True Crime Historian

The Baldwin Trunk Murder Episode 187 takes us to Prohibition-era Los Angeles, where a gallivanting doctor gets a snoot full of juice and more than he bargained for. Factor in a devoted teenage son who will do anything to protect his mother and a somewhat bewildered boyfriend to come up with another scandalous tale. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcas...

The Mutilation Of Anna Aumuller Episode 217 is more than just a murder. It starts out as just your run-of-the mill everyday good-girl-gone-bad headless torso murders, but the finding of the body parts only opens a sweeping international criminal case that gets the Feds involved. This story has a big pile of drama under every headline, including some impressive courtroom theatrics, but is so laced...

The Hodges Massacre And Its Awful Aftermath Put on your favorite indignation hat, my friend, because episode 253 is going to be one of those. This case was mentioned in the coverage of the Padrick case, Episode 245, Slain For Her Own Salvation, and it piqued my interest and the interest of some listeners, so I looked into it. I hesitated going on. We live in tense times but I decided it’s importan...

The Golden Gate Park Tunnel Tragedy Episode 185 takes us to the West Coast just after Prohibition, when a 23-year-old woman turns up dead, strangled and violated (as they say) in Golden Gate Park, just after being unceremoniously ejected from a rich man’s hotel apartment after refusing his advances. The man has an alibi. See if you buy it. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https:...

The Atrocities Of Albert Fish I'D TURN BACK IF I WERE YOU!!! Episode 191 is without a doubt the vilest case you'll ever hear on this program because I don't think I could find a worse one if I tried. There's a lot of evil discussed here: torture, cannibalism, and more. Consider this your trigger warning: I'd turn back if I were you! Or at least put the kids to bed and plug in your ear buds. Keep t...

The Florodora Girl Takes The Stand Episode 257 combines some of our favorite tropes: the love triangle gone awry, another showgirl and another man about town who wants to eat his cake and take it to Europe, too. There were only two people in that hansom cab when the shot was fired, and the Flora Dora girl said she didn't shoot even though the gun was identified as hers. Ad-Free Edition Become a su...

The Stanford Bathtub Murder Episode 255 examines the sensational events following the discovery of a woman found dead in the bathtub, bludgeoned to death, and all circumstantial evidence pointing to the husband. I’m not so sure. The prosecution theory makes some sense, but I think they failed to prove a crucial element that would have convinced me. Drop me an email or a message on Facebook and tel...

The Mahoney Trunk Murder of Seattle Episode 194 takes place in the Pacific Northwest, when an elderly, wealthy widow marries a man fresh out of Walla Walla Prison, then disappears on their honeymoon two months later. I think we know where this is going, and yeah, it's not gonna end well. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909...

The Murders Of William Lindstrom, Cameo Soutar, And Maybe One Other Guy Episode 201 tells the story of a woman's allegedly murderous career in Chicago and Indiana. Three times a murder or otherwise suspicious death took place near Mrs. Cassler, and she even spent some time condemned to the gallows, but fate twisted in her favor every time. She did spend more than two years in jail, but overall, it...

 The Scoundrel John Arthur Pender In episode 259, a woman and her toddler son are brutally murdered in their remote Oregon cabin. Suspicion falls on a neighbor who had been given their mail, found unopened at the crime scene. With intense courtroom testimony and a handful of plot twists, this one will keep you guessing. Did he, or didn’t he? Culled from the historic pages of the Oregon Daily Journ...

First Lady Of The Electric Chair Episode 212 tells the story of the first walk of a woman to the electric chair. One cold winter night, a Brooklyn woman apparantly attacks her husband with an axe as he walks through the door, leaving him for dead in the entry way. Besides this gruesome sight, neighbors are about to discover a whole house full of horrors. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this...

The Trial of Susan B. Anthony Featuring Featuring Emily Simer Braun as Susan B. Anthony  Episode 173 explores the prosecution of one of the most hideous crimes in American history, trying to sway an election by voting. By a woman! Just kidding. The real crime here is the way the judge handed down the decision. Listen, and tell me if you agree. Theme Music by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered...

Betty Martin And Mildred Bolton Take Aim Episode 178  takes us to Chicago in the 1930s when two women stand trial for very similar crimes, murdering their husbands, the second one inspired by the first. Both women are a little crazy, maybe a lot crazy, but their demeanor during their trials and the very different outcomes makes an interesting study to compare and contrast. One of them is pretty, t...

Elderly Carpenter Murdered With Hammer Episode 199 tells what happens when a grandmother with a grumpy but somewhat older husband befriends a younger man when he's released from prison and begins paying him $250 a month for his, um, affections. Yeah, that's not going to end well. That's a grand, sordid conspriracy. Just like we like 'em. Ad-Free Episode Become a supporter of this podcast: https://...

The Philadelphia Arsenic Ring Episode 181 takes us down a dark road of spiritualism and witchcraft, of an elaborate web that led to an estimated 200 deaths by various means, including arsenic poisoning. And two executions. And twelve lifesentences. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support . You can pay more if you wa...

The Murder Of Mary Phagan Episode 183 tells of one of the most infamous cases of an innocent man wrongly accused. When a teenage factory girl is found dead in the basement of an Atlanta pencil manufacturer, blame falls on the mild-mannered Jewish superintendent of the plant, and the jury takes the word of a drunken janitor. It’ll take 70 years for the truth to come out. Ad-Free Edition Become a su...

The Rosier Affair, Part Two Episodie 190 finishes up the melodramatic tale of Catherine Rosier as she goes on trial for her life. Get out the smelling salts and tissues, folks, there's a lot of swooning and fainting about to take place, not to mention the flying accusations and indelicate revelations. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-h...

The Willow Love Triangle Murder Plot Episode 184 takes us into Pennsylvania Dutch territory, where two local farmers are found murdered in the woods a month apart. Although not related, the second murder sparks intense local interest, especially when the farmer’s wife is discovered in a salacious love affair. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true...

The Inept Executioner of Wise County Episode 254 has a different format than usual. I was perusing an old True Detective Magazine and found a story written from the point of view of the hangman of Wise County, Virginia, telling the stories of the five men whose heads he put in nooses. It was an interesting story, but something wasn’t quite right about it. So I did some research on the individual c...

The Rosier Affair, Part One Episode 189 is the first part of a story so twisted, snarled, and sensational that we broke it down into two episodes because one show couldn't hold all the drama. It starts out looking like another love triangle gone awry, but.... Well, hang on. It's a bumpy one. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--...

The Mysterious Murder Of Dr. William H. Wilson Episode 216 comes not only with a mysterious poisoning, but a side dish of “illegal operations.” Either it’s a devilishly clever plot, or perhaps the police didn’t really give it their all, considering the scandalous nature of Dr. Wilson’s practice. Ad-free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-histori...

Vivian Gordon’s Final Caper Though the body was found in the Bronx, Episode 228 is a dark, twisting ride to the seedy side of Broadway near the end of Prohibition, with a heavy dose of family drama swirling around a tale teeming with underworld villainy and police corruption. There were plenty of people with a motive to murder Vivian Gordon. Was it the cops? The crooks? Or some combination thereof...

Episode 221 explores how some bits of cardboard, a moonstone ring, and a dog that couldn't bark solved a riddle in the lonely swamp. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support. You can pay more if you want to, but rent at the Safe House is still just a buck a week, and you can get access to over 400 ad-free episodes fr...

The Teenage Sex & Murder Club Episode 220 takes us to Tucson, Arizona in the 1960s, when police find a charismatic young man responsible for the disappearance of three teenage girls as the leader of a bizarre little party cult. But even when the murder cases are closed, the exciting story continues to include a daring prison break and a deadly prison brawl. Culled from the historic pages of th...

Evelyn Ramadka, Queen Of The Chicago Vampires Episode 225 at first seems like a run-of-the-mill burglary case, a good girl gone bad, until we start getting to know the defendant as the story takes careen plot turns, compounded by the sensational press coverage--and a mysterious surprise ending. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historia...