Serial Killers Episodes

In 1931, a little girl named Vera Leonard vanished while waiting for the school bus in Guilford County, NC. Hours later, her body was found in the ashes of her burned-down home. The man arrested—“Will Moore”—turned out to be an escaped convict named Asbury Respus, who would go on to confess not only to Vera’s murder but to as many as nine others across North Carolina. Some of his confessions were confirmed. Others remain unverified. Asbury Respus became North Carolina’s first known serial killer...

There is an UPDATE on this story, which we recorded as a bonus/MINI episode. It is linked below in the show notes. In June 1961, JD and Utha Welch packed up their car, their four young sons, and headed west from Oklahoma to visit family in California. It was supposed to be a simple road trip — a summer memory in the making. But one quiet night near Seligman, Arizona, while the boys slept in a canvas pup tent, JD and Utha were gunned down in cold blood as they rested in their car. The boys woke up as orphans. In this tragic episode, we explore the mysterious murders that shattered a family on the side of Route 66 — and the long road to identifying James Abner Bentley, a violent drifter with a chilling trail of crimes behind him. We unravel the investigation, the break in the case, and why — despite compelling evidence — Bentley was never tried for the Welch murders. Featuring quotes from those who knew the case best, courtroom drama, and the shocking behavior of Be…

In this gripping episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we uncover the hauntingly intertwined stories of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen Doyle - two women connected by tragedy and a ruthless predator who evaded justice for decades. We begin with Aundria’s heartbreaking journey: a young girl adopted into what seemed like a loving family, only to face unimaginable abuse and betrayal. Her disappearance in 1989 was dismissed as a runaway case, but her birth mother, Cathy Terkanian, never stopped searchi...

🔎 Episode Summary: Truck stops, open highways, and a killer hiding in plain sight—Sean Patrick Goble was a long-haul trucker with a dark secret. 🚚💀 In the early 1990s, Goble crisscrossed the country, using his job as a cover to prey on vulnerable women leading to multiple murders. But what led to his capture? And could there be more victims authorities have yet to uncover? 🤔 In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive into the chilling case of Sean Goble, the trucker-turned-serial-...

🔊 Narrator: Curtis Hildreth 🎼 Music by: Isaiah Hildreth Episode Summary: In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take you back to Gaffney, South Carolina, a small Southern town known for its peaches, its mill-town roots… and one of the most chilling murder sprees in state history. Between 1967 and 1968, the community was terrorized by a man who became known as The Gaffney Strangler—Lee Roy Martin. Martin preyed on girls and young women, leaving behind a trail of fear and dev...

In August 1931, police were investigating the disappearances of Asta Eicher and her three children. They found love letters, which led them to a man named Harry Powers in Quiet Dell, West Virginia. Nespresso Vertuo Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4eO75xy Music by Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Sources: newspapers.com findagrave.com wikipedia.com murderpedia.com https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/print/Article/1911 https://news.lib.wvu.edu/2014/10/28/the-harry-powers-murders-crimes-tha...

The 1988 murder of 41 year old Peggy Carr is one of the most bizarre crimes in Polk County Florida history. Music by Isaiah Hildreth Narrator-Curtis Hildreth Sources newspapers.com Poison Mind : The True Story of the Mensa Murderer and the Policewoman who Risked her Life to Bring Him to Justice By Jeffrey Good and Susan Goreck Justialaw The Murder of Peggy Carr Crime Documentary Send us a text Support the show hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

41 year old Peggy Carr fell sick with a mysterious illness that doctors couldn't explain in October of 1988. You don't want to miss this real life murder mystery that took place in Polk County Florida. Music by Curtis Hildreth Narrator Curtis Hildreth Sources newspapers.com YouTube Justia Law Poison Mind: The True Story of the Mensa Murderer-And the Policewoman Who Risked Her Life to Bring Him to Justice By Jeffry Good and Susan Gorech Functional Spaces Simplifying your space. Organizing your...

On June 1896, Ceely Rose poisoned her family with arsenic because they wouldn't let her see or speak the name of their neighbor, Guy Berry. Her father, David, died within a week of being poisoned. Walter, her brother, died within two weeks and Rebecca, her mother, lived for a month before getting a second dose and then dying. Listen to hear the whole story. Male Narrator-Curtis Hildreth Music-Isaiah Hildreth Sources: The Ceely Rose Murders at Malabar Farm By Ma...

On June 3, 1985, police cautiously pursued a Chevy Blazer with four passengers. A slow chase had persisted for several miles-- from Greensboro into Summerfield, North Carolina. Suddenly, the Blazer stopped and a bomb was detonated from within. The vehicle and four bodies exploded into pieces on NC Hwy. 150. This is the conclusion to the harrowing story of how bitterness and hatred led to the deaths of nine people and destroyed three families in the process. Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Intro and O...

In the years between 1984 and 1985, three intertwined families experienced the murders of close family members. The murders spanned from Louisville, Kentucky to Winston Salem and Greensboro, NC. Susie Newsome Lynch and Fritz Kenner were first cousins and lovers. They shared grandiose delusions, paranoia, bitterness and a murderous hatred for the people they believed were conspiring to take Susie's boys away from her. They would do ANYTHING to keep that from happening! Eventually, nine people wou...

As Westward expansion began in the US after the Civil War, homesteaders staked land claims across the plains. One family set up a crude store and Inn along the trail, taking advantage of the location where many a weary traveler would pass by. But many of those travelers began to disappear after stopping at the Bender's place. What searchers found on the property, dubbed "Hell's Half-Acre" by newspapers, was nothing they could have imagined. And history doesn't tell us why a whole family would ki...

Today's episode is about the life and crimes of Father Hans Schmidt. He was executed in 1916 for murder. Schmidt is the only priest ever to be executed in the United States. Music- Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator- Curtis Hildreth Sources newspapers.com murderpedia wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Schmidt_(priest)https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-dreadful-crimes-of-the-only-priest-ever-executed-on-the-electric-chair-2975072643d3 Send us a text Support the s...

Belle Gunness also known as Hell's Princess was a pig farmer in the early 1900's. She posted help wanted and lonely hearts ads in newspapers--luring men to their deaths with promises of love and wealth. Music By Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator Curtis Hildreth Sources: newspapers.com Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter wikipedia biography.com legendsofamerica.com allthatsintresting.com https://americanliterature.com/author/charles...

Georgia Tann was a social worker whose crimes spanned three decades from the 1920s to 1950. What appeared to be benevolence on her part was actually greed and downright evil that affected many families during those years. She led a secret life and was beyond scrutiny for most of those years. Sadly she was never brought to justice for her horrible deeds. Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources: https://www.americanadoptions.com/adoption/history-of-adoption https:...

In 1966 a father in Georgia died suddenly from an apparent heart attack. He was just 39 years old. Just seven months later his 13-year-old son became sick suddenly and passed away within a short time. Mysterious deaths continued until people became suspicious of the true cause of so many deaths in one family. Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janie_Lou_Gibbs https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60588446/janie-lou-gibbs https:...

Countess Elizabeth Bathory is in The Guinness Book of World Records for being the most prolific serial killer in the western world. She is alleged to have killed more than 600 virgins in order to drink their blood and bathe in it, in order to preserve her youth. But who was Elizabeth Bathory really? Join us today as we untangle fact from fiction. Sources: Music By Isaiah Hildreth Male Narrator Curtis Hildreth Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory: Second Edition by Kimberl...

Beginning in 1983, a group of four nurse aides began a killing spree that lasted for over six years. It began with a "mercy killing" but soon escalated into murder. The mastermind of the group came up with horrendous methods of torture for troublesome patients and the total number of victims is estimated to possibly be in the hundreds. Narrator: Cutis Hildreth Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources: Newton, Michael - An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers - Hunting Humans House of ...

In 1928, twenty-one year old serial killer Gordon Northcott stalked the streets of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas looking for young boys to lure back to his chicken farm. Darlene and Melody tell his victims' stories. Was Gordon Northcott ever brought to justice? Listen here to find out! Sources: Intro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Intro and Outro Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Photo License: {{PD-US}} The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders by Anthony Flacco...

In part one Darlene and Melody discuss the disappearance of Walter Collins. On March 8, 1928 Christine Collins was called in to work for a few hours at her job as a telephone operator. Her son, nine year old Walter Collins, wanted to go see a movie, so Christine gave him a dime to go. She instructed Walter to come home directly after the movie. That would be last time Christine Collins would ever see her son. Walter's disappearance made national headlines. The LAPD were desperate to solve this c...

Velma Barfield had America torn between justice and mercy. Was she a repentant murderer or an unrelenting master-manipulator? Send us a text Support the show hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC

In 1952 Earle Dennison visited her favorite three year old niece. She gave her poison under the guise of a treat. This led to discovering the killer aunt's dark and murderous past. Send us a text Support the show hardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC