Episodes

On Christmas Day, 1929, one of the country's worst mass murders took place in North Carolina. This is Chapter 2 of Holiday Homicides: The Lawson Family Murders. Resources: Book: The Meaning of Our Tears: The True Story of the...

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, 1881, a brutal attack was perpetrated on three sleeping teens in Ashland, Kentucky. Poem: The Ashland Tragedy , composed as a ballad by Peyton Buckner Byrne of Greenup County, Kent...

A 9-year-old girl is abducted in Arlington, Texas. The community and, ultimately, the country would call for changes in the way law enforcement responds to missing and abducted children You can find the video about Amber and ...

The murder of a young girls leads to sweeping changes in sentencing laws. Polly Hannah Klaas was 12 years old when she was abducted by a stranger out of her own bedroom. Resources: People v. Davis, Appeal Record, Superior Cou...

An abused woman spends years being beaten and terrorized by her husband while police and others turn a blind eye. In desperation, she takes the law into her own hands. Resources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.) ...

A young woman's murder becomes and indictment on American apathy and changes the way crime is reported. Resources: Film: The Witness Book: Kitty Genovese: The Murder, The Bystanders, The Crime that Changed America - Kevin Coo...

On this special bonus Halloween episode I share something a little different. Instead of the usual true crime case I'm sharing two ghost stories with you. Feel free to listen in the dark! Happy Halloween! #Halloween #ghoststo...

Mark David Chapman stalks and murders John Lennon on a New York city street in 1980. This is Chapter 3 of Fatal Fans. Resources: Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman by Jack Jones www.facebook.com/OnceU...

John Hinckley, Jr. tries to impress an actress by killing President Ronald Reagan. Was he legally insane? This is the final chapter in the series "Fatal Fans". Please rate and review us on iTunes! Twitter: @UponACrime Faceboo...

An unhinged fan has murderous plans towards young actress Rebecca Schaeffer. Resources: "An Innocent Life, A Heartbreaking Death" by Pete Axthelm, People Magazine, July 31, 1989. "In the Mind of a Stalker" by M. Tharp, U.S. N...

A young actress is stalked by an unhinged drifter who is intent on killing her. Facebook: OnceUponACrimePod Twitter: @UponACrime Celebrity crime, stalking victims, true crime.

The Queen of Tejano Music is gunned down by a fan in 1995. Resources: Music: Selena - Ones - (Greatest Hits Album) DVD: Selena - the Movie Book: To Selena with Love - by Chris Perez To connect with the …

Two of music's biggest rap stars are cut down in their prime. But, who killed them? This week's episode - Tupac and Biggie. Follow us on Twitter @UponACrime and on Facebook and Instagram @OnceUponaCrimePod Resources for this ...

The second installment in the series about the tragic endings of musical icons this time I discuss the life and death of Nirvana's frontman, Kurt Cobain. Justin Evans from the Generation Why and The Peripheral podcasts weighs...

This series tells the tragic stories of recording artists who were killed or died under mysterious circumstances. In the first chapter, Marvin Gaye, a top R&B recording artist is murdered by a family member in 1984. Books: Ma...

The first school mass shooting in the U.S. is committed by a 16-year-old year girl. Brenda Spencer's mugshot. January 29, 1979. Wearing her "lucky" hat. Brenda Spencer goes to court. "Does Anyone Like Mondays? The Brenda Spen...

An 11-year-old is accused of murdering two boys in the 1960s. Several resources were used in the research for this episode including: Gitta Sereny, The Case of Mary Bell (London:Pimlico), 1995. Audio Clip: The Mary Bell Case....

A bonus episode partially recorded at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco, CA. Making a Murderer's Dean Strang and Jerry Buting on their speaking tour "A Conversation on Justice". To subscribe to Once Upon a Crime on iTunes...

A young serial killer terrorizes South Boston in 1872. Book links: The Wilderness of Ruin: A Tale of Madness, Fire and the Hunt for America's Youngest Serial Killer by Roseanne Montillo Fiend: The Shocking True Story of Ameri...

When kidnap victims are held for a period of time the public often wants to know "why didn't they try to escape?" This episode explains a psychological phenomenon known as "Stockholm Syndrome", how it might apply to the victi...

Three girls go missing over as many years in a Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood. Years go by before they are ever seen again. When it was revealed who had taken them and what they were subjected to the city was stunned …

This is our second installment in the series "Lost and Found". Elizabeth Smart was a 14-year-old girl from a loving, Mormon family living in Salt Lake City, Utah. The family's kindness towards a local transient would make her...

This is the first installment in our series "Lost and Found". When a loved one goes missing the families are left in a terrible limbo. How long do you hold out hope for your loved one to be found? Many …

Welcome to Once Upon a Crime the true crime podcast that tells the story behind the story of real life crime. New episodes release every Monday. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora or wherever you li...