On 21 August 2023, 33-year-old nurse Lucy Letby was handed a whole-of-life order for the murder of seven babies, and the attempted murder of six more. She is only the fourth woman in British history to receive the sentence. And now this seemingly young, meek, slightly goofy, “vanilla” girl – whose bedroom was filled with stuffed animals – is now Britain’s most prolific child serial killer. So what really happened? How was she allowed to kill so many? Why did she do it? And how was she eventually...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 312
In July 1981, the 40 residents of Antelope, Oregon watched on in bemusement as their rural village was descended upon by an Indian guru and thousands of his followers. Little did they know at the time, that these maroon-robed chanting hippies and their money-loving spiritual leader would go on to overthrow the local government, attempt wide-scale voter fraud, plot to fill a plane with explosives and eventually, carry out the most significant act of bioterrorism in US history. This is the real st...
Aug 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 311
School shootings are now tragically commonplace in the US. But in 1979, when Brenda Spencer opened fire on Cleveland Elementary School, it took everyone by surprise. Killing two adults and injuring nine children – allegedly just because she didn’t like Mondays – Brenda has lived on in infamy as one of America’s first school shooters, immortalised by Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats. Follow us on social media: Instagram Twitter Visit our website: Website Sources available on redhandedpodcast.com ...
Aug 10, 2023•57 min•Ep. 310
At 2am, on the 3rd of May last year – inmates at Mangaung prison in Bloemfontein, South Africa, were woken up by an explosion. Word spread that Thabo Bester, the infamous “Facebook Rapist”, had set himself and his cell on fire. And all that remained after the dramatic blaze were a lighter, and a body, burnt beyond recognition. But that’s far from the end of the story. With daily revelations from the trial still hitting headlines, expect a farcical morgue-robbing scheme, a massive-scale web of fr...
Aug 03, 2023•49 min•Ep. 309
Graphic Sonic fanfiction, a botched DIY sex change, incest and relentless psychosexual trolling are just some of the hallmarks of Christine Weston Chandler's story. As one of the most documented people in history – with 2,500 Wiki articles covering everything from school reports to her parents’ friends – her almost biblical tale leaves little to the imagination. Yet most people have never heard of her. Despite decades of online abuse, manipulation, and even extortion, the majority of those who d...
Jul 27, 2023•41 min•Ep. 308
Last week, we looked at the formation of the ultra-obedient, bigamist Mormon cult, the FLDS – in which plural marriage to pregnant preteen girls is just the tip of the fundamentalist iceberg. In this second part, we look at how its new prophet, Warren Jeffs, took his so-called religion to ever stricter and more terrifying depths. With followers so beaten down that they were banned from even laughing; the prophet on the lam, living it up at Disneyland; and a team of ex-faithfuls and dogged invest...
Jul 20, 2023•47 min•Ep. 307
According to Warren Jeffs’ thousands of followers, he was the leader of a secretive but devoted religion – their prophet, and the representative of God on Earth. But according to US law, he was a dangerous, totalitarian, child-molesting horror with over 80 wives – some married off as young as 12. Still, according to the church, Earthly laws are no match for the voice of God. In this episode, we explore the story behind the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: how the visio...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 306
In 2009, the horror film ‘Orphan’ told the tale of a couple who unwittingly adopted a 9-year-old girl, who (spoilers) turned out to be a murderous, adult woman. Sometimes though, reality is stranger than fiction. A year after the film’s release, the Barnetts, a wealthy picture-perfect American family, adopted 6-year-old Natalia Grace from Ukraine. But within just 3 years, they’d abandoned her and fled to Canada. Why? According to the Barnetts, Natalia – who had a rare form of dwarfism – wasn’t a...
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 305
Violently stabbed to death in their own home, the bodies of Debra and Marc Richardson showed the signs of an almighty struggle. The body of their eight-year-old son Tyler Jacob was upstairs, and their twelve-year-old daughter Jasmine was missing. It all suggested a brutal home invasion, with Jasmine’s abduction as the motive. Yet the narrative the police unwound was more confusing, disturbing – and downright cringe-worthy – than anything they could have imagined. This was the ‘love story’ of a ‘...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 304
How did an orphan from Bogotá, Colombia, become one of the most audacious white-collar criminals in the US during early 2000s? Starting his con career in Michigan at the age of just 12, Anthony Gignac transformed himself into a Saudi prince and spent three decades conning society’s elite out of millions – until one day his royal façade cracked, when he ordered the wrong entrée at a restaurant… See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...
Jun 22, 2023•49 min•Ep. 303
On 14th June 2017, a fire engulfed Grenfell Tower, a high-rise residential building in West London. 74 people died, and the tragedy became one of the darkest days in recent British history. But worst of all, the incident was completely avoidable. This is the story of how decades of government corruption and unbelievable corporate greed killed so many innocent people. As part of our coverage of the Grenfell case, and to support those still affected today - we’re going to be donating a portion of ...
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 302
In our second instalment, Hannah & Suruthi turn to Christopher George Latore Wallace – better known as the Notorious B.I.G. – and his side of the Biggie/Tupac saga. Lyrically gifted, privately educated and no stranger to a little crack dealing, Biggie became the face the East Coast rap scene in one of the genre's most volatile and dangerous eras. So what happened to Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls? As H&S find out, sometimes the simplest explanation is the most likely... See Privacy Polic...
Jun 08, 2023•52 min•Ep. 301
With the news that Kathleen Folbigg has finally been pardoned, we wanted to help you revisit this case, and Kathleen's incredibly tragic story by re-uploading our episode from August 2022. “One sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder”; this theory has pervaded criminal investigations for decades. So when Kathleen Folbigg’s daughter, Laura, became her fourth child to die mysteriously - Kathleen found herself labeled “Australia’s Worst Female Serial Killer”. Today w...
Jun 05, 2023•55 min•Ep. 257
Stories of death, drugs, and gang violence were inextricably linked, in the 90s media, to the nation’s biggest rap stars. Tupac Shakur was one of the decade’s biggest and most admired music icons – until his life was cut tragically short in 1996. By the time he died, he’d been involved in three high-profile shootings, done time for sexual assault, and been associated with serious career criminals. So what happened? Get the 4-1-1 on two of hip-hop’s biggest stars as we celebrate our 300th episode...
Jun 01, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 300
When five members of the cheery, churchgoing Dupont de Ligonnès family were found dead at their home in Nantes – buried in the garden with small Catholic relics – a million questions erupted from neighbours, family and friends. But for the police, only one question mattered: where was the sixth? Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès was nowhere to be found. And as they dug into his past, they uncovered a story that’s obsessed the nation of France for years: one of an ancient aristocratic dynasty, of interna...
May 25, 2023•44 min•Ep. 299
To make sure that none of you miss out we've updated our episode on Lori Vallow to include an update on her trial! Listen to this episode and this week's episode of ShortHand for the full scoop. 47-year-old mum of 3, Lori Vallow was convinced of two things; she was a god and the world was ending. Her job was to prepare her people for the second coming of Christ, in July 2020... But even as her behaviour became increasingly erratic, and even as those around her started to die in mysterious ways, ...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 180
What kind of leader would say of his own people that they are “meant to suffer”? Well, maybe a savage despot who claimed to be the master of the dead – a powerful sorcerer who could use vodou to raise murderous zombies at will, read minds, and even assassinate a US president… Francois Duvalier, known as ‘Papa Doc’, is one of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th Century, responsible for the deaths of an estimated 60,000 people, and a reign of terror that tragically reverberates through Haiti t...
May 18, 2023•53 min•Ep. 298
On Halloween morning, 1975, in one of the most exclusive gated communities in the USA, the bludgeoned body of 15-year-old Martha Moxley was discovered on her own front lawn. The shattered pieces of the murder weapon, a six-iron golf club, were found nearby. The police had the body, they had the weapon, and they had a strong indication of who took her life. But this was going to be anything but an open and shut-case. Why? Because this story implicated some of the wealthiest and most powerful fami...
May 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 297
When delivery driver Brian Wells wound up with a bomb strapped to his neck after trying to fulfill a seemingly normal order of 2 pepperoni pizzas, local police thought their strange day had come to a dramatic end. In reality, it was the start… By the end of their investigation they’d have to solve a scavenger hunt, track down a woman known as “crazy Marge”, and defrost the body of a mystery man tossed inside a freezer. This week Suruthi and Hannah deliver one of the most bizarre cases in America...
May 04, 2023•49 min•Ep. 296
On the 15th of March, 2019, a 28-year-old man walked into a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, holding a shotgun and semi-automatic rifle – and opened fire. And what set this story apart was not just its brutality, but also the way it was staged – from the internet, for the internet. The gunman had strapped a GoPro to his helmet, and was streaming every second of the Christchurch shooting over Facebook Live. And just before he entered Al-Noor mosque, he said to his online audience: “Remember l...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 295
Welcome to Filthy Ritual - our brand new 6-part series on the Hoax Healer of Hampstead 💸🐒 There's voodoo, shamanism, black magic, a tree of life in the Surinamese jungle, and so much more... Episode 1 is out now wherever you get your podcasts, but if you can't wait all episodes are available for free on Global Player today! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Apr 21, 2023•5 min•Ep. 37
The sleepy island of Jersey is a safe haven for wealthy Brits to live out their retirement with favourable weather, and an even more favourable tax rate. So when Nicholas and Elizabeth Newall were found bludgeoned to death in their home, the local police were a little out of their depth. What followed was a three-year investigation involving nunchucks, covert surveillance, and ending in a chase upon the high seas. Strap on your goggles folks, it’s time to take another dive into the murky waters ...
Apr 20, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 294
It’s finally happening – the Morbid X RedHanded collab! And to get everyone’s witchy juices flowing, we took a trip to the sleepy Cotswold village of Long Compton. Long Compton looks every bit the bucolic British fairytale. But for hundreds of years, stories of black magic, sorcery, necromancy and brutal murder have haunted its villagers. It’s said that in Long Compton, “The influence of witches goes and comes like the full moon.” Join Ash, Alaina, Hannah and Suruthi to uncover the blood-stained...
Apr 16, 2023•56 min•Ep. 57
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...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 293
The sleepy town of Griekwastad South Africa woke up to absolute horror on Good Friday 2012. Three members of the local Steenkamp family had been brutally murdered, leaving their 17-year-old son Don as the only survivor. As the dust settled people blamed everything from a so-called ‘white genocide farm attack’ to a Satanic Cult. However, the reality and the family secrets that emerged were far darker than anything cooked up by the press. Follow us on social media: Instagram Twitter Visit our webs...
Apr 06, 2023•48 min•Ep. 292
For some, the end of the world's most infamous online marketplace was a major victory in the never ending war on drugs. But for others, the global, multi-agency investigation into the Silk Road set a dangerous precedent for law enforcement – who rifled through the personal data of countless innocent users in their hunt for the elusive online drug-lord/revolutionary: Dread Pirate Roberts. So prepare for a trip on the Silk Road, and find out how a tax inspector hanging out on a hallucinogenic mush...
Mar 30, 2023•53 min•Ep. 291
From Copernicus to Newton, the greatest minds in history have had a crater named after them on the moon. But one name you may not know is Jack Parsons, a pioneer of rocket science whose contributions were so monumental that man wouldn’t have set foot on the moon without him. However, his sex-crazed occultism and bromance with L. Ron Hubbard made it hard for the scientific community to embrace him, leading to his eponymous crater being placed on the dark side of the moon. This story has everythin...
Mar 23, 2023•46 min•Ep. 290
Last week we left off with the absolutely batshit-craziness of Margaret’s “Bel”-filled diaries and the rumoured accusations of incest made by Laniet Bain against her father Robin. And we’ll come back to all of that later in this episode, part 2 of our series on the Bain family murders, but not before we re-join David, as he’s being interviewed for the first time by the police, just hours after the killings… See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 289
On 29 June 1994 the entire Bain family, except for eldest son David, were found murdered in their house in Dunedin. The investigation that followed would go on to become New Zealand’s most controversial, as allegations of black magic, incest and police corruption exploded… LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR TICKETS: https://redhandedpodcast.com/ Become a patron: Patreon Order a copy of the book here (US & Canada): Order on Wellesley Books Order on Amazon.com Order a copy of the book...
Mar 09, 2023•58 min•Ep. 288
The Murdaugh murders are not one story; they are a seemingly endless web of lies, entitlement, and confusion. At the centre of the web are the bodies of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, found at their hunting lodge. But tangled in it are the tragic deaths of three other completely innocent people, dragged in by the most powerful family in South Carolina. This week Hannah and Suruthi make sense of one of the most sprawling true crime cases out there… GET YOUR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR TICKETS: https://redhand...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 287
