True Crime Brewery

Just after midnight on Christmas Eve 1945, Jennie Sodder woke up to the smell of smoke. The home she shared with her husband, George, and nine of their children, was going up in flames. It would be over seven hours before the fire department arrived. By then, the two-story house had burned to the ground — and five of the Sodder children were missing. In fact, to this day, no one knows what happened to the Sodder children. Their family never saw them again and their remains were never found.Join us at the quiet end for The Missing Sodder Children. Although authorities determined that the children — Maurice, 14; Martha, 12; Louis, 10; Jennie Irene, 8; and Betty, 5 — had died in the fire, their family was not convinced. How could they have perished in the fire without any bones being found? Because of the strange events before, during, and after the tragic fire as well as a stunningly incompetent investigation, the case continues to be one of history’s most disturbing and intriguing unsolved mysteries.Support th

As fraternal twins, Betty and Peggy were together from the very beginning. As adults, they were very different people but remained best friends.  Then, in 1992, they either conspired together to have Betty’s husband killed or fought together to prove their innocence.Join us at the quiet end for Split Decision. After Betty’s husband, Dr. Jack Wilson, was brutally murdered in his own home, suspicions turned to Betty.  Betty was an outspoken, hard-headed woman who had engaged in numerous extramarital affairs. Her promiscuity, alcoholism and an adulterous affair with a black man in racist Alabama may have turned the police, and eventually a jury, against her. If the prosecution’s theory was that Betty and Peggy conspired together to kill Jack, then why was Betty found guilty while Peggy was acquitted? It may have been just been the result of prejudice against Betty, the wild one, and appreciation for the sweet and amiable Peggy.Subscribed with PayPal? Click here to update TCB Premium Payment infoSupport the show

17-year-old Karla Homolka met 23-year-old Paul Bernardo in 1987. Some saw their meeting as love at first sight, but the two had a dangerous attraction which would drive them to commit abductions, sexual assaults, and even murder. This good-looking couple became obsessed with each other. And Paul was very controlling of Karla. But Paul Bernardo’s crimes were not all his own.  Evidence, including videotapes, would show that Karla was a willing participant, despite her claims that she was just another one of Paul’s victims.Join us at the quiet end for Killer Couple: Karla Homolka & Paul Bernardo. The most basic question asked about serial killers is why.  This becomes much more complicated and difficult to answer when murders are committed by more than one person. Today we’re analyzing one of the most notorious couples in modern history. What role did Karla play in Paul’s violent sex crimes and how did her gender affect the disparity in their charges and sentencing?Subscribed with PayPal? Click here to updat

On a weekday afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, fifteen-year-old Paula Cooper stabbed 78-year-old Ruth Pelke to death. In a city with a history of racism, Ruth was a white, beloved bible teacher who refused to move out of her overwhelmingly black neighborhood. When Paula and her friends showed up at Ruth’s door that day asking about bible studies, Ruth had happily invited them in.Join us at the quiet end for Death Sentence: The Murder of Ruth Pelke & the Punishment of Paula Cooper. When Paula was sentenced to death, few argued against the state’s impending execution of a tenth grader. But when the victim’s grandson forgave the girl, the media brought the story to the forefront and millions signed petitions in support of Paula. This case raises questions about the value of a human life and whether our justice system is made for rehabilitation or retribution.SourcesA Clear Scientific Consensus that the Death Penlty Does Not Deter, Amnesty International, retrieved 3/14/2024, https://www.amnestyusa.org/updat

April Kauffman didn’t have an easy life growing up.  When she was just seventeen, she gave birth to her daughter Kim and set out to make a better life for them both. April raised her daughter in a loving home despite an early split from Kim’s father. She earned her cosmetology license and worked as a hairdresser and as a model. April was fun, energetic, and independent. But life as a single mom could be lonely.Join us at the quiet end for The Dr. & Mrs. Kauffman. In 2002, April believed she had finally found her happily ever after when she married Dr. Jim Kauffman, a successful physician and a former green beret. As the wife of a Vietnam Veteran, April became an outspoken radio personality and a fierce veteran’s advocate. But Dr. Kauffman had a dark side which April began to uncover. The doctor was running a pill mill out of his medical office and associating with a criminal motorcycle gang: The Pagans. When April had had enough and threatened divorce, she began to realize that her life was in danger, and

The Halderson family appeared to be living a happy middle-class life. Parents Krista and Bart had everything they had wished for and worked for, including a comfortable suburban home and two loving sons. Mitchell, 24, was working in the tech industry and Chandler, 23, was a college student living at home. But all was not as it seemed with Chandler.Join us at the quiet end for Parent Trap. Chandler Halderson was weaving a complex web of lies for years. His college degree and job prospects were not what he portrayed them to be. In fact, Chandler’s life was going nowhere and his father was becoming frustrated and suspicious. But before Krista and Bart could uncover their son’s lies, the couple disappeared. Over the days that followed, evidence revealed that Chandler Halderson would stop at nothing, including murder, to protect his life of deception.Subscribed with PayPal? Click here to update TCB Premium Payment infoSupport the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!Record a voicemail for a future show

Karla Brown was 22-years-old in 1978. After five-years of an off and on relationship, she and her fiancé, Mark, bought their first home together. That June, the couple were focused on moving and decorating their new home. They had friends over to help with the move on June 20th, followed by an evening of food and drinks. Next door, at the home of Paul Main, the pretty and outgoing Karla had not gone unnoticed.Join us at the quiet end for Finding Karla Brown’s Killer. Karla’s fiancé Mark went to work on June 21st, leaving Karla home alone. Between 10 and 11am, Karla ended a phone call with her future mother-in-law, telling her that someone was at the door. By the time Mark returned home that day, Karla would be the victim of a brutal murder and the focus of a lengthy, complex investigation.SourcesBite Mark Identification- A Relieable Forensic Tool or Junk Science, Penn State Dickinson Law, Samuel D. Hodge Jr., Robert E. Rains, 7/1/2017The Karla Brown story: What happened and the latest updates, Tuko.co.ke, Flo

Elana Steinberg’s husband, Steve Steinberg, was a well-liked restaurant manager with a gambling problem. Elana struggled to keep their finances afloat, but it wasn’t easy. Then, on an otherwise normal night in 1981, Elana was stabbed 26 times in their bed. Steve called 911 and told the dispatcher that two bearded men had robbed them and killed his wife.Join us at the quiet end for Victim on Trial: Elana Steinberg. It wasn’t long after Elana’s murder when Steve confessed that he had killed her. Put on trial for murder, Steve’s defense was temporary insanity. Yes, he had killed his wife, but he had done it while sleepwalking. And, Elana had led him to it with her nagging and shopping. Prepare to be outraged. This is a case where the killer was treated as a long-suffering victim and the real victim was put on trial.SourcesCrime/mystery: The Defense Pleaded Nagging, The New York Times, Tony Hillerman, 10/9/1988Death of a Jewish American Princess by Shirley FrondorfHomicidal Sleepwalking: To Kill While Asleep, Tim

On March 18, 1990, 15-year-old fraternal twins Dannette and Jeanette Millbrook disappeared while out walking from a convenience store to their home in Augusta, Georgia. Earlier that day, the girls told their mother that a man in a white van had been following them. Nothing more is known about this man and he would not be the only person of interest in the girls’ disappearance.Join us at the quiet end for The Missing Millbrook Twins. Dannette and Jeanette’s mother reported them missing that same evening, but she was told that she had to wait for 24 hours. Even after the 24 hours passed, the sheriff’s office failed to investigate or follow up in any way with the family. In fact, when the girls’ 17th birthday passed, the case was closed. The sheriff’s explanation? The girls were now old enough that they could not be forced to return home. This suggests that the girls were runaways, but there was no reason to believe this to be true. In fact, it seems clear that two poor black children were not a priority for the

At 6:00 a.m. on August 28, 1965, Carl and Carmela Coppolino’s physician, Dr. Juliette Karow, was awakened by a phone call. Carl Coppolino tearfully described to her how he had just found his 32-year-old wife dead, seemingly from a heart attack. Dr. Karow was concerned when she arrived at the house—young women in their 30s rarely die from cardiac arrest.Join us at the quiet end for The Love Triangle Murders. Forty-one days after his wife’s death, Carl Coppolino married Mary Gibson. Imagine the chagrin of the Coppolino’s neighbor Marjorie Farber, who had moved from New Jersey to Florida in hopes of being with Carl. Incensed by this turn of events, Marjorie went to the police and told them that she had stood by helplessly as her husband was strangled to death by Carl. And she had information to share about Camela’s death as well!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-brewery--4126935/support.

On December 22, 1987, Ronald Gene Simmons began a killing spree that would become the worst massacre in Arkansas history as well as the deadliest domestic crime in the history of the United States. His murderous rampage ended six days later, leaving fourteen members of his family and two former coworkers dead.Join us at the quiet end for Christmas Vacation Massacre. Gene Simmons was a nightmare from early on in his marriage. He went from controlling but hard-working military man, to wife beater, to incestuous father, and, in the end, to a merciless mass murderer.SourcesArkansas Man Sentenced to Death for Killing 14 Members of his Family, Deseret News, 2/12/1989.The Devil of Pope County: America's Worst Family Massacre Podcast, Tony Holt, 2023.Ronald Gene Simmons, 1940-1990, Encyclopedia of Arkansas, retrieved 12/12/2023.Zero at the Bone: Story of Gene Simmons Mass Murder, Marshall & Williams, 1991.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-brewery--4126935/support.

Just nine days before Christmas 1998, thirty-three-year-old Ronda Reynolds was getting ready to visit her mother for the holidays. Ronda’s second marriage was falling apart after less than a year and her career as a Washington State Trooper had ended badly, but her friends and family would insist that Ronda had still been optimistic about her future. Barb Thompson, Ronda’s mother, was just happy that Ronda was coming home. But then a call early in the morning changed Barb’s life forever.Join us at the quiet end for Who Killed Ronda Reynolds? Ronda’s soon-to-be ex, Ron Reynolds, had called 911 that morning to say that Ronda had committed suicide in their bedroom closet. Over the next several years, the coroner would change Ronda’s manner of death from "undetermined" to "suicide," not once, but twice. But Barb Thompson never believed that her daughter committed suicide. Finally, Ron was arrested for Ronda’s homicide. But would there be enough evidence to get a conviction?SourcesFormer Trooper Ronda Reynold's De

In June of 1959, just two months before her thirteenth birthday, Lynne Harper was found dead in a wooded grove near a Clinton, Ontario, Air Force base. Lynne was small for her age, the middle child between two brothers. She was described as bossy and a “live wire.” She had her whole life ahead of her.Join us at the quiet end for Two Innocents. The last person seen with Lynne on the day she disappeared was 14-year-old classmate Steven Truscott. Despite a lack of any physical evidence and witness accounts which gave Steven a clear alibi, he was arrested for Lynne’s murder just days after her body was found. Then, Steven was found guilty and sentenced to hang. This is the story of Lynne’s murder, Steven’s unjust conviction, the people who worked to free him and exonerate him of his murder conviction, and the continuing mystery of who was really responsible for this terrible crime.SourcesCan Science Clear Truscott? thestar.com. 1/29/2007, retrieved 11/20/2023.Steven Truscott Case, The Canadian Encyclopedia, https

Jayne Leebrick met David Miller on January 1, 1991 on a cross country flight from Florida to Los Angeles. He was in the seat next to her and seemed like the perfect man. Handsome, wealthy, and a brave cancer survivor, David won her over. If David seemed too good to be true, that’s because he was.Join us at the quiet end for Love Bomber: The Seduction and Murder of Jayne Miller. David swept Jayne off her feet, giving her expensive gifts and portraying himself as an important and powerful man. Within six weeks, the two were married. But from early on, Jayne’s friends and family noticed that something wasn’t right with David Miller. Jayne’s dream man quickly turned into a nightmare, leaving Jayne in financial peril and afraid for her life.SourcesDeadly Pretender: The Double Life of David Miller by Karen KingsburyMr. Right Is Deadly Wrong, A Lie To Die For, S1E8, Oxygen Network Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-brewery--4126935/support.

On the morning of January 21, 1998, 12-year-old Stephanie Ann Crowe was found dead on her bedroom floor. She had been brutally stabbed to death as her family slept soundly in their bedrooms down the hall.Stephanie’s parents desperately called 911 for help. After police officers arrived at the scene, a cursory search of the Crowe home found no signs of forced entry. There was an unlocked sliding glass door in the parents’ room, but it was covered by aluminum vertical blinds. They would have made too much noise for someone to enter undetected, officers decided.Join us at the quiet end for Confessions of Youth, the story of the murder of Stephanie Crowe and the false confessions that followed. On the morning when Stephanie’s body was found, detectives came to an early conclusion that her murder was an inside job. From that day forward, they worked to make the evidence fit their theory instead of letting the evidence develop their theory. This method of investigation, wrong for many good reasons, sent the Crowe f

“Disney” Dad Anthony Todt and his wife Megan seemed to be living an ideal, enviable life together. High school sweethearts, they married, had three children, and owned a busy Physical Therapy practice in Connecticut. But that life blew up in December of 2019.Join us at the quiet end for Destroyer of Worlds. How did Anthony Todt end up in a rented Celebration, Florida, home, living alongside the decomposing corpses of his murdered family members and their beloved dog? We’re following this case from the family’s early years, to the time when Anthony Todt became a family annihilator, to his taking the stand in his own murder trial. It’s a sad story with a lot to talk about.SourcesAnthony Todt Full Confession: Detective Interrogates Physical Therapist About Family Murders, Law & Crime Network, 4/13/2022Anthony Todt Murder Trial, Law & Crime Network, 4/11/2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bxaLPPexPc&list=PLoW1SIeAWaWbYx1Y8zzwDKtoOcY1tpe2OLooking for the Todt Family podcast, https://www.theday.com/

Perhaps no case more than that of 22-year-old Gabby Petito demonstrates that the images we see on social media do not accurately show us the reality of a person's life. On July 2, 2021, Gabby enthusiastically set out on a "van life" journey with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. The two had quit their jobs and renovated a van, planning a four-month trip across the country. Along the way, Gabby documented their adventures on social media. But behind the scenes, Brian was abusive and manipulative, controlling Gabby.Join us at the quiet end for The Case of Gabby Petito. During her travels, the couple was seen arguing, with Gabby crying and Brian yelling at her and even slapping her. One witness report led the police in Utah to pull over the couple, but no arrest was made and the incident was identified as a mental health crisis rather than a domestic violence incident.Gabby's mother Nichole last spoke to Gabby on August 25th. Then, on September 1st, Brian returned to his parents' home without Gabby. What followed was o

Confident and carefree, Icelandic woman Birna Brjánsdóttir was just 20-years-old when she disappeared in 2017. Birna grew up in the nearby suburbs, but she was very comfortable in the city of Reykjavik. It’s known as a safe place to be, even for a young woman in the dark of night. The main street was busy and well-lit, with bright storefront windows and lampposts on every corner.Join us at the quiet end for The Disappearance of Birna Brjánsdóttir. After finishing work on Friday, January 13, 2017, Birna played cards with friends in a pub. At midnight, when the parties were getting started, they went dancing at a popular club. But when Birna’s friends decided to go home at 2am, Birna stayed behind. When she didn’t show up for work on Saturday and her phone was off, Birna’s mother and friends knew immediately that something was terribly wrong.SourcesI Am Birna: Iceland Mourns Murdered Woman, CNN.com, Fréttatíminn, Iceland, Thora Tomasdottir, 2/3/2017Key Witness Tells a Very Different Story in Birna Murder Trial,

Rachel Hatfield was in a 14-year relationship with a struggling artist named Tim when she met her future husband, Todd Winkler. Todd couldn’t be much more different than Tim. He was a former F-16 fighter pilot with a big corporate job, a house, and even his own plane. When Tim heard about Todd, he hurried to propose to Rachel. But it was too late. Rachel had made up her mind to marry Todd within weeks of meeting him. She would be his third wife and the second one to suffer a violent and sudden death.Join us at the quiet end for Out of Wedlock. Rachel had high hopes for a happy marriage and a family of her own. But after having three children together, the Winkler’s’ marriage was in trouble. Rachel fell in love with another man and asked Todd for a divorce. But Todd was having none of it. Then, on February 27, 2012, a neighbor received a call from Todd explaining that there had been a domestic violence incident at his house. And Rachel was dead.Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!Recor

29-year-old attorney Anna-Jane Cheney was looking forward to her wedding in March of 1994. But just a few weeks before she was to walk down the aisle, she was found dead in her Adelaide home.Join us at the quiet end for 4 Bruises. At around 7:30pm on March 18, Anna went to the home of her best friend and sister-in-law, Susan, to walk their dogs together. Although she had been drinking earlier that evening, she did not appear to Susan to be intoxicated. But just two hours later, Anna’s fiancé, Henry, called an ambulance to their home. Henry told first responders that he had found Anna unconscious in the bathtub. Crying over the body of his beautiful bride-to-be, his story was believed. Until it wasn’t.SourcesHorrifying scandal of forensic doctor never qualified to be one, Under Investigation with Liz Hayes, 60 Minutes Australia, 2/22/2023How to fix Australia’s biggest legal scandal, Wrongful Convictions Report, 7/29/2020, https://wrongfulconvictionsreport.org/2023/02/02/malpractice-incompetence-and-lies-the-ma