Once Upon A Crime - podcast cover

Once Upon A Crime

Esther Ludlowart19.com
Step into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Hosted by an expert storyteller, Esther Ludlow, each episode unravels the mysteries behind notorious crimes, exploring the lives of victims, perpetrators, and the intricate details of the investigations that followed. With carefully researched narratives, thematic series, and thoughtful insights, Once Upon A Crime offers listeners a captivating blend of suspense, history, and human psychology. Whether you're a seasoned true-crime fan or just curious about the stories that shaped headlines, Once Upon A Crime promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.
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Episodes

Listener Suggestions: Suzane von Richthofen - "Evil Blonde"

Thank you to listener Alexandre Guglielmelli from Brazil for this case suggestion! In 2002, a wealthy couple is found murdered in their home in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Their own daughter soon becomes a suspect and the case becomes a media sensation in Brazil. Resources: Murder in Brazil #5 - The von Richthofen Case, www.murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com Rogerio Pagnan, UOL, Sao Paulo, "Suzane Richthofen, Sentenced for Murdering her Parents to Marry Female Prisoner," Oct 29, 2014. The Creepy Case of Suz...

Nov 20, 201828 minEp. 111

Listener Suggestions: The Texas Cadet Murder Case

A young couple conspire to kill a romantic rival in Texas in 1995. Thanks to listener Casey Graham for the suggestion of this case. This is the case of Diane Zamora and David Graham - The Texas Cadet Murder case. Make-a-Wish North Texas - www.ntx.wish.org Resources: Bryan Robinson, "Texas v. Diane Zamora: The Diane Zamora Trial," www.CourtTV.com . Confessions of Diane Zamora and David Graham to Grand Prairie Police Department dated Sept, retrieved from www.Murderpedia.com See Privacy Policy at h...

Nov 13, 201851 minEp. 110

Listener Suggestions: Craig Price - The Warwick Slasher

This month I'm picking cases from listener suggestions as a "thank you" to my audience. First up is a case from Warwick, Rhode Island suggested by Mikala Fortin. When a series of brutal murders takes place in one neighborhood in 1989, investigators zero in on an unlikely suspect - a teenage boy who would be considered one of the country's youngest serial killers. To give a donation or find out more about Rhode Island Relay for Life go to www.relayforlife.org/northernRI Resources: Helen O'Neill, ...

Nov 06, 201840 minEp. 109

Haunted Homicide: The LaLaurie Mansion

The last chapter of "Haunted Homicide" is the story of the LaLaurie Mansion known as "the most haunted house in America". In this episode you'll hear the TRUE story of Madame Delphine LaLaurie who is called "the socialite serial killer". Resources: Ozzy and Jack's World Detour - https://www.aetv.com/shows/ozzy-and-jacks-world-detour Mad Madame LaLaurie: New Orleans' Most Famous Murderess Revealed by Victoria Cosner Love and Lorelei Shannon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali...

Oct 22, 201846 minEp. 108

Haunted Homicide: The Tower of London

The Tower of London has a long history of torture, murder and royal intrigue. It has also been the scene of many ghostly sightings over its 950-year history. Travel with me to through the Tower to uncover some of its dark history. #ThomasBecket #WilliamWallace #HenryVIII #AnneBoleyn #ThePrincesintheTower #RichardIII #TudorEngland #ElizabethI Resources: Books: Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London by Nigel Jones The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir See Privacy Pol...

Oct 15, 201857 minEp. 107

Haunted Homicide: The Amityville Horror House and Ron DeFeo

A house with a dark history is purchased by a young couple in 1975. They soon begin experiencing unexplained and terrifying events inside the home. Was it a result of their imaginations run wild? A hoax? Or the after effects of a horrific multiple homicide committed there? #Amityville #AmityvilleHorror #DeFeoMurders #RonaldDeFeo Resources: Audio Clip from documentary My Amityville Horror (2013) directed by Eric Walter. Click here to rent or purchase . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv...

Oct 08, 201849 minEp. 106

Haunted Homicide: Herb Baumeister and Fox Hollow Farm

The Fox Hollow Farm Murders 🏚️ A picturesque estate in the Indiana countryside hid a nightmarish secret. Herb Baumeister, a successful businessman and devoted father, led a double life—one that ended in murder. His sprawling property, Fox Hollow Farm, became a killing ground, and after his crimes were uncovered, the estate earned a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the Midwest. In this chapter Haunted Homicide , we explore the horrifying true story of Baumeister’s secret life, the...

Oct 01, 201849 minEp. 105

Fast Food Felonies: The Wendy's Chili Finger Scam

A woman finds a finger in a fast food item. An investigation is launched and a crime will be uncovered. Audio clips: Business and Media, January 16, 2008 SJSUCrusade, April 2, 2008 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central, April 14, 2005 www.Patreon.com/onceuponacrime See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....

Sep 24, 201831 minEp. 104

Fast Food Felonies: The Fast Food Killer

A series of fast food restaurant robberies take place in Nashville, Tennessee in 1997. The accused, Paul Dennis Reid, would claim that his early history of brain damage was to blame. Resources: State of Tennessee v. Paul Dennis Reid , Court of Criminal Appeals Decision, retrieved from CourtListener.com , October 2, 2002. It Takes a Killer: The Fast Food Killer , Oxygen Channel, YouTube, uploaded by dolly hostetter, Feb 12, 2017, https://youtu.be/74o5kdqra44 . See Privacy Policy at https://art19....

Sep 17, 201839 minEp. 103

Fast Food Felonies: The Taco Bell Strangler

A series of women are found raped and strangled in their homes in Charlotte, North Carolina between 1992 and 1994. Later it would be discovered that they could all be linked to one man - a manager at a Taco Bell restaurant in Charlotte. #CharlotteStrangler #serialkiller #HenryLouisWallace #FBIprofilers Resources: It Takes a Killer: Bad Henry . YouTube , uploaded by Crime Vault, July 14 2018, https://youtu.be/mjETNnsA9NU . Jason Lapeyre, Crime Magazine , "The Serial Killer the Cops Ignored: The H...

Sep 10, 201846 minEp. 102

Written in Blood: Anne Perry - Part 2

We continue the story of one of the most infamous murders ever committed in New Zealand. Known as the Parker-Hulme Murder it was shocking because of it's brutality as well as because, it was soon discovered, it had been perpetrated by two teenaged girls. In the conclusion, we'll discover that one of the convicted murderers would go on to an illustrious career as one of the world's most well known crime-fiction writers. Her past would stay concealed for almost 40 years before her true identity wa...

Aug 27, 201832 minEp. 101

Written in Blood: Anne Perry - Part 1

A brutal murder takes place in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1954. Two teenage girls are quickly identified as the murderers. The crime would become infamous in New Zealand and the girl exposed as a well-known writer decades later. This is Part 1. #Parker-HulmeMurder #NewZealand #PaulineParker #JulietHulme #matricide See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aug 20, 201851 minEp. 100

Written in Blood: J.J. Paulsen and Richard Klinkhamer

In this second chapter of "Written in Blood" I detail cases of two writers who became wife killers - and then hid their crime from the public. #domesticviolence #authors #writers For Domestic Violence resources and help: In the U.S.: www.thehotline.org 1-800-799-7233 In the U.K.: www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk 0808 2000 247 In Australia: www.1800respect.org.au 1800-737-732 Social Media links: www.facebook.com/onceuponacrimepod www.instagram.com/onceuponacrimepod www.twitter.com/upon...

Aug 13, 201842 minEp. 99

Written in Blood: Jack Abbott and Issei Sagawa

In this series I detail crimes committed by authors or writers. First up, two authors who became literary celebrities despite their criminal history....or even because of it. #JackHenryAbbott #IsseiSagawa #NormanMailer #GaryGilmore #TheExecutionersSong #Japan #cannibalism Resources: Sewell Chan, The New York Times , "Mailer and the Murderer," Nov 12, 2007. Bruce Jackson, Buffalo Report , "Jack Henry Abbott, 58," Mar 1 2002. M.A. Farber, The New York Times, "Freedom for Convict-Author: Complex an...

Aug 06, 201843 minEp. 98

Wild Things: The Pacific Heights Dog Mauling Case - Part 2

Diane Whipple lost her life on January 26, 2001 after she was attacked by two dangerous dogs. You'll hear about the public outcry after this horrible incident and how the owners, Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, made matters worse by insisting they had no responsibility for Whipple's death. This is part two of The Pacific Heights Dog Mauling Case. Resources: Book: Red Zone: The Behind the Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling by Aphrodite Jones Article: "Mad Dogs and Lawyers" by Evan Wr...

Jul 23, 201842 minEp. 97

Wild Things: The Pacific Heights Dog Mauling Case - Part 1

A fatal dog mauling case shocked the San Francisco Bay Area and the world in early 2001. When the details were revealed about the dogs and their owners the story took a bizarre twist. Join me for part one of this two-part episode as I detail the tragic death of a young, lacrosse coach and the strange and unusual backstory that lead to her demise. Resources: Book: Red Zone: The Behind the Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling by Aphrodite Jones Article: Mad Dogs and Lawyers by Evan Wright...

Jul 16, 201853 minEp. 96

Wild Things: The Murder of Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey became the foremost expert on the mountain gorillas of the Congo. She conducted the first long-term field study of these animals and her story was immortalized in the book and movie Gorillas in the Mist. A few days after Christmas 1985 Dian Fossey was found brutally murdered in her cabin at the primate research center she founded. People around the world wanted to know who killed Dian Fossey? # Rwanda #poachers #gorillaconservation #Virunga #Karisoke Resources: Nicholas Gordon, Murde...

Jul 09, 20181 hr 9 minEp. 95

Wild Things: The San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attacks.

If true crime stories teach us anything it's that man is the most dangerous animal of all. In this new series I will detail cases where human's behavior results in wild animals becoming involved in crime stories. This series will NOT detail cases of animal cruelty. First up, a tiger escapes its enclosure at a zoo and attacks three men? Was the tiger provoked? What would cause an animal to attack humans out of the blue? Resources: Patricia Yollin, Tanya Schevitz, and Kevin Fagan, SFGate.com , "SF...

Jul 02, 201839 minEp. 94

Bonus Episode: "Dead North"

On this bonus episode I discuss the 4-part documentary series "Dead North" that premiered on A&E in late May. My special co-host is my brother, Tony. Ways to watch: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/dead-north/about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfAvQ-DZtzo https://play.google.com/store/tv/show?id=hJP2D07sNYvoOnuQy60VqA&cdid=tvseason-iDb1vI20xZwH3DauTgXuyw&gdid=tvepisode-gfAvQ-DZtzo https://www.amazon.com/Winter-is-Coming-Part-1/dp/B07DC6WGST/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie...

Jun 28, 20181 hr 53 minEp. 364

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 3

A young, Canadian college students goes missing from the Cecil while visiting Los Angeles in 2013. The hotel's surveillance camera captures bizarre behavior by the young woman adding to the mystery. #ElisaLam #mysteriousdeaths #elevatorvideo Resources: Elevator video - last sighting of Elisa Lam: https://youtu.be/3TjVBpyTeZM TX Files episode where I discuss the connection between the Elisa Lam case and the film Dark Water. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/27-the-sierra-diablo-murders-part-1/i...

Jun 07, 201827 minEp. 93

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 2

We continue the series "Infamous Locales" with another true crime story from the infamous Cecil Hotel. This time, I'll tell you about another serial killer who made the Cecil his base of operations - Jack Unterweger, "The Vienna Woods Killer". #serialkillers #Austria #Vienna #ViennaWoodsKiller Resources: Books: Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer by John Leake The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us by Gregg O. McCrary See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Jun 04, 201853 minEp. 92

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 1

The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles has been home to at least two serial killers, numerous tragic deaths, a sniper shooting and one mysterious death. Join me for this first installment of a 3-part episode covering the Cecil Hotel's history. #serial killers #RichardRamirez #TheNightStalker Resources: Book: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in...

May 28, 201852 minEp. 91

Ted Bundy, Jon Benet, and Jodi Arias or What I Learned at CrimeCon

In this special episode I give a wrap-up of CrimeCon - all the true crime celebrity sightings, the true crime podcast rockstars I got to hang out with, and all the inside gossip and info. I also discuss a couple of cases related to what I learned in CrimeCon sessions this year. I'll talk about the Patsy Ramsey 911 call, Ted Bundy and Jodi Arias. Shout outs to many, many podcasts including Southern Fried True Crime, Trace Evidence, InSight, True Crime Fan Club, The Fall Line, Minds of Madness, Mi...

May 21, 20181 hr 12 minEp. 90

Infamous Locales: Whitechapel and the Jack the Ripper Murders

The district of Whitechapel in London, England was the location of one of the most infamous, unsolved serial murders in history - the Jack the Ripper Murders. But, there was possibly a second serial murderer operating at the same time. Journey with us to Whitechapel for some historical true crime cases. Warning: This episode details more graphic details than normal. I give you a trigger warning before it begins in the episode if you'd like to skip ahead. #whitechapel #London #JacktheRipper #hist...

May 14, 201842 minEp. 89

Infamous Locales: The Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle

One intersection in Beverly Hills has been the site of many events from airplane crashes, car accidents, and murders. Could it be a coincidence or is the area cursed? #beverlyhills #bermudatriangle #howardhughes #hollywood #bugsysiegel #ronnichasen A.J. Benza: Fame is a Bitch - Subscribe on ITunes See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....

May 07, 201857 minEp. 88

Patreon Sneak Peek Bonus Story

Surprise! Here's an extra episode for you since I'm off this week. This is as bonus episode that I would normally make available only for Patreon members, but I'll give you a little sneak peek of Patreon bonus content by sharing it with everyone. This is the story of another murder committed by the Aum Doomsday Cult that did I did not talk about on Episode #86: Last Stop: Chapter 3: The Tokyo Subway Attack. To become a Patreon supporter of Once Upon a Crime go to www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime ....

May 03, 201834 minEp. 363

Last Stop: Diana the Hunter of Bus Drivers and the Murdered Women of Juarez

A woman takes revenge for hundreds of raped and murdered women in Juarez, Mexico by targeting city bus drivers. Resources: For more information about women's organizations in Juarez: https://hiponline.org/how-casa-amiga-helps-free-the-women-of-juarez/ https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/meet-the-mexican-activists-fighting-for-womens-rights/ https://web.archive.org/web/20040414134540/http://www.mujeresdejuarez.org/ Book: The Daughters of Juarez: A True Story of Serial Murder ...

Apr 23, 20181 hrEp. 87

Last Stop: The Tokyo Subway Attack

On March 20, 1995 a group of men board the Tokyo Metro subway system and release deadly sarin gas. The mass murder was ordered by Aum Supreme Truth cult leader Shoko Asahara. #massmurder #cults #Japan #terrorism #chemicalweapons Resources: Books: The Cult at the End of the World by David Kaplan and Andrew Marshall Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Mrakami www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime to become a patron and get bonus content and merchandise. Social Media Links:...

Apr 16, 201855 minEp. 86

Last Stop: The Hijacking of Bus 174

A hijacking on a bus unfolds live on television in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June of 2000. #hijacking #hostagecrisis #Brazil Resources: Documentary: Bus 174 (2002) directed by Jose Padilha Podcast Recommendations: Trace Evidence https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/trace-evidence/id1239217007?mt=2 Not Perfect or Functional https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/not-perfect-or-functional-podcast-true-crime-sports/id1273572626?mt=2 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

Apr 09, 201854 minEp. 85

Last Stop: The Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping

In 1976, in the small farming community of Chowchilla, California, a school bus full of children is kidnapped for ransom. #kidnappings #Chowchilla #ransom #crimehistory #California Resources: Dan Noyes, ABC7 News , "Parole hearing reveals new details about Chowchilla kidnapping," Nov 29, 2012. Holly Yan, CNN, "California mass kidnapping: After being buried alive, victims relive nightmare," Dec 28, 2015. Robert Lindsey, The New York Times , "26 Children Found Safe After Being Kidnapped from Bus i...

Apr 02, 201839 minEp. 84
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