Southern Fried True Crime

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 to offer “seekers” healing through sensual touch... But when an outsider exposes what’s happening behind closed doors… the temple unknowingly welcomes in a new kind of seeker—undercover detectives.

What some saw as a spiritual home, the state saw as a brothel operating under the guise of religious freedom… So what happens when your religious beliefs might be against the law?

Witnessed: Mystic Mother is available now! Subscribe on Apple podcasts to binge all episodes or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts.

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 the country club, Susan went missing and while law enforcement searched for her, the blood found in the studio and outside in the parking lot
left little hope that Susan would be found alive.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Researched by Haley Gray
Written by Andrea Marshbank and Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley

SOURCES: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/the-stalking-and-murder-of-susan-loper

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.org
- Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
- UK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247
- For resources in other countries, visit this website

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 was working so hard for: full custody. He was set to fill out the paperwork in two days. But he would never get the chance to sign his name on the dotted line.

This episode was suggested by Albert “Bubba” Summerlin, a retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Agent Summerlin assisted with the investigation I’m discussing in today’s case. He was gracious enough to not only recommend the topic, but speak with us on multiple occasions to make sure we got the details right. So, thank you to Agent Summerlin!

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Researched and Written by Haley Gray
Additional writing by Erica Kelley
Special thanks to Albert “Bubba” Summerlin, retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/the-murder-of-brad-smithwick

Sponsors:
Friends without the “R” - Best Fiends
BetterHelp.com/southern

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 between full investigative seasons (where he dives deep into one specific case), and periods of episodic coverage (where he tells us about unsolved missing person cases and solicits tips to help the official investigation).

Simply Vanished is currently on Season 1, finding explosive new leads in a 20-year-old cold case of a missing college student.

Newville founded Trembling Leaf Media and launched Simply Vanished in 2022. It is currently featured in the New & Noteworthy section of Apple Podcasts’ Darkside Collection.

Simply Vanished episodes are available at simplyvanished.com and everywhere you get podcasts.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Written by Erica Kelley
Researched by Haley Gray and Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/coweta-county-justice

Sponsors:
SimpliSafe.com/southernfried
BetterHelp.com/southern


In the 1940s, John Wallace was a wealthy and powerful moonshiner who ruled Meriwether County, Georgia with an iron fist. Having the county sheriff in his pocket meant Wallace was allowed to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Even commit murder.

On April 20, 1948, Wallace’s reign would come to an end. That day, he murdered a man, something he’d done many times before. However, this time, Wallace made a grave mistake: he committed the murder just over the Coweta County line.

Wallace did not have the Coweta County Sheriff in his pocket, and he was about to find out what it was like to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

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 when her friends were ready to leave. So the friends said they would be back to pick her up at closing time.

But when they came back, Jennifer was nowhere to be seen.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Written by Erica Kelley and Haley Gray
Researched by Haley Gray
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/the-murder-of-jennifer-evans

Sponsors:
Friends without the “R” - Best Fiends
BetterHelp.com/southern

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 numerous times, with little help from authorities, only to be reeled back in by unkept promises and threats. After four years of restraining orders and criminal charges, authorities finally started to take Yana’s allegations seriously. But it was too late.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Written by Erica Kelley
Researched by Haley Gray
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
- Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
- UK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247
- For resources in other countries, visit this website

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/murder-in-slow-motion-the-death-of-yana-huss

The main sources for today’s episode are the Port Charlotte Sun, and “A Candy Rose”, which is a website featuring lots of police files, timelines, and more.

Sponsors:
The Vanished from Wondery
BetterHelp.com/southern

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 a shock than the truth of who was responsible for killing Lindsey, Joy, and Emily Champion.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Written by Erica Kelley
Researched by Haley Gray
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley
Case suggested by an anonymous person from Trigg County

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/the-champion-family-murders

Sponsors:
SimpliSafe.com/southernfried
BetterHelp.com/southern

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 human being. And he was killed simply because he was gay.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Written by Erica Kelley
Researched by Haley Gray and Anna Luria
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley

Sources:

Sponsors:
Friends without the “R” - Best Fiends
BetterHelp.com/southern

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. She left behind a trail of men she’d scammed, and she had a volatile relationship with Christian Brando, the troubled son of movie star Marlon Brando.

Not since the O.J. Simpson case had the eyes of the nation been so fixated on a homicide. The search for Bonny’s killer took detectives on an eleven-month odyssey across the country and through Hollywood's underbelly of hustlers, drug addicts, and would-be hitmen. It would be the most expensive murder investigation in LAPD history to date. This is the story of Robert and Bonny’s toxic relationship, her shocking murder, and his chaotic trial. Did actor Robert Blake kill his wife? Or was the murder someone else's vendetta?

From Wondery, and the team behind the hit series Hollywood & Crime (The Dating Game Killer, The Wonderland Murders, Death of Starlet) comes a six-part series about love, obsession and fame gone wrong. Co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Josh Lucas. Listen by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery App:

http://wondery.fm/SFTC_TEOBLB