Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

In 1973, a violent sexual predator went on a killing spree in the Adirondack Mountains. In Part 1 of this 2-part series, I detail Garrow’s abusive childhood, history of violence, and the escalation of his crimes from theft, to kidnapping and assault, and ultimately to rape and murder.  Resources: Robert Francis Garrow, Jr: American Spree Killer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu5e4RJKp9s&t=1235s Murderpedia.com: Robert Garrow https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/garrow-robert-photos.htm The Garrow Manhunt: A Serial Killer in the Adirondacks https://www.adirondack.net/history/garrow-manhunt/ Crime Library: Robert Garrow  https://web.archive.org/web/20140403090224/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/robert_garrow/2.html Sworn to Silence: The Truth Behind Robert Garrow and the Missing Bodies Case, Jim Tracy, Post Hill Press, March 2021 See website for music credits. 

In 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was the front runner to become the next Presidential candidate on the Democratic Party ticket. But, decisions he would make one fateful night on Chappaquiddick Island would result in the death of a young woman and leave his reputation in tatters. Did Ted Kennedy get away with murder? Resources “‘Kennedy Passenger Dies in Car Plunge’: How Chappaquiddick was covered by The Washington Post”, by Richard Harwood and Paul Blackwell for The Washington Post, July 18, 2019. “‘The Kennedy machine Buried What Really Happened’: Revisiting Chappaquiddick, 50 years later”, by Josh Sanburn for Vanity Fair, July 17, 2019. “The End of Camelot”, Vanity Fair, September 1993.   “Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick Incident: What Really Happened”, by Sarah Pruitt for History, April 6, 2018.  “Why the True Story of ‘Chappaquiddick’ Is Impossible to Tell”, by Lorraine Boissoneault for Smithsonian Magazine, April 2, 2018. Background Cinematic Sad by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8031

A billionaire heiress kills her friend in a “freak accident”. Was Eduardo Tirella’s death actually an accident or did Doris Duke commit murder?  Resources:  Doris Duke: Facts, Death and Mansion, Biography.com: https://www.biography.com/personality/doris-duke Homicide at Rough Point by Peter Lance for Vanity Fair, July 16, 2020  https://bit.ly/2VHjXC7 The Fatal Crash that Plunged Doris Duke into a Scandal by Samantha Todd for Forbes Magazine, Oct 18, 2019 https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthatodd/2019/10/18/the-fatal-crash-that-plunged-doris-duke-into-scandal/?sh=5a23b31e2057 The Doris Duke Cold Case Reopens: The Only Known Eyewitness Speaks for the First Time by Peter Lance for Vanity Fair, August 5, 2021 https://bit.ly/3Ct9oDQ Links:  Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OnceUponACrimePodcast

The wealthy son of a New York real estate family leaves town to avoid investigation in the decades-old disappearance of his wife. A year later, he will be the number one suspect in the murder of an elderly man in Texas. This is the first chapter in the series “Getting Away with Murder”, the case of Robert Durst.  Resources: Books: A Deadly Secret: The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst by Matt Birkbeck, Berkeley Books, 2005. He Killed them All: Robert Durst and my Quest for Justice by Jeanine Pirro, Gallery Books, 2015.  Article links:  https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/robert-durst-case-timeline/26/ https://abcnews.go.com/US/robert-durst-killed-neighbor-words/story?id=29689667 https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a31043951/robert-durst-murder-trial-details/ https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-robert-durst-self-defense-20150316-story.html https://www.gq.com/story/killer-in-the-blue-dress https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/04/us/robert-durst-testimony/index.html Links: Onc

In 1967, a double murder shocked a small town in Virginia. A suspect was quickly rounded up, but the case wasn’t truly resolved until decades later when a chance encounter led to a series of events that would ultimately bring about a deathbed confession.  Resources:  “Thomas Free on Bond; Hearing Slated Oct 27”, The News Leader, Oct 17, 1967. “Prosecution Rests in Thomas Hearing”, The News Leader, April 10, 1968. “Getting away with murder? Former cop has serious questions about why Staunton’s most infamous killer almost got away”, Lindsay Barnes for The Hook, Jan 8, 2009.  Sharron C. Smith, Obituary, retrieved from Legacy.com. “Woman confesses to 1967 slayings”, Ashley Broughton for CNN, Jan 24, 2009.  “Motive in Double Killing 42 Years Ago is Revealed”, The Associated Press, retrieved from The New York Times, Jan 24, 2009.  “We just want the truth; Connie Hevener’s family wants to know why a cop allegedly hid her killer for 40 years”, Lindsay Barnes for The Hook, Feb 26, 2009.  “Bound by blood? Were cop

In this series I share cases where people on their deathbeds finally confess to terrible crimes. In his episode you’ll hear about a brutal murder that went unsolved for over a dozen years when the perpetrator confessed before meeting his maker. But, this story ends with a twist when fate intervenes.  Resources:  State of Tennessee v. James Murray Washington, Direct Appeal from the Criminal Court for Davidson County, July 15, 2014 The Crime Reel: A Brutal Murder and a Deathbed Confession, YouTube.com, May 26, 2021. https://youtu.be/5vD_KFlPbtw https://blogs.findlaw.com/legalgrounds/2012/11/deathbed-confession-leads-to-conviction-after-man-gets-better.html https://abcnews.go.com/US/inmate-james-washington-convicted-death-bed-murder-confession/story?id=17653264 https://criminallawyerwashingtondc.com/blog/tennessee-man-on-deathbed-confesses-to-murder-then-recovers-and-gets-life-sentence/ Links:  CrimeCon UK - www.crimecon.co.uk - Use my promo code ONCEUPON21 for 10% off your registration  Patreon - www.

In this series "Deathbed Confessions" I share cases that went cold and the perpetrator was only revealed when they made a deathbed confession. In this first episode, a dying woman reveals a long-held secret to her children, leading to a shocking discovery.  Resources:  “Slaying Victim had Fled a Troubled Past”, The Boston Globe, November 20, 2004. “John’s in the Freezer”, What Lies Beyond, August 31, 2014. “Deathbed Confession Leads to Slain Husband”, Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times, Nov 20, 2004.  “Murder Confession Confirmed”, Jay Lindsay/AP, Seacoast Online.com Nov 20, 2004 “Slaying Victim was Cleared in 1981 Brawl”, Michael Levenson, The Boston Globe, Nov 25, 2004.  “Lies of former Ventura woman, who kept body in freezer, went unchallenged”, Angelica Martinez and Aron Miller, Ventura County Star, Nov 20, 2004.  “Authorities confirm woman’s deathbed murder confession”, Jay Lindsay/AP, The Berkshire Eagle, Nov 20, 2004.  Links:  Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime You can sign up to rece

In this final chapter of “Buried Truth” I share a story of one of the most rare categories of criminal - the female serial killer. Behind her grandmotherly exterior, Dorothea Puente was hiding some very dark secrets very close to home. This is the case of “The Killer Landlady”.  Resources:  Newspapers.com: Dorothea Puente by Julia Scheeres for TruTV.com, Jailed Landlady: I Didn’t Kill Anyone - The Sacramento Bee - Nov 18, 1988, Puente Guilty of Killing 3 - The Sacramento Bee - Aug 27, 1993, Murderous Landlady Puente Dies - The Sacramento Bee - March 28, 2011 The Life and Deaths of Dorothea Puente by Martin Kuz for Sactown Magazine, 2009.  "Sacramento serial killer’s former home renovated, ready for visits" - David Bienick for KCRA3, August 29, 2013 "Tours, documentary focus on Sacramento house of murderer Dorothea Puente" - Ryan Lillis for The Sacramento Bee, Sept 1, 2015  California Superior Court (Sacramento County) case files for The People v. Dorothea Montalvo Puente - Retrieved from The Online Archi

A teenage boy goes missing in 1984. Authorities would quickly decide that he was a runaway, but his family didn’t agree. Fourteen years later his fate would be learned in a shocking and unusual way.  Resources:  The New Detectives: Grave Secrets - Season 8, Episode 7, The Discovery Channel  Articles (Jackson Vallarta/Christopher Denoyer/Dale Vallarta) from The Californian newspaper, Feb 17 1998 to Feb 10, 2000 - Clipped from Newspapers.com

In this month’s series “Buried Truth” I share cases where a person goes missing never to be seen again. Just when it seemed their fate would remain a mystery, the truth would be uncovered. This time, a neighborhood menace harbors dark secrets in his own backyard. This is the case of Russell Tillis and The House of Horrors.  You can now receive texts from Once Upon a Crime! Text OUAC to 408-676-1770 to opt-in!  Links:  www.truecrimepodcast.com Resources: https://www.thedailybeast.com/womans-body-found-under-booby-trapped-mobile-home http://www.cncpunishment.com/forums/showthread.php?11401-Death-Penalty-Trial-Tentatively-Set-for-November-5-2018-for-Russell-David-Tillis-in-May-2015-FL-Murder-of-Joni-Lynn-Gunter&p=101924&viewfull=1 https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/features/5-things-you-need-to-know-house-of-horrors-death-penalty-trial-starts-april-5-crime/77-611a8a49-232b-4d4e-b31f-fd367cf2b587 https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/04/08/russell-tillis-expected-to-testify-in-own-defense

This is a double episode to conclude the month-long miniseries where I detail the case of serial killer David Carpenter, known as “The Trailside Killer”. Carpenter stalked and killed men and women on the hiking trails of Marin County, San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Other suspected victims would disappear from San Jose and Daly City, California.  Resources: The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate by Robert Graysmith, Penguin Books, (1990) People v. Carpenter, Supreme Court of California, Nov 29, 1999.  “The Frightening Case of the Trailside Killer”, Strange Outdoors, November 27, 2020.  “DNA ties Trailside Killer to ‘79 SF Slaying”, Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle, Feb 24, 2010. 

In Part 2 of this 3-part mini-series, I’ll continue the story about a random series of attacks that took place on hiking trails in northern California beginning in 1979, soon after David Carpenter was released from prison for an earlier violent crime spree. After three women were found murdered on Mount Tamalpais, investigators began to suspect that a serial killer was on the loose and targeting local hikers.  This is the case of “The Trailside Killer”.  Resources: The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate by Robert Graysmith, Penguin Books, (1990) People v. Carpenter, Supreme Court of California, Nov 29, 1999.  “The Frightening Case of the Trailside Killer”, Strange Outdoors, November 27, 2020.  Links: Website: www.truecrimepodcast.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

This month I’ll be sharing a 3-part miniseries. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Northern California was terrorized by a series of random murders that took place on hiking trails in state parks, national forests and coastal lands. The public began to suspect that a serial killer was lurking among them and the media began referring to him as “The Trailside Killer”. In this first part, I’ll detail some of the Trailside Killers earliest victims and describe how he was allowed to slip through the cracks in the criminal justice system and set loose to stalk and kill more than ten people.  Resources: The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate by Robert Graysmith, Penguin Books, (1990) People v. Carpenter, Supreme Court of California, Nov 29, 1999. 

In 2002, two paintings were stolen from The Van Gogh Museum worth $30 million dollars. The investigation into this crime would involve law enforcement in several countries. Special investigators in both art crimes and organized crime units would also be brought in to solve the case of the missing Van Goghs.  Resources:  Documentary: Stealing Van Gogh (2018), Julian Hendy, Director. “How 20 Stolen Van Gogh Paintings were Recovered” by Erik Shilling for Atlas Obscura, Sept. 30, 2016. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-20-stolen-van-gogh-paintings-were-recovered-35-minutes-after-a-heist “As Stolen Van Goghs Return to View, a Thief Tells All” by Nina Siegal for The New York Times, Mar 19, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/arts/design/van-gogh-museum-theft-octave-dunham.html “Italian police bust drug trafficking Camorra Clan”. Posted on Gangsters, Inc., Mar 21, 2017. https://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/italian-police-bust-drug-trafficking-camorra-clan-and-retrieve-st “How Two Stolen

Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright begins an affair with Martha “Mamah” Borthwick. When the scandal threatens his career and reputation, he builds a home near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Called “Taliesin”, it was supposed to be a place of peace and refuge for the couple, but in 1914, it became the site of a horrifying massacre.  Resources:  “Soulmate Stunt Loses its Zest”, Kokomo Daily Tribune, August 3, 1910. Frank Lloyd Wright by Jan Adkins, published by Penguin Random House, 2008  “Cook massacres seven at Wisconsin home Frank Lloyd Wright built for his mistress”, by Mara Bovsun for The New York Daily News, Jan 25, 2014.  Links: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730325570622505 Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

To celebrate reaching 200 episodes we created a bonus episode to answer listener questions. Thanks everyone for submitting them! Links: www.Patreon.com/onceuponacrime To listen to our "haunted" episode go to Episode #108 - Haunted Homicides: The LaLaurie Mansion. Some hear a "ghost" at minute 20 or so. The Scott Peterson episodes with my sister, Yolanda is #71 and #72 - The 12 Crimes of Christmas - Laci Peterson, Part 1 and 2. Special thanks to Lorena Garcia for co-hosting this episode with me and to all the listeners who sent in questions!

A contemporary artist is murdered in broad daylight in Washington D.C. Conspiracy theories about who was responsible begin to swirl after her close connection to John F. Kennedy is revealed.  Resources:  “The Last Painting of Mary Pinchot Meyer” by Maria Hummel for Counterpoint, June 5, 2019. https://crimereads.com/the-last-painting-of-mary-pinchot-meyer/ “The forgotten female artist who may have been murdered by the CIA” by Alina Cohen for Artsy.net, May 16, 2019.  https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-forgotten-female-artist-murdered-cia “Dovey Johnson Rountree, Barrier-Breaking Lawyer Dies at 104 by Margalit Fox for The New York Times, May 21, 2018.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/21/obituaries/dovey-johnson-roundtree-dead.html Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

A young widow opens her own restaurant in Macon, Georgia in the 1950s. Suspicions arise when the people closest to her begin falling ill and dying. Was Anjette Lyles a serial killer?  Resources:  Lyles v. The State, Supreme Court of Georgia, (1959) "Anjette Lyles, Restauranteur of Death" by Ciaran Conlittle for Headstuff.org, Sept 28, 2017.  "Criminal History: Anjette Lyles poisoned 4 family members for money" by Chelsea Beimfohr, 13wmaz.com.  Links:  Podcasts We Listen To: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcasts-we-listen-to/id1211560322 Webpage: www.truecrimepodcast.com Email: esther@truecrimepodcast.com Music Credits: Intro and Outro Music by Aaron Michael Goldberg Other music credits: Cool Vibes by Kevin MacLeod, Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3553-cool-vibes License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Placid Ambient by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6189-placid-ambient License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music Credit: Successful Connections In A Technological

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay enters London's Brixton Prison in 2012 in an attempt to teach a group of inmates to run a successful bakery. Would he succeed or would the men return to a life of crime once the cameras stopped rolling?  Resources:  "Mad for It" by Lynn Barber for The Guardian, May 13, 2001. "From criminal to trainee cook: 'I owe Gordon Ramsay a lot'" by Erwin James for The Guardian, Aug 14, 2013.  "Gordon Ramsay's Embarrassing Arrest Inspired Him to Set Up a Prison Bakery for London Inmates" by Sabrina Smith for Showbiz CheatSheet, Feb 19, 2021.  Gordon Behind Bars: Season 1 (2012), Helen Simpson, Director, FilmRise Network. Links:  Once Upon a Crime webpage: www.truecrimepodcast.com - click on the red microphone in the corner of the homepage to record your question.  Podcasts We Listen to Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PodcastsWeListenTo/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

In this series we'll take a look at the restaurant industry to ask "What happens when good cooks go bad?". In this episode, a restaurateur in Southern California is suspected of murder when his wife disappears. What detectives discover would shock and horrify the community. Resources:  "Witness: Cliff Jumper Threatened to Kill Wife", Nicole Mooradian for The Patch, Sept 14, 2012.  "Did California Chef David Viens Kill, Then Cook Wife?", 48 Hours, May 13, 2013.  "Los Angeles jury finds chef guilty of killing wife", The Associated Press, printed in The Florida Times-Union, September 28, 2012.  Links:  Once Upon a Crime Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730325570622505 Patreon - www.patreoncom/onceuponacrime