Best Once Upon A Murder A True Crime Podcast Podcasts (2024)

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S8: Best of Once Upon a Crime: O.J. Simpson 25:40

1h ago25:40

25:40

We’re wrapping up Season 8 on the way to Once Upon a Crime’s 9th birthday! We’re sharing six of our “Best Of” Episodes from the archives to celebrate eight years of true crime podcasting. First up, you’ll hear a clip from one of our most popular episodes released as discussions with everyone’s favorite co-host, my sister, Yolanda. We’ll break down …

1
S1 E12: Once Upon an Annihilator 1:11:33

4d ago1:11:33

1:11:33

What do you get when you have a true crime podcaster as a guest on our show? You get a fabulous in-depth discussion with Esther Ludlow of the podcast "Once Upon a Crime"! Sonya interviews friend and fellow podcaster Esther Ludlow, who launched her podcast "Once Upon a Crime" in 2016. Her love for storytelling, combined with her interest in true cri…

1
S8 Ep320: Manipulated to Murder: Darin Schilmiller 24:42

8d ago24:42

24:42

In the last chapter of the series “Manipulated to Murder,” I’ll share a story about a predator who hid behind a false identity to manipulate young and impressionable teens into committing the senseless murder of a vulnerable young woman. Sources: https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2024/011124-Schilmiller.html https://s3.documentcloud.org/documen…

1
S1 E11: Wake of Devastation 1:28:29

11d ago1:28:29

1:28:29

Behavioral aspects are the topics to this abstract case and what we have all wondered about when it comes to James Arthur Pearson. What makes a person tick so that can kill his wife and two daughters and then go on to reinvent himself multiple times thereafter? Sonya interviews Clark Williams, a retired social worker who has turned his skills and e…

1
S8 Ep319: Manipulated to Murder: Pamela Smart 42:23

13d ago42:23

42:23

Pamela Smart became a household name - not for being the next Barbara Walters as she’d hoped but for orchestrating the cold-blooded murder of her husband - using her teenage lover as the trigger man. The case became a media sensation when it hit the news cycle in 1990. It was such a high-profile case that millions watched the trial unfold live on t…

1
S1 E10: Portrayed as an Ogre 46:57

18d ago46:57

46:57

What was Pearson doing after he was convicted and incarcerated? Sonya and Marek discuss in great detail the information of what happened when James Arthur Pearson was trying to get paroled. (Unthinkable right?) We go over in detail the several suitability hearings Pearson had that spanned almost 10 years and how those hearings played out with the B…

1
S8 Ep318: Manipulated to Murder: Hilma Marie Witte 38:22

22d ago38:22

38:22

In this month’s series, we’ll look at people who were manipulated into committing murder. First up, we’ll take a look at a case where a mother pressures her child to kill his father. That fact alone would make this story truly horrible but it was not the last murder Marie Witte orchestrated. The next one would be as cold-hearted as it was gruesome.…

1
S1 E9: Broken Golf Clubs & Broken Dreams 1:03:33

25d ago1:03:33

1:03:33

Sonya had met and interviewed Retired Santa Clara Police Captain Wayne Britt who was on the front end of the case as it unfolded in March of 1969. Wayne along with Don Sessions, Harry Burns who worked tirelessly to investigate the case and start canvassing the area for clues. He was also present during the autopsy of the three Pearson women. We are…

1
S8: The Bishop and the Butterfly. A conversation with author Michael Wolraich. 44:36

29d ago44:36

44:36

In this special bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, I speak with Michael Wolraich, the author of a new true crime book, The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age. In 1931, Vivian Gordon’s body was found in a gully in the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park. She’d been brutally strangled, her body dumped. The investigation in…

1
S1 E8: James, Albert & George - The Families and the Aftermath 1:14:21

1M ago1:14:21

1:14:21

This episode travels into the timeline where Pearson spent time in Cedar City, Utah from the early 70s and then makes his way to Biloxi Mississippi after abducting his 11 month old son. We speak to family members that we're on the front lines of all of Pearson's lies and deceit and learn more about who he was acting as a "family man" and how he was…

1
S1 E7: Little Bones 52:12

1M ago52:12

52:12

We recap our interviews with former district attorney, George Kennedy, and retired Detective Sergeant Monty Macer and we will go over some highlights that we discussed in our previous episode. We also have the honor give shout outs to the heroes in this story from the investigation that spanned almost 10 years to the prosecution. We answer listener…

1
Once Upon a Time in the Hollywood Hills 1:01:47

1M ago1:01:47

1:01:47

43-year-old David Mahler was an east coast lawyer who came to Los Angeles to live the celebrity lifestyle. He had an interest in the entertainment industry, women, and drugs. After moving into an exclusive home in the Hollywood Hills, Mahler was introduced to the dark side of Hollywood, spending his time with drug users, porn stars, and fame seeker…

1
S8 Ep317: Tarnished Hollywood: The Tragic Life and Bizarre Death of Lloyd Avery II 30:32

1M ago30:32

30:32

In this final episode of “Tarnished Hollywood,” I’ll share a story about a promising young actor who ran afoul of the law. His decision to immerse himself in gang culture at the expense of an acting career would lead to a life sentence in a prison cell and a brutal and bizarre end to his life at the age of 36. Sources: https://chicagodefender.com/h…

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Death Sentence: The Murder of Ruth Pelke & the Punishment of Paula Cooper (ad free) 1:29:07

1M ago1:29:07

1:29:07

On a weekday afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, fifteen-year-old Paula Cooper stabbed 78-year-old Ruth Pelke to death. In a city with a history of racism, Ruth was a white, beloved bible teacher who refused to move out of her overwhelmingly black neighborhood. When Paula and her friends showed up at Ruth’s door that day asking about bible studies,…

1
S1 E6: No Remorse 1:30:04

2M ago1:30:04

1:30:04

In episode 6 we are exploring what did Pearson say at the trial… We have an interview with Retired Santa Clara County District Attorney George Kennedy as he recalls many concerning and disturbing elements about this case. BONUS: Listen the recorded interview with Sonya Paz and Retired Detective Sergeant Monte Macer of his accounts of transporting P…

1
S8 Ep316: Tarnished Hollywood: Grant and Amanda Hayes and the Murder of Laura Ackerson 45:35

2M ago45:35

45:35

Amanda Hayes, an actress known for roles on The Sopranos and The Stepford Wives, was convicted of conspiring with her husband, Grant Hayes, to murder Laura Ackerson, his ex-wife and mother of his two children. The murder and its cover-up would be one of the most grisly crimes investigators had ever encountered. Sources: Bitter Remains, author Diane…

1
S1 E5: Excited Utterance 48:50

2M ago48:50

48:50

Moving into episode 5, Pearson has been extradited from Biloxi Mississippi to Santa Clara, California and we are exploring the detailed timeline for his preliminary trial. We will discuss the witnesses and the key players involved in this preliminary trial. Testimony from the main witnesses including the coroner, the family dentist, the FBI agent a…

1
The Sherri Papini Kidnapping Hoax 47:28

2M ago47:28

47:28

On Nov 2, 2016, 34-year-old Sherri Papini was jogging near her home in Redding, CA. She was apparently kidnapped sometime between 11am and 2pm. When her husband Keith came home from work that afternoon, she wasn’t home and hadn’t picked up their two children. Keith located her phone by using the find my iphone app. It was about a mile from their ho…

1
S8 Ep315: Tarnished Hollywood: Danny Masterson 44:24

2M ago44:24

44:24

Danny Masterson is an American actor best known for his role in That 70’s Show. In 2020, he was charged with raping three women in 2001 and 2003. Masterson and his victims were all members of the Church of Scientology. The church’s policies and threats toward the victims caused a 20-year delay in bringing the crimes to justice. Sources: A Timeline …

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The Dr. & Mrs. Kauffman (ad free) 1:31:28

2M ago1:31:28

1:31:28

April Kauffman didn’t have an easy life growing up. When she was just seventeen, she gave birth to her daughter Kim and set out to make a better life for them both. April raised her daughter in a loving home despite an early split from Kim’s father. She earned her cosmetology license and worked as a hairdresser and as a model. April was fun, energe…

1
S8: Mysteries on the True Crime Express 1:29:04

2M ago1:29:04

1:29:04

...1 historic steam train... ...9 exceptional true crime podcasts... ...9 tales woven with the spirit of Women's Day... ...Will YOU unravel the mysteries aboard? This International Women's Day, join Shane Waters and Wendy Cee on an unprecedented journey through the heart of England to Crimecon UK in London. Mysteries on the True Crime Express is no…

1
S1 E4: Garden of Eden 47:33

2M ago47:33

47:33

We dive in deep to the series of events after Pearson was identified at a Mississippi post office and transported back to California for his trial. Through court documents we reveal details and learn from Pearson himself what happened that day in 1969 along with his aliases and families in Utah and Biloxi. This episode includes a summary of a 27 pa…

1
S8 Ep314: The Palace with guest Gareth Russell 46:31

2M ago46:31

46:31

In this special episode, I speak with author Gareth Russell. His new book, The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court, gives us a look at the storied history of what is called the most beautiful palace in England. But, behind the walls of Hampton Court, true tales of intrigue, sex scandals, assassinat…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Once Upon A Murder A True Crime Podcast

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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Once Upon a Crime

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1
True Crime Brewery Premium

Tiegrabber Podcasts

1
Investigated - The Pearson Family Murders

Sonya Paz

1
Adventures of Inspector Maigret

Humphrey Camardella Productions

1
Beyond Blood

No Money Productions

1
S8: Best of Once Upon a Crime: O.J. Simpson 25:40

1
S1 E12: Once Upon an Annihilator 1:11:33

1
S8 Ep320: Manipulated to Murder: Darin Schilmiller 24:42

1
S1 E11: Wake of Devastation 1:28:29

1
S8 Ep319: Manipulated to Murder: Pamela Smart 42:23

1
S1 E10: Portrayed as an Ogre 46:57

1
S8 Ep318: Manipulated to Murder: Hilma Marie Witte 38:22

1
S1 E9: Broken Golf Clubs & Broken Dreams 1:03:33

1
S8: The Bishop and the Butterfly. A conversation with author Michael Wolraich. 44:36

1
S1 E8: James, Albert & George - The Families and the Aftermath 1:14:21

1
S1 E7: Little Bones 52:12

1
Once Upon a Time in the Hollywood Hills 1:01:47

1
S8 Ep317: Tarnished Hollywood: The Tragic Life and Bizarre Death of Lloyd Avery II 30:32

1
Death Sentence: The Murder of Ruth Pelke & the Punishment of Paula Cooper (ad free) 1:29:07

1
S1 E6: No Remorse 1:30:04

1
S8 Ep316: Tarnished Hollywood: Grant and Amanda Hayes and the Murder of Laura Ackerson 45:35

1
S1 E5: Excited Utterance 48:50

1
The Sherri Papini Kidnapping Hoax 47:28

1
S8 Ep315: Tarnished Hollywood: Danny Masterson 44:24

1
The Dr. & Mrs. Kauffman (ad free) 1:31:28

1
S8: Mysteries on the True Crime Express 1:29:04

1
S1 E4: Garden of Eden 47:33

1
S8 Ep314: The Palace with guest Gareth Russell 46:31

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