For over two decades, Kathleen Peterson’s mysterious death has captivated America. After the most complex court proceeding in Durham, North Carolina’s history, Michael was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. This episode covers the infamous trial, Michael’s appeals and the overturning of his original verdict after he served over eight years in prison. Studies show less than 10% of criminal trials are overturned on appeal. Despite the incredible amount of...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 56 min
In December of 2001, the seemingly accidental death of 48-year-old Kathleen Peterson made headlines in Durham, North Carolina. A beloved community figure, enjoying a night of celebration with some champagne, had lost her balance and tragically fallen down the stairs. But when 58-year-old Michael Peterson, Kathleen’s husband, was indicted for first-degree murder eleven days later, news outlets across the nation picked up the story. People were captivated with this seemingly idyllic couple’s desce...
Feb 09, 2023•1 hr 38 min
Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid. When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence and others like him have signed up to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. And that belief will pull multiple generations of the Pilgeram family into a cryonics soap opera filled with dead pets, gold coins, grenades, fist fights, mysteriou...
Jan 24, 2023•4 min
December 9th, 2001 was an unseasonably warm night in Durham, North Carolina. At 2:40 a.m., a novelist named Michael Peterson called 911. He was frantic. He said his wife Kathleen had an accident. She had fallen down some stairs. Within 10 minutes, paramedics, police and the fire team swarmed the house. They were all startled by the amount of blood. Kathleen’s blood was everywhere. It covered her body, the staircase, and the floor. Soon, homicide detectives were called to the scene. For the next ...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 13 min
On Friday, October 12th, 2012, Shayna Hubers called 911. She explained to the emergency operator that she killed her boyfriend, Ryan Poston, in self-defense. When the police investigated the crime scene, they quickly realized that Shayna’s version of events didn’t align with reality. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank and Erica Kelley Case suggested by Amanda, “in Dolly we Trust” Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Ga...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 2 min
For more than three and a half decades, the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews was a mystery – a riddle neither authorities nor her family members could solve. The residents of her cloistered Colorado hometown had scoured every inch of prairie. Jonelle’s face had been on milk cartons nationwide. Even the President of the United States had appealed to the public for help. Still, every lead had fizzled. Every person of interest had turned out to be a dead end. Then, in 2019, Jonelle’s r...
Dec 21, 2022•7 min
On a cool March evening of 2008, motorists on Highway 147 in Auburn, Alabama were startled to see a young girl in the road. She was naked, crying, covered in road rash and waving her arms desperately for help. Despite everyone’s best efforts, 18 year old Lauren Burk did not survive her ordeal. She had been shot and and bled out within 2 to 3 minutes after jumping from a moving car. The Auburn University student had been carjacked in a campus parking lot. The ensuing trial for her murderer, Court...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min
In January 2003, police arrived at an unassuming house in Northwest Houston, Texas after receiving a vague message from a local lawyer about a potential crime scene. In the backyard, they discovered the mutilated body of Jeff Wright. The master bedroom was a blood-splattered nightmare. Susan Wright, Jeff’s wife of five years, confessed to his shocking murder. At her trial, Susan claimed she killed Jeff in self-defense but, in an unforgettable courtroom spectacle, prosecuting lawyer Kelly Siegler...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 21 min
When a shocking crime occurs, former FBI Profiler Candice DeLong will have a lot to say about it. On KILLER PSYCHE DAILY, Candice digs into the motivations and behaviors of the criminal masterminds and killers who are dominating the headlines. For 10 minutes, five days a week, she draws on her years of experience to break down complex criminal cases, look back at the historic crimes that still haunt us today, and share new insights. With new episodes every Monday through Friday, KILLER PSYCHE DA...
Nov 25, 2022•4 min
Zebb Quinn was only 18 years old when he went missing on January 2, 2000. Authorities had their suspicions that foul play was involved, but it would take 15 years and two other disappearances for anyone to find out what happened to Zebb. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray Written by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/the-vanishi...
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 45 min
Nothing is as terrifying as the sounds we hear in the dark. The slow creak of a door opening late at night... or a whisper in a room when you thought you were alone... or a distant scream in the wind. One noise at the wrong time or place can scare us for days. Each episode of I HEAR FEAR plunges the listener into a tale inspired by real events, from a deadly dance party to a cursed film set. Join host and two-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan for six immersive stories designed to jangle your ner...
Nov 16, 2022•6 min
In April 1951, a young black woman was closing up a roadhouse tavern and getting ready to sleep there for the night. Hattie Lee Barnes worked as a maid at Lee’s Place and in recent weeks had started sleeping there as caretaker, to watch over the bar after hours. She had a gun to protect herself and the tavern. When she heard a window opening near her bed, she fired the gun at the figure in the window, and her life became a waking nightmare for the next few years. Bullied, intimidated, almost sho...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Sheree Warren left her job in Salt Lake City on a mild October evening in 1985. She told a coworker she was headed to meet her estranged husband, Charles Warren, at a car dealership. But she never made it, Sheree vanished. When her car mysteriously surfaced weeks later, hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas, no one could say how it got there. When a young mother disappears under unexplained circumstances, police always turn suspicious eyes towards the husband. And although there was distrust aroun...
Nov 02, 2022•9 min
Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray Written by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley Dr. Fred Jablin, a highly regarded professor of communication, was a dedicated husband to his wife, Piper Rountree. For years, he did everything in his power to make her happy, but nothing he did was ever enough. In 2002, the Jablin marriage came to an end and Fred was awarded full custody of the...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 14 min
From 1992-1994, a serial killer stalked young black women in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police came under fire from families and the media once the killer was unmasked. They blamed being understaffed during a crack epidemic, insisting that most of their murder victims were black and they had a good solve rate. As these were young college students, some young mothers and not really involved in the drug epidemic, their families were rightly outraged. There would be plenty of blame to go around to ...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 23 min
The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Two friends, Aaron & Justin, break down theories and give their opinions on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries and conspiracies. One of the longest running true crime podcasts out there, Generation Why has a little something for every true crime listener. Follow The Generation Why Podcast on Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can listen ad-fr...
Oct 20, 2022•9 min
In the spring of 1994, the southern and eastern seaboard states were terrorized by a serial killer using the I-95 corridor to travel between states and victims. Six gay men were targeted by a drifter, working as a hustler, who would stay in their homes for a week or so…gaining their trust, before violently murdering them. He then took their credit cards and vehicle to move on to his next victim. But the famed serial killer, Gary Ray Bowles, would later insist he killed seven men, but the FBI or ...
Oct 20, 2022•53 min
On the afternoon of August 19th, 2020, 24-year-old Sydney Sutherland went missing while on her regular run in rural Jackson County, Arkansas. Within 2 hours, Sydney’s family realized she was in danger, contacted the police, and organized a search for her. But Sydney never made it home. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray Written by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley Sources: h...
Oct 11, 2022•44 min
Welcome to the Hellmouth Weirdos! Your favorite Morbid hosts Ash and Alaina are branching out from true crime and heading to Sunnydale for the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Rewatch podcast! Alaina is a Buffy superfan and Ash has never watched a single episode, so whether you’re Team Angel, Team Spike, or have no clue who those people are…they’ve got you covered! Join them each week as they slay their way through the series, episode by episode, re-watching, and watching for the very first tim...
Oct 06, 2022•5 min
In the spring of 1987, 20 year old Corinna Mullen moved to Central City, Kentucky in hopes of providing a better life for her two year old daughter. But within six months of her move, Corinna was found brutally murdered. Who would want to kill the young mother of one? That’s a question investigators wouldn’t know the answer to for nearly 20 years. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray, Anna Luria and Erica Kelley Written by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 19 min
From Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment, the new season of Witnessed: Mystic Mother is out now and sure to be your next podcast obsession! The story follows the rise and fall of the Phoenix Goddess Temple, which for years claimed to offer “seekers” healing through sensual touch... But when an outsider exposes what’s happening behind closed doors… the temple unknowingly welcomes in a new kind of seeker—undercover detectives. What some saw as a spiritual home, the state saw as a brothel o...
Sep 06, 2022•7 min
For the past 16 years, Susan Loper had flourished as a fitness instructor at the local country club. She was beloved by her clients and had decided to open her own pilates studio. On her final day of work at the country club, Susan went missing and while law enforcement searched for her, the blood found in the studio and outside in the parking lot left little hope that Susan would be found alive. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray Written by Andrea Marshbank and Erica K...
Aug 28, 2022•50 min
Everyone who knew Brad Smithwick knew that he loved his two children more than anything in the world. That’s why he fought tooth and nail to gain full custody of them. Finally, on October 3, 2007, Brad got what he was working so hard for: full custody. He was set to fill out the paperwork in two days. But he would never get the chance to sign his name on the dotted line. This episode was suggested by Albert “Bubba” Summerlin, a retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the North Carolina Sta...
Aug 22, 2022•47 min
Simply Vanished is a new investigative podcast about unsolved missing person cases. It is hosted by Josh Newville, a civil rights lawyer who is dedicated to finding answers. Note: Josh is a huge fan of Southern Fried True Crime! Josh alternates between full investigative seasons (where he dives deep into one specific case), and periods of episodic coverage (where he tells us about unsolved missing person cases and solicits tips to help the official investigation). Simply Vanished is currently on...
Aug 16, 2022•11 min
Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Written by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray and Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/coweta-county-justice Sponsors: SimpliSafe.com/southernfried BetterHelp.com/southern In the 1940s, John Wallace was a wealthy and powerful moonshiner who ruled Meriwether County, Georgia with an iron fist. Having the county sheriff ...
Aug 14, 2022•1 hr 18 min
On June 18, 1995, Jennifer Evans, a 21 year old pre-med student, went to a Virginia Beach nightclub with her two friends. While there, she met a young Navy SEAL recruit. They hit it off and she wanted to stay when her friends were ready to leave. So the friends said they would be back to pick her up at closing time. But when they came back, Jennifer was nowhere to be seen. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Written by Erica Kelley and Haley Gray Researched by Haley Gray Original Graphic Art by ...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Yana Huss was a kind and gentle person, and a loving mother to her two young children. Tragically, she was also the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her abusive husband. Like many victims, Yana tried to escape numerous times, with little help from authorities, only to be reeled back in by unkept promises and threats. After four years of restraining orders and criminal charges, authorities finally started to take Yana’s allegations seriously. But it was too late. Hosted and produced by...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 12 min
On October 26, 2014, three members of the well-known and well-liked Champion family were found brutally murdered in their Cadiz, Kentucky farmhouse. The murders came as a shock to the small town’s residents. But nothing would come as more of a shock than the truth of who was responsible for killing Lindsey, Joy, and Emily Champion. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Written by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radi...
Jul 10, 2022•1 hr 2 min
In 1996, there were 11,039 victims of hate crimes in the United States. One of them was Fred Mangione, an extremely gregarious man who treated everyone like his best friend. Fred was more than just a statistic - he was a human being. And he was killed simply because he was gay. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Written by Erica Kelley Researched by Haley Gray and Anna Luria Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio Edited & Mixed by Erica Kelley Sou...
Jun 26, 2022•44 min
On May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley was found fatally shot in a car on a dark North Hollywood street. The prime suspect was her husband, famed actor Robert Blake. But Bonny, a longtime con artist, had plenty of enemies. She left behind a trail of men she’d scammed, and she had a volatile relationship with Christian Brando, the troubled son of movie star Marlon Brando. Not since the O.J. Simpson case had the eyes of the nation been so fixated on a homicide. The search for Bonny’s killer took detecti...
Jun 21, 2022•6 min
