Most Notorious! A True Crime History podcast

1:09:33

Shortly before dusk on November 3, 1870, just as the ferryboat El Capitan was pulling away from its slip into San Francisco Bay, a woman clad in black emerged from the shadows and strode across the crowded deck. Reaching under her veil, she drew a small pistol and aimed it directly at a well-dressed man sitting quietly with his wife and children. The woman fired a single bullet into his chest. “I did it and I don’t deny it,” she said when arrested shortly thereafter. “He ruined both myself and my daughter.” This week’s guest is acclaimed author Gary Krist. In his latest book, "Trespassers at the Golden Gate: A True Account of Love, Murder, and Madness in Gilded-Age San Francisco", Krist delves into the gripping true story of attorney A.P. Crittenden and his long-time mistress, Laura Fair. Their seven-year affair came to a tragic and scandalous end with a very public murder and a pair of sensational trials. More about the author here: http://garykrist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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384: The 1943 Murders of Dr. Roy & Mae Hunt w/ Christena Stephens 56:26

12 days ago56:26

56:26

On a nearly moonless night in October 1943, a single gunshot rang out in Littlefield, Texas. A prominent Texas doctor and his wife were found bound, shot, beaten, and murdered. The only witness: their five-year-old daughter, who was bound to silence and refused to speak about what happened for 70 years. Christena Stephens is my guest, and her book is called "Bound in Silence: An Unsolved Murder in a Small Texas Town". She shares details about the horrific case and talks about her experience interviewing the slain couple's daughter, Jo Ann. A summary of the case written by the author for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/lifestyle/columns/2017/12/01/chronicles-tangled-web-west-texas-murders/14825468007/ The author's website: https://www.christena.net/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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MoNo Encore: The Murder of Carol Thompson w/ Bill Swanson 1:04:21

20 days ago1:04:21

1:04:21

(Original pub date: 3/11/20) While the Coen brothers refuse to confirm it, many believe that their movie "Fargo" was inspired by the Carol Thompson murder case. She was viciously killed in her comfortable Saint Paul home by a hitman hired by her eccentric husband, T. Eugene Thompson, in March of 1963, leaving behind four small children. It was an absolutely sensational case, one not only covered extensively by local press, but by national and international press as well. Longtime journalist William Swanson covers the case with me. His book is called "Dial M: The Murder of Carol Thompson". The author's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-Swanson/author/B001JSC22G Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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383: The Mysterious Disappearance of Molly Zelko w/ Rod Kackley 57:54

26 days ago57:54

57:54

Molly Zelko was the crusading editor and publisher of the Spectator, a newspaper devoted to battling local gangsters operating slot machines and other rackets in Joliet, Illinois. In the late night hours of September 25, 1957 she vanished, with only her shoes and signs of a struggle left as evidence that something sinister had likely happened to her. My guest is reporter and author Rod Kackley, whose book "Murder! Molly And The Mob: A (1950s) Shocking True Crime Story" is the focus of today's episode of Most Notorious. The author's website: https://www.rodkackley.com/ The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rod-Kackley/author/B0090N097W Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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382: The Notorious Nancy Clem & the Cold Spring Murders w/ Wendy Gamber 1:19:31

5 weeks ago1:19:31

1:19:31

On September 13, 1868, the bodies of Jacob and Nancy Young were discovered brutally murdered along the bank of the White River in Cold Spring, Indiana. Police would eventually set their sights on a charming and fascinating confidence woman named Nancy Clem, who happened to be involved in some extremely shady business dealings with Jacob Young at the time. My guest is Wendy Gamber, author of "The Notorious Mrs. Clem: Murder and Money in the Gilded Age". She tells us all about the colorful Nancy Clem, the Cold Spring murder case, and shares theories on how and why the murders might have really happened. The author's Indiana University page: https://history.indiana.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/gamber_wendy.html The author's publisher page: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/authors/wendy-gamber Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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381: Alabama's Kilpatrick Shooting w/ Lesa Carnes Shaul 1:27:48

6 weeks ago1:27:48

1:27:48

Close to midnight on May 17, 1951, four north Alabama lawmen drove to a bootlegger’s home to serve an arrest warrant. Before the clock struck twelve, the bootlegger lay dead in front of the house he shared with his wife and eight children, and three of the four officers were also dead. Afterward, a sixteen-year-old boy would face a series of trials that would divide a county and thrust the state of Alabama into the national spotlight. My guest is Professor Lesa Carnes Shaul, author of "Midnight Cry: A Shooting on Sand Mountain". She grew up on Sand Mountain hearing stories about this sensational shootout and joins me to talk about her research into this fascinating case. More about the author and her book here on her publisher's page: https://ugapress.org/book/9781588385338/midnight-cry/ This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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380: Murder in Blackout London w/ Amy Helen Bell 59:27

7 weeks ago59:27

59:27

My guest today is Dr. Amy Helen Bell, author of "Under Cover of Darkness: Murders in Blackout London". She shares accounts of the terror, tragedy and crime experienced by Londoners during the blackout and the blitz in 1940s wartime Britain. More about the author here: https://amyhelenbell.com/ Interested in revisiting the serial killers mentioned in this episode? John Reginald Christie: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/12/17/serial-killer-john-reginald-christie-the-great-london-smog-w-kate-winkler-dawson/ John George Haigh ("The Acid Bath Murderer"). https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/11/22/the-acid-bath-murderer-w-gordon-lowe/ This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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379: The Pan Am Flight 7 Seven Crash w/ Ken Fortenberry 1:24:07

8 weeks ago1:24:07

1:24:07

My guest this week is award-winning journalist Ken Fortenberry, author of "Flight 7 Is Missing: The Search for My Father's Killer". He walks us through the ill-fated flight of Pan Am's luxurious "Romance of the Skies", a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser that mysteriously crashed into the Pacific Ocean in November of 1957. Forty-four people were killed, including his own father, who copiloted and navigated the plane. His decades long investigation of the crash has led him to the conclusion that the victims were murdered, and he shares with us who he believes the killer is. The author's website: https://kenfortenberry.com/ The author's publisher page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Flight-7-is-Missing/Ken-Fortenberry/9781949024074 This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

1
MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders - The Reverend Lyn George Kelly w/ Edgar Epperly 1:18:58

9 weeks ago1:18:58

1:18:58

(Original publish date: 6/7/22) In this third and final part of my interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, the "little minister" Lyn George Jacklin Kelly is examined as a primary suspect in the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. Although Kelly spoke obsessively about the case and even confessed to the murders, many believed that the confession was the result of mental illness and police coercion. Dr. Epperly also offers his thoughts on whether the murders might be the work of a serial killer named Paul Mueller (aka The Man From the Train). Dr. Epperly's book, the result of almost seventy years of research, is called "Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912". Listener discretion is advised on this episode, as it contains adult themes and language. Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/ More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/ Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/ This episode is sponsored by Strawberry dot me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders: Wilkerson Vs. Jones w/ Edgar Epperly 1:18:07

9 weeks ago1:18:07

1:18:07

(Original Publish Date: 5/31/22) Frank Fernando (F.F.) Jones seemed to be one of the most obvious suspects in the aftermath of the horrific 1912 Villisca Axe murders. He had a contentious business rivalry with the patriarch of the slain Moore family, Josiah (Joe) Moore, intensified further because Moore was having an affair with his daughter-in-law. However there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime. Enter James Wilkerson, a pugnacious and cunning private detective who made it his mission to connect Jones to the murders, even if it meant manufacturing evidence. In this second part of my three part interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, author of " Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912", we delve into Wilkerson's trumped-up charges against Jones and bitter obsession with pinning the murders on him. Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/ More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/ Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/ This episode is sponsored by Strawberry dot me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

1
MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders: Crime Scene w/ Edgar Epperly 1:16:30

9 weeks ago1:16:30

1:16:30

One of my absolute favorites! This is the first of a three part interview I did with Dr. Ed Epperly about the notorious 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. (Original publish date 5/23/2022) This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious On June 9th (or) 10th, 1912, America experienced of the most notorious crimes in its history - the brutal axe murders of Josiah and Sarah Moore, their four children (Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul) and Ina and Lena Stillinger, two neighbor girls who had the terrible misfortune of sleeping over that night. It's a case steeped in mystery, with a gruesome crime scene, puzzling evidence, twists and turns and compelling suspects. My guest - Dr. Edgar Epperly - has spent almost seventy years interviewing eyewitnesses and key figures and pouring over historical records related to the crime. He is considered the foremost authority on the case. The culmination of his decades of work is a comprehensive book on the subject published at the end of 2021, called "Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912". This is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the case. Listener discretion is advised on this episode, as it contains adult themes and language. Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/ More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/ Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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378: The Murder of "Elvis Girl" Jenny Maxwell w/ Buddy Moorehouse 1:16:57

10 weeks ago1:16:57

1:16:57

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jenny Maxwell was one of Hollywood's "it girls", appearing in countless television shows and films. Arguably her most memorable role was that of Ellie Corbett in Elvis Presley's 1961 movie "Blue Hawaii", where she stole every scene she was in. But despite her professional success, her personal life was a mess, much of it due to alcohol, drugs and wild Hollywood parties. By 1981 she was seeking a divorce from her second husband (mob lawyer Tip Roeder) when they were both gunned down outside her condo in Beverly Hills. My guest Buddy Moorehouse, author of "Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case", has a family connection to this case. His mother was first cousins with Jenny, and solving the mystery of her death was of personal importance to him. He joins me to talk about Jenny and his investigation into her murder almost 40 years after that fateful day. More about the Buddy and his book on his FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063693114310 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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377: The Murder of Anna Wilkens & The Birth of the Lie Detector w/ Amit Katwala 58:01

11 weeks ago58:01

58:01

Late one evening in the summer of 1922, Henry Wilkens burst through the doors of the emergency room covered in his wife's blood. But was he a grieving husband or a ruthless killer who conspired with bandits to have her murdered? To find out, the San Francisco police turned to technology and a new machine that had just been invented in Berkeley by a rookie detective, a visionary police chief, and a teenage magician with a showman's touch. John Larson, Gus Vollmer, and Leonarde Keeler hoped the lie detector would make the justice system fairer, but the flawed device soon grew too powerful for them to control. It poisoned their lives, turned fast friends into bitter enemies, and, as it conquered America and the world, transformed our relationship with the truth in ways that are still being felt. My guest today is Amit Katwala, writer and editor for Wired in London. His book is called "Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector." More about the author here at his website: https://www.amitkatwala.co.uk/ The author's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/amitkatwala Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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376: Erie's Mausoleum Mystery w/ Justin Dombrowski 56:34

11 weeks ago56:34

56:34

On February 8, 1911, the Scott Mausoleum, a symbol of wealth for the Scott and Strong families in Erie, Pennsylvania, was desecrated by unknown vandals, coined by nationwide papers as ghouls. With the inside of the mausoleum heavily damaged - and a body missing - the crime set off shockwaves throughout the country during a time in which grave robbery, extortion and murder reigned supreme. Hundreds of reporters and newspaper correspondents throughout the country and world descend upon the Great Lakes port city. Private Detectives from the Perkins Detective Agency in Pittsburgh took charge of the case, pitted against rival detectives from the famous Burns Detective Agency. The case took a sinister turn when a series of letters were sent to wealthy local philanthropist Charles Hamot Strong, threatening to blow up his mausoleum and murder his granddaughter. My guest Justin Dombrowski is the author of "Erie's Great Mausoleum Mystery: Ghouls, Grave Robbers & Extortion". The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ErieTrueCrime Purchase the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Eries-Great-Mausoleum-Mystery-Extortion/dp/1467156612 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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375: The Murder of Virginia Olson w/ Brian & Cameron Santana 1:25:10

12 weeks ago1:25:10