Hard Times and True Crimes
100. The Pied Piper of Tucson: Charles Schmid's Deadly Reign Over 1960s Arizona
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In this chilling episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive deep into the twisted tale of Charles Schmid, the manipulative and charismatic serial killer who terrorized the young women of Tucson, Arizona, during the 1960s. Known as the Pied Piper of Tucson, Schmid lured teenage girls with his Elvis-like charm, eerie makeup, and bizarre swagger - only to reveal a monstrous dark side.Â
We unravel the disappearances and murders of Alleen Rowe, Gretchen Fritz, and Wendy Fritz, and the disturbing silence of the friends and f...
99. A Deadly Obsession: The Murder Of Olga Duncan
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đź“Ť Episode Summary:
In 1958, 30-year-old nurse Olga Duncan vanished from her Santa Barbara apartment. She was newly married, seven months pregnant, and full of hope for the future. But what no one could’ve imagined was that the person behind her disappearance wasn’t a stranger… it was someone much closer to home.
This week on Hard Times & True Crimes, we tell the heartbreaking story of Olga Duncan — and the chilling, manipulative woman who plotted her murder: her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Ann Duncan.
<...
98. The Doctor's Wife: A Searcy, Arkansas Murder Story
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In 1974, the quiet town of Searcy, Arkansas, was shaken by the shocking murder of Fern Rodgers, the wife of local physician Dr. Porter Rodgers. What seemed like a tragic crime soon unraveled as more information came to light that implicated not one, not two, but three suspects.Â
If you love Southern true crime, mysteries, and small-town scandals, this episode is for you!
#truecrime #ArkansasMurders #SearcyArkansas #SouthernGothic
Hosts: Melody Gwyn and Darlene Hildreth
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro M...
97. Blood in the Quarter: The 1927 Louisiana Trunk Murders
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🎙️ Hard Times & True Crimes
Show Notes:
In the fall of 1927, New Orleans was buzzin’ with jazz, bootleg liquor, and secrets behind every shuttered window. But nothing prepared the city for what was found inside a quiet little apartment at 715 Ursulines Street.
Two women—Theresa Moity and her sister, Leonide Dwyer—were brutally murdered, dismembered, and stuffed into a steamer trunk. Their killer? A jealous, unraveling husband with a butcher’s knife in one hand  and a Bible in the other.
In this episode, we take you deep into...
96. A True Crime Mystery Solved: The Murders of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen Doyle
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In this gripping episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we uncover the hauntingly intertwined stories of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen Doyle - two women connected by tragedy and a ruthless predator who evaded justice for decades.Â
We begin with Aundria’s heartbreaking journey: a young girl adopted into what seemed like a loving family, only to face unimaginable abuse and betrayal. Her disappearance in 1989 was dismissed as a runaway case, but her birth mother, Cathy Terkanian, never stopped searching.Â
This...
95.Caril Ann Fugate: Hostage or Accomplice? The Truth Behind the Starkweather Murder Spree
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 Episode Summary:
This week, we’re diving into one of the most notorious crime sprees in American history—the 1958 murder rampage of Charlie Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.Â
Was Caril Ann Fugate a hostage or an accomplice?
Did she have chances to escape, or was she trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t control?
We’ll walk you through the murders, the trial, and the fallout that still lingers decades later.
đź“Ś In This Episode:
✔️ Charlie Starkweather’s dark obsession with viol...
94.Sean Patrick Goble: The Serial Killer Truck Driver
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🔎 Episode Summary:
Truck stops, open highways, and a killer hiding in plain sight—Sean Patrick Goble was a long-haul trucker with a dark secret. 🚚💀 In the early 1990s, Goble crisscrossed the country, using his job as a cover to prey on vulnerable women leading to multiple murders. But what led to his capture? And could there be more victims authorities have yet to uncover? 🤔
In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive into the chilling case of Sean Goble, the trucker-turned-serial-killer whose crimes s...
93. The Gaffney Strangler: Murder, Mystery and Sweet Potato Pone in South Carolina
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 🔊 Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
🎼 Music by: Isaiah Hildreth
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take you back to Gaffney, South Carolina, a small Southern town known for its peaches, its mill-town roots… and one of the most chilling murder sprees in state history. Between 1967 and 1968, the community was terrorized by a man who became known as The Gaffney Strangler—Lee Roy Martin.
Martin preyed on girls and young women, leav...
92. The 1983 Murder of Kathleen Bedsole by David Duren in Birmingham Alabama
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In this episode, we revisit the dark case of Kathleen Bedsole's murder in 1983, and the attempted murder of Charles Leonard, Jr., a crime that shook the communities surrounding Birmingham, Alabama to their core. We delve into the disturbed mind of David Duren, the man accused of the brutal killing, and unravel the events that led to one of the most infamous true crime stories in the region.Â
What We Cover: An in-depth look at the night of the murder - what happened, how it was discovered, and the immediate a...
91.Love Lost: The Valentine’s Day Murders of Jesse McBane & Patricia Mann in Durham, North Carolina
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Episode Summary:
On Valentine’s Day 1971, a young couple Jesse McBane and Patricia Mann vanished after a romantic night in Durham, North Carolina. Days later, their bound and strangled bodies were discovered deep in the woods. Their deaths were no accident—this was a meticulously staged murder. Over 50 years later, the case remains unsolved. Who was behind this horrific crime, and why have investigators struggled to bring justice to Jesse and Patricia? Join us as we unravel the chilling details of the murders and explore the theories that still haunt...
90. Deadly Connection: The 2006 Chatroom Murder
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In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive into a chilling case that highlights the dark side of online interactions. In the early 2000s, an internet chatroom became the setting for a deadly deception - what started as a seemingly harmless online friendship between marine_sniper and talhotblond, turned into a love triangle that ended in murder. We'll explore how a web of lies, manipulation, and hidden identities led to a fatal encounter.Â
Join us as we break down the timeline of events, discuss the key players, and e...
89. Murder at Muddy Creek: The Ida Ball Warren Case in Winston Salem, North Carolina
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In this episode, we delve into the lesser-known case of Ida Ball Warren, a woman from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, whose story shocked the state in 1914. It all began with the discovery of a body in Muddy Creek—a chilling find that, months later, would unravel a dark web of secrets and lead investigators straight to the man's own house.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
88. Mayberry's Dark Day: The 1951 Bombing in Mount Airy, North Carolina
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On New Year's Day 1951, a respected member of the Mt. Airy community was targeted in a car bombing. He was a teacher, a new husband, the son of a police chief, and an upstanding citizen. It took two years for the bomber to be apprehended when they targeted another victim.
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
Pickens, Cathy. True Crime Stories of Western North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing, 2022.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-high-point-enterprise-mt-airy-bombi/24079081/
...
87. Murder in the North Carolina Mountains: Nancy Ann Kerley
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In 1913 Nancy Ann Kerley's name became infamous in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. Her story remains a chilling legend in the region's history. Listen to this episode to find out why.
Music By Memphis Robinson Gora
Sources:
newspapers.com
findagrave.com
https://www.facebook.com/LadyFromTheMountains13/posts/the-legend-of-nance-dude-stoned-by-children-considered-a-witch-by-some-and-a-com/295072048854981/https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Conard-284https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/johnson/chapter24.html
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/life/2024/08/28/cataloochee-valley-settlers-descendants-return-to-the-smokies/74950606007/
The Legend of Nance Dude by Maurice StanleyÂ
Support the s...
86. Charlie and Frankie Silver: Tragedy in Western North Carolina
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Days before Christmas in 1831, Charlie Silver went missing from his home, leaving behind a young wife and baby. In the mountains of Western North Carolina, his family searched to no avail. Unfortunately, Charlie was eventually found but not all in one piece.
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Narrator of The Ballad Of Frankie Silver excerpt - Lily Hildreth
Sources:
You Tube Documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6DViANMIc
McCrumb, Sharyn. The Ballad...
85. The Ashland, Kentucky Murders of 1881 (Pt.2)
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On Christmas Eve in 1881, the bodies of three teenagers were found in a burning house. The brutal way in which they were killed would shock the country. Listen to the conclusion of the story on this episode.
Music By Riley Hildreth
Sources:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kycarter/journals/neal_craft_murder.htm
The Story of the First Hanging in Carter County by Glen R. Haney
findagrave.com
newspapers.com
The Ashland Tragedy: Murder, a Mob and a Militia in Kentucky by H E Joe Castle a...
84. The Ashland Kentucky Murders of 1881 (Pt. 1)
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On Christmas Eve in 1881, the bodies of three teenagers were found in a burning house in Ashland, Kentucky. The brutal way that they died would shock not only the community, but the entire nation.
Music by Isaiah and Riley Hildreth
Sources:
findagrave.com
wikipedia.com
The Ashland Tragedy: MURDER, A MOB & A MILITIA IN KENTUCKY by Joe Castle and JM Huff
Fresh Hell Podcast
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kycarter/journals/neal_craft_murder.htm
Support the show
hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.c...
83. The Morgan Murders: Cumming, Georgia
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The residents of Cumming, Georgia were in an uproar in 1972 after two sheriff deputies were murdered. Just months later, in the same vicinity, a middle-aged couple was murdered in their bed and the community was on edge. Were the killings connected? Could it be retaliation or was it something else altogether? Was anyone else in danger?
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethÂ
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62SuK3_9mR4
https://www.newspapers.com/image/398617568/?match=1&terms=hollis%20morgan
ht...
82. Thanksgiving- Eve Murders of the Germond Family
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On Thanksgiving Eve in 1930 , a dairy farming family of four were brutally murdered. Their deaths shocked the nation. Ninety-five years later, the murders are still unsolved. Listen to the episode to see if you think you know who the killer is.Â
Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
findagrave.com
newspapers.com
modernfarmer.com
The Germond Family Murders: A Scientific Conclusion to a Cold Case by Vincent Cookingham PHD
Old Timey Crimey Podcast
Between the Cracks Podcast
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81. The Thanksgiving Massacre: Jupiter, Florida
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On Thanksgiving Night, in 2009, Paul Merhige joined his family for their annual get-together. He had not been invited but decided to attend anyway. He called his father to get directions to his cousin's home and his father complied. What happened after he arrived that evening was a nightmare that tore the family apart.
Sources:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/781522952/?match=1&terms=Merhige%20paul
https://www.newspapers.com/image/658361509/?match=1&terms=Merhige%20paul
https://www.newspapers.com/image/286357403/?match=1&terms=Merhige%20paul
https://www.newspapers.com...
80. The Murder of Crystal Faye Todd in Conway, South Carolina
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In 1991, seventeen year old Crystal Faye Todd didn't come after a night out with friends. Her mother instinctively knew something was wrong. Listen to the story of the disappearance, rape and brutal murder of an all-American girl from Conway, South Carolina.Â
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
newspapers.com
findagrave.com
Forensic Files
Southern Fried True Crime
Carolina Crimes
Support the show
hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC
79. Undark: The Story of The Radium Girls
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With the discovery of radium by the Curies in 1898, great strides were made in the scientific field. Along with the possibilities were risks not yet known. One of the inventions - luminous paint- made painting watch dials big business in the early 1900s. But within two decades the dangers were coming to light.
Sources:
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sound Effect Music: Radium Dance - Composer: Schwartz, Jean , Victor Dance Orchestra. Public Domain: Recorded Sound Section, Library of...
78. The Real Exorcist
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In 1973 a movie opened in theaters that scared the nation - The Exorcist. But you may not be aware that it was based on true events that took place in 1949. Billy Graham urged audiences not to see it due to its depiction of evil, but audiences continued to flock to see it for its scare factor. These are the details of what happened and the truth is scarier than fiction.
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Sources:
O'Reilly, B., & Dugard, M. (2023). Killing t...
77. Witches or Martyrs: The Salem Witch Trials
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The trials began in 1692 when a group of young girls in the Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts claimed they were being tormented by local women who were practicing witchcraft.
Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
Killing Witches by Bill O’Riley
O'Reilly, B., & Dugard, M. (2023). Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, MassachusettsÂ
https://salemwitchmuseum.com/my-account/history-education/
https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3578
https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/puritans.htm...
76. Carnage in Carthage: North Carolina's Deadliest Mass Shooting
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A rocky marriage, a controlling husband, an estranged wife, and alcohol addiction; a destructive combination that led down a deadly path and ultimately ended in tragedy for several families.
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-4948199
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage_nursing_home_shooting
https://www.newspapers.com/image/960980039/?match=1&terms=Wanda%20Neal
https://www.newspapers.com/image/632593184/?match=1&terms=Wanda%20Neal
https://www.newspapers.com/image/984597352/?match=1&terms=%22Robert%20Stewart%22<...
75. A Murder Farm in Quiet Dell, West Virginia
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In August 1931, police were investigating the disappearances of Asta Eicher and her three children. They found love letters, which led them to a man named Harry Powers in Quiet Dell, West Virginia.
Nespresso Vertuo Amazon Link:Â Â Â Â https://amzn.to/4eO75xy
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Sources:
newspapers.com
findagrave.com
wikipedia.com
murderpedia.com
https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/print/Article/1911
https://news.lib.wvu.edu/2014/10/28/the-harry-powers-murders-crimes-that-inspired-west-virginia-authors/
morbidtourism.com
Southern Mysteries Podcast
Supp...
74. Evil On The Well-Deserved
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To retire early and live their days sailing on a yacht is the dream of many a couple. Some actually get to live that dream. Such was the case for Tom and Jackie Hawks until the day another dream came true - a grandbaby was on the way. When the couple decided to sell their yacht and move closer to family, they thought they had found the perfect family to enjoy the Well-Deserved. But something sinister was in the works that Tom and Jackie did not see coming.
Narrator...
73. Mean Marie's Revenge
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Marie Dean Arrington was a professional criminal in Florida during the 1960's. After she committed a brutal murder, Marie became the second woman to be put on the FBI's Most Wanted List.Â
Male Narrator- Curtis Hildreth
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
Sources
Find a Grave findagrave.com
Wikipedia wikipedia.com
Murderpedia
Southern Mysteries Podcast
Amazon Prime Young Adult Offer:Â Â https://amzn.to/4gpn1aYÂ Free for 6 months and then 50% off a regular membership. *If you purchase with our link, we will receive a small...
72. Murder in Asheboro - The Melissa Mickey Story
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The murder of a mother of two in a small town in Randolph County has investigators baffled. She had no enemies to speak of. Sometimes an enemy is closer than we think though and is not someone we consider an enemy. One man is arrested and one man turns himself in. The question is did they work together or did one work alone?
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
Interview with Detective Sargeant Jeff Wilhoit
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content...
71. Peggy Carr- A Polk County Murder
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The 1988 murder of 41 year old Peggy Carr is one of the most bizarre crimes in Polk County Florida history.Â
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
Narrator-Curtis Hildreth
Sources
newspapers.com
Poison Mind : The True Story of the Mensa Murderer and the Policewoman who Risked her Life to Bring Him to Justice By Jeffrey Good and Susan Goreck
Justialaw
The Murder of Peggy Carr Crime Documentary
Support the show
hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC
71. Peggy Carr - A Polk County Murder Mystery
 41 year old Peggy Carr fell sick with a mysterious illness that doctors couldn't explain in October of 1988. You don't want to miss this real life murder mystery that took place in Polk County Florida.
Music by Curtis Hildreth
Narrator Curtis Hildreth
Sources
newspapers.com
YouTube
Justia Law
Poison Mind: The True Story of the Mensa Murderer-And the Policewoman Who Risked Her Life to Bring Him to Justice By Jeffry Good and Susan Gorech
Functional Spaces
Simplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique v...
70. The Donner Party Tragedy
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A group of families headed west to California in the spring of 1846 during the Westward Expansion movement. They were well provisioned for the journey that was expected to take them 4-6 months. But one delay after another along with a bad leadership decision turned the trip into a nightmare. Never take a shortcut that has not been proven; it could be deadly.
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Sources:
Murphy, Virginia Reed. Zeinert, Karen. Across the Plains in the D...
69. The Murder of Poor Ellen Smith from Winston Salem
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In 1894, poor Ellen Smith was murdered by her ne-er do- well lover, Peter DeGraff in Winston-Salem, NC. This episode will cover a short background, the murder, trial and execution of Peter DeGraff. The story was made famous by a late nineteenth century murder ballad named Poor Ellen Smith that Peter DeGraff supposedly wrote in prison while awaiting his execution.
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
 The Swamp Lilies https://theswamplilies.bandcamp.com/track/poor-ellen-smith
Male Narrator Curtis Hildreth
Sources
nc-pedia- https://www.ncpedia.org/history/cw-1900/zinzendorf
findagrave.com...
68. Murder in Pennsylvania Amish Country
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 Edward and Katie Gingerich lived among their people, the Amish, in the early 1990s. When Ed started having various physical ailments and then mental anguish, the church tried to step in but nothing seemed to help; not herbal supplements, prescribed medicines, or hospitalization. This is the story of how Ed became the first Amish person in the US to be tried for murder and the events that led up to the brutal event.Â
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
https://www.crimelibrary.org/no...
67. Lost Boys of the Allegheny Mountains
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In the spring of 1856, two brothers, seven year old George and five year old Joseph wondered off together from their cabin home in the Alleghenies Mountains of Pennsylvania. Listen to hear their tragic story.
Allison Krauss Music Video Jacob's Dream
https://youtu.be/sUtNRK3tYgg?si=TMerX-xqoij1dUGn
Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Music by Isaiah Hildreth
Sources
newspapers.com
findagrave.com
The Lost Children of the Alleghenies Written by Charles McCarthyÂ
Pennsylvania Oddities Podcast
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...
66. What Happened On The BlueBelle
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After a harrowing shipwreck at sea, Captain Julian Harvey was rescued just off the coast of the Bahamas in November 1961. He is pulled from a dinghy along with a deceased seven-year-old girl but none of the other passengers are found. Miraculously, four days later another survivor of the nightmare is rescued and she is barely alive. Her story of the event is far different than the one the captain gave the authorities, raising many questions about what really happened.
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
<...
65. Paul Dennis Reid: Nashville's Fast Food Serial Killer
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Paul Dennis Reid also known as The Fast Food Killer is Nashville’s most notorious serial Killer. He was convicted and given seven death sentences for murdering seven people from various fast food restaurants in the Nashville area.
Sources:
Narrator for today’s episode Darlene Hildreth
Music Isaiah Hildreth
Intro Written by Sherry White
Sources:
When Nashville Bled: The untold stories of serial killer Paul Dennis Reid written by Judith Yates
findagrave.com
newspapers.com
murderpedia.com
True Crime all the Time Podcast
...
64. The Icebox Murders
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Sometimes a simple "welfare check" for someone's safety turns out to be more than investigators bargained for. For the Houston Police Department in 1965, this was the case when a man called in concerned about his elderly aunt and uncle. What they found when they got inside was a nauseating scene.
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
Criminal Podcast - Episode 41
https://allthatsinteresting.com/ice-box-murders
https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/explanation-of-parricide-and-why-kids-kill-parents
 (Joyce Lupiani June 10, 2021)Â
63. The Ceely Rose Murders
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On June 1896, Ceely Rose poisoned her family with arsenic because they wouldn't let her see or speak the name of their neighbor, Guy Berry. Her father, David, died within a week of being poisoned. Walter, her brother, died within two weeks and Rebecca, her mother, lived for a month before getting a second dose and then dying. Listen to hear the whole story.
 Male Narrator-Curtis Hildreth
Music-Isaiah Hildreth
 Sources:
The Ceely Rose Murders at Malabar Farm  By Mark Sebastian Jordan
findagrave.com
newspapers.com
Most Notor...
62. Lobster Boy - Grady Stiles, Jr.
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Since the 1840s the Stiles family had passed down a rare condition called Ectrodactyly that makes the hands look like lobster claws. Grady Stiles turned his family's condition into a lucrative business performing in the traveling carnival. The family was one of the main attractions for many years. But after years of dysfunction, the family became known for abuse and murder instead.
Intro Music: Circus Theme (Ragtime Version) by Alexander Nakarada • Julius FuÄŤĂk | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Cr...
