While the suspects for Ruthie Mae McCoy's murder wait in jail, a British director is on the hunt for his next film. Host Dometi Pongo finds out how a murder similar to McCoy's ended up in Bernard Rose's 1992 Candyman and discovers just how many details stem from a fateful trip the director took to the Chicago projects.Get early, ad-free access to episodes of Candyman: The True Story Behind The Bathroom Mirror Murder by subscribing to 48 Hours+ on Apple Podcasts or Wondery+ on the Wondery app.Subscribe to 48 Hours+: https://apple.co/4aEgENoSubscribe to Wondery+: https://wondery.com/plus/
 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: <a href="https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy">https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

While the suspects for Ruthie Mae McCoy's murder wait in jail, a British director is on the hunt for his next film. Host Dometi Pongo finds out how a murder similar to McCoy's ended up in Bernard Rose's 1992 Candyman and discovers just how many details stem from a fateful trip the director took to the Chicago projects. Get early, ad-free access to episodes of Candyman: The True Story Behind The Bathroom Mirror Murder by subscribing to 48 Hours+ on Apple Podcasts or Wondery+ on the Wondery app. Subscribe to 48 Hours+: https://apple.co/4aEgENo Subscribe to Wondery+: https://wondery.com/plus/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While the suspects for Ruthie Mae McCoy's murder wait in jail, a British director is on the hunt for his next film. Host Dometi Pongo finds out how a murder similar to McCoy's ended up in Bernard Rose's 1992 Candyman and discovers just how many details stem from a fateful trip the director took to the Chicago projects.Get early, ad-free access to episodes of Candyman: The True Story Behind The Bathroom Mirror Murder by subscribing to 48 Hours+ on Apple Podcasts or Wondery+ on the Wondery app.Subscribe to 48 Hours+: https://apple.co/4aEgENoSubscribe to Wondery+: https://wondery.com/plus/
 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: <a href="https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Based on a True Story: 4

On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her Chicago housing project apartment through the bathroom medicine cabinet. Police thought she was imagining things, but when authorities finally checked on McCoy two days later, they found her dead with four gunshot wounds. Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, revisits the real-life account of McCoy's strange death – one of the inspirations for the Candyman horror film. Hosted by journalist and Chicago native Dometi Pongo, this 6-episode limited series – produced by 48 Hours and CBS News – explores why McCoy's desperate calls for help were ignored, the surprising outcome of her murder trial, and the broader systemic issues of racial injustice, housing inequality, and the stigma of mental illness that surround this tragic event.

Candyman is a Webby nominee! Show your support for the series and vote for Candyman for best Crime & Justice - Limited Series & Specials here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/crime-justice

TV & Film

Society & Culture

True Crime

Film Reviews

On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her Chicago housing project apartment through the bathroom medicine cabinet. Police thought she was imagining things, but when authorities finally checked on McCoy two days later, they found her dead with four gunshot wounds. Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, revisits the real-life account of McCoy's strange death – one of the inspirations for the Candyman horror film. Hosted by journalist and Chicago native Dometi Pongo, this 6-episode limited series – produced by 48 Hours and CBS News – explores why McCoy's desperate calls for help were ignored, the surprising outcome of her murder trial, and the broader systemic issues of racial injustice, housing inequality, and the stigma of mental illness that surround this tragic event. Candyman is a Webby nominee! Show your support for the series and vote for Candyman for best Crime & Justice - Limited Series & Specials here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/crime-justice

On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her Chicago housing project apartment through the bathroom medicine cabinet. Police thought she was imagining things, but when authorities finally checked on McCoy two days later, they found her dead with four gunshot wounds. Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, revisits the real-life account of McCoy's strange death – one of the inspirations for the Candyman horror film. Hosted by journalist and Chicago native Dometi Pongo, this 6-episode limited series – produced by 48 Hours and CBS News – explores why McCoy's desperate calls for help were ignored, the surprising outcome of her murder trial, and the broader systemic issues of racial injustice, housing inequality, and the stigma of mental illness that surround this tragic event.

Candyman is a Webby nominee! Show your support for the series and vote for Candyman for best&nbsp;Crime &amp; Justice - Limited Series &amp; Specials here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/crime-justice

Share Based on a True Story: 4

Sign up to save your podcasts

Based on a True Story: 4

Based on a True Story: 4

More shows like Candyman: The True Story Behind The Bathroom Mirror Murder

20/20

48 Hours

Snapped: Women Who Murder

Cold Case Files

Dateline NBC

My Life of Crime with Erin Moriarty

The Binge Cases: My Mother's Lies

The Binge Crimes: Fatal Fantasy

Mind of a Monster: The Hollywood Ripper

Dateline: Missing In America

Who Took Misty Copsey?

Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial from 48 Hours

Dateline Originals

Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel

Murder in the Orange Grove: The Troubled Case Against Crosley Green

48 Hours: NCIS

Murder in the Moonlight

Inside the Bryan Kohberger Case: The Idaho Student Murders

Fifteen: Inside the Daniel Marsh Murders

Deadly Engagement