Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

In this month's series I'll tell you stories about people who missing and then, months or years later, miraculously reappeared. But, these stories all have a twist - were they who they claimed to be or were they imposters? In this first episode, you'll hear about a young boy who goes missing in 1928. When he returns home, his mother will say he's an imposter, but her claims are dismissed. Who was the boy claiming to be her missing son and what happened to the real Walter Collins? Resources: The 1920s boy who impersonated a kidnapping victim, Suzanne Raga for MentalFloss.com, Jan 20, 2016 Collins Hoax Comes to an End, The Los Angeles Times, Oct 3, 1928 The Disappearance of Walter Collins, Gabriela Serrato, STMU History Media, March 26, 2017 Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

The life and tragic death of a young socialite in the 1930s inspires an Academy Award winning movie. But, Starr Faithfull's life was far from the glamorous treatment it would receive on the big screen.  Resources: Ripped from the Headlines: The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movie's Most Memorable Crimes by Harold Schechter (Little A, 2020)  The Passing of Starr Faithfull by Jonathan Goodman (Piatkus, 1990).  Open Files: A Narrative Encyclopedia of the World's Greatest Unsolved Crimes by Jay Robert Nash (Rowman & Littlefield, 1983).  BUtterfield 8, (1960), directed by Daniel Mann for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher, Laurence Harvey Links: www.haroldschechter.com

Two women accused of murder in the Roaring 20s would become the inspiration for one of the best known and longest running shows in American musical theater history. This is the story of the real life Roxie and Velma from “Chicago". Resources: "1924 - Beulah Annan & Belva Gaertner", Newspaper articles compiled and posted on Chicagology.com.  Ripped from the Headlines by Harold Schechter, Published by Little A, New York, 2020  "Musical Theater and Law: Chicago, The Musical" by Geraldine Davila Gonzalez, April 30, 2019. Music  "Hula Lou" - 1923 recording by Isabelle Patricola, "Prohibition Blues", 1920 recording by The Missourians  (Both available for use by public domain.) Links: Listener survey: https://survey.libsyn.com/onceuponacrime YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG

In 1986, a beautiful young mother discovers her husband is cheating on her and files for divorce. Soon afterward, she goes missing. Discovering what happened to Helle Crafts would take an small army of detectives, forensic scientists, serologists, forensic anthropologists, a police diving team and other investigators to unravel this bizarre crime and would inspire an Academy-Award winning film. Resources:  Forensic Files: Season 1, Episode 1 - "The Disappearance of Helle Crafts", FilmRise TV.  "The Wood Chipper Murder Case" by Mark Gado for CrimeLibrary.com.  "Richard Crafts, notorious wood chipper murderer, released from prison" by Christine Dempsey for The Hartford Courant, Jan 31, 2020. Details about the film "Fargo" were found on IMDB.com. Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime "Fargo" (1996) Trailer: https://youtu.be/h2tY82z3xXU

In the last chapter of "Till Death Do Us Part" a woman meets and quickly marries a man. He promises her a new life, but soon after the wedding she goes missing. It will take years of investigative and legal work to bring her killer to justice.  Sources: "Till Death Do Us Part: True Stories of Newlywed Murder Cases" by JJ Slate, RJ Parker Publishing, 2015.  "Father's Quest for Justice Ends" by Tom Long for The Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 13, 1989.  People v. Crew, Supreme Court of California, August 25, 2003.  Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

A bride sees many red flags in her relationship before walking down the aisle, but her fear of angering her fiancee would compel her to go through with the ceremony. Within hours, that decision would become fatal. #domestic violence #coercive control Resources: "Murder-Suicide claims Indiana doctor, nurse on wedding night, police say", by Janet DiGiamcomo for CNN, Oct.. 9, 2014.  "Indiana Doctor Kills His Wife and Himself on Wedding Night" by Steve Helling for People.com, Oct. 8 2014.  Court Records, US District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Trustgard Insurance vs. Old National Wealth Management, Filed 2/24/17.  Links: The Council on Domestic Abuse, Terre Haute - www.codaterrehaute.org To be connected with domestic violence and intimate partner violence organizations and resources in the U.S. you can go to thehotline.org, in the UK at womensAID.org.uk, in Australia 1800respect.org.au, and for an international directory go to hotpeachpages.net. Relationship Red Flags: Does your partner: Yell, b

A new bride decides she's made a mistake in tying the knot. The decision she makes in order to end the marriage will be a shocking act of cruelty.  Resources:  "A Murder in Glacier Park" by Justin Franz for The Flathead Beacon, Dec 17, 2013 "Newlywed Cliff Death" by Ryan Owens for ABC News, Sept 11, 2013 "Glacier Park Murder: Friends warned Kalispell man not to marry" by Alice Miller for The Missoulian, Sept 11, 2013 "Montana's Jordan Graham Case" by Crime Watch Daily. Uploaded by True Crime Daily on YouTube.com, March 16, 2020. 

In this series, I'll share cases of newlyweds whose lives were cut short by the person who vowed to love them forever.   In this first case, a young bride is unaware that her new spouse married her to collect on a $1 million dollar life insurance policy.   Resources: 'The Other Woman' Testifies in Newlywed Murder, CBS Miami 4, March 25, 2014.  Several articles on Wendy Trapaga murder case from CBS Miami 4 online.  Till Death Do Us Part: A Collection of Newlywed Murder Cases by JJ Slate, RJ Parker Publishing, 2015.   Links: Watch MurderMurderNews here.  GoodPods -  Get Goodpods here.  Search for Motive for Murder and add a question in the discussion tab. Then join me for an exclusive discussion with the host of Motive for Murder, Josh Mankiewicz on June 4th!  You can follow me on GoodPods at @estherlu.  

This is Part 2 of "The Pelley Murders". In this episode I'll tell you about Jeff Pelley's trial, theories of the murders, and give you a strange and compelling story about who else may have been responsible for the murders of Bob Pelley and his family.  Resources: The Prom Night Murders: The True Story of a Twenty Year Mystery by Carlton Smith, St. Martin’s Press, 2009 “A trail of broken promises, debt and death” by Peter Franceschina for The News-Press, Oct 6, 1991.   “Cold case unsolved: Fort Myers developer Clarence Eric Dawson shot, found buried on Estero property 30 years ago” by Michael Braun, The News-Press, Nov 23, 2018   "Case Study: 17-year-old murderer, 20-minute timeframe, circumstantial evidence, normal behaviour, maintains innocence...Jeff Pelley Convicted for 160 Years", on Reddit.com - r/serialpodcast. 

A 17-year-old is suspected in the murder of four of his family members because he was forbidden from attending his prom. Was this a case of a homicidal teen or a rush to judgement?   Resources: The Prom Night Murders: The True Story of a Twenty-Year Mystery by Carlton Smith, St. Martin's Press, 2009 "Inconsistent with the Laws of Nature" by Mark Gribben for The Malefactor's Register   Links: Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime YouTube: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG Website: www.truecrimepodcast.com Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime: https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime

In this series, "Last Dance", I share stories of crimes that happened on prom night.  In the first episode, a teenager commits an act of parricide then attends his prom and holds a party at the crime scene.  Resources: Adam Sapikowski - crime and trial reported by WRAL.com over several articles - https://www.wral.com/news/local/asset_gallery/1066030/ "Adam Sapikowski Sentenced" - ABC 11 News, Feb 8, 2008. Links: Facebook Fan Page: https://bit.ly/2VuSgtM YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG

An abusive stepfather gets his comeuppance when his stepsons turn on him resulting in a grisly murder.  Resources: "Joshua and Jerome Ellis guilty of stepfather killing", BBC News, Feb 26, 2014.  "Kids Who Kill: Responsible Child inspired by the true story of two young brothers who stabbed their stepfather", Graeme Culliford for The Sun, Dec 17, 2019.   Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime - Listen here: https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime Subscribe to our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG  Once Upon a Crime Facebook Fan Page: https://bit.ly/2VuSgtM 

A child, unwanted from birth and neglected by her birth parents, is hopeful that her new stepmother will love her like a daughter. It is not to be and her story will become a cautionary tale in the U.K. of how the child protective system spectacularly failed Lauren Wright.  Resources: "Tragic tale of a child unwanted from the day of her birth" by Terri Judd for The Independent, Oct 2, 2001.  "A Life of Abuse and Neglect" by Paul Kelso for The Guardian, Oct 1, 2001.  A series of articles in BBC News - "Doctor examine girl before death", Sept 5, 2001; "Stepmother 'loved Lauren'", Sept 20, 'Mum punched Lauren' says son", Sept 25; "Lauren inquiry demanded", "A lifetime of abuse" - all Oct 1, 2001.  Links: To listen and subscribe to "Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime" : https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime Once Upon a Crime Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730325570622505/

In our new series, “StepMonsters,” I’ll share stories of bad stepparents whose actions became true crime news.  In this first episode I'll share the story of a young boy who went missing and was found in a very unlikely place.  Was he the victim of abuse as he would claim and, if so, who was the person most responsible - his stepmother, his own father or both?   Resources: "Charlie Bothuell V, Boy Found in Basement, Says His Home was a 'Terrible Place'", by Tara Fowler for People Magazine, April 29, 2015. "Dad of Boy Found in Basement Wants Trial" by Holly Fournier for The Detroit News, January 5, 2016.  Audio Clip: "Nancy Grace tells dad missing son found alive", retrieved from HLN on YouTube, https://youtu.be/TAQTR6_FTyI Links: Once Upon a Crime's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime: https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime

A gruesome crime would become a media sensation in Canada in 1946 when a beautiful young woman was accused of the grisly murder.  This is the case of the infamous Evelyn Dick and the Torso Murder of 1946. Link to listen to the song "Evelyn Dick" by The Forgotten Rebels - https://youtu.be/OAkxFSM_rNs  Resources: The Torso Murder by Brian Vallee published by Key Porter Books, Canada, 2001.  Evelyn Dick on Murderpedia.org - http://murderpedia.org/female.D/d/dick-evelyn.htm Links:  To become a Patreon member go to:  www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

In 1991, Kurt Cobain released a song on the album Nevermind. Titled "Polly" the song was inspired by a kidnapping and rape of a young girl in Tacoma, Washington.  This is the story of that crime. Listen to "Polly" by Nirvana here: https://youtu.be/3H0NHHKBemg Resources: "Story Behind the Song - Polly" by Hayley Selfridge on YouTube "Nirvana's Darkest Song" by The Nerdwriter on YouTube "Police suspect rapist in serial killings", Tri-City Herald, June 19, 1987. Links to episodes mentioned:  The Day the Music Died: Kurt Cobain - Episode #10 -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-010-the-day-the-music-died-kurt-cobain/id1122650415?i=1000382663745 True Crime Game Changers: Polly Klaas - Episode #21 -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-021-true-crime-game-changers-polly-klaas/id1122650415?i=1000382668498

A young girl is brutally murdered in New York's Central Park in 1986. Her killer, Robert Chambers, would be dubbed "The Preppy Killer" in the press and his victim's name would be dragged through the mud. This is the real story of "The Preppy Murder" you haven't heard before.   Listen to "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" by The Killers here: https://youtu.be/1Bxx_h4vl8Y Resources: "East Side Story" by Michael Stone for New York Magazine, June 27, 2008. "Looking Back at the Preppy Killer Case, More Than 30 Years Later" by Elizabeth Angell for Town and Country Magazine, November 12, 2019. 

The mysterious death of a young girl inspires Jon Bon Jovi to record a song dedicated to her.  This is the case of Katherine Korzilius.  Resources: Unsolved Mysteries, Season 10: Episode 7 - https://unsolved.com/gallery/katherine-korzilius/ "Family Searches for Answers, Peace" by Hank Stuever for Austin American-Statesman, Aug 7, 1997.  "Jon Bon Jovi Busy with Singing, Newfound Acting Career" by Winnie Bonelli for The Herald-New, Passaic, New Jersey, June 20, 1997.  Links: Song: "August 7th, 4:15" by Jon Bon Jovi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoABwDxs9q8  CrimeCon tickets: www.crimecon.com - Use discount code ONCEUPON2020 for 10% off your registration Music Credits: Original theme music by http://AaronGoldberg.Bandcamp.com Other music from Freesound.org - Licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. 

In Nebraska, in 1958, a high school junior holds animosity towards his mother and takes deadly revenge.  He is caught and imprisoned and, years later, disappears for decades.  Where is Leslie Arnold today?  Resources "Whatever Happened to Leslie Arnold, the Boy who Murdered his Parents?" by John William Tuohy,  www.mywriterssite.blogspot.com  "The Mystery of Leslie Arnold" by Henry Cordes for The Omaha World-Herald, Sept 13, 2017.  Music Credits: Original theme music by http://AaronGoldberg.Bandcamp.com Other music:  Licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

In Kansas in 1958, an 18-year-old kills both of his parents and his only sibling. Was it a case of greed, mental illness, or was Andrews just a "bad seed"?   #parricide #InColdBlood #TheBrothersKaramazov #deathrow #familyannihilators  Resources: "Lowell Lee Andrews Was 'The Nicest Boy' in Wolcott by Beth Elias for Ranker.com  "Nicest boy in Wolcott" by David J. Krajicek for NYDailyNews.com, Feb. 21, 2010 "State vs. Andrews", Appeal Record, State of Kansas, Dec. 10, 1960. Retrieved on Justia.com.  In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Modern Library, Reprint Edition, 2013.  Music Credits: Original theme music by http://AaronGoldberg.Bandcamp.com Music from https://filmmusic.io - "March of the Mind" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Other music:  https://freesound.org/s/321070/  ,  https://freesound.org/s/243435/  Licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.