate themselves, they'll say something to someone that they shouldn't they'll tell something to someone that they shouldn't tell. And they get caught because of their own mouth.
Jason Connell:Yeah. They often say that killers are someone who's guilty of shoplifting or whatever crime they've committed will return to the scene of the crime.
Sal Rodriguez:Oh, yeah, that's a whole nother thing. Yeah. Yeah. Why did they do that? I would think as a criminal. My number one is to commit the crime. Number two is to not get caught. Yeah. Right. Stay out of prison. So keep your mouth shut. Don't write anything to incriminate yourself. Because, yeah, this is a very interesting tale, because this guy is both smart. And dumb.
Jason Connell:Yes. Well, when I was coming up with the name of this episode, Sophia even said, it's like murder he wrote. It's like, you know what? That should be the subtitle. That's a great title. And it says it all.
Sal Rodriguez:That's pretty fantastic. Yeah.
Jason Connell:All right sounds so this remarkable case gripped Poland, when Christian Bala, a writer of blood curling fiction was found guilty of orchestrating the murder of darvish inner Chesky. And a crime of passion brought on by the suspicion that the victim was sleeping with his ex wife.
Sal Rodriguez:I don't even know if we get an answer to that. Do we even find out if he did indeed sleep with his ex wife? I mean, we'll go along here but I don't think we find that out. I mean, did this guy die for nothing? That's horrible.
Jason Connell:Yeah, I'm not sure about that. You're right. There are some loose ends or maybe some more detective work to be had. But there's still enough here to bite off and share with our audience because when I came across this case, I was like, this is absolutely stranger than fiction.
Sal Rodriguez:This is something you know the the crime novelists the horror novelists, the Stephen King's this is something they would write about. And yet here we are, this is real life.
Jason Connell:Yeah. Well knocks out what makes this story even more jaw dropping is the fact that Bala had gotten away with the crime until he wrote his best selling crime novel. amok in which he essentially describes the murder
Sal Rodriguez:of another perfect example of of killers getting sloppy. What they say is, you think that you're invincible. Right? Your ego becomes so huge say they can't touch me. And then you do something that outs yourself. And then there you go, you get busted in a crime like this is there's so many things that angered me. One is how stupid the killer is. The other is an innocent person, most likely murdered, even if he was sleeping with his ex wife is your ex wife, dude, you control who your ex wife sleeps with, you know, great. Yeah. So this is just a real a horrible tragedy all the way around.
Jason Connell:And did it kill you in a Shecky? Just to write a story about it. Like was he always plotting the perfect murder and then he wanted to write a story about it. But he wanted to be a killer and feel what a killer feels like, like Dexter, you know, because he just had it in his bones. Like, we don't know some of these things. But it's a crazy story. And part of me Sal wants to read a mock.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, yeah. There you go. So it'll be even more of a best seller now after we read it.
Jason Connell:Yeah. So now moving on to the murder of Darius in a Shecky and 2007. Bala was sentenced to jail for 25 years for planning and committing the murder of Vienna Chesky, who was a Polish small business owner, and rot suave in 2000. Now, inicia ski had been stripped, starved and tortured before being dumped into the frigid Lake.
Sal Rodriguez:Jason I'm marveling at all this stuff this guy did and he only gets 25 years.
Jason Connell:It's unbelievable. Yeah, I'm not even done saying what happened to him? Yeah, 25 years and who knows if that's even the full sentence. You know, people get off early or they get probation. So his body was dumped into the frigid lake with a noose tied around his neck and his hands bound behind his back I mean, this guy sow suffered.
Sal Rodriguez:Jason there are guys who steal cars and get 25 years
Jason Connell:right or have some drugs on them. Yeah.
Sal Rodriguez:How about what did our our movie theater manager who's who sold cocaine? Didn't she get like some heavy duty sentence?
Jason Connell:Now hopefully that gets knocked down but yeah, yeah. crime isn't fair punishments aren't fair. But these are some gruesome details and I did not know it went that dark when I first jumped in I was intrigued by what I read up top but you're gonna Schinsky really suffered Sal and it's really a shame.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, he did. He suffered needlessly. And Bala is a horrible person.
Jason Connell:Yes. Yes. So for three years, the police had failed to solve the murder. Until detective JASIC. Rob Loski found some physical clues linking the murder to Bala.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, yeah, usually, for you crime lovers that it usually takes some really smart person or aware person or observant person, or some sort of advocate to really turn the tide in these cases, especially once cases go cold. There has to be some sort of champion some sort of hero. And that's what we have here.
Jason Connell:Yep. Robert Loski. So the biggest clue came from the discovery of inish esky cell phone, which had never previously been found. It turned out that it had been sold online. And now Rob Loski had Bala and get a Chesky connected through phone records. So this is that thing. So like, if you're a baller, and you know, this smart guy that did this perfect crime that got away with it and wrote a book, what the hell are you selling the cell phone online for for a few bucks?
Sal Rodriguez:Wait, did Bala sell the cell phone?
Jason Connell:I don't know if he did or didn't. But I'm just making an assumption in his possession most likely.
Sal Rodriguez:So by finding the cell phone they were able to link through call records, had they never found the cell phone, they wouldn't have known that there was any call records between the two, I guess.
Jason Connell:Right. And so I'd read that Rob Loski brought on a technician that could you know who was good at forensic phones or it and was able to find that because you know this a few years ago, it's probably not as easy, you know, then as it is now, but yeah, so that was a linkage. And he was like, Wait a second. So what was interesting, so broski then turned his sights on Bala's first novel. So he's going to the book Amok comes out in 2003. And his suspicions were right, as he found more clues, leading to Bala.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, this is one of those things we see when we watch crime cases. There are these pieces of evidence that only the killer would know. A right actly. Yes. So all of a sudden, you're reading this in a book written by a guy who is a suspect? Yeah, that stuff only the murderer would know. There you go, man. This guy talks about, you know, slitting your own throat, the skin, you
Jason Connell:know what sound I also think some people kind of want to be caught.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, there's that there's now. But what's what was the timeframe again, from the murder to the book to the arrest?
Jason Connell:So 2000 murder happens 2003 The book comes out 2007 he's sentenced. So I'm assuming he's caught sometime around, then. Yeah, that's the sequence of events. So, you know, he had time to go write the book. That's three years, what, three years to publish it. So and maybe it's always been in his head, how maybe he wrote down how he was going to do something and then executed that we don't
Sal Rodriguez:know. Yeah, but yeah, there are more details that we're not learning about, for example, if they weren't able to tie phone records, what were their text messages? If there were text messages? What did they say? Or their voicemails somewhere on a hard drive somewhere that we call suggests? Yeah. What was their communication that I'd like to know?
Jason Connell:According to Robert Loski, it was as if Bala had written a fictionalized version of the real life killing into his novel using information only the murderer could have known.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, there we go. There we go.
Jason Connell:Yeah, he's going wait a second. This is an out there we didn't we didn't publicize this. The Press doesn't know this. And this guy's getting it right on the nose.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, there's many things to consider. One is you want to get caught maybe you want to get caught. The other is maybe you're bragging. Yes. You know, there goes that invincibility. Oh, they can't touch me. I guess we have to do an interview with Bala really to to know what his motives were. As far as you know, all the things that he did that led to his own arrest. You know, he incriminated himself. Why did he do that? Did he do it on purpose? Or was it accidental?
Jason Connell:Well, someone who can torture someone in this way, so I wouldn't say they make the best decisions always and who knows what's leading them to make decisions so putting the book out there almost flaunting it in their face. Yeah, I mean, it speaks volumes and of course he makes missteps because he's probably not even thinking they're looking for him anymore three years called case who's going to link these things together. But that cell phone was the link to it all I believe.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, this is a there's a lot I'd like to know I would like to see an interview with Bala I would like to get into his inner workings a little bit more and see how this all came about as far as the from beginning to end from planning to finally process secretion. Yep, hey, hey, we cover everything from planning to prosecution. That's what we cover that's
Jason Connell:so the case drew widespread media coverage and Poland and resulted in increased sales of the novel as readers look for clues in the novel to the real life events of UNICEF skis death. Interesting. So sad. We're seeing a spike in sales as this thing was circulating around. Amazing how that works. Yeah, the true
Sal Rodriguez:crime lovers are coming out to play. Yep, exactly. What Yeah, and they probably like, I bet there's like message boards, where people are like, talking about all the clues and, and comparing insight. Yeah, interesting, because that you get into the friendship begin to the fanboy.
Jason Connell:So Prosecutors believe the motive for the killing was tied to jealousy as we talked about earlier, as Bala had assumed that his estranged wife Stanislava. Bala, that's a tongue twister. was having an affair with you know, Chesky. So Sal, we don't know the timeline of this. Did this start to happen? This affair start to happen when there are a couple. You know, maybe that's why there was jealousy. I know. We joked about being an ex wife at same time, maybe, you know, Shecky took her away from Bala and that led to this whole thing going into motion? We don't know. And yes, an interview with Bala would be fantastic. Well, also,
Sal Rodriguez:I'd like to know did Deanna Chesky and Bala know each other prior were they colleagues? Did they know each other from you know the gym? I mean, what was the deal? Were they Rangers? Yeah, it was he were there was an author as well. Yeah, we know. Yeah. I always like to know how people met
Jason Connell:when he was a businessman. We know that small business owner, I doubt they did business together. Maybe they knew each other. Maybe they knew each other socially. You know, we don't know. And yes, it does. The book Amok might shed some light on that, because if it's biographical Are you know, kind of cloaked in that I wonder how much is in there about these relationships? Or how much was fiction? In fact, or, you know, I wouldn't be interested to read that book, though.
Sal Rodriguez:Wait, hang on. Jason. Speaking of the book, what I'd like to know now in America, they have laws against criminals making money off of their crimes. So if you commit a crime, and you go to prison, and you write a book, you can't collect royalties on it. There. I remember hearing about that, and written about that in years past.
Jason Connell:Well, maybe once he was convicted, who knows? Right? Initially, he was
Sal Rodriguez:okay. Yeah, so Polish law. He's making money off of a book, but then he gets arrested. And if they find out, you know, the crime and the book, can he continue to make money off of that same book, I wonder.
Jason Connell:At the same time, he's not sitting there calling the book, a true crime story. Right. He's not telling the story of university with his name, his likeness, although a judge could probably say yes, this is the killer. And this is how he did it. Yeah. Right. They could take all the funds away. Yeah. Did not get into the, you know, the revenue of the book. And yeah, it's just his family should come after Bala. Absolutely. For any proceeds and much like the OJ, trial and golden and family. So you're right. Absolutely. Good point.
Sal Rodriguez:I don't wait it. Also, were you going to reference if I did it? Is that what you're gonna say? Exactly? Yeah. The book. Yes. The OJ book if I did it, which by the way, I'm assuming that didn't have any evidence in it. That only the killer would know. Right? Did OJ didn't incriminate himself?
Jason Connell:Well, it's an inch. I didn't read it. It's interesting book. You read the book? Yeah. He has a ghostwriter. And he tells me, he talks about if I was there, and he does share some things and it's almost like a confessional. It's really bizarre read, I gotta tell you, but as they were getting ready to put that book out through the court battles, the Goldmans took kind of ownership of that property. And then the proceeds would go to their foundation because he owed them so much money from the civil case. Yes, yes. But again, more complicated. This is Poland. Who knows how they did it? Yeah, very different.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, one thing we know about Poland, you can kill somebody and kind of get a slap on the wrist.
Jason Connell:Yeah, good point. So in 2007 Sal, so back to ball is in prison, and appeals court ordered a retrial of the case. Now, I don't know where this came from. Because to me, all signs are pointing to ball at this point in time. Yeah. But in December 2008, Bala had a new trial, and was again found guilty and continued to serve the 25 year sentence.
Sal Rodriguez:I wonder what the defense thought they had to have a new strategy or No, no, that was the this is the first draft of the book. This is what you got to read not not the printed copy. You got to read the first draft.
Jason Connell:Yeah, that is crazy. So what's interesting to me is finding out that Bala was working on a second novel tentatively titled de L'Arc,
Sal Rodriguez:which is Polish for if I did it.
Jason Connell:Exactly. So police had found plans on Bala's computer for killing a new victim to tie in with his second novel. And interesting
Sal Rodriguez:yeah, This guy is going full on creep factor. So he wants to be the author who kills you know what I'm reminded of. Was that Jake Gyllenhaal movie? Something crawler? Nightcrawler Nightcrawler fantastic. Yeah. So he would like set up these
Jason Connell:he started. He started to Yeah, dictate the news. And then he would call it in and then film it and you had his own partner killed or you let him get killed. Absolutely. Good point. Yeah, that's a really good reference.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah. So this is one of those things where a fact and fiction intertwine. Yeah, yeah, this guy is like trying to create a cinematic life. Because this guy, I mean, they could make a movie off this guy.
Jason Connell:Well, I'm getting to that. Okay, for that I gotta say. So if I was Bala's ex wife's new boyfriend. Oh, yeah, I'd be a little concerned. Yes. So now leading to media and what you just brought up that case was the subject of a 2008, investigative article by David grant and the New Yorker BIG TIME magazine. Well, in 2010, the article was optioned to be made into a movie by focus films. That's a big studio as well. Oh, yeah, the film was completed and entitled dark crimes starring Jim Carrey and premiered in 2016.
Sal Rodriguez:Okay, so it was a movie.
Jason Connell:It was a movie.
Sal Rodriguez:Oh, wow. Okay, I got to see that that Jim Carrey. Hello. I didn't know about this. Obviously. This is what Jim Carrey in a dramatic role I take it this is not constantly
Jason Connell:No, no, he did plenty of that from man on the moon to Truman Show to majestic
Sal Rodriguez:Truman Show had some comedic oh, by the way, I love Truman Show.
Jason Connell:No, I do too. But I'm saying it's more serious. So that's not it. In 2017 Christian Bala's book, Amok was the inspiration for the feature film of the same name amok, which premiered that year. So two movies, Sal spawned from this.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, yeah, we got the book amok. And then we have two movies. Yeah, we got to, we got to do a deeper dive into this because there's little rabbit holes in here that you can go down, you know, the ex wife, the ex wife's relationship with the boyfriend, the boyfriends relationship with bala, You know, there's how they met where that started. There's there's lots stuff and then this new plan? Did he have a new victim already selected? Or was he still selecting his victim? Because he's creating a plan to kill a new person to tie in with a second novel? That is crazy and creepy?
Jason Connell:And wouldn't that make the judge say, You know what, let's just keep you in jail. You've already got new plants to kill someone else.
Sal Rodriguez:You know what, when this guy gets out of prison, as the judge, you have to say, you know, you're going on parole right into your life, you cannot have Microsoft Word. Final Draft. Yeah, you are not allowed to have any word processing program on your computer whatsoever. No,
Jason Connell:no, I don't know what's going to happen. I'd like to see where things are at. So if he went away in 2007 Sound what he's been in there 14 years now.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah. If it's like the American judicial system, give him about another five years to probably be getting out on parole. Yeah, assuming he's up for parole.
Jason Connell:Otherwise, if he has to do the whole sentence, he's only got 11 more years. And just so you know, Bala is currently 47 years old. So even if he fulfills the 25 year term, he's getting out, you know, 58 years old, relatively young guy, and kind of a warped sense of the world. So Bala does not probably need to reenter society anytime soon.
Sal Rodriguez:You know, I went through the the index of serial killers. I guess about 15 years ago, I just went, you know, studied all of them read up on all of them learning how was the How was learning to prepare for that's a crime. And one thing I found interesting and kind of scary, is when you follow crimes, and namely, in this instance, killers, and then you see the sentences that they got. And then you look at the calendar, and you're like, Wait a second. That guy that chopped his roommates head off. He's a walking around out there right now. Exactly. Yeah. These people I mean, if you are a complete psychopath, sociopath, you should not be walking around. No, no.
Jason Connell:And Bala is of that he's got a warped sense of reality. He wants to do harm. I mean, he didn't just kill you to Chaski he tortured him. Yeah, that was a terrible way to die.
Sal Rodriguez:How about that? Okay, so we would have went maybe a little easier on him. Give him 20 years instead, if he would have just shot him in the head and been done with it.
Jason Connell:Right. Maybe a heated argument went too far. And he killed him. But he stripped him starved and tortured him dumped him in a frozen leg with a noose around his neck and his arms tied behind him. It's a horrible way to kill someone and yes, he should have paid the price much more.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, a crime a tragedy. Creepy. It's got a real creepy factor. Oh, absolutely.
Jason Connell:But it makes me want to read the book and see the movies because it's just so creepy. I can't even believe it. Like I really want to see this Jim Carrey movie. Now I don't think Jim Carrey plays ball I think he might even play Rob Loski Oh, which would be cool. He's a detective. Yeah, I'm not sure. But I don't think he's Bala, I'd have to check into that. Or if there is a Bala in this movie who knows? You know, that's the dark crimes is the name of the movie, it could have gone a different direction completely. So hey, that's all I got. So a very interesting episode interesting crime. I really want to do some more research on it, like always, and come back with something else next time.
Sal Rodriguez:I like this one a lot. I did. Because we've been all over the place how we've covered so many different things. Why is that? So? Because we cover everything from a misdemeanor to a murderer? Absolutely. And that's exactly what we've done. I mean, you know, we have not covered a crime like this yet.
Jason Connell:No, we have not. And that's what I love about this show. There's so many of these stories out there and some are tougher to cover. Look for some lighter stuff soon. Audience listeners because we enjoy those episodes just as much, but this one came across our radar, and we just had to cover it.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, you know what, after Lindbergh and after this case, yeah, I think we need to lighten it up.
Jason Connell:Look for something much lighter. So thank you so much for listening. And please be sure to subscribe to that's a crime wherever you get your podcast. You can also really help us by giving the show a five star rating on Apple podcast.
Sal Rodriguez:And for all your listeners that enjoy sharing your thoughts. You can leave us a review on Apple podcasts, send us a direct message or post a comment on our social media which is at just curious media.
Jason Connell:We also highly recommend checking out our other podcast and visiting just curious media.com
