The adopted princess of a wealthy Spanish family, 12-year-old Asunta Basterra Porto seemed destined to thrive under the devoted care of her parents Rosario and Alfonso. But beneath the surface, sinister secrets were taking root – including clandestine druggings, creepy family photos and one seriously twisted marriage. Had these callous parents cast aside the daughter they chose? An investigation dogged by accusations of bias would only muddy the waters further... Join us this week as we explore ...
Apr 10, 2025•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 394
In one of our most horrifying episodes yet, we look at a man who clamped and amputated the genitals of potentially hundreds of men, and carried out unimaginable sexual torture – all from his basement flat in North London. But what makes this story truly unbelievable is that every one of those victims wanted for it to happen. They belonged to a secretive community of 'nullos' – people who fantasise about the removal of sexual organs. And each procedure was filmed and streamed for a waiting online...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 393
How do you cope when you’re sentenced to life in prison for a crime you didn’t commit? On How Do You Cope? , John Robins speaks to writer and activist Amanda Knox, who was wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of Meredith Kercher at the age of just 22. Amanda spent a total of 4 years in an Italian jail before she was exonerated by Italy’s highest court in 2015. In a wide-ranging and candid conversation, Amanda talks about the methods she used, and the hope she leaned on, in order to get through...
Apr 02, 2025•18 min
Continuing our filmed mega Menendez marathon, in this episode we dive into the sensational details of Lyle and Erik’s trial – where these Beverly Hills bad boys would need to convince the jury, and the world , of their story. We break down the explosive courtroom battles, shocking legal twists, and the media circus that turned the case into a spectacle – plus new bombshell revelations that could change everything for the brothers… With 2024’s controversial Monsters TV show thrusting the ca...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 392
In this long-awaited episode, we dive into one of the most infamous true-crime cases in American history: the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The brutal 1989 slayings of their wealthy parents, José and Kitty Menendez, divided a nation: but where do we stand? In Part 1, we take you through the chilling night of the crime, the early investigations, and the lavish spending spree that raised eyebrows everywhere. We unravel the media frenzy, the shocking confessions, and the family secrets that woul...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 391
Delia Balmer’s ex-boyfriend wasn’t just a scruffy stoner with a pet tarantula and a sketchbook full of gruesome drawings: he was a murderer. The infamous ‘Canal Killer’ John Sweeney told Delia he had killed before – but after the police ignored her repeated warnings, she ended up barely escaping with her life. This is the harrowing true story behind hit ITV drama ‘Until I Kill You’: one of horror, survival, and a broken justice system that let a monster slip through the cracks. Read ...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 390
When the body of 19-year-old Caroline Crouch was found in her attic room after an apparent home invasion – with her 11-month-old daughter crying next to her, and her puppy hanging from the bannister – the nation of Greece mourned with her widower, Babis Anagnostopoulos. A handsome helicopter pilot, Anagnostopoulos had led the tributes since her death. But one month on, at a clifftop memorial service, Athenian police revealed that new analysis of the couple’s smart devices revealed a new culprit....
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 389
This week, we were speechless to learn that Casey Anthony is now on TikTok (and Substack), trying to reposition herself as an online advocate and activist for those wronged by the justice system. And, so you can understand why this idea made our heads spin, we've rereleased this classic two-parter from 2021. So – enjoy, then come and join us on our socials, to let us know your thoughts... -- This week, in the concluding part of our Casey Anthony series - Hannah and Suruthi head into a courtroom ...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 10016
This week, we were speechless to learn that Casey Anthony is now on TikTok (and Substack), trying to reposition herself as an online advocate and activist for those wronged by the justice system. And, so you can understand why this idea made our heads spin, we've rereleased this classic two-parter from 2021. So – enjoy, then come and join us on our socials, to let us know your thoughts... -- When 22-year-old Casey Anthony was arrested on 16 July 2008, her two-year-old daughter Caylee hadn't been...
Mar 05, 2025•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 10015
This story of how a rich, aristocratic French family lost their fortunes, and their minds, to a painter-and-decorator conman, unravels like Dan Brown mystery. Secret treasures, Masonic plots, kidnap and torture - the de Védrines family were desperate to hold onto their ancestral chateau; only to have everything ripped away from them by a Crowley-obsessed charlatan. Exclusive bonus content: Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHand Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes Follow us on social me...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 388
In December 2020 Gabby Petito and her fiance Brian Laundrie set off on a once-in-a-lifetime journey across the USA in their tiny little van. The trip was set to be packed full of starry nights and stunning vistas for countless happy memories, and also all the beautiful views needed to kickstart Gabby’s dream career as a travel vlogger. But when Brian returned to his family home in August 2021 without Gabby, things went from living daydream to living nightmare. What followed was a search that spa...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 10014
The body of a woman – a hotel night clerk – is found frozen in the deep winter snow of Van Buren County, Michigan. A tragic discovery; but the tale it went on to tell revealed a series of ever more barbaric and gruesome details: of no-holds-barred sexual games, crises of faith, and utter betrayal. The web was so tangled that it took police more than three decades to uncover the full, shocking truth. Exclusive bonus content: Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHand Patreon - Ad-free & Bo...
Feb 20, 2025•55 min•Ep. 387
An independent panel of experts has concluded that NO murders took place at the Countess of Chester hospital. If true, it would mean that Lucy Letby, currently serving 15 life sentences and branded the UK’s most prolific child serial killer, is innocent – and the subject of the worst miscarriage of justice in recent British memory. We go over what was covered at last week’s press conference – and whether it changed our minds on this complex case. YouTube Video Version Watch the press conference:...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 10013
Through the early 2000s, a satanic, paedophilic sex cult, with dozens of members and an obsession with Ancient Egyptian iconography, ran totally undetected in an unassuming cul-de-sac in south Wales. And its depraved, shabby and mostly toothless kingpin, Colin Batley, was perhaps the most unlikely cult leader imaginable… For over a decade, Batley used his twisted free-love philosophy to groom the children of his besotted followers – some as young as seven – into believing that their ‘spiritual p...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 386
The sex-mad geisha who sliced off her lover’s genitals, strangled him with a kimono belt, and carved her name into his arm, is perhaps Japan’s most famous criminal of the 20th century. Today, Abe’s story is practically a part of Japanese folklore. So how did this brutal killer become an unlikely celebrity, feminist icon and star of stage and screen? What exactly is a geisha? And what does her story tell us about the mystifying world of Japanese sexuality today? Exclusive bonus content: Wondery &...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 385
The brutal hatchet murders of Andrew and Abby Borden are still among the most infamous and hotly debated cases in true-crime history. Truly springing from the pages of your favourite murder mystery – with seemingly innocent housekeepers, “evil stepmothers”, and precocious ladies of luxury aplenty – there’s a lot of fact and a lot of fiction to wade through. Join us as we discover the real story behind the infamous Lizzie Andrew Borden, and the trial that swept the English-speaking world. Exclusi...
Jan 30, 2025•56 min•Ep. 384
With Ross Ulbricht now a free man thanks to his recent presidential pardon we thought it would a good idea to look back at who he is, what he did, and what he represented as "The Dread Pirate Roberts". So enjoy our episode from all the way back in March 2023 for some all important context on the internets iconic drug kingpin, and decide for yourself: Should he be walking free? -- For some, the end of the world's most infamous online marketplace was a major victory in the never ending war on drug...
Jan 28, 2025•55 min•Ep. 10012
The world’s media painted Brock Turner as a promising young swimmer – an Olympic hopeful with everything to lose. Whereas his anonymous victim was identified only from the police report: a blackout-drunk girl, passed out by some bins at a frat party, claiming sexual assault. Turner’s expensive team of lawyers did everything they could to further debase and defame the victim’s testimony. But they hadn’t counted on coming up against Chanel Miller. Miller’s unflinching impact statement started a mo...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 383
Ellen Greenberg was murdered, or at the very least died under very suspicious circumstances. To us, and to almost everyone who has even so much as glanced at this case, that much is obvious. Yet as of this episode the state of Pennsylvania refuses to view the 27-year-olds death as anything but suicide. In our second of two parts on Ellen’s brutal murder we’re going to tell you how incompetent policing, shambolic coverups, and institutional corruption led to this case being put on ice. Despi...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 382
With the release of Gypsy Rose Blancharde’s memoir just around the corner, we thought it was high time we revisited the full story, from Episode 26 of RedHanded. And, to hear our thoughts on the book, check out this week’s Under the Duvet on Patreon.com/redhanded . -- Things aren't always what they seem... To the world Dee Dee Blancharde was the perfect mum. She dedicated her life as a single mother to taking care of her incredibly ill and disabled child. But one night Dee Dee was brutally...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 10011
If you believe the official report, Ellen Greenberg stabbed herself: at least 20 times in the back, neck, stomach, chest, and through her scalp, hard enough to pierce her own brain. And only after all that – say the authorities – did she plunge the knife four inches into her own stomach. In 2011, despite blindingly obvious evidence to the contrary, Philadelphia’s police ruled the 27-year-old schoolteacher’s death as a suicide. And – thanks to a few suspicious decisions and the very shoddiest of ...
Jan 09, 2025•59 min•Ep. 381
As RedHanded takes a festive pause, we've picked two of our favourite Patreon Bonus episodes from 2024. To get a full-length, bonus episode of RedHanded every month – plus weekly video episodes of Under the Duvet and much more besides – head to Patreon.com/redhanded and sign up. Or, head to patreon.com/redhanded/gift to buy a membership for someone else! -- For our second upcycle, we dive into the dark and twisted tale of Elizabeth Báthory: Hungary’s infamous ‘Blood Countess’. Was she, as the sp...
Jan 02, 2025•36 min
As RedHanded takes a festive pause, we've picked two of our favourite Patreon Bonus episodes from 2024. To get a full-length, bonus episode of RedHanded every month – plus weekly video episodes of Under the Duvet and much more besides – head to Patreon.com/redhanded and sign up. Or, head to patreon.com/redhanded/gift to buy a membership for someone else! -- The world was gripped in the summer of 2023 when a 49-year-old Australian woman was accused of poisoning four members of her own family via ...
Dec 26, 2024•44 min
Last week we told you how over 1,000 people ended up in the Guyanese jungle following the orders of a meth-head with a god complex. Short answer: Nobody knowingly joins a cult. This week we’re here to tell you how the arrival of US Congressman Leo Ryan inadvertently set off a chain of events that led to the chaotic end of Jonestown and the tragic loss of nearly 1,000 lives. This is part two of their story Exclusive bonus content: Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHand Patreon - Ad-free &a...
Dec 19, 2024•40 min•Ep. 380
In February 1986, the prime minister of Sweden was walking home from the cinema, when a man stepped out of a shop doorway and shot him in the neck with a .357 Magnum. The killer ran down a side street – and disappeared without a trace. The mystery surrounding Olof Palme’s death is a Swedish national obsession that's barely left the headlines in the decades since. Hundreds of theories, from international hitmen to lone gunmen and police conspiracies, have swirled around one of the most extensive ...
Dec 13, 2024•59 min•Ep. 10010
On the 18th of November 1978, 909 men, women, and children were killed by chemical-laced Flav-Or-Aid in the Guyanese jungle, all at the will of one man - Jim Jones. It was the largest loss of American lives since the Second World War. That’s what everyone remembers. But despite the notorious “Jonestown Massacre” being forever etched into the public consciousness, few people know how almost 1000 people ended up living in the jungle, thinking they were fighting the Capitalist machine, whilst starv...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 379
In this episode, we unravel the mystery of the Isdal Woman, Norway’s most notorious cold case. Was it murder, suicide, or something even more sinister? With whispers of Cold War espionage, coded notes, fake identities - and the persistent smell of garlic - this bizarre tale will leave you questioning everything. Wrap up warm: it’s time to enter the Ice Valley. Exclusive bonus content: Wondery - Ad-free & ShortHand Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes Follow us on social media: ...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 378
One of the most prolific serial killers in America's so called 'golden era', Rodney Alcala is responsible for the deaths of at least eight people, although the true number is likely much higher. Yet few people have even heard of him. In fact his ability to narrowly avoid any real consequence for his multiple sexual assaults and violent murders, often on young girls, was so prolific that he even had the chance to appear on one of America’s biggest TV quiz shows... which he won. Hannah and Suru...
Nov 28, 2024•59 min•Ep. 377
With Netflix releasing a brand new documentary on the tragic and suspicious death of JonBenét Ramsey, we thought it would a good time to have a little recap on the case that shook the nation. So here's us from way back in December 2019... When 6 year old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her family’s mansion on Boxing Day 1996 - it sparked a relentless mystery that still endures 25 years later. Leave what you think you know behind and join Hannah and Suruthi to try a...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 10009
Through the 2000s, three neo-Nazi terrorists and serial killers rampaged across Germany – bombing and shooting immigrants in broad daylight, with total impunity. And despite plenty of evidence, investigators failed to join the dots time and time again. Worse still, the German government was, unknowingly, actively funding the bloodshed. To find out why – a half century after the Holocaust – German authorities refused to believe there was any white supremacist threat, we’re joined by investigative...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 376
