Crimes of Passion

Elderly millionaire Anna Mae Branson was a bit of a local legend in Madisonville, Kentucky. So when she died a brutally gruesome death, detectives were puzzled. But a tip from an unlikely source led authorities to her nephew Russell Winstead, a desperate man with mountains of debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chuck Riley did a bump of cocaine and half a tab of acid in the morning, so his memory of what happened that day is a little hazy. He thinks he remembers shooting Marlene's father, but he couldn't be sure how the hammer claw got lodged in the skull of Marlene's mother. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1975, the bodies of Naomi and Jim Olive were found in a barbecue pit in Marin County, California. Their murder was the tragic culmination of a fraught relationship with their adopted daughter Marlene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It wasn't part of the plan. Two people were dead instead of just one. Adriana Vasco and Dennis Godley would part ways and never discuss the details of that night. But authorities knew Adriana could be bullied, and they would do everything it took to break her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adriana Vasco had a history of being in abusive relationships. Still, none was as terrifying as the one with Dennis Earl Godley. When they met, he was already wanted on one felony charge. By the time their relationship ended, they'd both be wanted for another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wanting fame and fortune as a dancer, Melissa James took Craig up on his offer to introduce her to his A-list friends and moved in with him and Kelly. But the growing conflict between the two women became strained — and turned deadly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelly Ryan already knew that Craig Titus was the "bad boy" of body building. After turning him down on numerous dates, she finally gave in. A year later, they were married. But Craig had a secret. And her name was Melissa James. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 2005, Sarah Kolb decided to end her friendship with Adrianne Reynolds for good. With the help of Harli Quinn, they lured Adrianne into Sarah's car and drove to a fast-food restaurant. The two strangled Adrianne to death in the backseat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adrianne Reynolds was new to town, and what she wanted more than anything was to make friends. She made them quickly in Sarah Kolb and Harli Quinn. But if Adrianne wanted to stay friends with the pair, she would need to pass a loyalty test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She didn't just have a crush on Cubs first baseman Eddie Waitkus, she genuinely believed that the two were in love. So when Eddie got traded to the Phillies, Ruth Ann Steinhagen took it personally. And if she couldn't have Eddie, nobody could. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the fall of 2011, a 17-year-old model struck up an online relationship with NBA player Chris “Birdman” Andersen. But someone else was pulling the strings of their ill-fated romance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Jenelle Potter's crush, Billy Payne, started dating another woman, she used Facebook to spread rumors about the couple. But when a CIA agent contacted her parents, informing them that Payne was a threat to Jenelle's life, they took matters into their own hands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An online love triangle between 18-year-old Tommy, 17-year-old Jessi, and 22-year-old Brian turned tragic when their romantic fantasy world collided with their harsh realities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after Tara Lynn Grant returned to Michigan from Puerto Rico, she went missing. Her husband Stephen filed a missing person's report, but when detectives came to check out at their house, it told a different story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By early 2007, Tara Lynn Grant was a successful businesswoman splitting her time between the family home in Michigan and her office in Puerto Rico. She had two children, a beautiful house, and a full life. There was only one problem: her husband Stephen’s poisonous resentment.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After facing charges for felony burglary and losing his law license, Eric Williams funneled his rage into planning revenge. He set out to design the perfect crime, and in the early months of 2013, murdered three people in small-town Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Texas, an Eagle Scout grows up to become a prominent member of the Kaufman County legal community. But Eric Williams’s success brought out a sense of entitlement that would cost him everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The night of President Lincoln’s assassination, there was another couple in the State Box at Ford’s Theatre: Henry Rathbone, a young Civil War veteran, and his fiancée, Clara. The death of the president would haunt Henry for years until another tragedy struck the couple in 1883. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November 1986, Richard Crafts began preparing for a macabre project. His crime would launch an investigation unlike any in Connecticut’s history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Helle Crafts, a flight attendant and mother of three, failed to show up for work days before Thanksgiving 1986, her closest confidantes began to fear the worst.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After marrying the heir to the Gucci empire, Patrizia Reggiani was living the dream. Almost overnight, she became a jet-setting socialite, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. But when her husband threatens to take all the glitz and glam away from her, Patrizia snaps. This Lady Gucci won’t go down without a fight — and she’s willing to play dirty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

From the day he was born, Christian Brando lived in his famous father's shadow. But in 1990, in the throes of extreme anger and drug abuse, he made a name for himself in the worst possible way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trials related to Scott Amedure’s murder drew nonstop media coverage — first in 1996, when Jon Schmitz’s lawyers devised a “gay panic” defense strategy, and later in 1999, when the producers and host of The Jenny Jones Show took the stand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1995, Jonathan Schmitz and Scott Amedure were invited on a daytime talk show, where one friend made an on-air confession that led to murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost a year, Diane Zamora and David Graham had gotten away with murder. But some secrets are impossible to keep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices