Crime To Burn

By lilpyrogirlSociety & Culture Documentary True Crime

Crime To Burn episodes

June 09, 2025Obedience to Ashes: Cults, Chaos and Criminal Fires - Part 1
Episode 64
Obedience to Ashes, Part 1
It started with friendship.
With a promise of belonging.
With a charismatic—yet deeply flawed—leader.
But beneath the surface of this group of misfit boys, something much darker was brewing.
In Part 1 of this series, we examine how Kevin Foster recruited the teens who would become his self-proclaimed militia: the Lords of Chaos. We explore how this band of rebels ended up on the wrong side of the razor-thin wire separating camaraderie from cult.
A warped ideology, a hierarchy built on fear, and a toxic need for power would drag them all toward tragedy. From theft to arson—and eventually murder—this group of boys became victims of manipulation, groupthink, and radicalization.
On Crime to Burn, we explore how it happened—and why it matters.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Herbert (Herb) Roberson, Retired Lieutenant of Asheville City Fire Department, Upper Hominy Fire Department, Enka-Candler Fire and Rescue Squad, and Buncombe County Rescue Squad.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and his fire department and rescue squad brothers and sisters. His service and dedication will not be forgotten.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List: My primary source for this episode was the Book Someone Has to Die Tonight by Jim Greenhill. You can find it on amazon here: https://a.co/d/hwh75F1
Greenhill, Jim. Someone Has To Die Tonight. Pinnacle Books (Kensington Publishing Corp.), 2006. 448 pages.
Morrison, Keith. NBC News. “Young Lords of Chaos.”
🔗 https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15990418
UPI Archives. “Killer’s Mom Held Without Bond.” July 22, 2000.
🔗 https://www.upi.com/Archives/2000/07/22/Killers-mom-held-without-bond/7572964238400/
Wikipedia. “Lords of Chaos (criminal group).”
🔗 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lords_of_Chaos_(criminal_group)
Cifatte, Chris. WINK News. “Lords of Chaos Conspirator to be Released from Prison on Saturday.”
🔗 https://www.winknews.com/news/lee/lords-of-chaos-conspirator-to-be-released-from-prison-on-saturday/article_1769be97-dcf7-552b-8f08-fe90238ee611.html
News-Press. “Photos: The Lords of Chaos – A Look Back.” January 30, 2018.
🔗 https://www.news-press.com/picture-gallery/news/crime/2018/01/30/photos-the-lords-of-chaos---a-look-back/109936410/
Cape Coral Breeze. “Appeal Denied for Kevin Foster, Convicted in Lords of Chaos Case.” November 1, 2023.
🔗 https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2023/11/01/appeal-denied-for-kevin-foster-convicted-in-lords-of-chaos-case/
44 min
June 02, 2025Exploding Pants: A Chemical Criminal Saga
Episode 63
The Pants, the Plot, and the Pickle Rain: Sodium Chlorate's Wild Ride
This week on Crime to Burn, we celebrate our one-year podiversary with an explosive tale—literally. From flaming trousers and banned weedkillers to accidental city-shaking disasters caused by petty crime, we trace the chaotic path of sodium chlorate: the chemical that just couldn’t stop stealing the spotlight.
We cover:
The fiery fashion faux pas that haunted New Zealand farmers
The whiskey heist that accidentally leveled part of Vancouver
The bad-boy redemption arc that now has it saving lives at 30,000 feet
Join us as we salute one of chemistry’s most chaotic compounds—and raise a toast (not a match) to one year of fire, crime, and chemically-assisted absurdity.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List:
Watson, James. The Significance of Mr. Richard Buckley’s Exploding Trousers: Reflections on an Aspect of Technological Change in New Zealand Dairy Farming between the World Wars. Agricultural History, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Summer 2004).
ChemistryViews. Chlorates: Tragic Incidents and Life-Saving Applications – Parts 1, 2, and 3. June 7, 2022. https://www.chemistryviews.org/chlorates-tragic-incidents-and-life-saving-applications-part-1/
Who Was the Unabomber? The Real Story of What Ted Kaczynski Kept in his Cabon. Newsweek. July 31, 2017. https://www.newsweek.com/ted-kaczynski-manhunt-unabomber-644260
Leader (Orange, NSW). "The Danger of Celluloid Collars." August 24, 1912, p. 8. Retrieved from Trove. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/117803078
USDA National Organic Standards Board. Sodium Chlorate: Technical Advisory Panel Report. 2000. https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/SodiumChlorateTAP1100.pdf
Smith, Helena. "Greek Letter Bomb Attack Put Europe on High Alert." The Guardian, November 2, 2010. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/02/greek-mail-bomb-attacks-athens
Hawthorn, Tom. "Vancouver’s Own Port Explosion Was Fuelled by Sodium Chlorate and Whiskey." The Tyee. August 7, 2020. https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/08/07/Vancouver-Port-Explosion-Fueled-By-Sodium-Chlorate-Whiskey/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) Fact Sheet for Sodium Chlorate. February 2008. https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_G-94_1-Feb-08.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Homemade Chemical Bomb Events and Resulting Injuries — Selected States, January 1996 – March 2003. MMWR Weekly, July 18, 2003. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5228a3.htm
Wikipedia contributors. 2008 Exeter attempted bombing. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Exeter_attempted_bombing
43 min
May 26, 2025The Girls are Gone - The Case of Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible - The Finale
Episode 62
The Finale.
For over two decades, Lorene Bible has chased whispers through rural Oklahoma—across backroads, into burned-out houses, and deep into the shadows of fear and corruption. In this final chapter, we follow her relentless pursuit as it collides with rumors of meth, murder, and men who believed themselves untouchable.
We’ll trace the steps of private investigators blocked by politics, uncover the objects that linked killers to the crime, and examine how a mother—just a mother—did what no law enforcement agency would: she kept going.
This is the conclusion of our three-part series on the disappearance of Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible. The fire was only the beginning.
If you have information that can help the families locate the remains of Lauria Bible or Ashley Freeman, please reach out on the facebook page run by the Bible Family, Find Lauria Bible BBI: https://www.facebook.com/p/Find-Lauria-Bible-BBI-100064440802321/ You can also email [email protected] or call (918) 244-3625.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List:
Please see source list for Episode 60. In addition, Sirens, A Southern True Crime Podcast hosted by investigative journalist and victim advocate, Raven Rollins did a deep dive into this case including interviews with author Jax Miller and Lauria Bible's mother Lorene Bible. I highly recommend their coverage for additional information on the case. Raven's coverage and interviews are also used as source material for this episode.
Our primary source for this case remains the book Hell in the Heartland by Jax Miller which you can find on Amazon here.
Additional sources used for this episode:
Oklahoma House of Representatives – Coverage of Lauria and Ashley’s Law, including legislative progression and final passage
KJRH News – Report on Governor Kevin Stitt signing Lauria and Ashley’s Law into effect
KSWO News – Details on the law’s provisions and its scheduled effective date of November 1, 2025
News 9 – Coverage of the law’s requirements, with statements from Lorene Bible and law enforcement officials
KOCO News – Overview of the bill’s signing and related legislative actions
Video Coverage from KOCO (YouTube):
Lauria and Ashley’s Law Signed by Governor
Lauria and Ashley’s Law Passes Oklahoma Senate
Lauria and Ashley’s Law Passes House
42 min
May 19, 2025 The Girls are Gone - The Case of Ashely Freeman and Lauria Bible - Part 2
Episode 61
Whispers. The town of Welch, Oklahoma was full of whispers after the bodies of Danny and Kathy Freeman were located in the burned out Freeman home. Whispers about drugs, wrongful deaths, police involvement, intentionally botched investigations, and whispers about where the girls were and who had taken them. The whispers swirled around allegations related to Shane Freeman's death after a Craig County Sheriff's Deputy shot him on a rural Oklahoma road nearly a year before. The whispers discussed accusations of drug debts and methamphetamine rings. The whispers built theories. And some of the whispers would eventually harden into statements, allegations, and testimony but it would take years, decades even. In this episode of Crime to Burn, we take you through the whispers and the theories swirling around the Freeman's deaths and the disappearances of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman in the early days of the investigation because whispers can spread through a community like wildfire, and the Bible family was willing to consider every whisper in their relentless search for their missing daughter.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List:
Please see source list for Episode 60. In addition, Sirens, A Southern True Crime Podcast hosted by investigative journalist and victim advocate, Raven Rollins did a deep dive into this case including interviews with author Jax Miller and Lauria Bible's mother Lorene Bible. I highly recommend their coverage for additional information on the case. Raven's coverage and interviews are also used as source material for this episode.
Our primary source for this case remains the book Hell in the Heartland by Jax Miller which you can find on Amazon here.
38 min
May 12, 2025The Girls are Gone - The Case of Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible
Episode 60
In the early hours of December 30, 1999, a mobile home in Welch, Oklahoma went up in flames. Inside, the bodies of Kathy and Danny Freeman were discovered—but their daughter Ashley and her best friend Lauria Bible were gone. In this episode, we unravel the tangled first 24 hours of the case that would come to haunt two families and an entire community. From missing evidence to missteps in the fire investigation, we explore how two teenage girls vanished into the smoke—and why it took nearly two decades for answers to emerge.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List:
KJRH Tulsa. 25 years: Mother, community mark anniversary of Bible, Freeman disappearance. January 2, 2024. People.com
KJRH Tulsa. Oklahoma's Cold Case Files: Lauria Bible & Ashley Freeman. May 8, 2025.
People Magazine. Polaroids Prompt Arrest in 1999 Disappearance of 2 Oklahoma Teens.
People Magazine. How an Overlooked Clue Cracked Open 1999 Murder Case More than a Decade After Teen Girls Were Killed. June 7, 2021. People.com
Miller, Jax. Hell in the Heartland: Murder, Meth, and the Case of Two Missing Girls. Berkley Books, 2020.
38 min
May 05, 2025 Behind the Byline: An Interview with Liliana Segura
Episode 59
In this special episode of Crime to Burn, we go beyond the headlines with investigative journalist Liliana Segura of The Intercept, one of the first reporters to dig into the troubling details of the Michelle Taylor arson case. From flawed forensic science to systemic failures in the justice system, Liliana shares what drew her to the story, worrisome problems about the crime lab she learned while reporting, and why this case matters far beyond one woman’s conviction. If you've ever wondered what it takes to uncover the truth in a wrongful conviction case, this interview pulls back the curtain.
Read more of Liliana's work here: https://theintercept.com/staff/liliana-segura/
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
Listen to us on our friend Taylor Ruddle's podcast, Ruddle Me This right here: https://www.ruddlemethis.com/118-april-leland-from-crime-to-burns-tiny-joys/
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
1 hr 9 min
April 28, 2025Science Fiction - The Forensics that Framed Michelle Taylor
Episode 58
When Michelle Taylor lost her son in a tragic house fire, she thought the nightmare couldn’t get worse. She was wrong. Fueled by junk science, broken forensics, and a crime lab running on expired credibility, the prosecutors turned a grieving mother into a murder suspect. Twelve debris samples. Twelve false positives. And a justice system more interested in closing a case than finding the truth. This is the story of how bad science—and worse judgment—can burn an innocent life to the ground. Michelle Taylor stands for sentencing on May 30th. The fire didn’t destroy her life. The system did.
A mother’s grief.
A lab’s lies.
A system that chose conviction over truth.
This is Michelle Taylor’s story.
This podcast is a true crime podcast about arson and criminal fires. Listener discretion is recommended.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
Listen to us on our friend Taylor Ruddle's podcast, Ruddle Me This right here: https://www.ruddlemethis.com/118-april-leland-from-crime-to-burns-tiny-joys/
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List:
Segura L. Smoke and Errors - The Arson Evidence Doesn’t Hold Up. Florida is About to Convict her for Murder Anyway. The Intercept. March 31, 2025. https://theintercept.com/2025/03/31/florida-michelle-taylor-arson-fire-murder-trial/
Segura L. Facing Life in Prison Based on Shoddy Evidence, A Florida Mother Makes a Deal. The Intercept. April 12, 2025. https://theintercept.com/2025/04/18/michelle-taylor-florida-arson-fire-plea-deal/
Smith S. Flawed Arson Science and the Michelle Taylor Case. Smith Forensic Blog. https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2025/04/michelle-taylor-florida-from-our-and.html
Bureau of Forensic Services. Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Official Statements on Accreditation and Quality Control Procedures. https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/
National Institute of Justice. Arson Investigation and Evidence Handling Standards. National Institute of Justice (NIJ). https://nij.ojp.gov/
Taylor M. Plea Agreement. State of Florida v. Michelle Taylor. Case No: 21001215CFMA. Filed April 2, 2025.
State of Florida. Criminal Complaint. State of Florida v. Michelle Taylor. Case No: 21001215CFMA. Filed August 9, 2021.
Taylor M. Motion to Exclude Similar Fact Evidence. State of Florida v. Michelle Taylor. Case No: 21001215CFMA. Filed April 19, 2024.
State of Florida. Indictment. State of Florida v. Michelle Taylor. Case No: 21001215CFMA. Filed August 9, 2021.
Lentini J. A Model for Confronting Fire Investigation Errors. Fire and Arson Investigator. 2020;71(3):36-45. Available from: https://www.firearson.com/
State of Florida. Amended Notice of Similar Fact Evidence. State of Florida v. Michelle Taylor. Case No: 21001215CFMA. Filed 2024.
Taylor M. Plea Agreement. State of Florida v. Michelle Taylor. Case No: 21001215CFMA. Filed April 2, 2025.
Holbrook,J. Florida’s Arson Lab Loses Accreditation, Wrongful Charges a Main Concern. ABC Action News. August 16, 2016. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/floridas-arson-lab-loses-accreditation?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Pipitone, T. Experts Question State Fire Marshal Lab. NBC Miami. September 6, 2016. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/experts-question-state-fire-marshal-lab/1979453/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Bousquet, S. With State Fire Lab Stripped of National Accreditation, CFO Jeff Atwater Fights Back. Tampa Bay Times. August 17, 2016. https://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/with-state-fire-lab-stripped-of-national-accreditation-cfo-jeff-atwater/2289678/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Bosusquet, S. Florida’s Only State-Run Fire Lab Stripped of National Accreditation. Miami Herald. August 17, 2016. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article95921822.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Harvey, M. St. Johns County Woman Pleads No Contest to Manslaughter in Death of her 11-year-old Son. First Coast News. April 10, 2025. https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/crime/st-johns-county-woman-pleads-no-contest-to-manslaughter-in-death-of-11-year-old-son/77-f757a62e-b153-40f1-8d5c-ccfaa0daa653?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Avanier, E. St Augustine Mom Accused of Setting Fire that Killed her Child to Get Insurance Money. News 4 Jax. August 10, 2021. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/08/10/st-augustine-mom-accused-of-setting-fire-that-killed-her-child-to-get-insurance-money/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Lucas Learns. GC-MS for Beginners (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9NUXkyIl5A Accessed: April 2025.
Lucas Learns. How to Interpret Mass Spectrometry Graphs. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b59u_BHOlnk Accessed: April 2025.
Lucas Learns. Mass Spectrometry Explained. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKokuAB5CKk Accessed: April 2025.
Katelyn Perrault. Viewing Fire Debris Chromatograms. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijJ6qh2VrR8 Accessed: April 2025.
Lentini, J. Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation, Third Edition. CRC Press. September 2018.
46 min
April 21, 2025 The Happy Land Social Club Fire - New York City
Episode 57
An illegal nightclub in the Bronx was the scene of the largest mass murder in US HIstory at the time it occurred in 1990. A scorned lover went to the club to persuade his ex-girlfriend to take him back and when his attempts were unsuccessful, he did the unthinkable. With a bottle he found in the street and a dollar worth of gasoline purchased at a nearby gas station, he returned to the club and committed an arson attack that would claim 87 lives. What could drive a man to such drastic measures and how could one fire be so deadly? Listen to this week's episode on the Happy Land Social Club Fire to find out. One man may be responsible for setting the fire, but a series of failures by city officials contributed to the scope of the tragedy.
This podcast is a true crime podcast about arson and criminal fires. Listener discretion is recommended.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
If you need a way to keep your canine contained, you can also support the show by purchasing a Pawious wireless dog fence using our affiliate link and use the code "crimetoburn" at checkout to receive 10% off. Pawious, because our dog Winston needed a radius, not a rap sheet.
Source List:
Modjeska, OJ. (2020). Happy Land - A Lover’s Revenge. Reality Plus - A Next Chapter Imprint.
Brandt, S. and Sowder, A.M. ‘Contextualising tragedy in places of assembly through cases of New York City social club fires’. Architecture_MPS 24, 1 (2023): 4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444.amps.2023v24i1.004.
https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=916658
https://www.firerescue1.com/fatal-fires/articles/reflecting-on-the-happy-land-social-club-fire-and-similar-incidents-o4qdT2ZGt97QnWIT/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/happy-land-fire
https://pix11.com/news/happy-land-fire-25-years-on-wpixs-original-coverage-of-bronx-tragedy/
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/nyregion/prosecutor-clears-landlords-in-fatal-social-club-arson.html
https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/03/17/fire-kills-87-people-at-the-happy-land-social-club-in-the-bronx-in-1990/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-28-mn-237-story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/03/26/5-billion-suit-filed-over-ny-club-fire-that-cost-87-lives/9bc0fa60-992e-4864-91ab-0e5f3827e9bf/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/03/26/87-die-in-fire-at-illegal-ny-social-club/2245f278-6847-4894-95b4-f67bfd93b278/

45 min
April 14, 2025 The Ghost Train Fire at Luna Park in Sydney, Australia - THE FINALE
Episode 56
This is the finale of our coverage of the Sydney Ghost Train fire that took 7 innocent lives. Was the fire accidental as the original inquest determined or was it arson and murder orchestrated to allow a greedy man to get control of the valuable real estate the park occupied? While the circumstantial evidence pointing to corruption is very convincing, just how high did the corruption extend into Sydney's government? Some allege that it went all the way to the top and in this episode, we explore those theories. What do you think? Were the Ghost Train's seven victims murdered or do you think it was an accidental fire?
There is a very powerful documentary titled Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire listed in the source list below that we recommend anyone wanting additional information on this case watch for a more clear picture of the allegations contained in this episode. At the time of this recording, it is available on Netflix.
This podcast is a true crime podcast about arson and criminal fires. Listener discretion is recommended.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
Source List (for a complete list of sources, please also see Episode 54 and 55 show notes, additional sources used for this episode are listed below):
Mavety, John (Director), (2021). Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire [Streaming]. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
https://theconversation.com/the-lionel-murphy-papers-shed-more-light-on-a-controversial-life-83876
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/14/lionel-murphy-files-secret-papers-reveal-allegations-of-links-with-boss-abe-saffron
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/abc-ghost-train-series-misleading-in-linking-wran-and-saffron-20210830-p58nar.html
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/niece-links-abe-saffron-to-luna-park-deaths-20070526-ge8ps8.html
https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/essays/hellfire

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/luna-park-tragedy-36th-anniversary-of-the-fire-that-killed-seven-riders-on-the-ghost-train-in-1979/news-story/6e70f4ea61959d1d393ce597da253c78

https://youtu.be/LwchgwRX2e0?si=kSh12rJhhsIdfVkO

https://insidestory.org.au/was-neville-wran-corrupt/

And finally, the source for the story about Paul McCartney from the discussion in the outtakes.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-was-paul-mccartney-arrested-and-deported-from-hamburg/
47 min
April 07, 2025 The Ghost Train Fire at Luna Park in Sydney, Australia - Part 2
Episode 55
This week we continue our coverage of the Ghost Train fire that occurred in July of 1979 at Luna Park in Sydney, Australia. The fire ultimately claimed 7 lives and investigators initially told the public it was an accidental electrical fire. However, an electrical engineer showed up at the inquest explaining that there was no way this fire was an electrical fire. Many people believe it was intentional arson arranged by an organized crime boss that wanted the valuable real estate upon which Luna Park sat. Thus begins our trek through a twisted web of crooked cops, corrupt politicians, and of course, greedy criminals with a long history of using arson to get their way. Is it possible that the families of the Luna Park victims have been lied to for over 40 years and that this fire was intentional arson all to gain some real estate advantages? We'll tell you what journalists have uncovered. Now you tell us if you think the Luna Park fire was arson or a tragic accident.
There is a very powerful documentary titled Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire listed in the source list below that we recommend anyone wanting additional information on this case watch for a more clear picture of the allegations contained in this episode. At the time of this recording, it is available on Netflix.
This podcast is a true crime podcast about arson and criminal fires. Listener discretion is recommended.
Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated
Get your Crime to Burn Merch! https://crimetoburn.myspreadshop.com
Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review.
Source List (for a complete list of sources, please also see Episode 54 show notes, additional sources used for this episode are listed below):
Mavety, John (Director), (2021). Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire [Streaming]. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
https://www.museumoffire.net/single-post/the-luna-park-ghost-train-incident-1979
https://www.the-sun.com/news/12953789/ghost-train-blaze-burned-alive-clue-crack-case/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/132382283
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rooklyn-israel-jack-30530
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-30/police-claims-abe-saffron-behind-luna-park-fire/12321044
https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2021P2/chapter-4-special-detailed-requirements-based-on-occupancy-and-use#IBC2021P2_Ch04_Sec411
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9416263/Crime-boss-nicknamed-Mr-Sin-Luna-Park-Ghost-Train-fire-killed-six-kids-cops-say.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Saffron
https://theconversation.com/how-ghost-train-fire-exposed-remarkable-police-corruption-yet-also-failed-abcs-high-journalistic-standards-167042
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-30/police-claims-abe-saffron-behind-luna-park-fire/12321044
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/king-of-the-cross-sydney-crime-boss-abe-saffron-s-secret-friends-and-properties-20210312-p57abq.html

53 min

About Crime To Burn

From the publisher's feed

A true crime podcast where we explore the dark sooty landscape of crimes involving fire including arson and criminal negligence. Join us as we explore what really happened in some of the most horrific…