Crime and Conjure

Happy Halloween! What could be better on Halloween than a spooky ghost story? Cultures all over the world have been fascinated by ghosts for as long as people have existed. In the 19th century ghost stories became especially popular and widely believed as fact, shaping much about the era. But what happens when people take ghost stories too far? Come along as we share three real life ghost stories that had tragic consequences.

The blue wall of silence is an informal code among police officers not to report on a fellow cop’s misconduct or crimes. Any officers who refuse to lie to protect a corrupt cop may be threatened and ostracized by their fellow police officers. This glorified corruption goes back as far as we can tell to at least the 1800’s. In Los Angeles California, that blue code allowed a murderer to escape justice for 23 years.

The Vatican City is known as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1981 Pope John Paul II was shot within the Vatican walls and nearly died. This assassination attempt led to panic and was linked to one of the most famous disappearance in the Vatican with growing theories even now, 38 years later.

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real you weren’t sure whether or not it really happened? Some believe dreams are an uninhibited connection to our natural psychic abilities. Dreams are at the very least a central source of the knowledge of the unconscious. Then of course there are those who seem to have full control of their psychic abilities in the waking hours. This case is a wild tangle of nefarious dreams, murder and psychic premonitions.

Once upon a time adopting a baby was as easy as going to the local corner store and checking out a bag of potatoes. It was a practice called baby farming, that led to England's most Infamous baby killer, who earned the name "The Reading Baby Farmer".

It’s a common tale we have all heard, a woman meets a handsome and charming man in a bar and sparks instantly fly. But for at least four women in the 1990’s, meeting that handsome man in a bar was the beginning of their end. He was no prince charming, he was a monster in disguise. 

In 2004, one Fresno family kept a thinly veiled secret that was about to be exposed. The case we talk about today covers some very sensitive and controversial topics like polygamy, incest, and domestic abuse that led to the horrific murder of an innocent family.

Long before serial killers and mass murders had become a normal part of life, two adults and 6 children were found brutally murdered in their beds in a small mid-western town. The bloody Villisca Ax Murders have stumped authorities for over a century, despite numerous suspects, two trials, and a confession. To this day ghosts are still reaching out trying to shed light on the truth.

The outside world can be a scary place, full of scary people. Most parents want to do everything in their power to protect their children from the dangers of society. What happens when it's not the outsiders you need to worry about? Maybe the people you should fear the most are actually right down the hall.

The relationship between a wife and her mother-in-law can be difficult to say the least. Most find a way to bond eventually and some even become close, but not all find this family peace. This is a case where a mother-in-law took possessiveness of her son to another level. This Mother-in-law from Hell wasn’t going to let anyone take her mama’s boy away from her.