Autumn's Oddities

Crooked cops, cocaine cowboys, and conspiracy all started in my hometown of Lexington, Kentucky.  Oh yeah, there's also a coked-out 175-pound black bear. SOURCESThe Bluegrass Conspiracy: An Inside Story of Power, Greed, Drugs & Murder Paperback – March 7, 2016; book by Sally Denton  https://variety.com/2021/film/news/cocaine-bear-elizabeth-banks-keri-russell-1235010081/https://law.justia.com/...

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but no woman had more fury than Katherine Knight. The rough and tumble Australian abbatoir had a nasty habit of physically abusing and dominating her partners, eventually skinning one in the same manner as one of the animals in her slaughterhouse. Trigger warnings all around, this one is gruesome! SOURCESBeyond Bad: The Life and Crimes of Katherine...

I'm currently in the middle of a move, so please enjoy an episode that was previously for Patreon members only. Patreons, I'll make it up to you in the form of TWO bonus episodes this month! This is the TRUE story of the events that inspired the film, The Exorcist.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/autumn-s-oddities--5307439/support .

On the evening of December 2, 2010, 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was found dead on the floor of the refuse compactor room at the bottom of her luxury apartment complex in South Melbourne, Australia. Phoebe was heavily intoxicated at the time of her death,  but the coroner ruled that she had put herself into the chute, despite her apartment being ransacked and the troubled relationship with her olde...

Over a span of ten weeks in 1946, a masked serial killer haunted the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas before vanishing into thin air. The Texarkana Moonlight Murders, which they were later called, still remain unsolved. SOURCESThe Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders: The Story of a Town in Terror; Book by James PresleyPresley, James (May 6,...

If you live in the U.S., Happy Native American Heritage Day, Happy Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and Black Friday to you! The day started out like any other Thanksgiving Day in November 1991, but instead of a roast turkey and the fixins, Egyptian model Omaima Nelson's husband was on the menu. Put your fork down before you listen to this one! SOURCESSnapped; Episode 1, Season 14; Oxygen Deadly...

The true story of the Black Widow, Patrizia Reggiani, and the murder she commissioned in the name of fashion. This saga has everything: glamour, greed, sex, murder, betrayal, and a raging quest for power and status. SOURCESThe House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed; Book by Sara Gay FordenLady Gucci: The Story of Patrizia Reggiani; Documentary, ID Discovery  htt...

Marilyn Monroe, an American icon with a tragic past perhaps more famous in death than in life. I'm covering the facts and the many conspiracies surrounding her death, so you can decide for yourself if you think her death was a suicide, an accident, or murder. SOURCES https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/12/29/No-evidence-Marilyn-Monroe-murdered-DA-says/1635409986000/The Many Lives of Marilyn Mon...

In the conclusion of Kristin Smart's case, the evidence that lead to the arrest of her killer is detailed.  It's not a happy ending entirely, but you'll definitely smile when you hear the details of the arrests. SOURCESKristin Smart Archives; James R. Murphy Jr., A Law Corporation; https://murphylawcorp.com/tag/kristin-smart/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-22/judge-...

A college student goes missing after being walked home after a party in 1996.  She was never seen again and her body has never been found. The ONLY suspect is the last person who saw her alive, the man that walked her home. SOURCESKristin Smart Archives; James R. Murphy Jr., A Law Corporation; https://murphylawcorp.com/tag/kristin-smart/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-22/judge-rul...

Teresita Basa was brutally murdered in her apartment in 1977, but that wasn't the end of her story. Teresita assisted detectives in catching her murderer from beyond the grave. SOURCES"Unsolved Mysteries" Episode #2.25 (TV Episode 1990) - IMDbTeresita, the Voice from the Grave: The Incredible But True Story of How an Occult Vision Solved the Murder of Teresita Basa; Book by John O'Brien,...

The story of the Black Widow of LaPorte, Belle Gunness, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history that you've probably never heard of. SOURCESHell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men; Book by Harold Schechter https://laportelibrary.org/at-the-library/explore-local/belle-gunness/https://allthatsinteresting.com/belle-gunness Become a supporter of this...

A beautiful woman is found dead at a mansion in a wealthy beach town, apparently by suicide, only one day after a tragic accident involving a child in her care. But did she die by her own hand? She's been hung, bound, and gagged. Were there really a tragic accident and a suicide in two day days at the Spreckles Mansion, or was it foul play? SOURCES https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/a...

The conclusion of the tale of Ed & Lorraine Warren and their most terrifying cases.  In this episode, I cover Annabelle the doll and the demonic possession/murder case that inspired The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do it. SOURCESThe Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren; Book by Gerald Brittle – September 30, 2013Devil's Road: The True Story of Ed & Lorraine Warre...

Over the course of 50 years, Ed, a demonologist, and Lorraine, a trance medium, looked into thousands of cases around the world.  The paranormal investigations they documented led to the creation of the horror films The Amityville Horror, The Conjuring franchise, Annabelle, and A Haunting in Connecticut.  SOURCESThe Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren; Book by Gerald B...

We’ve all heard them.  Your aunt’s cousin knows a guy who went to high school with the girl that this happened to. The person telling the story swears this really happened, and you should be careful, or you could end up like them. Today's episode is Urban Legends, and some of them are true! SOURCESMY OWN BRAIN Fact-checking strategies to limit urban legends spreading in a segregated society; Acade...

Science tells us dolls are inanimate objects and can’t move or hurt us. But those who care for Robert the Doll and the thousands who visit him each year know better. Lights flicker. Cameras malfunction. Letters of apology arrive on a daily basis. The bizarre circumstances surrounding Robert have earned him a reputation as the most haunted doll in the world. SOURCES Robert The Doll; Book by David L...

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/autumn-s-oddities--5307439/support .

I'm continuing my series on true stories that inspired some of the biggest horror movies.  In this episode, I talk about the absolute horror of a human being that inspired the movie Scream.  SOURCESThe Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Murders in the Killer's Own Words – February 1, 2011; Book by Danny Rolling  A Monster Of All Time: The True Story of Danny Rolling,...

In keeping with this month's spooky theme, here are the TRUE EVENTS that inspired Wes Craven's classic horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street.  SOURCES https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/10/us/nightmares-suspected-in-bed-deaths-of-18-laotians.htmlSudden death in sleep of Laotian-Hmong refugees in Thailand: a case-control study; R G Munger; Am J Public Health. 1987 September; 77(9): 1187–1190.Ref...

For the month of October, I'll be covering real cases that inspired some of the biggest horror movies.  The gruesome true story of the man who inspired the characters Norman Bates, Leatherface, and Buffalo Bill.  This one is not for the faint of heart! SOURCES https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ed-GeinThe Real Leatherface; Book by Sandra McClain Ed Gein: Psycho; Book by Paul Anthony WoodsEd...

A mother of five vanishes on a Kentucky highway, leaving her car and belongings behind.  Did she just pick up and leave, or did something more sinister happen to her? SOURCES https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/crystal-rogersThe Disappearance of Crystal Rogers; Docuseries, Oxygen  https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/08/26/crystal-rogers-what-to-know-about-missing-kentucky-mom/55992...