Hard Times and True Crimes

The murder of Colleen Slemmer by fellow Job Corps student Christa Pike is a story that hits painfully close to home for me, bringing back memories of my own years at Job Corps in the 1990s.  January 12, 1995, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer walked away from the Knoxville Job Corps Center with three other students and never came back. The next morning, a groundskeeper found her body near the greenhouse...

In November 1978, more than 900 people died in Jonestown, Guyana, in one of the darkest tragedies in modern history. At the center of it all was Jim Jones, the charismatic and deeply manipulative leader of the Peoples Temple.  In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes , we take a look at Jim Jones, the rise of the People's Temple, the move to Jonestown, and the disturbing events that un...

At 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, Timothy and Beryl Evans lived upstairs with their baby daughter, Geraldine. Downstairs lived their quiet, helpful neighbors—John and Ethel Christie. When Beryl and Geraldine were found strangled, Timothy Evans was arrested, tried, convicted of his daughter’s murder, and sentenced to death. On March 9, 1950, 25-year-old Timothy Evans was hanged. But three yea...

Andrea Yates became one of the most infamous mothers in American true crime history when she drowned her five children in her Houston bathtub in 2001. But the story of Andrea Yates is far more complicated than the headlines suggest.  In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes , we examine Andrea Yates, the deaths of her five children, her history of severe mental illness and postpartum psychosi...

For listeners of history, WWII, and true crime podcasts. In this episode, we examine the lives of Irma Grese, an SS Aufseherin (guard) at Ravensbrück and Auschwitz-Birkenau known for extraordinary cruelty toward prisoners, and Sophie Scholl, a member of the White Rose resistance group executed for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets at the University of Munich. Both women came of age under the Third R...

The murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. remain two of the most infamous unsolved cases in music history. Decades later, questions still linger: Were the murders connected? Was it really East Coast vs. West Coast? And what evidence has emerged over the years?  In this episode, we take a deep dive into the lives of Tupac and Biggie, the legendary rivalry that captivated the hip-hop worl...

In 1948, eleven-year-old Sally Horner was kidnapped by Frank La Salle after he pretended to be an FBI agent and threatened to send her to reform school. For twenty-one months, he took her across the country, convincing others she was his daughter while she endured manipulation, isolation, and abuse. Although Sally was eventually rescued, her story was largely forgotten—even as another name became...

In this episode, we discuss The Devil in Pew Number 7 by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo, a powerful true story set in rural North Carolina that explores tragedy, faith, fear, and forgiveness.  We dive into the shocking events that unfolded in the small community of Sellerstown, NC, the devastating impact they had on one family, and the remarkable journey that followed. This story raises difficult question...

In May 1887, two little boys vanished from their grandfather’s home in South Annville, Pennsylvania. What followed was a community search, a shocking discovery buried near a log cabin, and one of the most notorious murder cases in Lebanon County history. Sources Primary research for this episode came from historical newspapers accessed through  Newspapers.com, including coverage from: * Lebanon Da...

In Moore County, North Carolina, sixteen-year-old Isabel Hussey was traveling from Robbins to Asheboro. She accepted a ride from a stranger and never made it home. What began as a seemingly ordinary decision ended in a brutal murder that devastated a family and shocked the community. In this episode, we examine the life and tragic death of Isabel Hussey, the disturbing background of the man respon...

In March of 1986, Greensboro, North Carolina was shaken by a brutal crime.  On the surface, Dr. Jimmy Dale Hudson appeared to have the perfect life. He was a respected dentist, a UNC supporter, a husband, and a father. But behind the image of success was a marriage unraveling, emotional instability, jealousy, and a darkness no-one saw coming. When police arrived at a quiet apartment complex on Far...

Some stories don't feel finished - and this is one of them. In 2005 and 2006, in Caldwell County, NC, the story of Emily Anderson began to unfold - one that would leave more questions than answers.  Some listeners may have heard part of this case before. But if you've ever found yourself wondering what happened next, this episode takes a deeper look.  We walk through the full timeline -...

Beginning in 1972, a series of suspicious deaths in rural Alabama left a community fearful, divided, and searching for answers. At the center of it all was a man known simply as “The Reverend,” whose life seemed marked by tragedy, rumor, and lingering suspicion. Whispers of voodoo, insurance payouts, and unanswered questions spread quietly through the region — eventually capturing the attention of...

In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take a deep dive into a local Randolph County case that captured the community's attention - the trial of Heather Auman, accused in the death of her husband, MJ, a local firefighter.  After attending the trial in person, we walk you through the case from beginning to end - starting with the events leading up to that day at the lake, the 911...

In March of 1895, a young Irish woman named Bridget Cleary was brutally murdered by her husband and several relatives in the small village of Ballyvadlea in County Tipperary . For several days, Bridget was subjected to interrogations, forced herbal mixtures, and violent rituals meant to “drive out” the fairy believed to be inhabiting her body. On the night of March 15, 1895, she was burned to deat...

In Part 2 of our Bitter Blood series, we continue the shocking true story made famous by North Carolina author Jerry Bledsoe in his bestselling book Bitter Blood. What began as a volatile marriage spiraled into paranoia, obsession, and a custody battle that would end in one of the most devastating family murder-suicides in North Carolina history. We re-released this series in memory of Jerry Bleds...

Jerry Bledsoe, North Carolina’s #1 New York Times bestselling true crime author, passed away on December 31, 2025, in Asheboro, NC. In honor of his life and legacy, we are re-releasing our two-part episode on Bitter Blood — the book that brought national attention to one of the most disturbing murder cases in North Carolina history. Sources We researched and built this episode using: Bledsoe, Jerr...

In this special Christmas episode of Hard Times and True Crimes , we examine one of the most disturbing crimes in American history: The kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker in Los Angeles in 1927.  In December 1927, Los Angeles was rocked by the kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker, a crime so horrific it dominated national headlines and left a permanent mark on American true crime history.  T...

Ronald Gene Simmons lived quietly in Arkansas throughout the 1980s, keeping mostly to himself and his large family. Outwardly, he appeared to be living a simple life in the country—but behind closed doors was a world shaped by control, fear, and long-term abuse. In December of 1987, during the week of Christmas, the darkness inside the Simmons home finally erupted. What unfolded became the largest...

In 2023, Erin Patterson sat down to lunch with her in-laws. A fatal family lunch in rural Australia. A handful of mushrooms. Three deaths. One survivor. And a woman at the center of a case that grabbed the world's attention almost overnight.  In this episode, we break down the 2023  Erin Patterson Australia mushroom poisoning case step-by-step - the timeline, the medical findings, the early i...

Episode Summary: In our Halloween special, we step into the dark  history of women’s mental health in early 20th-century America. Two women — Catherine Ward and Carrie Selvage — entered the asylum system from different directions. One commited a horrific crime. One guilty of nothing. Both lives ended tragically. We explore how fear, misunderstanding, and limited medical knowledge shaped their fate...

🎙️ In this episode, we uncover the chilling truth behind The Amityville Horror — separating fact from fiction in one of America’s most infamous stories. Long before the bestselling book and Hollywood movies, there was a real tragedy inside 112 Ocean Avenue: the DeFeo family murders. Join us as we explore what really happened that night in Amityville, New York — the crime, the haunting that followe...

On New Year’s Eve, 1947, Winston-Salem was still glowing with Christmas decorations when a tragedy unfolded that shocked Forsyth County and made headlines across the state of North Carolina.   Everett and Margaret Phillips were a devoted couple who waited eight years for their only child, Tommy Lee. They poured their lives into him, indulging him with love, music, and opportunity. But when young l...

In the early 1950s, the quiet community then known as Fuquay Springs - today's Fuquay-Varina in Wake County, North Carolina - was shaken by the violent killing of Dr. Cozart, a respected local physician. His sudden death stunned the town and left behind questions that linger more than a century later.  In this episode, we revisit the case of Dr. Cozart's murder, exploring the historical...

In July of 1906, Rowan County, North Carolina, was shaken by one of the most brutal crimes in state history. Isaac Lyerly, his wife Augusta, and two of their young children were murdered in their farmhouse near Barber Junction. Bludgeoned with the family’s own axe and left in a fire meant to destroy the evidence, the crime horrified Salisbury and quickly drew national attention. Three of the survi...