# He Survived 43 Hours with the Bonebreaker

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/true-crime-with-bratterstein-7162898/he-survived-43-hours-with-the-bonebreaker
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/true-crime-with-bratterstein-7162898/he-survived-43-hours-with-the-bonebreaker.md
Podcast: [TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein](https://stenobird.com/podcast/true-crime-with-bratterstein-7162898)
Published: 2026-06-29T16:40:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bratterstein/episodes/He-Survived-43-Hours-with-the-Bonebreaker-e3lea18
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO1421833867.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/true-crime-with-bratterstein-7162898/episodes/he-survived-43-hours-with-the-bonebreaker
Duration seconds: 2908

## Resource

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Thadius Phillips and Chris Steiner with me today. In the summer of 1995, 13‑year‑old Thadius “Thad” Phillips was snatched from his bed in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and carried to the house of 17‑year‑old Joseph “Joe” Clark, who would become known as the “Bonebreaker” killer. Over the next roughly 43 hours, Clark sadistically snapped and twisted Thad’s leg bones, breaking his ankles and femur while refusing him medical help and blocking multiple escape attempts, until Thad, hours from death, smashed his way out of a closet, dragged his shattered legs down the stairs, and crawled to a phone to calmly call 911. His survival and testimony not only saved his own life but also helped expose Clark as the likely killer of another boy, Chris Steiner, leading to Clark’s conviction and a sentence of life plus 100 years in prison.

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## Transcript

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