Murder Most Foul

Depending on your age and demographic, many of you might remember the female “buddy” movie, “Thelma and Louise.” Today, I am pleased to introduce Jennifer and Stephanie. Jennifer Marshall is a Navy veteran, private detective and host of the popular documentary series MYSTERIES DECODED seen on The CW Network. Stephanie Bingham is an author, historian, and spiritual psychic. Jennifer and Stephanie took a road trip to Fall River, Massachusetts, to film an episode on Lizzie Borden. The pair...

In a span of just over two years starting in 2018 in a small area of suburban Dallas, Texas, in a cluster of retirement facilities, 26 senior citizen’s died, of “natural causes.” At least that was the finding of the police authorities. Oddly in all cases there was clearly a robbery involved of expensive jewelry (including wedding rings taken off the deceased), and in two cases a safe was purloined. In almost every case, investigators failed to collect fingerprints or DNA evidence, order...

In early 1980, Jackie Schut and her husband Harold (Lee) Schut embarked on a multi-state, baby-snatching enterprise that involved killing the mothers of the infants. One of those infants was Amanda Bell. Although Jackie and Lee were implicated in Amanda’s abduction and the murder of her mother, they were never prosecuted. In 2020, the documentary DIABOLICAL: “Hands that Rob the Cradle” first aired. The basis for the episode was the book by the late Ann Rule entitled: “Lying in Wait.” Today...

On January 23rd 2023, Alex Murdaugh - disgraced and disbarred attorney, scion of the influential Murdaugh family and South Carolina “good ol’ boy” - went on trial for the double-homicide of his wife, Maggie and their teenage son, Paul. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Aside from the financial fraud and swindling of law partners and vulnerable clients, there are at least 3 other deaths connected to Alex and his family. Join me today as I try to sort out this case that has more...

On June 18th 1984, Denver radio talk show host, Alan Berg was assassinated in front of his house, his bullet-riddled corpse found in his driveway in a pool of his own blood. Berg was an acerbic, gonzo personality who was an equal opportunity annoyer. Christian or Jew. Liberal or Conservative. White or Black. NAACP or KKK. All were fodder for his popular radio show. He could be described as a cross between Groucho Marx and Tom Hanks’ character in the film: “A man called Otto.” A colleague...

Join me as I visit with prolific True Crime author, and all-around fun guy, Rod Kackley. Listen in as we talk about his encounter in high school in an elevator with Jane Fonda and hear about his ancestor who provided medical treatment for a member of Butch Cassidy’s Gang. Oh, we’ll talk murder, too! Like the case of the Uber driver who killed fares because, like Flip Wilson said, “The devil made him do it!” Not to be undone by the woman who killed her husband and sought advice from the...

Do you? Join me as I welcome renowned author and Ghosthunter, Leslie Rule to the show. In this segment, we examine paranormal activities associated with murders as well as suspicious unsolved disappearances. You do not have to believe in ghosts to be entertained by the stories in Leslie’s most recent book: “Haunted in America.”

The movie’s horrific rape scene is grueling to watch. In a car, a terrified prostitute is bound at the wrists and tied to one of the door handles. Already bloodied and beaten, she is viciously sodomized by the man who picked her up by the side of the highway. Somehow, she breaks free and, wild with rage, bravely turns the tables on her attacker. She grabs a gun from her bag and fires bullet after bullet into his chest. The audience, watching breathlessly, feels a rush of sympathy for her....

Jason Derek Brown was a small time petty con man who spent most of his life one step ahead of the law or the mob, depending on the day of the week. That was until November 29th, 2004, when this charismatic drifter decided to pull off one last big score and vanish into thin air. He carefully planned and executed the robbery of an armored car outside a movie theater and killed the guard in cold blood. He soon was placed on the F.B.I.’s 10 Most Wanted List, where he remained until September of...

Before there were the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, QAnon and Donald Trump, there was Timothy McVeigh. A decorated war veteran, who decided he, too, didn’t trust the federal government. He decided to release his anger and frustration upon over 800 innocents by bringing down the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. This largest act of domestic terror in the history of the United States, took the lives of 168 souls, 19 of whom were children, and injured 680 others. Was...

In 1979, Brenda Spencer, a seemingly average teenage girl living in a nice suburban neighborhood, made and executed plans that would place her in infamy and set a violent and terrifying national precedent. She received a rifle from her father for Christmas, and a month later, opened fire on the elementary school across the street, killing the principal and a custodian and wounding 8 students and a police officer. The event is forever glorified by the song “I Don’t Like Mondays” by The...

REDEMPTION. Not a word one would associate with Charles Manson, Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. But what about an 11-year-old boy who, in 1889 in rural Iowa, murdered his abusive parents as they slept, sparing his one-year-old sister who was sleeping in the same bed? “THE PLEA: The true story of Young Wesley Elkins and his struggle for Redemption,” might help you answer that question. Authors Patricia L. Bryan and Thomas Wolf join me now on this edition of Murder Most Foul.

On July 20, 2012, James Holmes walked into the midnight showing of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES in Aurora, Colorado and opened fire on the theater patrons, methodically killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. Like the mass shootings which preceded that night, and those which have occurred since, the public response was swift and predictable. Stricter gun control, Red Flag Laws and more money for mental health. Politicians searched for any benefit that could be gained from the tragedy. The...

In 1930, Eva Dugan became the first woman ever executed in the State of Arizona and the last person to face the gallows in that state. Author Rod Kackley tells us the twisted tale that I’m calling “Eva and the Hangman.”

A parent’s worst nightmare…their child vanishes on the way to catch the bus to school. Did they run away? Were they abducted by a stranger or were they taken by someone they knew and trusted. In 2002, 13-year-old classmates, Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis both vanished on their way to school, two months apart. Soon a task force of over 40 police and F.B.I. agents and the entire community of Oregon City were frantically searching for the missing girls. Jim Redden and Janine Robben reporters...

WHEN THE MOON TURNS TO BLOOD digs deeply into the horrific tale of the murder and mutilation of two innocent children by their Doomsday Mother, Lori Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell. Was it simply a love affair gone wrong, a story of sexual lust so intense it drove two people to kill? Or was it something far more sinister? Join me as I interview author and journalist Leah Sottile who in her book explains the who, what, when, where and how of this yet unsettled case. The why... is up to...

The Petersons seemed the ideal couple, well-respected, prosperous, and happy. All that came crashing down in December of 2001, when Kathleen apparently fell to her death in their secluded home in an exclusive area of Durham, North Carolina. But blood-spatter evidence and a missing fireplace poker suggested calculated, cold-blooded murder. Her trusted husband, Michael, stood accused. To bolster their case, prosecutors introduced evidence at trial that sixteen years earlier, Peterson was the...

Babbling brooks, breathtaking mountain views, the endless sounds of nature. That’s what comes to mind for most of us when we think about National Parks like the Grand Canyon and Acadia National Park in Maine. But these wonderful and pristine escapes have a dark side as well. They are perfect places to commit a murder. Join me as I speak with nature writer, and friend, Randi Minetor as we delve into her series of books on death in National Parks…many by murder!

In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two important groups: the police who investigate crime and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders. I think it’s safe to say that most of you are familiar with that opening to the successful TV show LAW AND ORDER. But the Defense Attorney is an equally essential party in our Criminal Justice System. It’s funny. When we are accused of a crime, rightly or wrongly, we want an attorney to protect our rights. But what about...

“Beyond suspicion” and “hiding in plain sight” are two phrases that have been used to describe countless serial murders, that is… before they are caught. Many have led mundane lives that allow them to remain under the radar throughout their reigns of terror. But not Russell Williams, who was by night a rapist and killer, but his day job was that of Colonel in the Canadian Airforce, tasked with flying World dignitaries around Canada, including Queen Elizabeth II and President Clinton. Listen...