Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

By Esther Ludlow

Society & Culture History

What's Once Upon A Crime | True Crime about?

THE podcast for the true crime addict. True crime stories are told chapter by chapter - kidnappings, murders, mysterious disappearances, serial killers, celebrity crime and more.

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Episode 211: Deathbed Confe...

07.19.2021

In this series I share cases where people on their deathbeds finally confess to terrible crimes. In his episode you’ll hear about a brutal murder that went unsolved for over a dozen years when the perpetrator confessed before meeting his ...

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime episodes:

07.19.2021 Episode 211: Deathbed Confessions: James Washington In this series I share cases where people on their deathbeds finally confess to terrible crimes. In his episode you’ll hear about a brutal murder that went unsolved for over a dozen years when the perpetrator confessed before meeting his ...
07.12.2021 Episode 210: Deathbed Confessions: Geraldine Kelley In this series "Deathbed Confessions" I share cases that went cold and the perpetrator was only revealed when they made a deathbed confession. In this first episode, a dying woman reveals a long-held secret to her children, leading to a ...
06.28.2021 Episode 209: Buried Truth: Dorothea Puente In this final chapter of “Buried Truth” I share a story of one of the most rare categories of criminal - the female serial killer. Behind her grandmotherly exterior, Dorothea Puente was hiding some very dark secrets very close to ...
06.21.2021 Episode 208: Buried Truth: Christopher Denoyer A teenage boy goes missing in 1984. Authorities would quickly decide that he was a runaway, but his family didn’t agree. Fourteen years later his fate would be learned in a shocking and unusual way. Resources: The New Detectives: Grave ...
06.14.2021 Episode 207: Buried Truth: Russell Tillis and "The House of Horrors" In this month’s series “Buried Truth” I share cases where a person goes missing never to be seen again. Just when it seemed their fate would remain a mystery, the truth would be uncovered. This time, a neighborhood menace harbors ...
06.07.2021 Bonus Episode - OUAC Celebrating 5 Years in True Crime Once Upon a Crime celebrates 5 years in true crime by summarizing the show by the numbers, sharing 5 Surprising True Crime Facts, and letting listeners in on a giveaway to win OUAC merchandise and prizes. Text OUAC to 408-676-1770 ...
05.24.2021 Episode 206: The Trailside Killer, Part 3 This is a double episode to conclude the month-long miniseries where I detail the case of serial killer David Carpenter, known as “The Trailside Killer”. Carpenter stalked and killed men and women on the hiking trails of Marin County, San ...
05.17.2021 Episode 205: The Trailside Killer, Part 2 In Part 2 of this 3-part mini-series, I’ll continue the story about a random series of attacks that took place on hiking trails in northern California beginning in 1979, soon after David Carpenter was released from prison for an earlier ...
05.10.2021 Episode 204: The Trailside Killer, Part 1 This month I’ll be sharing a 3-part miniseries. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Northern California was terrorized by a series of random murders that took place on hiking trails in state parks, national forests and coastal lands. The ...
04.26.2021 Episode 203 Artful Crimes, Volume 2: The Van Gogh Museum Heist In 2002, two paintings were stolen from The Van Gogh Museum worth $30 million dollars. The investigation into this crime would involve law enforcement in several countries. Special investigators in both art crimes and organized crime units would also be ...
04.21.2021 Bonus Episode - CrimeConVersations with Mens Rea This bonus episode is brought to you by Once Upon a Crime in partnership with CrimeCon UK. I have a CrimeConVersation with Sinead from Mens Rea Podcast about true crime, being a true crime podcaster, women and true crime and ...
04.19.2021 Episode 202: Artful Crimes, Volume 2 - Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Massacre Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright begins an affair with Martha “Mamah” Borthwick. When the scandal threatens his career and reputation, he builds a home near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Called “Taliesin”, it was supposed to be a place of peace and ...
04.14.2021 Bonus Episode - Listener Q&A To celebrate reaching 200 episodes we created a bonus episode to answer listener questions. Thanks everyone for submitting them!Links: www.Patreon.com/onceuponacrimeTo listen to our "haunted" episode go to Episode #108 - Haunted Homicides: The LaLaurie Mansion. Some hear a "ghost" at ...
04.12.2021 Episode 201: Artful Crimes, Volume 2: The Murder of Mary Pinchot Meyer A contemporary artist is murdered in broad daylight in Washington D.C. Conspiracy theories about who was responsible begin to swirl after her close connection to John F. Kennedy is revealed. Resources: “The Last Painting of Mary Pinchot Meyer” by Maria ...
03.22.2021 Episode 200: Chopped: Anjette Donovan Lyles A young widow opens her own restaurant in Macon, Georgia in the 1950s. Suspicions arise when the people closest to her begin falling ill and dying. Was Anjette Lyles a serial killer?
03.15.2021 Episode 199: Chopped: Anthony Kelly and Gordon Ramsay's "Bad Boys Bakery" Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay enters London's Brixton Prison in 2012 in an attempt to teach a group of inmates to run a successful bakery. Would he succeed or would the men return to a life of crime once the cameras ...
03.09.2021 Episode 198: Chopped: David Viens In this series we'll take a look at the restaurant industry to ask "What happens when good cooks go bad?". In this episode, a restaurateur in Southern California is suspected of murder when his wife disappears. What detectives discover would ...
02.23.2021 Episode 197: Hookups from Hell: Takahiro Shiraishi - "The Twitter Killer" A serial killer preys on vulnerable women in Tokyo, Japan. He will meet his victims on Twitter. (Caution: This episode contains the subject of suicide.)
02.16.2021 Episode 196: Hookups from Hell: Wade Ridley - "The Match.com Murderer" Two women meet a man on Match.com. After they end the relationship, he vows deadly revenge.
02.09.2021 Episode 195: Hookups from Hell: Mark Twitchell - "The Dexter Killer" A Canadian man, inspired by the television show Dexter, lures his murder victims through online dating sites.
01.26.2021 Episode 194: Serial Predator: Curtis Dean Anderson - Part 3 In Part 3 of this miniseries, Curtis Dean Anderson confesses to a high-profile missing child case. He would be investigated for a series of abductions and murders of children in Northern California. Was he a serial killer as he claimed ...
01.19.2021 Episode 193: Serial Predator: Curtis Dean Anderson - Part 2 In part two of this miniseries the bravery of an 8-year-old girl unmasks a serial predator named Curtis Dean Anderson. He would be linked to the disappearance of Xiana Fairchild.
01.12.2021 Episode 192: Serial Predator: Curtis Dean Anderson - Part 1 A 7-year-old goes missing from Vallejo, California in 1999. It would be some time before Xiana Fairchild would be linked to a serial predator who would ultimately be connected to several missing and murdered women and children in Northern California ...
12.15.2020 Episode 191: The Craziest Crime Stories of 2020 w/Leroy Luna This week my special guest is Leroy Luna from Excuse Me, That's Illegal Podcast. We discuss some bizarre crimes, the dumbest criminals and crime stories that could only have happened in 2020.
12.08.2020 Episode 190: Cases You Probably Haven't Heard About, But Should Have In this episode I'll share three true crime cases you may not have heard of, but should have. My special guest host is Laurah from The Fall Line and One Strange Thing Podcasts.
11.17.2020 Episode 189: Body of Evidence: Stacy Peterson Two women thought they'd met the man of their dreams. But one of them would be found dead of mysterious circumstances and one would go missing never to be seen again. Would justice prevail to convict Drew Peterson for these ...
11.10.2020 Episode 188: Body of Evidence: Sierra LaMar A teenager goes missing in Morgan Hill, California never to be seen again. It would take meticulous detective work to prove she'd been the victim of a murder and bring her killer to justice.
11.03.2020 Episode 187: Body of Evidence: Anne Marie Fahey This month's series features crimes that were solved...without a body. Tom Capano thought he'd pulled off the perfect murder when his ex-girlfriend disappeared. Meticulous detective work and dogged determination would be needed to solve the crime.
10.22.2020 October Announcements and Upcoming Events News, updates and announcements for our listeners! #updates #news #events #CrimeCon #AltaOnline #JournalofAlta #DiscoverPods #Patreon
10.19.2020 Episode 186: Ghosts in the Attic: Daniel LaPlante A story about a teenage stalker who hides in his victim's homes to prey upon them becomes an urban legend. But, the true life and crimes of Daniel J. LaPlante would be a real-life horror story.
10.12.2020 Episode 185: Ghosts in the Attic: Otto Sanhuber The mysterious murder of Fred William Oesterreich in Los Angeles in 1922 would be revealed years later as one of the strangest and most bizarre true crime cases in California history
10.05.2020 Episode 184: Ghosts in the Attic: Natasha Ryan In 1998, a 14-year-old disappeared from Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It would be feared she had become a victim of serial killer, Leonard Fraser, but this story would end with a shocking revelation.
09.21.2020 Episode 183: Bad Teacher: John J. Donovan, Sr. A multimillionaire in a feud with his family over money and property perpetrates a bizarre hoax in order to get revenge on his children and hold on to his assets.
09.14.2020 Episode 182: Bad Teacher: Vincent Brothers A well-respected educator in Bakersfield, California is accused of a brutal crime - the murders of five of his family members.
09.07.2020 Episode 181: Bad Teacher: Mary Kay Letourneau In this month's series "Bad Teacher" I'll share cases of educators who committed newsworthy crimes. First up, a 34-year-old teacher scandalizes the nation when she is convicted of child rape with one of her 6th grade students.
08.31.2020 Episode 180: Familiar Strangers: Anastasia Romanov, Part 2 In Part 2 of Familiar Strangers - Anastasia Romanov, a young woman comes forward claiming to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. The investigation into her claim would take decades to solve her true identity. I welcome back my sister, Yolanda, ...
08.24.2020 Episode 179: Familiar Strangers: Anastasia Romanov, Part 1 On this first part of a 2-part episode, I share the fascinating story of the disappearance of the last imperial family of Russia, the Romanovs.
08.10.2020 Episode 178: Familiar Strangers: Walter Collins, Part 2 On this second part of a two-part episode we continue the story of 9-year-old Walter Collins who went missing from Los Angeles in 1928. In part two, we discover that a serial killer, Gordon Stewart Northcott, has been preying on ...
08.03.2020 Episode 177: Familiar Strangers: Walter Collins - Part 1 A young boy who goes missing in 1928. When he returns home, his mother will say he's an imposter, but her claims are dismissed. Who was the boy claiming to be her missing son and what happened to the real ...
07.27.2020 Episode 176: Stranger Than Fiction: Starr Faithfull and "BUtterfield 8" The life and tragic death of a young socialite in the 1930s inspires an Academy Award winning movie. But, Starr Faithfull's life was far from the glamorous treatment it would receive on the big screen.
07.22.2020 Bonus Episode: "Ripped from the Headlines" with author Harold Schechter As a bonus for this month's theme "Stranger Than Fiction" I interviewed author Harold Schechter about his new book, Ripped from the Headlines: The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movies' Most Memorable Crimes, an anthology of forty true crime cases ...
07.13.2020 Episode 175: Stranger Than Fiction: Belva Gaertner & Beulah Annan and Chicago Two women accused of murder in the Roaring 20s would become the inspiration for one of the best known and longest running shows in American musical theater history. This is the story of the real life Roxie and Velma from ...
07.06.2020 Episode 174: Stranger Than Fiction: Richard Crafts and "Fargo" In 1986, a beautiful young mother discovers her husband is cheating on her and files for divorce. Soon afterward, she goes missing. Discovering what happened to Helle Crafts would take an small army of detectives, forensic scientists, serologists, forensic anthropologists, ...
06.29.2020 Episode 173: Till Death Do Us Part: Nancy Andrade and Mark Crew In the last chapter of "Till Death Do Us Part" a woman meets and quickly marries a man. He promises her a new life, but soon after the wedding she goes missing. It will take years of investigative and legal ...
06.22.2020 Episode 172: Till Death Do Us Part: Kelly Ecker and Scott Samson A bride sees many red flags in her relationship before walking down the aisle. but her fear of angering her fiancee would compel her to go through with the ceremony. Within hours, that decision would become fatal. #domestic violence #coercive ...
06.08.2020 Episode 171: Till Death Do Us Part: Jordan Graham and Cody Johnson A new bride decides she's made a mistake in tying the knot. The decision she makes in order to end the marriage will be a shocking act of cruelty.
06.01.2020 Episode 170: Till Death Do Us Part: Wendy Trapaga and Michel Escoto In this series, I'll share cases of newlyweds who's lives were cut short by the person who vowed to love them forever. In this first case, a young bride is unaware that her new spouse married her to collect on ...
05.18.2020 Episode 169: Last Dance: The Pelley Murders - Part 2 In Part 2 of "The Pelley Murders" I'll tell you about Jeff Pelley's trial, theories of the murder and give you a strange and compelling story about who else may have been responsible for the murders of Bob Pelley and ...
05.11.2020 Episode 168: Last Dance: The Pelley Murders - Part 1 A 17-year-old is suspected in the murder of four of his family members because he was forbidden from attending his prom. Was this a case of a homicidal teen or a rush to judgement?
05.04.2020 Episode 167: Last Dance: Adam Sapikowski In this series, "Last Dance", I share stories of crimes that happened on prom night. In the first episode, a teenager commits an act of parricide then attends his prom and holds a party at the crime scene.

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