Tea Time Crimes

Welcome to Tea Time Crimes spooky month! In August of 1612, twelve people were accused of witchcraft in Lancashire, England. The star witness was nine-year old Jennet Device who calmly accused each person on trial, including members of her own family. Join us as we explore the fears that gripped this small town and the fate of Jennet herself. 

Tea of the Day: Mixed Berry Black Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Link to Torture Podcast featured at the start of this episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/7z3fynpqy3HZacBvR5HIpn?si=4181a88300334227

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my5cm6tfTz8\ The Gruesome Trial of the Pendle Hill Witches
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiqFVEZZMso Ancient Mysteries: DARK HISTORY OF WITCHES (S4, E5): History Channel
• https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Pendle-Witches/
• https://www.spookyisles.com/jennet-device/
• https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/black-death-is-created-allegedly
• https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095653479

At the turn of the 19th century, both Katie Cook and Amy Hill confessed to murder. These cases should have been open and shut, but public sympathy and perceptions of females set both these women free. Were the courts right or did both these women get away with murder?

Tea of the Day: Tea Forte Purify 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Deadly Women: Season 13 Episode 8
• Deadly Women Season 7 Episode 19
• https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=14671794
• https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=10044365
• https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=10047881
• https://slcoarchives.wordpress.com/2016/11/09/marriage-is-the-only-future-open-to-a-woman-with-a-past/
• https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=18875973
• https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=15965861
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19000426.2.16&e
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH18990829.2.119&e
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SLOMT18981009.2.18&srpos=1&e
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDDU18990829&e
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH18990920.2.177&srpos=26&e
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH18990830.2.105

Leonarda Cianciulli, a caring mother in late 1930s Italy, believed in magic. Her life had not been an easy one, made worse by the curse her spiteful mother put on her at a young age. So after endless heartache, Leonarda is desperate to put an end to the curse to protect her children. But how far will she go to break the spell? (Spoiler: Way too far)

Tea of the Day: Queen Elizabeth

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://allthatsinteresting.com/leonarda-cianciulli
• https://murderpedia.org/female.C/c/cianciulli-leonarda.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGzFifJIr-w
• The Soap Maker of Correggio: Leonarda Cianciulli: Serial Killer Chronicles #1 by F. Amos Hurt
• The Deadly Soap-Maker of Correggio: The True Story of Leonarda Cianciulli, a Superstitious Mother Who Turned Victims into Soaps and Cakes (True Crime Explicit, Vol. 6) by Genoveva Ortiz

In 2006, caring, life-loving Susan Walters was attacked in her own home by a complete stranger. Expecting to relax after a long shift in the ER, Susan instead fought for her life, drawing on years of nursing and self-defense training. Would it be enough to save her and unravel the mystery behind this assault?

Self Defense Videos:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVpxP3ZZtAc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V4vEyhWDZ0

Tea of the Day: Grand Yunnan Imperial 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Who the Bleep Did I Marry? (Season 2, Episode 14)
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/susan-kuhnhausen
• https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/08/17/a-hit-man-came-to-kill-susan-kuhnhausen-she-survived-he-didnt/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2014/04/woman_who_fatally_strangled_hi.html
• https://youtu.be/-wV_ByXpRbk
• https://youtu.be/gztpsgY4jGk
• https://youtu.be/Vy74imo9-Mo
• https://www.wave3.com/story/7051831/oregon-woman-kills-hitman-hired-by-her-husband/

In the spring of 1935, famous architect, Francis Rattenbury, was attacked in his home. When he died five days later, both his wife, Alma, and her much younger lover, George Stoner, were charged with murder. The press attacked Alma and she took the blame, but did she actually do it or was she just trying to protect the man she loved? 

Suicide Hotline: Dial 9-8-8

Tea of the Day: Amazon Guayusa Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-lU6jXhBag
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ejDOr3x2L8
• https://www.murderuk.com/alma-rattenburywith-george-stoner.html
• https://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2006/08/bournemouths-most-sensational-murder/
• https://www.timescolonist.com/islander/jack-knox-out-of-tragedy-francis-rattenburys-son-became-a-fine-dad-4690189
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32024665/alma-belle-rattenbury
• https://montecristomagazine.com/community/the-outrageous-life-and-death-of-francis-rattenbury
• https://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2006/08/bournemouths-most-sensational-murder/
• The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury by Sean O’Connor

Welcome to Tea Time Crimes! One true crime enthusiast and one true crime hater come together to explore women’s stories under the lens of murder and mayhem. Grab a cup of tea as we delve into the psychology of killers, the strength of survivors, and everywhere in between.

Belle Gunness collected many nicknames during the early 1900s including “Hell’s Princess,” “The Indiana Ogress,” and–most dramatically–“The Mistress of the Castle of Death.” She was known for her strength and the parade of males visiting her 48-acre farm. The problem was, all these men mysteriously disappeared. Join us for part two and finale of the Belle Gunness mystery.

Content Warning: Child mortality  

Tea of the Day: Mocha Teeccino

Theme Music by Brad Frank 

Sources:

• https://allthatsinteresting.com/belle-gunness
• https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/queen-black-widows-murdered-dozens-farm-article-1.2028012
• https://laportelibrary.org/at-the-library/explore-local/belle-gunness/
• https://www.grunge.com/385160/things-you-didnt-know-about-serial-killer-belle-gunness/
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109612050/swanhild-christine-reuterskiold
• https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/belle-gunness
• https://murderpedia.org/female.G/g/gunness-belle.htm
• Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter

Belle Gunness collected many nicknames during the early 1900s including “Hell’s Princess,” “The Indiana Ogress,” and–most dramatically–“The Mistress of the Castle of Death.” She was known for her strength and the parade of males visiting her 48-acre farm. The problem was, all these men mysteriously disappeared. Join us for part one of the Belle Gunness mystery.

Content Warning: Child mortality  

Tea of the Day: Bewley’s Irish Breakfast Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://allthatsinteresting.com/belle-gunness
• https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/queen-black-widows-murdered-dozens-farm-article-1.2028012
• https://laportelibrary.org/at-the-library/explore-local/belle-gunness/
• https://www.grunge.com/385160/things-you-didnt-know-about-serial-killer-belle-gunness/
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109612050/swanhild-christine-reuterskiold
• https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/belle-gunness
• https://murderpedia.org/female.G/g/gunness-belle.htm
• Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter

In June 2015, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard was found murdered and her daughter, Gypsy Rose, missing from the house they shared. Fearing for Gypsy’s safety, police work quickly to untangle the clues left behind. It’s not long before investigators realize this case is unbelievably complicated and nothing appears as it seems. 
 

1-800-4-A-CHILD (National Child Abuse Hotline)

Tea of the Day: Cold-Brewed Mixed Berry Iced Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• https://www.biography.com/news/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKYeBKYz9fE Show: Killer Cases Season 1, Episode 10
• Show: 20/20, Season 40, Episode 15 - Gypsy’s Truth and Lies
• HBO Documentary: Mommy Dead and Dearest - Gypsy Rose Blanchard
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD8zn4KF95Q

Meet Elizabeth Bathory, a noble woman from the 16th century, believed to have killed and tortured well over 600 women. These horrific stories earned Elizabeth the nickname of The Blood Countess, and inspired much of the vampiric lore we know today. But is it possible Elizabeth was just a threat the crown wanted neutralized? Grab a cup of tea and find out!

Tea of the Day: Lady Grey

Theme Music by Brad Frank 

Sources:

• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Bathory
• https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/elizabeth-bathory
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZXH80L0rT4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N3TSPZoY1o
• https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/countess-elizabeth-bathory-and-the-dark-truth-behind-her-killer-legend
• https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bathorys-torturous-escapades-are-exposed
• https://historycollection.com/real-countess-dracula-12-facts-life-crimes-elizabeth-bathory/2/