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The Mother Who Tortured for Nine Years Without Conviction
The Mother Who Tortured for Nine Years Without Conviction: The Murder of Susan and Sheila by Teresa Cross
A mother shot, stabbed, and burned her own daughters alive in Sacramento. For nine years, authorities ignored the cries of a survivor. The system that absolved her of murder in 1964 would fail again decades later, until a television program exposed what no one wanted to see.
In this episode, we explore how Teresa Cross kept her children as forced accomplices, how two unidentified bodies remained archived while one daughter pleaded for justice, and why a confession from her own son was necessary to unleash the final downfall of a serial killer operating in broad daylight.
Victim: Susan and Sheila Cross
Date: 1984-1985
Location: Orangeville and Sacramento, California
Status: Sentenced to two life terms (1995)
- Teresa shot her first husband in the back in 1964 and was acquitted; the system taught her that dramatic victimization works.
- Susan was stabbed, burned alive, and her body was found charred nine years later, classified as Jane Doe.
- Sheila died locked in a closet without water or food; that closet survived the fire Teresa ordered to destroy evidence.
- Terry reported to the police in 1992 and was dismissed as a liar; in 1993, she saw her dead sister on television and called America's Most Wanted.
Teresa Cross, Susan Cross, Sheila Cross, Sacramento, Orangeville, murder, torture, homicide, investigation, serial killer, forensic, unsolved mystery, true crime, late justice, true crime Spanish
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie
A mother shot, stabbed, and burned her own daughters alive in Sacramento. For nine years, authorities ignored the cries of a survivor. The system that absolved her of murder in 1964 would fail again decades later, until a television program exposed what no one wanted to see.
In this episode, we explore how Teresa Cross kept her children as forced accomplices, how two unidentified bodies remained archived while one daughter pleaded for justice, and why a confession from her own son was necessary to unleash the final downfall of a serial killer operating in broad daylight.
Victim: Susan and Sheila Cross
Date: 1984-1985
Location: Orangeville and Sacramento, California
Status: Sentenced to two life terms (1995)
- Teresa shot her first husband in the back in 1964 and was acquitted; the system taught her that dramatic victimization works.
- Susan was stabbed, burned alive, and her body was found charred nine years later, classified as Jane Doe.
- Sheila died locked in a closet without water or food; that closet survived the fire Teresa ordered to destroy evidence.
- Terry reported to the police in 1992 and was dismissed as a liar; in 1993, she saw her dead sister on television and called America's Most Wanted.
Teresa Cross, Susan Cross, Sheila Cross, Sacramento, Orangeville, murder, torture, homicide, investigation, serial killer, forensic, unsolved mystery, true crime, late justice, true crime Spanish
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie
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By Creator at ObomediaThe Mother Who Tortured for Nine Years Without Conviction: The Murder of Susan and Sheila by Teresa Cross
A mother shot, stabbed, and burned her own daughters alive in Sacramento. For nine years, authorities ignored the cries of a survivor. The system that absolved her of murder in 1964 would fail again decades later, until a television program exposed what no one wanted to see.
In this episode, we explore how Teresa Cross kept her children as forced accomplices, how two unidentified bodies remained archived while one daughter pleaded for justice, and why a confession from her own son was necessary to unleash the final downfall of a serial killer operating in broad daylight.
Victim: Susan and Sheila Cross
Date: 1984-1985
Location: Orangeville and Sacramento, California
Status: Sentenced to two life terms (1995)
- Teresa shot her first husband in the back in 1964 and was acquitted; the system taught her that dramatic victimization works.
- Susan was stabbed, burned alive, and her body was found charred nine years later, classified as Jane Doe.
- Sheila died locked in a closet without water or food; that closet survived the fire Teresa ordered to destroy evidence.
- Terry reported to the police in 1992 and was dismissed as a liar; in 1993, she saw her dead sister on television and called America's Most Wanted.
Teresa Cross, Susan Cross, Sheila Cross, Sacramento, Orangeville, murder, torture, homicide, investigation, serial killer, forensic, unsolved mystery, true crime, late justice, true crime Spanish
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie
A mother shot, stabbed, and burned her own daughters alive in Sacramento. For nine years, authorities ignored the cries of a survivor. The system that absolved her of murder in 1964 would fail again decades later, until a television program exposed what no one wanted to see.
In this episode, we explore how Teresa Cross kept her children as forced accomplices, how two unidentified bodies remained archived while one daughter pleaded for justice, and why a confession from her own son was necessary to unleash the final downfall of a serial killer operating in broad daylight.
Victim: Susan and Sheila Cross
Date: 1984-1985
Location: Orangeville and Sacramento, California
Status: Sentenced to two life terms (1995)
- Teresa shot her first husband in the back in 1964 and was acquitted; the system taught her that dramatic victimization works.
- Susan was stabbed, burned alive, and her body was found charred nine years later, classified as Jane Doe.
- Sheila died locked in a closet without water or food; that closet survived the fire Teresa ordered to destroy evidence.
- Terry reported to the police in 1992 and was dismissed as a liar; in 1993, she saw her dead sister on television and called America's Most Wanted.
Teresa Cross, Susan Cross, Sheila Cross, Sacramento, Orangeville, murder, torture, homicide, investigation, serial killer, forensic, unsolved mystery, true crime, late justice, true crime Spanish
To listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.com
OBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.
Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.
We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.
From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.
© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie