Episodes
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Our guest is one of the most prolific true crime writers in our lifetime. He has a special knack in connecting with international drug dealers and crime kingpins, plus localized stories such the Taco Bell Strangler who murdered his coworkers!
Ron Chepesiuk is an optioned screenwriter, documentary producer and the award-winning author of more than 40 books. His books include BLACK CAESAR: The Rise and Disappearance of Frank Matthews, Kingpin, SERGEANT SMACK: The Legendary Life and Times of Ike Atkinson, and his Band of Brothers, GANGSTERS OF HARLAM, BLACK GANGSTER OF CHICAGO, and NARCOS INC: The Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel.
He is a former professor and head of the Archives at Winthrop University in South Carolina. He is a two-time Fulbright Scholar to Indonesia and Bangladesh and a former instructor in UCLA's Extension Journalism Department. His articles, which number in the thousands, have appeared in such publications as FHM, USA Today, Black Enterprise, Woman's World, Modern Maturity, New York Times Syndicate, Toronto Star, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, among others. His documentary on Frank Matthews, legendary drug Kingpin, which he produced and directed, won the Silver Doc award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival. Four of his screenplays are currently in development for feature movies and four of his books have been optioned for movies. His script DEATH FENCES was the grand winner of the Amsterdam, Holland-based 2019 New Visions International film Festival.
As an expert in crime history, he is a consultant to the Gangland TV series and has been interviewed on numerous TV programs, including Discovery, NBC Dateline, History, Biography, ID, Reelz, Black Entertainment Television, Starz, and TV 1. As a journalist, Ron has reported from more than thirty-five countries, including Cuba, Northern Ireland, Colombia, Kenya, Hong Kong, and Nepal, and his 16, 000 plus interviews include such luminaries as Gerry Adams, Yasser Arafat, John Kerry, Evander Holyfield, Jimmy Carter, Andy McDow, Abbie Hoffman, a former president of Nicaragua, and three former presidents and two vice presidents of Colombia, South America.
In addition, Ron is radio host of CRIME BEAT Radio Show. The Crime Beat show has been on the air since January 2011 and has listeners in 160 plus countries. Guests have included Robert Kennedy, Jr., Henry Hill, Noam Chomsky, George Jung, Joe Pistone (aka Donnie Brasco), F. Lee Bailey and Chris Kyle, American sniper
VISIT: ronchepesiuk.com/index.htm
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The brilliant Susan Murphy Milano went to Garvin County Oklahoma to reveal three murders falsely ruled suicide or accident. She got death threats, but that didn't stop her!
A powerful episode from 2010 that is a MUST LISTEN!
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Episodes manquant?
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This show, featuring the lawyer for the family, was recorded in 2013. The cause of death -- suicide, accident or murder- was hotly debated but never investigated! It all ended in 2017! Here is the timeline
March 2, 2012 - Jacob Limberios dies of a gunshot wound to the head at a York Township home near Clyde. Sandusky County Coroner Dr. John Wukie rules the death a suicide.
June 4, 2012 - Sandusky County Prosecutor Tom Stierwalt asks prosecutor's office investigator Bill Kaiser to conduct a follow-up investigation. Kaiser says he thinks the death was "a horrible accident."
September 2012 - Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht of Pittsburgh conducts the first autopsy on Limberios after being hired by Limberios' parents.
Oct. 19, 2012 - Limberios' parents sue Wukie in Sandusky County Common Pleas Court, seeking to force him to change the suicide ruling.
Dec. 12, 2012 - Wecht releases his opinion that Limberios' death was a homicide.
May 1, 2013 - Limberios' body was exhumed for a second autopsy conducted by Dr. Cynthia Beisser, Lucas County deputy coroner.
May 22, 2013 - Beisser says her autopsy findings are "not inconsistent" with suicide.
Nov. 20, 2013 - After reviewing evidence presented by the Attorney General's Office, a Sandusky County grand jury determines Limberios accidentally shot himself and did not have suicidal intent. Citing precedent, Wukie says he will not change his suicide ruling.
Jan. 4, 2014 - Limberios' parents dismiss their lawsuit against Wukie without prejudice, meaning they can file it again.
Jan. 2, 2015 - Shannon Limberios files lawsuit against Wukie seeking to change manner of death from suicide to accidental.
Jan. 28, 2016 - Visiting Judge Dale Crawford, who oversaw grand jury, recuses self from proceedings.
Feb. 10, 2016 - Patricia Cosgrove is appointed judge in the case.
Feb. 10, 2017 - Lawsuit is dismissed with prejudice.
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https://www.amazon.com/Season-Darkness-Berkley-True-Crime-ebook/dp/B0049H9AVK/
The horrific true crime cold case of Marcia Trimble, the little girl who disappeared while selling Girl Scout cookies and was discovered a month later, strangled. This mystery haunted her family for over 30 years...
When nine-year-old Marcia Trimble was murdered in 1975, her devastated parents believed justice would be served. But without a clear suspect in sight and without the ability to analyze DNA evidence, fingers pointed toward the family and toward neighborhood boys without any definitive conclusion. Police were left at a loss to find any kind of evidence that would lay this brutal murder case to rest and bring peace to the long-suffering family of this innocent little girl.
A Season of Darkness catalogs the gruesome account of the murder and its awful aftermath, detailing the thirty years of wondering, silence, and investigation that would eventually lead to a shocking, unexpected, and long-awaited concLusion. -
https://www.amazon.com/Against-Tide-H-Bedford-Jones-ebook/dp/B0DZHSFHD
Against the Tide is a true story that captures the fear and hardships faced by African Americans during a disturbing time in American history the post-Reconstruction period that led to the introduction of Jim Crow laws.
Through hard work and determination, Hansford C. Bayton would rise from humble beginnings to become the captain and owner of five excursion and mail delivery steamboats that plied the Rappahannock River during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Unusually for an African American, he would acquire wealth and the respect of both blacks and whites. Nevertheless, his boats were burned one by one. But with each malicious burning, and with lynching on the rise, he would build again.
This book illuminates a time in American history when the surge of progress made by freedmen was sharply curtailed through the enactment of segregation laws and the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. As a result Hansford C. Bayton died poor, but his story is one of dignified courage and determination when faced with overwhelming odds. Truly, he was a man who swam against the tide.
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Julie Helen Sullivan is a passionate advocate for improved access to education for children in Africa. As president of a small not-for-profit organization, she sent over 1,000 U.S. volunteer educators overseas to address issues of poverty and inequity through education. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University, where she works on developing health programs for the poor in the US and elsewhere in the world. Julie has a doctorate in international development from Tulane University and she lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, Alan.
Julie is the daughter of the late Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan, civil rights leader and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Grace Banks Sullivan, the granddaughter of Captain Hansford (Hanks) Bayton. As a child, she and her brother and sister learned first-hand about the struggles of the poor through her parents’ work both in cultivating self-help principals among the poor both in the United States and in Africa. One of her earliest memories is of visiting Ghana with her family in 1976 and seeing a small girl with a beaming face walk out of a Pentecostal church dressed in a tattered dress and barefoot. The memory of that young girl, poor in material things, but wealthy in spirit, stuck with her and motivated her to desire to serve.
She has over 25 years' experience in the development and implementation of grassroots education and health programs in more than dozen sub-Saharan countries. Many of these projects focused on the welfare of the child, mothers, and school leavers and involved literacy development, primary education teacher training, HIV/AIDs prevention and conflict mitigation. Many of the former volunteers who participated in these projects have chosen to live and work in Africa, working on the ground to empower people at the grassroots level. As a result of the training provided by the volunteers, over 500,000 teachers in Africa have been impacted, who, in turn, have had a positive effect on the lives of millions, particularly among the most vulnerable.
Julie has won several awards for her work, including the 2009 World Association of Nongovernmental Organization’s Education award for innovation and leadership, the American Red Cross award for leadership in 2007, and she was honored in 2013 by the Arizona Historical Commission Centennial Legacy Project. She is a board member of Ballet Arizona and a member of Charter 100 of Phoenix, Arizona.
Her book about her great-grandfather is a deeply personal story. The life of Captain Hansford Bayton is a beacon of hope for her during times of crisis. A reminder for all of us that challenges are placed there to overcome and that the history of African Americans in this country is one of pride, fortitude and courage.
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Famous as the world's expert on Ted Bundy, Kevin Sullivan turns his attention to something far worse than a single serial killer -- the systematic and planned murder of 6 million Jews in highly organized death camps. Kevin researched the backgrounds and childhoods of the two men who, at the request of Hitler, planned the Holocaust.
This is part one of our conversation.
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https://www.amazon.com/Irma-Grese-Becoming-Hyena-Auschwitz/dp/B0DZBR8PV3
Irma Grese - Becoming the Hyena of AuschwitzShy schoolgirl and farmer’s daughter turned vicious Nazi concentration camp guard IRMA GRESE is one of the most notorious female perpetrators to emerge from the Hitler regime. She moved quickly through the ranks of the concentration camp hierarchy due to her cruelty and fearlessness. At the age of 20 she was the youngest female camp supervisor in the SS.
Irma Grese’s letters from death row & her poetryColor images100+ photos & documentsHolocaust survivor interviewsRare images
Prisoners recall Grese using her custom whip, gun, and attack dog as she moved through the camps, causing terror in prisoners with torture and death. She ignored her superior’s demands to contain her cruelty. When on trial and punished, she remained defiant to the end.
Her attractiveness was legendary among prisoners and staff and - later - the press. Her good looks were used against her at trial. She was complimented by her hangman.
What created Irma Grese? Was she a killer given the right tools at the opportune time? Was she a true sadist? Or was she attempting to heal childhood injuries?
Criminologist and award - winning author Judith A. Yates details the life of Irma Grese and those around her. Dispelling ageless myths and questioning long-held beliefs, Yates exposes the truth on how Irma Grese became “THE HYENA OF AUSCHWITZ.”
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ALERT: The audio quality of the first few minutes really sucks, but it does get better. Our producer is investigating why the audio quality on our award-winning true crime show has suffered this decline. Please keep listening!
Seth Ferranti, former outlaw unlicensed pharmaceutical supplier of mind altering substances who was still in his early twenties when sentenced to 25 years in prison for the non-violent crime of selling LSD, is now a famed writer and co-producer of several outstanding documentary series available on the top streaming services, and even more excellent and insightful non-fiction insights into America's prison system and post-prison PTSD. He joins Burl and Mark for a lively discussion of LSD and other psychedelics, and all manner of amusing anecdotes!
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British author J.R. Hensby joins us from the U.K.WAS ELVIS MURDERED?
AND OTHER TRUE CRIMES FROM THE DARK SIDE OF DIXIEThe shock was felt around the world when it was announced on August 16th 1977 that the world’s biggest superstar, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock-n-Roll, had died at the age of only forty-two. Since then there has been much speculation about what actually happened on that fateful day. Did he die of natural causes? Did he commit suicide? Did he die of a drug overdose? Did he not die at all? Or was he murdered?
The author, a massive fan of Elvis, examines in great detail all the available evidence relating to these possible scenarios and gives an opinion about what did happen to Elvis all those years ago.
That is the main story in the book, but additionally there are detailed true accounts of twelve horrible crimes committed in the beautiful Deep South of America: Young black boys who were electrocuted without any fair trial, women who murdered family members with impunity for years, a Baptist Minister who murdered the church handyman....... and much more.
Illustrated with 20 full page photos.
https://www.amazon.com/WAS-ELVIS-MURDERED-OTHER-CRIMES-ebook/dp
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D.R. BARTLETTE JOINS BURL AND MARK TO TELL A SHOCKING STORY OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION, LIES, AND MANIPULATION THAT SET A MURDERING RAPIST FREE TO DO IT AGAIN!
Ashley Stevens, at 17 years old, thought justice would be done when she named Wayne Dumond as the guy who had abducted and sexually assaulted her in 1984.
She was unaware that her horror was only getting started. Dumond was a vicious serial predator with a troubling past of assault and homicide,
not just another criminal.However, a complex network of deceit, manipulation, and influence freed him from prison.
After being freed, he struck once more, ruthlessly killing two more ladies in the process. Investigative writer D.R. Bartlette tells the terrifying true story of how a monster was able to escape punishment due to a corrupt legal system, political ambition, and conspiracy theories.
In THE DUMOND AFFAIR: How Lies and Politics Freed a Killer, through exclusive interviews and compelling details Bartlette shows the terrible truth
THE DUMOND AFFAIR IS AVAILABLE DIRECT FROM
https://wildbluepress.com/the-dumond-affair-lies-politics-a-killer-freed-true-crime-expose/
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We walked in on a surreal scene. There are few words, if any, to accurately describe the abject horror...
What Jeannie and Kevin McDonough saw was a wanted, multi-state serial killer about to take his next victim-their own daughter. Jeannie joins us to tell us the shocking true story == What happened next was a thrilling true-crime story of a fight for justice and the harrowing struggle with the unexpected nightmare of "survivor guilt".thiz show was first aired in March, 2011https://www.amazon.com/Caught-Act-Courageous-Familys-Daughter/dp/0425235432
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Charles Manson Now is a critical dissection of what happened forty-one years ago when Manson family members stormed the Polanski estate near Los Angeles and murdered five people, including one of America's most beautiful, beloved actresses, Sharon Tate. This book is also a collage of Charles Manson's own writing, a poetic, ironic, and disturbing account of his universe, from his childhood to his time in the 8x12 prison cell where he is condemned to stay forever. It is Charles Manson, uncensored, unedited, in his own words.When author Marlin Marynick was eight years old, he discovered a beat up copy of Helter Skelter - the bestselling true crime book of all time written by Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor at Charles Manson's trial. Bugliosi's portrait of Charles Manson as an icon of unbridled evil haunted Marynick for years, well into his career as a psychiatric nurse and ultimately culminated when he met Manson behind the tightly locked doors of California's Corcoran State Prison. In Charles Manson Now, Marynick challenges the official version of events.
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STORM OF SUSPICION: The Karen Read Murder Trials is an electrifying, real-time courtroom thriller and the gripping personal account of author Kevin Lenihan’s detailed examination of the evidence—both known and what he’s discovered—as well as the dark rumors, courtroom bombshells, and conspiracy theories that are at the heart of two of the most explosive and controversial murder trials of the decade.
The case began in the midst of a massive snowstorm in 2022 and ended the first time in a mistrial. Now, more than two years later, it is poised to ignite in a Boston courtroom once again.
At question is whether Karen Read, a 43-year-old college professor, is responsible as charged for the cold-blooded murder of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer? Or was she framed, by the real killer—another cop—covering his tracks with the help of a corrupt law enforcement establishment?
In STORM OF SUSPICION, Lenihan, the COURT TV expert commentator in the case, breaks down the key evidence and shocking conspiracy theories from the first trial. Then he does a deep dive into how the new trial will be fought by both sides, as well as in the court of public opinion, with new revelations, unanticipated twists, and a storm of suspicion.https://www.amazon.com/STORM-SUSPICION-Karen-Murder-Trials-ebook/dp/B0F286V1LP -
BRIAN and CAMERON SANTANA join Burl and Mark for a fascinating investigation into the 1973 murder of Virginia Olson.
On April 15, 1973, two high school students discovered the body of 19-year-old drama major Virginia Marie Olson on a trail near the campus of the University of North Carolina-Asheville. The scene was horrific. Olson had been bound, raped, and brutally stabbed to death. The murder shocked the Asheville community and set off an investigation that would span three generations of detectives.
A MURDER ON CAMPUS: The Professor, The Cop, And North Carolina’s Most Notorious Cold Case by Brian and Cameron Santana is the first book to present the story of law enforcement’s dramatic efforts to find Virginia Olson’s killer and bring him to justice.
Readers will experience the obstacles and confusion that the Asheville Police Department and the North Carolina SBI navigated, from the 1974 abduction of a UNCA student on the first anniversary of Olson’s murder to a second rape and murder victim found feet from Olson’s crime scene just as campus life returned to normal in 1978.
For more than 50 years, whispers about the killer’s identity have circulated throughout Buncombe County—from an escaped mental health patient from nearby Highland Hospital, to one of North Carolina’s most notorious serial killers, to a mysterious prime suspect whose wealthy and influential family kept his identity secret from the public … until now.
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Host of YouTube's "Chattin' with Staxx" returns! He was a non-stop trouble machine as a young teen who was on a collision course with being a big zero until...well, let him tell the story!
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B.R. Bates joins us to discuss two different but deadly serial killers from Detroit: THE CRACK CITY STRANGLER AND THE BAB Y DOLL KILLER!B.R. Bates is a longtime author and journalist whose fascination with true crime brings us two fantastic new books about two serial killers you perhaps were not aware of.
THE CRACK CITY STRANGLER: The Homicides Of Serial Killer Benjamin Atkins offers a chilling, in-depth account of the horrifying crimes committed by one of America's most notorious serial killers.
In this gripping narrative, award-winning journalist B.R. Bates delves into the twisted life of Benjamin "Tony" Atkins, whose reign of terror in Detroit spanned less than a year in the early 1990s. Known for targeting vulnerable women in Detroit's most dangerous neighborhoods, Atkins attacked at least 13 women along a mile-and-a-half stretch of Woodward Avenue, one of the city's most iconic streets.
Known as "the nation's fastest serial killer," Atkins' crimes were brutal and relentless, leaving victims abandoned in the dark corners of the Cass Corridor and Highland Park. Only when the lone survivor of his horrific spree came forward did law enforcement begin to connect the dots and ultimately capture the monster behind the killings.
Through meticulous research in this second book in her Murders In The Motor City series, Bates uncovers the complex web of motivation, abuse, and desperation that led Atkins to target sex workers, while also exploring the societal pressures and systemic neglect that shaped his dark path. A poignant look at a killer's psychology, Bates invites readers to understand how a troubled life could give rise to such monstrous behavior.
"THE CRACK CITY STRANGLER" is well-researched and superbly written. Bates takes the reader behind the scenes and describes Benjamin Atkins's actions in a riveting manner. She paints a vivid picture of the victims that is both factual and heartbreaking." - Scott Fulmer | Host and Producer, A Study in Crime | A True Crime Podcast
THE 'BABY DOLL' SERIAL KILLER: The John Eric Armstrong Homicides.
He was the boy next door—sweet, friendly, unassuming. But behind John Eric Armstrong’s innocent façade lurked a monster. Prowling Detroit’s streets, he preyed on women who never saw the danger coming. The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer unearths his chilling crimes and the hunt to stop him.
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We cover everything from Daniel's life changing 10-year prison sentence, decline in NYC crime, airline safety after WW2, to whether or not Burl's brother is the root cause of world war 3 in this episode of true crime uncensored. Daniel is calling from some building in NYC that messes with his phone signal, so be forgiving of audio distortion
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SPECIAl GUEST WINNIE SCHRADER, HOST OF
MYSTERIES, MAYHEM, AND MERLOT PODCAST
SUNDAY NIGHTS 10pm EASTERN 7pm PACIFICStep into the murky underworld where justice is a game of shadows. Each episode of our true crime podcast takes you deep into the labyrinth of unsolved mysteries, chilling confessions, and sinister plots.
Mysteries, Mayhem & Merlot unravels tales of crime and deception, painting a vivid picture of the dark side of humanity. Tune in for a journey through smoky alleyways and rain-soaked streets, where every whisper could be your last clue and every shadow hides a story waiting to be told.
With a little wine of course
For each case, we take a deep dive to examine the evidence, possible theories and just strange mysterious circumstances that keeps us, arm chair detectives up at night.
Our true crime podcast will scratch that itch for any true crime junkie
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