Southern Fried True Crime

By Erica Kelley

Society & Culture History

What's Southern Fried True Crime about?

Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South.

4.6

6,101 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

180: The Alday Family Massacre

05.21.2023

For the Alday family, May 14th of 1973 started like any other day. The Alday men woke up before sunrise to tend to their family farm, and the Alday women began working on their chores. They plowed the field, planted ...

Southern Fried True Crime episodes:

05.21.2023 180: The Alday Family Massacre For the Alday family, May 14th of 1973 started like any other day. The Alday men woke up before sunrise to tend to their family farm, and the Alday women began working on their chores. They plowed the field, planted ...
05.14.2023 Blanket of Silence: Ruby McCollum In August of 1952, 43-year-old Ruby McCollum, a black woman, was two months pregnant. The father was a 48-year-old white politician named Dr. Clifford Leroy Adams, Jr. For seven years, Dr. Adams had manipulated, bullied, and raped Ruby. He forced ...
05.07.2023 178: Parental Alienation & The Death of Dr. Rick Lohstroh On a Friday afternoon, Dr. Rick Lohstroh parked in his ex-wife Deborah Geisler’s driveway waiting to pick up his two sons. It had been a nasty custody battle and their ten year old son, Aaron, had turned completely against his ...
05.01.2023 177: The Disappearance & Murder of Theresa Parker In March 2007, 41-year-old Theresa spent the day moving boxes from her old house to her new apartment. The LaFayette, Georgia 911 dispatcher was leaving her husband. That evening, after seeing her sister, Theresa disappeared without a trace. And local ...
04.30.2023 Mississippi Delta: A Southern Gothic Family Mystery Just because the police can’t solve a murder doesn’t mean other people won’t find someone to blame. In season 4 of Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch, journalist Larrison Campbell returns to her Mississippi hometown to reexamine one of its most ...
04.28.2023 176: The Pop Culture of the Michael Peterson Case The pop culture of the Michael Peterson case is fascinating. There are many infamous true crime cases that create their own universe. The Peterson case was always going to be famous. But when Netflix bought the rights to Jean-Xavier de ...
02.27.2023 175: The Neverending Staircase: The Death of Kathleen Peterson, PART 3 For over two decades, Kathleen Peterson’s mysterious death has captivated America. After the most complex court proceeding in Durham, North Carolina’s history, Michael was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. This episode covers the ...
02.09.2023 174: The Neverending Staircase, The Death of Kathleen Peterson, PART 2 In December of 2001, the seemingly accidental death of 48-year-old Kathleen Peterson made headlines in Durham, North Carolina. A beloved community figure, enjoying a night of celebration with some champagne, had lost her balance and tragically fallen down the stairs. ...
01.24.2023 Wondery Presents: Frozen Head Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid.When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence ...
01.23.2023 173: The Neverending Staircase: The Death of Kathleen Peterson, PART 1 December 9th, 2001 was an unseasonably warm night in Durham, North Carolina. At 2:40 a.m., a novelist named Michael Peterson called 911. He was frantic. He said his wife Kathleen had an accident. She had fallen down some stairs. Within ...
01.16.2023 172: The Murder of Ryan Poston On Friday, October 12th, 2012, Shayna Hubers called 911. She explained to the emergency operator that she killed her boyfriend, Ryan Poston, in self-defense. When the police investigated the crime scene, they quickly realized that Shayna’s version of events didn’t ...
12.21.2022 Introducing Season 2 of Suspect: Vanished in the Snow, by Wondery & Campside Media For more than three and a half decades, the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews was a mystery – a riddle neither authorities nor her family members could solve. The residents of her cloistered Colorado hometown had scoured every inch of ...
12.14.2022 171: The Murder of Lauren Burk On a cool March evening of 2008, motorists on Highway 147 in Auburn, Alabama were startled to see a young girl in the road. She was naked, crying, covered in road rash and waving her arms desperately for help. Despite ...
12.06.2022 170: Blue Eyed Butcher: The Controversial Murder of Jeff Wright In January 2003, police arrived at an unassuming house in Northwest Houston, Texas after receiving a vague message from a local lawyer about a potential crime scene. In the backyard, they discovered the mutilated body of Jeff Wright. The master ...
11.25.2022 Amazon Presents: Killer Psyche When a shocking crime occurs, former FBI Profiler Candice DeLong will have a lot to say about it. On KILLER PSYCHE DAILY, Candice digs into the motivations and behaviors of the criminal masterminds and killers who are dominating the headlines. ...
11.24.2022 169: The Vanishing of Zebb Quinn Zebb Quinn was only 18 years old when he went missing on January 2, 2000. Authorities had their suspicions that foul play was involved, but it would take 15 years and two other disappearances for anyone to find out what ...
11.16.2022 Amazon Music Presents: I Hear Fear Nothing is as terrifying as the sounds we hear in the dark. The slow creak of adoor opening late at night... or a whisper in a room when you thought you werealone... or a distant scream in the wind. One ...
11.15.2022 168: The Trials of Hattie Lee Barnes In April 1951, a young black woman was closing up a roadhouse tavern and getting ready to sleep there for the night. Hattie Lee Barnes worked as a maid at Lee’s Place and in recent weeks had started sleeping there ...
11.02.2022 Amazon Music Presents: COLD: The Search for Sheree Sheree Warren left her job in Salt Lake City on a mild October evening in 1985. She told a coworker she was headed to meet her estranged husband, Charles Warren, at a car dealership. But she never made it, Sheree ...
10.31.2022 167: The Murder of Fred Jablin Hosted and produced by Erica KelleyResearched by Haley GrayWritten by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley HornerOriginal Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma RadioEdited & Mixed by Erica Kelley Dr. Fred Jablin, a highly regarded professor of communication, was ...
10.26.2022 166: Rapist & Serial Killer: Henry Louis Wallace From 1992-1994, a serial killer stalked young black women in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police came under fire from families and the media once the killer was unmasked. They blamed being understaffed during a crack epidemic, insisting that most of their ...
10.20.2022 Wondery presents: The Generation Why The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Two friends, Aaron & Justin, break down theories and give their opinions on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries and conspiracies. One ...
10.20.2022 165: I95 Killer or Serial Killer: Gary Ray Bowles In the spring of 1994, the southern and eastern seaboard states were terrorized by a serial killer using the I-95 corridor to travel between states and victims. Six gay men were targeted by a drifter, working as a hustler, who ...
10.11.2022 164: The Abduction & Murder of Sydney Sutherland #runningwhilefemale On the afternoon of August 19th, 2020, 24-year-old Sydney Sutherland went missing while on her regular run in rural Jackson County, Arkansas. Within 2 hours, Sydney’s family realized she was in danger, contacted the police, and organized a search for ...
10.06.2022 Wondery Presents: The ReWatcher: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Welcome to the Hellmouth Weirdos! Your favorite Morbid hosts Ash and Alaina are branching out from true crime and heading to Sunnydale for the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch podcast! Alaina is a Buffy superfan and Ash has never ...
09.12.2022 163: The Mysterious Murder of Corinna Mullen In the spring of 1987, 20 year old Corinna Mullen moved to Central City, Kentucky in hopes of providing a better life for her two year old daughter. But within six months of her move, Corinna was found brutally murdered. ...
09.06.2022 Introducing the new season of Witnessed: Mystic Mother: From Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment From Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment, the new season of Witnessed: Mystic Mother is out now and sure to be your next podcast obsession!The story follows the rise and fall of the Phoenix Goddess Temple, which for years claimed ...
08.28.2022 162: The Stalking and Murder of Susan Loper For the past 16 years, Susan Loper had flourished as a fitness instructor at the local country club. She was beloved by her clients and had decided to open her own pilates studio. On her final day of work at ...
08.22.2022 161: The Murder of Brad Smithwick Everyone who knew Brad Smithwick knew that he loved his two children more than anything in the world. That’s why he fought tooth and nail to gain full custody of them. Finally, on October 3, 2007, Brad got what he ...
08.16.2022 From Trembling Leaf Media, Introducing: Simply Vanished Simply Vanished is a new investigative podcast about unsolved missing person cases. It is hosted by Josh Newville, a civil rights lawyer who is dedicated to finding answers. Note: Josh is a huge fan of Southern Fried True Crime!Josh alternates ...
08.14.2022 160: Coweta County Justice Hosted and produced by Erica KelleyWritten by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray and Erica KelleyOriginal Graphic Art by Coley HornerOriginal Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma RadioEdited & Mixed by Erica KelleySources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/coweta-county-justiceSponsors: SimpliSafe.com/southernfriedBetterHelp.com/southern In the 1940s, John Wallace ...
07.25.2022 159: The Murder of Jennifer Evans On June 18, 1995, Jennifer Evans, a 21 year old pre-med student, went to a Virginia Beach nightclub with her two friends. While there, she met a young Navy SEAL recruit. They hit it off and she wanted to stay ...
07.18.2022 158: Murder in Slow Motion: The Death of Yana Huss Yana Huss was a kind and gentle person, and a loving mother to her two young children. Tragically, she was also the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her abusive husband. Like many victims, Yana tried to escape ...
07.10.2022 157: The Champion Family Murders On October 26, 2014, three members of the well-known and well-liked Champion family were found brutally murdered in their Cadiz, Kentucky farmhouse. The murders came as a shock to the small town’s residents. But nothing would come as more of ...
06.26.2022 156: The Murder of Fred Mangione In 1996, there were 11,039 victims of hate crimes in the United States. One of them was Fred Mangione, an extremely gregarious man who treated everyone like his best friend.Fred was more than just a statistic - he was a ...
06.21.2022 Wondery Presents: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley On May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley was found fatally shot in a car on a dark North Hollywood street. The prime suspect was her husband, famed actor Robert Blake. But Bonny, a longtime con artist, had plenty of enemies. ...
06.19.2022 155: Prison Break: The Story of Jennifer & George Hyatte Outlaw couples, especially those that pull off prison breaks, live in our pop culture imagination. We romanticize them as we obsess over them in the press and on social media. But the reality is rarely actually romantic. And as with ...
06.13.2022 154: The Murder of Keith Gentry At 6:11am, on November 9, 2005, Darlene Gentry called 911 to report her husband had been shot. Within seven minutes of their arrival at the Gentry house, officers were convinced Darlene’s story didn’t add up. Less than two years later, ...
05.29.2022 153: Teen Killers Holly Harvey & Sandy Ketchum Growing up just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Holly Harvey never had any rules or discipline - she was allowed to do what she wanted, when she wanted. That all came to an end in the spring of 2004 when Holly’s ...
05.22.2022 152: The Serial Killer & Reverend Willie Maxwell In 1962, Willie Maxwell became an ordained minister. Because of his charm and knowledge of the Bible, Reverend Maxwell quickly became a well-known and respected figure of Baptist revivals across the state of Alabama. But in Coosa County, where Maxwell ...
05.15.2022 151 :The Murder of Mike Williams In the early morning hours of December 16, 2000, 31 year old Mike Williams disappeared while duck hunting on Lake Seminole. Initially, authorities theorized he hit a stump, fell overboard, and drowned. Authorities searched for Mike, and over the course ...
05.10.2022 Wondery Presents: Blood Ties Season 3 – “Strange Days Our family members are not always who we think. When Eleonore Richland exposed her father’s dark legacy, she vowed to clean up the family business – and hired her half-brother, Santino Reyes, to help her do it. But old habits ...
04.25.2022 150: Arsenic & Chantilly Lace Pat Taylor Allanson wanted nothing more than to be Scarlett O’Hara - to live in Tara with her own Rhett Butler. She spent her whole life trying to convince everyone she was a perfect southern belle. But the truth is ...
04.17.2022 149: The Murder of Lorenzen Wright On July 22, 2010, NBA star Lorenzen Wright was reported missing by his mother - he hadn’t been heard from since July 18. Days after the missing persons report was filed, a 911 dispatcher told their supervisor about a call ...
04.10.2022 148: The Murder of Lance Herndon Lance Herndon was a millionaire. He was also a successful black man in Atlanta in the 1990’s, a golden era for the black elite in what has long been hailed as the American black mecca and the city too busy ...
03.28.2022 147: The Murders of James and Virginia Campbell On June 19, 1982, wealthy Houston, Texas couple James and Virginia Campbell were sound asleep when a gunman entered their bedroom and turned on a light. Authorities arrived on scene, and determined that whoever killed Virginia and James definitely held ...
03.20.2022 146: The Phillips Family Massacre On September 30, 1999, a seemingly petty crime spree would turn into the deadliest massacre in the history of western North Carolina. Three generations of lives snuffed out in a matter of minutes. Hosted and produced by Erica KelleyResearched Haley ...
03.13.2022 145: The Legend of Nellie Jackson Nellie Jackson opened her business in 1930, the start of the Great Depression. She ran her bordello openly for the next 60 years, through wars and social strife. She was a beloved matron of Natchez, Mississippi despite her profession because ...
03.08.2022 Introducing: American Hostage In the series premiere, radio DJ Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm) receives an unexpected call from a listener that turns his life upside down. Follow American Hostage on Amazon Music, to hear all 8 episodes right now: http://wondery.fm/SFTC_AmericanHostage
03.01.2022 144: Sheila Bellush Sheila Blackthorne Bellush endured ten years of her life with a very sadistic man. She actually divorced him four years into their marriage, but he kept terrorizing her for years. When she finally escaped him and moved out of state ...

Older episodes