Bad Acts: A True Crime Podcast

Send us Fan MailIn 2024, Nadia Vitels was finally getting a chance to focus on herself after years of caregiving. She planned to move into a luxury NYC apartment she inherited from her mother. Unbeknownst to her, two squatters were already living in the apartment, and they had no intention of leaving peacefully. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspod PodMoth: https://podmoth.network/ Ad: Getting Down & Wordy Podcast — https://linktr.ee/gettingdownandwordy   Episode Source List:https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-sentencings-in-the-murder-of-nadia-vitels/https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-indictments-in-the-murder-of-nadia-vitels/ https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/us-marshals-service-fugitive-task-force-arrests-manhattan-murder-suspects-york https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/man-convicted-murder-stuffing-body-duffel-bag-nyc-apartment-sentencing/ https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/murder-stuffing-body-duffel-bag-nyc-apartment-sentencing/ https://local21news.com/news/local/squatters-halley-tejada-kensly-alston-nadia-vitels-new-york-city-apartment-spain-duffel-bag-murder-lawsuit-broken-elevator-cameras-floor-key-manhattan-york-city-county-pennsylvania https://abc7ny.com/post/womans-body-found-manhattan-apartment-in-duffel-bag-nyc-crime/14530334/ https://people.com/squatter-who-murdered-robbed-woman-sentenced-20-to-life-11950086 https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/06/26/second-squatter-killed-woman-stuffed-duffel-bag-sentenced/ https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/us-news/devastated-son-blasts-animal-squatter-who-stomped-nyc-mom-to-death-as-she-planned-fresh-start/ https://people.com/motorcycle-killed-kite-string-glue-12011318 

Send us Fan MailIn 1974, 26-year-old Margaret Sweeney was expecting her fourth baby. When she met Winifred Ransom, she thought she’d made a new friend. But Ransom was a devil in disguise, whose unbelievable crime shocked everyone. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: Thick Thighs and Creepy Vibes — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086 Episode Source List:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34739916/ https://journals.healio.com/doi/10.3928/02793695-20161024-07 https://dl.astm.org/jofs/article-abstract/47/4/1/24030/Newborn-Kidnapping-by-Cesarean-Section?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/202101/the-fetal-snatcher-desperate-to-be-a-mom https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news-winifred-ransommargaret/128923114/?locale=en-US https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-winifred-ranso/166304936/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/public-opinion-winifred-ransommargaret/166293614/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-danville-news-winifred-ransommargar/166292580/?locale=en-US https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-winifred-ranso/166304753/ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/191307822/margaret_a-sweeney#view-photo=319920047 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/fetal-abduction-maternal-instinct-1235580383/ 

Send us Fan MailIn 2008, firefighters responded to a fire at the Bolduc home to find three family members murdered, including parents, Carol and Christopher Bolduc, and son, Josh Bolduc. When police tracked down elder son Matthew Cushing, investigators immediately noticed a bunch of red flags. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: The ODDentity Podcast – https://linktr.ee/oddentitypod Episode Source List:https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/state/2008/02/26/man-makes-court-appearance-on/52596065007/ https://lcnme.com/currentnews/cushing-pleads-guilty-to-murder-and-arson/https://lcnme.com/currentnews/breaking-news-cushing-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/ https://lcnme.com/currentnews/family-members-gather-to-dedicate-monument-to-murder-victims/  https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2009/03/26/maine-man-who-killed-family/52051108007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116130e002900v116130d--61--b--61--&gca-ft=160&gca-ds=sophi https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/york-star/2009/03/26/maine-man-who-killed-family/52051006007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116813e002300v116813d--76--b--76--&gca-ft=278&gca-ds=sophi “Urge to Kill.” Mind of a Murderer. Season 2, Episode 1. 17 October 2016.https://www.pomc.org/murder-wall/christopher-scott-bolduc-42-years-old/ https://www.pomc.org/murder-wall/joshua-richard-bolduc-joshie-15-years-old/ https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2008/11/05/suspect-in-old-orchard-beach/52206790007/ https://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/cushing-matthew.htm 

Send us Fan Mail31-year-old Mel Cotton helped her friend escape a violent relationship. About two weeks later, her sister arrived to babysit Mel’s son to find the boy injured and Mel dead. Her murder was an escalation that anyone could see coming, and her attacker shouldn’t have been free to kill her.   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy — https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4 Episode Source List:https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/ap-76-345.html https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-6139.html https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/tx-court-of-appeals/1104863.html https://tcadp.org/2010/03/12/travis-county-sentences-man-to-death/https://www.txcourts.gov/All_Archived_Documents/JudicialInformation/oca/pdf/jchgs/Travis031010JChg.pdf https://abc7chicago.com/archive/7341178/https://archive.gosanangelo.com/news/one-final-outburst-former-abilenian-to-die-for-murder-ep-440943875-357343071.html https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/gobertmilton.html https://www.owensandbrumley.com/obituary/5042637 https://www.safeaustin.org/the-violent-reality-of-strangulation/ “Blind Rage.” The Mind of a Murderer. Season Two, Episode 3. 24 October 2016.

Send us Fan MailUnlike most female serial killers, 20-year-old Piroska Jancsó-Ladányi was a lust killer who targeted young girls. She committed five murders before anyone suspected her because no one thinks the bogey man is going to be a small young woman with a Mona Lisa smile. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad:  Rowan & Pine — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rowan-pine-a-feminist-folklore-mythology-podcast/id1632401774 Episode Source List:https://ujkor.hu/content/anyam-mondta-hogy-oljelek-meg-jancso-ladanyi-piroska-gyilkossagsorozatahttps://www.kolisrael.hu/horror-es-vervad-torokszentmikloson/https://egyperceskrimi.blog.hu/2015/11/14/ot_holttest_a_kutban_jancso_ladanyi_piroska_remtortenetehttps://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/hatvan-eve-akasztottak-fel-jancso-piroskat https://www.szoljon.hu/kozelet-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/hatvan-eve-akasztottak-fel-jancso-piroskat-4-resz https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/rettenetes-es-megbotrankoztato-titkok-derultek-ki https://www.szoljon.hu/bulvar-jasz-nagykun-szolnok/2015/01/egy-kislany-eltunesevel-indult-a-verfurdo 

Send us Fan Mail(Audio is pretty good!) In February 2025, 32-year-old Margaux Whittemore traveled to Maine with her husband, Samuel, to visit her mother-in-law. She wouldn’t make it back home. Investigators soon learned that Samuel Whittemore was having a strange conversation with an AI chatbot, which led him to attack his wife and mother. Episode Source List:https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/taxonomy/term/1549https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12805049/https://nam.edu/news-and-insights/what-is-ai-psychosis/https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2025.10.10.5https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.09339 https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/17/central-maine/central-maine-police-courts/readfield-maine-giles-road-homicide-samuel-whittemore-not-criminally-responsible-chat-gpt-delusions/ https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/02/21/central-maine/belfast-man-led-globe-trotting-life-with-wife-he-allegedly-killed/ https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-man-accused-of-using-fire-poker-in-fatal-attack-on-wife-maine-giles-road-family-parents-mother-samuel-whittemore https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/family-mourns-margaux-whittemore-plans-bring-her-home-france/97-91cf1f40-102d-4f4d-baf5-7a06ddd5ed3c https://abc13.com/post/margaux-whittemore-death-french-woman-houston-ties-allegedly-murdered-husband-belfast-maine/15961607/ https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-man-not-criminally-responsible-killing-wife-trying-kill-mother/69071795 https://www.thinkbrg.com/insights/publications/nervous-system-eliza-effect/ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260505-how-to-use-ai-without-turning-your-brain-to-mush https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/09/would-you-entrust-a-childs-life-to-a-chatbot-thats-what-happens-every-day-that-we-fail-to-regulate-ai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4ml2xwyMko https://www.instagram.com/margauxn/ 

Send us Fan MailThis week, we talk about the true story of Tony & Frances Toto, whose story hit the big screen in 1990 after Frances tried to murder Tony 5 times with the help of a few hitmen, all of whom were very bad at murder. The dark comedy based on their “rough patch” is called I Love You to Death. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy — https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=7e42cb75c47e4fc4 Episode Source List:https://time.com/archive/6697647/family-man/ https://www.mcall.com/1984/01/17/wife-bruno-plead-guilty-in-toto-case/ https://www.mcall.com/1984/03/07/totos-wife-bruno-sentenced-in-murder-try/ https://www.mcall.com/1984/04/07/2-toto-children-meet-different-fates-at-hearing/ https://www.mcall.com/1991/10/25/barlip-out-of-prison-back-in-jail-same-day/ https://www.mcall.com/1986/11/03/a-tangled-web-behind-the-headlines-of-the-tony-toto-murder-attempt-lies-a-complex-tale-of-conspiracy-and-innuendo-a-story-of-jumbled-lives-bound-by-fate-and-tragedy/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-05-ca-1192-story.html https://www.mcall.com/1986/11/03/a-tangled-web-behind-the-headlines-of-the-tony-toto-murder-attempt-lies-a-complex-tale-of-conspiracy-and-innuendo-a-story-of-jumbled-lives-bound-by-fate-and-tragedy/ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/04/24/the-people-who-lived-i-love-you-to-death/ https://local12.com/news/offbeat/couple-together-57-years-survives-infidelity-murder-plot-prison-sentence-tony-frances-toto-i-love-you-to-death-movie-hollywood-film-tristar-pictures-homicide-kill-attempts-teenage-hit-men-affair-jail-relationship-allentown-pennsylvania https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/lehigh-county/allentown-area/love-conquers-all-how-5-murder-attempts-4-years-in-prison-led-to-60-years/article_ad10d32a-aa56-4574-9b4a-5defeb91c22d.html https://www.wsaz.com/2023/02/17/couple-celebrates-57-years-married-despite-multiple-murder-attempts/ https://www.deseret.com/1990/4/8/18855377/i-don-t-love-it-at-all-says-hitman-portrayed-in-film/ 

Send us Fan MailOver an 8-day period in April 2002, 28-year-old Ray McArthur Freeney preyed on sex workers on Houston, TX’s infamous Bissonnet Strip. He murdered 15-year-old Kirshalynne Jones and 36-year-old Vicky Dean, but they weren’t his only victims. In fact, police caught their killer as he was negotiating prices with his next would-be victim. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: Getting Down & Wordy Podcast — https://linktr.ee/gettingdownandwordy Episode Source List:https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-5th-circuit/1948025.html https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/68106/20181026102251252_App%20A%20-%20Freeney%20v%20Davis%20737%20F%20Appx%20198.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/96557/20190415171947971_Freeney%20br%20oppn%20FINAL.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/80178/20190110191635076_Appendices%20-%20Combined.pdf   https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-7414/80178/20190110191619655_2019-01-10%20SCOTUS%20Cert%20Petition%20-%20RF%20-%20FINAL.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txsd-4_14-cv-00373/pdf/USCOURTS-txsd-4_14-cv-00373-0.pdf https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/freeneyray.html https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/murder-suspect-is-arrested-in-stabbing-of-teen-2092120.php https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-death-row-inmate-convicted-of-stabbing-2-12751312.php https://defendernetwork.com/news/local-state/houston-death-row-inmate-convicted-stabbing-2-women-loses-federal-appeal/ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/05/pimps-use-instagram-to-glorify-sexual-violence-and-abuse-investigation-findshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/kristen-galvan-texas-missing-murdered 

Send us Fan MailOn February 14, 1987, Michelle Shadbolt’s stepmother found her brutally murdered in her living room. Everyone suspected Michelle’s estranged husband, but investigators didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him. That’s because he wasn’t their killer…but someone very close to Michelle was hiding a terrible secret.Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: Thick Thighs and Creepy Vibes — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086  Episode Source List:https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2026/ap-77-125.htmlhttps://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914b52dadd7b04934770fe1 https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/21125.html https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/irvanwilliam.html  https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/years-later-dna-links-man-to-woman-s-death-1997244.php https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/houstonchronicle/name/william-irvan-obituary?id=27975915  

Send us Fan MailIn 2011, Amelia Espinoza was raising her son, 18-year-old Moises Meraz-Espinoza, in Los Angeles. This time, Satan really was waiting in the wings…Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: The ODDentity Podcast — https://linktr.ee/oddentitypod Wishbone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjjRlr-kmVY Episode Source List:https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/2:2016cv04597/651690/4 https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2023cv05947/421129 https://www.countyofmonterey.gov/Home/Components/News/News/11495/https://homicide.latimes.com/post/jane-doe-6/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2013-jul-17-la-me-satanic-killer-sentencing-20130718-story.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/moises-meraz-espinoza-calif-man-gets-25-years-in-death-dismemberment-of-mom/https://abcnews.com/US/chilling-confession-teen-allegedly-dismembered-mother-stored-body/story?id=12859387 https://salinasvalleytribune.com/jury-convicts-salinas-valley-state-prison-inmate-of-two-counts-of-assault/ https://abc7ny.com/archive/7941216/ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947-1.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947/USCOURTS-cand-3_23-cv-05947-0/context https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/huntingtonparkcitycalifornia/PST045224 https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/51441714/MerazEspinoza_v_Santoyo_et_al https://ktla.com/news/local-news/satan-worshiper-gets-life-in-prison-for-killing-skinning-mom/