Once Upon A Crime

A marriage filled with love and ambition turns into a bitter battlefield of betrayal, resentment, and rage. In 1989, after years of feeling cast aside and replaced, Betty Broderick took justice into her own hands—gunning down her ex-husband and his new wife in their bedroom. Was Betty a victim of emotional abuse who finally snapped, or was this a calculated act of cold-blooded murder? In Chapter 1...

A bitter custody battle takes a horrifying turn when a father, driven by revenge and resentment, commits an unthinkable act against his own child. In this episode of Monstrous Moms & Dastardly Dads , we examine the case of Charles Rothenberg, a man who attempted to murder his 6-year-old son in a twisted plot to punish his ex-wife. How could a father commit such a monstrous act, and what became...

A desperate mother reports her car stolen, claiming her two young sons were trapped inside. As the nation rallies behind her, authorities launch a massive search to find the missing boys. But after nine agonizing days, the truth emerges—and it’s more horrifying than anyone could have imagined. In this episode of Monstrous Moms & Dastardly Dads , we examine the case of Susan Smith, a mother who...

In 1971, an entire family is found murdered in their home—meticulously executed by the very man who was supposed to protect them. John List, a devout churchgoer and seemingly devoted father, killed his wife, mother, and children before vanishing without a trace. For nearly two decades, authorities searched for the elusive killer. How did he evade capture for so long? And what finally led to his sh...

A quiet Oregon road. A frantic mother covered in blood. Three children shot in cold blood. In 1983, Diane Downs burst into a hospital emergency room, claiming a stranger had ambushed her family in a brutal attack. But as investigators dug deeper, her story unraveled, revealing a tale of obsession, deception, and unthinkable betrayal. Could a mother really commit the unthinkable? Join us as we unco...

Mass murder is often associated with male perpetrators, but history holds chilling exceptions. In this episode, we uncover the rare and terrifying phenomenon of female mass murderers—women who shattered the stereotype and left devastation in their wake. From the U.S. to Germany to Kuwait, these shocking cases reveal the dark motives and deadly methods behind some of the most notorious female mass...

July 18, 1984—lunchtime at a bustling McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California turned into a nightmare. A heavily armed man walked in and, without warning, unleashed terror on innocent customers and employees. By the time the siege was over, 21 men, women, and children lay dead in what was, at the time, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. What led to this horrifying act of violence? Who was t...

On a hot July night in 1966, terror descended upon a quiet Chicago townhouse. Eight young student nurses were brutally murdered—one by one—at the hands of a cold-blooded killer. By morning, only one survivor remained to tell the harrowing tale. This is the case of Richard Speck, a drifter with a violent past who committed one of the most shocking mass murders in American history. How did he gain a...

On September 6, 1949, the quiet streets of Camden, New Jersey, became the scene of America’s first recorded mass shooting. Armed with a Luger pistol and a hit list, World War II veteran Howard Unruh walked through his neighborhood, killing 13 people in just 12 minutes. What drove this seemingly ordinary man to commit such a brutal rampage? Was it lingering trauma from the war, personal grudges, or...

They promised love—but delivered death. In the 1940s, Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck posed as a charming couple seeking romance through "Lonely Hearts" ads. But behind their affectionate facade lurked something far more sinister. Together, they deceived, robbed, and ultimately murdered vulnerable women searching for companionship. What drove this twisted pair to kill? How did their deadly schem...

In 1958, two teenagers left a trail of blood across America’s heartland. Charles Starkweather, 19, and Caril Fugate, 14, embarked on a brutal killing spree that claimed 11 lives in just two months. Fueled by rebellion, rage, and a deadly sense of invincibility, their crimes shocked the nation and inspired films, books, and even a haunting Bruce Springsteen song. Was Caril a willing accomplice or a...

A summer of terror. A nationwide manhunt. Two killers with nothing to lose. In the summer of 1984, Alton Coleman and Debra Brown embarked on a brutal multi-state crime spree, leaving a trail of devastation across the Midwest. Their violent rampage included robbery, assault, kidnapping, and cold-blooded murder—forcing the FBI to launch an urgent manhunt to stop them before they could kill again. Wh...

Obsession. Betrayal. A gunshot that shocked the nation. In 1992, 17-year-old Amy Fisher became infatuated with an older, married man—auto mechanic Joey Buttafuoco. But when his wife, Mary Jo, stood in the way, Amy took matters into her own hands. The result? A near-fatal attack that made headlines across the country and turned Fisher into the infamous Long Island Lolita. But as the story unfolded,...

A billion-dollar mystery. A museum left in ruins. And a case that remains unsolved to this day. On March 18, 1990, two men disguised as police officers walked into Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—and walked out with 13 priceless works of art. In just 81 minutes, they pulled off the biggest art heist in history, vanishing without a trace. Decades later, the stolen masterpieces, worth over...

Fame. Rejection. Revenge. One gunshot that changed art history forever. On June 3, 1968, pop art icon Andy Warhol was nearly killed when radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas walked into his Manhattan studio and opened fire. Warhol survived—but the attack left both him and the art world forever altered. What drove Solanas, the author of the SCUM Manifesto , to attempt murder? Was she a revolutio...

The great artist Caravaggio lives an unparalleled life as a painter of masterpieces and as a mercurial and violent young man who became a convicted murderer before the age of 35. Resrouces: Book: Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon  Facebook & Instagram: @OnceUponACrimePod Twitter: @UponACrime     See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy N...

The series "Artful Crimes" details cases of crimes committed by and against artists. In Chapter 1 we'll explore the death of Vincent Van Gogh - suicide or murder?   Resources: Book: Van Gogh: A Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith Music: Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean www.truecrimepodcast.com Vincent Van Gogh Art History Artists Impressionism Suicide True Crime Murder See Pri...

A man leads police to a body buried in a snowbank on Christmas Day, 1977. This murder in Madison, Wisconsin, would captivate the public with a tale of sex, murder, drugs and money.     Resources: Book: Winter of Frozen Dreams - by Karl Harter Video: Winter of Frozen Dreams   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in...

On Christmas Day, 1929, one of the country's worst mass murders took place in North Carolina. This is Chapter 2 of Holiday Homicides: The Lawson Family Murders.  Resources: Book: The Meaning of Our Tears: The True Story of the Lawson Family Murders by Trudy J. Smith Ballad: The Lawson Family Murder by Doc Watson See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, 1881, a brutal attack was perpetrated on three sleeping teens in Ashland, Kentucky. Poem: The Ashland Tragedy , composed as a ballad by Peyton Buckner Byrne of Greenup County, Kentucky. Music: The Cherry Tree Carol and Carol of the Bells from An Appalachian Christmas , Composer Mark O'Connor See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

A 9-year-old girl is abducted in Arlington, Texas. The community and, ultimately, the country would call for changes in the way law enforcement responds to missing and abducted children   You can find the video about Amber and her family here: WFAA Amber Hagerman Documentary Click here to find out more about the AMBER Alert System The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can be conta...

The murder of a young girls leads to sweeping changes in sentencing laws. Polly Hannah Klaas was 12 years old when she was abducted by a stranger out of her own bedroom. Resources:  People v. Davis, Appeal Record, Superior Court of California, June 1, 2009 "The Man Who Kept Going Free" by Jeffrey Toobin for The New Yorker, March 7, 1994.  Polly's Story - www.pollyklaas.org   "An Angel Named Polly"...

Happy Thanksgiving! Just sharing some info about the holiday schedule of podcast releases and some shout outs to listeners and podcasters! Thanks to our new sponsor Audible who is offering our listeners a 30-day free trial and a free audiobook download! Go to www.audibletrial.com/onceuponacrime  for your free offer.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at...

An abused woman spends years being beaten and terrorized by her husband while police and others turn a blind eye. In desperation, she takes the law into her own hands. Resources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.) 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) Victim Support (U.K.) www.victimsupport.org.uk Domestic Violence Resource Centre (AU) www.dvrcv.org.au U.S. Dept. of Justice Office on Violence Against W...

A young woman's murder becomes and indictment on American apathy and changes the way crime is reported. Resources: Film: The Witness Book: Kitty Genovese: The Murder, The Bystanders, The Crime that Changed America - Kevin Cook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .