For ten years, Once Upon a Crime has explored some of the world’s most haunting true crime stories. Uncovering secrets, examining criminal investigations, and telling the stories of victims, survivors, investigators, and killers whose lives were forever changed by crime.

But now, for the first time, host Esther Ludlow is ready to tell her own story.

In this deeply personal teaser for Season 11, Esther reveals that her fascination with true crime began with an experience that profoundly shaped how she sees justice, trauma, and the ripple effects crime leaves behind. After a decade of telling other people’s stories, she’s finally ready to share the one story she’s never fully told before.

Season Eleven of Once Upon a Crime marks a dramatic new chapter for the podcast. One that promises new storytelling, deeper personal connections, and a journey unlike anything listeners have heard before.

Everything is about to change.

The full Season 11 announcement drops Monday, June 22nd.

Subscribe now so you don’t miss what's to come.

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For ten years, Once Upon a Crime has explored the world’s most fascinating true crime stories, covering infamous murders, criminal investigations, disappearances, and the hidden truths behind headline-making cases.

Now, after hundreds of episodes and millions of downloads, we're preparing for the podcast’s most ambitious season yet.

Thanks to all our listeners for supporting the show through ten incredible years of true crime coverage.

What’s ahead in Season 11? Brand-new stories, exciting new formats, special guests, major announcements, and an immersive experience that could take some listeners halfway around the world.

This isn’t just another season of Once Upon a Crime... it’s something bigger.

The official Season 11 announcement drops Monday, June 22nd.

Subscribe now so you don’t miss what could become one of the most talked-about true crime podcast seasons yet.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For nearly ten years, Once Upon a Crime has taken listeners deep into the world of true crime, uncovering hidden secrets, questioning official narratives, and exploring the stories behind some of history’s most fascinating criminal cases.

Host Esther Ludlow has always looked beyond the headlines to reveal the human stories at the center of crime.

But now, something bigger is coming.

Season Eleven of Once Upon a Crime is unlike anything Esther has ever done before, and this new season promises to take listeners on an unforgettable journey into one of true crime’s most compelling cases.

The official Season 11 announcement drops Monday, June 22nd.

Subscribe now so you don’t miss the reveal, and be among the first to hear what’s next for one of the longest-running independent true crime podcasts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the final chapter of Ted Bundy for the Defense, the mask comes off.

After the shocking courtroom moment in which Bundy cross-examined first responders and forced graphic testimony about the Chi Omega crime scene, the trial shifts decisively in the prosecution’s favor. Survivors take the stand. Forensic evidence tightens the noose. And Bundy—convinced he is the smartest man in every room—continues to grandstand, clash with his attorneys, and challenge the judge.

Instead of saving himself, he helps convict himself.

In this episode, we follow the full arc of Bundy’s reckoning:

• The devastating prosecution case in the Chi Omega murders
• Bundy’s tantrums and power plays in court
• The guilty verdict and death sentence
• The overwhelming evidence in the murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach
• The bizarre courtroom marriage to Carol Boone
• Years of appeals, delays, and manipulation from Death Row
• Bundy’s final “bones-for-time” confessions
• His last interview, last phone calls, and execution

At the center of it all is Bundy’s pathological need for control—over the media, over his attorneys, over the court, over the narrative, and even over the memory of his victims.

This is the episode where Ted Bundy stops being a media myth and is revealed for what he truly was.

The reckoning.

Sources: 

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025. 

The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy, Kathy Kleiner Rubin and Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Chicago Review Press, 2024.

Theodore Robert Bundy vs. State of Florida, Supreme Court of Florida, No. 59,128. May 9, 1985. | https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/59128/op-59128.pd

“Bundy: Is this quiet, polite, intelligent man a mass murderer?,” The Orlando Sentinel, December 24, 1978. Accessed on newspapers.com | https://www.newspapers.com/image/225594506/?clipping_id=new

“Bundy: Attorney, Witness, and Defendant,” The Miami News, July 6, 1979. Accessed on newspapers.com | https://www.newspapers.com/image/302743129/?match=1&terms=Bundy%3A%20Attorney%2C%20Witness%20and%20Defendant%20 

About This Series:

Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.

Sponsors: 

Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals. 

Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:

Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:

Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com

CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com 

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com 

OUAC Merchandise Shop - https://onceuponacrime.dashery.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After escaping from a Colorado jail, Ted Bundy fled to Florida — and unraveled.

In this episode, we follow Bundy’s path to Tallahassee, the brutal Chi Omega sorority house murders, the attack on Cheryl Thomas, the abduction of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, and Bundy’s eventual arrest in Pensacola after 46 days on the run.

Gone is the methodical charmer of the Pacific Northwest. In his place: a reckless, frenzied killer who has lost control.

About This Series:

Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.

Sources: 

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025. 

The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Sponsors: 

Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.

Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals. 

Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:

Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:

Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com

CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com 

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com 

OUAC Merchandise Shop - https://onceuponacrime.dashery.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the summer of 1974, Seattle was gripped by fear as young women disappeared and witnesses began describing a polite man named “Ted” and his tan Volkswagen. As newspapers cautiously reported on a possible suspect, few believed the man they were describing could be dangerous.

He looked like a law student.

A volunteer.

Someone people trusted.

In this Once Upon a Crime minisode, we examine Ted Bundy before his trials—through the people who knew him best and the warning signs that surfaced long before his name became infamous.

About This Series:

Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.

Next up in Part Three:

The Chi Omega sorority house attacks, the assault on Cheryl Thomas, and the final unraveling of Ted Bundy’s carefully constructed persona.

Sources: 

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025. 

The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Sponsors: 

Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.

Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals. 

Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:

Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:

• Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com - Use our discount code BEYOND-OUAC. 
• CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com - Use our discount code ONCE. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part Two of Ted Bundy for the Defense, we follow Ted Bundy from his first arrest in Utah through conviction, psychological evaluation, escalating murder charges, and the escape attempts that would ultimately unleash his most violent crimes.

About This Series:

Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.

Next up in Part Three:

The Chi Omega sorority house attacks, the assault on Cheryl Thomas, and the final unraveling of Ted Bundy’s carefully constructed persona.

Sources: 

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025. 

The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Sponsors: 

Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.

Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals. 

Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Events & Appearances:

Meet Esther and Lorena in person at:

• Beyond the Crime Convention – Albuquerque, NM | April 11–12 - beyondcrimeconvention.com
• CrimeCon – Las Vegas, NV | May 29–31 - crimecon.com 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A recent Los Angeles Times article has reignited worldwide interest in the Black Dahlia murder, spotlighting an amateur sleuth’s theory that attempts to link the case to the Zodiac Killer—and naming Marvin Margolis as a “new” prime suspect.

But Marvin Margolis is not new.

In this bonus episode, we’re joined once again by author William J. Mann, whose extensively researched new book, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, is released today. Long before the headlines, Mann identified Margolis as the strongest—and most credible—suspect in the history of the case.

In this follow-up interview, Mann responds directly to the recent media coverage, clarifies what his investigation does and does not support, and explains why decades of armchair detective theories have often missed the mark.

This episode cuts through the noise to restore context, credit, and clarity—placing today’s headlines against the backdrop of years of original investigative work.

Listen to the Once Upon a Crime series, Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder

https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/introducing-broken-the-black-dahlia-murder-a-once-upon-a-crime-original-series/

About the Book:

Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood

By William J. Mann

Available now wherever books are sold

Guest:

William J. Mann

Author of Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood

williamjmann.com 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Ted Bundy for the Defense: Part One, we examine the earliest confirmed crimes of Ted Bundy and the investigation that led to his first conviction.

This episode follows Bundy’s documented attacks beginning in 1974, starting with the brutal assault of Karen Sparks and the murder of University of Washington student Lynda Ann Healy. As young women continue to disappear across Washington State, investigators begin to notice a disturbing pattern—college-aged victims with similar physical characteristics, abducted under similar circumstances.

We track Bundy’s movements from Washington to Utah and Colorado, including the Lake Sammamish abductions that introduced the “Ted” suspect and his relocation to Utah as law enforcement closed in. The episode details the disappearances and murders of Nancy Wilcox, Melissa Anne Smith, Laura Aime, and others, highlighting how Bundy’s crimes escalated while investigators struggled to connect cases across state lines.

Part One also explores Bundy’s personal life and psychology—his unstable academic career, rejection from elite law schools, political ambitions, and turbulent romantic relationships—and how these failures fueled a growing sense of entitlement and resentment.

The episode concludes with the attempted kidnapping of Carol DaRonch, her survival and identification of Bundy, his arrest in Utah, and his 1976 conviction for aggravated kidnapping—marking the first time Ted Bundy was held criminally accountable.

Sources: 

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History, Kevin M. Sullivan, McFarland and Company, 2020 (Second Edition).

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser, Penguin Press, 2025. 

The Devil’s Defender, John Henry Browne, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy, Kathy Kleiner Rubin and Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Chicago Review Press, 2024. 

https://www.aetv.com/articles/most-bizarre-moments-ted-bundy-murder-trials

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/why-narcissistic-killers-like-ted-bundy-choose-to-represent-themselves-in-court/ar-AA1RPSDr

https://youtu.be/KcBBevSoOmQ?si=jU9iGq1m0dfwP-2c

https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/killer-who-defended-himself-unique-and-very-public-trial-ted-bundy

https://johndrogerslaw.com/ted-bundys-criminal-trials-a-detailed-examination/

https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/10/archives/allamerican-boy-on-trial-ted-bundy.html

https://www.crimelibrary.org/criminal_mind/psychology/defending_oneself/7.html

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a27375563/ted-bundy-trial-lawyer-true-story/

Sponsors: 

Completing the Puzzle: Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card.

Weight Loss by Hers: Visit ForHers.com/ONCE to get a personalized, affordable plan to reach your goals. 

Talkiatry: Head to talkiatry.com/once and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in minutes.

Links: 

Beyond the Crime Convention - beyondcrimeconvention.com. April 11th & 12th, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Use discount code BEYOND-OUAC. 

CrimeCon 2026 - crimecon.com/CC26 - May 29th - 31st, Las Vegas.  Use our discount code ONCE. 

About This Series:

Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.

Coming Next:

In Part Two, investigators uncover crucial forensic evidence linking Bundy to additional murders, while Bundy grows increasingly confident in his ability to outsmart the justice system—setting the stage for his most reckless decision yet.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ted Bundy is often remembered as charming, intelligent, and dangerously persuasive—a serial killer who outsmarted investigators and manipulated everyone around him. But how much of that story is myth?

In this introductory episode of Ted Bundy for the Defense, we set the stage for a three-part series that examines Bundy not through the lens of legend, but through the courtroom—where his greatest gamble wasn’t murder, but his decision to represent himself.

Bundy believed he was smarter than his attorneys, smarter than prosecutors, and smarter than the system itself. That belief would lead him to take control of his own defense in multiple trials across three states—Utah, Colorado, and Florida—with consequences he never fully grasped.

We’ll begin by debunking some of the most persistent myths surrounding Ted Bundy, including his so-called charisma, his alleged brilliance, and the idea that he was always one step ahead of law enforcement. We’ll also preview the most disturbing and surreal moments from his trials—moments where Bundy used cross-examinations to force witnesses to describe the aftermath of his crimes in graphic detail, stunning jurors and revealing far more about Bundy than he intended.

This series isn’t about glorifying a killer. It’s about exposing how arrogance, control, and self-delusion helped lead Ted Bundy to the electric chair.

Coming Up in This Series:

Part One:

We trace Bundy’s crimes from the early 1970s through his 1976 Utah trial for the attempted kidnapping of Carol DaRonch—the first time Bundy insisted on defending himself in court, and the first major crack in his self-image.

Part Two:

As investigators in the Pacific Northwest quietly connect the dots between multiple murders, Bundy is arrested in Colorado for the murder of Caryn Campbell. Given access to a law library while preparing his own defense, Bundy makes a decision that allows him to escape—again—and flee to Florida.

Part Three:

We follow Bundy to Florida, where his violence escalates with the Chi Omega sorority house murders, the attack on Cheryl Thomas, and the murder of twelve-year-old Kimberly Leach. The series concludes with Bundy’s capital murder trials in 1979 and 1980, where his courtroom performances ultimately become his undoing.

Ted Bundy for the Defense explores what happens when a defendant becomes his own worst enemy—and when belief in one’s own brilliance proves fatal.

Sponsors: 

This episode was brought to you by:

Completing the Puzzle - Go to CompletingthePuzzle.com and use code OUAC for $10 off your first puzzle subscription box or gift card. Because no one’s been murdered while doing a puzzle. 

See a list of all our sponsors and discount codes on our website:

https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/sponsors/

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast

Visit the new OUAC MERCH SHOP! 

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.