Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

In the summer of 1984, a young woman kidnapped in Northern California finally makes her escape after seven years of violence, torture, imprisonment, and coercive control. While free from the physical restraints of her horrific experience, the emotional battle is just beginning.  The investigation and legal battles unfold while the victim, Colleen Stan, attempts to rebuild her life.  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:  Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

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/onceu

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

As we wrap up 2023, I ask the question, “What was your true crime obsession this year?”  In this episode, I’ll find out what true crime cases your favorite true crime podcasters were talking about.   You’ll hear my discussions with Tyler from Minds of Madness, Michael from True Crime Guys, Leroy from Excuse Me, That’s Illegal, Jerri from FBI Retired Case File Review, and Eric, from True Consequences.   I’ll also share the most exciting milestones and events for Once Upon a Crime in 2023 and tell you about the true crime stories I was most obsessed with this year.  Go to our YouTube Channel to watch the video chats of these discussions, or join our Patreon to get the uncut versions.  You’ll learn more about me and my guests as we go “off-topic.”   Links:  Once Upon a Crime on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/onceuponacrimepodcast Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OnceUponACrime Our website: www.truecrimepodcast.com Our Guests’ links:  Tyler - Minds of Madness https://mindsofmadnesspodcast.c

In 1958, 19-year-old Starkweather went on a killing spree that shocked the nation. He took his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril, with him.   The story of that crime spree has become a legend in true crime history, and Starkweather and Fugate have been portrayed as villains on par with Bonnie and Clyde.  In this episode, I revisit this case by speaking with best-selling true crime author Harry MacLean.  His new book Starkweather: The Untold Story of the Killing Spree That Changed America takes a comprehensive look at this case and comes to some new conclusions about Caril Fugate’s guilt or innocence in the murders.   Links:  To learn more about Harry MacLean and purchase his books, visit www.harrymaclean.com. To watch “In Broad Daylight” - https://youtu.be/Q_A3N75uV-4?si=BkK5oN_z9FpIYaxL

In this month’s episodes, I’ll wrap up 2023 by discovering what listeners, podcasters, and other true crime experts list as their “true crime obsessions” this year.  This week, I’m privileged to talk to veteran true crime journalist, correspondent, podcaster, and celebrity Erin Moriarty.  Erin has been a correspondent for 48 Hours on CBS Television for over three decades. Her award-winning true crime podcast My Life of Crime has returned for season four. I’ll talk with Erin about her life as a true crime reporter, the cases she’s covering on the podcast this season, and learn her true crime obsession(s) in 2023! Links:  “My Life of Crime with Eric Moriarty: A 48 Hours Original Podcast” - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/erin-moriarty-my-life-of-crime-48-hours-podcast/ “48 Hours on CBS” - https://www.cbsnews.com/48-hours/ Once Upon a Crime on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/onceuponacrimepodcast

A missing person’s case in Columbus, Ohio, grows cold.  It seemed that what happened to 20-year-old Ashley Howley would remain a mystery until a psychic medium connected with the spirit of the missing girl.  Did Ashley Howley return from beyond to solve her own murder?  Resources: A Vision of Murder: Professional Psychic Medium, Shelly Stewart-Soldan, The Citizen Online, Oct 9, 2023.  Missing woman’s family left to wait, The Columbus Dispatch, April 5, 2008. Metro Detroit psychic says she communicates with the dead, Gus Burns, mLive.com, April 14, 2014. www.Kristyrobinett.com  Restless Souls, Season 1-Ep 1, Investigation Discovery Channel, April 14, 2014.  Ashley Lyn Howley, Porchlight USA, June 11, 2007  Man Pleads Guilty to 3 Slayings, 10TV.com, July 22, 2008.  Tipster in killing portrayed as out to avoid prosecution, The Columbus Dispatch, July 27, 2008.  Triple killer gets life without parole, The Columbus Dispatch, July 22, 2008. Offender Detail: Robert MacMichael II, Ohio Department of Rehabi

The family of a missing man turns to a psychic in a desperate attempt to locate him.  Rosemarie Kerr’s psychic predictions as to the fate of Andre Daigle would prove to be so accurate that she was later called to testify at his murder trial.   Resources:  “A Mysterious Murder and a Psychic Detective,” JournalOnline, March 19, 2022, https://journal.com.ph/a-mysterious-murder-and-a-psychic-detective/ State v. Horne, Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit, Dec. 13, 1989 https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914c06eadd7b049347b3be4 “Cypress Psychic Tells Court of Helping to Solve Murder,” The Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7, 1988.  Rosemarie Kerr: Touching Into the Other Side of Light, Blog by Rosemarie Kerr, November 7, 2006.  Links: Become a Patreon member today - https://www.patreon.com/OnceUponACrime Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC17PL60EqRV7DcDdgLC3YTQ

Two ten-year-old girls went missing in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England in 2002.  After one of the most extensive searches in British criminal history, one of the girls’ parents consults a psychic in a desperate attempt to find them.  When the perpetrator is identified, Dennis McKenzie’s predictions about what happened to the girls will be eerily accurate.  Resources: Soham Murders, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soham_murders “I’m the Soham Psychic” - https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/135069/I-m-the-Soham-psychic Ian Huntley: Faking It: Tears of a Crime, www.YouTube.com  Being the Soham Psychic: The Man Who Talks to the Other Side, Dennis McKenzie, Hachette Books UK, 2009.  Links: Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

Theresa Cross Knor was jealous, controlling, and abusive to her partners and children. After murdering one husband and getting away with it, her children became her next targets.  She would make her children complicit in the murders of two of their siblings and would almost get away with murder again. Resources:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresa_Knorr Theresa Knorr: The Mother Who Burned Her Daughter Alive, from The Lineup, May 9, 2019 Theresa Knorr: Murderpedia Mother’s Day, Denis McDougal, Ballentine Books, 1995.  Links: Website: www.truecrimepodcast.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

..1 eerie corn maze... ...9 haunting figures... ...9 spine-tingling tales... ...Will YOU find your way out? This holiday season, step into a labyrinth of shadows and suspense with Shane Waters as your guide. In this chilling collaboration, you'll encounter the hosts of 9 acclaimed true crime podcasts, each offering a dark tale and a life lesson to send shivers down your spine. This is not just a special episode; it's an immersive journey through a maze of twisted paths and unsolved mysteries. So, lift your lantern high and venture into 'Maze of Secrets'... ...but be warned... ...not everyone makes it to the end… Prepare to get lost in the stories, but find yourself in their lessons. It's an odyssey of crime, mystery, and eerie life lessons that you won't soon forget. This is Shane’s 5th holiday collaboration. If you dare to walk this twisted path with us, you're in for a night you'll never forget. Are you ready? Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance: Frightful (https://www.itsfrightful.org/) M

This week I’m continuing the series “A Family Affair,” detailing cases of a parent involving their children in murder plots.  This time a mother and daughter team up to murder family members for financial profit and to rid themselves of the “burden” of caring for them.  This is the case of Diane and Rachel Staudte aka “The Antifreeze Murders”.  Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special bonus! I interviewed Laurah Norton, friend, and fellow podcaster, about her new book “Lay Them to Rest: On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless,” just released by Hachette Publishing. If you purchase “Lay Them to Rest” by October 17th, 2023, at 20% off the publisher’s price, use code LAYTHEMTOREST.  www.hachettebookgroup.com Resources:  “I Forgive Mom For What She Did…” The Springfield New-Leader, Springfield, Missouri, Jan 22, 2016. “20/20 Will Feature Diane Staudte…”, The Springfield New-Leader, Springfield, Missouri, Feb 25, 2022. “How Diane and Rachel Staudte Killed Their Famil

In this month’s series “A Family Affair,” I’ll share cases in which children are manipulated into involvement in criminal offenses - even murder - at the direction of a parent. First up, lust and greed spur a man to manipulate his 14-year-old daughter into committing murder.  Later, when facing a lengthy prison sentence, loyalty to her father causes Cinnamon Brown to keep her father’s secret…at first.  Resources: The Real Murders of Orange County: Stolen Youth, Season 3, Episode 9, July 21, 2023, Oxygen Network.  https://www.oxygen.com/the-real-murders-of-orange-county/season-3/episode-9/stolen-youth -  If You Really Loved Me, author Ann Rule, Simon and Schuster Books, 1991.  “An Almost Perfect Murder”, Los Angeles Times, August 19, 1990.  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-19-vw-3027-story.html - lots of details “The Tragic Story of Cinnamon Brown” All That’s Interesting,  May 17, 2023.   https://allthatsinteresting.com/cinnamon-brown “Girl in Brown Family Slaying Case Paroled After 8 Y

A 19-year-old college student dies as a result of a fraternity hazing incident at Pennsylvania State University in 2017. It will result in the largest criminal indictment of a fraternity in American history.  RESOURCE LINKS:  “Penn State is Still Keeping Secrets on Frat Row” - https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/penn-state-drinking/5a74f2a3f1cdb375f62d5ddd “What Happened the Night of Beta Theta Pi’s Bid Acceptance Night” -  https://onwardstate.com/2017/05/05/what-happened-the-night-of-beta-theta-pis-bid-acceptance-night/ “How a Fatal Frat Hazing Became Penn State’s Latest Campus Crisis” - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/penn-state-fraternity-hazing-death Death of Tim Piazza - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Tim_Piazza Pennsylvania State University Grand Jury Report on the Hazing Death of Tim Piazza - Released from the Court of Common Pleas, Centre County, Pennsylvania, December 15, 2017. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4329784-Grandjury-Report.html Links:  Once Upon a Crim

In this month’s series, I detail crimes that happened on school campuses. In 1996, a 14-year-old walked into his 8th-grade math class and opened fire.  This early school shooting would shock his community and spark a nationwide debate about violence in the media, school bullying, mental health, and gun control.  But what was the real reason Barry Loukaitis brought terror to his classroom?  Sources:  State v. Loukaitis, Appeal from the Superior Court for Grant County, Decided July 2, 1996.  https://casetext.com/case/state-v-loukaitis Teacher Tells Court Of Classroom Horror Witness Describes Negotiating With An Armed Loukaitis, Finally Subduing Him, The Spokesman-Review, Sept. 5, 1997.  https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/sep/05/teacher-tells-court-of-classroom-horror-witness/ A teacher and two students die in shooting rampage at Frontier Junior High School in Moses Lake on February 2, 1996, HistoryLink.org, 2/7/2020 https://www.historylink.org/File/20965 Full letter from Jon Lane, the teacher who ta

LIVE FROM U.K. Tune in to this special bonus episode. We're pleased to offer you this special episode in collaboration with the amazing and very popular true crime podcast Minds of Madness!  Esther and Tyler co-host this episode to unravel the mysteries surrounding this gruesome case from the U.K. Links:  https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s7-ep287-the-long-con-the-murder-of-mee-kuen-chong/  https://mindsofmadnesspodcast.com/listen/

In this month’s series, I detail crimes that happened on school campuses. In this episode,  A 14-year-old high school student commits a horrific act of rape and murder in a school bathroom.  Was Philip Chism mentally ill, as his defense would later claim, or was he faking it to get away with murder?  Sources:  https://allthatsinteresting.com/philip-chism https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2015/12/17/12-questions-about-the-philip-chism-trial-answered/ https://www.masslive.com/politics/2013/09/gov_deval_patrick_signs_law_to.html https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-chism-6 https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/philip-chism-colleen-ritzer-murder-sentencing-danvers-high-school-teacher-victim-impact-statements/ Links:  Once Upon a Crime on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, ad-free episodes, and members-only perks! www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

In this week’s episode, a successful, young entrepreneur gains a large following on Instagram by sharing her photos and videos of her life’s milestones over the years. Alexis Sharkey’s followers only saw the best times - fun with friends, professional achievements, and glamorous trips.  But, in 2020, her life quickly took a dark turn hidden behind the idyllic images posted on social media.  Sources:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10066217/Husband-influencer-killed-year-dead-gunshot-wound-head.html  https://www.newsweek.com/alexis-sharkey-husband-thomas-death-suicide-evade-houston-1636540 https://www.thedailybeast.com/instagram-influencer-alexis-sharkey-found-dead-along-houston-road  https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/alexis-sharkey-update-husband-found-dead-florida/285-2dd1fce8-6d0c-4930-8bee-7ace18141e65  https://abc13.com/alexis-sharkey-tom-houston-instagram-influencer-death/11100357/ -  Exploring the Truth About Alexis Sharkey's Final Days Before Her Death - E! Online - CA (eonli

This week, I’ll tell you about a rising singing star who began her career on YouTube before making it to Hollywood to compete on a nationally televised talent show.  Christina Grimmie had a bright future ahead of her as an entertainer in 2016 when an obsessed fan cut her career short with an unprovoked act of violence.   Resources:  The cold-blooded murder of Christina Grimmie was Orlando's most tragic and shocking crime ... for about 26 hours (orlandoweekly.com)  Christina Grimmie Murdered At Concert - Selena, Ariana & More React To Orlando Shooting (DHR) - YouTube Kevin Loibl: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com Singer Christina Grimmie was shot to death. Now, her family supports others impacted by gun violence | The Independent Links:  The Christina Grimmie Foundation - www.christinagrimmiefoundation.org Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

This month I’ll be detailing true crime cases that involved rising stars who made names for themselves in social media.  In this first episode, a young comedian boasts almost a million followers on TikTok alone.  But Ali Abulaban’s out-of-control jealousy and possessiveness will lead to a double murder charge instead of internet stardom.  Resources:  https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/tiktok-star-accused-of-double-murder-speaks-to-fox-5-from-jail/ https://lionessrue.medium.com/the-tiktok-star-freaked-out-after-finding-his-wife-with-another-man-then-shed-blood-a07408ad3716 https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/double-murder-suspect-killed-his-wife-da/2762676/ https://hollywoodunlocked.com/influencer-murders-wife-friend-after-spying-on-them-with-daughters-ipad/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/11/17/tiktok-stars-ali-ana-abulaban-seemed-perfect-hes-accused-murder/8623432002/ Links:  Once Upon a Crime Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime