Southern Fried True Crime
282 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 9.9K ratingsErica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South.
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Episodes
213: Erasing Laura Ackerson, Part 1
April 22, 2024 09:00 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MB27-year-old Laura Jean Ackerson had a really tough start in life. The single mother of two worked hard to build her own small support system in Kinston, North Carolina. Her brother and best friend were the only people she really had. After Laura survived a whirlwind relationship with a charismatic but narcissistic musician, she faced a vicious custody battle with him. Grant Hayes was a glorified bar star and lazy husband and father. But by July 2011, Laura was finally slipping out of his cont...
212: The Whitaker Family Slayings
March 26, 2024 04:30 - 1 hour - 57 MBIn December of 2003, 23-year-old Bart Whitaker had just finished his finals and was about to graduate from college. That night, he went to dinner to celebrate with his parents, Tricia and Kent, and his younger brother Kevin. As they returned home and walked through their door, they were ambushed by a masked gunman. Initially, authorities suspected that this was a burglary gone wrong. But before the funerals had even taken place, detectives discovered that Bart had lied about graduating. And t...
211: Evil or Innocent Twins: Betty, Peggy & The Murder of Dr Jack Wilson
March 10, 2024 18:00 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBOn May 22 1992, Betty Wilson frantically called 911 from her Huntsville, Alabama home. She found her husband, the esteemed Dr. Jack Wilson, in a pool of blood. Someone had bludgeoned and stabbed him to death. Initially, police had no suspects. Until an anonymous tip led them to a man named James White. James confessed to killing Dr. Wilson to prove his love for Betty’s twin sister, Peggy. According to James, Peggy had insisted that he murder her sister’s husband. But, according to Peggy and B...
210: Update on the Tex McIver Case
March 04, 2024 00:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBLate on a Sunday night in September of 2016, Atlanta power couple, Tex and Diane McIver, were driving back into the city and got caught in Atlanta’s notorious traffic. Diane’s best friend was driving as Diane rode in the passenger seat and her husband, Tex, sat directly behind her. When they were stopped in what they considered a dangerous part of town, Tex asked for his gun, and then fell asleep. What happened next would cause one of the most hotly debated criminal cases in recent Atlanta hi...
REMASTERED Ep66: Tex & Diane McIver: Accident or Murder?
March 04, 2024 00:00 - 48 minutes - 44 MBLate on a Sunday night in September of 2016, Atlanta power couple, Tex and Diane McIver, were driving back into the city and got caught in Atlanta’s notorious traffic. Diane’s best friend was driving as Diane rode in the passenger seat and her husband, Tex, sat directly behind her. When they were stopped in what they considered a dangerous part of town, Tex asked for his gun, and then fell asleep. What happened next would cause one of the most hotly debated criminal cases in recent Atlanta hi...
209: The Disgraced Hero & Fugitive: Mario Centobie
February 27, 2024 23:15 - 1 hour - 60 MBWhen Officer Keith Turner pulled over a car in Moody, Alabama on June 25, 1998, he thought it was a routine traffic stop. The 29-year-old husband and father had no idea that the men in the car were two escaped convicts, Mario Centobie and Jeremy Granberry. In the span of two days, the armed and dangerous fugitives had already attacked one officer and nearly killed another. As Officer Turner walked toward them, Mario stepped out of the vehicle. He reached through the window as if to retrieve h...
208: The Murder of Cherica Adams
February 13, 2024 02:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBIn November of 1999, 24-year-old Cherica Adams was eight months pregnant when she and the father of her child, 25-year-old Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, went on a double date. They saw a late-night showing of a serial killer flick at the theater. As Rae led Cherica back home to her apartment in his white Ford Expedition, with Cherica following behind in her black BMW, he unexpectedly slowed to a near stop. Confused, Cherica slowed down too. Then, an unknown car pulled up beside...
Listen Now - Dr. Death: Bad Magic
January 24, 2024 20:00 - 5 minutes - 5.2 MBWhen a charismatic young doctor announces revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV, patients from around the world turn to him for their last chance. As medical experts praise Serhat Gumrukcu’s genius, the company he co-founded rockets in value to over half a billion dollars. But when a team of researchers makes a startling discovery, they begin to suspect the brilliant doctor is hiding a secret. From Wondery, the new season of Dr. Death: Bad Magic is a story of miraculous cures, magic an...
207: The Murder of Shadow McClaine
January 16, 2024 04:30 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MB25-year-old Shadow McClaine was 39 days from retiring from the US Army. She’d begun her service in 2011 and, now, her contract was up. She was thrilled to go back home, enroll in college, and try her hand at a different career. In 2015, Shadow alleged that her ex-husband, an Army sergeant, had sexually assaulted her. After that, Shadow’s experience in the military rapidly deteriorated. As a result, she was eager to start this new path, but she would never get the chance. On the evening of Sep...
206: The Murder of Dolly Rose Grigsby
January 09, 2024 05:55 - 27 minutes - 25 MBIn July of 1994, 42 year old Dolly Rose Grigsby was reported missing after visiting a shopping mall in Bluefield, West Virginia. Her husband, Dan Grigsby, did everything he could to try to find his missing wife and mother of their two children. The more time passed, it appeared what happened to Dolly would remain a mystery forever. But a shocking development three months later blew the case wide open. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Gemma Harris Original Graph...
205: The Santa Claus Bank Robbery
December 23, 2023 22:00 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBIn the lead-up to Christmas, 1927, the good citizens of Cisco, Texas, were looking forward to celebrating the holiday with their nearest and dearest. But a group of men who rolled into town on the morning of December 23 from Wichita Falls had different ideas. Led by an ex-con in a Santa Suit, their actions at the town’s First National Bank went on to spurn one of the state’s biggest manhunts, ultimately leaving six men dead and numerous others wounded. What unfolded not just over the followin...
204: The Kidnapped Heiress: Barbara Jane Mackle
December 18, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 59.2 MB20-year-old Barbara Jane Mackle was a Florida heiress whose life took a harrowing turn in December of 1968. She was kidnapped by two strangers who wanted $500,000 in ransom from her mega-rich father, land developer Robert F. Mackle. Until Robert could meet Barbara’s abductors’ demands, his only daughter was buried alive underground in a ventilated box. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music by Rob ...
203: The Hicks Babies
December 10, 2023 22:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBMore than 200 babies, known as the “Hicks Babies,” were sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks from the back of the Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Georgia during the 1950s and 1960s. Until his actions came to light, he was a respected and beloved doctor in McCaysville, known for helping everyone…often taking things like a sack of potatoes in return for payment. Some town residents defend his actions to this day, but the “Hicks Babies,” as they became known, are still struggling to find their birth ...
202: The Fugitive Lee Barnett
December 06, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 55 MBIn April of 1994, Lee Barnett picked up her 11-month-old daughter, Savanna, from her ex-husband Harris Todd’s house in Charleston, South Carolina. They were supposed to return at around six o’clock that evening. But they never showed up. Over the next 20 years, they’d travel the world together, as Lee fled from her child’s father, the FBI, and numerous international agencies. She claimed she was saving her daughter from an abusive father. But Harris claimed that Lee was the actual abuser. H...
201: The Murder of Carrie Daugherty
November 21, 2023 19:30 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBEveryone who frequented Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria in Knoxville, Tennessee, knew bartender and waitress Carrie Daugherty. She was a friendly 24-year-old woman who had a quick wit and a sweet smile. But, on March 19, 2008, Carrie’s body was discovered on her own front lawn. She’d been brutally murdered. Those who knew Carrie were shocked. This was a woman with no enemies. When the murderer was apprehended, that sentiment was verified—Carrie had no enemies. Because the man who killed her claim...
200: The Murders of Jennifer Corbin & Dolly Hearn
November 06, 2023 00:00 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MB27-year-old Dorothy “Dolly” Hearn and 33-year-old Jennifer Corbin never met—but the two women had a lot in common. Both were intelligent young women in Georgia who had their whole lives ahead of them, and both of them died under mysterious circumstances that were shockingly similar. When an unexpected phone call revealed that both women had been romantically involved with the same man, a Georgia dentist named Dr. Barton Corbin, everyone had more questions than answers. The ensuing investigati...
199: The Legs Murder Scandal
October 31, 2023 00:00 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBOne of my most requested cases for Spooky Season: The Legs Murder Scandal On a rainy and cold January day in 1935, a rabbit hunter came across a sugar sack on a rural road in Laurel, Mississippi. He opened it up and found a pair of legs and part of a lower torso of a white female. On that same day, 57-year-old Daisy Keeton went missing. She was something of a small town celebrity with her and her large family continuously making the gossip pages in the small town of Laurel. Her daughter, 36-...
198: Karla Faye Tucker
October 23, 2023 21:30 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBOn June 12th of 1983, 27-year-old Jerry Lynn Dean and 32-year-old Deborah Ruth Thornton met at a pool party. Right away, their chemistry was apparent—even though their budding relationship was doomed from the start. Jerry had recently separated from his wife, and Deborah was still married. Regardless, Jerry and Deborah decided to have a harmless one-night stand. But that night would turn out to be anything but harmless. By morning, both Jerry and Deborah were brutally killed. The murder weapo...
197: Memphis Serial Killer: George Howard Putt-part 2 of 2
October 16, 2023 02:30 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBIn August and September of 1969, one man killed five people in the span of 29 days in Memphis, Tennessee. These violent crimes shook the city of Memphis to its very core. Lock sales skyrocketed. Families adopted large dogs. People refused to leave their house after sunset. It felt like no one was safe. The police searched day and night for this elusive serial killer. They doubled—then tripled—their staff, canceled all vacation time, and poured over $100,000 into paid overtime. But were it not...
196: The 1969 Memphis Serial Killer Known as the Cunning Sex Killer
October 13, 2023 00:30 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MBFrom August 13th to September 11th of 1969, five innocent people died at the hands of a serial killer in Memphis, Tennessee. 58-year-old Roy Dumas and his wife, 47-year-old Bernalyn Dumas; 82-year-old Leila Jackson; 21-year-old Glenda Sue Harden; and 59-year-old Mary Christine Pickens. For 29 days, the Memphis police diligently searched for the cold-blooded killer responsible for these horrific murders. They exhausted every avenue—interviewing over 2,000 people, contacting experts across stat...
Listen Now—Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen
October 05, 2023 18:26 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBHere’s a preview of a new podcast I think you’ll enjoy. Amid the nuclear threat of the Cold War, America's prized secrets were falling into the hands of its sworn enemy, the Kremlin. The FBI's hunt for the leak led to an astonishing discovery—the mole was one of its own, special agent Robert Hanssen. For two decades, Hanssen masqueraded as a devoted patriot while ruthlessly selling out his country, trading classified intelligence to the Soviet Union and later Russia, in exchange for cash and ...
Listen Now: 48 Hours
September 30, 2023 16:55 - 8 minutes - 7.49 MBOne of television's most popular true-crime series is now adapted for your ears with the “48 Hours” podcast. Every week, award-winning CBS News correspondents investigate the most intriguing crime and justice cases. Here’s a preview of a new “48 Hours” episode, “The Night of the Idaho Student Murders”. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant sits down with family members of Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle, two of the four University of Idaho students shockingly murdered the night of Novemb...
195: Serial Killer: Judi Buenoano
September 24, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBWhen 54-year-old Judi Beunoano was executed by the State of Florida on March 30th of 1998, she was widely known as Florida’s Black Widow. And that’s because, over the course of 12 years, Judi had made attempts on the lives of these four innocent men: James Edgar Goodyear, Bobby Joe Morris, Michael Arthur Goodyear, and John Wesley Gentry II. Two husbands, one fiancé, and one son. No one was safe from Judi. For all of Judi’s victims, she collected - or would have collected - huge amounts of mon...
*Remastered: 91: The Sherry Murders, The Dixie Mafia & Corruption in Biloxi
September 18, 2023 03:00 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBIn 1987, a circuit court judge and his wife, a former city council woman, who wanted to be mayor, were murdered in their home in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was obviously a professional hit. Vincent Sherry was a former criminal defense attorney who had defended members of the Dixie Mafia. Now, he was putting criminals away. Margaret Sherry was a fiery republican in a public slap fight with the current democratic mayor. She wanted to clean up the Biloxi strip of seedy night clubs and gambling, whi...
194: The History of the Dixie Mafia
September 18, 2023 03:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBBy the 1960s, organized crime gangs were well and truly already becoming a presence across the north of the United States, as underworld figures fought for sole control over highly lucrative gambling, illegal alcohol, and prostitution rings. Down south, things were done a slightly different way. But even though one criminal network in particular didn’t have a strict code, this didn’t make them any less dangerous. Based out of Biloxi, MS, they soon monopolized the control of many illicit activ...
193: Police Corruption & The Murder of Kim Groves
September 11, 2023 17:30 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBThursday, October 13th of 1994 was a big day for New Orleans. On one side of town, their new police superintendent, Richard Pennington, was being sworn into office. On the other side of town, a beloved mother of three was being murdered. This mother was 32-year-old Kim Marie Groves. As a result of Kim’s unfortunate death at the hands of dirty police officers, the New Orleans Police Department’s rampant corruption would be exposed, and Superintendent Pennington’s reign as the head of the NOPD ...
192: Annalisa Netherly & the History of The Read House
September 03, 2023 23:00 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBIn 1927, a young woman met a violent end in a Chattanooga hotel. Reports on how she came to her death are mixed, but the legend of her gruesome story persists almost 100 years later, and for good reason. The tragic young woman’s spirit is said, along with the ghosts of many others, some from the Civil War era, to haunt not only the room where she died but the entire establishment where she spent her final days. Fire, flood, a near-duel, and an infamous mobster are all part of the colorful, ye...
191: Belinda Temple Case - UPDATE (episodes 127 & 128)
August 27, 2023 23:00 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBIn January of 1999, 30 year old Belinda Temple, who was eight months pregnant, was found shot to death in her closet in Katy, Texas. Her husband, David Temple, was tried and convicted twice for the murder of his pregnant wife. But when the jury at his second trial in 2019 became deadlocked in the punishment phase, a mistrial was declared. David appealed, and the long wait for resentencing began. This is an update on Episodes 127 & 128: The Belinda Temple Case. Hosted and produced by Erica K...
Listen Now - Over My Dead Body: Gone Hunting
August 21, 2023 19:00 - 5 minutes - 5.42 MBWhen Mike Williams vanishes on a hunting trip, the authorities suspect he was eaten by alligators but the true predators who took Mike may lurk much closer to home. The mystery of Mike’s disappearance might have faded from memory, if it wasn’t for one woman’s tireless crusade. From Wondery, comes a new season of Over My Dead Body; a story about an obsessive love affair, a scandalous secret and a mother’s battle for the truth. Follow Over My Dead Body: Gone Hunting on Amazon Music or wherever ...
190: The Murder of Liz Sennett
August 20, 2023 23:00 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBIn the spring of 1988, Liz and Charles Sennett were pillars of the Colbert County, Alabama, community. 45-year-old Liz was a mother, grandmother, and homemaker. Charles was a local pastor. They were beloved and respected. On March 18th, Charles discovered Liz's lifeless body in their home. It was a gruesome scene. Liz had been brutally beaten and stabbed to death. Initially, the authorities believed that Liz was the victim of a burglary gone wrong. But, as the officers continued to investigat...
189: The Murder of Denise Lee
August 14, 2023 01:00 - 1 hour - 70.4 MB21-year-old Denise Amber Lee was a happily married stay-at-home mom when her life was abruptly snatched away from her. On January 17, 2008, she was abducted from her home. Her two young sons were left sleeping in a crib together. An hour later, Denise’s husband Nate returned home and immediately reported her missing and then called his father-in-law, who was a local police sergeant. He made sure Denise’s case was a top priority. Over the next seven hours, a massive search ensued. Over 300 pol...
188: The Murder of Margaret Abernathy
August 06, 2023 23:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBMonday, February 4, 1991 started out as a normal day. 40 year old Priscilla Matula was rushing out the door for work. She owned and operated a car dealership with her husband, Nick. It soon became one of those days…where everything seems to go wrong and irritation bubbles to the surface. And making matters worse, by mid-morning, she had not heard from her mother, Margaret Abernathy, which was highly unusual. By noon, Priscilla decided to go check on her mother. What she found brought the whol...
187: Lindsey Lowe Case - UPDATE (episode 119)
July 30, 2023 23:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThis is a short bonus episode for July. It's about the controversial Lindsey Lowe case, so I hope you find it interesting. I had a defense attorney reach out and give me the judge's signed ruling early and also give me some inside baseball about the case. If you want to listen to the original episode first, it's #119. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Gemma Harris Additional research and writing by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music...
187:Bonus Episode: Update for Episode #119 the Lindsey Lowe Case
July 30, 2023 23:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThis is a short bonus episode for July. It's about the controversial Lindsey Lowe case, so I hope you find it interesting. I had a defense attorney reach out and give me the judge's signed ruling early and also give me some inside baseball about the case. If you want to listen to the original episode first, it's #119. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Gemma Harris Additional research and writing by Erica Kelley Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner Original Music...
186: Behind Closed Doors: The Janae Carroll Case
July 23, 2023 23:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBIn September of 2017, 30-year-old Janae Carroll was preparing to end her longterm relationship with her boyfriend—who was also her abuser. After years of suffering, Janae had gathered the strength and the courage to leave him. But when an argument about the breakup escalated to an all-out fight between Janae and her abuser, she did what she had to, to protect herself and her children. Thus began her sad odyssey through the justice system. Petition to release Janae: https://www.change.org/p/j...
Introducing Suspect: Five Shots in the Dark
July 17, 2023 22:30 - 6 minutes - 5.52 MBLeon Benson spent 24 years in an Indiana state prison for the 1998 murder of a young man named Kasey Schoen. His conviction hinged on the testimony of two eyewitnesses – but what if their memories turned out to be wrong? And what if the people who knew what really happened had never been allowed to speak? Suspect Season 3: Five Shots in the Dark is the story of two victims: one murdered, one sentenced to life. Follow host Matt Shaer and attorney Lara Bazelon as they investigate how the justic...
185: The Murder of Lindsey Lee
July 16, 2023 23:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBWhen 31-year-old Lindsey Lee didn’t show up for work bright and early one Tuesday morning, her coworkers at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department were immediately worried. Their fears were confirmed when the deputy who performed a wellness check at Lindsey’s home discovered her body. At first, investigators didn’t have any suspects for Lindsey’s murderer. Everyone liked her. Lindsey was so incredibly kind and friendly that she’d even maintained a good relationship with her soon-to-be ex-h...
184: The Poisoner Katie Stricklin
July 09, 2023 23:00 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBIn 1971, Sundays in Savannah, Tennessee were for two things: church and family. That was especially true for the Stricklin family. One Sunday, 66-year-old Mollie and her husband, 81-year-old William, invited their son and his wife to their new home for a midday meal. Mollie made the food. Her daughter-in-law served the tea. Afterward, they all went for a nice drive in the city. The get-together seemed fun and innocent—until Mollie and William became terribly ill. Days later, William died. Mol...
Introducing Season 2 of Alphabet Boys
July 06, 2023 10:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBThis week, we’re sharing an episode of Alphabet Boys. Alphabet Boys takes you inside secret investigations that the FBI, DEA, CIA, and other alphabet agencies never wanted the public to know about. These cases are both dangerous and absurd … and they raise a troubling question: Are America’s top cops catching criminals -- or creating them? In this episode, you’ll hear real audio from an illegal arms deal and meet our central character, who, despite being arrested, claims he works for the CIA....
183: The Brutal Murder of Avis Banks
June 19, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MB28-year-old Avis Banks was five months pregnant and exhausted. On the evening of Wednesday, November 29th of 2006, Avis was driving home after a long day at work. All she wanted to do was go home, kick off her shoes, and relax. But Avis would never see the inside of her home again. The moment Avis exited her car after parking it in her garage, she was brutally attacked. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank Additional Writing by Erica Kelley Origin...
182: The Von Stein Attack aka The Dungeons & Dragons Murder
June 12, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBBonnie and Lieth Von Stein went to bed on a Sunday night in July 1988 content and looking forward to a new future. Hours later, Bonnie would wake to the sound of her husband’s screams and an intruder standing at the foot of her bed. She barely survived the attack herself and after a year of investigation, she would live through another horror when she learned who was responsible for destroying her life. Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank & Erica K...
181: The Real Suburban Axe Murder: Candy & Betty
June 04, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 74.9 MBOn a hot Friday the 13th in June of 1980, Allan Gore was worried. He couldn't get a hold of his wife, Betty. For hours, he'd called her over and over. No answer. Betty always answered. She didn’t get out by herself, especially not with their two small daughters. She hated when he traveled--scared of being alone, so Allan was trying to check in to reassure her. Now he was starting to panic. He finally got his neighbors to get into his house. When he called back, he could never have been prepar...
180: The Alday Family Massacre
May 21, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBFor the Alday family, May 14th of 1973 started like any other day. The Alday men woke up before sunrise to tend to their family farm, and the Alday women began working on their chores. They plowed the field, planted corn, and ate lunch. Little did they know that, by the end of that afternoon, their lives would be irreparably changed forever. Six members of the Alday family dead. Their farm decimated. Their future destroyed. All because four dangerous men, three of whom were prison escapees, w...
Blanket of Silence: Ruby McCollum
May 14, 2023 23:30 - 1 hour - 67 MBIn August of 1952, 43-year-old Ruby McCollum, a black woman, was two months pregnant. The father was a 48-year-old white politician named Dr. Clifford Leroy Adams, Jr. For seven years, Dr. Adams had manipulated, bullied, and raped Ruby. He forced her to bear one of his children already, and this unborn child would be the second. On Sunday, August 3rd, Ruby entered Dr. Adams’ medical practice for help with an ailing shoulder. But when Dr. Adams tried to force himself on Ruby once more, she sna...
178: Parental Alienation & The Death of Dr. Rick Lohstroh
May 07, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBOn a Friday afternoon, Dr. Rick Lohstroh parked in his ex-wife Deborah Geisler’s driveway waiting to pick up his two sons. It had been a nasty custody battle and their ten year old son, Aaron, had turned completely against his father. Every pickup day was drama. This day it was worse, Deborah and the boys were running late after having to get her car towed and everyone was in a foul mood. While Deborah was helping her seven year old son, Kurt, tie his shoes, Aaron found his backpack and climb...
177: The Disappearance & Murder of Theresa Parker
May 01, 2023 01:30 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBIn March 2007, 41-year-old Theresa spent the day moving boxes from her old house to her new apartment. The LaFayette, Georgia 911 dispatcher was leaving her husband. That evening, after seeing her sister, Theresa disappeared without a trace. And local law enforcement kept coming back to the same person: Theresa’s estranged husband, 52-year-old Sergeant Sam Parker of the LaFayette PD. Sam vehemently denied any involvement in Theresa’s disappearance. But he had also bragged for years about how ...
Mississippi Delta: A Southern Gothic Family Mystery
April 30, 2023 16:00 - 7 minutes - 7.24 MBJust because the police can’t solve a murder doesn’t mean other people won’t find someone to blame. In season 4 of Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch, journalist Larrison Campbell returns to her Mississippi hometown to reexamine one of its most notorious unsolved cold cases – the murder of her grandmother, Presh. What happens when a family and a community suspect one of their own? Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch ad-free right now. Click ‘try free’ at th...
176: The Pop Culture of the Michael Peterson Case
April 28, 2023 08:30 - 2 hours - 117 MBThe pop culture of the Michael Peterson case is fascinating. There are many infamous true crime cases that create their own universe. The Peterson case was always going to be famous. But when Netflix bought the rights to Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s docu-series, The Staircase, Michael Peterson and his family were launched into the stratosphere. There were already books…but after Netflix reopened the saga, we have every form of media jumping on the Peterson bandwagon. Including a sitcom. Outside ...
175: The Neverending Staircase: The Death of Kathleen Peterson, PART 3
February 27, 2023 03:30 - 1 hour - 106 MBFor over two decades, Kathleen Peterson’s mysterious death has captivated America. After the most complex court proceeding in Durham, North Carolina’s history, Michael was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. This episode covers the infamous trial, Michael’s appeals and the overturning of his original verdict after he served over eight years in prison. Studies show less than 10% of criminal trials are overturned on appeal. Despite the incredible amount...
174: The Neverending Staircase, The Death of Kathleen Peterson, PART 2
February 09, 2023 22:45 - 1 hour - 89.9 MBIn December of 2001, the seemingly accidental death of 48-year-old Kathleen Peterson made headlines in Durham, North Carolina. A beloved community figure, enjoying a night of celebration with some champagne, had lost her balance and tragically fallen down the stairs. But when 58-year-old Michael Peterson, Kathleen’s husband, was indicted for first-degree murder eleven days later, news outlets across the nation picked up the story. People were captivated with this seemingly idyllic couple’s de...