In the early hours on a rainy autumn night in 1955, on a lavish country estate in Oyster Bay Cove, esteemed New York socialite Ann Woodward fired both barrels of her custom-made shotgun into the head of her husband, multimillionaire William J. “Billy” Woodward Jr., killing him. She mistook him for a notorious prowler who preyed on the privileged class. At least that was what the official reports stated. The police focused on catching the prowler, as they cast an impenetrable dragnet around the “Playhouse” for the elusive intruder. However, as with many other aspects of Billy and Ann’s social circle, things were not always as they appeared.

Retired detective Jerry Aylward, author of "Murder on the Gold Coast: The Killing of William Woodward", discusses with us the uncomfortable truths behind one of the Gold Coast’s most notorious murders.

The author's website: https://www.jerryaylward.com/

The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Aylward/author/B0841NGVSZ

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My guest is Chris Pouy, who shares an astonishing true story of love, betrayal, and murder on this latest episode of Most Notorious. His grandmother, Zoya Fyodorova, was a celebrated Russian actress who fell in love with an American naval officer, Jackson Tate, in 1945. It was a forbidden romance that led to the birth of Chris’s mother, Victoria. Zoya was imprisoned for nearly a decade before reuniting with her daughter, who later moved to Connecticut after marrying Chris's father, another U.S. Navy captain. During Zoya's preparations to defect and join her family in the United States, she was mysteriously murdered at her kitchen table in December of 1981.

Chris's website: https://whoischrispouy.com/

Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-pouy-3b56334a

The Admiral's Daughter on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/admirals-daughter-Victoria-Fyodorova/dp/0440003660

BBC Outlook: Murder in Moscow: https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct6xcs

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Just off the old Natchez Trace, in the quiet woods of Tennessee, stands a broken marble column marking the grave of Meriwether Lewis. The monument was meant to honor one of America’s greatest explorers, but its shattered form also reflects a life cut short under circumstances that remain unsolved more than two centuries later.

In 1804, Lewis and Clark led the Corps of Discovery across thousands of miles of uncharted wilderness. They mapped rivers, documented new species, and forged fragile relationships with Native Nations, returning home as national heroes. Yet only a few years later, while traveling east on government business, Lewis stopped at a frontier inn called Grinder’s Stand. Before dawn, gunfire rang out. By morning, the celebrated explorer was dead.

From the start, the explanation was contested. Some, including Thomas Jefferson and William Clark, believed Lewis had taken his own life after years of depression, financial trouble, and lingering illness. Others pointed to inconsistencies in the testimonies, the absence of eyewitnesses, and the violence of the scene to argue that he was murdered. Over the years, theories have ranged from robbery on a lawless road to political assassination, while modern scholars have even suggested his death may have been linked to malaria or another untreated disease.

In this episode, we retrace Lewis’s final journey along the Natchez Trace and examine the testimonies left behind. We look at the evidence for suicide, the motives for murder, and the generations of speculation that have kept this mystery alive. We also consider the more recent efforts by Lewis’s descendants to exhume his body, hoping that modern science might finally answer the question that has haunted his legacy: how did Meriwether Lewis really die?

Southern Gothic: The Podcast

Step into the world of the unknown and unravel the dark history, and infamous legends of the American South. Join us as we journey into the heart of this rich and fascinating region, uncovering its ghostly stories, haunted places, and eeriest tales through captivating storytelling, in-depth historical research, and an immersive audio soundscape. From the Bell Witch of Tennessee to the haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium, the ghostly tales of the Myrtles Plantation, the Curse of Lake Lanier and beyond, get ready for an unforgettable experience that brings history to life and uncovers the truth behind classic tales of the paranormal.

Follow Southern Gothic on your favorite podcasting app today!

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In November 1856, Dublin was shaken by the murder of George Little, chief cashier at the Broadstone railway terminus. He was found in his office, beaten and with his throat cut, thousands of pounds worth of gold and silver left untouched and the door locked. The investigation gripped the public, filled with twists and unusual developments, including a phrenologist who later inserted himself into the main suspect's life.

In this episode, we speak with Thomas Morris, author of "The Dublin Railway Murder: The Sensational True Story of a Victorian Murder Mystery". Thomas walks us through the case and explores what it tells us about crime and policing in Victorian Dublin.

More about the author and his book here: https://www.thomas-morris.uk/the-dublin-railway-murder/

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(Orig pub date 8/15/23)

In the early morning of January 21st, 1935 two employees of the Capital Transit Company in Chevy Chase, Maryland were cold-bloodedly gunned down. One of the men murdered was my guest's great-great uncle Emory Smith. As the police investigated the list of compelling suspects grew, but a powerful cover-up appeared to be in play, ultimately preventing the perpetrators from facing justice. 

Former forensic detective Karen Smith joins me today to talk about her extensive personal investigation into this 88-year-old cold case, and she shares some of the shocking evidence she uncovered during her research. Karen is the host of the popular podcast "Shattered Souls", available wherever podcasts are heard. 

Shattered Souls at Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shattered-souls/id679462887⁠

Shattered Souls at Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4ny3a6GvvVkMGPz0TTZRpP⁠

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In "The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The Search for Houston’s Lost Boys", investigative journalist Lise Olsen tells the gripping true-crime story behind the “Lost Boys” murders in 1970s Houston, when more than two dozen teenage boys were murdered at the hands of Dean Corll, nicknamed the “Candy Man”, and his young accomplices.

Through years of investigation, research and interviews, Olsen follows forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick’s quest to identify the victims and bring them home.

The author's website: http://www.liseolsen.com

The author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liseolsenauthor/

The author on Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/lisedigger

The author on Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/liseolsen.bsky.social

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In November 1926, Cecelia Gullivan, treasurer of the Cone Automatic Machine company of Windsor, Vermont, was brutally killed in her home. Local police quickly arrested Cone Automatic machinist John Winters on suspicion of the crime, and the trial that followed was sensational and swift.

Convicted of murder, Winters’ appeal brought in an unexpected ally: America’s most famous defense attorney, Clarence Darrow, who took the case after Winters’ family called in a favor promised decades before.

My guest is former Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, Jeffrey L. Amestoy. He is the author of "Winters' Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder that Brought America’s Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont".

Link to the book through the Vermont Historical Society's website: https://vermonthistory.org/vermont-history-winters-time-clarence-darrow-jeff-amestoy

The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jeffrey-L.-Amestoy/author/B01FC3Q07Q

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Victorian London is often remembered for the Ripper murders, yet at the same time another equally chilling series of slayings unfolded. Between 1887 and 1889, the dismembered bodies of four women appeared along the Thames. The river itself became the killer’s cover, its tides and hidden corners serving as a macabre dumping ground. Overshadowed by the Ripper’s reign of terror, the Thames Torso Murders remain one of England's darkest unsolved mysteries.

My guest is Sarah Bax Horton, author of the award-winning book "Arm of Eve: Investigating the Thames Torso Killer". She shares with us who she believes the killer was and why he might have did what he did.

The author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbaxhorton

The author on Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/horton_bax

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The small Southern California island of Coronado rarely makes news for violent crime. But in the spring of 1975, World War II widow and retired librarian Ruth Quinn was murdered, execution-style, in her cottage. Her death sent a shock wave through the community. The granddaughter of Jujubes and Jujyfruits creator Henry Heide, Ruth was found fully clothed with her shoes on, in her bed, dead from two gunshot wounds. To this day, her murder has never been solved, but whispers about her brother, her son and even a local petty thief still swirl.

Author Taylor Baldwin Kiland sifts through the dirt for the facts about Ruth’s life and her untimely end in Coronado. Her book is called "Murder of the Jujube Candy Heiress: A Coronado Cold Case".

More about the author and her work here: https://taylorkiland.com/

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(Orig pub date: 2/15/22)

In October of 1946, a chiropractor and rancher named Willis "W.D." Broadhurst was beaten with a wrench and finished off with a shotgun on a lonely eastern Oregon road. Investigators would soon accuse his wife Gladys of plotting the doctor's murder with the help of his young cowhand and her lover, Alvin Williams. Stunning details of her deception would be revealed during the trial, including accusations that she was a bigamist who had left multiple husbands in her wake.

My guest is Patrick Gallagher, whose family connection to this story led him on a personal journey to learn more about this compelling and mostly forgotten case.

His book, titled " 'TIL DEATH DO US...': A True Crime Story of Bigamy and Murder" is available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/TIL-DEATH-DO-US-Bigamy/dp/1952225167/

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