Episodes
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After Lizzie Borden was acquitted for the murders, no other suspect was ever brought to trial, and the murders remain unsolved.
In Chapter 36, we see how, immediately following the trial, Lizzie and her sister fulfilled their life-long dream and moved to Fall River’s most prestigious neighborhood where they lived together until they parted ways after a mysterious schism and never spoke again. The sisters died within two weeks of each other and are both buried in the family plot with their murdered parents.
In Chapter 37, I share my comments on the case, some tips on protecting yourself from intruders, a quiz to test your knowledge of the Borden case, some snarky humor, and a list of references and cool sites.
Remember you can download the ebook version of all of Part 7 – Who Killed Lizzie Borden's Parents? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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After her disastrous testimony at the inquest into their deaths, Andrew Borden's eldest daughter, Lizzie, was indicted for the murders.
She was represented at trial by a dream team of defense attorneys that included a former Massachusetts governor and a former Suffolk County district attorney. The defense strategy depicted Lizzie as a law-abiding Sunday school teacher who could not have possibly committed such a heinous act.
The good-girl defense coupled with the successful suppression of key pieces of evidence left the prosecution with a purely circumstantial case that didn’t convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
In Chapter 34 and 35, we’ll examine the crimes themselves and Lizzie's indictment, trial, and acquittal.
You can download the ebook version of all of Part 7 – Who Killed Lizzie Borden's Parents? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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Missing episodes?
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On August 4, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts, Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby Gray Borden, were found dead of multiple wounds inflicted by a sharp-edged hacking instrument.
Abby Borden was found upstairs lying facedown on the floor of a guest bedroom of the family home, the victim of nineteen blows to the head. Downstairs, Andrew Borden was discovered in the sitting room, slumped on a divan, the victim of eleven similar blows to his face and head.
After the inquest into their deaths, Andrew Borden's eldest daughter, Lizzie, was indicted for the murders.
In Chapter 32, we’ll explore the dysfunctional inner workings of the Borden household. Chapter 33 will take us through the timeline of events leading up to the crimes.
You can get the ebook version of all of Part 7 – Who Killed Lizzie Borden's Parents? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post and read the whole story now. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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Despite overwhelming evidence against him, Bruno Hauptmann maintained his innocence until the end and never implicated anyone else in the crime. Yet, many aspects of the case point to an accomplice. But could his co-conspirator have been Charles Lindbergh himself?
In Chapter 30, we delve into the darker side of Lucky Lindy. We learn that, in addition to his strong antisemitic views and belief in eugenics, Lindbergh simultaneously had four separate families and fathered seven children outside of his marriage.
In Chapter 31, I offer my comments on the case along with some tips on home safety. Take a quiz to test your knowledge and get a dose of snarky humor followed by some references and cool sites about the crime.
Get the ebook version of all of Part 6 – Who Really Kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby? right now for free by clicking the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the complete anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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Even after Bruno Hauptmann was executed, the question still lingered...Did he act alone?
In Chapter 28, we’ll learn about the evidence against Hauptmann and how an eagle-eyed gas station attendant wrote Hauptmann’s license plate on a gold certificate from the ransom money that Hauptmann used to pay for gas, and see how investigators tracked that certificate through the banking system all the way to Hauptmann’s driveway.
In Chapter 29, we’ll question how Hauptmann knew the Lindberghs would be in Hopewell on that night instead of in Englewood where they were supposed to be, and we’ll ask why the maid, Violet Sharp, killed herself right before she was to be questioned by police.
Why wait to find out more? Get the ebook version of all of Part 7 – Who Really Kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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After the kidnapper's directions for finding the baby proved to be a cruel deception, the search for the child launched into overdrive. Despite the massive law enforcement effort, the baby's corpse was discovered accidentally on May 12, 1932 on the grounds of the St. Michael’s Orphanage in Hopewell.
After a multi-jurisdictional manhunt that lasted two and a half years, police ultimately arrested illegal German immigrant Bruno Hauptmann for the crime.
Chapter 27 of Anthrax to Zodiac explores the details of the investigation into the crime of the century and examines the details of the scientific analysis of the kidnapping ladder that ultimately helped seal Hauptmann’s date with the electric chair.
Why wait to find out more? You can obtain the ebook version of all of Part 7 – Who Really Kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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On the night of March 1, 1932, twenty-month-old Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his nursery on the second story of his family’s home in Hopewell, New Jersey.
When the baby’s nurse discovered the child was missing, Charles Lindbergh summoned the police, launching the investigation into the crime of the century.
After a month-long negotiation, the ransom was paid, but the location the kidnapper gave for the baby was bogus.
In Chapters 25 and 26, we discuss the details of the kidnapping and the twenty four notes and newspaper communications that passed between the Lindberghs, their representative, John F. Condon, and the kidnappers.
Want to finish reading about the Lindbergh kidnapping now? Get the ebook of all of Part 6 – Who Really Kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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While the Black Dahlia investigation officially remains open, the LAPD has "misplaced" all of the physical evidence in the case, eliminating, at least for now, the opportunity to apply modern forensic techniques to her personal effects and the few items gathered at the crime scene.
In spite of thousands of leads and multiple confessions, the murder of Elizabeth Short has never been solved. Or has it?
In Chapter 24, we take a look at my comments about the main suspects in the murder. I'll also share my comments about the investigation in general along with some tips on safely navigating the world of online dating. You can take a quiz to test your knowledge of the Black Dahlia case, enjoy some snarky humor, and peruse a list of references and cool sites.
Download the ebook version of all of Part 5 – Who Killed the Black Dahlia? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. Or buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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So who killed the Black Dahlia? In Chapter 23 of Anthrax to Zodiac, we take a look at the main suspects in the murder.
Could it have been Mark Hansen, a nightclub owner with connections deep in the underbelly of Hollywood who was said to have been obsessed with Short? Or was it Hansen’s associate, Artie Loy aka Jeff Connors, who admitted to police that he knew Short, was in LA at the time of her murder, and even claimed to have seen her at a bar the night before she was found dead. Or was the killer George Hodel, a polygamous venereal disease doctor with connections to the corrupt LAPD? Or could it have been Walter Bayley, a morphine-addicted surgeon with bizarre sexual proclivities who had lived near the dump site?
Download the ebook version of all of Part 5 – Who Killed the Black Dahlia? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. Or buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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In Chapter 22 of Anthrax to Zodiac, we take a deep dive into the massive investigation that followed the discovery of Elizabeth Short's bisected corpse. Read how the case was investigated in a quagmire of graft and public corruption by a police department and prosecutor’s office reeling from scandals and revelations that had been plaguing the city for a decade.
Learn how Short’s belongings were mailed to the Los Angeles Examiner after being soaked in gasoline, and see her purse and shoe that were retrieved from an LA landfill. And read about the stunning revelation that the LAPD is currently unable to locate any of the physical evidence in this open case.
While the entire book will be presented free of charge in these blog posts, you can obtain the ebook version of all of Part 5 – Who Killed the Black Dahlia? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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On January 15, 1947, a body was discovered in a vacant lot in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The corpse had been cut in two at the waist, eviscerated, and drained of blood. The woman’s face had been mutilated, and her neck and wrists were marred by ligature marks.
After the FBI identified the victim as Elizabeth Short, the LAPD launched one of the most extensive homicide investigations in the history of the department.
In spite of thousands of leads and multiple confessions, the murder of Elizabeth Short has never been solved. Or has it?Chapter 21 of Anthrax to Zodiac takes a detailed look at the movements and activities of Elizabeth Short in the years, months, and days before her death.
For an easier reading experience, you can obtain the ebook version of all of Part 5 – Who Killed the Black Dahlia? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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In the last part of Chapter 18, we’ll explore some of the Zodiac’s most intriguing communications, and learn about the amazing amateur cryptographers who finally decoded the enigmatic 340 cipher over 50 years after the Zodiac sent it to the media.
In Chapter 19, we’ll examine the main suspects. Was the Zodiac a bizarre man living in a trailer full of dead animals swimming in jars of formaldehyde? Was he a brain-damaged psychiatric patient with a lengthy criminal record? Or was he an ordinary looking man who was questioned on the street by police minutes after the last murder, only to walk away and disappear forever?
Chapter 20 includes my comments, some tips for staying safe on the road, a quiz, some snarky humor, and a list of references and cool sites.
You can get the ebook version of all of Part 4 – Who Was the Zodiac Killer?< for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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In the final part of Chapter 17, we’ll examine the murder of the Zodiac’s final victim, taxi driver Paul Stine. Stine was a doctoral candidate at San Francisco State driving a hack to make ends meet until his graduation, scheduled for the following January. And learn about how police came within a hair's breadth of catching the Zodiac just minutes after the Stine murder.
In Chapter 18, learn about how the Zodiac sent multiple letters and mysterious ciphers to media outlets taunting police and terrorizing the public. See the documents and learn about the Salinas, California, couple who decoded his earliest coded messages.
While the entire book will be presented free of charge in these blog posts, for an easier reading experience, you can obtain the ebook version of all of Part 4 – Who Was the Zodiac Killer? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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This post contains more of Chapter 17 of Anthrax to Zodiac where we explore the Zodiac's second and third attacks and take a closer look at the lives of his victims.
We learn about the shooting of Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau at Blue Rock Springs and the knife attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard at Lake Berryessa.
We’ll consider the possibility that the Zodiac was known to Darlene Ferrin and that she recognized his car moments before she was killed. Then, we’ll examine the evidence left behind at the Lake Berryessa crime scene, including the Zodiac’s boot print and the note he left police written on the door of Hartnell’s white Karmann Ghia.
Get the ebook of all of Part 4 – Who Was the Zodiac Killer? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post or buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac in ebook, paperback, or audiobook at Amazon.com.
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Between December 20, 1968, and October 11, 1969, the killer known as the Zodiac attacked at least seven victims, killing five of them. The Zodiac attacked three couples in remote areas of the northern California county of Napa before killing a taxi driver in the heart of San Francisco just outside the grounds of the Presidio.
Despite at least two surviving victims, numerous eyewitnesses, and one of the longest-running investigations in California history, the killer has never been identified, leaving us to wonder fifty-five years later, “Who was the Zodiac?”
In Chapter 16, we explore the chaotic social revolution that formed the backdrop of the attacks. In Chapter 17, we’ll look at the killings that launched the Zodiac’s reign of terror.
Get the ebook of all of Part 4 – Who Was the Zodiac Killer? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post or buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
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This post contains Chapter 14 and 15 of Anthrax to Zodiac. In Chapter 14, we'll do a deep dive into the notes Cooper allegedly sent to the media and explore the possibility that some of them contained coded information about his identity. Do the mysterious letters and numbers point to the felonious war hero, Robert Rackstraw? Are they a code that just hasn’t been broken yet? Or are they just gibberish left behind by the hijacker to confuse and torment his pursuers?
Finally, in Chapter 15, we'll wind up with my comments about the case, some tips for flying safe, a Cooper quiz, a dose of snark, and some cool references and sites regarding Cooper and the only unsolved hijacking in US history.
Read the entire book free of charge in these blog posts, or get the ebook version of all of Part 3 – Who Was D.B. Cooper? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
To access full show notes click here.
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In Chapter 13, of Anthrax to Zodiac, we'll look at some of the most intriguing pieces of evidence in the case including the possible link between the hijacker and a French-language comic book character.
Then, we'll take a hard look at the tiny particles of exotic metals and alloys recently discovered on the clip-on tie that Cooper left behind that could point to Cooper's place of employment.
Finally, we’ll learn about the sophisticated scientific analysis done on the only Cooper ransom money ever recovered—$5800 found my an eight-and-a-half-year-old second grader during a camping trip—and how the results have change everything we ever thought about Cooper's escape.
Read the entire book free of charge in these blog posts, or get the ebook version of all of Part 3 – Who Was D.B. Cooper? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.
To access full show notes click here.
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This post contains the last part of Chapter 12 of Anthrax to Zodiac and concludes he examination of Richard McCoy as a suspect in the hijacking of Flight 305. Read about how, after McCoy was convicted for a copycat hijacking, he escaped from a federal prison and was killed during an effort to apprehend him.
Then we’ll look in detail at two other prominent candidates: the mysterious Robert Rackstraw, a war hero turned felon, and Lynn Doyle Cooper, a reclusive logger from Sisters, Oregon, and check out the pros and cons of each of these possible suspects.
You can get the ebook version of all of Part 3 – Who was D.B. Cooper?for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com and have all seven cases in one ebook volume. The audiobook narrated by the author is also available at Audible, iTunes, and wherever you get your audiobooks.
To access full show notes click here.
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Who was D.B. Cooper? Over the past fifty years, the passenger in seat 18E of Flight 305 has morphed from a man into a legend. Yet, the hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper was a real, flesh and blood human being whose true identity has never been revealed.
This post contains the first part of Chapter 11 of Antrhax to Zodiac and looks at FBI’s investigation of the crime, including the question of whether or not the hijacker could have survived the jump. In the first part of Chapter 12, we’ll also consider one of the most prominent entries on the suspect list: veteran helicopter pilot Richard McCoy of Provo, Utah.
You can read the entire book in these blog posts, or you can get the ebook version of all of Part 3 – Who Was D.B. Cooper? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. The entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac is for sale at Amazon.com.
To access full show notes click here.
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On November 24, 1971, a man using the name Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Flight 305. Once airborne, he passed the flight attendant a ransom note and showed her what he said was a bomb in his briefcase. He demanded $200,000 in cash and four parachutes.
When the plane landed in Seattle, he collected the ransom and released the passengers and two of the crew then instructed the pilots to fly him to Reno. But somewhere between Woodland and Ariel, Washington, the hijacker strapped on the parachutes and jumped out of the plane with his loot, never to be seen again.
Chapter 9 looks at the social and economic context in which the hijacking transpired, and Chapter 10 explores the facts of the case.
You can read the entire book in these blog posts, or you can get the ebook version of all of Part 3 – Who Was D.B. Cooper? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post. The entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac is for sale at Amazon.com.
To access full show notes click here.
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