Colored Red - podcast cover

Colored Red

A look into the lesser known murders and true crime of Colorado. Learn about dark tales from Colorado and the murderous history of the Mile High City. Contact the host at: coloredredpodcast@gmail.com and find the show on Facebook or Instagram @coloredredpodcast to see photos associated with each case.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Historical Murders: The Murder of Signe Carlzen

On August 11, 1912, 32 year old SIgne Carlzen finished up teaching a music lesson in the Montclair neighborhood of Denver. At around 8PM she walked towards the streetcar line to take it back to her parent's home where she lived. At 9AM the next day, a farmer discovered her axed and mutilated body on the road towards the streetcar line. Police would arrest and question some 25 suspects, including many of the stranger people to ever walk in Denver.

Sep 28, 202115 min

The Murder of Susan Hernandez

On July 28, 2015, Susan Hernandez's daughter Katrina cannot reach her mom on the phone, and she gets a gut feeling that something is wrong. She drives over to her mom's house and finds a horrific scene, her mother is on fire in the basement. Detectives unravel a callous and obvious plot that originates inside the Hernandez family.

Sep 02, 202132 min

Historical Murders: The Troubled Mrs Emily Powell

On December 9, 1919, a butler for a Denver Apartment-Hotel discovered 38 year old Emily Powell despondent in a blood splattered room, her 10 year old daughter Jacqueline had been dead on the bed for hours. In their investigation, police find peculiar notes left behind by Emily that shed light on some of the delusional thoughts that haunted her.

Aug 25, 202116 min

1975 Colorado Springs Killing Spree

In the early morning hours of July 1st, 1975, a woman was found dead on the porch steps of a trailer in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A blood trail 50 yards long marked the area where she crawled to the steps, and bloody marks on the door marked her futile attempts to ring the bell before dying. Her name was Karen Grammer, sister of famous actor Kelsey Grammer. It wasn't long before investigators discovered that all three murders over the course of 2 weeks were committed by the same suspects. Dani...

Jun 03, 202129 min

Historical Murders: The Grand Lake Spider House

Grand Lake, CO sits nestled next to the largest and deepest lake in Colorado. It's full of rich log cabin architecture and charming shops and restaurants, but it has a surprisingly dark past. One of the more amazing houses in the area is nearly 150 years old and is called The Spider House, due to the intricate latticework of wood that decorate this two story log home. This home was built by Warren Greggs for his wife Mary and large family, but it would not bring them happiness.

Mar 20, 202112 minSeason 5Ep. 5

The Colorado "Mad Bomber"

In 1992, Grand Junction was rocked with three horrifying explosions. Pipe bombs were being planted in random places around the city and targeting no one in particular. Anyone could be the next victim by simply getting into their car or walking in the wrong place. The mystery seemed to life as investigators and ATF agents honed in on one suspect, a loner and electronics enthusiast named James Genrich. James had an interesting story of his own and also had tools in his home that investigators clai...

Mar 07, 202134 minSeason 4Ep. 4

Historical Murders: Murder at the Circus

On August 27, 1958, 11 year old Lester Gordon Brown Jr headed alone to the circus that was in town and being exhibited at the Denver Coliseum. Lester was particularly interested in elephants and he caught the eye of a 27 year old animal trainer named Walter J Hammil. Hammil offered him a ride on an elephant after hours and this would be the last time anyone saw Lester alive.

Feb 18, 202111 minSeason 4Ep. 3

The Smaldone Family

This episode is a continuation of the earlier historical episode about the murder of Joe Roma. Hear about the Smaldone family, leaders of the Denver, CO mob for many decades. The two brothers Clyde and Eugene "Checkers" were undisputed family leaders and were at the front of many bizarre and brazen criminal acts over the years and used their money for a lot of good in the community and a lot of mischief.

Feb 06, 202151 minSeason 4Ep. 2

Historical Murders: The Prohibition Era Mafia and Murder of Joe Roma

Bitter rivalry between the mafia controlled North and South territories of Colorado came to a breaking point in the deadliest 15 years of mafia crime in Colorado's history. The era between 1919 and 1933 was Prohibition Era and bootlegging took off, controlled by Colorado's warring mafia gangs. Joe Roma, aka "Little Caesar" the pint sized Boss, found himself at the center of it and in control of a bootlegging operation that served out of his North Denver grocery stores and home. That is, until he...

Jan 17, 202115 minSeason 4Ep. 1

Historical Murders: The Soap Kettle Murders

On December 15, 1917, in a rural farmhouse around 4 miles from Olathe, Colorado, a young boy's body was boiled in lye to make a human soap. His father, too, would supposedly suffer the same fate. The woman at the center of the murders is Mrs. Mary Bush, a spiteful woman who accused her grandson, the boy in the soap kettle, of stealing $1.35 from her pocketbook.

Dec 16, 202013 min

Historical Murders: The Fate of the Fleagle Gang

On May 23, 1928, four masked robbers entered a bank in Lamar, Colorado and stole $200,000 in cash and gold bonds. In the process they shot the owner of the bank, Amos Parrish and and his son John Parrish. They took two hostages as well and drove off with guns blazing in a high speed chase with the Lamar County sheriff. By the end of the story, four men would be murdered and a two year chase would span multiple states across the United States and involve a number of bizarre aliases. The legend of...

Nov 19, 202019 min

The Kidnapping and Murder of Adolph Coors

On the morning of February 9, 1960, Adolph "Ad" Coors drove his car to his family's business, the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado. Only a couple of hours later his car was found running with the doors open on the Turkey Creek Bridge. Ad Coors was nowhere to be found. A ransom note arrived the next day demanding money in exchange for his safe return, but the kidnapper mysteriously disappeared without collecting the money and without returning Ad Coors. In a massive manhunt that stretched all th...

Nov 05, 202038 min

Historical Murders: The Schenk Family Massacre

On December 21, 1919, a quiet farm house in Weld County, Colorado was much quieter than usual. A family member discovered the entire family of 6 shot to death within the home, including 4 children under the age of 10. An investigation would reveal bad blood between the family patriarch Adam Schenk and Alex Miller, the farm hand who was known to be a violent drunk. The root of the problem would turn out to be the root of many people's problems; money.

Oct 17, 202015 minSeason 3Ep. 19

Colorado's "Doctor" Death

In 2004, ER doctors were stumped. Two people had now been admitted to the ER with severe complications from treatments delivered by a naturopathic "doctor" named Brian O'Connell. One of the patients had died. When they look into Brian O'Connell's past, they discover he has a long history of taking substantial amounts of money for treatments he claimed would cure cancer. One of his final victims was 19 year old Sean Flanagan and his case was what sent O'Connell to trial for manslaughter.

Oct 03, 202031 minSeason 3Ep. 18

The Slide-Rock Bolter

In this episode I change gears to talk about a deadly and fearsome mythological creature unique to Colorado, the Slide Rock Bolter. Miners and mountain folk, forever enraged by tourists romping into their towns, conceived this "cryptid" that swings down from high cliffs to gobble up unknowing tourists who wonder into the path of its gaping maw.

Sep 18, 202010 minSeason 3Ep. 17

The Murder of Heather Dawn Church

On September 17, 1991, thirteen year old Heather Dawn Church disappeared with few clues from her home in the distanced and quiet neighborhood of Black Forest near Colorado Springs. For years her case sat in mystery, as if she simply stepped out of the front door and vanished. A dedicated fingerprint expert would open up pandora's box with a fresh look at the only clue found at the scene and investigators would uncover a serial killer lurking under our noses.

Sep 02, 202042 minSeason 3Ep. 14

The Murder of Paige Birgfeld

34 year old Paige Birgfeld went missing on Thursday, June 28, 2007. She left behind three children, a large home and several tumultuous relationships. Amongst Paige's scattered possessions along a highway were clues to a secret life that Paige lived to pay the bills. Her burned out car, her violent previous marriage, it all led to many suspects in a case with many twists and turns.

Aug 04, 202035 minSeason 3Ep. 13

Historical Murders: A Look at Victor, CO

Brawls, riots, shootings and other drunken buffoonery are only a small part of this once large and bustling town of the Rocky Mountains. Victor, CO once boasted over 15 saloons and theaters and was home to around 20,000 people in its prime. The town and surrounding mountains are still dotted with hundreds of old mines, some of which you can see and explore. A rich history keep this town moving into the future and new owners and renovators plan on making it a creepy destination for true crime and...

Jul 19, 202016 minSeason 3Ep. 12

The Missing Men of Silver Plume

In 1987, Tom Young went missing after closing down his bookstore in Silver Plume, Colorado and walking off into the wilderness with his dog. Months later, in 1988, Keith Reinhard would rent the same shop space for his antique store and become obsessed with the mystery of what happened to Tom Young. Then one day Reinhard closed his shop and walked off into the mountains and was never seen again. What happened to Keith and Tom, and what mysteries, if any, does Silver Plume hide?

Jul 03, 202025 minSeason 3Ep. 13

Historical Murders: Brief History of the KKK in Colorado

The 1920's saw the takeover of Colorado by the KKK, from politics to local businesses, they had their stranglehold in the state. Colorado was also brought into the 20th Century by a barbaric lynching of a 16 year old boy named Preston Porter Jr. Learn about the brief history of the KKK in Colorado, including the infiltration of them in the 1970's by Ron Stallworth, the first black investigator for the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Jun 17, 202040 minSeason 3Ep. 12

The Murder of Kimberly Greene Medina

On October 29, 1996, Kimberly Greene Medina disappeared without a trace. Her husband didn't report her missing until two days later and claimed she went missing while walking to a local convenience store to buy cigarettes. The truly realities of what Michael Medina was capable of wouldn't be uncovered until nearly a decade later in 2005. This is a short but terrifying story.

May 31, 202016 minSeason 3Ep. 11

Historical Murders: The Murder in Room 8

On January 23, 1920, shots could be heard ringing out from the Waldorf Hotel in Denver, Colorado. When police and journalists arrived they found a peculiar scene and uncovered a love triangle that involved a sick man, a woman, and an estranged husband who had been stalking his wife. Curiously, not many details remained on record about this case but a detective claimed for many years that there was more to it than the public saw.

May 16, 20209 minSeason 3Ep. 10

The 1993 Chuck E. Cheese Massacre

On December 14, 1993, a man hid inside a men's bathroom inside a Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, CO and came out after closing duties began. He shot everyone working in the restaurant and made off with around $1500, some keychains and some game tokens. 4 employees were killed and one survived the shooting and identified Nathan Dunlap, a former employee, as the perpetrator. Nathan's case would come to be an example of how not to handle a death penalty case and details about Nathan's motives or mental ...

May 02, 202035 minSeason 3Ep. 9

Historical Murders: The Great Mint Robbery of 1922

On a cold December morning in Denver, CO, 1922, a Buick touring car pulled up behind an armored car in front of the Denver Mint. Four gunmen emerged from the Buick and demanded the money that was being loaded into the armored car. One of the Mint guards, a veteran of the police force, was killed during the ensuing shootout. The case wouldn't be "solved" until nearly 15 years later and the details of it sound closer to a gangster movie than a real life crime.

Apr 16, 202014 minSeason 3Ep. 8

The Murder of Tina Tournai (Sandoval)

On October 19, 1995 in Greeley, CO, Tina Sandoval left work to have a reluctant meeting with her estranged husband, John Sandoval, and retrieve money for an IRS debt they incurred while together. Tina was never heard from again. It would take over two decades for detectives to finally piece together the entire twisted and disgusting lifestyle of John Sandoval and finally extract from him what really happened to Tina.

Apr 02, 20201 hr 6 minSeason 3Ep. 7

BONUS Episode: The Chinese Race Riots of 1880

In this special bonus episode I'll discuss a dark time in Denver's history that isn't well known. All across America in the last decades of the 19th Century, racial tensions flared due to labor disputes and immigration. Everyone wanted a piece of the booming Denver economy and this caused a clash that culminated in the Halloween Day Chinese Race Riots in Denver's Hop Alley in 1880. The riots resulted in one horrible murder of a laundry worker named Look Young and included many more rapes, beatin...

Mar 24, 202017 minSeason 3Ep. 7

Historical Murders: The House of a Thousand Candles

The House of a Thousand Candles sits at 1410 High Street in Denver Colorado and has been a hotbed of strange activity, some paranormal, and some criminal. The house was the inspiration for the book, The House of a Thousand Candles, written by Meredith Nicholson, who lived in the home for a number of years and went on to share his experiences with the home. Compounding these strange occurrences is the murder of Hubert Hahn, a renter in the home in 1955 who would have his life taken senselessly wh...

Mar 16, 202013 minSeason 3Ep. 5

The Disappearance of Nonnie Dotson

On November 19, 2006, Nonnie Dotson walked to run some errands near Chatfield Reservoir in Littleton, CO. She was never seen or heard from again. Nonnie was an active duty Air Force officer and due to be released from the military the following May. The ensuing investigation would question whether or not Nonnie was a military deserter, a victim of a random kidnapping, or the victim of something even stranger. In a surprising twist, her brother Tony Dotson is revealed to be anything but innocent....

Mar 03, 202032 minSeason 3Ep. 4

Historical Murders: The Babies in the Chest

On a warm April day in 1943, an apartment manager was searching an apartment building in Denver, CO for the source of a bad odor. He eventually found the source in the form of a painted wooden hope chest. What he found in the chest would launch an investigation into a tenant in the building named Bernice Williams. This story is short but tragic and, in a way, it highlights how few options women had at the time.

Feb 16, 202012 minSeason 3Ep. 3

The Murder of Bruce Dodson

On the morning of October 15, 1995 a man at a hunting site camp on the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado heard a woman hysterically screaming for help. He ran to the scene to find 48 year old Bruce Dodson lying on the ground and apparently dead. He had been shot. His wife Janice was screaming and throwing around his orange hunting vest and asking her dead husband why he had taken off his orange vest. The story that would unfold was a complicated and strange romance involving greed, mental illness,...

Feb 01, 202050 minSeason 3Ep. 2
Hosted on Buzzsprout
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android