The Philadelphia Arsenic Ring Episode 181 takes us down a dark road of spiritualism and witchcraft, of an elaborate web that led to an estimated 200 deaths by various means, including arsenic poisoning. And two executions. And twelve lifesentences. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-histo…

The Murder Of Mary Phagan Episode 183 tells of one of the most infamous cases of an innocent man wrongly accused. When a teenage factory girl is found dead in the basement of an Atlanta pencil manufacturer, blame falls on the mild-mannered Jewish superintendent of the plant, and the jury takes the word of a drunken janitor. It’ll take 70 years for …

The Rosier Affair, Part Two Episodie 190 finishes up the melodramatic tale of Catherine Rosier as she goes on trial for her life. Get out the smelling salts and tissues, folks, there's a lot of swooning and fainting about to take place, not to mention the flying accusations and indelicate revelations. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podc…

The Willow Love Triangle Murder Plot Episode 184 takes us into Pennsylvania Dutch territory, where two local farmers are found murdered in the woods a month apart. Although not related, the second murder sparks intense local interest, especially when the farmer’s wife is discovered in a salacious love affair. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of t…

The Inept Executioner of Wise County Episode 254 has a different format than usual. I was perusing an old True Detective Magazine and found a story written from the point of view of the hangman of Wise County, Virginia, telling the stories of the five men whose heads he put in nooses. It was an interesting story, but something wasn’t quite right ab…

The Rosier Affair, Part One Episode 189 is the first part of a story so twisted, snarled, and sensational that we broke it down into two episodes because one show couldn't hold all the drama. It starts out looking like another love triangle gone awry, but.... Well, hang on. It's a bumpy one. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https…

The Mysterious Murder Of Dr. William H. Wilson Episode 216 comes not only with a mysterious poisoning, but a side dish of “illegal operations.” Either it’s a devilishly clever plot, or perhaps the police didn’t really give it their all, considering the scandalous nature of Dr. Wilson’s practice. Ad-free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: h…

Vivian Gordon’s Final Caper Though the body was found in the Bronx, Episode 228 is a dark, twisting ride to the seedy side of Broadway near the end of Prohibition, with a heavy dose of family drama swirling around a tale teeming with underworld villainy and police corruption. There were plenty of people with a motive to murder Vivian Gordon. Was it…

Episode 221 explores how some bits of cardboard, a moonstone ring, and a dog that couldn't bark solved a riddle in the lonely swamp. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.By Pulpular Media

The Teenage Sex & Murder Club Episode 220 takes us to Tucson, Arizona in the 1960s, when police find a charismatic young man responsible for the disappearance of three teenage girls as the leader of a bizarre little party cult. But even when the murder cases are closed, the exciting story continues to include a daring prison break and a deadly pris…

Evelyn Ramadka, Queen Of The Chicago Vampires Episode 225 at first seems like a run-of-the-mill burglary case, a good girl gone bad, until we start getting to know the defendant as the story takes careen plot turns, compounded by the sensational press coverage--and a mysterious surprise ending. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: ht…

The Trial Of The Rev. Ephriam Kingsbury Avery Episode 24 takes place 60 years before Lizzie Borden put the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, on the murder map. The body of Sarah Maria Cornell, a 30-year-old mill worker, was found hanging from a haystack pole in the nearby town of Tiverton, just across the Rhode Island border. The first coroner's j…

Murder And Arson At Brandywine Springs Park Episode 448 is a sad and sordid tale of a passionate frenzy, when a young woman’s divided attention puts one man in a rage and leaves another to grieve. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.…

The Lawrence/Foster/Disbrow Affair Episode 423 delves into a love triangle gone awry. When two sides of the triangle, including an expert swimmer and sailor, are found drowned dead in a Long Island bay, suspicion immediately falls upon the third, even though the coroner declares the whole thing an accident. Culled from the historic pages of The New…

The Reily Mattock Murder Episode 198 is centered on one of my favorite murder tropes, the so-called “eternal triangle,” between the cranky old farmer, his fading wife, and the handsome young farmhand. Yeah, that’s not going to end well, but they might have gotten away with it if they had just put the body across the tracks. It’s all in the details.…

The Real ‘Chicago’ Murders Episode 352 explores the two murders that inspired the hit musical “Chicago,” which was based on a play by Maurine Watkins, who did some reporting on both cases as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. I’ll be joined by my colleague Susan Ferman, whose own podcast Catastrophic Calamities, will premiere next week on the Pulp…

The Trial Of Rattlesnake James, The Red-Headed Bluebeard Episode 192 gets a bit epic, but it’s the story that keeps on giving, with two botched murders and moral charges to boot, and things go from crazy to crazier when they bring a pair of rattlers named Lethal and Lightning into the courtroom. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.sprea…