Once Upon a Crime is a weekly true crime podcast that tells “the story behind the story” of real life crime. Told in a storytelling style, host Esther Ludlow digs into the details of each case to bring listeners the facts and information they won’t hear anywhere else.
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Episode 238: The Ties That Bind: The Crimes of Shelly Knotek - Part 1
Shelly Knotek has been called “America’s Most Evil Mom”. She abused, tortured, and humiliated her children and partners, but her control and abuse went beyond her own family members. One-by-one people she took into her home a...
Episode 215: Getting Away With Murder: Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick
In 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was the front runner to become the next Presidential candidate on the Democratic Party ticket. But, decisions he would make one fateful night on Chappaquiddick Island would result in the death of a young …
Episode 075: Survivor Stories: Tracey Thurman
A woman leaves her abusive husband and spends months trying to get law enforcement authorities to help her escape her abuser. In 1983, she survives one of the most brutal and vicious incidents of domestic violence I've ever encountered. She …
Episode 058: With Friends Like These: Kirsten Costas
Our new series "With Friends Like These" I detail cases where friends turn upon friends - and become deadly. The first is a case of high school jealousy. Kirsten Costas is attacked by a classmate in Orinda, California. Kirsten Costas …
Episode 042: A Woman Scorned: Betty Broderick
In 1989, Betty Broderick guns down her ex-husband and his new wife. Did her cheating husband cause her to snap or did she commit cold-blood, premeditated murder? This is Chapter 1 of our new series "A Woman Scorned". ...
Recent Episodes
Episode 276: The Devil’s Luck: The Moorhouse Murders Survivor
March 14, 2023
This month I’m sharing cases of people who, against all odds, survived some of the worst killers in modern history. In this week’s story, a teenage girl is picked up by a seemingly ordinary couple and then spends two days tr…
Episode 275: The Devil’s Luck: The Bluebelle Massacre Survivor
March 7, 2023
In this month’s episodes I’ll tell you stories of people who were fortunate enough to survive horrifying experiences. In this episode, a family dream vacation turns into a nightmare on the sea. All seems lost when the ship s…
Episode 274: Love Monsters: Daniel and Manuela Ruda, Part 2
Feb. 21, 2023
In this second part of a two-part episode, in their quest to be transformed into vampires, Daniel and Manuela Ruda conclude that the only way to prove their loyalty to Satan is by performing a human sacrifice. Their crime wo…
Episode 273: Love Monsters: Daniel and Manuela Ruda, Part 1
Feb. 14, 2023
Daniel Ruda, a 26-year-old, self-described “black vampire” immersed himself in Germany’s goth and death metal scene as an outlet for his dark proclivities. In the year 2000, he was ready to find his soulmate or, as he put it…
Episode 272: Deep Cover: Never Seen Again with Jake Halpern
Feb. 7, 2023
I’m pleased to have Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jake Halpern, back with me again to discuss a new case he investigated for his podcast “Deep Cover”. Deep Cover, a Pushkin podcast, is all about people who lead double l…
Episode 271: The Girl Who Cried Orphan - Barbora Skrlova, Part 2
Jan. 31, 2023
We continue the story of Barbora Skrlova from where we left of last week. In part two, you’ll learn all the details of the bizarre unfolding of events in the Mauerova home. I’ll conclude by telling you the unbelievable tale …
About the Hosts
Esther Ludlow
Producer and Host
Esther Ludlow has been interested in true crime since she was a teen and has been podcasting since 2012. She launched her true crime podcast, Once Upon a Crime in June of 2016. In only 8 months, the podcast had over 1 million listens and the audience continues to grow. Her love for storytelling combined with her interest in true crime and her background in psychology creates a unique and compelling podcast.
Esther writes, produces and edits the podcast as a solo venture. Once Upon a Crime presents true crime stories chapter by chapter. Each episode stands alone and cases are grouped by topic. Esther has covered the kidnapping cases of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, celebrity stalkers Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley, and historical cases including Kitty Genovese, Mary Bell and Charles Starkweather.
Lorena Garcia
Administrative, Research and Production Assistant
Once Upon A Crime's right hand, Lorena Garcia can be found behind the scenes. From a young age, Lorena found interest in films and literature based on true crime events. As she matured so did her passion for true crime. Aside from assisting with OUAC, Lorena is a skincare enthusiast, world traveler, and cat mom.
She says being a part of the Once Upon A Crime team is the ultimate dream job.
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