On June 10th, 1983, the decomposing body of a well-dressed man was found in a desolate canyon near Los Angeles. John Doe #94 would soon be identified as missing variety show producer Roy Radin. He'd last been seen after meeting with a mysterious woman in a gold dress. Her name was Lanie Jacobs.

Jacobs and Radin were obsessed with becoming Hollywood movie producers. And when their paths collided, it led them to a tantalizing film deal promising fame and fortune. But then, a twisted script unfolded, plunging them into a million-dollar cocaine and cash heist, a tangled web of lies, and ultimately – murder.

The trail led investigators right to Hollywood's doorstep, linking former golden boy producer Robert Evans to the case and dredging up Radin's own troubled past.

But the case turned ice cold. It would take more than five years of dogged pursuit by the L.A. Sheriff’s Department detectives, a secret undercover witness, and another murder almost 3,000 miles from Hollywood – to unlock the truth.

This is the story of a doomed Hollywood partnership, a grisly murder and the search that stretched across the country for a killer – or killers.

From Wondery, and the team behind the hit series Hollywood & Crime: The Dating Game Killer, The Wonderland Murders, Death of Starlet, and the Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley comes a six part series that dives into the dark side of Hollywood through a shocking murder – fueled by ruthless ambition and desperate dreams. Co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Josh Lucas.

Listen to Hollywood & Crime: The Cotton Club Murder: Wondery.fm/TCCM_OUAC

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

American musical producer and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in September  2024 on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution.  He is currently in federal custody awaiting trial in Brooklyn, New York.  Almost daily, new accusers are coming forward to share additional information about Combs’ alleged history of sexual assault, abuse, and sexual exploitation.

In this 2-part series, we’ll dig into Sean Combs’ early life, career, and relationships to answer the question - why Diddy do it?  How did Sean Diddy Combs, a man who seemed to have it all - fame, money, and success - end up in scandal, disgrace, and facing dozens of felony charges and lawsuits? 

In this first episode, you’ll learn how the bombshell allegations against Combs came to light. We’ll also examine his childhood and early life to determine what factors contributed to his behavior and alleged criminal activities.

We’ll discover that, early on, cracks in the image Diddy presented to the world as a professional businessperson and star marker masked a narcissistic need for control that turned abusive in both his personal and professional lives. 

Sources:

Timeline: https://www.billboard.com/lists/sean-diddy-combs-allegations-timeline/november-28-2023-diddy-steps-down-as-chairman-from-revolt/

Nov 2023 - Cassie’s statement and lawsuit. https://apnews.com/article/diddy-sean-combs-cassie-lawsuit-e3681f1abbe38c11d829c269c9a89260

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sean-combs-read-full-indictment-1235103933/ 

Complete text of lawsuit - https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/diddy-cassie.pdf 

https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-combs-cassie-relationship-timeline-2023-11#september-2019-cassie-marries-alex-fine-9

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/diddy-friends-bad-boy-artists-abuse-violence-1235028178/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/diddy-assault-women-college-1235028172/

United States District Court Southern District of New York, United States of American V. Sean Combs, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/media/1368556/dl

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our Website -  www.truecrimepodcast.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.

Over two days in 1980, prisoners at a New Mexico penitentiary, angry at the conditions they experienced inside its walls, rose up against their jailers and wreaked havoc upon officers and inmates alike.  It would be called the bloodiest prison riot in U.S. history. 

Over thirty-six hours, thirty-three prisoners were killed, eight guards were brutally assaulted, and hundreds were injured.  The prison would never completely recover from the unprecedented violence that took place.

In the years since, the Penitentiary of New Mexico, known as the Old Main Prison, has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the state. After hearing the true story I’m about to tell you, you’ll understand why these traumatized spirits may still be lurking.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_State_Penitentiary_riot

https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-state-prison-riot-1908/42746860 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtxL6C_dNKw 

Report of the Attorney General on the February 2 and 3, 1980 Riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico - https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/72933NCJRS.pdf

New Mexico Corrections Department website - https://www.cd.nm.gov/divisions/corrections-industries/old-main/ 

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/devastating-penitentiary-riot-of-1980-changed-new-mexico-and-its-prisons/article_be64a016-31ae-11ea-a754-fb85e49fca77.html 

Reports of hauntings at the prison - 

https://www.codypolston.com/new-mexico-state-penitentiary-santa-fe-nm-more-witness-accounts-and-ghost-stories/

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our Website -  www.truecrimepodcast.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 this episode, I’ll share a story of an alleged demonic possession of a young boy in the 1940s.  While you may be skeptical of such a claim, several sources officially documented the case, including first-person eyewitnesses, making it difficult to dismiss these claims as mere superstition.  

You’ll also hear how this case inspired a best-selling novel and blockbuster movie that helped to usher in an era of “Satanic Panic,” a phenomenon that would lead to accusations and criminal charges leveled against innocent people, some of whom were falsely convicted. 

Sources:

https://www.thescottsmithblog.com/2023/08/the-real-story-behind-exorcist-movie.html

https://allthatsinteresting.com/roland-doe-the-exorcist-true-story

https://play.max.com/video/watch/ec95d53c-2050-4361-afca-db7f96836670/94f26393-35be-4945-9fbf-b99b005674a0 

https://www.slu.edu/universitas/archive/2014/exorcism.php

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/20/the-exorcist-boy-named-magazine

Links: 

Season 6: Episode 248: Final Curtain Call - Paul Bateson and The Exorcist - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s6-ep248-final-curtain-call-paul-bateson-and-the-exorcist/

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com 

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

In this first story, we’ll go back over one hundred years to learn about a Romeo and Juliet story that ended in cold-blooded murder.  On the property where the killing took place now sits a stone building known by locals as “The Witch’s Castle.”  Some say that the restless spirits of the murdered man, his widow, and the killer roam the area on nights when the moon is full.

This is the story of the murder of Mortimer Stump and the haunting of The Witch’s Castle. 

Resources: 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-witches-castle-portland-oregon 

https://www.mckenzieriverreflectionsnewspaper.com/story/2013/24/2/history/mystery-surrounds-portland-s-first-public-execution/830.html 

https://themorbidlibrary.com/2021/09/10/the-haunted-the-witchs-castle/ 

http://balchipedia.wikidot.com/danford 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/900596109/?match=1&terms=mortimer%20stump 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1088419076/?match=1&terms=%22anna%20stump%22

Links:

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

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com 

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

In this special Halloween episode, horror comes to a family in the middle of the night.  But unlike ghostly tales, this was all too real and was the last thing they’d ever expected as they invited the monster into their home. 

Resources: 

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bay-Area-suspect-allegedly-bludgeoned-victims-3217121.php

https://www.therotundaonline.com/remembering-associate-professor-of-sociology-dr-debra-s-kelley/article_2fab25df-a3f5-527c-ba59-cf14588b4e00.html

Slain mom, teen had counseling over music - https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32992286

Links: 

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

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

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

In July 1993, Mia Zapata, a rising star in the genre of punk rock music, joined what is morbidly referred to as “The 27 Club” - artists and celebrities whose lives ended at the age of 27. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse all qualify. But like other members of this unfortunate club, Mia Zapata didn’t die as the result of a drug overdose or by her own hand.  She was murdered on the streets of Seattle just before she reached success with her band, The Gits.

In this episode, I’ll detail the life, death, and lasting legacy of Mia Zapata.

Resources: 

Mia Zapata and The Gits: A Story of Art, Rock, and Revolution, Steve Moriarty, (2024) https://amzn.to/3T2cjgv 

https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a44362322/a-cross-between-janis-joplin-and-johnny-rotten-remembering-mia-zapata-of-the-gits/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mia-zapata-murderer-dead-1170206/

https://web.archive.org/web/20130406042509/http://thegits.com/?page_id=410

https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/singer-s-killer-gets-37-years-1143741.php

“Mia: Mia Zapata left her Louisville roots for a shot at success with her band, The Gits. But death ended her dream, and her killer is still at large,” James Nold, Jr., The Courier-Journal, Oct. 9, 1993. 

Links: 

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

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com 

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

In 1975, a renowned drummer who played with some of the most prominent artists of the 1960s and ‘70s was found shot and killed after an apparent botched robbery. 

But some suspected Al Jackson, Jr. had been set up for murder.  Was his soon-to-be ex-wife involved in his slaying? Was a friend’s relationship with a wanted fugitive to blame?  Or was he privy to sensitive music business information that made him a target? 

Resources: 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/25/al-jackson-jr-memphis-sunset-the-mysterious-death-of-stax-heartbeat 

http://staxrecords.free.fr/aljacksonpage.htm

https://torontosun.com/news/world/hunter-murder-music-and-the-memphis-sound-of-stax-volt

http://vancouverdrummer.blogspot.com/2017/09/al-jackson.html

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com 

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

In this episode, a young Ohio man begins playing music before he is barely out of diapers. He and his brothers would form a band and shoot to the top of the charts. They were hometown heroes and certified music stars, but a baffling turn of events would end in a double tragedy.  

This is chapter one in the Rocktober series, “Murdered Musicians” - Zapped - The Life and Death of Funk Musician Roger. 

Resources: 

https://www.dayton.com/news/local/icon-lost-one-dayton-most-gut-wrenching-murders-years-ago/g0LamsZlgO9s7NvR6Ar6cM/

https://www.daytondailynews.com/what-to-know/troutman-brothers-shot-dead-recording-artist-believed-victim-in-murder-suicide/HDHRGKMFV5BP5DQVK53FIE7DX4/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/zapp-brothers-found-dead-90905/

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/photos-roger-troutman-and-the-legendary-zapp-band-through-the-years/s5jkHsjNadR3ym8L3YLK9H/

https://vimeopro.com/user15889254/unsung/video/301288752 

https://www.grunge.com/931330/the-tragic-1999-murder-of-funk-legend-roger-troutman-explained/

https://ohtravel88.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/the-tragic-stories-of-roger-larry-troutman-and-ray-combs/

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

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

On a dark night in April 1989, a young man named Chip Flynn was shot in a Florida orange grove. His ex-girlfriend Kim was the only surviving witness and claimed a Black man had robbed, kidnapped, and killed Chip. A year later, Crosley Green was sentenced to death by an all-white jury for Flynn's murder. After 32 years behind bars, a judge ruled Green was wrongfully convicted — so why is he still in prison? Here’s a preview of the new “48 Hours” podcast, “Murder in the Orange Grove: The Troubled Case Against Crosley Green” which offers the most comprehensive deep dive into this shocking case that leaves one man fighting desperately for his freedom. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty has followed this controversial case for 25 years, delving into inconsistencies — from coerced confessions to allegations of a racial hoax — that challenge the integrity of the verdict. You can hear the rest of this episode by searching for “Murder in the Orange Grove: The Troubled Case Against Crosley Green”wherever you get your podcasts.

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