Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

In 1998, a 14-year-old disappeared from Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It would be feared she had become a victim of serial killer, Leonard Fraser, but this story would end with a shocking revelation.  Resources:  60 Minutes Australia - ‘The Girl in the Cupboard’”(2003) - https://youtu.be/os_K-e_qwu8 "She had everyone fooled" in TheAge.com.au, Apr 11, 2003 "The girl who returned from death" by Greg Ansley for NZHerald.co.nz, Apr 18, 2003 "The 'dead' schoolgirl who fooled a nation" by Shannon Molloy for News.com.au, Dec 22, 2018. Crime Investigation Australia - Predator: Leonard John Fraser - https://youtu.be/ueb8xNmxZF8 Additional music: Halloween Theme 1 by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4735-halloween-theme-1 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A multimillionaire in a feud with his family over money and property perpetrates a bizarre hoax in order to get revenge on his children and hold on to his assets.  Resources:  "Professor Donovan's Magnificent Entanglements" by John Wolfson for Boston Magazine, July 1, 2006 "Ex-professor found guilty of staging own shooting" by John R. Ellement for The Boston Globe, Aug 18, 2007.  "When Hollywood Moved In" by Sara Rimer for The New York Times, July 29, 2009 "John J. Donovan III" by Ray Lamont for The Gloucester Times, April 28, 2015.  "Hamilton Estate Auction to Feature English Antiques, Cars" by Taylor Rapalyea for The Patch, July 12, 2017 Links: Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/OnceUponACrimePod

A well-respected educator in Bakersfield, California is accused of a brutal crime - the murders of five of his family members.  Resources:  "The Mystery of the Lost Weekend", by Keith Morrison for Dateline NBC, July 24, 2009. "Vincent Brothers and murdered wife had rocky relationship say witnesses" by Jessica Logan for Bakersfield.com, March 7, 2007. "Vice Principal is still a suspect in fatal shootings of wife, kids, mother-in-law" by Kerri Ginis for The Fresno Bee, July 10, 2003.  "Woman Says Officials Covered Up Abuse by Murder Suspect" by John Johnson forThe Los Angeles Times, Aug 11, 2004.  Links: Patreon -www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

In this month's series "Bad Teacher" I'll share cases of educators who committed newsworthy crimes.  First up, a 34-year-old teacher scandalizes the nation when she is convicted of child rape with one of her 6th grade students.  Resources: "Strange Love: Mary Kay Letourneau", 7 News Spotlight, July 8, 2020, retrived on YouTube.  "Mary Kay Letourneau: 15 Shocking Facts" by John Whitefoot for Crimeola.com, May 29, 2018.  "How the Media Turned Child Rape into a 'Tryst' for Mary Kay Letourneau" by EJ Dickson for Rolling Stone, July 8, 2020.  "Lawsuit over Letourneau affair blames police, school", HeraldNet, March 21, 2002 "Letourneau is a predator and don't forget it", Susan Paynter for Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 8, 2004.  Video Interview:  Mary Kay Letourneau, 7News Spotlight, July 8, 2020 - https://youtu.be/7mowKsGWuW4 Links: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime www.truecrimepodcast.com

We conclude this two-part episode with a young woman who comes forward claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov. The investigation into her claim would take decades to unravel. I welcome back my sister, Yolanda, to help me discuss all the ins and outs of this intriguing mystery!  Time Stamps: 05:03 - "Miss Unknown" 22:47 - Investigating the Claim 28:06 - "Fraulein Annie" 30:20 - Anastasia Tchaikovsky - Rescue Story 53:30 - Anna Anderson - United States 57:41 - Anna the Hoarder 01:01:00 - Mrs. Manahan 01:07:00 - What Really Happened to The Romanovs? 01:16:00 - The DNA 01:19:00 - Who Was Anna Anderson? Franziska Schanzkowska 01:34:00 - Why Was She Believed?  Resources:  Resurrection of The Romanovs, Greg King and Penny Wilson, Turning Publishing, 2010.  The Woman Who Convinced the World She was Grand Duchess Anastasia, Crime Vault, Nov 8, 2018, retrieved on YouTube. Romanovs: The Missing Bodies, National Geographic, Nov 5, 2019, retrieved on YouTube. 

On this first part of a 2-part episode, I share the fascinating story of the disappearance of the last imperial family of Russia, the Romanovs. After their disappearance, most believed they had been executed by the Bolsheviks, but sightings of one or more of the Romanovs would continue for years. Did some of Tsar Nicholas II's family members escape? Resources: The Resurrection of the Romanovs by Greg King and Penny Wilson, published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2011.  Romanovs: The Missing Bodies, produced by National Geographic, YouTube.com, Nov 5, 2019.  Music Credits:  Spring In Russia by Alexander Nakarada. Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4845-spring-in-russia. License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime To help in the California Wildfire Relief efforts:  https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/21/northern-california-wildfires-how-to-help-fire-victims-and-fire-fighters/ Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com

On this second part of a two-part episode we continue the story of 9-year-old Walter Collins who went missing from Los Angeles in 1928. In part two, we discover that a serial killer, Gordon Stewart Northcott, has been preying on boys and young men in the LA area. Was Walter Collins a victim of Northcott's?  Resources:  The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, retrieved online at crime museum.org. https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/wineville-chicken-coop-murders/ The Disappearance of Walter Collins, by Gabriela Serrato for STMUhistorymedia.org. https://stmuhistorymedia.org/author/gabriela.serrato/ Movie: Changeling (2008), Written, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood for Imagine Entertainment. Starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan and Amy Ryan.  Links: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime Fruit Loops: Serial Killers of Color Podcast - https://fruitloopspod.com

In this month's series I'll tell you stories about people who missing and then, months or years later, miraculously reappeared. But, these stories all have a twist - were they who they claimed to be or were they imposters? In this first episode, you'll hear about a young boy who goes missing in 1928. When he returns home, his mother will say he's an imposter, but her claims are dismissed. Who was the boy claiming to be her missing son and what happened to the real Walter Collins? Resources: The 1920s boy who impersonated a kidnapping victim, Suzanne Raga for MentalFloss.com, Jan 20, 2016 Collins Hoax Comes to an End, The Los Angeles Times, Oct 3, 1928 The Disappearance of Walter Collins, Gabriela Serrato, STMU History Media, March 26, 2017 Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

The life and tragic death of a young socialite in the 1930s inspires an Academy Award winning movie. But, Starr Faithfull's life was far from the glamorous treatment it would receive on the big screen.  Resources: Ripped from the Headlines: The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movie's Most Memorable Crimes by Harold Schechter (Little A, 2020)  The Passing of Starr Faithfull by Jonathan Goodman (Piatkus, 1990).  Open Files: A Narrative Encyclopedia of the World's Greatest Unsolved Crimes by Jay Robert Nash (Rowman & Littlefield, 1983).  BUtterfield 8, (1960), directed by Daniel Mann for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher, Laurence Harvey Links: www.haroldschechter.com

Two women accused of murder in the Roaring 20s would become the inspiration for one of the best known and longest running shows in American musical theater history. This is the story of the real life Roxie and Velma from “Chicago". Resources: "1924 - Beulah Annan & Belva Gaertner", Newspaper articles compiled and posted on Chicagology.com.  Ripped from the Headlines by Harold Schechter, Published by Little A, New York, 2020  "Musical Theater and Law: Chicago, The Musical" by Geraldine Davila Gonzalez, April 30, 2019. Music  "Hula Lou" - 1923 recording by Isabelle Patricola, "Prohibition Blues", 1920 recording by The Missourians  (Both available for use by public domain.) Links: Listener survey: https://survey.libsyn.com/onceuponacrime YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG

In 1986, a beautiful young mother discovers her husband is cheating on her and files for divorce. Soon afterward, she goes missing. Discovering what happened to Helle Crafts would take an small army of detectives, forensic scientists, serologists, forensic anthropologists, a police diving team and other investigators to unravel this bizarre crime and would inspire an Academy-Award winning film. Resources:  Forensic Files: Season 1, Episode 1 - "The Disappearance of Helle Crafts", FilmRise TV.  "The Wood Chipper Murder Case" by Mark Gado for CrimeLibrary.com.  "Richard Crafts, notorious wood chipper murderer, released from prison" by Christine Dempsey for The Hartford Courant, Jan 31, 2020. Details about the film "Fargo" were found on IMDB.com. Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime "Fargo" (1996) Trailer: https://youtu.be/h2tY82z3xXU

In the last chapter of "Till Death Do Us Part" a woman meets and quickly marries a man. He promises her a new life, but soon after the wedding she goes missing. It will take years of investigative and legal work to bring her killer to justice.  Sources: "Till Death Do Us Part: True Stories of Newlywed Murder Cases" by JJ Slate, RJ Parker Publishing, 2015.  "Father's Quest for Justice Ends" by Tom Long for The Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 13, 1989.  People v. Crew, Supreme Court of California, August 25, 2003.  Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

A bride sees many red flags in her relationship before walking down the aisle, but her fear of angering her fiancee would compel her to go through with the ceremony. Within hours, that decision would become fatal. #domestic violence #coercive control Resources: "Murder-Suicide claims Indiana doctor, nurse on wedding night, police say", by Janet DiGiamcomo for CNN, Oct.. 9, 2014.  "Indiana Doctor Kills His Wife and Himself on Wedding Night" by Steve Helling for People.com, Oct. 8 2014.  Court Records, US District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Trustgard Insurance vs. Old National Wealth Management, Filed 2/24/17.  Links: The Council on Domestic Abuse, Terre Haute - www.codaterrehaute.org To be connected with domestic violence and intimate partner violence organizations and resources in the U.S. you can go to thehotline.org, in the UK at womensAID.org.uk, in Australia 1800respect.org.au, and for an international directory go to hotpeachpages.net. Relationship Red Flags: Does your partner: Yell, b

A new bride decides she's made a mistake in tying the knot. The decision she makes in order to end the marriage will be a shocking act of cruelty.  Resources:  "A Murder in Glacier Park" by Justin Franz for The Flathead Beacon, Dec 17, 2013 "Newlywed Cliff Death" by Ryan Owens for ABC News, Sept 11, 2013 "Glacier Park Murder: Friends warned Kalispell man not to marry" by Alice Miller for The Missoulian, Sept 11, 2013 "Montana's Jordan Graham Case" by Crime Watch Daily. Uploaded by True Crime Daily on YouTube.com, March 16, 2020. 

In this series, I'll share cases of newlyweds whose lives were cut short by the person who vowed to love them forever.   In this first case, a young bride is unaware that her new spouse married her to collect on a $1 million dollar life insurance policy.   Resources: 'The Other Woman' Testifies in Newlywed Murder, CBS Miami 4, March 25, 2014.  Several articles on Wendy Trapaga murder case from CBS Miami 4 online.  Till Death Do Us Part: A Collection of Newlywed Murder Cases by JJ Slate, RJ Parker Publishing, 2015.   Links: Watch MurderMurderNews here.  GoodPods -  Get Goodpods here.  Search for Motive for Murder and add a question in the discussion tab. Then join me for an exclusive discussion with the host of Motive for Murder, Josh Mankiewicz on June 4th!  You can follow me on GoodPods at @estherlu.  

This is Part 2 of "The Pelley Murders". In this episode I'll tell you about Jeff Pelley's trial, theories of the murders, and give you a strange and compelling story about who else may have been responsible for the murders of Bob Pelley and his family.  Resources: The Prom Night Murders: The True Story of a Twenty Year Mystery by Carlton Smith, St. Martin’s Press, 2009 “A trail of broken promises, debt and death” by Peter Franceschina for The News-Press, Oct 6, 1991.   “Cold case unsolved: Fort Myers developer Clarence Eric Dawson shot, found buried on Estero property 30 years ago” by Michael Braun, The News-Press, Nov 23, 2018   "Case Study: 17-year-old murderer, 20-minute timeframe, circumstantial evidence, normal behaviour, maintains innocence...Jeff Pelley Convicted for 160 Years", on Reddit.com - r/serialpodcast. 

A 17-year-old is suspected in the murder of four of his family members because he was forbidden from attending his prom. Was this a case of a homicidal teen or a rush to judgement?   Resources: The Prom Night Murders: The True Story of a Twenty-Year Mystery by Carlton Smith, St. Martin's Press, 2009 "Inconsistent with the Laws of Nature" by Mark Gribben for The Malefactor's Register   Links: Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime YouTube: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG Website: www.truecrimepodcast.com Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime: https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime

In this series, "Last Dance", I share stories of crimes that happened on prom night.  In the first episode, a teenager commits an act of parricide then attends his prom and holds a party at the crime scene.  Resources: Adam Sapikowski - crime and trial reported by WRAL.com over several articles - https://www.wral.com/news/local/asset_gallery/1066030/ "Adam Sapikowski Sentenced" - ABC 11 News, Feb 8, 2008. Links: Facebook Fan Page: https://bit.ly/2VuSgtM YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG

An abusive stepfather gets his comeuppance when his stepsons turn on him resulting in a grisly murder.  Resources: "Joshua and Jerome Ellis guilty of stepfather killing", BBC News, Feb 26, 2014.  "Kids Who Kill: Responsible Child inspired by the true story of two young brothers who stabbed their stepfather", Graeme Culliford for The Sun, Dec 17, 2019.   Links: Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime - Listen here: https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime Subscribe to our YouTube channel! https://bit.ly/2UDxhEG  Once Upon a Crime Facebook Fan Page: https://bit.ly/2VuSgtM 

A child, unwanted from birth and neglected by her birth parents, is hopeful that her new stepmother will love her like a daughter. It is not to be and her story will become a cautionary tale in the U.K. of how the child protective system spectacularly failed Lauren Wright.  Resources: "Tragic tale of a child unwanted from the day of her birth" by Terri Judd for The Independent, Oct 2, 2001.  "A Life of Abuse and Neglect" by Paul Kelso for The Guardian, Oct 1, 2001.  A series of articles in BBC News - "Doctor examine girl before death", Sept 5, 2001; "Stepmother 'loved Lauren'", Sept 20, 'Mum punched Lauren' says son", Sept 25; "Lauren inquiry demanded", "A lifetime of abuse" - all Oct 1, 2001.  Links: To listen and subscribe to "Let's Taco 'Bout True Crime" : https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/lets-taco-bout-true-crime Once Upon a Crime Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730325570622505/