Infamous America

Clyde wants revenge on Eastham Prison after his release. He and Bonnie form a loose-knit gang to commit a string of robberies with the goal of conducting a raid on the prison farm. But after a robbery and a shootout with police, Bonnie lands in jail and matters go from bad to worse for Clyde and the rest of the gang. Original song “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” by Brian Ray and Orianthi Panagaris...

Bonnie and Clyde grow up in poor families during the bleak years of the Great Depression. Clyde begins a life of petty crime and Bonnie works a series of jobs while she dreams of stardom. They meet at a party and their lives change forever. But Clyde’s criminal past catches up with him and he lands in the worst prison in Texas. Thanks to our sponsor, Simplisafe. Get free security camera and a 60-d...

Mysteries are solved as researchers make discoveries on the bottom of the ocean. Scientists and educators dispel conspiracy theories with new information. But even as the Bermuda Triangle begins to sound less suspicious, unanswered questions remain. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia....

In the 1960s, writers began to theorize about the causes of the disturbing stories related to the Bermuda Triangle. Pilots and passengers stepped forward to report bizarre experiences. As the number of reportedly strange occurrences grew, one writer in particular embraced a phenomenon known as “Electronic Fog.” Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.supportingca...

Five Navy Avenger airplanes vanished in the area of the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945. The routine training flight began without problems but grew more alarming as time passed. Then it disappeared off radar and became the most enduring American mystery related to the Bermuda Triangle.  Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more...

Disappearing ships. Disappearing crew members. Disappearing passengers. The Bermuda Triangle has a long history of causing ships and people to vanish without a trace. Here are some of the most puzzling mysteries of the past 200 years. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social...

The full scope and scale of the crimes of Ed Gein comes to light, and it shocks 1950s America. He becomes the inspiration for books and movies, including “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” In Texas, Tobe Hooper and the producers become embroiled in a series of battles about their film, one of which involves the Mafia. The movie becomes an instant classic, but the unexpected success causes problems. Th...

After another woman goes missing in Plainfield, Wisconsin, the police make horrifying discoveries at the farm of Ed Gein. The scene is beyond their worst nightmares, and Ed’s crimes become national news. In Texas, Tobe Hooper films his movie during a brutally hot summer. It’s a trial by fire for the young, inexperienced cast and crew that sticks with them for the rest of their lives. Join Black Ba...

After Ed Gein experiences personal tragedy, he becomes a true eccentric. His house fills with junk and squalor. He begins visiting cemeteries in the dark of night. He reads about grave robbing and murder, and then a woman goes missing in Plainfield. In Texas, Tobe Hooper raises the money to produce his film, finds his cast, and receives a brilliant piece of advice about a new title for the movie....

In the 1920s and 1930s, Ed Gein grows up on a Wisconsin farm with a domineering mother and an alcoholic father. He’s bullied by other kids and sinks deeper into a dark mindset. In Austin, Texas in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a film student named Tobe Hooper thinks of an idea for a low-budget horror film. It sets him on a journey that becomes the stuff of myth and legend. Join Black Barrel+ for...

Lizzie Borden goes to trial for the murder of her father and stepmother. The stakes are as high as they can get: she could face the death penalty if convicted. The prosecution presents damaging evidence, but the defense counters with a compelling case of its own. The final decision doesn’t seem easy, but the jury reaches a swift verdict in the case of the “Lizzie Borden Axe Murders.” Lizzie Borden...

The Borden murders shock the city of Fall River. The police begin their investigation and they quickly discover a potential murder weapon. They believe poison might have been involved. They question Lizzie extensively and soon arrest her for the murder of her father and stepmother. Her upcoming trial will be a media sensation.  Lizzie Borden rhyme performed by Anita Mansfield anitamansfield.com Jo...

August 4, 1892 is a hot day in Fall River, Massachusetts. The Borden house is quiet until 30-year-old Lizzie screams that her father has been killed. Shortly thereafter, the body of her stepmother is discovered. The murders are gruesome. There are no witnesses; no clues; and within days, suspicion falls squarely on Lizzie Borden. Lizzie Borden rhyme performed by Anita Mansfield anitamansfield.com...

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb begin their new lives in prison, and those lives take very different turns. They use their money and intelligence to curry favor with the prison staff, but their stories end in dramatically different ways. One ends in a pool of blood. The other ends on an island in the Caribbean. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.supportingca...

The families of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb hire the most famous defense attorney in America, Clarence Darrow, to keep their sons off death row. Darrow uses ingenious tactics, long-winded speeches and an army of psychiatrists in his defense of the killers. The courtroom spectacle is dubbed, The Trial of the Century. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.sup...

In May of 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnap 14-year-old Bobby Franks and carry out their ruthless murder plan. They believe they are supermen who are above the law. They believe they have committed the perfect crime. But they soon realize they’re not as smart as they thought, and they quickly become the prime suspects. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : black...

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb are young and rich. They’re highly intelligent. And they’re about to become cold-blooded killers. They meticulously plan a murder that will rock the city of Chicago during the height of the Jazz Age and the Roaring 20s. It will be called, The Crime of the Century. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials : blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For m...

Host Chris Wimmer interviews the writer of the D.B Cooper series, Jamie Lyko. They add more detail to the story of the money found in the sand bar; they analyze a new suspect; and they discuss theories of how Cooper might have survived the jump and escaped detection. Join Black Barrel+ for early access and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more details, please visit www.bla...

Years pass, and the heat of the initial investigation dies down. The FBI reviews numerous suspects but dismisses each one. There are no leads on the hijacker and no new pieces of evidence … until a boy finds bundles of money buried in the sand. The money is verified as part of the ransom and it briefly reignites the investigation. But as the new millennium dawns with no forward progress on the cas...

Law enforcement agencies race to find the hijacker, but they face major obstacles. The possible search area is massive and the weather hampers the investigation on the ground. The media turns the story into nationwide news. And they know virtually nothing about the man who called himself “Dan Cooper” but who will be forever known as, “D.B. Cooper.” As their frustration mounts, they release a sketc...

This is the story of one of the most infamous unsolved crimes in American history. In November of 1971, a man calling himself “Dan Cooper” hijacks an airplane out of Portland, Oregon. He demands four parachutes and a ransom of $200,000. When he receives the money, he leaps out of the back of the plane and disappears into the stormy night. And the legend of the D.B. Cooper begins… Join Black Barrel...

In the waning days of the prison, three inmates perform arguably the greatest prison break in American history. It’s immortalized by Hollywood in the 1979 film, “Escape From Alcatraz,” starring Clint Eastwood. And the escape remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of American crime. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebo...

Alcatraz cools down for a few years after the battle, but eventually the escape attempts resume. Some inmates are desperate to flee the harsh conditions on the island. Some seem like they are simply wired to escape, regardless of the facility or its location. Those who fail and return to the prison inevitably end up in the isolation cells known as The Hole. For more details, please visit www.black...

The most violent escape attempt in the history of Alcatraz, and possibly the American prison system, rocks the island in May of 1946. Six inmates take over D Block and end up in a siege against prison guards, the FBI and the Marines. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. Learn...

In the 1940s, the situation on Alcatraz took a dark turn. A brutal escape attempt claims two lives, but also turns a guard into a hero. And then “Doc” Barker, of the infamous Barker Gang, leads a breakout that always has a violent conclusion, and long lasting effects. For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, a...