This week’s episode is 100% original crime fiction—a cozy, atmospheric holiday thriller I wrote especially for you. If you’re strictly here for real-life cases, feel free to save this one for a night when you’re in the mood for a creative bedtime story. Next time we’ll return to our usual true-crime format. But if you love a resourceful heroine, glittering empty mansions, and justice served with a side of Midwestern politeness… you’re in exactly the right place.

Sarah “Sunny” Jensen was once one of Chicago’s most trusted luxury real-estate agents. After a brutal divorce leaves her secretly living in her own vacant listings, one November night in a breathtaking Winnetka mansion she stumbles upon something monstrous hiding behind the Christmas lights: a high-society trafficking ring using the city’s empty homes as staging points.

With nothing but her ring of master keys, and the kind of grit that comes from growing up in the Heartland, Sunny dismantles the operation, saves four terrified girls, loses her real estate license…and accidentally launches an entirely new chapter of her life.

Part thriller, part love letter to women who refuse to stay down.

Creating these stories—whether pulled from real headlines or spun straight out of my imagination—is the source of great joy in my life. Knowing you’re here listening, blanket pulled high, means the world to me. Thank you for letting me be part of your wind-down ritual.

I keep every ad in the first few minutes so the story itself is never interrupted. Those few ads are what allow me to keep the podcast free for everyone, week after week.

If you’d prefer an ad-free experience (I completely understand!), you can join our Patreon family for just $5/month at patreon.com/kellibrink. This will give you instant access to every episode ad-free the moment it’s finished, plus exclusive bonus stories and behind-the-scenes notes.

Your support in any form keeps the lights on and the stories flowing.

Sunny still has an entire key ring of empty houses and a new job recovering missing people…

Let me know in the comments wherever you listen! Reply with YES if you want more of Sunny Jensen’s adventures!

Thank you for being here with me in the dark.

Change your alarm codes this season… just in case.

Sweet dreams,

Kelli ❤️

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

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If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

In the fog-choked alleys of 1888 Whitechapel, a phantom killer stalked the most vulnerable women of Victorian London. Five brutal murders – Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly – turned the East End into a nightmare and gave the world its first modern serial-killer legend: Jack the Ripper.

Tonight we walk those blood-soaked streets again. We’ll meet the women behind the headlines, explore the desperate poverty that made them targets, follow the frustrated police hunt, and examine the letters that taunted Scotland Yard. 

Finally, we’ll look at the 21st-century breakthrough that many believe has finally unmasked the Ripper after 137 years, and the lingering doubts that keep the mystery alive.

Dim the lights, lock your doors, and let the story carry you into the shadows.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

Thanksgiving 2012 was meant to be a quiet day for 64-year-old Byron David Smith in Little Falls, Minnesota. After suffering at least six burglaries in the prior year—including one the night before, he sat armed in his darkened basement, waiting. When two teenagers, Haile Kifer & Nicholas Brady, entered his home, he opened fire. The entire sequence was captured on over six hours of audio and video, recordings that revealed not just the shootings, but chilling taunts and “finishing shots” after the intruders were down.

Smith claimed he acted in self-defense under Minnesota’s castle doctrine. Prosecutors argued it was premeditated murder. The case became a flashpoint in debates over fear, lethal force, and the limits of protecting one’s home.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

G’day to our Aussie listeners (and everyone else) - this one’s for you!

In the quiet Hunter Valley town of Aberdeen, in Australia, beloved miner and father John Price trusted the wrong person. What began as a volatile relationship ended in a crime so shocking it earned Katherine Knight the title of Australia’s most horrific female murderer.

From her traumatic childhood to her chilling expertise in an abattoir (a slaughterhouse where animals are processed for meat), we trace the red flags ignored until it was too late. This is a sobering look at untreated mental illness, domestic abuse, and a betrayal that scarred a family forever.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

On a quiet September evening in 1937, retired greeting-card tycoon Charles Sherman Ross pulled over on a suburban Chicago road to let a trailing car pass—only to find a revolver tapping his window. What followed was a chilling 15-day ordeal that captivated the nation: a meticulously planned $50,000 ransom, two hidden woodland dugouts, a murderous double-cross, and one of the FBI’s most sweeping manhunts.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

In the snow-dusted driveway of a Pennsylvania estate, one of America’s wealthiest men raised a .44 Magnum and ended the life of an Olympic champion. This is the story of John Eleuthère du Pont—chemical heir, self-proclaimed ornithologist, wrestling messiah, and murderer.

In this episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we dive deep into the bizarre world of Foxcatcher Farm: where Olympic gold medalists trained alongside thoroughbred horses, where a private army patrolled the grounds, and where paranoia finally exploded into bloodshed on January 26, 1996.

From the intoxicating lure of unlimited money to the slow unraveling of a mind convinced he was being hunted by underground forces, this episode explores how absolute power, mental illness, and the American obsession with winning created one of the most haunting true-crime sagas of the 20th century.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

In this haunting episode of True Crime Sleep Stories, we trace the chilling rise and mysterious fall of Jeffrey Epstein, a man who built an empire of influence among the world’s most powerful, only to die in a federal jail cell under circumstances that still defy explanation. From his improbable beginnings in Brooklyn to the private island where secrets were allegedly traded like currency, this is a story of ambition, abuse, and unanswered questions.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

In the quiet woods of Allenstown, New Hampshire, two rusted barrels hidden beneath the leaves held a secret that would take 40 years to unravel. Four lives—Marlyse Honeychurch, her daughters Marie and Sarah, and a little girl known only as “the middle child”—were stolen by a man who changed names as easily as seasons. Terry Peder Rasmussen, the “Chameleon Killer,” left a trail of aliases and vanished women across the country. But science, persistence, and the refusal to forget finally gave the victims their names back.

Tonight, drift into the chilling true story of the Bear Brook Murders, where genetic genealogy cracked a case that time tried to bury.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Share your reflections or suggest true crime stories for future episodes. Sweet dreams, and stay inspired!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

Four years after David Berkowitz was locked away for life, the Son of Sam—chained in an upstate prison—whispered a chilling prophecy to a fellow inmate: “A ritual killing is coming soon near Greenwich Village. They’ll be shot in the head.”

Weeks later, on Halloween 1981, it happened exactly as he foretold.

Photographer Ronald Sisman and 20-year-old Smith College student Elizabeth Platzman were beaten, executed, and left in a ransacked Chelsea apartment. The killers took only two things: Sisman’s .25-caliber pistol, and both victims' IDs… amid rumors they were hunting a snuff film said to show Berkowitz’s final Son of Sam murder.

Investigative journalist Maury Terry spent 40 years proving Berkowitz didn’t act alone. From prison, the killer named his handlers: “The Children”—a violent offshoot of the Process Church, tied to Scientology’s fringes, ritual sacrifice, and a coast-to-coast web of drugs, porn, and elite cover-ups.

This is the story Terry died chasing—and the prophecy that cannot be explained away.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Share your reflections or suggest true crime stories for future episodes. Sweet dreams, and stay inspired!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation 

Picture Halloween night, 1981, in New York City's vibrant Chelsea neighborhood. Amid the chaos of costumes and celebrations, a quiet apartment becomes the scene of a brutal double execution.

Freelance photographer Ronald Sisman, 40, and college student Elizabeth Platzman, 20, are shot at close range in a ransacked apartment—seemingly targeted for something hidden in plain sight. Was it a drug debt hit? A random burglary? Or a chilling connection to the Son of Sam cult?

Settle in for this haunting, uninterrupted true crime tale designed to lull you to sleep... but with a mystery that might keep you awake. Dim the lights, lock your doors, and let the shadows tell the story.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Share your reflections or suggest true crime stories for future episodes. Sweet dreams, and stay inspired!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for creepy stories to help you drift off to sleep: https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

--- --- --- ---

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and recommend True Crime Sleep Stories to your fellow true crime enthusiasts. Follow along for more dark and mysterious tales to ease you into your evening. And as always, stay curious and stay safe.

--- --- --- ---

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 1: https://amzn.to/3Z8jx5L

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 2: https://amzn.to/4kAthhj

True Crime Sleep Stories, Volume 3:https://amzn.to/3H9xfPQ

--- --- --- ---

Support the show by joining Patreon https://www.patreon.com/KelliBrink

FACEBOOK:

facebook.com/truecrimesleepstories

INSTAGRAM:

instagram.com/truecrimesleepstories

Instagram.com/kellibrink

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/@SleepyTimeCreepyTime

APPLE PODCASTS:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-sleep-stories/id1649396201

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/show/3qDUjSgEY2T6KMHrFoLTaQ?si=f532504c83f34669

TIKTOK: @truecrimeirl

#Truecrimepodcast #sleepstories #unsolvedmysteries #truecrimerelaxation