118: The Lululemon Murder & A Woman in a Trunk

Explicit content warning

04/22/20 • 85 min

2 Listeners

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!
Mary Scott Castle was hot, rich, and well connected. But when she met a 21-year-old Porter Charlton, she was down on her luck. She’d just gotten divorced, and she’d blown her reputation to bits by shooting a man in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. But when Mary and Porter locked eyes, it was love at first sight. They got married a month later, and took off for a romantic European honeymoon. There was just one problem. Porter wasn’t so stable himself.
Then Brandi tells us about a horrific attack in a Lululemon store. It was March of 2011. Coworkers Brittany Norwood and Jayna Murray had just left the Lululemon Athletica store in Bethesda, Maryland, when Brittany realized that she’d left her wallet in the store. When she called Jayna to tell her what she’d done, Jayna was accommodating. She told Brittany she’d meet her back at the store. The pain re-entered the store, leaving the door unlocked behind them.
And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Lady in the lake” by Mara Bovsun The Daily News.
“The Murder of the Beautiful and Accomplished Mrs. Edith Woodhill, 1909,” written by Thomas Duke in 1910, posted to historicalcrimedetective.com
“Charlton Must go to Italy for Trial,” The Evening Times-Republican, June 10, 1913
“May Ask Wilson to Save Slayer,” The Washington Herald , June 11, 1913
“True Detective Tales: What is Justice? Murder at Romantic Como,” by Peter Levins for the Pittsburg Sun-Telegraph, April 24, 1940
“‘On Trial’ -- Omaha Boy in Spotlight,” The Omaha Sunday Bee, October 17, 1915
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Brittany Norwood” episode Snapped
“‘The Yoga Store Murder: The Shocking True Account of the Lululemon Athletica Killing’ by Dan Morse” by Daniel Stashower, The Washington Post
“Lululemon victim was alive through most of beating” by Andrea Noble, The Washington Times
“Brittany Norwood sentenced to life without parole” by Richard Reeve, WLJA 7 News
“Maryland Lululemon Store Gives ‘Love’ Memorial to Family of Woman Killed There” NBC4 Washington
“Lululemon Murder” wikipedia.org

Previous Episode

117: The Murder of Skylar Neese & Dr. Ossian Sweet

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!
This week, Brandi makes up for Kristin’s April Fool’s Day prank by *actually* covering the murder of Skylar Neese.
It was the summer of 2012, and Dave Neese was supposed to have lunch with his 16-year-old daughter, Skylar. But Skylar wasn’t anywhere to be found. Dave was annoyed. It wasn’t like Skylar to be so irresponsible. He called her, but got no answer. Hours passed. Skylar missed her shift at Wendy’s. Her co-workers were concerned. Skylar always showed up for work. At that point, Dave and Mary Neese called the police.
Then Kristin tells the story of Dr. Ossian Sweet. Brandi tried to tell this story for our Black History Month episode, but threw in the towel. (In case you couldn’t tell, this episode is a rough one!) In 1925, Dr. Ossian Sweet and his wife Gladys Sweet were ready to buy their first home. As a black couple, they faced incredible obstacles. Restrictive covenants barred people of color from buying houses in white neighborhoods. That spring and summer, mobs of white people harassed black families who moved into white neighborhoods. Despite their fears, the Sweets bought a house at 2905 Garland St, Detroit, Michigan, and prepared to defend their property.
And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“The Sweet Trials” famous-trials.com
“Ossian Sweet” wikipedia
“Sweet Trials: 1925-26” encyclopedia.com
The book, “We Return Fighting: The Civil Rights Movement in the Jazz Age” by Mark Robert Schneider
“Dr. Alexander Turner” by Mariel Watkins for the Black Bottom Archives
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Something Wicked” episode Dateline
“16-Year-Old Skylar Neese Was Stabbed To Death By Her Two Best Friends Because They Didn’t Like Her Anymore” by William DeLong, AllThatsInteresting.com
“From Best Friends to Killers: Teens Murder Friend Because They 'Didn't Like Her’” by Gail Deutsch and Alexa Valiente, ABC News
“Murder of Skylar Neese” wikipedia.org

Next Episode

119: Kate Middleton's Topless Photos & William Wallace

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!
William Wallace was on a wild goose chase. He’d been told to go to 25 Menlove Gardens East, in Liverpool, for a business meeting. But no matter how hard he tried, or how many people he asked for directions, he couldn’t find the address. Dejected, he headed back home. But when he got home, he couldn’t get in. He complained to his neighbors, then went to the back of his house to try his key again. This time, the door opened. He went inside to discover his wife, Julia had been beaten to death. Suspicions quickly turned to William. He seemed to be the only person with a motive, but he also had a strong alibi.
Then Kristin tells us about the summer of 2012, when the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and her husband Prince William went on vacation to Provence, France. They stayed at a friend’s house on a 640-acre estate. At one point, the couple went out on their balcony in their swimsuits. Kate took off her top, to get a little sun. The couple had every reason to think they were alone. Little did they know that half a mile away, members of the paparazzi were hiding out, snapping pictures of the couple via long range lenses.
And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“The Watershed Significance of Kate Middleton’s Topless Photo Lawsuit,” by Elise Taylor for Vogue.com
“Duchess of Cambridge topless photo case: Closer ordered by French court to pay 91,700 in damages,” by Maya Oppenheim for The Independent
“Kate Middleton Topless Photos: Duke and Duchess Reveal Anger at ‘Grotesque’ Invasion,” Huffington Post UK
“Kate Middleton Topless Photos Lawsuit Against French Magazine Ends in Payout For Royal Couple,” by Julia Glum for Newsweek
“Death of Diana, Princess of Wales,” Wikipedia
“The Princess and the Paparazzi: How Diana’s Death Changed the British Media,” by Kate Samuelson for Time Magazine
“Diana Sues Over Gym Photos,” BBC
“Court awards Duchess of Cambridge Damages Over Topless Photos,” by Kim Willsher for The Guardian
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“The Killing of Julia Wallace: An Impossible Murder” TheUnredacted.com
“The "Impossible" 1930s Murder That Still Fascinates Crime Writers” by Deanna Cioppa, Mental Floss
“The 'impossible' murder that rocked Liverpool and remains unsolved 80 years on” by Emilia Bona, The Liverpool Echo
“William Herbert Wallace” wikipedia.org