Family Murders Episodes

We kick off the ninth season of Once Upon a Crime with an episode that dives into the chilling case of Michael Cummins, a 25-year-old from Westmoreland, Tennessee, who committed one of the state's most horrific mass murders. Cummins, who had a history...

In this month’s series, we’ll look at people who were manipulated into committing murder. First up, we’ll take a look at a case where a mother pressures her child to kill his father. That fact alone would make this story truly horrible but it was not the last murder Marie Witte orchestrated. The next one would be as cold-hearted as it was gruesome. Sources: https://murderpedia.org/female.W/w/witte-hilma.htm https://thecinemaholic.com/how-did-paul-witte-die-where-are-eric-witte-and-hilma-marie-...

Theresa Cross Knor was jealous, controlling, and abusive to her partners and children. After murdering one husband and getting away with it, her children became her next targets. She would make her children complicit in the murders of two of their siblings and would almost get away with murder again. Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresa_Knorr Theresa Knorr: The Mother Who Burned Her Daughter Alive, from The Lineup, May 9, 2019 Theresa Knorr: Murderpedia Mother’s Day, Denis McDoug...

This week I’m continuing the series “A Family Affair,” detailing cases of a parent involving their children in murder plots. This time a mother and daughter team up to murder family members for financial profit and to rid themselves of the “burden” of caring for them. This is the case of Diane and Rachel Staudte aka “The Antifreeze Murders”. Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special bonus! I interviewed Laurah Norton, friend, and fellow podcaster, about her new book “Lay Them to Rest: ...

In this month’s series “A Family Affair,” I’ll share cases in which children are manipulated into involvement in criminal offenses - even murder - at the direction of a parent. First up, lust and greed spur a man to manipulate his 14-year-old daughter into committing murder. Later, when facing a lengthy prison sentence, loyalty to her father causes Cinnamon Brown to keep her father’s secret…at first. Resources: The Real Murders of Orange County: Stolen Youth, Season 3, Episode 9, July 21, 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 sinks with all onboard. But by some miracle, a sole survivor is found. The story she tells about what happened onboard The Bluebelle will horrify all who hear it. Resources: Delivered From Evil: True Stories Of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived, Ro...