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Ken Tekiela was a firefighter and loving father who lived a quiet life in the suburbs of Chicago, or so his family thought.
iHeartRadio podcast Crook County alternates between the storied past and present of "the Kid," who lived a double life as a hitman for the Chicago mafia for decades. Kyle, the assassin's son and the host of Crook County, was told of his father's true identity in 2013 by Ken himself.
Per the podcast summary:
"Ken Tekiela was a celebrated Chicago firefighter and a loving father of two who led a secret double life as a hitman for the Chicago mafia. Is it even possible to keep a life of crime hidden from your wife and kids for two decades? Yes, it is. I know because Ken is my father."
The podcast explores Ken's life episode by episode, zooming in on the time he was a "whorehouse doorman at the age of 17, to ruthless assassin in his 20's, and the many years that followed covering up crimes for the mafia and crooked cops alike while working as a firefighter/paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department. To finally, moving to the suburbs with his new wife and kids and trying desperately to put it all behind him, until it all came crashing down."
Episode one, released on February 10, discusses "the history of the legendary Chicago Outfit" that the hitman was recruited into at the young age of 17. Episode two dives into family secrets and "the pieces of a broken home," followed by episode three drawing attention to drug deals through interviews with "key mafia characters."
Check out Crook County on iHeartRadio for the full scoop.