We Would Be Dead

On November 2nd 2007 Amanda Knox went home to her Italian Villa to take a shower and pack her bags before leaving on a weekend getaway with her boyfriend, but something was off. When Amanda arrived home she noticed blood spots in the bathroom sink, blood on the bath mat and her roommates were nowhere to be found. Shortly after that, the police would discover that Amanda's roommate Meredith had bee...

On November 19th 2011 Williamsburg West Virginia police got a series of disturbing 911 calls. There has been as terrible accident, and all that remained were a body in the middle of the road and a car idling against the guard rail 3/10 if a mile down the highway. Upon arrival authorities discovered the remains of 20 year old Jaleayah Davis, naked from the waist up, decapitated in the middle on int...

In late March of 1996 a box containing the mutilated remains of an unidentified man washed up on the shores of Miller Field in Staten Island. Little did authorities know that this discovery was indelibly linked to the who's who of New York City Nightlife, and the king of the club kids himself, Michael Alig. Join WWBD as we take an ultra deep dive into the world in 1980's and 90's New York City nig...

Gather 'round the fire fiends and let's bring back a time honored tradition: Christmastime ghost stories. This episode is perfect for a chilly and festive evening. Holly is reading you the classic chiller The Kit Bag by Algernon Blackwood, Leslie is reading the festive hide and seek scare fest 'Smee by A.M. Burrage, and finally, Holly offers an original ghost story in the traditional style called...

Step right up fiends, we're taking a trip to the sideshow! Join us as we explore the fascinating history of this uniquely American art form. Holly explores the roots of the side show and some of it's most famous human exhibits, Leslie recounts the haunting story of the Lobster Boy murders, and we have our first guest! Join WWBD as we explore the world of the modern sideshow from the perspective so...

It was Christmas Eve 2008, and the Ortega family of West Covina, California, were enjoying the tail end of their annual Christmas Eve bash. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It appeared that Santa Clause had come to town, only this time he didn't bring presents, he brought a small arsenal. As you may have guessed, the Santa in question hadn't come down from the North Pole. No, Bruce Pardo,...

Every year on Thanksgiving eve, they descend from the heavens to delight children and frustrate parents the world over. Elves. Whether on shelves, at the north pole, on Santa's sleigh, or at Macy's snapping a keepsake photo, elves are usually distinctly bonded to Christmas. Surprisingly enough, though, our diminutive misfit friends only made their way into the big man's employment in the late 1800...

On August 13th, 2018, Shanann Watts and her two daughters. Bella and Celeste went missing from their Fredrick, Colorado, home. When young, healthy, and well-liked people go missing, we never want to assume the unthinkable has happened, but in this case, it had. The truth that unfurled over the next three days would shock the entire country and create a new landmark in this history of American crim...

On February 8th, 1983, the residents of number 23 Cranley Gardens, located in a small North London suburb eagerly awaited the arrival of drain cleaning company Dyno-rod. The clogged drains had been a nuisance for a while and resolving this situation would surely be a huge relief; when the drain cleaner arrived, however, he would discover one of the most horrifying scenes in British true crime hist...

On February 8th, 1983, the residents of number 23 Cranley Gardens, located in a small North London suburb eagerly awaited the arrival of drain cleaning company Dyno-rod. The clogged drains had been a nuisance for a while and resolving this situation would surely be a huge relief; when the drain cleaner arrived, however, he would discover one of the most horrifying scenes in British true crime hist...

Surprise! You didn't think we'd leave you hanging on Halloween did you? NEVER! Only the best for our Hallofiends! As our gift to you, please enjoy another free 30 minute horror movie to celebrate the end of an excellent spooky season, though, it's always spooky season for us. We hope you enjoy 30 minute Halloween! 

10 years and 4,500 miles apart, two entire families had their lives tragically cut short with the blunt side of an axe. Though the families had nothing in common, the crimes were shockingly the same. This week, WWBD closes out "Axetober" with the stories of the Moore family murders in Villisca Iowa in 1912, and The Gruber family murders in Hinterkaifeck, Germany, in 1922.  Both family murders were...

On October 25th 1829 Eastern State Penitentiary opened it's imposing Gothic doors. Touted as "the first Penitentiary" Eastern State claimed to revolutionize incarceration by doing away with physical punishment and keeping every prisoner in solitary confinement, but as we all know "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Join WWBD for a deep dive into Eastern's State's incredibly dark hist...

Holly and Leslie are recapping horror movies in just thirty minutes. With a ticking timer the girls pass the story back and forth and see if they can cram in all the spooky, hilarious, goodness before time runs out! This new mini podcast (soon to be available monthly to our patrons) is a high energy, raucous, good rime. It's a lot like combining a roller coaster and a haunted house. Please enjoy o...

Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother 40 whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.... Or did she? Join WWBD for a deep dive into on of the most famous cases in American true crime history. Perhaps we'll change your mind about Lizzie and the grizzly murders that happened in Fall River so long ago.     WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD swag here!   Join the Conversation           

On the morning of November 16th, 1957, Waushara County Wisconsin police officers responded to the report of missing local hardware store owner, Bernice Worden. Berince lived and worked in the nearby village of Plainfield. The investigation that followed lead authorities to an old farm on the outskirts of town. They were in search of a local man who had been the last reported customer Bernice serve...

Hey fiends! We have a special treat for you! This track is designed as a viewing companion to the movie Tusk! Instructions will be provided at the beginning of the track with a moment for you to pause and start the movie, then a specific landmark wherein you unpause, and BAM! We're with you. Happy viewing! Included is a link to Kevin Smith's inspiration Tusk origin story animation   Rent or Buy Tu...

4:00 in the evening, on November 10th 2010 came and went and Tina Herrmann never showed up for her shift at the Mt. Vernon, Ohio Dairy Queen. After their shifts had ended, her coworkers set out to find what had held Tina up. Little did they know that they would uncover one of the strangest and most terrifying events in recent history, an event that would lead the police to the strange, leaf filled...

Barbara Daly Baekland had it all. Money, power, timeless beauty, a handsome husband and a loving son. This gorgeous socialite was American royalty who lived an untouchable life. How then, did she wind up dead on her kitchen floor at just 51 years old? A single knife wound and a horrifying secret would come to reveal that Barbara Daly Baekeland's life was not all that it appeared to be. Join WWBD f...

WWBD is heating up this week! Leslie takes the reins and tells a story about America’s most prolific serial arsonist. In 2005, arson investigators arrested Thomas Sweatt, a 50 year old KFC Fry Cook, for a slew of arsons in and around the Washington, DC area. They were arresting him for only a handful of recent arsons, but he would go on to confess to 353 fires dating back almost 30 years and killi...

Nothing is more mysterious and poetic than poison. But, have you ever stopped to consider why? There is poetry in poison and this week we explore the ins and outs of how it works, who uses it and why. Join us for a deep dive into poisons and poisoners from the historic and infamous, to the modern and obscure. Click to Learn More A Psychological Profile of a Poisoner     WWBD Merch Buy your WWBD sw...

On the morning of September 7, 2012, Karena Rosario found her roommate Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old third-year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), bludgeoned to death in her off-campus apartment. Despite finding DNA evidence and a note possibly left by her killer among other compelling pieces of evidence, not a single person has been charged with her murder. The pol...

On February 1, 1959, nine experienced hiker/skiers trekked up the remote Ural mountains, the made camp after a day of journeying, by morning all nine were dead. What happened to this intrepid group has puzzled sleuths both amateur and professional since. In this episode WWBD explores many of the wild theories surrounding this unfortunate incident, and dives into why, after so may years, we still d...

Welcome back for part 2 of Jeffrey Dahmer, WWBD's examination of one of the world's most notorious serial killers ! This week we dive into Jeff's crimes and confessions, it's the all murder and courtroom edition. Hang on to your hats fiends because this is a graphic one. Last week we brought  you the man inside the monster, and this week we truly see the monster in the man. *All sound clips are ta...

On July 22, 1991, two Milwaukee police officers entered the apartment of a tall blond man they thought had gotten a little overzealous with a lover.  The house of horrors they would go on to discover would forever change the landscape of crime in American, and ensure that the name Jeffrey Dahmer would live forever in infamy the world over.  In this the first of two episodes covering the infamous M...