Episodes
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Over two days in 1980, prisoners at a New Mexico penitentiary, angry at the conditions they experienced inside its walls, rose up against their jailers and wreaked havoc upon officers and inmates alike. It would be called the bloodiest prison riot in U.S. history.
Over thirty-six hours, thirty-three prisoners were killed, eight guards were brutally assaulted, and hundreds were injured. The prison would never completely recover from the unprecedented violence that took place.
In the years since, the Penitentiary of New Mexico, known as the Old Main Prison, has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the state. After hearing the true story I’m about to tell you, you’ll understand why these traumatized spirits may still be lurking.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_State_Penitentiary_riot
https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-state-prison-riot-1908/42746860
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtxL6C_dNKw
Report of the Attorney General on the February 2 and 3, 1980 Riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico - https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/72933NCJRS.pdf
New Mexico Corrections Department website - https://www.cd.nm.gov/divisions/corrections-industries/old-main/
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/devastating-penitentiary-riot-of-1980-changed-new-mexico-and-its-prisons/article_be64a016-31ae-11ea-a754-fb85e49fca77.html
Reports of hauntings at the prison -
https://www.codypolston.com/new-mexico-state-penitentiary-santa-fe-nm-more-witness-accounts-and-ghost-stories/
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Links:
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In this episode, I’ll share a story of an alleged demonic possession of a young boy in the 1940s. While you may be skeptical of such a claim, several sources officially documented the case, including first-person eyewitnesses, making it difficult to dismiss these claims as mere superstition.
You’ll also hear how this case inspired a best-selling novel and blockbuster movie that helped to usher in an era of “Satanic Panic,” a phenomenon that would lead to accusations and criminal charges leveled against innocent people, some of whom were falsely convicted.
Sources:
https://www.thescottsmithblog.com/2023/08/the-real-story-behind-exorcist-movie.html
https://allthatsinteresting.com/roland-doe-the-exorcist-true-story
https://play.max.com/video/watch/ec95d53c-2050-4361-afca-db7f96836670/94f26393-35be-4945-9fbf-b99b005674a0
https://www.slu.edu/universitas/archive/2014/exorcism.php
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/20/the-exorcist-boy-named-magazine
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Links:
Season 6: Episode 248: Final Curtain Call - Paul Bateson and The Exorcist - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s6-ep248-final-curtain-call-paul-bateson-and-the-exorcist/
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com
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Missing episodes?
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Marine wife Erin Corwin was just 19 years old when she disappeared in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. Nearly two months later, her body was found in an abandoned mine in the unforgiving desert, and suspicions quickly fell on a fellow Marine. Here’s a preview of the new podcast, “48 Hours: NCIS”, which merges the award-winning journalism of one of the most celebrated true crime news programs with the world’s #1 TV franchise, to bring you the real-life cases that NCIS agents will never forget. Host CBS News correspondent Natalie Morales untangles this twisted story of infidelity and betrayal that led to Erin’s tragic end. Listen early and ad-free right now by subscribing to 48 Hours+ on Apple Podcasts.
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In this first story, we’ll go back over one hundred years to learn about a Romeo and Juliet story that ended in cold-blooded murder. On the property where the killing took place now sits a stone building known by locals as “The Witch’s Castle.” Some say that the restless spirits of the murdered man, his widow, and the killer roam the area on nights when the moon is full.
This is the story of the murder of Mortimer Stump and the haunting of The Witch’s Castle.
Resources:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-witches-castle-portland-oregon
https://www.mckenzieriverreflectionsnewspaper.com/story/2013/24/2/history/mystery-surrounds-portland-s-first-public-execution/830.html
https://themorbidlibrary.com/2021/09/10/the-haunted-the-witchs-castle/
http://balchipedia.wikidot.com/danford
https://www.newspapers.com/image/900596109/?match=1&terms=mortimer%20stump
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1088419076/?match=1&terms=%22anna%20stump%22
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Links:
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
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Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com
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In this special Halloween episode, horror comes to a family in the middle of the night. But unlike ghostly tales, this was all too real and was the last thing they’d ever expected as they invited the monster into their home.
Resources:
https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bay-Area-suspect-allegedly-bludgeoned-victims-3217121.php
https://www.therotundaonline.com/remembering-associate-professor-of-sociology-dr-debra-s-kelley/article_2fab25df-a3f5-527c-ba59-cf14588b4e00.html
Slain mom, teen had counseling over music - https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32992286
Links:
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In July 1993, Mia Zapata, a rising star in the genre of punk rock music, joined what is morbidly referred to as “The 27 Club” - artists and celebrities whose lives ended at the age of 27. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse all qualify. But like other members of this unfortunate club, Mia Zapata didn’t die as the result of a drug overdose or by her own hand. She was murdered on the streets of Seattle just before she reached success with her band, The Gits.
In this episode, I’ll detail the life, death, and lasting legacy of Mia Zapata.
Resources:
Mia Zapata and The Gits: A Story of Art, Rock, and Revolution, Steve Moriarty, (2024) https://amzn.to/3T2cjgv
https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a44362322/a-cross-between-janis-joplin-and-johnny-rotten-remembering-mia-zapata-of-the-gits/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mia-zapata-murderer-dead-1170206/
https://web.archive.org/web/20130406042509/http://thegits.com/?page_id=410
https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/singer-s-killer-gets-37-years-1143741.php
“Mia: Mia Zapata left her Louisville roots for a shot at success with her band, The Gits. But death ended her dream, and her killer is still at large,” James Nold, Jr., The Courier-Journal, Oct. 9, 1993.
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Links:
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Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com
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In 1975, a renowned drummer who played with some of the most prominent artists of the 1960s and ‘70s was found shot and killed after an apparent botched robbery.
But some suspected Al Jackson, Jr. had been set up for murder. Was his soon-to-be ex-wife involved in his slaying? Was a friend’s relationship with a wanted fugitive to blame? Or was he privy to sensitive music business information that made him a target?
Resources:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/25/al-jackson-jr-memphis-sunset-the-mysterious-death-of-stax-heartbeat
http://staxrecords.free.fr/aljacksonpage.htm
https://torontosun.com/news/world/hunter-murder-music-and-the-memphis-sound-of-stax-volt
http://vancouverdrummer.blogspot.com/2017/09/al-jackson.html
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Links:
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com
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What makes a serial killer? Mind of a Serial Killer takes you deep into the twisted minds of history’s most notorious serial killers. Every Monday, hosts Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels, a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, combines gripping true crime storytelling with expert psychological analysis to answer the question - what makes a serial killer? From Jeffrey Dahmer to Ted Bundy, explore not only their chilling crimes but the dark psychology behind them. Follow Mind of a Serial Killer wherever you get your podcasts!
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In this episode, a young Ohio man begins playing music before he is barely out of diapers. He and his brothers would form a band and shoot to the top of the charts. They were hometown heroes and certified music stars, but a baffling turn of events would end in a double tragedy.
This is chapter one in the Rocktober series, “Murdered Musicians” - Zapped - The Life and Death of Funk Musician Roger.
Resources:
https://www.dayton.com/news/local/icon-lost-one-dayton-most-gut-wrenching-murders-years-ago/g0LamsZlgO9s7NvR6Ar6cM/
https://www.daytondailynews.com/what-to-know/troutman-brothers-shot-dead-recording-artist-believed-victim-in-murder-suicide/HDHRGKMFV5BP5DQVK53FIE7DX4/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/zapp-brothers-found-dead-90905/
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/photos-roger-troutman-and-the-legendary-zapp-band-through-the-years/s5jkHsjNadR3ym8L3YLK9H/
https://vimeopro.com/user15889254/unsung/video/301288752
https://www.grunge.com/931330/the-tragic-1999-murder-of-funk-legend-roger-troutman-explained/
https://ohtravel88.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/the-tragic-stories-of-roger-larry-troutman-and-ray-combs/
Sponsor:
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Links:
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On a dark night in April 1989, a young man named Chip Flynn was shot in a Florida orange
grove. His ex-girlfriend Kim was the only surviving witness and claimed a Black man had
robbed, kidnapped, and killed Chip. A year later, Crosley Green was sentenced to death by an
all-white jury for Flynn's murder. After 32 years behind bars, a judge ruled Green was wrongfully
convicted — so why is he still in prison? Here’s a preview of the new “48 Hours” podcast,
“Murder in the Orange Grove: The Troubled Case Against Crosley Green” which offers the most
comprehensive deep dive into this shocking case that leaves one man fighting desperately for
his freedom. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty has followed this controversial case for 25
years, delving into inconsistencies — from coerced confessions to allegations of a racial hoax
— that challenge the integrity of the verdict. You can hear the rest of this episode by searching
for “Murder in the Orange Grove: The Troubled Case Against Crosley Green”wherever you get
your podcasts. -
A formerly peace-loving man becomes obsessed with extreme political conspiracy theories. David DePape falls down a rabbit hole, consuming ever-more radical views on YouTube, blogs, and social media posts.
A perfect storm of factors will cause him to carry out a baffling and horrific attack after breaking into the home of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Resources:
“Paul Pelosi attack: From nudist activism to online hate, suspect David DePape’s strange descent,” Rachel Swan, Dustin Gardiner, and Sarah Ravani, The San Francisco Chronicle, November 16, 2023.
“Where is Nancy?: Here’s what happened, minute by minute, inside the Pelosi home,” Megan Cassidy, The San Francisco Chronicle, November 3, 2022.
“David DePape Sentenced after Conviction on Assault and Attempted Kidnapping Charges,” Press Release, Office of the Attorney General, May 17, 2024.
“Gypsy Taub Speaks Out About Ex-Boyfriend David DePape,” Jay Barmann, SFist.com, October 31, 2022.
“Ex-wife of man who attacked Paul Pelosi is barred from court,” Brian Krans, KQED, June 18, 2024.
Links:
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
Dani After Dark - Watch my interview on “Dani After Dark” on YouTube - https://youtu.be/_krzF5A1t7I?si=1dY4TgRrQA3DtrLC
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In this month’s series, “The Politics of Murder,” we’ll take a look at cases where violent acts are perpetrated upon political figures. In this episode, a disgruntled man whose life is unraveling due to his own actions places the blame on the policies of one political party. His random act of violence will turn a pleasant day at a ballpark into ten minutes of horror and chaos.
Sources:
https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2020-06/Hodgkinson.pdf
https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/05/28/terrifying-story-of-the-congressional-baseball-shooting-steve-scalise/
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/21/2017-baseball-field-shooting-fbi-conculsion-483993
Links:
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
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In this month’s series, “The Politics of Murder,” we’ll take a look at cases where violent acts are perpetrated upon political figures. First up, a young man begins to lose his grip on reality and fixates on a congressperson whom he targets for assassination. Jared Lee Loughner’s mass shooting at a community political event will spark debate regarding violent political rhetoric, gun control laws, and the state of mental health care in the U.S.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tucson_shooting
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/08/arizona.shooting.suspect/
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/09/arizona.shooting.investigation/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/gabby-giffords-shooting-records/2024589/
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/15/arizona.shooting.images/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/08/justice/arizona-loughner-sentencing/index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/gabby-giffords-shooting-records/2024589/
https://www.cnn.com/2012/08/07/us/arizona-loughner-plea/index.html
https://theweek.com/articles/488172/arizona-massacre-should-sarah-palin-share-blame
Links:
Once Upon a Crime on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
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Before Ted Bundy became a collective symbol of a real-life boogeyman and the person who helped coin the term “serial killer,” he was a son, a brother, a grandson, and a cousin - someone with friends and family members who loved him and never could have suspected the evil that lay within him and would come to destroy so many lives.
In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with one of those family members - someone who grew up with Ted Bundy and with whom he shared a close relationship.
Edna Cowell Martin knew Bundy as “cousin Ted.” Having to face the horror of what her cousin had done and the chaos of the media circus surrounding his arrest, trial, and execution, Edna and her family chose to remain anonymous…until now.
Edna’s new memoir, “Dark Tide: Growing Up with Ted Bundy,” reveals new details of his life, personality, and family relationships through his cousin Edna’s memories, photographs, and letters from Bundy himself. We learn what it was like for his family members to grapple with the realization that a person they loved and thought they knew well was one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history.
***
You can purchase the book “Dark Tide: Growing Up with Ted Bundy” at the link below or ask for it at your favorite independent bookstore.
https://amzn.to/3SQ3MNR
One listener will win a copy of the book. To enter, go to our Instagram page, look for the “Dark Tide” post, and follow the instructions to have a chance to win. Good luck! https://www.instagram.com/OnceUponaCrimePod/
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A young woman grows up hearing stories about her abusive grandfather. She takes it upon herself to learn the whole truth about him. In the course of her investigation, shocking revelations come to light, and she begins to ask the question - was Jim Mordecai a serial killer?
Sources:
The Truth About Jim, 2024, Skye Borgman, director. Distributed by HBO Max.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-woman-suspects-relative-was-serial-killer-uncovering-family-secrets
https://www.the-sun.com/news/10391888/truth-about-jim-mordecai-hbo-sierra-barter/
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/the-truth-about-jim-docuseries-1234968110/
https://www.businessinsider.com/jim-mordecai-zodiac-killer-the-truth-about-jim-sierra-barter-2024-2
https://www.theeducationisthub.com/jim-mordecai/Links.
Once Upon a Crime on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
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In this month’s series, “Buried Family Secrets,” I’ll share stories about family secrets that hid decades-old murders and may have prevented the killers from facing justice. Fortunately, in each case, one family member dared to share the truth so justice could be served.
In this first episode, when Lloyd Ford disappears in 1980, his wife claims he’s run off with another woman. But her 12-year-old knows the truth and will be forced to keep her mother’s deadly secret for over two decades.
Sources:
The Devil You Know, Season 3, Episode 5. (2012) Director: Mary Bissell
https://www.idahopress.com/news/gough-admits-to-1980-murder/article_cf5cb179-e997-57c2-bd80-08239f2f9b3e.html
https://thecinemaholic.com/judy-gough-where-is-lloyd-fords-wife-now/
Links:
Once Upon a Crime on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
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A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton, written by Deb Miller Landau, is the story of the murder-for-hire of Lita McClinton Sullivan in 1987.
Lita was a beautiful, accomplished woman from a respected Atlanta family. Her interracial marriage to millionaire Jim Sullivan in 1970s Georgia was noteworthy in itself. Their differences fueled their deep attraction for each other in the beginning—she was a college-educated, Black debutante from the South. He was a white entrepreneur from working-class Boston, ten years her senior.
They fell in love and soon married. But, before long, Lita found herself trapped in a marriage with a controlling man who treated her as a possession. When Lita filed for divorce from Jim Sullivan a decade later, it set off a series of events that ended in her violent death and subjected her family to a decades-long search for justice.
I spoke with Deb Miller Landau about this decades-old murder case detailed in her book, available now in your favorite bookstore or online retailer.
Links:
The author’s website - www.debword.com and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dml_author/
A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege and the Murder of Lita McClinton, Deb Miller Landau, Pegasus Books, 2024. ISBN 9781639366835
To purchase the book on Amazon - https://amzn.to/4dk0zOD
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In this week’s episode, a young woman, newly engaged and expecting a baby, goes for a morning run in the serene beachfront town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico, and finds herself trapped in a nightmare. Still finding the inner courage to keep her wits about her, the terrified woman’s actions would help solve her own murder.
Sources:
“Kidnap Victim Called Fiancee Before Slaying,” SFGate.com, Feb 7, 2009.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Kidnap-victim-called-fiance-before-slaying-3173177.php
“Murder in Puerto Rico,” Latitude38.com, Feb 6, 2009.
https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/murder-in-puerto-rico/
“Puerto Rican Indicted in Pregnant Woman’s Slaying,” SavannahNow.com, Feb 5, 2009.
https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2009/02/06/puerto-rican-indicted-pregnant-womans-slaying/13603126007/
“Puerto Rican Man Gets 105 Years in Killing of Pregnant San Jose Native,” Associated Press, June 1, 2009.
https://coastalcourier.com/news/state-national/puerto-rican-gets-105-years-for-killing-savannah-woman/
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YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
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In this month’s series, “Resorting to Murder,” I share cases proving that murder never takes a holiday.
This week’s case tells the story of a rocky mother-daughter relationship, a fight over an inheritance, and a cold-blooded murder that occurred at a luxury resort. Was the murder of socialite Sheila von Wiese-Mack the desperate act of an abused child or spurred on by an entitled young woman’s greed?
Sources:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2015/12/09/heather-mack-accuses-slain-mom-of-cheating-her-out-of-inheritance/
https://people.com/heather-mack-suitcase-killer-everything-to-know-7509623
Heather Mack discusses her relationship with mother: Exclusive (people.com)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-couple-sentenced-to-prison-for-bali-suitcase-murder/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/interviews-with-bali-suitcase-killers-uncovers-disturbing-details-behind-the-gruesome-murder/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3838671/Body-Suitcase-killer-Tommy-Schaefer-claims-ex-Heather-Mack-does-drugs-drinks-sex-female-prisoners-daughter-close-speaking-time-conviction-letter-friends.html
Sponsor:
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Links:
Once Upon a Crime on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
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In this month’s series, I’ll share cases of vacations that turned deadly. Even in the most serene and beautiful locations, murder never takes a holiday.
This week, an award-winning television producer, his beautiful and successful Brazilian-born wife, and young children take a family vacation to a tropical resort. When Monica Beresford-Redman is found murdered just yards from their hotel suite, her husband becomes the main suspect.
Was the circumstantial evidence all pointing to Bruce Beresford-Redman as the murderer merely a series of coincidences or proof of his guilt? Was he a victim of terrible luck, or did he resort to murder?
Sources:
48 Hours: Bruce Beresford-Redman: The Verdict, Season 28, Episode 22, 2015.
In the Matter of the EXTRADITION OF Bruce Ainsley BERESFORD-REDMAN. United States District Court, Ninth Circuit, California, C.D. California. Dec. 2, 2010.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Beresford-Redman
https://abcnews.go.com/US/documents-detail-beresford-redman-death-mexico/story?id=12815694
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/beresford-redman-cancun-murder-tv-producer/2419136/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7453793/Survivor-producer-jailed-wifes-death-spotted-release.html
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/a-survivor-producer-a-dead-2-755386/
Sponsors:
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Links:
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CrimeCon UK - September 21st and 22nd in London. Get your discounted ticket by using my discount code ONCEUPON when you purchase your ticket at www.crimecon.co.uk.
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