Prash's Murder Map: True Crime Podcast

In Victorian London, 15-year-old Agnes Norman was working as a nursemaid when a 14-month-old girl in her care died suddenly and mysteriously. When suspicions were raised, police uncovered a disturbing pattern. Over the previous three years, Agnes had worked in several households, and each time, a string of sudden deaths – children and pets alike - followed in her wake. Was it cold-blooded murder, or a stunningly tragic coincidence?

📖 Read the full article:
https://prashganendran.com/penny_dreadfuls/the-murderess-of-newington-butts-the-strange-case-of-agnes-norman/

📬 Subscribe to my free newsletter and read more true crime articles:
https://prashganendran.com

📺 Watch the video version:
https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

📘 My latest book:
Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde': The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio-only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash's Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Music:
Epidemic Sound
"Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - ending Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk, including Census Records for 1851, 1861, and 1871.
England, Manchester, Parish Registers, 1603-1954, FamilySearch.
Old Bailey Online.
Sun & Central Press, Saturday 6 May 1871.
Norwood News, Saturday 13 May 1871.
Public Opinion, Saturday 2 September 1871.
Essex Times, Wednesday 19 July 1871. 
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Saturday 20 May 1871.
Simon Read, Scotland Yard: A Bloody History (Headline).
Paul Thomas Murphy, Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane.

In November 1884, 68-year-old Emma Ann Whitehead Keyse was brutally murdered in her home in Babbacombe, Devon. As investigators pieced together the crime, suspicion fell on a household member, leading to a trial that gripped the public. But the story didn’t end in the courtroom, as the fate of the accused would take an extraordinary turn that made headlines across Victorian England.


📖 Prefer to read? Full article:
https://prashganendran.com/penny_dreadfuls/john-babbacombe-lee/

📘 My latest book:
Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde': The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Watch the video version:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.

Music:
"Lightless Dawn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Long Note Two” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/



Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
Home Office Records, HO 144/148//A38492: Criminal Cases: Lee, John
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams - Monday 19 September 1881
Express and Echo - Monday 17 November 1884
Wigan Observer and District Advertiser - Friday 21 November 1884
Herald of Wales - Saturday 06 December 1884
North London News - Saturday 07 February 1885
North Devon Journal - Thursday 28 January 1909
Rope, Knife and Chair by Guy Logan, 1928
The Man They Could Not Hang: The True Story of John Lee by Michael Holgate, 2005

Eugen Weidmann, a German-born criminal, carried out a spree of theft, kidnapping, and murder in Paris in the late 1930s, in a case that involved foreign victims, buried bodies, ransom notes, and multiple accomplices. His calm, deceptive charm helped him evade the police for two years before he was finally captured. In 1939, Weidmann became the last man to be publicly guillotined; a controversial method of execution that would remain in use in France until 1977.

📖 Prefer to read? Full article:
https://prashganendran.com/eugen-weidmann-last-public-execution-france/

📘 Learn more about my latest book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

Subscribe to my free newsletter:
https://prashganendran.com

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.

Music:
“Long Note Two” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Long Note Three" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
Daily Herald – Thursday 30 December 1937
San Francisco Chronicle – Sunday 25 December 1938
Bradford Observer – Tuesday 14 March 1939
Bradford Observer – Wednesday 15 March 1939
Daily News (London) – Thursday 16 March 1939
Daily Express – Friday 17 March 1939
Daily Express – Thursday 30 March 1939
Birmingham Mail – Saturday 01 April 1939
Leicester Evening Mail – Tuesday 16 May 1939
Hull Daily Mail – Saturday 17 June 1939
Halifax Evening Courier – Saturday 17 June 1939
Sunday Post – Sunday 18 June 1939
https://www.guillotine.dk/pages/history.html

After a birthday celebration in Birkenhead in 1925, the Tam family’s life of respectability and success suddenly unravelled in a violent tragedy. This episode explores the life of Lock Ah Tam, his role as a respected figure in Liverpool’s Chinese community, and the fateful events that led to one of the most shocking family murders of the era, set against the backdrop of Liverpool’s Chinatown and surrounded by the eerie coincidences that haunted the case long afterwards.

📖 Prefer to read? Full article:
https://prashganendran.com/lock-ah-tam-and-the-chinatown-tragedy/

📘 Learn more about my latest book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.

Music:
"Long Note Three", "Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
National Library of Wales
Liverpool Echo – Wednesday 02 December 1925
Lancashire Evening Post – Wednesday 02 December 1925
Evening Express – Thursday 03 December 1925
Northampton Chronicle and Echo – Friday 22 January 1926
Liverpool Evening Express – Wednesday 27 January 1926
Liverpool Echo – Friday 05 February 1926
Westminster Gazette – Saturday 06 February 1926
Leeds Mercury – Saturday 06 February 1926
Daily Express – Monday 08 February 1926 Shields Daily Gazette - Wednesday 13 August 1924 Daily Express – Monday 08 February 1926 (duplicate entry)
Widnes & Runcorn Chronicle – Saturday 27 March 1926
Sunday Sun – Sunday 28 March 1926 Illustrated Police News - Thursday 10 December 1925 Witness History – “The Scandal of Liverpool’s Missing Chinese Sailors”, 2020
LiverpoolEcho.co.uk – January 2022 Liverpool Daily Post - Thursday 11 February 1926 Daily Express - Wednesday 24 March 1926 Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer Sat, Nov 25 The Curious Disappearance of Mr Foo (Podcast), 2023
Murder Casebook 86 Friends of Flaybrick Memorial Gardens https://flaybrick.org/catherine-cecelia-and-doris-tam-1926/ Seal, L. & Neale, A., (2019) “Race, Racialisation and ‘Colonial Common Sense’ in Capital Cases of Men of Colour in England and Wales, 1919–1957”, Open Library of Humanities 5(1), 64. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/olh.471

On the streets of Folkestone, Kent, amid World War II, 18-year-old Caroline Trayler disappeared after being seen drinking at the local pub one Sunday evening in June 1943. When Police Constable Lewis entered a bombed-out grocer’s shop several days later in the hunt for the missing woman, he discovered a tragic scene which confirmed that the missing person’s case had now become a murder enquiry.

📘 Learn more about my latest book
Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📖 Prefer to read? Full article:
https://prashganendran.com/the-wartime-murder-of-caroline-trayler-by-dennis-leckey-1943/

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (audio only ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Music:
"Long Note Three", "Long Note Two" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sources:
Ancestry https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Professor Keith Simpson: An Autobiography, 1978, Harrap Ltd
A Lance for Liberty, J.D. Casswell, George Harrap & Co Ltd
British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
Daily News 22 June 1943
Folkestone Herald, 24 July 1943
Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald - Saturday 25 September 1943
Hull Daily Mail - Tuesday 02 November 1943
Daily Mirror - Tuesday 02 November 1943
Liverpool Echo - Saturday 06 November 1943
Sunday Sun (Newcastle) - Sunday 07 November 1943
Daily Herald - Saturday 24 February 1945
Gloucester Citizen - Saturday 24 February 1945
Stockport Advertiser and Guardian - Friday 23 March 1945
Kensington News and West London Times - Friday 23 August 1946
Wells Journal - Friday 04 October 1946
https://madebyredrose.co.uk/abuser/dennis-leckey?category=19
https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/cambridge-house-knowl-view-rochdale/part-f-other-institutions/dennis-leckey.html

In this special author discussion episode, Prash and Melissa Ganendran share their experiences of writing their latest book, which examines the 1944 crime spree of Elizabeth Jones and Karl Hulten, culminating in the murder of private car hire driver George Edward Heath. The case became known as the 'Cleft Chin Murder', while some newspapers at the time described the pair as London's 'Bonnie and Clyde'.

In the episode, we talk about how we discovered and researched the case, the lives and fateful meeting of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten, and some of the new information we uncovered.

For further information about Wartime London’s Bonnie and Clyde: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten, please visit: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Wartime-Londons-Bonnie-and-Clyde-The-Crime-Spree-of-Betty-Jones-and-Karl-Hulten-Hardback/p/57334

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/B7S_4DKxLa8

You can also find more about the book and our work on my website: https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

Thank you

In Lincolnshire in 1934, 44-year-old Arthur Major died suddenly. He had previously been healthy, and his wife seemed unusually eager to arrange his funeral. The ensuing investigation revealed a troubled marriage, and the circumstantial evidence against Ethel Major began to mount, in this vintage true crime case that captured the attention of both the local community and the national press, with Ethel later being dubbed the “corned beef killer.”

📖 Prefer to read? Full article:
https://prashganendran.com/the-ethel-major-murder-case-lincolnshire-1934/

📘 My latest book:
Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde': The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Subscribe for video versions:
https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk; National Archives; Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology; Hull History Centre. Newspaper coverage:
Lincolnshire Echo, 29 May 1934; Daily Mirror, 30 May 1934; Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 2 June 1934; Nottingham Journal, 1 August 1934; Daily Mirror, 3 August 1934; Nottingham Journal, 3 August 1934; Louth Standard, 4 August 1934; Boston Guardian, 4 August 1934; Lincolnshire Echo, 31 October 1934; Daily Express, 2 November 1934; Western Mail, 2 November 1934; Leicester Evening Mail, 19 December 1934, p.10; Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, 26 December 1934; Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal.

A routine patrol in northern France uncovered an abandoned car in May 1978, sparking a terrifying manhunt. Over months, shootings, bombings, and stolen vehicles terrorised the Oise region, while anonymous letters taunted law enforcement. When the pieces fell into place, it revealed a shocking truth: the Oise Killer had been hiding in plain sight all along.

Subscribe to my free newsletter:
https://prashganendran.com

YouTube:
📺 youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you for listening.
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going and is very much appreciated.


Sources:
Intégrale l'Affaire Alain Lamare - Au bout de l'enquête, 2023
Alain Lamare - Les affaires criminelles qui ont marqué la Picardie

In 1886, shootings in London were rare - even more so in broad daylight. In this episode, we explore the murder and robbery committed in a quiet Kentish Town road by George Finch, a would-be performer whose stage ambitions had faltered. Finch would avoid execution and go on to live a long life after his release from Broadmoor.

📖 Prefer to read? Full article:
https://prashganendran.com/penny_dreadfuls/murder-at-the-post-office-brecknock-road-kentish-town/

📘 Wartime London’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten
https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder

📺 Subscribe for video versions
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

💡 Support my work
Patreon (ad-free episodes): https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap
Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🎧 Listen to my other podcast Curious Britain
Explore the mysteries, folklore, and forgotten stories of Britain. Listen now: https://linktr.ee/curiousbritainpodcast

 🙏 Thank You!
Your support means the world to me and helps keep Prash’s Murder Map alive. I truly appreciate it!


Sources:
Popular Science Monthly (1875)
The People — Sunday 13 June 1886
Banbury Beacon — Saturday 19 June 1886
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette — Thursday 05 August 1886
St James's Gazette — Wednesday 04 August 1886
Jersey Express and Channel Islands Advertiser — Tuesday 10 August 1886
Kenilworth Advertiser — Saturday 25 November 1905
Old Bailey Online
Ancestry.co.uk

In 1895, 22-year-old Robert Hudson took his wife Kitty and their infant son on holiday to Helmsley, North Yorkshire. When they departed hurriedly under suspicious circumstances, the landlady at their boarding house was surprised. Soon, Kitty Hudson’s relatives grew concerned as to her whereabouts and the Yorkshire Police set out to track a killer who used multiple aliases and sent false letters to throw them off his trail. This episode revisits a little-known Victorian double murder case from North Yorkshire.

📄 Full written case file, sources & newsletter:
https://prashganendran.com/penny_dreadfuls/murder-on-roppa-moor-helmsley-1895/


📘 My latest book:
Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde': The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten https://prashganendran.com/the-cleft-chin-murder/

📺 Subscribe for video versions:
https://youtube.com/@prashsmurdermap

Support the show on Patreon for ad-free audio episodes:
https://www.patreon.com/prashsmurdermap


💰 One-off contributions
☕ Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/prashsmurdermap
💵 PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/prashsmurdermap

🙏 Thank you
Your support helps keep Prash’s Murder Map going, and it’s genuinely appreciated.

Sources:
Ancestry.co.uk
Manchester Courier – Tuesday 11 September 1894
Echo (London) – Monday 17 June 1895
Bingley Chronicle – Friday 21 June 1895
Loftus Advertiser – Friday 21 June 1895
Chard and Ilminster News – Saturday 22 June 1895
Bridlington Free Press – Saturday 22 June 1895
Wells Journal – Thursday 27 June 1895
Yorkshire Evening Post – Wednesday 19 June 1895
Huddersfield Daily Examiner – Monday 1 July 1895
Hull Daily Mail – Wednesday 3 July 1895
Stalybridge Reporter – Saturday 27 July 1895
Hull Daily Mail – Tuesday 13 August 1895
Bradford Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 13 August 1895
Weekly Dispatch (London) – Sunday 18 August 1895