Tea Time Crimes

After a frightening assault in her adolescence, Ruth Finley finally has everything she wants: a loving husband, two sons, and a safe house in the suburbs. But one summer day, her past catches up. Terrifying phone calls, deliveries at work, and poems threatening to take Ruth’s life arrive at a constant rate. It's clear to everyone around her that Ruth is in danger, but can the police find the culprit in time?

Tea of the Day: Kolkata Chai

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources: 

• https://medium.com/truly-adventurous/the-poet-526595afdde8
• Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt For The BTK Strangler by Robert Beattie
• https://www.oprah.com/own-oprahshow/the-woman-with-the-split-personality-who-stalked-herself-for-4-years
• https://www.thetruecrimedatabase.com/case_file/the-poet/
• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9500577/Inside-true-story-Poet-stalker-victims-story-Netflix-movie.html
• https://psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/what-are-dissociative-disorders
• https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article231411383.html
• Show: Many Sides of Jane - 2019 - Season 1

Today’s case was an absolute sensation of “unbridled, vulgar passion” in 1898. Cordelia Botkin couldn’t help falling in love with war correspondent John Dunning, despite both parties being married. But what happens when one wants to end the affair? Join us with a saucy tea and enjoy this wild ride. 

Tea of the Day: Queenly Conjure Chai (https://www.queenlyconjure.com/about)

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Source Notes:

• https://heathermonroe.medium.com/the-heinous-crimes-of-cordelia-botkin-552d7d9e51d6
• https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-murder-poison-Cordelia-Botkin-9880884
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brown-80628
• https://www.almanac.com/victorian-era-etiquette-and-manners
• https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/spanish-american-war
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7533183/mary-elizabeth-dunning
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7724188/welcome-aplin-botkin
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7529112/ida-harriet-deane
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7536877/thomas-m-penington
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7536873/henry-penington
• Book: Dying for Chocolate: Codeila Botkin and the 1898 Poisoned Candy Murders by Kerry Segrave
• San Francisco Call, Volume 85, Number 13, 13 December 1898 - https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18981213.2.2&e
• San Francisco Call, Volume 85, Number 15, 15 December 1898
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18981215.2.2&e
• San Francisco Call, Volume 85, Number 16, 16 December 1898
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18981216.2.2&e
• San Francisco Call, Volume 85, Number 20, 20 December 1898
• https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18981220.2.3&e
• https://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/candy-from-a-stranger-the-cordelia-botkin-case-of-1898/

Content Warning: Sexual assault and violence against children

Between 1971 and 1972, the Freeway Phantom assaulted and killed six young Black girls in the Washington D.C. area. Vietnam Protests, investigative mistakes, and lack of media coverage stopped these horrific crimes from ever being solved. But someone somewhere may know something. Something that could lead to closure and justice for the families left behind. Grab a gentle tea for today and remember these girls with love and care. 

If you have any knowledge about this case, please call (866) 411-TIPS.

Tea of the Day: Sencha Ariake

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Tantamount: The Pursuit Of The Freeway Phantom Serial Killer by Blaine L Pardoe and Victoria R Hester
• People Magazine Investigates (Season 4, Episode 4)
• https://unresolved.me/the-freeway-phantom
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/09/20/killings-unsolved-25-years-later/4c921bb7-5d9d-4752-99f2-0bd00d6ca0df/
• https://people.com/crime/freeway-phantom-unsolved-case-washington-dc-murders-haunts-families/
• https://people.com/crime/freeway-phantom-washington-dc-serial-killer/

Martha Freeman wasn’t happy at home. But after a trial separation, she realized she wasn’t ready to quit on 10 years of marriage. At least that’s what she told her husband, Jeffrey, who was willing to work it out. That is, until he was murdered in cold blood. Sit with us as we remember this sweet man and the tragedy that befell him. 

Tea of the Day: Pineapple Waikiki Black Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Deadly Woman: Three’s a Crowd (Season 8, Episode 4)
• https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12375062
• https://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/09/21/closet.murder/
• https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/12/funks-advice-questioned-martha-freeman-murder-case/7628073/
• https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/30/court-wont-hear-appeal-in-nashville-lover-in-closet-case/16492901/
• https://murderpedia.org/female.F/f/freeman-martha.htm

With a discreet poison, two serial killers take out as many as 600 men. One to free women from the abuse of the 1600s and the other to secure the family fortune. Murder is murder, but how far would you be willing to go in a different time, in a different place? 

Tea of the Day: Jasmine Green Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• http://www.italianrenaissanceresources.com/units/unit-2/essays/husbands-and-wives/
• https://www.arttrav.com/it/being-a-renaissance-woman/
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/giulia-tofana
• https://youtu.be/v5_y8fDv-yY
• https://www.arttrav.com/it/being-a-renaissance-woman/
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bastille
• https://historycollection.com/the-life-and-crimes-of-the-marquise-de-brinvilliers/
• https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/giulia-tofana-the-italian-serial-poisoner-who-became-a-legend
• http://scihi.org/marquise-de-brinvilliers/
• http://www.italianrenaissanceresources.com/units/unit-2/essays/husbands-and-wives/
• https://bonjourparis.com/history/mystery-and-murder-in-paris-the-infamous-madame-de-brinvilliers/
• https://historycollection.com/the-life-and-crimes-of-the-marquise-de-brinvilliers/
• https://mikedashhistory.com/2015/04/06/aqua-tofana-slow-poisoning-and-husband-killing-in-17th-century-italy/
• https://mikedashhistory.com/2015/04/06/aqua-tofana-slow-poisoning-and-husband-killing-in-17th-century-italy/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgENKAFT5Us
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered

In the 1920’s, Georgia Tann re-invented adoption. At a time when children were often only taken in as hired help, Tann instead found permanent placements for abandoned children. Except most of these children were never willingly surrendered. Listen as Tann manipulates, steals, lies, and neglects innocent lives across generations for the purpose of money and power. 

Tea of the Day: Turmeric Active

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Show: Unsolved Mysteries (Season 2, Episode 11)
• Book: Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate (2017)
• Book: The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption by Barbara Bisantz Raymond (2007)
• https://www.timesdaily.com/ap/state/elwood-to-honor-victims-of-tennessee-childrens-home-society/article_665c0a6c-7d6d-5aa4-bd23-5c87637b97e7.html
• https://www.highgroundnews.com/features/UnmarkedMemphisI.aspx
• https://www.insider.com/georgia-tann-tennessee-children-home-society-survivors-speak-out-2019-12
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-20-vw-882-story.html

Recommend reading: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate 

Meet Dolly Oesterreich, a woman so charming men were willing to do anything for her: provide a lavish lifestyle, shower her with gifts, even kill for her. But murder is not the only secret Dolly is keeping.

Tea of the Day: Genmaicha 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Show: A Crime to Remember, Season 4, Episode 6
• https://www.milwaukeemag.com/the-legend-of-milwaukees-most-infamous-love-triangle/
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/dolly-oesterreich
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-20-me-44878-story.html
• https://murderpedia.org/female.O/o/oesterreich-walburga.htm
• https://www.therichest.com/shocking/15-things-to-know-about-dolly-oesterreich-the-wife-who-kept-her-lover-in-the-basement/
• https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/the-making-of-milwaukee/history/

Content Warning: Suicide ideation 

On the night of March 10th, 1980, Dr. Herman Tarnower, best-selling author and one of America’s most respected cardiologists, was shot in his own home. His long-time companion, Jean Harris, met police at the house demanding medical attention for Dr. Tarnower while also admitting SHE was the shooter. This seemingly open-and-shut case turned into a complicated story of love, betrayal, addiction, and redemption. 

Tea of the Day: Balinese Detox

Theme Music by Brad Frank

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

Sources:

• Deadly Women: Season 6, Episode 12
• Barbara Walters Presents American Scandal: Season 1, Episode 3
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/03/12/diet-author-slain/1868336f-b70f-4705-9a56-a5c52fd3961b/
• https://mysterytribune.com/jean-harris-complete-guide-to-jilted-lover-killer-do-gooder/
• https://youtu.be/skJQl_YLQIg - Jean Harris Documentary - The Scarsdale Diet Doctor Murder
• https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/nyregion/jean-s-harris-killer-of-scarsdale-diet-doctor-dies-at-89.html
• https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/02/04/All-I-ever-asked-for-was-to-be-with-you/1754350110800/#:~:text=',-By%20RANDALL%20V&text=WHITE%20PLAINS%2C%20N.Y.,his%20other%20lover%2C%20Lynne%20Tryforos

Navigate a gruesome landscape with us as we travel to 19th century Kansas, where a simple pioneer family was devastatingly underestimated. As they say, a family that kills together, stays together. Note: This episode is not for the Alana’s of the world. 

Tea of the Day: Lords Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Source Notes:

• Hell's Half Acre by Susan Jonusas
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-benders/
• https://nypost.com/2022/03/26/how-a-serial-killer-family-murdered-8-and-got-away-with-it/
• https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homestead-act#
• https://www.nydailynews.com/true-crime-justice-story/ny-bloody-benders-true-crime-20210131-ak2iomaujndrvn67ghwocauqci-story.html
• https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bender-family.htm

When 19-year-old Ruth Brown meets Albert Snyder, she falls head over heels in love. Twelve years her senior, Albert is able to give Ruth the life she has always wanted. But it’s not long before the marriage turns sour and Ruth finds herself looking to other men for love…and murder. 

National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

Tea of the Day: Darjeeling Margaret’s Hope

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Source Notes:

• https://allthatsinteresting.com/ruth-snyder
• https://murderpedia.org/female.S/s/snyder-ruth.htm
• https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/ruth-snyder-judd-gray-trial-1927
• https://headstuff.org/culture/history/terrible-people-from-history/ruth-snyder-housewife-murderer/
• https://time.com/3808808/first-photo-electric-chair-execution/
• https://www.nytimes.com/1927/09/07/archives/grandmother-gets-lorraine-snyder-court-awards-guardianship-of.html
• https://medium.com/crimebeat/the-murder-that-inspired-double-indemnity-1bf9f76efff0
• https://www.history.com/news/double-indemnity-1920s-murder-crime-tabloids
• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/04/27/104071656.html?pageNumber=16
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNAizazVd9o
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zezVrDmk6Mg
• Show: Deadly Women Season 8 Episode 4 : Three’s a Crowd