Dark and Devious

On the morning of March 12th, 2011, the opening employee to the Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland, walked into a bloodbath. Inside the store, 2 of her coworkers were found bound and gagged. One of the employees, 30-year-old Jayna Murray had been stabbed over 330 times. Her coworker, Brittany Norwood was somehow able to survive the attack.

But in the days following the murder, the investigators encountered interesting twists and turns while on the hunt for the killer, or killers.

There are few brands known around the world that are as well known and respected than Gucci. The multi-billion dollar company has a long history of creative excellence, but there is something else they are known for, and that's the shocking murder of one of the Gucci heirs. With the new biopic "House of Gucci" out in theaters starring heavy hitting stars like Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, it's important to know that there is a true story behind this Hollywood treatment of the events that brought the family behind one of Italy's greatest fashion houses to its knees. Listen in and hear all of the family drama that led to a brutal assassination. 

The story of Pocahontas and her romance with John Smith is a major part of North America’s mythology. Their "love story" is even the subject of the popular 1995 animated Disney film, Pocahontas.  But the story many of us know from childhood is almost entirely fabricated. Not much is known about this memorable woman, yet so many people know her name. So who was Pocahontas, really? Was she actually a heroic princess who saved the life of an Englishman and married into English society, or was she a pawn used by the English to help disguise their global legacy of bloody colonization? Tune in this week to find out.

We finally reached a very cool milestone of being listened to in all 50 states! Our last hold out was Delaware, so to celebrate we looked into the dark and devious side of the state and found a treasure trove of fascinating tales. We have a high profile, philandering lawyer, a jealous mistress with a sweet tooth, and a sadistic serial killer all served up on this buffet of true crime. 

Monique’s family describes her as a hard-working mom who's world revolved around her baby girls. Friends of hers described her as having a heart of gold and being an all-around genuine person, someone that people loved to be around. In 2018 she began working as a realtor for a local real estate firm, Kris Lindahl Real Estate. Her social media posts were filled with Kris Lindahl promotional photos and she genuinely seemed to love her job. On December 31st of 2019 Monique set out for a routine home showing, little did she know she was being lured into a deadly trap. 

As mentioned in the episode, there is a GoFundMe account set up in Monique's honor. *IT IS CURRENTLY PAUSED*

You are able to check when the donation process is back up and running, and potentially donate to help support her family here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/monique-baugh-memorial-fund

Just because the calendar flipped over to November doesn't mean we have to put away the spooky subjects. Curses have been a part of history practically from the dawn of time and we're going to discuss curse culture and a few examples of supposed real life cursed objects. James Dean's car, Busby's chair, and Annabelle the doll all have rumors of curses around them. Tune in to hear the full stories of these intriguing objects.

Halloween is one of the oldest traditions in the world and has been thought of for centuries as a holiday marking the relationship between the living and the dead. The observance evolved from ancient rituals marking the transition from summer to winter, thereby associating it with transformation, which is still a central theme of the holiday today. Even though some aspects of the holiday may seem to be recent developments, their roots can be traced back to the Celtic festival of Samhain.  Join us as we dive into the ancient origins of Samhain and how we have come to know it as Halloween in the modern era. 

In Native cultures all around the Great Lakes there is a story of a frightening spirit called the Wendigo. The Wendigo has reared its head many times, sometimes being cited as the cause of cannibalism incidents or as a harbinger of death. Some accounts even consider it as a Bigfoot-like creature that roams the north woods. Is there really an evil spirit out there, or is it all in our heads? Tune in and decide for yourself. 

Stories of vampires can be found in nearly every culture across the globe.  Contrary to Western beliefs, Vampires have been around since long before Bram Stoker‘s 'Dracula' popularized them. The history of vampires is a long and dark.  Join us as we take a deep dive into the historical origins of the rise and popularization of vampires and vampirism in the western world.

To kick off the month of "Spook-tober" it would only be appropriate to start things off with some good old fashioned ghost stories. But these aren't your typical tales you've heard a thousand times before. Today, we're talking about hauntings of and by famous figures. We have stories of Joan Rivers, Sharon Tate, Joan Crawford, and Amy Winehouse. Tune in and find out who is the haunted and who may be doing the haunting!