Sirens: Southern True Crime

When Virginia Ridley was found dead inside her Georgia home in 1997, suspicion quickly fell on her husband, Alvin—a reclusive television repairman whose unusual behavior and eccentric reputation had made him an outsider in his own community.

Charged with his wife's murder, Alvin faced a criminal justice system that struggled to understand him. But attorney McCracken Poston Jr. would discover that behind the rumors, the locked doors, and the troubling circumstances of Virginia's death was a far more complicated story.

In this episode of Dreadfully Yours, I sit down with McCracken Poston Jr., criminal defense attorney and author of Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom, to discuss one of Georgia's most extraordinary murder trials.

From the challenges of representing an unconventional client to the evidence that would reshape the narrative surrounding Alvin and Virginia's marriage, McCracken shares his experiences inside and outside the courtroom—and reflects on the friendship that grew from a case neither man would ever forget.

It's a conversation about justice, prejudice, loyalty, love, and the danger of mistaking someone's differences for evidence of guilt.

Featured Book: Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom by McCracken Poston Jr. Find more info about Poston, Jr. on his website at https://www.zenithmanbook.com/ and find the book anywhere you get your books.

Originally available on:

Dreadfully Yours: Conversations with Dark Storytellers

Mentioned in this episode:

The Darkest Season: True Crime

Halloween Night. Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas morning. For mood readers who love true crime, get The Darkest Season today. Kindle Unlimited or Kindle. Paperback anywhere you get your books.

A special announcement from Raven Rollins introducing Dreadfully Yours: Conversations with Dark Storytellers — a brand new companion-ish podcast dedicated to conversations with authors, filmmakers, journalists, podcasters, musicians, and the minds behind the stories that linger long after the final page.

🎙️ Now streaming wherever you get your podcasts.

From chilling novels and psychological thrillers to horror, film, true crime, and the art of storytelling itself, Dreadfully Yours is a podcast that invites listeners into conversations with the minds behind the stories that stay with us.

Hosted by author, audiobook narrator, and podcaster Raven Rollins, each chapter blends cinematic narration with intimate discussions exploring fear, creativity, obsession, grief, suspense, and the human experiences woven into dark storytelling.

Find the podcast anywhere you stream your podcasts or web stream on Captivate.

Follow the pod: Facebook, Instagram

Dreadfully Yours, Raven Rollins

Seven-year-old Athena Strand should have been safe at home.

Instead, on November 30, 2022, she vanished from outside her father’s property in Paradise, Texas after a FedEx delivery driver came to the home. What followed became one of the most haunting child murder cases in recent memory — a case that would ultimately lead to the arrest, conviction, and death sentence of Tanner Horner.

In this episode, I walk through the timeline of Athena’s disappearance, the search efforts that gripped the community, the disturbing evidence shown during the capital murder sentencing trial, and the heartbreaking testimony from the people who loved Athena most.

Portions of audio featured in this episode come directly from the live trial proceedings, including testimony from Maitlyn Gandy and the Medical Examiner.

Listener discretion is strongly advised. This episode contains discussion of violence against a child, forensic testimony, and traumatic material.

Advocacy. Investigation. Education. Storytelling.

If you appreciate what I do, here are a few ways to support Sirens and help true crime stories reach more ears:

Rate, review, and share my podcast!

Find Raven's books at www.RavenRollins.com

Follow Sirens on Social Media https://my.link.gallery/thesirenspodcast

🎬 Binge your next obsession on Paramount+ — Try it FREE with our link! https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/3437665/2089315/3065

Mentioned in this episode:

This Is True Crime (Book)

This Is True Crime: How to Become an Advocate for Justice (book) by Raven Rollins

In this episode, I'm joined by Kathy Reichs, one of the most respected voices in forensic science and crime fiction. A practicing forensic anthropologist and the author behind the Temperance Brennan series (Bones), Reichs brings a rare dual perspective—working real cases involving unidentified remains while also translating that science into compelling narrative.

Our conversation moves beyond pop-culture portrayals of forensic work and into the reality of what bones can—and cannot—tell us. We talk about skeletal trauma, time since death, identification challenges, and the responsibility that comes with speaking for the dead. Reichs also reflects on how her real-world experience shapes her fiction, the limits of forensic certainty, and why patience and restraint matter as much as expertise in death investigations.

This is a grounded, thoughtful discussion about science, truth, and storytelling—centered not on spectacle, but on accountability, accuracy, and the lives behind the evidence.

Kathy Reichs is a board-certified forensic anthropologist who has worked on hundreds of cases involving unidentified human remains. She is also the bestselling author of the Temperance Brennan series, which inspired the television show Bones. Reichs is known for her insistence on scientific accuracy, ethical storytelling, and victim-centered work—both in the lab and on the page. You can get her book here, or wherever you get your books.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Darkest Season: True Crime

Halloween Night. Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas morning. For mood readers who love true crime, get The Darkest Season today. Kindle Unlimited or Kindle. Paperback anywhere you get your books.

In this episode of Sirens, I’m joined by Rachel Corbett, journalist, academic, and author of The Monsters We Make, for a deeply thoughtful conversation about crime, memory, and the stories we tell ourselves about evil.

Rachel shares how her own childhood experiences—and the moments that shaped her understanding of violence and fear—ultimately led her down the path of researching crime, criminal behavior, and the FBI’s approach to criminal profiling. What began as personal curiosity evolved into years of research that challenge some of the most widely accepted assumptions in true crime.

We talk in depth about The Monsters We Make, including what inspired the book, how personal history intersects with academic inquiry, and why criminal profiling may not be the reliable investigative tool pop culture has led us to believe. Rachel breaks down how profiling gained its reputation, where it has fallen short, and why its perceived success often looks very different when examined closely.

This episode explores the tension between storytelling and science—and asks hard questions about how myths are created, repeated, and cemented in both law enforcement and media.

Find more about Rachel at https://www.rachel-corbett.com/.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Darkest Season: True Crime

Halloween Night. Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas morning. For mood readers who love true crime, get The Darkest Season today. Kindle Unlimited or Kindle. Paperback anywhere you get your books.

Hosted by Raven Rollins

Tulsa’s infamous Hex House wasn’t just a haunted legend—it was real. Beneath the surface of an ordinary duplex at 10 East 21st Street lay a story of control, psychological manipulation, and hidden abuse that gripped the city in the 1940s. Two women were found living in a cold, dark basement—isolated, exploited, and convinced they were earning salvation under the direction of a woman named Carol Ann Smith.

In this episode, Raven unearths the true history behind the Hex House. It’s a story of power, belief, and the dangerous ways devotion can be twisted.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Darkest Season: True Crime

Halloween Night. Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas morning. For mood readers who love true crime, get The Darkest Season today. Kindle Unlimited or Kindle. Paperback anywhere you get your books.

In this Sirens exclusive episode, I sit down with brothers Brian and Cameron Santana, co-authors of A Murder on Campus: The Professor, The Cop, and North Carolina’s Most Notorious Cold Case. We talk about the brutal, unsolved 1973 murder of Virginia Marie Olson, a 19-year-old college student whose body was discovered near the campus of UNC-Asheville.

Over 50 years, the case would haunt three generations of investigators and the entire Asheville community, marked by dead ends, disturbing parallels, and whispers of notorious suspects. Brian, a veteran cop, and Cameron, a college professor, teamed up to tell this story with a rare blend of insider insight and narrative depth.

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/4l06pYt

Listen to Santana True Crime wherever you get your podcasts.

Advocacy. Investigation. Education. Storytelling.

If you appreciate what I do, here are a few ways to support Sirens and help true crime stories reach more ears:

Rate, review, and share my podcast!

Find Raven's books at www.RavenRollins.com

Follow Sirens on Social Media https://my.link.gallery/thesirenspodcast

🎬 Binge your next obsession on Paramount+ — Try it FREE with our link! https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/3437665/2089315/3065

Mentioned in this episode:

The Darkest Season: True Crime

Halloween Night. Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas morning. For mood readers who love true crime, get The Darkest Season today. Kindle Unlimited or Kindle. Paperback anywhere you get your books.

In this episode, I sit down with filmmaker and composer Dan Brown Jr., the creator of the true crime documentary Girl Forgotten: What Happened to Brianna Wells? and founder of Crime Sonics.

On December 29, 2014, 17-year-old Brianna Wells was found murdered and abandoned in a South Phoenix alley. Nearly a decade later, her case remains unsolved and largely forgotten—until now.

Dan shares the emotional and investigative journey behind Girl Forgotten, a film four years in the making that follows grassroots advocate Gina as she digs into Brianna’s story, uncovers disturbing truths, and exposes failures within the system. From police missteps to media silence, this documentary challenges how we treat missing and murdered girls—especially when their stories are inconvenient.

We talk about the filmmaking process, the importance of storytelling through music, the emotional toll true crime creation can take, and how original music—including the haunting theme “Raise Cain”—brings Brianna’s voice back to the forefront.

Follow the film at www.girlforgottenfilm.com.

Learn more about Dan and the music of Crime Sonics at www.crimesonics.com.

Advocacy. Investigation. Education. Storytelling.

If you appreciate what I do, here are a few ways to support Sirens and help true crime stories reach more ears:

Rate, review, and share my podcast!

Find Raven's books at www.RavenRollins.com

Follow Sirens on Social Media https://my.link.gallery/thesirenspodcast

🎬 Binge your next obsession on Paramount+ — Try it FREE with our link! https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/3437665/2089315/3065

Mentioned in this episode:

The Darkest Season: True Crime

Halloween Night. Thanksgiving Dinner. Christmas morning. For mood readers who love true crime, get The Darkest Season today. Kindle Unlimited or Kindle. Paperback anywhere you get your books.

Remastered and featuring updated content, Raven reconnects with Holly Archer to discuss the heartbreaking cold case of Britney Tiger Gomez from Ada, Oklahoma. Originally recorded in 2020, the episode now includes new developments that came to light in 2023, leading to an arrest, though not the kind anyone had hoped for.

The MMIW crisis refers to the staggering and disproportionate number of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit individuals who go missing or are murdered across the United States and Canada, often with little to no media coverage or resolution. Systemic failures, jurisdictional gaps, and historical trauma have left families searching for answers and justice. In Oklahoma—home to many tribal nations—the crisis is especially urgent, and cases like Britney Tiger’s shine a light on just how much work still needs to be done.

Anyone with tips on Britney's case can leave an anonymous tip with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or leave us a tip on our website's homepage. You can always reach out via email as well.

Advocacy. Investigation. Education. Storytelling.

If you appreciate what I do, here are a few ways to support Sirens and help true crime stories reach more ears:

Rate, review, and share my podcast!

Find Raven's books at www.RavenRollins.com

Follow Sirens on Social Media https://my.link.gallery/thesirenspodcast

🎬 Binge your next obsession on Paramount+ — Try it FREE with our link! https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/3437665/2089315/3065

Mentioned in this episode:

Allegedly: True Crime

30 Cases. 1 County. 0 Justice?

🎙In this episode, Raven sits down in the studio with retired Tulsa Homicide Sergeant Mike Huff, one of the most respected voices in cold case investigations, with guest co-hosts Tiff and Jess from Curious Cousins OK Podcast.

With almost 40 years in law enforcement—and three decades in the Homicide Unit—Huff shares his insights on one of Oklahoma’s most notorious murder cases—the infamous Roger Wheeler / Whitey Bulger investigation—from his new book Killing My Father: The Inside Story of The Biggest FBI Corruption Scandal In History, which he wrote with Roger's son, David Wheeler, and historian Laurence J. Yadon.

👤 Guest Info

Facebook Page for IACCI

Get Killing My Father on Amazon.

Advocacy. Investigation. Education. Storytelling.

If you appreciate what I do, here are a few ways to support Sirens and help true crime stories reach more ears:

Rate, review, and share my podcast!

Find Raven's books at www.RavenRollins.com

Follow Sirens on Social Media https://my.link.gallery/thesirenspodcast

🎬 Binge your next obsession on Paramount+ — Try it FREE with our link! https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/3437665/2089315/3065

Mentioned in this episode:

Allegedly: True Crime

30 Cases. 1 County. 0 Justice?

Curious Cousins OK Podcast

Find Curious Cousins OK Podcast on all major podcast platforms.