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...

In this gripping true crime episode, we explore the harrowing and heartbreaking story of Graham Staines, an Australian missionary who was burned alive along with his two young sons by a radical mob in Odisha, India, in 1999.  Even in the face of horrific violence, forgiveness and faith can speak louder than hate.

In 1949, deep in the Smoky Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee, a savage double murder shattered the stillness of a quiet Appalachian community. Charlie Perry—a former Knoxville bootlegger turned tourist camp owner—and his longtime housekeeper, Josie Law, were brutally killed in their home at Perry’s Camp, a rustic riverside lodge in Flat Branch Hollow. Charlie had been tortured—his body bearing the marks of cruelty before the final blow was delivered. Josie was slain trying to defend him. Th...

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…

Show Notes: In 1986, Tina and Karen Bowen were just teenage girls when their mother passed away from cancer. Not long after, strange things started happening in their home. Knocking from inside the walls. Furniture moved. Objects disappeared. Messages scrawled in red across the bedroom walls: 💬 “I’m in your room. Come and find me.” The girls thought maybe—just maybe—it was their mother trying to reach them from beyond. But what they were dealing with wasn’t a ghost. It was a monster. Daniel L...

In this chilling episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive deep into the twisted tale of Charles Schmid, the manipulative and charismatic serial killer who terrorized the young women of Tucson, Arizona, during the 1960s. Known as the Pied Piper of Tucson, Schmid lured teenage girls with his Elvis-like charm, eerie makeup, and bizarre swagger - only to reveal a monstrous dark side. We unravel the disappearances and murders of Alleen Rowe, Gretchen Fritz, and Wendy Fritz, and the disturbing ...

📍 Episode Summary: In 1958, 30-year-old nurse Olga Duncan vanished from her Santa Barbara apartment. She was newly married, seven months pregnant, and full of hope for the future. But what no one could’ve imagined was that the person behind her disappearance wasn’t a stranger… it was someone much closer to home. This week on Hard Times & True Crimes, we tell the heartbreaking story of Olga Duncan — and the chilling, manipulative woman who plotted her murder: her mother-in-law, Elizabeth...

In 1974, the quiet town of Searcy, Arkansas, was shaken by the shocking murder of Fern Rodgers, the wife of local physician Dr. Porter Rodgers. What seemed like a tragic crime soon unraveled as more information came to light that implicated not one, not two, but three suspects. If you love Southern true crime, mysteries, and small-town scandals, this episode is for you! #truecrime #ArkansasMurders #SearcyArkansas #SouthernGothic Hosts: Melody Gwyn and Darlene Hildreth Narrator: Curtis Hildre...

🎙️ Hard Times & True Crimes Show Notes: In the fall of 1927, New Orleans was buzzin’ with jazz, bootleg liquor, and secrets behind every shuttered window. But nothing prepared the city for what was found inside a quiet little apartment at 715 Ursulines Street. Two women—Theresa Moity and her sister, Leonide Dwyer—were brutally murdered, dismembered, and stuffed into a steamer trunk. Their killer? A jealous, unraveling husband with a butcher’s knife in one hand and a Bible in the oth...

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: This week, we’re diving into one of the most notorious crime sprees in American history—the 1958 murder rampage of Charlie Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate. Was Caril Ann Fugate a hostage or an accomplice? Did she have chances to escape, or was she trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t control? We’ll walk you through the murders, the trial, and the fallout that still lingers decades later. 📌 In This Episode: ✔️ Charlie Starkweather’s dark obsession with violence ...

🔎 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 this episode, we revisit the dark case of Kathleen Bedsole's murder in 1983, and the attempted murder of Charles Leonard, Jr., a crime that shook the communities surrounding Birmingham, Alabama to their core. We delve into the disturbed mind of David Duren, the man accused of the brutal killing, and unravel the events that led to one of the most infamous true crime stories in the region. What We Cover: An in-depth look at the night of the murder - what happened, how it was discovered...

Episode Summary: On Valentine’s Day 1971, a young couple Jesse McBane and Patricia Mann vanished after a romantic night in Durham, North Carolina. Days later, their bound and strangled bodies were discovered deep in the woods. Their deaths were no accident—this was a meticulously staged murder. Over 50 years later, the case remains unsolved. Who was behind this horrific crime, and why have investigators struggled to bring justice to Jesse and Patricia? Join us as we unravel the chilling...

In this episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive into a chilling case that highlights the dark side of online interactions. In the early 2000s, an internet chatroom became the setting for a deadly deception - what started as a seemingly harmless online friendship between marine_sniper and talhotblond, turned into a love triangle that ended in murder. We'll explore how a web of lies, manipulation, and hidden identities led to a fatal encounter. Join us as we break down the timeline of even...

In this episode, we delve into the lesser-known case of Ida Ball Warren, a woman from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, whose story shocked the state in 1914. It all began with the discovery of a body in Muddy Creek—a chilling find that, months later, would unravel a dark web of secrets and lead investigators straight to the man's own house. What You’ll Learn in This Episode The events leading up to Garrett Warren’s murder. How the discovery in Muddy Creek led investigators to Ida. Public reacti...

On New Year's Day 1951, a respected member of the Mt. Airy community was targeted in a car bombing. He was a teacher, a new husband, the son of a police chief, and an upstanding citizen. It took two years for the bomber to be apprehended when they targeted another victim. Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources: Pickens, Cathy. True Crime Stories of Western North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing, 2022. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-high-point-enterprise-mt...

In 1913 Nancy Ann Kerley's name became infamous in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. Her story remains a chilling legend in the region's history. Listen to this episode to find out why. Music By Memphis Robinson Gora Sources: newspapers.com findagrave.com https://www.facebook.com/LadyFromTheMountains13/posts/the-legend-of-nance-dude-stoned-by-children-considered-a-witch-by-some-and-a-com/295072048854981/https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Conard-284https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/johnson/...

Days before Christmas in 1831, Charlie Silver went missing from his home, leaving behind a young wife and baby. In the mountains of Western North Carolina, his family searched to no avail. Unfortunately, Charlie was eventually found but not all in one piece. Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Narrator of The Ballad Of Frankie Silver excerpt - Lily Hildreth Sources: You Tube Documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6DViANMIc McCrumb, Sharyn. The Ballad of F...

On Christmas Eve in 1881, the bodies of three teenagers were found in a burning house. The brutal way in which they were killed would shock the country. Listen to the conclusion of the story on this episode. Music By Riley Hildreth Sources: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kycarter/journals/neal_craft_murder.htm The Story of the First Hanging in Carter County by Glen R. Haney findagrave.com newspapers.com The Ashland Tragedy: Murder, a Mob and a Militia in Kentucky by H E Joe Castle and J. M. Huff F...

On Christmas Eve in 1881, the bodies of three teenagers were found in a burning house in Ashland, Kentucky. The brutal way that they died would shock not only the community, but the entire nation. Music by Isaiah and Riley Hildreth Sources: findagrave.com wikipedia.com The Ashland Tragedy: MURDER, A MOB & A MILITIA IN KENTUCKY by Joe Castle and JM Huff Fresh Hell Podcast https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kycarter/journals/neal_craft_murder.htm Send us a text Support the show hardtimesandtruecrimes.c...

The residents of Cumming, Georgia were in an uproar in 1972 after two sheriff deputies were murdered. Just months later, in the same vicinity, a middle-aged couple was murdered in their bed and the community was on edge. Were the killings connected? Could it be retaliation or was it something else altogether? Was anyone else in danger? Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62SuK3_9mR4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/398617568...

On Thanksgiving Eve in 1930 , a dairy farming family of four were brutally murdered. Their deaths shocked the nation. Ninety-five years later, the murders are still unsolved. Listen to the episode to see if you think you know who the killer is. Male Narrator: Curtis Hildreth Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources: findagrave.com newspapers.com modernfarmer.com The Germond Family Murders: A Scientific Conclusion to a Cold Case by Vincent Cookingham PHD Old Timey Crimey Podcast Between the Cracks Podcas...