It's Crime Time
Emily Fisher
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Top 10 It's Crime Time Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best It's Crime Time episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to It's Crime Time 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 It's Crime Time episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
S02E21: The Solved Cold Case of Gretchen Harrington
It's Crime Time
10/14/23 • 28 min
On August 15, 1975, 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington set out alone to walk to the Trinity Christian Reformed Church for vacation bible school which was only 3/4 of a mile from her home in the suburb of Broomall in Pennsylvania when she was kidnapped. 2 months later, her body was found in Ridley Creek State Park 2 1/2 miles from where she was last seen. She had been the victim of a homicide with her cause of death being blunt force injuries to her head. Her murderer eluded police for almost 50 years, until 2023 when he was finally caught.
Sources:
The Philadelphia Inquirer (2023)
Books
Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kindapping, Murder, and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia by Joanne Falcone Sullivan and Mike Mathis (2022)
Audio
S02E15: Coercive Control: The Devastating Murders of Hannah Clarke and Her Three Children
It's Crime Time
07/12/23 • 67 min
A kind and beautiful, Hannah Clarke, met former New Zealand Rugby player, Rowan Baxter, in 2008 when she was just 19-years-old and he, 30-years old. The pair fell in love and were married in 2012, and then came the arrival of their three beautiful children, Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey Baxter. Their relationship; however, was not a normal, loving relationship as Rowan had severe issues with verbally, mentally, emotionally, and even on a few occasions, physically abusing Hannah and the children. Rowan had to have control of every aspect of Hannah's life, and eventually, she became exhausted by this and decided to leave with the children, moving back into her parents' home but fearing Rowan was going to eventually end up killing her. She had even asked her mom how to obtain a will and told her friends "I know in my heart he's going to kill me."
On February 19, 2020, Rowan enacted a devastating plan to end the lives of Hannah, his three children, and himself on a suburban street in Queensland, Australia.
Sources:
Queensland Courts (Coroners Court of Queensland Findings of Inquest)
Hannah Clarke's Brother Speaks about her murder (ABC News Video)
Audio
Episode 29: Listener Requests
It's Crime Time
10/19/20 • 42 min
Episode 23: Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard
It's Crime Time
06/08/20 • 25 min
Episode 28: The Murders of Conner and Brinley Snyder
It's Crime Time
08/17/20 • 22 min
This case had relatively widespread social media coverage by those believing it was a sad suicide story, but the truth has come out. On September 23, 2019 at 4:30 PM, dispatchers were called to a home at 2442 Route 143 Kempton, Albany Township, Berks county, Pennsylvania by Lisa Snyder. A mother who says her son, Conner Seth Snyder, age 8, committed suicide by hanging himself with a dog lead from the rafter of their basement after telling her he wanted to build a fort with the new dog lead she had purchased. She claimed he was severely bullied in school and kept saying he wanted to die, but did not want to go alone, so, there hanging with him was his little 4-year-old sister, Brinley Louise Snyder, on the same dog lead.
First responders responded to the 9-1-1 call about 11 minutes later, to find that Lisa claimed she had only briefly tried to get Brinley down from the lead but became sweaty due to her anxiety. The children passed away 3 days later on September 26, 2019. A large police investigation ensued, as this case was shady from the beginning, and on December 2, 2019, Lisa Snyder was finally arrested. She remains in prison while awaiting sentencing to see if she will receive the death penalty. There was no evidence suggesting Conner had ever been bullied.
Sources:
Egan, Leigh. (2019, December 3). Full affidavit of mother accused of hanging her children in basement, having sex with family dog. https://www.crimeonline.com/2019/12/03/read-full-affidavit-of-mother-accused-of-hanging-her-children-in-basement-having-sex-with-family-dog/ Chiu, Allyson. (2019, December 3). A mother said her children, 8 and 4, hanged themselves. She’s now been charged with their murders. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/03/lisa-rachelle-snyder-murder-conner-brinley-hanging/ Schroeder, Laurie & Lehman, Pamela. (2019, December 2) Conner and Brinley Snyder: Happy children who were not bullied, DA says after mom charged in their deaths. https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-berks-hanging-who-were-conner-brinley-20191202-ztyyw7pm6zhltmv7yitlkn2upi-story.html Harris, Chris. (2019, December 2). Pa. Mom Accused of Hanging Kids, Staging Murder-Suicide Allegedly Fabricated That Son Was Bullied. https://people.com/crime/pennsylvania-mom-accused-hanging-kids-fabricated-son-bullied/ Schroeder, Laurie, & Lehman, Pamela, & Gamiz, Manuel. (2019, December 2). 'It hits us in the heart’: Pennsylvania mom charged with murder, accused of hanging her children. https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-berks-child-deaths-arrest-20191202-n3awtpbfgjaqtoh3lk4pyqlcjy-story.html The Associated Press. Penn Live (2020, June 30) Mom accused of killing kids found hanging in Pa. home says she can’t afford lawyer. https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/06/mom-accused-of-killing-kids-found-hanging-in-pa-home-says-she-cant-afford-lawyer.html
Audio:
CrimeOnline-9-1-1 Dispatch: https://soundcloud.com/user-815495581/berks-county-children-911-call
Press Conference 6ABC Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btWRIY4hKfg
08/03/20 • 22 min
On August 10, 2019, Scott Whitman returned to his Crawford County, Pennsylvania home sometime after 10 P.M. from his shift as a CNA at a local retirement home to see his wife and son. When he arrived, he noticed the home was dark and his wife's silver Lincoln MKS was missing from the driveway. Where would his wife and their 10-year-old son go at such a late hour, he thought. Upon entering the home, expecting to find a note from Shannon telling him where they had gone, as Darrin was borrowing his phone to view YouTube videos, he instead found the bodies of his wife and son on the sun room floor, both had been shot in the head. The murderer had been the one to steal the Lincoln, as well. Scott's son, Jack Elijah Turner became the main suspect, especially since he was on the run and had been seen with his deceased step-mother's stolen Lincoln on video surveillance as he robbed a Kwik Fill gas station in Mill Creek. A four day manhunt ensued until Jack missed a Greyhound bus in Charleston, West Virginia that was to take him back to Erie, Pennsylvania. Sources: Nikki. (2019, October 23). "I didn't kill my family," Jack Elijah Turner wrote on Facebook after probably killing his family. Retrieved from: https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Scanlan, Dan. (2019, August 14). Double Homicide suspect seen in St. Johns county is Caught in West Virginia. Retrieved from: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190814/double-homicide-suspect-seen-in-st-johns-county-is-caught-in-west-virginia Gushard, Keith. (2019, October 8). FULL STORY: Turner charged with killing stepmother, half-brother. Retrieved from: https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/full-story-turner-charged-with-killing-stepmother-half-brother/article_9b7d5d18-e960-11e9-aa8d-bf695b692ddf.html Your Erie. (2020, February 17). Commonwealth seeks death penalty in Crawford county double homicide. Retrieved from: https://www.yourerie.com/news/breaking-news/notice-of-aggravating-circumstances-filed-against-jack-turner-in-double-homicide-case-notice-tells-turner-commonwealth-seeks-death-penalty-if-found-guilty/ Heavy. (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/ Crowley, Mike. (2019, November 2). FULL STORY: Turner headed to trial on double homicide, other charges. https://truecrimesociety.com/2019/10/23/i-didnt-kill-my-family-jack-elijah-turner-wrote-on-facebook-after-probably-killing-his-family/ Hahn, Tim. (2019, October 7). Crawford Man Charged in Double Homicide. https://www.goerie.com/news/20191007/crawford-man-charged-in-double-homicide
Episode 24: The Murder of Tia Rigg
It's Crime Time
06/15/20 • 20 min
Episode 25: The Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church Poisoning
It's Crime Time
07/01/20 • 19 min
On April 27, 2003, 27 members of a 50 member church congregation at the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine gathered for a meeting to discuss the purchase of a new furnace for the church. While at the meeting, 16 members drank coffee from one of two urns holding coffee for the congregation. These 16 members ended up being treated for severe vomiting at two hospitals, one member, named Walter Reid Morrill passed away at the age of 78 due to this illness. Upon investigation, police determined one of the urns holding coffee had been poisoned with extreme levels of arsenic.
To this day, the case is closed due to police believing they knew who had done it, but the town is divided in whether the case should reopen and find the accomplices or remain closed and let bygones be bygones.
sources:
Imhoff, Frank. (2006, April 21). Case Closed on Lutheran Church arsenic poisoning in Maine. Retrieved from: https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7127
WGME. (2018, April 27). Special Report: New Sweden Arsenic poisonings. Retrieved from: https://wgme.com/news/local/special-report-new-sweden-arsenic-poisonings
Murderpedia. Daniel Bondeson. Retrieved from: https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bondeson-daniel.htm
Sharp, David. (2008, June 15). In Maine, pains linger for arsenic poisoning survivors. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-15-adna-arsenic15-story.html
Zernike, Kate. (2003, May 1). Arsenic Poisoning at Church Mystifies a Maine Town. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/01/us/arsenic-poisoning-at-church-mystifies-a-maine-town.html
Robinson, Bryan. (2006, January 7). Church Poisoning May Never Be Solved. Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96750&page=1
Episode 22: The Unsolved Hinterkaifeck and Setagaya Murders
It's Crime Time
05/25/20 • 38 min
This episode features two cases that occurred 78 years apart, yet are eerily similar and both remain unsolved. First, the tale of the Hinterkaifeck murders which occurred on March 31, 1922. Five members of the Gruber family along with their maid, Maria Baumgartner, were brutally slain with a Mattock. Before this, strange happenings began occurring on the Hinterkaifeck farm even as far back as six months before the murders. Investigators believe the murderer may have been living in the family's home up until the murders and then shortly after. These murders remain unsolved 98 years later.
On December 31, 2000, all four members of the Miyazawa family were murdered in their home. The youngest at just six years old was strangled and the remaining members brutally stabbed. There were strange events leading up to the murders, a plethora of obvious DNA and evidence, and the murderer even remained in the home for hours after the murders. yet these murders still remain unsolved 20 years later.
Sources:
The Scare Chamber. The Unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders. Retrieved from: https://www.thescarechamber.com/the-unsolved-hinterkaifeck-murders/
Vatomsky, Sonya. (2017, August 31). The Chilling Story of the Hinterkaifeck Killings, Germany’s Most Famous Unsolved Crime. Retrieved from: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502044/chilling-story-hinterkaifeck-killings-germanys-most-famous-unsolved-crime
Serena, Katie. (2017, November 13). The Gruesome Tale of the Unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders. Retrieved from: https://allthatsinteresting.com/hinterkaifeck-murders
De Sturler, Alice. (2014, May 1). Case of the Month: Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from: https://defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/
Unresolved. The Setagaya Murders. Retrieved from: https://unresolved.me/the-setagaya-murders
02/29/20 • 25 min
On February 4, 2010, Joseph and Summer McStay, as well as their two toddler sons, Joseph, Jr. and Gianni vanished from their home. Nine days after they went missing, it was reported to police, as people realized that they had not simply went on vacation. Joseph's vehicle was found left at the United States Mexico border, and the scene in their home looked as if they were taken in the middle of a normal day as popcorn had been spilled on the couch, and a carton of raw eggs had been left on the counter. The family's remains were finally found in a shallow grave in the desert on November 13, 2013 by a passing motorcyclist. It was determined that the family had died from blunt force trauma. Joseph's friend and business partner, Charles "Chase" Ray Merritt was arrested in November of 2014 when his DNA had been found in the family's vehicle. He had bludgeoned the family to death with a sledgehammer and buried them in the desert, all for financial gain as he had a gambling addiction. Chase Merritt was sentenced to death finally 10 years after the crime in January 2020.
Note: I'm not sure what was wrong with my microphone, but throughout the episode it would get crackly and I tried my best to re-record and edit the segments. :( Sorry!!
Sources :
Crime Museum. (2017). McStay Family. Retrieved from: https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/cold-cases/mcstay-family/
Figueroa, Teri. (2019, May 28). The missing McStay family: A timeline of the disappearance, investigation, discovery, and trial. Retrieved from: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2019-05-28/the-missingmcstay-family-a-timeline-of-the-disappearance-investigation-discovery-and-trial
AP & Reuters. (2015, January 25). McStay home revealed what led police to believe they had been murdered. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2926153/Half-eaten-bowls-popcorn-couch-packed-suitcases-bedroom-Court-docs-reveal-scene-McStay-family-home-led-police-believe-d-kidnapped-murdered.html
Payne, Will. (2014, January 4). EXCLUSIVE: McStay family husband feared his wife was POISONING him before they disappeared and were found dead in desert, claims explosive new book. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533474/EXCLUSIVE-McStay-family-husband-feared-wife-POISONING-disappeared-dead-desert-claims-explosive-new-book.html
Videos: Law & Crime: McStay Family Murder-Sentencing-Charles Merritt Gives His Statement and Sentencing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o81HVaKYhz8
Law & Crime: McStay Family Murder-Sentencing-Victim Impact Statements Continue, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5GC4UjU-Co&t=1785s
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FAQ
How many episodes does It's Crime Time have?
It's Crime Time currently has 96 episodes available.
What topics does It's Crime Time cover?
The podcast is about True Crime and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on It's Crime Time?
The episode title 'Episode 29: Listener Requests' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on It's Crime Time?
The average episode length on It's Crime Time is 26 minutes.
How often are episodes of It's Crime Time released?
Episodes of It's Crime Time are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of It's Crime Time?
The first episode of It's Crime Time was released on Nov 15, 2019.
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