Hard Times and True Crimes
Darlene Hildreth and Melody Gwyn
Listen to two Southern, Christian women tell each other historical true crime stories.
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Top 10 Hard Times and True Crimes Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Hard Times and True Crimes episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Hard Times and True Crimes for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Hard Times and True Crimes episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
95.Caril Ann Fugate: Hostage or Accomplice? The Truth Behind the Starkweather Murder Spree
Hard Times and True Crimes
03/12/25 • 79 min
Episode Summary:
This week, we’re diving into one of the most notorious crime sprees in American history—the 1958 murder rampage of Charlie Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.
Was Caril Ann Fugate a hostage or an accomplice?
Did she have chances to escape, or was she trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t control?
We’ll walk you through the murders, the trial, and the fallout that still lingers decades later.
📌 In This Episode:
✔️ Charlie Starkweather’s dark obsession with violence
✔️ The role Caril Ann Fugate played—victim or killer?
✔️ A terrifying week in Nebraska that shook the nation
✔️The arrest and Trials
✔️ Caril’s life after prison—and her final fight for a pardon
🍽️ Historical Food Feature: Runza – Nebraska’s Iconic Sandwich
This week, we’re talking about Runza, the beloved Nebraska sandwich that’s been around for over a century! This warm, stuffed bread filled with seasoned beef, cabbage, and onions has deep German-Russian roots and is a staple in the Midwest. We’ll explore how this dish became a Nebraska classic—and why it’s the perfect comfort food for cold winters (or true crime binge sessions).
📢 Call to Action – We Want to Hear From You!
What do you think about Caril Ann Fugate’s role in the Starkweather murders? Was she truly a hostage, or was she more involved than she claimed?
And have you ever had a Runza sandwich? If so, tell us about it!
👉 Join the conversation on Instagram & our Facebook group!
👉 Leave a 5 start rating and review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify – it helps us grow!
👉 Share this episode with your true crime-loving friends!
📚 Sources & Further Reading:
•Pro Bono: The Defense of Caril Ann Fugate by Jeff McArthur
•Starkweather by Harry MacLean
•Newspapers.com (archival newspaper reports)
•Findagrave.com (historical records & memorials)
•History Nebraska Archives
•Lincoln Journal Star - Friends of Murdered Teens Wonder What Might Have Been
•Wikipedia: Charles Starkweather
•Wikipedia: Caril Ann Fugate
•Criminal Broads Podcast
🎶 Credits & Acknowledgments
🎵 Music by: Isaiah Hildreth
🎙️ Hosted by: Darlene Hildreth & Melody Gwyn
🔊 Narration by: Curtis Hildreth
✍️ Written & Researched by:Darlene Hildreth
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Hard Times and True Crimes Trailer
Hard Times and True Crimes
11/18/22 • 1 min
A podcast featuring stories of lawlessness and hard times throughout history.
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93. The Gaffney Strangler: Murder, Mystery and Sweet Potato Pone in South Carolina
Hard Times and True Crimes
02/26/25 • 42 min
🔊 Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
🎼 Music by: Isaiah Hildreth
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take you back to Gaffney, South Carolina, a small Southern town known for its peaches, its mill-town roots... and one of the most chilling murder sprees in state history. Between 1967 and 1968, the community was terrorized by a man who became known as The Gaffney Strangler—Lee Roy Martin.
Martin preyed on girls and young women, leaving behind a trail of fear and devastation. But his capture? That’s a Southern story all on its own. And today, we’re not just telling you the story of the man who held an entire town hostage in fear—we’re also diving into a classic Southern dish that’s as much a part of Gaffney’s history as this dark chapter.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
🔎 The chilling details of the Gaffney, South Carolina Strangler’s reign of terror
🚨 How a mysterious phone call led police to his victims
⚖️ How Lee Roy Martin was finally caught—and how justice found him in the end
🍠 A classic Southern recipe from Gaffney that ties into the story
💀 How food, culture, and crime intertwine in the South
Featured Southern Recipe:
👨🍳 Sweet Potato Pone – A Dish With a Story
We’re pairing this case with Sweet Potato Pone, a recipe with deep roots in Gaffney’s culture. Just like the town itself, this dish carries a mix of comfort and history, with a little bit of mystery cooked right in.
Sweet Potato Pone Recipe
📝 Ingredients:
- 2 cups grated sweet potatoes
- 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
- 1⁄4 cup white sugar
- 1⁄2 cup molasses
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1⁄2 tsp nutmeg
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 1⁄2 cup melted butter
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
👨🍳 Instructions:
1️⃣ Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a baking dish.
2️⃣ In a large bowl, mix together grated sweet potatoes, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
3️⃣ Stir in melted butter, beaten eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well until fully combined.
4️⃣ Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
5️⃣ Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is set.
6️⃣ Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm!
Resources & References:
📖 Historical articles from The Gaffney Ledger
📰 Newspaper reports from The Greenville News
🔍 FBI & Law Enforcement Case Records
🎙 Listener stories & local legends
📰 Newspapers.com
🪦 FindAGrave.com
🎧 World Wide True Crime Podcast
🎧 Crackhouse Chronicles Podcast
📚 Palmetto Predators book
🩸 SerialKillerCalendar.com
📖 Historical articles from The Gaffney Ledger
📰 Newspaper reports from The Greenville News
🔍 FBI & Law Enforcement Case Records
🎙 Listener stories & local legends
Join the Conversation:
💬 What do you think about this case? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook group or email us @ [email protected]
📩 Got a case you’d like us to cover? Email us at [email protected]
⭐️ Love the show? Leave us a 5-star rating and a review—it helps us grow and bring more true crime stories to you!
🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherev
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58. The Martyrdom of John and Betty Stam
Hard Times and True Crimes
05/01/24 • 63 min
In December 1934, a young missionary couple, John and Betty Stam, were beheaded by Communist soldiers in Anhui Province along with a Chinese Christian brother named Chang Shushing. Listen to their story here.
Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Music: Sherry White
Sources:
By Life or By Death: The Life and Legacy of John and Betty Stam
By Andrew Montonera
newspapers.com
findagrave.com
Christianfocus.com https://www.christianfocus.com/blog/2014/12/08/triumph-through-tragedy-the-martyrdom
Wheaton College Archives https://fromthevault.wheaton.edu/2019/12/03/stam-baby-safe-remembering-john-and-betty-stam/
https://omf.org/us/the-martyrdom-of-john-and-betty-stam/
Asia Harvest https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/anhui/1934-john-betty-stam
The Voice of the Martyrs
https://gfamissions.org/john-and-betty-stam/
About Hudson Taylor, the Founder of China Inlet Missions
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/missionaries/hudson-taylor.html
https://document.desiringgod.org/a-camaraderie-of-confidence-en.pdf?ts=1462481152
About the Opium Wars and Christianity in China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlZpo580bA8
https://www.asiaharvest.org/100-years-of-communism-in-china-we-reveal-the-hero-of-the-centuryhttps://ir.vanderbilt.edu/bitstream/handle/1803/9478/Guan%2C%20T%20HHT.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/bible_in_transmission/files/2012_winter/BiT_Winter_2012_Sneller.pdfhttps://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/hong-kong-and-the-opium-wars/#:~:text=Hong%20Kong%20became%20a%20British,wishes%20of%20the%20Chinese%20government.
About Christianity in China Today
https://www.billionbibles.com/china/three-self-patriotic-movement.html
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30. Who Would Want Patricia Dead?
Hard Times and True Crimes
09/20/23 • 64 min
When a house fire in Pleasant Garden, NC is determined to have been started by arson, and a resident is found inside dead from a gunshot, the sheriff's department has its work cut out for it. Friends, family, and fellow church members of Patricia Blakely Kimble begin to point fingers and demand answers. None can believe that anyone would want to hurt the devout Christian woman who was kind to all and had no enemies. So who could have done this and why?
Narrator: Tim Gwyn
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
Chandler-Willis, Lynn. Unholy Covenant: A True Story of Murder in North Carolina. Omaha, Addicus Books, 2000.
http://newspapers.com (with articles from the Greensboro News and Record)
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7. Lana Turner - A Real Life Tragedy
Hard Times and True Crimes
02/02/23 • 58 min
One of Hollywood's golden girls, Lana Turner, lived a life that could have been a movie itself. Unfortunately the life of a movie star is not always as glamorous as it is portrayed. By the time she realized she was involved with a known gangster, it was too late. The arguments, the threats, and the abuse eventually led to murder.
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5. Velma Barfield / Death Row Granny Pt.2
Hard Times and True Crimes
01/05/23 • 49 min
Velma Barfield had America torn between justice and mercy. Was she a repentant murderer or an unrelenting master-manipulator?
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1. Lawson Family Christmas Day Murders
Hard Times and True Crimes
12/22/22 • 64 min
In 1929 Charlie Lawson, a North Carolina tobacco farmer, promised his family a special Christmas surprise. No one could ever have imagined the horror he had planned.
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96. A True Crime Mystery Solved: The Murders of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen Doyle
Hard Times and True Crimes
03/19/25 • 62 min
In this gripping episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we uncover the hauntingly intertwined stories of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen Doyle - two women connected by tragedy and a ruthless predator who evaded justice for decades.
We begin with Aundria’s heartbreaking journey: a young girl adopted into what seemed like a loving family, only to face unimaginable abuse and betrayal. Her disappearance in 1989 was dismissed as a runaway case, but her birth mother, Cathy Terkanian, never stopped searching.
This episode also explores Kathleen Doyle’s case, a young Navy wife brutally murdered in her home in Norfolk, Virginia in 1980, while her husband was deployed. For 40 years, her case remained unsolved until advancements in DNA technology caught up with the evidence in the case, revealing her killer.
Narrator: Curtis Hildreth
Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth
Sources:
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, docuseries, Netflix, 9/12/2024.
Atavist Magazine: The Girl in the Picture https://magazine.atavist.com/the-girl-in-the-picture-aundria-bowman-dennis-murder-michigan-cold-case/
Newspaper archives and police reports https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?date=1980&keyword=Doyle%2C+kathleen®ion=us-va
Soul Asylum: Runaway Train video (does not contain Aundria’s photo) https://youtu.be/NRtvqT_wMeY?si=HdU0f0zzLt5wOBQC
Justice for Aundria M Bowman Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/JusticeForAundriaMBowman
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20.Who Took The Lindbergh Baby?
Hard Times and True Crimes
07/06/23 • 73 min
One evening in 1932, a baby was taken from his crib as he slept. The child was Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of the infamous Atlantic crossing aviator, Charles Lindbergh. The crime became an instant sensational case. When several ransom notes are received through various channels, investigators are kept on their toes, chasing every lead no matter how outlandish it may be. One man is finally apprehended, tried, and convicted for the crime and yet many today believe he was innocent. And that is why this "solved" case remains a mystery in the eyes of the public.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Hard Times and True Crimes have?
Hard Times and True Crimes currently has 102 episodes available.
What topics does Hard Times and True Crimes cover?
The podcast is about True Crime, History, Podcasts and True Crime Podcast.
What is the most popular episode on Hard Times and True Crimes?
The episode title '35. Lizzie Borden Took An Axe' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Hard Times and True Crimes?
The average episode length on Hard Times and True Crimes is 52 minutes.
How often are episodes of Hard Times and True Crimes released?
Episodes of Hard Times and True Crimes are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.
When was the first episode of Hard Times and True Crimes?
The first episode of Hard Times and True Crimes was released on Nov 18, 2022.
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