According to Warren Jeffs’ thousands of followers, he was the leader of a secretive but devoted religion – their prophet, and the representative of God on Earth. But according to US law, he was a dangerous, totalitarian, child-molesting horror with over 80 wives – some married off as young as 12. Still, according to the church, Earthly laws are no match for the voice of God.

In this episode, we explore the story behind the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: how the visions of a charismatic, seventeen-year-old farmhand grew to become a major world religion; how plural marriage caused a major rift in the church; and how its teachings were warped into a systematic cult of child abuse, underage sex, and absolute power.

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

In 2009, the horror film ‘Orphan’ told the tale of a couple who unwittingly adopted a 9-year-old girl, who (spoilers) turned out to be a murderous, adult woman.

Sometimes though, reality is stranger than fiction. A year after the film’s release, the Barnetts, a wealthy picture-perfect American family, adopted 6-year-old Natalia Grace from Ukraine. But within just 3 years, they’d abandoned her and fled to Canada. 

Why? According to the Barnetts, Natalia – who had a rare form of dwarfism – wasn’t a little girl at all. She was actually a 22-year-old woman who was trying to murder their whole family. In this bizarre case, everything most definitely isn’t as it seems…

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

Violently stabbed to death in their own home, the bodies of Debra and Marc Richardson showed the signs of an almighty struggle.

The body of their eight-year-old son Tyler Jacob was upstairs, and their twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine was missing. It all suggested a brutal home invasion, with Jasmine’s abduction as the motive. Yet the narrative the police unwound was more confusing, disturbing – and downright cringe-worthy – than anything they could have imagined. This was the ‘love story’ of a ‘rawr’cous, side-fringed, goth girl and her three-hundred-year-old werewolf boyfriend.

Follow us on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

Visit our website:

Website

Sources available on redhandedpodcast.com

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

How did an orphan from Bogotá, Colombia, become one of the most audacious white-collar criminals in the US during early 2000s? 

Starting his con career in Michigan at the age of just 12, Anthony Gignac transformed himself into a Saudi prince and spent three decades conning society’s elite out of millions – until one day his royal façade cracked, when he ordered the wrong entrée at a restaurant…

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

On 14th June 2017, a fire engulfed Grenfell Tower, a high-rise residential building in West London. 

74 people died, and the tragedy became one of the darkest days in recent British history.

But worst of all, the incident was completely avoidable. This is the story of how decades of government corruption and unbelievable corporate greed killed so many innocent people.

As part of our coverage of the Grenfell case, and to support those still affected today - we’re going to be donating a portion of our ad revenue from this episode to the Grenfell Foundation. 

If you’d like to find out more about the Grenfell Foundation please follow this link: https://www.grenfellfoundation.org.uk/fundraising

Follow us on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

Visit our website:

Website

Sources available on redhandedpodcast.com

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

In our second instalment, Hannah & Suruthi turn to Christopher George Latore Wallace – better known as the Notorious B.I.G. – and his side of the Biggie/Tupac saga. Lyrically gifted, privately educated and no stranger to a little crack dealing, Biggie became the face the East Coast rap scene in one of the genre's most volatile and dangerous eras. 

So what happened to Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls? As H&S find out, sometimes the simplest explanation is the most likely...

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

With the news that Kathleen Folbigg has finally been pardoned, we wanted to help you revisit this case, and Kathleen's incredibly tragic story by re-uploading our episode from August 2022.

“One sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder”; this theory has pervaded criminal investigations for decades. So when Kathleen Folbigg’s daughter, Laura, became her fourth child to die mysteriously - Kathleen found herself labeled “Australia’s Worst Female Serial Killer”.

Today we delve into two unbelievable cases which highlight the immense challenges of the intersection between science and justice in the courtroom.

Follow us on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

Visit our website:

Website

Sources available on redhandedpodcast.com

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

Stories of death, drugs, and gang violence were inextricably linked, in the 90s media, to the nation’s biggest rap stars. 

Tupac Shakur was one of the decade’s biggest and most admired music icons – until his life was cut tragically short in 1996. By the time he died, he’d been involved in three high-profile shootings, done time for sexual assault, and been associated with serious career criminals. So what happened?

Get the 4-1-1 on two of hip-hop’s biggest stars as we celebrate our 300th episode in the only way appropriate - a Tupac and Biggie Two-Parter

Follow us on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

Visit our website:

Website

Sources available on redhandedpodcast.com

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

When five members of the cheery, churchgoing Dupont de Ligonnès family were found dead at their home in Nantes – buried in the garden with small Catholic relics – a million questions erupted from neighbours, family and friends.

But for the police, only one question mattered: where was the sixth? Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès was nowhere to be found. And as they dug into his past, they uncovered a story that’s obsessed the nation of France for years: one of an ancient aristocratic dynasty, of international espionage, and a crime scene that, decades later, still refuses to add up…

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

To make sure that none of you miss out we've updated our episode on Lori Vallow to include an update on her trial! Listen to this episode and this week's episode of ShortHand for the full scoop.

47-year-old mum of 3, Lori Vallow was convinced of two things; she was a god and the world was ending. Her job was to prepare her people for the second coming of Christ, in July 2020...

But even as her behaviour became increasingly erratic, and even as those around her started to die in mysterious ways, and even when 2 of her kids - J.J. and Tylee - vanished, it took a shockingly long time for the alarm to be raised.

By which point, it would be far too late for the missing children...

Follow us on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

Visit our website:

Website

Sources available on redhandedpodcast.com

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