Fresh Hell Podcast

In this episode we cover the terrible axe murder that put the small town of Villisca, Iowa on the map. We’ll discuss the murder that destroyed both the Moore family and the Stillinger family, and explore the clues left behind by the killer. We’ll talk about the most likely suspects, and try to decide whether we think this savage, gruesome event was part of the work of an unnamed serial killer, or...

In 1911 and 1912 there was a series of murders, all near train tracks, through the Rocky Mountains region to the Midwest. Today we discuss these horrific crimes leading up to the axe murders in Villisca. Do you think they are all the same unknown serial killer?    This episode is sponsored by Podcorn. For more information go to www.podcorn.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

54 hours! That’s how long it took to end the Gladbeck Hostage Crisis, that started as a bank robbery gone wrong and ended in three deaths: Emanuele de Giorgi, Silke Bischoff and Ingo Hagen. This week Johanna talks about this crime, that took place in August 1988, and about the role the media played in it.   This episode is sponsored by BEST FIENDS: https://bestfiends.com/ Learn more about your ad...

We’re headed back to Victorian London as we discuss John Snow and the discoveries he made regarding the spread of cholera. We discuss horrifically overcrowded cemeteries, body bugs, dancing on the dead at Enon Chapel, and take you on a ride on the London Necropolis Railroad. This episode is sponsored by Ballsy. Use promo code “FRESH20” for a 20% discount. Go to http://www.ballwash.com Learn more a...

In 1953 Teddington, England, was a town buzzing about the upcoming coronation of Elizabeth II. After the long hard years of World War II, the nation was looking forward to celebrating, and very few people in the charming town on the Thames realized a brutal rapist and murderer was on the loose. This is the story of the murder of 16 year old Barbara Songhurst and her best friend, 18 year old Christ...

In the second part, Annie and Johanna talk about the murder of Empress Elisabeth I. in Geneva and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Duchess Sophie in Sarajevo, which ultimately started WW I. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Habsburg dynasty ruled Austria for 640 years. In this two part episode we focus on the last decades of the dying empire. This week Annie and Johanna talk about the tragic and scandalous deaths of Crown Prince Rudolf and his 17 year old mistress Mary Vetsera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1963 a brutal murder took place in the Viennese Staatsoper. The victim of the crime, that shocked the whole nation, was a 10 year old ballet student. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On December 24, 1988, Sergeant Al Powell, of the LAPD would face the most difficult day of his long and storied career on the force. Join us, as we reflect on the shocking and tragic hostage situation that turned strangers into friends and terrorists into thieves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wait, is spontaneous combustion really a thing? Annie decides to finally look into the subject of people spontaneously bursting into flame and burning to ash, and she’s going to tell Johanna everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Martha Marek survived a deeply troubling childhood, and emerged a beautiful young woman who loved a nice carpet almost as much as she loved rat poison. Johanna tells Annie a twisted tale of greed, quality carpets, sincerely shocking levels of fraud, and of course...murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we do not only talk about the Krampus, we also face our childhood holiday traumas and begin to heal. Join Annie and Johanna in this rather chatty episode, when they laugh in the face of the Krampus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thanksgiving weekend, after a shocking upset at a Boston Collge vs. Holy Cross football game, the popular night spot, Cocoanut Grove, was the place to see and be seen. What should have been a joyous holiday weekend ended in unimaginable horror. Annie tells the story of one of the most devastating fires in U.S. history, and the medical advances made as a result. Learn more about your ad choices....

Somewhere along a picturesque highway in the mountains of West Virginia is a sign that reads, “Interred in nearby cemetery is Zona Heaster Shue. Her death in 1897 was presumed natural until her spirit appeared to her mother to describe how she was killed by her husband Edward. Autopsy on the exhumed body verified the apparition's account. Edward, found guilty of murder, was sentenced to the state...

In 2007 a young man disappeared in Vienna, never to be seen again. Since then his mother is trying to find answers to the question "What happened to Aeryn Gillern?". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was the biggest crime story in New Jersey since the Lindbergh kidnapping. In 1971, the entire List Family was found murdered, execution style in their sprawling, empty mansion known as Breeze Knoll. The only missing family member was John List, the son, husband and father of the victims. You may have heard this story before, but Annie takes a deep dive, so join us, and we'll tell you everything...

In this special episode Annie and Johanna talk about their paranormal encounters and read letters sent in by the audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The exorcism  of Anneliese Michel inspired the film “The Exorcism of Emily Rose". The true story is much more sad, and disturbing than one can imagine. Johanna and Annie cover this incredibly shocking and tragic case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Annie tells Johanna the story of the Hammersmith Ghost Murder, a shocking tale of murder and mischief from the early 1800s that may still haunt the area to this day... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johanna tells Annie another cannibal story, the third in her German Cannibal trilogy... and now Annie thinks it's time to phase out some of their traditional fairy tales... Join us for yet another disturbing and surprisingly sad story, that leaves Annie and Johanna feeling sorry for everyone involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life in an early 19th century London slum was hell. Until one day, it suddenly became even worse, in the strangest and most surprisingly horrific way. Join us as Annie tells Johanna about the Great London Beer Flood of 1814. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evelyn Nesbit was one of the great American beauties, a Gibson girl who captured many hearts. Two in particular, famed architect Stanford White, and Harry Thaw, bon vivant and heir to a massive fortune, found themselves in a shocking triangle of violence, madness, obsession and,  ultimately, murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1989 Boston was shocked by the brutal, senseless attack on Charles Stuart and his pregnant wife, Carol. Their tragedy was captured by a live television crew, which captivated and horrified the city of Boston, and the nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Johanna tells Annie about the mysterious disappearance and death of Frauke Liebs, the chilling and confounding continued phone calls from her, to her loved ones, and her tragic end. Was she another victim of the infamous Höxter Horror House? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows the story of the assassination of President Licoln, but what about the story of Clara Harris and Henry Rathbone, the couple who attended the play with them that fateful night? Annie tells Johanna this incredible true story of love, tragedy, madness, murder, and a ghost!  This tale has everything, join us as we make this old news fresh again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...