Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

In this series, I share true crime cases that resulted in women being sentenced to Death Row.  In 2009, a woman victimized by a childhood of abuse and violence becomes immersed in anti-immigrant vigilante groups.  Her zeal and dedication to this cause result in a home-invasion plot that results in the murders of a Hispanic man and his young daughter.    Resources: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/shwna-forde-kid-killing-minutewoman-sentenced-to-65-years-in-prison-in-addition-to-death-sentence-6637423 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Raul_d_Brisenia_Flores https://murderpedia.org/female.F/f/forde-shawna.htm https://caselaw.findlaw.com/az-supreme-court/1655105.html Links:  CrimeCon UK - www.crimecon.co.uk - The ultimate true crime weekend will take place on June  9th and 10th in London.  Come out and meet me and all your favorite true crime podcasters, documentary filmmakers, authors, investigators, and more.  Use my offer code ONCEUPON to claim your discount at registration. You can meet me on

This Mother’s Day, join Shane Waters on a chilling adventure featuring 14 podcasters (including Once Upon A Crime)  as they share sinister stories of motherhood. Mother’s Day is typically a time to honor the love and sacrifices of mothers, but today we’ll be exploring the twisted tales that lurk behind the shadows.  Part 2: Once Upon A Crime [https://www.truecrimepodcast.com] PNW Haunts & Homicides [https://www.pnwhauntsandhomicides.com] The Trail Went Cold [https://www.trailwentcold.com] Coffee & Cases [https://tinyurl.com/pc25pzzs] Already Gone [https://www.alreadygonepodcast.com] Twisted and Uncorked [https://www.twistedanduncorked.com] Mystery Inc [https://www.itsmysteryinc.com] If you enjoyed this holiday collaboration special, check out the other collaboration specials: Deceptions & Resurrections [https://tinyurl.com/3a9d7yrf], Bloody Valentine [https://tinyurl.com/e6ynmzpr], and A Nightmare before Halloween [https://tinyurl.com/52jeh66d]. Until our next adventure, stay safe

This Mother’s Day, join Shane Waters on a chilling adventure featuring 14 podcasters (including Once Upon A Crime)  as they share sinister stories of motherhood. Mother’s Day is typically a time to honor the love and sacrifices of mothers, but today we’ll be exploring the twisted tales that lurk behind the shadows.  Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance: Part 1: Foul Play: Crime Series [www.itsfoulplay.com] Music City 911[https://musiccity911.com] Crimes from the East [https://tinyurl.com/37sx22bt] Cults, Crimes, Cabernet [https://www.cultscrimescabernet.com] A Nefarious Nightmare [https://tinyurl.com/y5nuezs5] Crimelines [https://linktr.ee/Crimelines] The Asian Madness Podcast [ https://tinyurl.com/5n8nv6ay

Who Killed Robert Wone? Streaming on Peacock: https://pck.tv/3XzPVui On the night of August 2, 2006, a call comes in to 911 to report a man has been stabbed by an intruder at a Washington D.C. home. First responders arrive to find attorney Robert Wone already dead in the guest room. With little blood at the scene and no signs of struggle or robbery, suspicions heighten after police interview the three housemates. Believing the men know more than they are revealing, the investigation soon uncovers more questions than answers. In this episode, Esther gets the inside story on this fascinating and baffling case from producer and documentary filmmaker, Paul Epstein.  Links:  Who Killed Robert Wone? Now streaming on Peacock TV.  Watch a trailer for the show here: https://youtu.be/cR6yXsqBzsM Stream on Peacock TV here: https://pck.tv/3XzPVui Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime CrimeCon UK - CrimeCon in London is back! June 10th and 11th, 2023, Tower Bridge Leonardo Royal Hotel.  Get tickets here: https:/

In 1995, a troubled young woman, jealous of one of her peers, enlists the help of two others to eliminate her enemy. But when the full and horrifying details of the plan emerge, the public is aghast at how a young woman could be capable of such depravity. Resources: Christa Pike | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers Christa Gail Pike v. State of Tennessee :: 2011 :: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Decisions :: Tennessee Case Law :: Tennessee Law :: US Law :: Justia STATE v. PIKE (1998) | FindLaw Christa's Story | My Site 1 (mercyforchrista.org) The Sacrifice and Mutilation of Colleen Slemmer | by Rivy Lyon | Medium Motorcyclist dies after hit-and-run on Western Avenue | wbir.com A Case Almost Too Gruesome To Mention: Christa Pike - YouTube A love to die for : Patricia Springer : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Interview with Tennessee murderer Christa Pike Part I - YouTube Interview with Tennessee murderer Christa Pike Part II - YouTube Interview with convicted Tenn

On our final collaborative episode for the series “Fool Me Once,” Leroy and I share true stories about criminals who were very bad at their jobs.  Resources: Taco Shop Turns Burglary Footage Into Awesome Ad (newser.com)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzdv4FUHqP8 Suspect Busted by Police Near Liberty, Missouri, After Farting (newser.com) Million Dollar Moron  Walmart clerk rejects $1 million bill - UPI.com Vain Vandalizer Sends Selfie  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35284225 The Terrorist Who Claimed His Own Reward https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17755072 Links:  Listen to Excuse Me, That’s Illegal - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/excuse-me-thats-illegal/id1526994548 https://open.spotify.com/show/0Wgi2jEXEyE4RWqPCIfe3m?si=e8cf0a479e264609 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excusemethatsillegal.pod CrimeCon UK - CrimeCon, the ultimate true crime event,  is coming to London, June 10 and 11th, 2023!  Get your tickets at www.crimecon.co.uk and use our offer code ONCEU

We continue our “April Fools” series with a fun game for all you Metalheads!  Play along as I try to stump Leroy Luna, host of Excuse Me, That’s Illegal, as he tries to guess I’m quoting serial killers or lyrics from metal songs.  We also discuss how rock and metal bands’ music has been tied to and even blamed for some horrific true crimes.  Resources: Article: “10 Heavy Metal Bands That Were Blamed for Seriously Heinous Crimes” by Michael Berdan for The Pit, Mar 17, 2023. https://www.wearethepit.com/2023/03/10-heavy-metal-bands-that-were-blamed-for-seriously-heinous-crimes/ https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080929_Confessed_killer_now_seeks_insanity_trial.html https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-ozzy-osbourne-fan-commits-suicide Links: Listen to Excuse Me, That’s Illegal - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/excuse-me-thats-illegal/id1526994548 https://open.spotify.com/show/0Wgi2jEXEyE4RWqPCIfe3m?si=e8cf0a479e264609 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excusemetha

We’re celebrating April, the month of “April Fools” by having a little fun with true crime. The best person I know to help me with this is my friend and fellow podcaster Leroy Luna, host of Excuse Me, That’s Illegal. Leroy will be my co-host on April’s episodes, so come and join us for true crime stories and quizzes. This week, we try to stump each other with a guessing game called “Fake or Felony?”. Resources: https://clickhole.com/ California man who beat wife to death with cement block claims group infected him with mayonnaise, reports say | Fox News Thieves snort cremated human, animal remains believing the ashes were cocaine – New York Daily News (nydailynews.com) https://www.nj.com/bergen/2017/10/the_strange_story_of_2_young_women_who_feds_say_he.html   Links: Listen to Excuse Me, That’s Illegal - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/excuse-me-thats-illegal/id1526994548   Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@excusemethatsillegal.pod Facebook Group - https://www.tiktok.com/@excusemethat

A young couple out for a leisurely day at the lake find themselves faced with one of the most infamous killers of the 20th century.  Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were victims of a brutal attack by a hooded man who called himself “The Zodiac.”  They survived the initial attack after being left for dead but still faced a fierce battle to summon help. Only one would survive.  Resources:  Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, Penguin Random House Publishers, 1986.  Napa Valley Sheriff’s Department Interview with Bryan Hartnell (NSO CASE #105907) at Queen of the Valley Hospital, September 28, 1969.  Zodiac Killer Police Report, Page 1 Zodiac Killer KPIX News report 1969 - YouTube   1969 Zodiac Killer news clip Interview with college student Bryan Hartnell and bus driver - YouTube KGO Story (zodiackiller.com) KCRA Story 1 (zodiackiller.com)  Bryan Hartnell – Shadow of the Zodiac The Zodiac Killer - Crime Museum The Zodiac Killer: A Timeline - HISTORY https://zodiackillerfacts.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=

This month I’m sharing cases of people who, against all odds, survived some of the worst killers in modern history. In this week’s story, a teenage girl is picked up by a seemingly ordinary couple and then spends two days trapped in a nightmare. She is the fifth victim of one of the rarest types of killers on record - a serial killer couple. But Kate Moir would keep her wits about her, and even though she was only seventeen, she outsmarted the evil duo, ending their killing spree. Resources: The Best New True Crime Stories: Partners in Crime, Mitzi Szereto, Editor, Mango Publishing, 2022. Catherine, David Birnie: The macabre, sadistic Moorhouse murders | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site David and Catherine Birnie: Australia’s worst serial killer couple still haunt Kate Moir | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site 'How I escaped the house of horrors': Hostage of Australia’s most evil killers tells how she fled (yahoo.com) Links: Join our Patreon for bonus episodes and ad-free episodes - w

In this month’s episodes I’ll tell you stories of people who were fortunate enough to survive horrifying experiences.  In this episode, a family dream vacation turns into a nightmare on the sea.  All seems lost when the ship sinks with all onboard.  But by some miracle, a sole survivor is found. The story she tells about what happened onboard The Bluebelle will horrify all who hear it.  Resources:   Delivered From Evil: True Stories Of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived, Ron Franscell, Fair Winds Press, 2011.   Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean, Tere Duperrault and Richard D. Logan, Titletown Publishers, 2010.   SURVIVED: 11-Year-Old Found Alone in Middle of Ocean - YouTube Extraordinary Lives | Tere Jo Duperrault - YouTube Book 'Em: Alone, Orphaned on the Ocean - CBS News Terry Jo Duperrault – the girl who survived her entire family being brutally murdered at sea | Mysteriesrunsolved The Sea Waif: A Murder on the Ocean and the Little Girl Who Stayed Alive | Mental Floss Julian A

In this second part of a two-part episode, in their quest to be transformed into vampires, Daniel and Manuela Ruda conclude that the only way to prove their loyalty to Satan is by performing a human sacrifice.  Their crime would be described as “a picture of cruelty and depravity” such as had never been seen before in the German town of Witten. The subsequent trial would become a media circus with the two perpetrators proudly displaying their bizarre antics in front of the press and the public. Resources: The Best New True Crime Stories: Partners in Crime, Edited by Mitzi Szereto, Mango Publishing, 2022. Murder Dictionary Podcast: “Occult Murders: Daniel and Manuela Ruda”  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/occult-murders-daniel-manuela-ruda/id1169967004?i=1000389846158 https://serialkillercalendar.com/A-MATCH-MADE-IN-HELL-DANIEL-AND-MANUELA-RUDA.php https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/nov/16/thefarright.uk Satanist couple jailed for killing – The Irish Times https://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Daniel Ruda, a 26-year-old, self-described “black vampire” immersed himself in Germany’s goth and death metal scene as an outlet for his dark proclivities.  In the year 2000, he was ready to find his soulmate or, as he put it, his “princess of darkness” and placed a singles ad in a German black-metal magazine. 23-year-old Manuela Bartel answered his ad and the two soon became inseparable.  Separately, they participated in strange hobbies like sleeping in graves to “see what it felt like” and filing their teeth into fangs.  But together they were deadly.  In 2001, they jointly committed a gruesome murder.  Was their violent behavior a result of mental illness or were they purely evil? Resources:  The Best New True Crime Stories: Partners in Crime, Edited by Mitzi Szereto, Mango Publishing, 2022.  Murder Dictionary Podcast: “Occult Murders: Daniel and Manuela Ruda”  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/occult-murders-daniel-manuela-ruda/id1169967004?i=1000389846158 https://serialkillercalendar.com/A-MAT

I’m pleased to have Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Jake Halpern, back with me again to discuss a new case he investigated for his podcast “Deep Cover”. Deep Cover, a Pushkin podcast, is all about people who lead double lives. In the new season, Jake follows the story of a girl who goes missing without a trace in South Carolina in 1999. Years later, the missing girl is connected to another missing person’s case on the other side of the country. There are twists and turns in this story that you won’t see coming connected to stolen identities, a female fugitive on the run from the law, and even espionage. Join me for this fascinating discussion with Jake where we talk about his latest case, female victims and perpetrators and how they are portrayed by the media, and the ethical dilemma faced by everyone who reports or podcasts about true crime. You can listen to episodes of Deep Cover: Never Seen Again beginning on January 30th. A new episode releases every Monday but you can binge the entire season by sub

We continue the story of Barbora Skrlova from where we left of last week.  In part two, you’ll learn all the details of the bizarre unfolding of events in the Mauerova home.  I’ll conclude by telling you the unbelievable tale of how Barbora Skrlova almost escaped all responsibility for her part in this horrendous abuse case. Resources:   Book: “The Kurim Case: A Terrifying True Story of Child Abuse, Cults & Cannibalism” by Ryan Green, 2016.   The Kurim Case: https://youtu.be/DN3nelsuDx0 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/czechs-appalled-and-enthralled-by-obscure-cult-and-fake-identities-1.931498 https://mindlifetv.com/movies/torture-cannibalism-and-incestuous-sex-the-chilling-story-of-barbora-skrlova/# https://www.okaybliss.com/barbora-skrlova-now/ https://signalhorizon.com/orphan-first-kill-ending-explained-the-real-story-of-barbora-skrlova-and-a-fitting-origin-story-for-esther/

For our first series of 2023, we’ll do a deep dive into a case that has so many bizarre twists and turns a Hollywood horror movie was later based on it.  In this first part of a 2-part series, a child who has been placed in a children’s home after allegations of abuse goes missing.  When he’s found over a thousand miles away in the company of a strange man, the police discover a shocking secret.  He is not who he said he was - nor is he a young boy - but an adult woman.  The story of Barbora Skrlova only becomes more strange as the truth is revealed. Resources:  Book: “The Kurim Case: A Terrifying True Story of Child Abuse, Cults & Cannibalism” by Ryan Green, 2016.  The Kurim Case: https://youtu.be/DN3nelsuDx0 https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/boys-don-t-cry-woman-arrested-in-norway-for-impersonating-teen-a-528047.html https://www.irishtimes.com/news/czechs-appalled-and-enthralled-by-obscure-cult-and-fake-identities-1.931498 https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-grail-movement-cult/ama

In 2008, Travis Alexander was brutally murdered in his home in Mesa, Arizona.  His ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias, was convicted of the slaying and was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.   A new Lifetime Television movie tells the behind-the-scene story of Jodi’s life behind bars.  In this follow-up to one of Lifetime's most successful true crime dramas, JODI ARIAS: DIRTY LITTLE SECRET, we see a whole new side of Jodi and follow the story that has captivated the public for nearly a decade.  In this episode, I speak with Donavan Bering, a cellmate of Jodi Arias’ who became her good friend and staunchest supporter - that is until she came to learn what kind of person Jodi really was and realized that her claims of innocence were all lies.  Jodi Arias: Bad Behind Bars, produced for Lifetime by Cineflix Productions premieres Saturday, January 21 at 8/7c.  Links:  You can listen to Once Upon a Crime’s in-depth coverage of the Jodi Arias case in a 2-part series from Season 1.  Liste

In this last of our special holiday episodes, Esther and Lorena discuss the Netflix documentary “I Am Vanessa Guillen" with Margot, host of the podcast Military Murder.  Vanessa Guillen was a United States Army soldier who went missing from a Texas military base in 2020.  Her family would face an uphill battle trying to get answers when Vanessa’s superiors closed ranks and did little to investigate her disappearance. But the efforts of her family through protests and social media posts that went viral sparked a movement that shone a spotlight on abuses that had, up to that point, gone unchecked. Margot’s podcast, Military Murder, is a true crime podcast that covers cases where the victims or the perpetrators are members of the military.. Margot has served in the military and her knowledge and experience provided additional insights and information regarding this case and the documentary.  She covered Vanessa Guillen’s case on her podcast. Links:  Link to the Netflix documentary: https://www.netflix.com/ti

In this special episode Esther and Lorena talk with Bob Ruff, host of the podcasts Truth and Justice and True Crime Binge. They discuss the Netflix documentary series "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist" that details one of the most high-profile incidents of catfishing on record. Manti Te’o was a celebrated linebacker from Hawaii who played for Notre Dame and was on track to become a first round draft pick for the NFL when a scandal marred his future prospects. He’d been in a long-term relationship with a girl who, it turned out, didn’t exist. He’d been fooled into believing that his long-distance girlfriend, Lennay Kukua, had died from a chronic illness. But, instead, it was discovered that Te’o’s girlfriend was actually a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Esther and Lorena also talk about hanging with podcasters at the Generation Why 10- Year Anniversary Livestream, Bob’s latest investigation on Truth and Justice, and who he has coming up as special guests on True Crime Binge. Links: Link to the Netflix

In this special holiday episode Esther and Lorena discuss the Netflix series "The Watcher" with Tim and Lance from Crawlspace Podcast.  We compare and contrast this fictionalized version of the true mystery "The Watcher House".  In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased a home in New Jersey.  Soon afterward they began receiving letters from an anonymous person who said they were watching the house and young family.  When the letters became threatening they questioned whether they should give up their dream home. Resources: A link to an article about this case with photos of the house: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/us/the-watcher-house-stalker-trnd/index.html Esther covered this case on Halloween Tales: Volume 2 in 2017, Episode #64. Link here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-crime-true-crime/id1122650415?i=1000393914220 Here's a link to the Netflix series: https://g.co/kgs/gvwymw Esther was recently a guest on Crawlspace. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/335-once-u