Episodes

In this series, I share true crime cases that resulted in women being sentenced to Death Row. In 2009, a woman victimized by a childhood of abuse and violence becomes immersed in anti-immigrant vigilante groups. Her zeal and dedication to this cause result in a home-invasion plot that results in the murders of a Hispanic man and his young daughter. Resources: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/shwna-forde-kid-killing-minutewoman-sentenced-to-65-years-in-prison-in-addition-to-death-sentence-66...

This Mother’s Day, join Shane Waters on a chilling adventure featuring 14 podcasters (including Once Upon A Crime) as they share sinister stories of motherhood. Mother’s Day is typically a time to honor the love and sacrifices of mothers, but today we’ll be exploring the twisted tales that lurk behind the shadows. Part 2: Once Upon A Crime [https://www.truecrimepodcast.com] PNW Haunts & Homicides [https://www.pnwhauntsandhomicides.com] The Trail Went Cold [https://www.trailwentcold.com] Cof...

This Mother’s Day, join Shane Waters on a chilling adventure featuring 14 podcasters (including Once Upon A Crime) as they share sinister stories of motherhood. Mother’s Day is typically a time to honor the love and sacrifices of mothers, but today we’ll be exploring the twisted tales that lurk behind the shadows. Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance: Part 1: Foul Play: Crime Series [www.itsfoulplay.com] Music City 911[https://musiccity911.com] Crimes from the East [https://tinyu...

Who Killed Robert Wone? Streaming on Peacock: https://pck.tv/3XzPVui On the night of August 2, 2006, a call comes in to 911 to report a man has been stabbed by an intruder at a Washington D.C. home. First responders arrive to find attorney Robert Wone already dead in the guest room. With little blood at the scene and no signs of struggle or robbery, suspicions heighten after police interview the three housemates. Believing the men know more than they are revealing, the investigation soon uncove...

In 1995, a troubled young woman, jealous of one of her peers, enlists the help of two others to eliminate her enemy. But when the full and horrifying details of the plan emerge, the public is aghast at how a young woman could be capable of such depravity. Resources: Christa Pike | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers Christa Gail Pike v. State of Tennessee :: 2011 :: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Decisions :: Tennessee Case Law :: Tennessee Law :: US Law :: Justia STATE v. PIKE (1...

On our final collaborative episode for the series “Fool Me Once,” Leroy and I share true stories about criminals who were very bad at their jobs. Resources: Taco Shop Turns Burglary Footage Into Awesome Ad (newser.com) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzdv4FUHqP8 Suspect Busted by Police Near Liberty, Missouri, After Farting (newser.com) Million Dollar Moron Walmart clerk rejects $1 million bill - UPI.com Vain Vandalizer Sends Selfie https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35284225 The Ter...

We continue our “April Fools” series with a fun game for all you Metalheads! Play along as I try to stump Leroy Luna, host of Excuse Me, That’s Illegal, as he tries to guess I’m quoting serial killers or lyrics from metal songs. We also discuss how rock and metal bands’ music has been tied to and even blamed for some horrific true crimes. Resources: Article: “10 Heavy Metal Bands That Were Blamed for Seriously Heinous Crimes” by Michael Berdan for The Pit, Mar 17, 2023. https://www.wearethepit...

We’re celebrating April, the month of “April Fools” by having a little fun with true crime. The best person I know to help me with this is my friend and fellow podcaster Leroy Luna, host of Excuse Me, That’s Illegal. Leroy will be my co-host on April’s episodes, so come and join us for true crime stories and quizzes. This week, we try to stump each other with a guessing game called “Fake or Felony?”. Resources: https://clickhole.com/ California man who beat wife to death with cement block clai...

A young couple out for a leisurely day at the lake find themselves faced with one of the most infamous killers of the 20th century. Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were victims of a brutal attack by a hooded man who called himself “The Zodiac.” They survived the initial attack after being left for dead but still faced a fierce battle to summon help. Only one would survive. Resources: Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, Penguin Random House Publishers, 1986. Napa Valley Sheriff’s Department Interview...

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 trapped in a nightmare. She is the fifth victim of one of the rarest types of killers on record - a serial killer couple. But Kate Moir would keep her wits about her, and even though she was only seventeen, she outsmarted the evil duo, ending their killing spree. Resources: Th...

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...

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 would be described as “a picture of cruelty and depravity” such as had never been seen before in the German town of Witten. The subsequent trial would become a media circus with the two perpetrators proudly displaying their bizarre antics in front of the press and the public. ...

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, his “princess of darkness” and placed a singles ad in a German black-metal magazine. 23-year-old Manuela Bartel answered his ad and the two soon became inseparable. Separately, they participated in strange hobbies like sleeping in graves to “see what it felt like” and fili...

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 lives. In the new season, Jake follows the story of a girl who goes missing without a trace in South Carolina in 1999. Years later, the missing girl is connected to another missing person’s case on the other side of the country. There are twists and turns in this story that yo...

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 of how Barbora Skrlova almost escaped all responsibility for her part in this horrendous abuse case. Resources: Book: “The Kurim Case: A Terrifying True Story of Child Abuse, Cults & Cannibalism” by Ryan Green, 2016. The Kurim Case: https://youtu.be/DN3nelsuDx0 https://www....

For our first series of 2023, we’ll do a deep dive into a case that has so many bizarre twists and turns a Hollywood horror movie was later based on it. In this first part of a 2-part series, a child who has been placed in a children’s home after allegations of abuse goes missing. When he’s found over a thousand miles away in the company of a strange man, the police discover a shocking secret. He is not who he said he was - nor is he a young boy - but an adult woman. The story of Barbora Skrlova...

In 2008, Travis Alexander was brutally murdered in his home in Mesa, Arizona. His ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias, was convicted of the slaying and was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A new Lifetime Television movie tells the behind-the-scene story of Jodi’s life behind bars. In this follow-up to one of Lifetime's most successful true crime dramas, JODI ARIAS: DIRTY LITTLE SECRET, we see a whole new side of Jodi and follow the story that has captivated the public ...

In this last of our special holiday episodes, Esther and Lorena discuss the Netflix documentary “I Am Vanessa Guillen" with Margot, host of the podcast Military Murder. Vanessa Guillen was a United States Army soldier who went missing from a Texas military base in 2020. Her family would face an uphill battle trying to get answers when Vanessa’s superiors closed ranks and did little to investigate her disappearance. But the efforts of her family through protests and social media posts that went ...

In this special episode Esther and Lorena talk with Bob Ruff, host of the podcasts Truth and Justice and True Crime Binge. They discuss the Netflix documentary series "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist" that details one of the most high-profile incidents of catfishing on record. Manti Te’o was a celebrated linebacker from Hawaii who played for Notre Dame and was on track to become a first round draft pick for the NFL when a scandal marred his future prospects. He’d been in a long-term rela...

In this special holiday episode Esther and Lorena discuss the Netflix series "The Watcher" with Tim and Lance from Crawlspace Podcast. We compare and contrast this fictionalized version of the true mystery "The Watcher House". In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased a home in New Jersey. Soon afterward they began receiving letters from an anonymous person who said they were watching the house and young family. When the letters became threatening they questioned whether they should give up th...

For many people around the world, ringing in the new year brings with it the promise of new hope, a fresh start, and renewed possibilities. But each year of Ricky Javon Gray’s short life brought only violence, brutality, and death ending in a shocking murder spree over New Year’s weekend 2006. Resources “The Visitors” by Melissa Scott Sinclair for Style Weekly, October 20, 2010. https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-visitors/Content?oid=1381013 “Man convicted of grisly murders of Virginia c...

On Christmas Eve, 1985 a grim discovery was made on a frozen field outside of Chester, Nebraska. The body of a child had been abandoned. The mystery of who the anonymous child who locals dubbed “Little Boy Blue” would take two years to solve. When the responsible party was identified, investigators began to suspect that an Amish man, Eli Stutzman, just might be a serial killer. Resources: Mystery of 'Little Boy Blue' solved - UPI Archives Crimes of Eli Stutzman, aka The Amish Serial Killer, i...

A young mother goes missing after a Thankgiving Day shopping trip in 2018. After meticulous detective work on the part of several law enforcement agencies answers come to light. The perpetrator would be someone no one would suspect - least of all Kelsey Berreth the victim. This case has us pondering the question do we really know the dark thoughts of the people closest to us? Resources: https://www.insideedition.com/kelsey-berreth-case-what-to-know-about-the-missing-colorado-mom-last-seen-on-th...

In today’s episode, I’ll share three strange and intriguing true crime cases currently in the news - a suspected serial killer hunting for victims in a small California town, a gruesome discovery on a local walking trail, and a bizarre discovery unearthed in a San Francisco Bay Area mansion’s back garden. Resources: “Suspect is Arrested in Series of Killings in Stockton, Calif., Police Say”, Eduardo Medina, The New York Times, Oct 15, 2022 “Stockton serial killings: Everything we know now abou...