1963 - Wytopitlock, Maine.

In April of 1963, a violent discovery was made inside a tiny, one-room cabin in the woods off Route 2A in Aroostook County. 68-year-old Emil Andrew Martens was found brutally beaten to death, setting off a brief and fragmented investigation that produced a swirl of suspects, rumors, and unanswered questions.

Today, Emil Martens’ name does not appear on any official unsolved case lists in Maine. His life, his death, and the circumstances surrounding a brutal crime remain largely forgotten—buried in history… until now.

This is the life and death of Emil Martens.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/emil-martens

Support the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This special episode to kick off the New Year brings together fellow true crime podcasters Aaron Habel of Generation Why, and Lucy Fitzgerald from Wine & Crime for a wide-ranging, candid conversation.

We dive into our work as podcasters, the very real flaws of the justice system, debate the possibility of quantifiable alien activity, relive Kristen's hilarious and slightly surreal encounter in Ireland, and unpack what genuinely unnerves us most (spoiler: ghosts).

Learn more about Gen Why and Wine & Crime:

Gen Why: https://genwhypod.com/

Wine & Crime: https://wineandcrimepodcast.com

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Support the show: ⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠

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Tis the season for true crime chaos! Hosts Kristen Seavey from Murder, She Told, Javier Leiva from PRETEND, and Shaun from Sins & Survivors join forces to explore Christmas crimes gone horribly wrong.

From a bath salts-fueled home decorator in suburban Ohio to a serial burglar stealing Robert De Niro's wrapped presents right from under his tree, these real-life Grinches prove that the holidays bring out the worst in some people. The hosts also dive into the disturbing case of postal workers who intercepted letters to Santa meant for underprivileged children...stealing laptops, iPads, and gift cards intended for kids in need.

But the main event is a fresh-off-the-press case from Bangor, Maine. When a couple woke up to find a stranger sleeping on their couch surrounded by their unwrapped Christmas presents. Police body cam footage reveals just how terrifying this "funny" story really was.

Follow Pretend and Sins and Survivors wherever you're listening now.

Support the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Special bonus episode! Kristen is joined by fellow true crime podcasters Javier Leva from Pretend, and Shaun from Sins and Survivors for a special "Podcasters on Podcasters" style crossover conversation where we let our guard down and talk shop.

Follow Pretend and Sins and Survivors wherever you're listening now.

Support the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠

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1990 - Portland, Maine. 

When Portland Police responded to a call of a man lying on the sidewalk in front of Pine Street Variety on a chilly November night in 1990, they initially assumed he’d simply passed out after drinking. But 26-year-old Scott Sampson—a father of two young boys—was already dead, and had been for hours, with no one calling for help.

35 years have passed, yet Scott’s sister remains anchored to the same questions that rose the moment his death was discovered. Imperfect but deeply loved, Scott was a devoted father, friend, brother, and son. And his mother’s dying wish remained heartbreakingly simple: to know who was responsible, and to know why.

If you have information on the murder of Scott Sampson, you can call the Portland Police anonymous crime tip line at 207-874-8584. You may also text keyword “PPDME” and a message to 847411 (TIP411).

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/scott-sampson

Support the show: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠⁠

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1989 - Concord, New Hampshire.

When the bouncer at Take Five Music Hall in Concord, NH saw 21-year-old David Braley darting into the woods after being kicked out, he thought little of it and moved on. But that fleeting glimpse would turn out to be the last time anyone saw David alive.

Months of frantic searching ended on a cool spring day in 1990, when a body appeared along the Merrimack River. David’s discovery answered one question—but raised countless others. What exactly happened on the night of November 10, 1989? And who were the two men last seen with him at the bar?

Were you at Take Five the night David Braley was killed? If you have any information that can help, please submit a tip to the NH Cold Case Unit tip line at 800-525-5555, email [email protected] or submit a tip online at https://business.nh.gov/ColdCaseTips.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/david-braley

Support the show: ⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠

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2012 - Cambridge, Massachusetts.

On a June evening in 2012, 16-year-old Charlene Holmes, who went by Chay, was exactly where she was supposed to be—walking home with friends in her own neighborhood in Cambridge—when a car crept down Willow Street. Moments later, shots rang out.

She wasn’t the intended target. She was a bright, hopeful teenager caught in someone else’s crossfire.

More than a decade later, police and Chay’s family still search for answers — and for the mysterious dark car seen circling the block that night.

If you have any information on the murder of Charlene Holmes, please contact the Massachusetts State Police at (781) 897-6600, or Cambridge Police Investigations Section at (617) 349-3370. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling (617) 349-3359 or online at https//www.cambridgepolice.org/tips.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/charlene-holmes

Support the show: ⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠

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This week I wanted to bring you a spooky and fun Halloween season bonus from my friend, Laurah Norton of The Fall Line. 

This is One Strange Thing: a podcast that brings you witty true stories of ghost sightings, strange disappearances, supernatural events and famous crypitds, creatures, and lore from small town America. 

This episode is The Connecticut Witch: “In Southwestern Connecticut, in a little village tucked into Monroe, there’s a legend of a local witch named Hannah Cranna—a woman who killed her husband and got away with it. But that’s just the start of trouble caused by an elderly woman who ran circles around her neighbors.”

Hosted and Written by Laurah Norton

Research by Laurah Norton and Bryan Worters 

Produced by Maura Currie 

Engineered by Brandon Schexnayder at Southern Gothic Media

Sources for OST: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/

Support the show: ⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠

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1977 - Monroe, Connecticut

UPDATE: This week brought a major development in the long-unsolved murder of 8-year-old Renee Freer, who was brutally killed behind her home in Monroe, Connecticut, in June 1977. After nearly 50 years, Renee's case has taken a stunning turn—and it’s not the resolution anyone wanted.

The original episode on Renee Freer was released on March 25, 2025 in collaboration with the Monroe Police Dept. Revisit the episode at the link below.

Original episode sources and photos:

⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/renee-freer⁠⁠⁠

Listen to the original episode: https://tinyurl.com/ReneeFreer

Original show notes: "In June of 1977, on the eve of her last day of third grade, 8-year-old Renee Freer went outside to play and never came home. Hours later, her body was discovered in the woods near her house, shaking the tight-knit community of Monroe.

Investigators exhausted every lead in their pursuit of justice for Renee, yet decades later, the case remains unsolved. But today’s detectives have one advantage their predecessors never did—21st-century technology. Armed with cutting-edge forensics and a renewed determination, they are closer than ever to unmasking her killer."

Support the show: ⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠

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Holden, Maine - 1983

In the summer of 1983, Kitty Collins Wardwell vanished after a fight with her much older boyfriend and business partner, Francis ‘Frank’ Julian. Kitty was only weeks away from turning 30—ambitious, full of plans, and then, without warning... she disappeared.

For years, her family searched and speculated. Rumors spread, and the truth seemed to slip further away with every passing year. What began as a missing person’s case soon unraveled into something darker.

But time has a way of surfacing what’s been hidden—even when someone goes to great lengths to keep it buried.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/kitty-wardwell

Support the show: https://www.murdershetold.com/support

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