Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Eli Frankel, author of "Sisters in Death: The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress, & Their Hunter", returns to share his thoughts on the recent explosion of interest in Marvin Margolis as the possible Black Dahlia and Zodiac Killer. While the discussion touches on both cases, Frankel keeps his focus mainly on the Black Dahlia side of the theory, breaking down the evidence presented in Michael Connelly's Killer in the Code podcast, which has made a splash this year for its claim that both cases have been solved. The author's websites: https://www.sistersindeath.com/ and https://www.elibfrankel.com/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 23, 1969, the badly decomposed body of twelve-year-old Tina Marie Andrews was found under a discarded sofa in the woods outside McComb, Mississippi. Days earlier, she and a friend had accepted a ride home but were instead driven to a remote area, where Andrews was murdered. Her friend eventually came forward and accused two local police officers of the brutal crime. My guest is Trent Brown, who wrote the definitive book on the case, "Murder in McComb: The Tina Andrews Case". More about the author here: https://english.mst.edu/people/facultyandstaff/brown/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just months after the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders, the body of a 19-year-old woman was discovered off a secluded stretch of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles on November 16th, 1969. She had been stabbed over a hundred times, and there was no identification on or near the body. It would be decades before she was identified as Reet Jurvetson, an Estonian-Canadian woman who had only been in California for a short time before her murder. My guest is Catherine Fogarty, author of the new book "The Girl with No Name: The Story of Jane Doe #59 and My Relentless Search for Her Killer". She walks us through the crime scene, how Reet was identified, and the many challenges faced along the way - including finding leads on her possible killer. The author's website: https://www.catherinebfogarty.com/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My conversation with Derek Sherwood, author of Nittany Nightmare: The Sex Murders of 1938–1940 and the Panic at Penn State, continues. He shares a story about trying to find the location of Faye Gates's murder, talks about another possible suspect in the Rachel Taylor case, and recounts his long, frustrating attempts to get the Taylor case files from the Pennsylvania State Police. The author's publisher page: ⁠https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/nittany-nightmare/⁠ The author's YouTube channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@truth_revealed2k⁠ More on his Amazon author page, including a link to his book "Who Killed Betsy? Uncovering Penn State University's Most Notorious Unsolved Crime." https://www.amazon.com/stores/Derek-Sherwood/author/B005E0586W Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between November 1938 and May 1940, Margaret Martin, Rachel Taylor and Faye Gates were abducted and sexually assaulted, their bodies dumped within 50 miles of Penn State College. My guest is Derek J. Sherwood, author of "Nittany Nightmare: The Sex Murders of 1938–1940 and the Panic at Penn State". He discusses the murders and investigators' attempts to determine whether a serial killer was responsible, all set against the backdrop of the college. The author's publisher page: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/nittany-nightmare/ The author's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@truth_revealed2k More on his Amazon author page, including a link to his book "Who Killed Betsy? Uncovering Penn State University's Most Notorious Unsolved Crime." https://www.amazon.com/stores/Derek-Sherwood/author/B005E0586W Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig Pub Date 11/8/17) My guest is former criminal defense attorney Mark Shaw, author of "The Reporter Who Knew Too Much: The Mysterious Death of What's My Line TV Star and Media Icon Dorothy Kilgallen". He talks about the life of Pulitzer nominated reporter and television star Dorothy Kilgallen, who was allegedly on the brink of breaking wide open a story about John Kennedy's assassination before her mysterious and suspicious death abruptly ended her investigation. The author's website: ⁠https://markshawbooks.com/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Harp(e) brothers have been called America's first serial killers, once notorious enough to be the stuff of folklore and legend before fading into obscurity. In the chaos of the post-Revolutionary frontier, the two men committed dozens of murders across Kentucky and Tennessee, their wives traveling alongside them the entire time. My guest is Katherine Grandjean, author of "Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution", out now. She explains how the desperation of frontier life might have pushed two ordinary men toward violence, and what their story reveals about the darker side of the years following the American Revolution. The author's publisher page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2289902/katherine-grandjean/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first episode of American Criminal's latest season - all about Boss Tweed, the Tammany Hall politician who has become synonymous with civic graft and corruption. Listen to my interview with Ken Ackerman about Tammany Hall’s Boss Tweed here at the Most Notorious website:   https://www.mostnotorious.com/2020/09/28/tammany-halls-boss-tweed-w-kenneth-ackerman/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William Morgan was last seen in Batavia, New York, in September 1826, shortly after threatening to publish purported Masonic secrets. He was arrested that same month in Canandaigua, transported to Fort Niagara and never seen again, and the local Freemasons were blamed for his disappearance. When a body was discovered a year later, many wanted it to be Morgan's for political purposes. But nearly two hundred years later, the case remains officially unsolved. My guest this week is forensic anthropologist Dr. Ann Webster Bunch. Her book, "The William Morgan Affair: A Masonic Mystery in Upstate New York", explores the fate of this polarizing historical figure. The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/the-william-morgan-affair-978 Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ted Bundy grew up in Tacoma in the shadow of one of the most toxic smelters in the United States, and he wasn't the only one. Between the 1970s and '80s, the Pacific Northwest was home to a bizarre, outsized cluster of serial killers including Bundy, Gary Ridgeway, Charles Manson and many more. Could there be a connection between lead and arsenic poisoning and the making of a serial killer? My guest is New York Times bestselling author Caroline Fraser, and in her book Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, she explores this possible link, and how toxins like lead were promoted to the American public despite the known dangers. The paperback version of her Edgar Award-winning book just came out in June. The author's website: ⁠https://www.carolinefraser.net/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is Phillip Barlag, author of "Evil Roman Emperors: The Shocking History of Ancient Rome's Most Wicked Rulers from Caligula to Nero and More." He shares stories about some of the worst rulers in Rome's history and the horrific deeds they committed, including Tarquin, Caligula, Nero, Caracalla and Elagabalus. He is also the creator/host of The "Greats" of History podcast, available on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-greats-of-history/id1741228862. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1mS1MVueNYjtkomqWEtkjG. Podbean: https://phillipbarlag.podbean.com/ and everywhere else great podcasts are heard. And he is available for questions related to his books, his podcast and anything Rome via email here: [email protected] and his book can be purchased on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Roman-Emperors-Shocking-Caligula/dp/1633886905 Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joaquin Murrieta has been remembered as a Robin Hood of the California Gold Rush — a wronged miner turned avenging outlaw, the supposed inspiration for Zorro. The truth is far darker and more complicated: the real Murrieta led one of the bloodiest bandit gangs of the era. He was killed in 1853, and his severed head became its own strange piece of California history. My guest is New York Times bestselling author John Boessenecker, and his book is called "Bring Me the Head of Joaquin Murrieta: The Bandit Chief Who Terrorized California and Launched the Legend of Zorro". He has been on the show twice before, and back to separate the myth of Murrieta from the man. The author's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/p/John-Boessenecker-100039302328585/ The author's publisher page: https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/john-boessenecker Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig pub date: 3/28/23) In 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar went missing in the Louisiana swamps. After an eight-month search that electrified the country and destroyed Bobby’s parents, the boy was found, filthy and hardly recogniz­able. A wandering piano tuner was arrested and charged with kidnapping— a crime then punishable by death. But when a destitute single mother came forward from North Carolina to claim the boy as her son, not the lost Bobby Dunbar, the case became a high-pitched battle over custody—and identity—that divided the South. My guest, Tal McThenia, first introduced listeners of NPR's This American Life to this case in 2008. A few years later he co-wrote, along with Margaret Dunbar Cutright (the granddaughter of Bobby Dunbar) the definitive book about this historical whodunnit, called "A Case for Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping That Haunted a Nation".   The author's website:  https://www.talmcthenia.com/ Listen to This American Life's "The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar" here:  https://www.thisamericanlife.org/352/transcript The author's Audubon article:  https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2021/the-strange-true-story-john-williams-and-charles Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 17, 1941, in Lynn, Massachusetts, attractive nineteen-year-old Frances Cochran stepped off a commuter bus and into a mysterious black automobile. Three days later, police discovered her mutilated body in a Salem lovers' lane. Her murder made national headlines on the eve of World War II. Investigators checked twelve thousand cars and interviewed almost two thousand witnesses. Despite leads that spanned the continent, decades passed and the killer was never caught. Like a poisonous vine, the death of Frances Cochran is tangled with other unsolved murders, including the 1947 Los Angeles Black Dahlia case. My guest is Robert Fitzgibbon, author of the new book "Murder in Salem, Massachusetts: The Death of Frances Cochran". The author's blog: https://medium.com/@chebacco.parish The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/murder-in-salem-massachusetts-9781467171298 Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 7, 1964, Debra Miller’s life turns upside down when her mother is arrested for the murder of her father. At only fourteen years old, Debra becomes a ward of the court, grappling with the unfathomable trauma of watching her mother’s trial and conviction—a devastation that is only amplified when her family’s tragedy is splashed across headlines nationwide and featured in Joan Didion’s "Slouching Towards Bethlehem". Debra is the author of the new book "The Most Wonderful, Terrible Person: A Memoir of Murder in the Golden State". She joins me to share intimate details about her family and the murder case that has so deeply shaped her life — and to wonder whether her mother really killed her father that autumn night so long ago. The author's publisher page: https://shewritespress.com/portfolio/debra-miller/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first decades of the twentieth century, saloon proprietor Erastus Wallace Scott of Des Moines―with his cousins in the infamous Carter Gang―operated a campaign of murder, fraud, corruption, and prostitution from his bar on East Court Avenue. In 1908, the local paper denounced the neighborhood as “given up almost entirely to houses of prostitution. At one end stands a notorious saloon, the scene of many crimes, even murders, and for years a harbor for criminals and a plotting place for the evil minded." That reviled enterprise was none other than Scott’s seedy shack of sin. Initially, Scott gained the most notoriety, due to a slaying, numerous assaults, and sex trade associated with his establishment. But a subsequent murder brought cousin Will to the forefront. A land fraud scheme involving all three Carter brothers followed, including grand theft and even more deaths. Authors David and Rose Donovan, authors of  The Nastiest Saloon in Iowa: Murder, Prostitution, and Corruption in the Heartland, recount the long-forgotten story of a crime family’s nefarious reach beyond the red-light district. The authors' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574329629177 The authors' publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/the-nastiest-saloon-in-iowa-9781467170826 Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The night before Easter 1905, Miranda Bricker left her sister’s house and made her way through the darkness. Her destination was her living quarters and place of employment, the Maplehurst mansion, the home of Mount Vernon, Ohio’s leading industrialist. Within sight of her destination, an attacker emerged from the darkness, rushing her from behind. Their battle cut across the Maplehurst lawn, ending in Bricker’s death before witnesses could be sure what was happening. The killer melted away into the night. My guest is Mark Sebastian Jordan, author of "The Maplehurst Murder: Mount Vernon’s Most Infamous Unsolved Crime". He walks us through Miranda's horrific murder, the bloodhound hunt that led to the sheriff's prime suspect, and the suspect's eventual death. The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/marksebastianjordan/ The author's publisher's page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/collections/vendors?q=Mark%20S%20Jordan&contributorID=18602 Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig Pub Date 8/10/2016) My conversation with author Mark Lee Gardner continues, about his book "Shot All to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape". In the second part of the story, we talk about the James-Younger Gang's flight into the Big Woods of southern Minnesota, and the difficulties that they faced navigating through unknown territory, and also the troubles the local posses had finding them. The author's website: https://songofthewest.com/ This is the 150th Anniversary of the Raid! Visit the official The Defeat of Jesse James Days website for more about the festivities: https://www.djjd.org/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig pub date: 8/3/2016) Much has been written about Jesse James, including his gang's ill-fated trip to Northfield, Minnesota, a botched bank raid met with death and tragedy, but never told like this. Mark Lee Gardner, author of "Shot All to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid and the Wild West's Greatest Escape", joins me to tell the story of the James-Younger gang's foray north from Missouri and the chaos that followed. The author's website: https://songofthewest.com/ This is the 150th Anniversary of the Raid! Visit the official The Defeat of Jesse James Days website for more about the festivities: https://www.djjd.org/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is Merry Gordon, author of Arizona's Murdered Madams: Death in the Red-Light Districts. She shares the stories of two of Territorial Arizona's most infamous madams, former Mormon Minnie Powers and "Belgian Jennie" Bauters, including the cold-blooded murders that ended their lives. She also talks about the colorful and often dangerous world of sex workers in the Old West. The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Merry-Gordon/author/B07F99X97T The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/arizonas-murdered-madams-9781467171069 The author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merrygordonwrites/ Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May of 1832, an American whaleship called the Mentor went down on a remote reef in the western Pacific. Of the crew, eleven men made it out alive, but surviving the wreck was only the beginning. They found themselves stranded on unfamiliar shores, running low on supplies, and before long they were face to face with the Indigenous people of Palau, who approached them cautiously and heavily armed. My returning guest is best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin, and his new book is called The Wreck of the Mentor: A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail. In this conversation he walks us through the shipwreck, the crew's captivity, the clash of cultures and much more. The author's website: https://www.ericjaydolin.com/ The author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericjayd/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest is New York Times bestselling author Phyllis Karas. She shares the deeply personal story of two shocking tragedies in her family history: a 1935 car accident that killed six relatives, and the brutal 1954 murder of a Massachusetts seamstress named Ora Schonarth that sent her cousin Ronnie to prison. She also explores how the trauma of both events reverberated through her family for generations. Her new book, Curse of the Blumenthals, is out now. The author's website: https://www.phylliskaras.com/ The author's publisher page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Phyllis-Karas/260784571 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig pub date: 6/21/22) In the early morning hours of October 17, 1953, a frightened, battered woman named Diane Wells told a horrific tale to police. She said intruders had broken into the top-floor penthouse apartment she shared with her husband Cecil, murdered him, beat her, and then made their escape. It was an especially sensational story because 31-year-old "blonde bombshell" Diane Wells was nicknamed "the most beautiful woman in Alaska", and Cecil (twenty years her senior) was a wealthy and well-known Fairbanks businessman. There were suspicions, however, that Diane was lying. It was soon learned that she was having an affair with a local musician and also being comforted by a dance instructor who worked downstairs. My guest is James T. Bartlett, author of "The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America". He shares details from his research into the almost 70 year old cold case, including an account of Diane's own tragic end. More information about the author can be found at these links: https://www.gourmetghosts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thealaskanblonde https://www.instagram.com/thealaskanblonde https://www.twitter.com/alaskanblonde53 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1986, The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults drew a larger audience than the Super Bowl or David Frost’s interview with Richard Nixon. The special was intended as a comeback for journalist Geraldo Rivera, built around the dramatic opening of a "vault" beneath Chicago’s Lexington Hotel, rumored to contain Al Capone’s riches. But when the vault was finally opened live the moment didn’t deliver what millions of viewers were expecting. My guest is William Hazelgrove, author of Capone’s Vault: The Real Story of the Biggest Disaster in Television History. His book traces how the idea came together, combining Rivera’s career arc with the mythology of Capone’s hidden fortune, and reconstructs the broadcast itself along with its fallout, showing how the event became a defining example of live television gone wrong. The author's website: https://www.williamhazelgrove.com/ The author on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@williamhazelgrove 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: ⁠⁠⁠hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS⁠⁠⁠ and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1939, the crimes of German serial murderer Eugen Weidmann captivated France, culminating in a sensational trial and a public execution by guillotine, the last of its kind in the country, just weeks before the outbreak of World War II. My guest today is Mark Braude, author of The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Murderer, and the Meeting of Two Cultures on the Eve of World War II. In our conversation he shares how Janet Flanner’s reporting brought this case to American readers and why she saw Weidmann’s story as a chilling reflection of a continent on the brink. The author's website: https://www.markbraude.com/ 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: ⁠⁠hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS⁠⁠ and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edward Buckley was a violent East End tough whose life unfolded in the same streets and shadows as the Whitechapel murders. Born into a rough, crime-entangled family, he grew up in a world of poverty, street gangs, and routine violence -where assaults, intimidation, and desperation were part of daily life in 1880s London. My guest is Jonathan Tye, author of "Jack the Ripper? Edward Buckley: East End Thug and Gang Member". His book revisits the Whitechapel murders of 1888 and the years around them, bringing the focus back to the neighborhoods where they happened and the kinds of men who lived there. Could Buckley, a local thug with a documented history of brutalizing women, offer a clearer way to understand the events known as the Autumn of Terror? The author's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Ripper-Edward-Buckley-Member/dp/1036115682 The author's publisher page: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Jonathan-Tye/a/6186 The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583065492211 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: ⁠hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS⁠ and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig. Release Date: 4/23/23) For decades following the horrific 1918 execution of the Romanov family, many hoped against hope that one or more of the children had escaped the bullets and bayonets of the Bolsheviks.  And when a young woman came forward with an incredible story - that she was the real Grand Duchess Anastasia and had in fact survived the massacre - it sent shock waves around the world. My returning guests are Penny Wilson and Greg King, co-authors of "The Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson, and the World's Greatest Royal Mystery". They present to us the evidence that proves that Anna Anderson was one of history's greatest imposters. Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kingandwilsonFollow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtlantisMagazin More about their book on Amazon here:  https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Romanovs-Anastasia-Anderson-Greatest/dp/0470444983 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is forensic psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon. He shares stories from decades of correspondence, prison visits and interviews with some of America’s most notorious killers, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. His memoir is called "That Beast Was Not Me: One Forensic Psychologist, Five Decades of Conversations with Killers". The author's website: ⁠https://jeffreysmalldon.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest is award-winning author Saladin Ambar, who examines a wave of racially motivated killings along the Mississippi River in the 1830s - events that left a deep impression on a young Abraham Lincoln and helped inspire his Lyceum Address. His book, Murder on the Mississippi: The Shocking Crimes That Shaped Abraham Lincoln, explores how these crimes shaped Lincoln’s early views on justice and mob rule. The author's website: https://www.diversionbooks.com/books/murder-on-the-mississippi The author on Twitter/X: https://x.com/dinambar The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saladin.ambar Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: https://www.quince.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One chilly January night in 1867, a Virginia City prostitute was strangled to death in her bed. The murderer was caught and hanged in front of a crowd of thousands, and the citizens of the Comstock considered the matter closed. More than 150 years later, the murder of Julia Bulette has become a local legend. The man accused, John Millain, was suspected of killing before, but there would be no justice for those victims. Reduced to vague mentions in newspaper articles, little was left to tie their unsolved murders to that of Julia’s. Did John Millain leave a trail of tragedy that stretched from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood to Julia’s untimely end in Virginia City? Joining me is journalist Robin Flinchum, author of "The Redemption of Julia Bulette: Murder, Myth & the Hunt for a Serial Killer in Early Virginia City", who revisits the case, tells Julia’s story, and explores whether her death may have been one of several connected killings. The author's website: https://rkflinchum.wixsite.com/robin-flinchum#dataItem-m2x14b5q1 On Arcadia Press: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/collections/the-history-press/products/the-redemption-of-julia-bulette-9781467171748 Pre-Order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Julia-Bulette-Murder-Virginia/dp/1467171743 The author's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/RedLightChronicles Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: https://www.quince.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a chilly night in March of 1976, a father searching for his missing son made a horrifying discovery inside a Chicago apartment - in at what first appeared to be a drug deal gone bad. Inside were the bodies of Gio Messina and Delphine “Tinker” Moore, brutally stabbed to death. With no clear motive and a case that seemed ready to fall apart, it might have stayed buried if not for a series of unlikely breaks. My guest is author Gregg Owen, who, years later, found himself prosecuting that very case and was determined to see it through. His book "Convergence", co-authored with Jonathan Dixon, tells the story of how it all came together. The author's website: https://26thstreetbooks.com Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: https://www.quince.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig pub date: 10/8/2017). My guest, Jay Atkinson, author of "Massacre on the Merrimack", tells the notorious and controversial story of Hannah Duston. After members of the Abenaki tribe captured her and her newborn infant in March of 1697, they killed her baby on a forced march north. Duston got her revenge by killing and scalping ten of her captors, including six children, and fleeing by canoe back to her home in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JORXLK On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerjayatkinson/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay_atkinson/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a crisp September evening in 1899, a seventeen-year-old petty thief named Edwin Ray Snow shot and killed a bakery deliveryman named Jimmy Whittemore outside Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The gunshots rang out for only a moment, but the effects resounded on Cape Cod for half a century. The idyllic atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Cape Cod was shattered in a flash. My guest is Theresa Mitchell Webster, author of "The Cape Cod Murder of 1899: Edwin Ray Snow's Punishment & Redemption". She guides us through the crime and the long, complicated prison journey that followed. The author's website: theresawebster.com The author's email address: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is Suzanne Huntington, co editor of Ripperologist Magazine and author of the recently published book "The Thames Torso Murders: Fact or Fiction?" She not only talks about the “Canonical Four” Thames Torso murders and the possible killer (or killers), but she also takes a wider look at Victorian era dismemberment cases in and around London, the challenge of separating fact from long repeated myth, and the ways these crimes have been linked (rightly or wrongly) to the Whitechapel murders and Jack the Ripper. It is a fascinating deep dive into one of the most unsettling murder series of the late 19th century. The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Thames-Torso-Murders-Fact-or-Fiction-61565822546574/ The author's US Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Suzanne-Huntington/author/B0GHT5B8TK The author's UK Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Suzanne-Huntington/author/B0GHT5B8TK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin returns to the podcast to discuss his books "The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang" and "Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West". We talk about the Dalton Gang, the Wild Bunch, and the violent final years of frontier outlawry as the legendary era of the Old West drew to a close. The author's website: https://www.tomclavin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1708, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the Spanish galleon San José sailed from South America carrying a vast cargo of gold and silver bound for Spain. Off the coast of present-day Colombia, British ships of war intercepted the galleon in a fierce naval clash. During the battle, the San José exploded and sank, taking its enormous treasure to the bottom of the Caribbean. My guest this week is Julian Sancton, author of Neptune’s Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire. He discusses the circumstances that led to the sinking of the San José and enigmatic Cuban archaeologist Roger Dooley’s determined quest to locate the wreck deep beneath the sea. Follow Julian Sancton:Twitter/X: https://x.com/jsanctonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsancton/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julian.sancton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig. Pub Date: 11/10/21) In January of 1923, a 20-year-old dancer named Fritzie Mann left home to meet a mysterious man for what she told her mother was a house party. When she was discovered dead on a remote beach a few miles north of San Diego, police were puzzled by the clues. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? The fact that she was pregnant deepened the mystery even further. Soon two men – a Hollywood actor and a doctor – became the primary suspects in the case, and one would eventually be put on trial for murder. My guest is James Stewart, author of “Mystery at the Blue Sea Cottage: A True Story of Murder in San Diego’s Jazz Age”. He shares details about strange death of Fritzie Mann, considered by some to be San Diego’s very own Black Dahlia, and offers intriguing theories on what might really have happened to her. More information can be found at the author’s website here: https://www.jamesstewartauthor.com/ and at his publisher’s author page: https://wildbluepress.com/mystery-at-the-blue-sea-cottage-james-stewart-true-crime/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1949, a quiet neighborhood in St. Louis became the center of one of the most controversial religious cases in American history. A 13-year-old boy began exhibiting disturbing symptoms including violent outbursts, strange markings on his body, and other troubling episodes, leading Catholic priests to perform a series of secret exorcism rites. The case would later inspire The Exorcist, but the real story was far more complex than the film. My guest is Troy Taylor, author of The Devil Came to St. Louis: The Uncensored True Story of the 1949 Exorcism, who takes a careful look at the case, its origins, and how fact, faith, and folklore became intertwined in one of America’s most enduring mysteries. The author's website: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/ Become a Most Notorious Patron here! https://www.patreon.com/c/mostnotorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in Memphis, George Kelly Barnes starts dabbling in crime from a young age. First he blackmails his father, then he grows a successful bootlegging business for himself. But how did this small-time crook earn one of the most famous names in criminal history? And why don't we talk about his most famous crime? To listen to all four episodes of 'Machine Gun Kelly' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Báthory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Báthory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both? My guest is Shelley Puhak, author of the new book "The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster". She helps us separate fact from fiction as she reexamines the life of Elizabeth Báthory, long labeled one of history’s most notorious killers, and unpacks a complex story of power, politics, and how it all led to the making of a "monster". The author's website: https://shelleypuhak.com/ The author's publisher page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/blood-countess-9781639732159/ Become a Most Notorious patron here: https://www.patreon.com/c/mostnotorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a beautiful fall day in September 1916, 68-year-old Hannah Spielman went on a picnic with her new husband, 71-year-old James Allen, in the woods outside Grand Rapids, Michigan. She had met him through a newspaper advertisement, and the two were married just two days earlier - only hours after stepping off a train and meeting him face-to-face for the first time. But James Allen was not the man he claimed to be. His real name was Henry Scott Mausell, and his intentions were anything but honorable. Eleven days later, Hannah’s decomposed body was discovered and the murder investigation began. So who was Henry Scott Mausell? A man with a deeply troubled past—and Hannah was likely not his first victim, but the last in a long line of murdered women. In "Bloodstained: Exploring Michigan’s Darkest Murders Forgotten by Time", author Allie Seibert sheds light on this largely forgotten, and very likely, serial killer. The author's Household History website: https://www.householdhistory.com/ Allie in the Archives Podcast links: ⁠https://www.pod.link/1819388236 On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allie.in.the.archives/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest, William J. Mann, has spent years writing about Hollywood, and in his new book "Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood", he takes a fresh look at Los Angeles's most notorious crime - the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short. Mann shares his impressions of Elizabeth herself, unpacks the sprawling investigation, revisits some of the most infamous suspects, and explains who he believes most likely killed her. His new book was recently released on January 27th. The author's website: https://williamjmann.com/ The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/williamjmann/ Our previous interview about William Desmond Taylor's murder: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2023/02/07/the-murder-of-william-desmond-taylor-w-william-j-mann/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Most Notorious, I speak with author Jack El-Hai about his book "The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII". He talks about the fascinating relationship between Dr. Douglas Kelly, who was assigned to evaluate senior Nazi leaders awaiting trial at Nuremberg, and Herman Göring, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. His book was adapted into the film Nuremberg, which came out in November of 2025. The author's website: https://www.el-hai.com/ My 2019 interview with the author about the 1951 disappearance of the Klein brothers: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2023/02/01/the-mysterious-1951-minneapolis-disappearance-of-the-klein-brothers-w-jack-el-hai/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Orig. Pub. Date 9/6/2021) On April 24th, 1891, a Bowery prostitute named Carrie Brown (known locally as "Old Shakespeare") was found murdered and mutilated in the seedy East River Hotel. With the Jack the Ripper murders unsolved and still news, many believed that the notorious killer had traveled across the Atlantic to continue his bloody work in the United States - and this was his first victim. My guest is George R. Dekle Sr., former Florida prosecutor and author of the new book "The East River Ripper: The Mysterious 1891 Murder of Old Shakespeare". He talks about this sensational case, including the arrest and trial of the enigmatic Ameer Ben Ali, better known as "Frenchy", and offers his thoughts on who really murdered Carrie Brown. More about the author and his work can be found here: https://www.bobdeklebooks.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 21, 1836, crowds lined the docks of Saint John, New Brunswick, to watch the steamship Royal Tar depart for Portland, Maine - this time carrying an entire circus. Cages filled with exotic birds, snakes, lions and a tiger rolled on board, along with horses, camels and the star attraction: Mogul, a massive Asian elephant, who took his place on the upper deck. Four days later, after battling fierce storms, the ship caught fire, killing many on board. In desperation, some animals were forced into the icy waters of Penobscot Bay, while others perished in their cages. My guest is Jane Parks Gardner, author of The Wreck of the Circus Ship Royal Tar: Tragedy in Penobscot Bay. She shares details on the disaster, and its impact on Maine’s maritime history. The author's website: https://janepgardner.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the close of the nineteenth century, serial killer Joseph Vacher terrorized the French countryside for years, eluding capture while murdering more victims than Jack the Ripper. His sprawling crime wave ultimately drew in prosecutor Emile Fourquet and pioneering criminologist Alexandre Lacassagne, whose pursuit of Vacher helped push criminal investigations toward the modern era. My guest is Douglas Starr, author of "The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science". He shares details with us about Vacher’s reign of terror and the groundbreaking investigation that led to his conviction. The author's website: https://douglasstarr.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 13, 1788, outrage erupted in New York City when word spread that students from the local medical school were stealing corpses from nearby graveyards, at the direction of their instructors, for classroom dissection and study. A large mob attacked an anatomy lab and then set out in search of the students and doctors believed to be responsible for defiling the bodies of their loved ones. City leaders John Jay and Alexander Hamilton were among those who tried (and failed) to calm the crowd. The unrest ultimately led to a violent confrontation between civilians and the local militia, resulting in serious injuries and loss of life. My guest is Andy McPhee, author of the new book Doctors’ Riot of 1788: Body Snatching, Bloodletting, and Anatomy in America (out June 6). We discuss the riot itself, the history of body snatching, and the moral question at its core: could stealing bodies for medical training be justified in the name of public health? The author's website: https://andymcphee.com/ The publisher's author page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Doctors-Riot-of-1788/Andy-McPhee/9781493088058 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among the many murder cases handled by South Carolina attorney Dick Harpootlian, one continues to stand apart: the prosecution of Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins. A serial killer and sexual predator, Gaskins claimed to have taken more than 100 lives and is known to have murdered over a dozen people, including a young child and his own teenage niece. He killed for both revenge and gratification, using whatever methods were available - from knives and firearms to poison, suffocation, and drowning. Disturbingly, he maintained a charming persona, presenting himself as friendly and generous while privately committing the most heinous of crimes. One of his most shocking occurred on Death Row, when he murdered another inmate using an explosive device, demonstrating that his capacity for violence extended even behind bars. In this episode, I’m joined by Dick Harpootlian, author of Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South, who prosecuted Gaskins, to share firsthand insight into the man and his crimes. The official book website: https://www.dickharpootlian.com/ or https://digmeagrave.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 1947, the bisected body of Elizabeth Short, completely drained of blood, was discovered in an undeveloped lot in Los Angeles. Its gruesome mutilations led to a firestorm of publicity, city-wide panic, and an unprecedented number of investigative paths led by the LAPD—all dead ends. The Black Dahlia murder remained an unsolved mystery for over seventy years.Six years earlier and sixteen hundred miles away, another woman’s life had ended in a similarly horrific manner. Leila Welsh was an ambitious, educated, popular, and socially connected beauty. Though raised modestly on a prairie farm, she was heiress to her Kansas City family’s status and wealth. On a winter morning in 1941, Leila’s butchered body was found in her bedroom bearing the marks of unspeakable trauma. One victim faded into obscurity. The other became notorious. Both had in common a killer whose sadistic mind was a labyrinth of dark secrets. My guest is Emmy-nominated producer Eli Frankel. He has spent years researching the Black Dahlia case and makes a very convincing argument for his suspect in his recently published book, "SISTERS IN DEATH: The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress & Their Hunter". The Sisters In Death website: https://www.sistersindeath.com/ The author's personal website: https://www.elibfrankel.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Original Publication Date: 4/3/22 On Christmas Eve, 1900, 44-year-old dry goods store owner Frank Richardson was shot to death in his Savannah, Missouri home. Suspects included his wife Addie, his teenage lover Goldie Whitehead, and the man whom he suspected his wife of having an affair with, Stewart Fife. Kimberly Tilley makes her third visit to the podcast. Her book "Has it Come to This? The Mysterious Unsolved Murder of Frank Richardson" explores this largely forgotten murder mystery in titillating detail. More information here at the author's website: https://oldspirituals.com/ Check out the new cover here! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G3KZPMVY?crid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices