In 1944, the brutal slayings of two young girls made plenty of headlines in Alcolu, South Carolina. The trial of their suspected killer garnered far less attention -- even when he was convicted and violently executed in the electric chair. That's because few people had much sympathy for the boy who supposedly confessed to the crime. Nearly a century later, however, and 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. is not only recognized as the youngest person legally executed in America in the 20th century, bu...
Jan 27, 2025•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Students at Pantglas Junior School had just settled in at their desks the morning of Oct. 21, 1966, when an avalanche of slurry swept through the building, trapping hundreds of children and teachers and wiping out nearby homes and businesses. Known as the Aberfan Disaster, the collapse of a colliery spoil tip ultimately killed 116 children and 28 adults. While the official cause was weeks of heavy rain, what happened was no mere act of God. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag ...
Jan 20, 2025•51 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast As the world descended on Norway for the 1994 Winter Olympics, a determined thief set his sights on a Norweigian painting he'd coveted most of his life: Edvard Munch's The Scream. The daring theft of the world-renowned painting took less than a minute and prompted an undercover sting in hopes of retrieving the masterpiece. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-f...
Jan 13, 2025•46 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast On Thanksgiving week in 1849, Boston doctor and Harvard graduate George Parkman went for a walk and never returned home. The last place he'd been spotted was near the college's medical school, where he'd stopped for a meeting with Harvard chemistry professor John White Webster. The case that unfolded not only made international headlines but it threatened the reputation of America's oldest university. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from t...
Jan 06, 2025•44 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast Host Mel Barrett investigates a famous murder case that has split the community in her home state of New Hampshire right down the middle for thirty-four years. It’s a closed case, but based on what Mel uncovers this season in old police files (including surreptitiously recorded wiretaps), never before heard interviews, and a bombshell post trial interview with a juror that’s been hidden away, Mel is about to blow the case wide open. On this season of The In Between Podcast, the Accomplice to Mur...
Dec 30, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Crimes of the Centuries presents one of Amber's favorite episodes from Season One. Happy holidays everyone! In 1859, two of Washington, D.C.'s highest-profile men were in love with the same woman -- and that love triangle would lead to the broad-daylight shooting of one of them just a stone's throw from the White House. The victim had been the first-born son of Francis Scott Key, author of the lyrics to America's national anthem. And his killer would be the first in the country to argue a defens...
Dec 23, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are bringing you part two of the "Sunny" von Bülow story as a Bonus episode! When heiress and socialite Martha "Sunny" von Bülow was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor, her husband seemed awfully quick to pull the plug when doctors declared her comatose. Suspicions only grew when investigators discovered that Claus von Bülow had a mistress who'd given him an ultimatum to leave Sunny or else. But what seemed at first glance as an open-and-shut case turned out to be anything but. " Crimes...
Dec 17, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast To outsiders, Claus and Martha "Sunny" von Bülow seemed an idyllic couple on the upper echelons of high society, but those who knew them best were growing increasingly concerned in the late 1970s when Sunny began having health scares that doctors couldn't figure out. Claus said his wife was a depressed alcoholic, but Sunny's children and maid weren't so sure. Things took a tragic turn after Christmas of 1980, captivating the country and beyond with one of the highest-profile cases of the 20th ce...
Dec 16, 2024•42 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast We all know Adolph Hitler as a mediocre artist-turned-genocidal dictator, but did you know that he pulled off the greatest art heist the world has ever seen? As World War II unfolded across Europe, Hitler directed his Nazis to steal countless masterpieces from every country they traversed. He kept his favorites, while others were hidden in castles and salt mines to be unearthed after the war ended. Many of the pieces have never been recovered. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab B...
Dec 09, 2024•56 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast The morning of June 12, 1962, alarms sounded at the federal prison on Alcatraz Island when guards conducting a head count came up three inmates short. In the prisoners' beds were decoy heads that bought the men enough time to escape the supposedly inescapable prison known as The Rock. The trio -- Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin -- had used handmade tools to dig tunnels and craft makeshift rafts to brave the cold and turbulent waters of the Pacific in their bid for freedom. " C...
Dec 02, 2024•44 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast On January 17, 1950, a throng of men wearing superhero Halloween masks stormed into the headquarters of Brink's in Boston, Massachusetts, and made off with nearly $2.8 million. For years, the case baffled federal authorities, who spent 10 times the amount stolen working to solve the crime. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patre...
Nov 25, 2024•47 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast As a series of brush and building fires baffled most firefighters in the Los Angeles region, John Orr of the Glendale Fire Department seemed amazingly skilled at identifying the cause of each blaze. He was so skilled at his job, in fact, that he was routinely asked to train other firefighters. Turned out, though, there was a sinister reason for Orr's success. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped chang...
Nov 18, 2024•42 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast Between 1968 and 1985, eight sets of lovers were murdered during new moons in the Tuscany region of Italy. The mysterious and brutal slayings terrorized the region, made international headlines and fueled countless theories -- including one that the Monster of Florence and America's Zodiac Killer were one and the same. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free ...
Nov 11, 2024•47 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast As high-rolling televangelists, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker built a Christian media empire that included a theme park, broadcasting network and ministry funded by faithful viewers who believed the Bakkers when they said God would reward their investments 100-fold in this life and even more so in the next one. Then the feds got involved. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get ea...
Nov 04, 2024•52 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast In the wake of the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, disturbing rumors began to swirl that sparked an investigation: Did members of the White Sox club -- including legendary "Shoeless Joe" Jackson -- conspire with professional gamblers to rig the outcome of the series? " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on ...
Oct 28, 2024•51 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast A poor drifter named Clarence Earl Gideon had faced more than his share of legal run-ins over his lifetime, but when he was arrested in 1961 for allegedly stealing some drinks and quarters from a bar, he insisted he wasn't guilty -- and asked for an attorney to help him prove it. At the time, though, Florida law only provided defense lawyers in capital cases. After his conviction, Gideon sought to change that law throughout the nation. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Colla...
Oct 21, 2024•43 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast On this Friday Follow-Up, we tweak one of our earliest episodes after Amber's later research uncovered that an aspect of this case has been wrongly reported for decades. It was one of the most salacious stories the country had ever heard: A famous architect had been gunned down in front of an audience of hundreds by a man who said he was defending his wife's honor. It so happened the wife was the world's first supermodel. The love triangle among architect Stanford White, model and showgirl Evely...
Oct 18, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The town of New Brunswick, New Jersey, was rocked by the discovery of two bodies beneath a crabapple tree in September 1922. The remains belonged to Edward Hall, a local pastor, and Eleanor Mills, a member of the church's choir. The two were found entwined beneath the tree -- an odd positioning considering they'd both been married to other people. Suspicion soon fell as the lovers' spouses, turning the tawdry tale into a media circus that went far beyond the tabloids. " Crimes of the Centuries "...
Oct 14, 2024•45 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Music legend Elvis Presley never knew it before he died, but the man he trusted with his career and money was not who he said he was. Col. Tom Parker had been born in the Netherlands, not in Huntington, W. Va., as he'd claimed. Parker -- born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk before arriving in the U.S. illegally -- upended the music industry with the unorthodox contracts he demanded, which lined his pockets more than anyone else's. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab explorin...
Oct 07, 2024•53 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Crimes Of The Centuries is dark this week, but if you liked last week's episode on former Detective Louis Scarcella, we think you'll like season one of The Burden. The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains and shines a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Sep 30, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Det. Louis Scarcella retired in 1999, he was a New York City hero. He had closed dozens of homicide cases during his decades-long run as a cop nicknamed 'The Closer' for his ability to get suspects to confess to him. Years after he retired, however, one of his highest-profile cases got another look, and a judge exonerated the man convicted. Then came another overturned conviction and another. To date, 20 verdicts in Scarcella-led cases have been overturned -- and the number could keep climb...
Sep 23, 2024•41 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Before Benedict Arnold's name became synonymous with 'traitor,' he had been hailed as a hero of the American Revolutionary War. His rise from militiaman to trusted ally of George Washington was the stuff of legends. But instead of being honored with, say, his likeness on American currency, he committed an act of treason so heinous that his name is still hurled as an insult to this day. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that m...
Sep 16, 2024•45 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast In 1981, a 6-year-old boy accompanied his mother to a Sears department store, where she left him for mere minutes in the toy department. Two weeks later, the boy's head was discovered in a ditch. Learn how the horrifying case -- and the South Florida police department's decades-long bungling of it -- changed parenting in America. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early a...
Sep 09, 2024•58 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast The horrific killing of four members of the Clutter family in 1959 led author Truman Capote to write In Cold Blood , the book credited with launching true crime as a genre. But how much of what Capote wrote was as "immaculately factual" as the author led the world to believe? " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page. DON'T...
Sep 02, 2024•45 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast The Catholic Church lost its grip on England largely thanks to a woman who refused to quietly let her husband trade her in for a younger model. Catherine of Aragon's impact on Europe has lasted for centuries, and it all began with a single crime: bigamy. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. \DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTURIES BOOK! Order today at www.centuriespod.com/book (...
Aug 26, 2024•49 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Cassie Chadwick of Cleveland wasn't who she said she was. Even she admitted that -- though in her version, she wasn't the con artist daughter of a Canadian farmer, but rather the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie, America's wealthiest man. She used that lie to bilk businessmen, bankers and entire institutions out of boatloads of money, earning her place in history as one of the Gilded Age's most accomplished grifters. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring...
Aug 19, 2024•39 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast When several men dressed as cops entered the Isabella Gardner Museum in March of 1990, the nighttime security detail didn't think much of it -- until one of the "officers" handcuffed the guards' wrists and announced, "This is a robbery." Thirty-four years later, theories abound about who was behind the largest -- and most mystifying -- art heist in American history. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helpe...
Aug 12, 2024•42 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast In 1932, hundreds of men in Tuskegee, Alabama, signed up for something they'd never had much access to: healthcare. The best part? It was free. Told for decades they were being treated for "bad blood," the participants were never informed they had tested positive for syphilis and were being studied by the US government to see how the disease progressed in Black men who were blocked from receiving readily available treatment. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring...
Aug 05, 2024•47 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast After Munich, Germany, was named the host of the 1972 Olympic Games, organizers were determined to highlight the country's softer side after the horrors of World War II. This was, after all, the first Olympics to be held in Germany since 1936's Berlin Games, during which Hitler used the festivities to spread propaganda and Nazi ideology. Unfortunately, Munich's "softer side" went beyond a subdued color palette, leading to a porous Olympic Village that provided easy access to a deadly terrorist a...
Jul 29, 2024•43 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast When a handyman from Mobile, Alabama, was accused of stealing $1.95 from a woman who employed him in 1957, no one could have guessed the fervor it would cause, not just nationally but overseas. Jimmy Wilson was sentenced to death for the theft in a case that threatened America's reputation on a global scale. " Crimes of the Centuries " is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CRIMES OF THE CENTU...
Jul 22, 2024•37 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast 
