Episodes

  • The town of Danvers, Massachusetts was filled with shock and horror on October 22nd, 2013, when 24-year-old math teacher Colleen Ritzer was murdered by one of her students. 14-year-old Philip Chism, who had recently moved from Tennessee, followed Colleen into a bathroom after school, brutally raped her, and slashed her throat 16 times. Cameras placed around the school captured Philip, bloody from his malicious attack, dragging a recycling bin containing Colleen's body to the woods near the school where he dumped her. Caught that same evening, using her stolen credit cards to buy movie tickets and Wendy's, Philip was immediately thrown into a juvenile detention center to await trial. Join Liz and Katie on this week's episode of True Crime New England to hear all of the gruesome details of the murder of a well-loved woman and the remorseless teenager who ended her life.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz talk about one of the most vicious serial killers in Connecticut - William Devin Howell, a man who started getting into trouble in his young adulthood, racking up charges of all kinds and using drugs and alcohol to supplement his already subpar life. In 2003, he began a killing spree that would result in the death of 7 women. While he was initially charged with manslaughter for one missing sex worker, the skeletal remains of the rest of his victims were found in both 2007 and 2015, all while he was serving time for the initial manslaughter charge. It took several years to identify all of the victims of William Devin Howell, who had raped 6 out of the 7 women in the back of his van while recording the act. Howell is currently spending the rest of his life in prison in Connecticut.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

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  • Join Katie and Liz on this week's episode of True Crime New England as they tell of a tragic story that happened in Providence, Rhode Island. It was mid-March of 2010 when 23-year-old Greg Hart left his Dedham, Massachusetts home to hang out with his friends in Providence. Greg was celebrating his first job using his degree, which he received the year prior from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While out, Greg made a phone call that lasted 8 minutes to one of the friends he was with, and a short time later, got up and walked away. 2 days later, his horribly injured body was found washed up in the Woonsquatucket River. The police and medical examiner determined that Greg's death was an accidental drowning, but his family seems to think otherwise. To this day, Greg's loved ones are convinced that his death was not an accident, and requires further investigation. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • In this week's episode of True Crime New England, join Katie and Liz as they talk about one of the most violent crimes to ever take place in New Hampshire history. In the small, relatively safe town of Mont Vernon, a little girl's life is changed forever when a group of 4 teenage boys breaks into her home. 11-year-old Jaimie Cates is stabbed 18 times, with a puncture wound to her lung, an almost fatal stab to her heart, and a chunk of her foot being cut off. Jaimie survives the ordeal by playing dead... all while the boys continue to stab her mother, 42-year-old nurse Kimberly Cates, 36 times. While Kimberly dies from her injuries, Jaimie calls the police and quickly all the pieces fall into place- thanks in part to the guilty consciences of several teenage boys who inadvertently were involved in the attack. In the end, 17-year-old Steven Spader and 19-year-old Christopher Gribble are charged with murder and sentenced to life plus 76 years in prison, as well as some lesser sentences for their accomplices. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz head to Montgomery, Vermont to discuss the very famous disappearance of 17-year-old Brianna Maitland. A seemingly normal Friday in March of 2004 turned into a nightmare for her friends and family when her pale green Oldsmobile was found backed into an abandoned building just a mile from her workplace. Inside the car were two unopened paychecks, migraine medication, contact lenses and even her driver's license- but Brianna was nowhere to be found. Several theories floated around, including Brianna being murdered by two acquaintances over drug debt, or even the possibility that her disappearance is related to that of Maura Murray- a young woman who went missing only 90 miles away just a month before. To this day, Brianna Maitland has not been found. Anyone with any information regarding this case or Brianna’s whereabouts is asked to please call the Vermont State Police at 802-524-5993 or the investigation’s official tip line at 802-241-5355.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • Join Katie and Liz in this week's episode of True Crime New England, as they travel to Auburn, Maine and discuss the horrific case of the murder of a 4-year-old girl. Angela Palmer's life came to a disturbing end when her mother's live-in boyfriend, John Lane, severely beat her and then proceeded to cook her in the oven. Lane claimed that Angela had turned into "Lucifer" and that she was going to kill the whole family, so she had to be stopped. Upon interrogation, it was discovered that Lane had drugged and sedated Angela's mom, Cynthia, and seemingly acted alone in this insane delusion. With the disturbing details coming to light, John Lane was found guilty of murdering the innocent little girl and sentenced to life in prison. Angela's mother, Cynthia, was found not guilty of manslaughter due to being heavily drugged and also beaten by Lane, and subsequently lost custody of her other child. 

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  • Take a trip with Katie and Liz on this week's episode as they discuss the deadliest plane crash in New England history. It was a foggy July morning in 1973 when Delta Airlines Flight 723 took off from Burlington, Vermont. A quick pitstop was made in Manchester, New Hampshire and the total number of people onboard became 83 passengers and 6 crew members. Although a brief trip, Flight 723 was set to land in Boston, Massachusetts at Logan Airport just several minutes after its pitstop. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible with a visibility of 0 feet due to intense fog, and with contributing factors of human error in the cockpit as well as system failure, Flight 723 crashed into a seawall just short of their target runway. 87 members of the flight died on impact, with only two lone survivors. One lived for a few hours, and one lived for several months before meeting his demise- making the total fatalities of this crash 89. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • Leah Ulbrich was a young mom of two who had lived a short and troubled life. She had been in and out of rehab and found herself divorced, without custody of her children, and struggling with drug addiction all by the age of 24. On this early October morning in 1995, witnesses in Hartford, Connecticut see Leah in a car with an unidentified male when the two start arguing. After what appears to be a physical fight, Leah ends up dangling out of the passenger side door, stuck to the inside of the vehicle. The unidentified male begins to speed away, and then continues to drag Leah's body for over four miles, where she ultimately dies of her extremely brutal injuries. Despite several witnesses, the man who murdered Leah has never been caught, leaving her family and friends wondering who would've done such a heinous thing. Tune into True Crime New England this week to join Liz and Katie's discussion on Leah's troubling demise. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to please contact the Hartford Police Cold Case Unit at (860) 548–0606. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • Join Katie and Liz this week on a troubling journey to Bristol, Rhode Island, where they discuss the case of the mysterious death of a freshman at Roger Williams University. 18-year-old Bryan Nisenfeld was a quiet, introverted guy who enjoyed poetry, reading, and listening to music. It was known to his family that he was struggling with being away from home for the first time, and that the demands of his school work were weighing on him heavily. In early February of 1997, Bryan stopped showing up for his classes, which was suspicious given that a week before, he received a threatening phone call from a former classmate. Unfortunately, roughly six months later, Bryan's foot and shin bone washed up on the shore of Hog Island, and the rest of his body has never been found. His family, his friends, and members of the community were left questioning- what happened to Bryan Nisenfeld? Anyone with any information on this case is asked to please contact the Rhode Island State Police at (401) 444-1000 or the Bristol Police Department at (401) 253-6900.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • The early morning hours of April 21st, 2019, proved to be life changing for the family and friends of 29-year-old Michael McClain. Out for the evening in Nashua, New Hampshire, Michael witnessed an altercation between a few acquaintances that occurred outside of the bar he was at. When the police showed up to break up the situation and the crowd dispersed- Michael was gone. He made a concerning phone call to his boss, sent some strange text messages, and was caught on surveillance cameras in 2 very random spots just a few hours later. Other than that, Michael has disappeared. Now, almost 3 years have passed and his family is still left wondering. Join Katie and Liz this week on True Crime New England as they discuss theories and rationales to where Michael could have possibly gone. Anyone with any information on Michael McClain’s whereabouts is asked to please contact the Manchester, N.H. police at 603-668-8711, or the Nashua Police Criminal Investigation Division at (603) 594-3500.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Liz and Katie talk about the horrendous crime that was committed by a 37-year-old, mentally ill man by the name of Mark Bechard. On the evening of January 27th, 1996 in Waterville, Maine, a service at the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament had just ended when Bechard broke into the convent in which nine nuns lived and were going about their evening. Immediately, he attacked four of the nuns that were present, beating them with canes and even a religious statue, stabbing them and stomping on their bodies. As a result of this horrifying ordeal, three nuns were killed, and a fourth was left paralyzed on one side of her body due to her injuries. Mark Bechard was taken into custody and ultimately found not criminally responsible due to mental illness. Don't forget to enter our giveaway! Give us a rate on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts, send us proof, and be automatically entered to win one of three possible prizes! Giveaway closes on March 3rd, 2022 at 8am EST.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz talk about the mysterious murder of a couple in Jay, Vermont. It was a Thursday in September of 1984 when a friend walked into the Hanel's chalet to find them both dead from 8 to 11 gunshot wounds each. Family, friends and even local law enforcement were confused as to who would do this to the couple, and why. Theories were thrown around involving Maram's history of employment at the 1972 Munich Olympics as well as Roland's German descent. To this day, there have been no answers as to who would murder the Hanel's. Anyone with any information is asked to please contact the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit at 802-244-8781.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • This week on True Crime New England, join Katie and Liz as they discuss an extremely disturbing unsolved case out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Between the years of 1988 and 1989, nine women turned up dead along Interstate 195 and Route 240. These women were all strangled, and had lived similar lifestyles, including the fact that they were all sex workers. In addition, two more women are assumed to be victims of this killer, but their bodies have never been found. There were several appropriate suspects, but none were ever convicted for the murders of these women. Tune in to episode 30 to hear more about the horror story of such a heinous unsolved crime.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz go over the details of the fascinating case of the exoneration of James Tillman. After the brutal attack of a 26-year-old woman in Hartford, Connecticut in January of 1984, eyewitness testimony and perhaps racial bias led to a false accusation. Despite denying any involvement in the assault, James Tillman is convicted of several charges and sent to jail. Tillman attempted to appeal his charges several times, stating there was jury bias and also incorrect witness accounts. Finally, in 2005, the Connecticut Innocence Project picked up James' case and helped him get exonerated of all charges after he spent 18.5 years in jail. Tune in to listen to the humbling story of a man who fought for justice, and the amazing organization that helped it happen.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz talk about the extremely suspicious death of Lori Malloy- a 30-year-old mom living in Rhode Island, who was found naked in her apartment with no outward signs of injury. The scene was bizarre; she was surrounded by slices of bread, there was food and two empty glasses on the table, and the whole apartment was strewn with clumps of hair. Additionally, Lori had these clumps of hair between her toes, in her hand, and around her wrist. While it was previously known that she was sick with some sort of flu, she had not answered her phone for several days and her friends and family were growing concerned. An autopsy was done shortly after Lori's death, only to reveal she died "naturally" of a heart condition that was not originally noted in the initial autopsy report. To this day, the real cause of death of Lori Malloy is still unknown. Lori's now adult daughter, Lauren, is the founder of UnsolvedRI, and she is fighting to get her mother's case reopened and find out the truth behind her extremely suspicious death. Anyone with any information on this case is asked to please call the East Providence Police Department at 401-435-7600, or email unsolvedri.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Liz and Katie talk about the harrowing kidnapping and ultimate survival of 15-year-old Abigail Hernandez in Conway, New Hampshire. A normal walk home from school in 2013 turned into 9 long months of being held captive in a storage container. Between countless sexual assaults, horrific tortures like being tazed and chained up, and earning the trust of her captor, Abby managed to escape with her life. The perpetrator, Nathaniel Kibby, was caught selling counterfeit money and ultimately returned Abby home to get rid of evidence, so sure that his torture would've kept her quiet. He had never been more wrong. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • In the first episode of 2022, Liz and Katie take a trip to the Isles of Shoals- a cluster of nine islands off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Also known as the Smuttynose Axe Murders, this gruesome attack is an infamous piece of New England history. In 1873, Norwegian immigrants John and Maren Hontvet found themselves comfortable with their island living, thanks to John's fishing business and the family members they had brought from overseas. One night in March, the three men were off the island, leaving the three women alone. A family friend who had fallen on hard times seized the opportunity to steal some money- this ended with the brutal murder of two women. Tune into this episode of True Crime New England to learn more about the historical case that is sure to make your skin crawl. 

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  • In episode 25 of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz discuss the case of the murder of Jerri Ann Richard, a 4-month-old baby girl who was seemingly taken right from her crib in her family's apartment in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Her parents, Ralph and Donna Richard, claim to have nothing to do with her disappearance, and even make a televised plea for the perpetrator to bring their baby girl home. A few days after she goes missing, on November 15th of 1984, Jerri Ann's body is discovered less than a block away from the apartment. It is obvious that the infant was bludgeoned as well as raped. With no real suspects and also no logical explanation for the crime, the spotlight quickly falls on Ralph and Donna. Although both of her parents were brought to trial, neither were sentenced and to this day, no one has been charged in Jerri Ann's murder.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • On this week's episode of True Crime New England, Katie and Liz focus on something horrible that was brought to light in 2002 by the Boston Globe. It involves at least 100 priests in the greater Boston area alone who were continuously molesting and assaulting young boys. When the story broke, it was discovered that this wasn't just a Massachusetts problem- but one that the whole world shares. The movie Spotlight, released in 2015, follows the journalists as they uncover the truth about the Catholic Church in their city, specifically following John Geoghan, a priest who was accused of molesting at least 130 young boys in his career. Not only were the numbers scary, but the blatant covering-up of these cases by the Archdiocese of Greater Boston sparked alarm and fear that remains in the Catholic Church to this day.Don't forget to check out our website:truecrimene.com--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support

  • This week's episode of True Crime New England involves a tragic double homicide out of Windsor, Connecticut in 1996. 54-year-old Champaben was being attacked by an unknown perpetrator, having her hands and face bound with duct tape, when her 32-year-old daughter Anita arrived. Sensing something was wrong, Anita quickly sent her 2 young children out of the house to safety. It was then that the assailant stabbed Anita 14 times with four different knives and a pair of kitchen scissors. Champaben's body was found covered in gasoline and burned in her bedroom. Anita was found surrounded by a ring of gasoline in the living room/kitchen area. The only good suspect for this awful crime was Jatin Patel: son of Champaben and brother of Anita. A horrible alibi, some family feuds, and a massive amount of debt placed him at the top of the list of possible attackers. To this day, however, no one has been charged. Anyone who may have information on this double homicide is asked to please call the tip line at the CT chief state's attorney's office at 860-548-0606. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/truecrimene/support