Episode 233: The Brutal Murder of Margaret Sumney

After her first marriage to the father of her daughters, Margaret married David Sumney. The two soon welcomed their son, David Jr. Little David was doted on by his whole family, and had everything he wanted. He grew up accustomed to the finer things and it appeared he believed when he wanted something, it had to be his. This attitude turned violent toward his parents, resulting in a severe attack against his father and several attacks against his mother. When Margaret’s family tried to reach her to notify her of the death of her brother, they couldn’t reach her. A welfare check revealed that Margaret had been tortured over several days, and the killer was her own son. His phone revealed a sinister version of events. (TW: animal abuse/death, suicidal attempts, domestic/familial abuse)

DV Resources (US):

The Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

https://nrcdv.org/

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Episode 232: The Land Before Time Murder; the Murders of Judith and Maria Barsi

Judith Barsi was a beautiful little 10 year old girl who had already become a household Hollywood name. She voiced “Ducky” in “The Land Before Time” and Anne-Marie in “All Dogs Go To Heaven” and had several more acting credits. She came from immigrant Hungarian parents and it seemed the family were living the American dream. Behind closed doors, her father Jozsef emotionally and physically abused her and her mother Maria. Her father, often drunk, resented that his daughter earned more than him, and threatened her and her mother on several occasions. On July 25, 1988, a brutal double-murder-suicide ended the lives of all three in the Barsi family home.

DV Resources (US):

The Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

https://nrcdv.org/

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Episode 231: The Murder of Randy Ferguson

When 40 year old Randy Ferguson met Angela, it seemed like he’d finally found his person. She was a single mom of 4, and he’d always wanted children. Randy was regarded as a gentle giant by his family, who he was very close with. They were excited for him when he married Angela and they soon welcomed their baby girl Alison. But their relationship looked different behind closed doors. Randy’s disappearance in March 2006 set off alarm bells, and before long, his body was found in the trunk of his own car. His family was devastated, and suspicion quickly fell on his wife. After his killer was convicted, Randy’s loved ones fought for legislation that changed sentencing guidelines for family members who assist in a murder. (Obsession movie spoilers: 8:50, Skippers: 18:00)

DV Resources (US):

The Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

https://nrcdv.org/

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Episode 230: Stonewall and The Unsolved Death of Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was a trans woman and activist known for her outspokenness for LGBTQIA+ issues in the 70s and 80s. She was well known in her circles as a sex worker, performer, and activist in NYC. In early July 1992, Marsha was missing, and before long, her body was found floating in the Hudson River. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, though those closest to her argued it couldn’t be the case. After varying reports of men seen with Marsha the evening she went missing, some believe there could have been foul play.

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources:

The Life and Death of Marsha P Johnson

Trevor Project

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Episode 229: The Murder of Loretta Jones

Loretta Jones was just 23 years old when her body was discovered in her Carbon County, UT home in 1970. Her 4 year old daughter, Heidi, was the one who made the discovery. Heidi told her grandmother “Tom did it,” and while Loretta had dated a man named Thomas Egley, there wasn’t enough evidence to make an arrest. Loretta’s case remained cold and unsolved until, with Heidi’s prompting and her help, her killer was finally caught and prosecuted more than 40 years later. (TW: SA, violence, murder)

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Episode 228: The Bugs Bunny Defense

In 2007, Linda Duffy placed a frantic call to 9-1-1 claiming she’d accidentally shot her husband. Patrick and Linda had been married 18 years, and according to Linda, they often joked and played acting out some Looney Tunes skits. She claimed while she was joking, she aimed a gun at him, pulled the trigger, and to her surprise, it fired. Her defense became known as the Bugs Bunny defense.

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources

48 Hours

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-the-bugs-bunny-defense-48-hours-investigates-the-shooting-death-of-patrick-duffey/

https://da.lacounty.gov/sites/default/files/press/042415_Woman_Sentenced_to_Prison_for_Fatally_Shooting_Husband_in_2007.pdf

https://mynewsla.com/life/2025/11/06/appeal-dismissed-in-case-of-woman-convicted-of-husbands-shooting-death/

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/690e2bb5330422c04f8a8b1a

https://patch.com/california/baldwinpark/conviction-upheld-husbands-shooting-death

https://moviedelic.com/patrick-albert-duffey/

Episode 227: The Bali Suitcase Murder

Heather Mack always had a contentious, chaotic relationship with her mother Sheila in which Heather was the aggressor. After dozens of 911 calls regarding abuse in the home, Sheila’s friends encouraged her to kick Heather out of their home. By 2014, Heather was 19 and dating a man named Tommy Schaefer, who Sheila disapproved of. She thought she and her daughter could reconnect on a vacation to Bali, Indonesia. Unbeknown to Sheila, Heather had used her credit card to purchase plane tickets for Tommy to join them on vacation. When Sheila’s body was discovered in a suitcase in the trunk of a taxi, police didn’t need to look far to find her killers. (TW: violence, DV, abortion)

DV Resources (US):

The Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

https://nrcdv.org/

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Episode 226: Viktoria Nasyrova

Viktoria Nasyrova is a Russian native who landed herself on interpol’s radar after allegedly committing a murder in Russia before fleeing to New York City where she attempted to murder at least one more. Viktoria had befriended Alla Aleksenko, her neighbor in Russia, and the two had grown close. When Alla stopped answering her daughter Nadia’s calls, flags were raised. Viktoria had taken off to NYC before charges were filed. Once there, she used poisoned cheesecake (you read that right) in the attempted murder of a Ukrainian lookalike, Olga Tsvyk, to steal her passport. Viktoria worked as an escort/dominatrix who would often sedate her clients before robbing them. It’s unknown what her murder count truly is.

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ1FM0gnyiM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OjhgnmVMP0

Viktoria Nasyrova sentenced to 21 years for poisoned cheesecake murder attempt | CNN

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Era_of_Stagnation

Episode 225: Lee Cawthon, the Murder of Rebecca Cawthon

Lee Cawthon began dating Genie Gagnon in high school, and throughout their marriage, he was in all ways, abusive. His step-cousin Becky began babysitting their children, and a romance budded between Lee and Becky. Though Genie did not consent, Becky was soon a third partner in their marriage before Genie saw her chance to run away with her children. Lee and Becky married, and continued introducing other women into their relationship. In 2017, they allowed their first male partner, which seemingly started an even faster downward spiral that would result in Becky’s murder. (TW: violence, SA, childhood SA, animal cruelty, suicide)

DV Resources (US):

The Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

https://nrcdv.org/

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Evil Lives Here S13 E9

Episode 224: Stephanie Lazarus, the Murder of Sherri Rasmussen

In 1986, 29 year old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was brutally murdered in her home. After her husband John was cleared by investigators, her case fell cold after they believed her murder must’ve been a burglary gone wrong with no leads. Decades later, the case was reopened and investigators arrived at a new conclusion: the suspect was one of their own. DNA from a bite mark found on Sherri’s body led them to a then-current LAPD detective named Stephanie Lazarus.

Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Email us at: [email protected]

Follow us on IG: @about.time.for.true.crime.pod

Linktree

Don’t forget to rate, follow, download, and tell a friend!

Sources:

20/20 S 47 E3 - The Killer Down the Hall

Murder of Sherri Rasmussen - Wikipedia

The Lazarus File - The Atlantic

Decision to parole former LAPD detective who murdered her ex's new wife and hid crime for decades faces scrutiny