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 216: Spree Killers:...

09.13.2021

In 1973, a violent sexual predator went on a killing spree in the Adirondack Mountains. In Part 1 of this 2-part series, I detail Garrow’s abusive childhood, history of violence, and the escalation of his crimes from theft, to kidnapping ...

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime episodes:

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.
04.27.2020 Episode 166: StepMonsters - Joshua and Jerome Ellis An abusive stepfather gets his comeuppance when his stepsons turn on him resulting in a grisly murder.
04.20.2020 Episode 165: StepMonsters: Tracey Wright A child, unwanted from birth and neglected by her birth parents, is hopeful that her new stepmother will love her like a daughter. It is not to be and her story will become a cautionary tale in the U.K. of ...
04.06.2020 Episode 164: StepMonsters: The Disappearance of Charlie Bothuell In our new series, “StepMonsters,” I’ll share stories of bad stepparents whose actions became true crime news. In this first episode I'll share the story of a young boy who went missing and was found in a very unlikely place. ...
03.30.2020 Episode 163: Swan Songs: Evelyn Dick A gruesome crime would become a media sensation in Canada in 1946 when a beautiful young woman was accused of the grisly murder. This is the case of the infamous Evelyn Dick and the Torso Murder of 1946.Link to listen ...
03.23.2020 Episode 162: Swan Songs - Gerald Friend - "Polly" In 1991, Kurt Cobain released a song on the album Nevermind. Titled "Polly" the song was inspired by a kidnapping and rape of a young girl in Tacoma, Washington. This is the story of that crime.Listen to "Polly" by Nirvana ...
03.09.2020 Episode 161: Swan Songs: Jennifer Levin A young girl is brutally murdered in New York's Central Park in 1986. Her killer, Robert Chambers, would be dubbed "The Preppy Killer" in the press and his victim's name would be dragged through the mud. This is the real ...
03.03.2020 Episode 160: Swan Songs: Katherine Korzilius The mysterious death of a young girl inspires Jon Bon Jovi to record a song dedicated to her. This is the case of Katherine Korzilius.
02.25.2020 Episode 159: Bad Seeds: Leslie Arnold In Nebraska, in 1958, a high school junior holds animosity towards his mother and takes deadly revenge. He is caught and imprisoned and, years later, disappears for decades. Where is Leslie Arnold today?
02.11.2020 Episode 158: Bad Seeds: Lowell Lee Andrews In Kansas in 1958, an 18-year-old kills both of his parents and his only sibling. Was it a case of greed, mental illness, or was Andrews just a "bad seed"? #parricide #InColdBlood #TheBrothersKaramazov #deathrow #familyannihilators
02.04.2020 Episode 157: Bad Seeds: Marlene Olive In 1975, a rebellious teen enlists her boyfriend to kill her parents in a small, Northern California town. The gruesome crime would be dubbed "The Barbecue Murders" in the press.
01.28.2020 Episode 156: Behind the Crime: Aileen Wuornos In this special episode I'll do an in-depth look at the infamous serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Time stamps:Early Life: 02:41Teen Years: 13:25Young Adult Life: 32:17On the Road: 35:30Criminal Activity: 36:12Tyra: 47:30The Victims: 55:57Closing In/The Arrest: 1:36:40The Confession: 1:44:46Arlene Pralle/Adoption: 1:51:50The ...
01.05.2020 Bonus Episode: Happy New Year from Once Upon a Crime On this bonus episode I share the highs and lows for 2019, list the top episodes of last year, talk about upcoming events and share the last word on the 2019 plagiarism scandal.
12.17.2019 Episode 155: Analyzing the JonBenet Ramsey Case with Jack Luna On this special episode my guest is Jack Luna from Crime Machine Podcast. We discuss the evidence and theories behind the JonBenet Ramsey Case.
12.10.2019 Episode 154: The Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis w/Erica Kelly On this special episode, I discuss the death of Shawn Stephens Lewis. Shawn was the fifth wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, the rock and country music star. When Shawn Lewis was found dead in Lewis's mansion on August 24, 1983, ...
12.03.2019 Episode 153: AMA and Case Updates for 2019 On this year-end wrap up episode, I answer listener questions and share updates on cases I've covered in past episodes.
11.26.2019 Episode 152: Fugitives from Justice: Ruth Eisemann-Schier In this last episode about fugitives on the run from the law I tell you the story of the very first woman ever to make the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. Ruth Eisemann-Schier, along with her boyfriend, Gary Krist, carried ...
11.19.2019 Episode 151: Fugitives from Justice: Alex Kelly A young man from a wealthy family is accused of committing two rapes while still in high school. Before he could be tried on these charges he'd flee the jurisdiction and disappear for eight years before finally being brought to ...
11.12.2019 Episode 150: Fugitives from Justice: Nazira Ugalde and Brenda Delgado In this episode I’ll share two separate cases of women who became part of a very small and exclusive club - women who made the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. Nazira Ugalde killed for financial gain and flees to South ...
11.05.2019 Episode 149: Fugitives from Justice: Jesse James Hollywood A small time drug dealer kidnaps a rival's younger brother in order to settle a debt. The unfolding series of events would become one of California's most bizarre and tragic kidnapping cases on record and would even inspire an award-winning ...
10.21.2019 Episode 148: Rocktober: Rock and Roll Haunts In this episode I dig into my file of spooky stories to share some haunted happenings in the world of rock and roll. #themansionatlaurelcanyon #redhotchilipeppers #slipknot #hauntedhouses #bonscott #joshuatreeinn #halloween #ghoststories
10.14.2019 Episode 147: Rocktober: The Bob Marley Assassination Attempt Bob Marley went from singing R&B harmonies in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica to becoming a pioneer of reggae music, bringing his own blend of reggae, rock and ska music to a global audience. But as a popular figure in Jamaica, he ...
10.07.2019 Episode 146: Rocktober: Altamont, The Rolling Stone and The Hells Angels A free concert took place in northern California in December of 1969 featuring The Rolling Stones. It would descend into chaos due to poor planning, rampant drug use and the ill-advised use of the Hells Angels as concert security.
09.30.2019 Episode 145: Taunting Terrors: Ruth Finley and The Poet A woman begins receiving harassing phone calls and letters from a stalker. It would take years to discover who the anonymous man was, but when he was finally identified a shocking secret would be revealed.
09.23.2019 Episode 144: Taunting Terrors: Susan Jaeger A 7-year-old goes missing while on a family camping trip in 1973. Anonymous calls would be placed demanding a ransom, but, the trail would grow cold until exactly one year later when the kidnapper would call her mother to brag ...
09.16.2019 Episode 143: Taunting Terrors: Little Gregory and The Crow In a small French village, a little boy goes missing and the family receives anonymous letters from a person taking responsibility who is dubbed "The Crow". This strange case could be considered the Jon Benet Ramsey case of France.
09.09.2019 Episode 142: Taunting Terrors: Shari Faye Smith A young girl goes missing in South Carolina in 1985. Soon after, her kidnapper would begin calling her family - but not to make demands for her safe return, but only to cruelly taunt them. This is the first chapter ...
08.26.2019 Episode 141: Cursed Hollywood: The Poltergeist Curse A horror film franchise is seemingly cursed when it experiences tragedies including hauntings, serious accidents, fatal illness and murder. #DominiqueDunne #LouPerryman #HeatherORourke
08.19.2019 Episode 140: Cursed Hollywood: The Little Rascals From 1922 to the 1940s over 40 child actors would be cast in a popular series of short films and many of them would later fall victim to strange accidents, illnesses, drug addiction, financial hardship, murder and suicide. This is ...
08.12.2019 Episode 139: Cursed Hollywood: The Curse of Superman Every manifestation of the Man of Steel - comic books, television shows and films - has been marked by bad blood, shattered careers, tragic accidents and even murder. This is the Curse of Superman.
08.05.2019 Episode 138: Cursed Hollywood: Diff'rent Strokes Three child actors become stars after being cast in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes in 1978. But, all three would go on to live troubled adult lives including drug addiction, legal troubles and untimely death. These are the stories of Todd ...
07.29.2019 Episode 137: Deadly Therapy - Susan Polk Susan Polk enters into a relationship with her therapist when she is a young girl. Years later, after 20 years of marriage, she will claim she has been abused by her husband for decades. After he is found dead in ...
07.28.2019 Episode 136: Deadly Therapy: Terrance Cottrell A mother seeks help for her special needs child, but a church prayer service ends tragically.
07.08.2019 Episode 135: Deadly Therapy - Candace Newmaker In the second chapter of the series "Deadly Therapy" a young girl who grows up in an unstable home is placed up for adoption. Her adoptive mother finds her behavior problematic and has her undergo a new and controversial therapy ...
07.01.2019 Episode 134: Deadly Therapy: James Arthur Ray This month's series, "Deadly Therapy", details cases of people seeking help from experts, but rather than receiving healing, their journeys came to an abrupt and deadly end. In Chapter One, James, Arthur Ray, success coach and guru, requires his followers ...
06.24.2019 Episode 133: Twin Terrors: Sunny and Gina Han Identical twin sisters, Sunny and Gina Han were lifelong rivals. One sister's jealousy would lead her to plot her twin's murder.
06.22.2019 Bonus Episode - CrimeCon 2019 and Travel Tales On this bonus episode I take you along with me to CrimeCon 2019 in New Orleans and my travels to New York City and Toronto for the Toronto True Crime Film Festival.
06.22.2019 Once Upon a Crime LIVE at CrimeCon 2019 In this bonus episode, I interview Jan Broberg and Skye Borgman about their documentary film "Abducted in Plain Sight" LIVE at CrimeCon 2019 in New Orleans.
06.10.2019 Episode 132: Twin Terrors: The Gibbons Sisters - Part 2 I continue the story of the Gibbons Sisters - twins who were locked in a battle their entire lives. Neither believed they could survive without the other, but controlled each other so completely they only spoke to or associated with ...
06.03.2019 Episode 131: Twin Terrors: The Gibbons Sisters - Part 1 June and Jennifer Gibbons were identical twins who, from a very young age, were so bonded to one another that they created their own “twin language” to communicate speaking only to one another. They rejected any other relationships including their ...
05.24.2019 Bonus Episode: Where Are They Now? - The Cleveland Kidnappings "Lost and Found" was the very first series of Once Upon a Crime in June, 2016. In that series I covered the story of three young women who were held captive and abused by Ariel Castro for over a decade. ...
05.13.2019 Episode 130: Disorder in the Court: Ellie Nesler A mother takes justice into her own hands in Jamestown, California in 1993 when she discovers her son has been abused by a child molester. Some called her a hero, others denounced her actions as vigilantism. This is Chapter 2 ...
05.06.2019 Episode 129: Disorder in the Court: The Atlanta Courthouse Killer In 2005, a man on trial for rape escapes custody in Atlanta's Fulton County Courthouse and goes on a violent rampage. This is Chapter 1 of "Disorder in the Court".
04.29.2019 Episode 128: Bad Sports: Ten Cent Beer Night A summer ball game descends into chaos when a promotional event goes seriously awry. This is the last chapter in the series "Bad Sports" recounting the Cleveland Indians' "Ten Cent Beer Night" riot.
04.15.2019 Episode 127: Bad Sports: Soccer Brawl in Brazil A friendly soccer game on a dusty field in Brazil turns into a horrific act of violence.

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