Fresh Hell Podcast

E144: Wilhelm Voigt - Der Hauptmann von Köpenick

In this episode Johanna tells Annie about Wilhelm Voigt, who in 1906 posed as a Prussian officer and looted a town treasury in Prussia. He will forever be remembered as the "Bogus Captain of Koepenick"!   Outro: Preußens Gloria by Johann Gottfried Piefke (1815–1884)

E143: The Fox Sisters (part II)

Today we finish our discussion on the Fox Sisters, their lives, loves and deaths, as well as how the new religion of spiritualism was shaped in New York's Western frontier. Were the sisters truly able to contact spirits on the side, or was it one of the greatest hoaxes of the Victorian era?

E142: The Fox Sisters (part I)

Today we discuss the Fox Sisters, two young mediums whose abilities to commune with the dead sparked the modern spiritualist movement in Western New York in the mid 1800s. Today we discuss their early history. Also discussed is the tragic death of Benjamin Pierce, and the shadow it cast upon his father, 14th President of the United States,  Franklin Pierce, and the Pierce presidency.

E141: MURDER - Anna Augustin

Johanna tells Annie about a lesser known, but shockingly tragic Austrian case-the brutal murder of Anna Augustin by Josefine Luner. A young woman learns that sometimes the darkest, most deprived minds are hiding behind mansion walls…

E140: The Kelly Hopkinsville Encounter

On a hot night in the summer of 1955, a family on a farm in rural Kentucky was terrorized by small, glowing, pointy eared creatures. Sometimes referred to as the Hopkinsville Goblins or the Kelly Green Men, Annie discusses the events of this harrowing close encounter.

E139: The Kidnapping of Frank Shirley

For many, Christmas is a special time to spend with loved ones. Making new memories preparing food, wrapping gifts, and festively decorating the home for the holidays.But for some, the pressure to host a perfect family Christmas celebration can push one to the breaking point. Frank Shirley was the unfortunate victim of such a man. Today we discuss his shocking kidnapping, the motives behind it, and the eventual resolution.   This episode is sponsored by www.bestfiends.com

E138: Marguerite de Carrouges (part II)

In the second and final part about Marguerite de Carrouges Annie and Johanna are telling you all about the infamous trial by combat that took place on 29. December 1386.

E137: Marguerite de Carrouges (Part I)

In the midst of the 100 years war a woman is determined to fight the men who wronged her, even if it could cost her her life. Annie is back and this week the both are telling you all about Marguerite and Jean de Carrouges.

E136: MURDER - Ulrich Nacken

A young man spends a fun night at a discotheque, but he will never return home alive again. What happens in this cold January night is a senseless crime and a more senseless death. Johanna tells you about the murder of Ulrich Nacken, that teaches us all a lesson in civil courage!

E135: MYSTERY - The Kentucky Rain Shower

One early March day in 1876 raw meat started to fall from the sky in rural Kentucky. What caused this incident? Was it a bad omen? And most importantly: Would you try to eat mystery meat that rained down on you?

E135: MYSTERY - The Kentucky Meat Shower

One early March day in 1876 raw meat started to fall from the sky in rural Kentucky. What caused this incident? Was it a bad omen? And most importantly: Would you try to eat mystery meat that rained down on you?

E134:MURDER - The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders part II

This week we are talking about the probable fate of Walter Collins, as well as the kidnapping of Lewis and Nelson Winslow and several other children, who are unfortunately unknown to this day. Responsible for their brutal murders is a man named Gordon Stewart Northcott

E133: MURDER - The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders (part I): Walter Collins

In part one we discuss the incredible story of a missing boy, Walter Collins, and what his mother, Christine suffered in her desperate attempts to find her son in 1920s Los Angeles.

E132: Halloween Special 2021

E131: MACABRE - Hey....What‘s that in the Bushes?!

In the penultimate episode of the most macabre month of the year, we’re talking monsters. Two of our favorite Cryptids, the Dover Demon of Massachusetts and the Jersey Devil of New Jersey are discussed.

E130: MACABRE - Cursed Objects

Spooky season continues, and today we discuss some of the most famous curses in history.  We talk about the history of India’s Koh-i-Noor diamond, the sacred site of Uluru, the car that ended James Dean’s life, and a deadly chair.   This episode is sponsored by Best Fiends: www.bestfiends.com

E129: MACABRE - Urban Legends

Today we’re talking about Urban Legends…the lies we tell for the thrill of a scare. Annie & Johanna share the creepiest, most hair raising tales of terror from around the world for the first episode in the spookiest month. So sit back, relax…and don’t forget to check the backseat!

E128: MURDER - Katharina Fellner

In the summer of 1928 workers find the burning body of a woman in a Viennese park. Who is the victim and who murdered her? And is this really an unsolved case? This week Johanna tells you the story of Katharina Fellner who was murdered at the Lainzer Tiergarten

E127: Jack the Snipper

In early 1917, the people of Wilkes-Barre, PA were terrified by a attacker who was stalking young women and cutting off locks of their hair. Fear turned to hysteria as young women and girls received terrifying letters warning them they would be next, their hair often cut at the scalp. Would police catch the person responsible for these bizarre and well planned attacks? Join us and we’ll tell you everything.

E126: MURDER - Mary Catherine Edwards

Mary Catherine Edwards was a beautiful, beloved second grade teacher. Her brutal murder in 1995 was devastating for her friends and family, and shocked her hometown Beaumont, Texas. The case was cold for 26 years until just recently, when a DNA match through an ancestry site gave detectives their first lead.    This episode is sponsored by Best Fiends: www.bestfiends.com

E125:MURDER - Grace Mae Brown

Grace Mae Brown was the bright beautiful daughter of a family who ran a dairy farm in South Otselic, NY. Today Annie tells us about her cold blooded murder in the beautiful Adirondacks, and the sensational trial that followed.    Outro: Arthur Collins "Bill Baley, Won't You Please Come Home?" (1902)

E124: MURDER - Pauline Picard

In the Spring of 1922, a family living on a picturesque farm in France was devastated when their lovely 2 year old daughter went missing one day, in broad daylight. A month later the grieving family had a visit from the police who came with a photograph and news that their daughter had been found in Cherbourg. Was this a miracle, or was there a much darker explanation? Johanna tells us the shocking story of Pauline Picard, and it’s one that’ll keep Annie up for a while.

E123: The Chowchilla Kidnapping (Part II)

Today Annie completes the story of the school bus full of children who were kidnapped, and buried alive in a remote area in California’s Alameda County.

E122: The Chowchilla Kidnapping (Part I.)

1976, Chowchilla, California: a school bus with 26 children and the driver on board just vanishes on a hot summer day. Annie tells us the story of the Chowchilla Kidnapping.   This episode is sponsored by Best Fiends: www.bestfiends.com

E121: Listeners' Stories

Today we read some of our favorite listener stories. These Hellions made us laugh and cry, and today we are sharing their stories with you!

E120: Humbug Billy & the Bradford Sweets Poisoning

Sugar can be a real killer, but usually not quite like this… We discuss the 1858 mass poisoning of more than 200 people in Bradford, England. The deadly consequences when an inert is accidentally replaced with arsenic, and the tragic aftermath.

E119: MURDER -Lieutenant Colonel Roos

Johanna tells Annie about the brutal murder of a retired army officer, that took place in Mönchengladbach in 1906. Once again gredd is the motive for a crime!

E118: MURDER - Evelyn Grace Hartley

Evelyn Grace Hartley was a 15 year old girl, who was abducted in 1953 while babysitting, in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Annie tells Johanna the details of this terrifying, baffling, still unsolved case.

E117: St. Stephen's Cathedral

We have a lot of differences, but we both love the beauty, art, architecture and macabre aspects that come when visiting a historic place of worship, and today Johanna tells Annie about the famous St. Stephen’s cathedral in Vienna. This magnificent building’s mosaic tile roof might first catch your eye, but join us as Johanna tells us the fascinating and macabre history of this architectural treasure.

E116: Reincarnation

Today we discuss two cases of Reincarnation that we find particularly compelling.A child in America with memories of his death as a navy pilot in World War 2 is discussed, as well as the story of a woman from the, UK who used hypnosis to help retrieve childhood memories, and track down the surviving children in Ireland she felt she abandoned, when she died in a past life.

E115: MURDER - Lucie Berlin

Johanna tells Annie about the devastating and infuriating murder of 8 year old Lucie Berlin. The trial was also notable, as some of the blood evidence presented in court was a first in the history of forensics

Bonus: Lady of the Dunes Follow Up feat Crimelines

We are back, this week with a bonus episode: Annie had the great pleasure to be a guest on Crimelines, True Crime. Charlie and Annie talk about the new developments in the mysterious case of the Lady of the Dunes. Will we soon learn the true identity of this unforgotten Jane Doe?

E114: MACABRE - The Afterlives of the Six Wives of Henry VIII.

We talked about their lives, and deaths. But what happened to Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr after their deaths? This week we talk about their funerals, or lack thereof, and the places they allegedly haunt. And did they, in fact, rest in peace?

E113: Travel the World with Fresh Hell

As some of you are starting to plan for future trips, we thought we could give you a few travel suggestions. From haunted hotels to the Door to Hell, we got you covered. This episode is sponsored by Best Fiends: www.bestfiends.com

E112: Kyu Sakamoto & Flight JL123

This week Johanna tells Annie all about a Japanese singer, who landed a smash hit all around the world with his first solo single, and also about his tragic death in the deadliest single aircraft accident, that caused the death of 520 people. Link to flight voice recorder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfh9-ogUgSQ

E111: Things That Make You Go HMMM

This week we take a look at some of the lighter spookier coincidences we know of.  Did Mark Twin predict his own death?  What are the coincidences between Lincoln & Kennedy? How does nature vs. nurture play a role in the story of the Jim Twins? Can Sir Anthony Hopkins please confirm a rumor about his role in the Girl From Peteovska, starring Goldie Hawn? We'll look at these coincidences and more in this episode, which is much lighter and chattier compared to our usual episodes. You've been wa...

E110: MYSTERY - The Beast of Gévaudan

This week Johanna tells Annie the story of the Beast of Gévaudan, who is thought to be responsible for over 100 deaths. But what, or who, was this creature that haunted the remote French region in the middle of the 18th century?

E110: MYSTERY - The Beast ofGévaudan

This week Johanna tells Annie the story of the Beast of Gévaudan, who is thought to be responsible for over 100 deaths. But what, or who, was this creature that haunted the remote French region in the middle of the 18th century?

E109:MURDER - Grayce Asquith

Known as the ‘Merry Widow of Weymouth,’ by the police who were occasionally called to end parties, Grayce Asquith was a woman who had survived a lot of loss, but had found happiness again, only to be brutally murdered and dismembered, at the age of 41.John Lyons, the man she intended to marry, was missing, and nowhere to be found... join us as we discuss the Murder of Grayce Asquith and the disappearance of John Lyons.

E108: MYSTERY - The Disappearance of Dorothy Arnold

This is considered to be the first high profile missing person case of the US. What happened to New York socialite Dorothy Arnold, who disappeared in December of 1910, after she bought a box of chocolate?   This episode is brought to you by Best Fiends: www.bestfiends.com

E107: The Disaster of Los Alfaques

E106: MURDER - Keddie Cabin 28/ The Sharp & Wingate Murders (part II)

This is part two of a two part episode covering the unsolved 1981 murders that rocked a small Northern California town, the former Keddie resort. Annie tells Johanna about Glenna Sue Sharp and her five kids. Their dream of starting a fresh life had come true, but they were only there for five months when they were the victims of unspeakable violence. Several family members and a family friend were brutally murdered. This week, we talk new evidence, confessions, theories and conspiracy theorie...

E105: MURDER - Keddie Cabin 28 / The Sharp & Wingate Murders(part I)

This is part one of a two part episode covering the unsolved 1981 murders that rocked a small Northern California town, the former Keddie resort. Annie tells Johanna about Sue Sharp and her five kids. Their dream of starting a fresh life had come true, but they were only there for five months when they were the victims of unspeakable violence. Several family members and a family friend were brutally murdered. Next week, we talk evidence, confessions, theories and conspiracy...

E104: MYSTERY - The Lighthouse keepers of Eilean Mòr

Johanna and Annie discuss the events surrounding the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on a desolate island off the windswept coast of Scotland. Was there a supernatural force at play, or a more pragmatic explanation? Join us as we discuss the theories and please share your own thoughts with us as we discuss this enduring mystery.

E103: Mathias Kneißl

Johanna tells Annie the story of Mathias Kneißl, a Bavarian folk legend from the 1800’s. How did this accordion playing carpenter become a killer, and wanted man? Did he manipulate the system, or was he a victim of it?

E102: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived - The Six Wives of Henry VIII.(part II)

In today's episode we are discussing the lives and deaths of wives 4, 5 & 6: Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr

E101: Divorced, Beheaded, Died - The Six Wives of Henry VIII. (part I)

Today Annie & Johanna cover the highlights of the lives and deaths of the six women who married King Henry VIII. In today’s episode we’ll discuss Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and what King Henry was really like.

E100: Happy 100th Episode

Today we’re celebrating our 100th episode by sharing some of your stories of murder, mystery and the macabre. CW: this episode touched on suicide, addiction, and other difficult topics, listener discretion is advised!

E99: MURDER - Sylvia Likens (part II)

Today we conclude the Sylvia Likens case by telling you about the abuse and torture she suffered during the weeks leading up to her death. We also discuss the trial that followed and the aftermath. This episode is particularly difficult to listen to!

E98: MURDER - Sylvia Likens (part I)

This case is still considered to be one of the most horrendous crimes in the State of Indiana. In 1965, 16 year old Sylvia Likens had to endure months of torture and abuse by a woman who was supposed to take care of her. But Gertrude Baniszewski was not the only one involved in this murder