In 1931 a young woman named Helen Spence, part of a houseboat community along Arkansas' White River, shocked everyone when she stood up in a local courtroom and shot to death the man on trial for murdering her father and step-mother.

What followed for Helen would be a nightmare journey of incarceration, torture and more murder. My guest, Denise White Parkinson, has made it her mission to tell Helen Spence's story, and she shares details of it this week on Most Notorious. Her book is called "Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta".

The author's website here: http://dwparkinson.com/

Her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelenSpenceofArkansas

The audio book version of her story here: https://tinyurl.com/Riversisters

The teaser trailer for her documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90R312WmghA

This episode is sponsored by the Generation Why Podcast. Go to Amazon Music or listen early and ad-free by joining Wondery Plus on Apple Podcasts, or the Wondery app.

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