This week, Amanda and Lauren discuss the infamous Susan Smith. This case gained international attention when Susan falsely claimed that a black man had kidnapped her sons during a carjacking.

Sources:

• Fox 29: "Susan Smith, nearing parole after murders of young sons, says she'd be 'good stepmom': report" by Christina Coulter 
• GoUpstate: "Linda Russell, mother of Susan V. Smith, sits in the courtroom Friday prior to a competency hearing for her daughter. Her husband, Bev Russell, sits behind her. Smith trial date reset for July 10 Judge issues gag order in murder case" by Staff Writer
• Investigation Discovery: "The Twists And Turns Of The Infamous Susan Smith Case" by Crime Feed
• Crime Library: "Susan Smith: Child Murderer or Victim?" by Rachel Pergament
• The Seattle Times: "Susan Smith And The Son Of The Boss -- 'The Catch' Eluded Her" by Charles Sennott     
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: https://www.missingkids.org, 1-888-373-7888, https://www.endslaverynow.org/national-center-for-missing-exploited-children

It's Lauren's birthday week, so she made an episode request! Amanda and Lauren return to a wanted fugitive that was mentioned way back in Episode 10 to discuss the full story of El Gato.

Sources:

• FBI Dallas: “FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Jose Rodolfo Villareal-Hernandez Captured in Mexico” by Public Affairs Officers Melinda Urbina and Katie Chaumont
• The Dallas Morning News: “Here’s the possible fallout for capture of Mexican cartel boss wanted in Southlake slaying” by Kevin Krause
• The Dallas Morning News: “Alleged cartel figure to serve decade in prison for Southlake murder” by Kevin Krause
• The Dallas Morning News: “Brother of cartel leader who allegedly ordered hit on Southlake lawyer arrested in Mexico, report says” by Julieta Chiquillo
• The Dallas Morning News: “South Texas man gets two life sentences for providing high-tech spy cameras in murder plot against Southlake cartel lawyer” by Kevin Krause
• The Dallas Morning News: “Mexican ex-cop gets life for stalking cartel lawyer who was assassinated by hit men in Southlake” by Kevin Krause
• The Dallas Morning News: “Stalking their prey” by Alfredo Corchado and Kevin Krause
• The Dallas Morning News: “Deadly Deal” by Alfredo Corchado and Kevin Krause
• The Dallas Morning News: “Alleged cartel figure to serve decade in prison for Southlake murder” by Kevin Krause
• Axios: “Mexican cartel leader linked to killing in Dallas suburb arrested” by Michael Mooney
• CBS News: “Mexican cartel leader ‘El Gato,’ wanted for alleged role in 2013 Texas murder-for-hire plot, arrested in Mexico” by Kerry Breen
• CBS News: “2 Mexican Cousins Get Life In US Prisons For Helping In Southlake Murder” by CBS Texas
• Wikipedia

This week, Amanda and Lauren head to trial with Jodi Arias where she spends 18 days on the witness stand for the murder of Travis Alexander. You won’t want to miss this dramatic conclusion!


Sources:

• Snapped: Season 11, Episodes 9 & 10
• Dateline: Obsession: The Jodi Arias Story
• ABC News: "Friends say they warned Travis Alexander that Jodi Arias was dangerous for months before she killed him" by Gail Deutsch, Denise Martinez-Ramundo, Jonathan Balthaser, and Enjoli Francis
• ABC 20/20: "Investigator in Jodi Arias case recalls her bizarre behavior in interrogation room" by ABC News
• Inside Edition: "What These Infamous Women Said During Prison Interviews With Inside Edition"
• Inside Edition: "How an Inside Edition Interview Became a Key to Prosecuting Jodi Arias" by Inside Edition Staff
• Investigation Discovery: "5 Essential Things To Know About The Horrific Jodi Arias Case" by Mike McPadden
• People: "Where Is Jodi Arias Now? All About Travis Alexander’s Lover Turned Killer, Now a Prison Library Aide" by Skylar Caruso and Wendy Grossman Kantor
• All That’s Interesting: "Inside The Murder Of Travis Alexander, The Man Who Was Slaughtered By His Jealous Ex Jodi Arias" by Kaleena Fraga
• All That’s Interesting: "The Gruesome Crimes Of Jodi Arias, Who Stabbed Her Ex-Boyfriend 27 Times And Cut His Throat From Ear To Ear" by Kaleena Fraga
• Biography.com: "Jodi Arias" by Biography.com Editors
• AZ Central: "Jodi Arias murder case: 20 top court moments" by The Republic
• AZ Central: "Former Maricopa County prosecutor Juan Martinez disbarred" by Lauren Castle
• NBC News: "Jodi Arias' 18 days on witness stand could save her life: experts" by Tracy Connor
• Let’s Go to Court Podcast: "Episode 200 Jodi Arias & the Duke Lacrosse Team" and "Episode 201 Jodi Arias (pt. 2) & Clarence Elkins"
• Wikipedia

This week Amanda and Lauren head back to 2008 and discuss the murder of Travis Alexander at the hands of his ex-girlfriend - spoiler, it's Jodi Arias.


Sources:

• Snapped: Season 11, Episodes 9 & 10
• Dateline: Obsession: The Jodi Arias Story
• ABC News: "Friends say they warned Travis Alexander that Jodi Arias was dangerous for months before she killed him" by Gail Deutsch, Denise Martinez-Ramundo, Jonathan Balthaser, and Enjoli Francis
• ABC 20/20: "Investigator in Jodi Arias case recalls her bizarre behavior in interrogation room" by ABC News
• Inside Edition: "What These Infamous Women Said During Prison Interviews With Inside Edition"
• Inside Edition: "How an Inside Edition Interview Became a Key to Prosecuting Jodi Arias" by Inside Edition Staff
• Investigation Discovery: "5 Essential Things To Know About The Horrific Jodi Arias Case" by Mike McPadden
• People: "Where Is Jodi Arias Now? All About Travis Alexander’s Lover Turned Killer, Now a Prison Library Aide" by Skylar Caruso and Wendy Grossman Kantor
• All That’s Interesting: "Inside The Murder Of Travis Alexander, The Man Who Was Slaughtered By His Jealous Ex Jodi Arias" by Kaleena Fraga
• All That’s Interesting: "The Gruesome Crimes Of Jodi Arias, Who Stabbed Her Ex-Boyfriend 27 Times And Cut His Throat From Ear To Ear" by Kaleena Fraga
• Biography.com: "Jodi Arias" by Biography.com Editors
• AZ Central: "Jodi Arias murder case: 20 top court moments" by The Republic
• AZ Central: "Former Maricopa County prosecutor Juan Martinez disbarred" by Lauren Castle
• NBC News: "Jodi Arias' 18 days on witness stand could save her life: experts" by Tracy Connor
• Let’s Go to Court Podcast: "Episode 200 Jodi Arias & the Duke Lacrosse Team" and "Episode 201 Jodi Arias (pt. 2) & Clarence Elkins"
• Wikipedia

As the ladies exit Women's History Month, Amanda surprises Lauren with a bonus episode!

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This year for Women's History Month, Amanda and Lauren are going to go on a journey through some tragic deaths of young women, and their lives that were cut too short. Because they were wanted too.

In their final week of Women's History Month, Lauren and Amanda discuss the stalking and murder of Lauren McCluskey, the failures of the University of Utah, and the legacy of Lauren's Promise.

Resources:

• RAINN (anti-sexual violence organization): you can call at 1-800-656-4673, available 24 hours a day; you can also visit online at rainn.org.
• The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC): visit online for additional information at stalkingawareness.org.
• Domestic Violence Hotline: you can call at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text by sending “START” to 88788, or visit the website at thehotline.org.
• Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: you can call 988 to talk to someone 24 hours a day, or you can visit them online at 988lifeline.org.

Sources:

• Deseret News: “What really happened to Lauren McCluskey? The inside story of her tragic death” by Gillian Friedman
• CBS News: “University of Utah student made final phone call before being slain, family says” by CBS News
• The Salt Lake Tribune: “University of Utah police officer showed off explicit photos of Lauren McCluskey to his coworker” by Courtney Tanner
• The Salt Lake Tribune: “How the University of Utah’s police department treated female victims and officers for years before Lauren McCluskey’s killing” by Courtney Tanner
• The Salt Lake Tribune: “Here’s an updated timeline of the slaying of University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey and reform that has followed” by Courtney Tanner and Sean P. Means
• ABC News: “Family of murdered college athlete Lauren McCluskey settles with University of Utah for $13.5 million” by Rahma Ahmed
• Salt Lake Magazine: “Lauren McCluskey: The Tragic and Unnecessary Tale” by Jen Hill
• NBC News: “A student from China told the University of Utah her boyfriend was threatening her. She was found dead weeks later.” by Zachary Schermele
• The Daily Utah Chronicle: “‘I felt so angry’: Roommate of Zhifan Dong Says Her Death was Preventable” by Rachel Kloepfer
• Legacy.com: “Obituary for Lauren Jennifer McCluskey, 1997-2018”
• The Lauren McCluskey Foundation website
• SPARC: “What is stalking?”
• ESPN YoutTube channel: “Listen: ESPN Investigates Lauren McCluskey’s Murder”
• Court Junkie podcast: “Ep. 136: The Unanswered Pleas for Help”
• Murder in America podcast: “Ep. 83 UTAH - The Murder of Lauren McCluskey”
• Least of These podcast: “16: Her Last Call - The Story of Lauren McCluskey - The Stalking” and “17: Her Last Call - The Story of Lauren McCluskey - The Murder”

This year for Women's History Month, Amanda and Lauren are going to go on a journey through some tragic deaths of young women, and their lives that were cut too short. Because they were wanted too.

It's a long one, folks! For the third week of Women's History Month, Amanda and Lauren head to Aruba to discuss the disappearance of brand new high school graduate Natalee Holloway, the winding road to a Dutch national taking responsibility for her disappearance and murder, and missing white woman syndrome. 

Sources:

• CNN: “Joran van der Sloot says he killed Natalee Holloway with a cinder block and left her in the ocean. Now Aruba considers possible next steps” by Holly Yan, Devon M. Sayers, and Aaron Cooper
• CNN: “Why Joran van der Sloot might not be prosecuted for Natalee Holloway’s murder, despite admitting he killed her” by Emma Tucker
• CNN: “FBI details how van der Sloot’s confession in Natalee Holloway’s death came together” by Holmes Lybrand, Jean Casarez, and Even Perez
• ABC News: “Natalee Holloway’s disappearance: a timeline” by Allie Yang and Emily Shapiro
• E! News: “Natalee Holloway’s Brother Shares Bone-Chilling Details from Days After Her Murder” by Brett Malec
• The New York Times: “Confession Brings Natalee Holloway Case to an End after 18 Years” by Claire Moses and Christine Hauser
• CBS News: “What to know about the Natalee Holloway case after Joran van der Sloot’s confession is revealed in court” by Alex Sundby
• NPR: “18 years after she disappeared, Natalee Holloway’s family finally has answers” by Melanie Peeples
• WVTM 13 (Birmingham, AL): “Timeline: The murder of Natalee Holloway” by Taylor Lang
• New York Post: “Natalee Holloway killer Joran van der Sloot having sex with three different women while serving life in prison” by Steve Helling
• Murder with my Husband YouTube channel: “An Entire Island Tried to Cover Up This Murder”
• Oxygen documentary series: “The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway”
• Peacock documentary: “Pathological: The Lies of Joran van der Sloot”
• True Crime All the Time Unsolved podcast: “Ep4 Unsolved - Natalee Holloway”
• People are the Worst podcast: “64. Natalee Holloway: Part 1 of 4;” “65. Natalee Holloway: Part 2 of 4;” “66. Natalee Holloway: Part 3 of 4;” and “67. Natalee Holloway: Part 4 of 4.”
• Wikipedia

This year for Women's History Month, Amanda and Lauren are going to go on a journey through some tragic deaths of young women, and their lives that were cut too short. Because they were wanted too.

In the second episode of their Women's History Month series, Amanda and Lauren discuss the murder of Dru Sjodin, a case that was local to them when they were young, and the effect the outcome of the case had on the nation.

Sources:

• Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
• ABC News: “Missing from the mall: How investigators nabbed a serial rapist in the death of a college student” by Ivan Pereira
• Bismark Tribune: “Two decades later, Dru Sjodin case still resonates in Grand Forks and across the nation” by Sav Kelly
• CBS News: “Alfonso Rodriguez, convicted of killing Dru Sjodin, moved from death row to Florida prison” by the Associated Press
• CBS News: “Suspect Charged in Sjodin Murder” by the Associated Press
• Twin Cities Pioneer Press: “Two years after Dru Sjodin killer’s sentence overturned, review of medical examiner’s work continues” by Mara H. Gottfried
• Duluth News Tribune: “Tonight: 20/20 taking a close look at timeline of Dru Sjodin’s case in ‘Missing from the Mall’” by Trisha Taurinskas
• KIRO7 (Seattle): “Death penalty tossed in 2003 abduction, murder of North Dakota college student Dru Sjodin” by Crystal Bonvillian
• Valley News Life (Fargo area): “Community remembers Dru Sjodin on 20-year anniversary of her disappearance” by Zoe Jones
• Fox9 News (Minneapolis/St. Paul): “Dru Sjodin: Death sentence reduced to life in prison for Minnesotan who killed North Dakota student” by the Associated Press
• 20/20, Season 46, Episode 12: “Missing from the Mall”
• True Crime All the Time podcast: “The Murder of Dru Sjodin”
• No is a Sentence podcast: “Episode 51: Dru Sjodin”
• Wikipedia

This year for Women's History Month, Amanda and Lauren are going to go on a journey through some tragic deaths of young women, and their lives that were cut too short. Because they were wanted too.

In their first Women's History Month episode, Amanda and Lauren discuss the senseless murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, and the light her tragic death shined on the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Sources:

• Talk Murder with Me blog: “The Murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind”
• The Guardian: “Women are disappearing and dying in Indian Country. We must act.” by Debra Ann Haaland
• The Guardian: “A Native American woman’s brutal murder could lead to a life-saving law” by Jenni Monet
• CBS News: “Report: Newborn is child of Savanna Greywind, slain woman who vanished while pregnant” by the Associated Press
• MPR News: “Accomplice in killing of Savanna Greywind gets 20 years” by the Associated Press
• People: “Pregnant Woman’s Killer Cut Out Her Baby with Small Blade then Smuggled Her Body Out in a Dresser” by KC Baker
• American University Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Digital Exhibition: “The History and Potential of Savanna’s Act”
• Valley News Live: “Remembering Savanna Greywind four years later” by Bailey Hurley
• A&E TV: “Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a Native American Woman, was Murdered and Her Baby Cut from Her Womb” by Elena Ferrarin
• KXNet News (North Dakota): Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: The Story of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind” by Nai Remy
• Twin Cities Pioneer Press: “Savanna Greywind wasn’t dead when baby cut from womb, prosecutors say at abductor’s sentencing” by David Olson
• Matt Orchard - Crime and Society (YouTube): “The Unspeakable Murder of Savanna Greywind”
• Murder with My Husband (YouTube): “Couple Stole a Baby and Now the Mom is Missing”
• Let's Go to Court podcast, Episode 229: "The Murders of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind & Rachel Hoffman"
• Morbid podcast, Episode 330: "The Tragic Murder of Savanna LaFontaine Greywind"
• Fetal Abduction podcast, Season 1, Episode 6: “The Murder of Savanna Greywind”
• We Are Resilient: An MMIW True Crime Podcast, Episode 1: “MURDERED: Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind”

For the fifth and final week of Black History Month, Lauren and Amanda discuss the murder of seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin. 

Sources:

• CBS News: "Trayvon Martin: 10 Years Later" by CBS News
• History.com: "This Day in History: February 26, 2012: Florida Teen Trayvon Martin is Shot and Killed" by History.com Editors
• NPR News: "A Look Back At Trayvon Martin's Death, And The Movement It Inspired" by Karen Grigsby Bates
• Biography: "Trayvon Martin" by Biography.com Editors
• AP News: "Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen’s death changes nation" by Deepti Hajela
• Famous Trials.com: "The George Zimmerman Trial: An Account" by Douglas O. Linder 
• Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
• NMAAHC instagram post on Trayvon Martin’s Birthday February 5th, 2024
• Wikipedia: "Killing of Trayvon Martin"