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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Esther Ludlow

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1 Creator

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1 Creator

Step into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Hosted by an expert storyteller, Esther Ludlow, each episode unravels the mysteries behind notorious crimes, exploring the lives of victims, perpetrators, and the intricate details of the investigations that followed. With carefully researched narratives, thematic series, and thoughtful insights, Once Upon A Crime offers listeners a captivating blend of suspense, history, and human psychology. Whether you're a seasoned true-crime fan or just curious about the stories that shaped headlines, Once Upon A Crime promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.
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Top 10 Once Upon A Crime | True Crime Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Once Upon A Crime | True Crime episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Once Upon A Crime | True Crime 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 Once Upon A Crime | True Crime episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Episode 230: Revenge Attacks: Sophie Elliott

Episode 230: Revenge Attacks: Sophie Elliott

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

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02/08/22 • 42 min

A 22-year-old recent graduate of a New Zealand University breaks off a short-lived relationship. Her ex would take deadly revenge on her in one of the most horrific attacks ever perpetrated in the country’s recent history.

Resources:

“Own Evidence Seals Fate” by John Hartevelt for Stuff.co.nz, July 23, 2009.

“Success accompanied by stress: Weatherston” by Kay Sinclair for the Otago Daily Times, July 9, 2009.

“The Day Sophie Died: A Mother’s Untold Story” by Lesley Elliott for NzHerald.co.nz, Jun 10, 2011.

“A Decade On: Sophie Elliott’s Family Remembers Her” by Kelley Dennett for NZHerald.co.nz, Jan 5, 2018.

“Provocation defence ‘made killer a victim”, NZ Herald, July 22, 2009.

“Sophie’s beauty not targeted court told” by Kay Sinclair for Otago Daily Times, July 14, 2009

“An examination he didn’t pass”, Otago Daily Times, July 23, 2009

“Provocation defence abolished”, Otago Daily Times, Nov 27, 2009.

Links:

CrimeCon UK - www.crimecon.co.uk - use discount code ONCEUPON22 for 10% off your registration.

More about the Show:

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or using this link: https://bit.ly/OnceUponACrimePodcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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4 Listeners

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Colleen Stan - The Girl in the Box, Part 2

Colleen Stan - The Girl in the Box, Part 2

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

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01/23/24 • 44 min

In 1977, a young woman kidnapped by a married couple while hitchhiking is taken to their home and imprisoned for the next seven years. During this time the woman is subjected to depraved torture, sensory deprivation, and sexual abuse. Deep and pervasive brainwashing and coercive control make it less and less likely she will ever escape, despite one of her captors eventually telling her the terrible truth which could facilitate her breaking free. Resources: True Crime Documentary: The Girl in the Box - YouTube The 'Girl In The Box' Case And The Tragic Story Of Colleen Stan (allthatsinteresting.com) Colleen Stan Was Kidnapped and Kept in a Box for 7 Years - A&E True Crime (aetv.com) Girl in the Box Speaks: How I Survived My Seven-Year Ordeal (people.com) Cameron Hooker & Wife Janice Today: Where Are They Now? (heavy.com) PEOPLE v. HOOKER (1988) | FindLaw Perfect Victim, Christine McGuire & Carla Norton, Arbor House/William Morrow Publishers, 1988. Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime Our website - www.truecrimepodcast.com For information on the Once Upon a Crime/Generation Why Meetup in San Jose, California go to https://www.facebook.com/events/758402692774634.
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3 Listeners

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Manipulated to Murder: Pamela Smart

Manipulated to Murder: Pamela Smart

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

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04/22/24 • 40 min

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 television. It was the very first time a murder trial in the U.S. received “gavel-to-gavel” coverage on a newly launched cable television channel dedicated to true crime content - Court TV. Sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20150215233410/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/smart/1.html https://www.nhmagazine.com/breaking-silence-cecelia-pierce-speaks/ “Do you remember Pamela Smart? She got four boys to kill her husband 29 years ago. Now, they’re free. She isn’t,” Manuel Roig-Franzi for The Washington Post, Jan 15, 2019. Links: Travel with me! Click on the link to take a 2-minute survey to help me plan our first adventure! https://trovatrip.com/host/profiles/esther--fr746
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2 Listeners

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Colleen Stan - The Girl in the Box, Part 1

Colleen Stan - The Girl in the Box, Part 1

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

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01/16/24 • 47 min

In this first part of a 3-part episode, I share an infamous kidnapping case that began in 1977 in northern California. The kidnapping of Colleen Stan become famously, and chillingly, known as “The Girl in the Box” case. It’s an incredible story of unprecedented evil but also one of faith, strength, and the courage of a young girl to survive a horrific nightmare at the hands of the worst kind of predator. Sources: True Crime Documentary: The Girl in the Box - YouTube The 'Girl In The Box' Case And The Tragic Story Of Colleen Stan (allthatsinteresting.com) Colleen Stan Was Kidnapped and Kept in a Box for 7 Years - A&E True Crime (aetv.com) Girl in the Box Speaks: How I Survived My Seven-Year Ordeal (people.com) PEOPLE v. HOOKER (1988) | FindLaw Perfect Victim, Christine McGuire & Carla Norton, Arbor House/William Morrow Publishers, 1988. Links: February Meetup with Generation Why - https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/p/upcoming-events/ Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
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2 Listeners

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Royal Murders, Scandals, and Secrets: Mad King Eric
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02/27/24 • 37 min

In history, there have been several monarchs known as “Mad Kings” - monarchs who were plagued by erratic and even violent behavior often attributed to mental illness. King Eric the XIV of Sweden is one such ruler. While intellectually brilliant, King Eric suffered from extreme paranoia, which led to erratic, violent, and even murderous behavior. Sources: Disturbed Facts About Eric XIV Of Sweden, The Butcher King - Factinate Eric XIV, King of Sweden, Britannica.com https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erik-XIV Karin Mansdotter, wikipedia.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_Månsdotter

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2 Listeners

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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 Fanning, Berkley Books, 2016. See No Evil: Who killed Laura Ackerson and where are they now? ID’s See No Evil: Who killed Laura Ackerson and where are they now? (sportskeeda.com) Amanda Hayes: Deadly Women - https://deadlywomen.fandom.com/wiki/Amanda_Hayes

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Episode 281: Dead Woman Walking: Christa Pike

Episode 281: Dead Woman Walking: Christa Pike

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

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05/01/23 • 49 min

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Episode 265: Holidays in Hell: The Richmond New Year’s Murder Spree
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11/29/22 • 42 min

For many people around the world, ringing in the new year brings with it the promise of new hope, a fresh start, and renewed possibilities. But each year of Ricky Javon Gray’s short life brought only violence, brutality, and death ending in a shocking murder spree over New Year’s weekend 2006.

Sources:

“The Visitors” by Melissa Scott Sinclair for Style Weekly, October 20, 2010. https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-visitors/Content?oid=1381013

“Man convicted of grisly murders of Virginia couple, daughters” Associated Press, August 17, 2006.

“String of Slayings Shatters Richmond” by Carol Morello for The Washington Post, Jan 15, 2006.

“Gray v. Commonwealth”, Supreme Court of Virginia, Decided June 8, 2007. Retrieved from FindLaw.com.

“Cold Blooded” on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck1M87CT1Tk

“Lawyers describe childhood abuse as ‘sexual slavery’ as they argue Ricky Gray should be spared from death” by Gary A. Harki for PilotOnline.com, Dec 13, 2016.

“Ricky Gray’s execution took more than 30 minutes. His attorneys want to know why” by Rachel Weiner for The Washington Post, Jan 19, 2017.

“Virginia Becomes First Southern State to Abolish the Death Penalty” by Samantha O’Connell, AmericanBar.org, March 21, 2021.

Sponsors:

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Love Triangles: A Deadly Affair - Candy Montgomery
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07/24/23 • 91 min

In this week’s episode, Lorena joins me to discuss another true crime that resulted from a love triangle. Betty Gore was brutally murdered with an axe in the summer of 1980 in her small town of Wylie, Texas. The community would initially be terrified that a psychotic axe murderer was on the loose. But the reality would shock them even more when it was discovered a respected and well-liked member of the local church choir had wielded the axe, killing Betty Gore with 41 whacks. This is the case of “A Deadly Affair: Candy Montgomery.” Resources Cited: Candy (2022) - A Hulu Original Show - https://www.hulu.com/series/candy-2ce80ed9-7ab6-44de-8434-f7dadb6ec11b Love and Death (2023) - Love and Death can be streamed on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. Movie: A Killing in a Small Town (1990) People Magazine Investigates: Candy and Betty - https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/video/people-magazine-investigates-investigation-discovery/candy-and-betty Book: Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs (reprinted 2016), by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson, Open Road Media. Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast

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Once Upon A Crime | True Crime - Manipulated to Murder: Darin Schilmiller

Manipulated to Murder: Darin Schilmiller

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

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04/29/24 • 23 min

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FAQ

How many episodes does Once Upon A Crime | True Crime have?

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime currently has 517 episodes available.

What topics does Once Upon A Crime | True Crime cover?

The podcast is about True Crime, History, Criminology, Podcasts, Truecrime and Crime.

What is the most popular episode on Once Upon A Crime | True Crime?

The episode title 'Episode 230: Revenge Attacks: Sophie Elliott' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Once Upon A Crime | True Crime?

The average episode length on Once Upon A Crime | True Crime is 45 minutes.

How often are episodes of Once Upon A Crime | True Crime released?

Episodes of Once Upon A Crime | True Crime are typically released every 6 days, 8 hours.

When was the first episode of Once Upon A Crime | True Crime?

The first episode of Once Upon A Crime | True Crime was released on Jun 9, 2016.

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