Slice of Murder: A True Crime Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jessica Fernandez & Cristina Barrett
Slice of Murder is a conversational true crime podcast hosted by two best friends/educators here to teach YOU about missing people, murders and everything in between. Tune in to listen to Jess and Nina investigate the world's most horrific crimes...or maybe just talk about something completely random.
The Colonial Parkway Murders is a series of unsolved homicides that occurred between 1986 and 1989 along the Colonial Parkway, a scenic roadway that runs from Yorktown to Jamestown, Virginia. The murders involve the deaths of eight people, including four couples, who were all found in or near their vehicles along the parkway or in nearby wooded areas. Despite a massive investigation and numerous suspects, the case remains unsolved, and the killer or killers have never been identified. The case has received national attention and has been the subject of several books, documentaries, and television shows.
The Colonial Parkway Murders is a series of unsolved homicides that occurred between 1986 and 1989 along the Colonial Parkway, a scenic roadway that runs from Yorktown to Jamestown, Virginia. The murders involve the deaths of eight people, including four couples, who were all found in or near their vehicles along the parkway or in nearby wooded areas. Despite a massive investigation and numerous suspects, the case remains unsolved, and the killer or killers have never been identified. The case has received national attention and has been the subject of several books, documentaries, and television shows.
On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was scheduled to arrive in Beijing, China, about six hours later. On board the Boeing 777 aircraft were 227 passengers and 12 crew members. However, about an hour into the flight, something went terribly wrong.At 1:21 am local time, the last communication from the cockpit to air traffic control was made. Everything seemed to be normal at that point, but just two minutes later, the plane disappeared from radar screens. Attempts to contact the flight crew were unsuccessful, and the plane seemed to have vanished into thin air. This led to many theories and speculations about what happened to the flight.Sources: MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (Netflix Documentary) https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/17/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-timeline/index.html#:~:text=Flight%20370%20vanished%20on%20March,were%20239%20people%20on%20board.&text=On%20July%2029%2C%20police%20carry,was%20from%20the%20missing%20flight.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370
On August 13, 2018, Chris Watts murdered his wife Shanann and their two children Bella and Celeste. Watts initially claimed his innocence, but was arrested on August 15. He confessed to murdering Shanann in an interview with detectives. He later admitted to murdering his children.
American Murder: The Family Next Door
Charles Manson, a twisted individual with racist ideologies believed his bloody killings would be the spark to ignite the revolution against Black people. He gathered followers for his cult and somehow convinced his followers to go on a killing spree resulting in first-degree murder convictions and one of the strangest cases the state of California has witnessed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Manson
https://www.famous-trials.com/manson/243-home
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/manson-family-murders-what-need-to-know-180972655/
In March 1998, Amy Lynn Bradley went on a family cruise to the Caribbean. She was last seen on the morning of March 24th, 1998, on the balcony of her cabin on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas. Since then, Amy's mysterious disappearance has remained unsolved, and her family and friends are still searching for answers.
Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. SLA was a radical leftist organization who aimed to destroy the capitalist state and they used Patty to send a message. A couple months after Patty was kidnapped she was seen holding a gun while robbing a bank with the SLA. The public wondered if this was a case of Stockholm Syndrome or was Patty willing working with the SLA?
Sources:
https://www.historicmysteries.com/patty-hearst/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst
https://wondery.com/shows/american-scandal/season/44/
Trigger warning: Rape, graphic descriptions of physical attacks.
On the 18th 0f December in 1994 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 27-year-old Alison Botha was abducted, raped, disembowelled, almost decapitated and left for dead by Frans du Toit and Theuns Kruger.
Alison the Documentary https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3949952/
https://vocal.media/criminal/the-amazing-survival-of-alison-botha-case-of-frans-du-toit-and-theuns-kruger
Today we will be discussing part 2 of one of the most captivating and heartbreaking murder cases in recent history. In this episode we will discuss the conviction, trial, and theories of the case.
https://serialpodcast.org/maps/timelines-january-13-1999
On January 13th, 1999, Hae Min Lee was in charge of picking up her cousin after school. When she did not show, her family became worried because this was unlike Hae, so they contacted the police. After several weeks Hae’s body was discovered in Leakin park, West Baltimore Maryland, showing signs of manual strangulation. Adnan Syed, Hae’s ex boyfriend was charged with Hae Min Lee’s murder.
The podcast Serial by Sarah Koenig covered this case in depth from interviews with friends to interviews with Adnan in 2014. The podcast brought new light to the case, having people ask themselves, was there enough evidence to convict Adnan? On September 19, 2022, after serving 23 years in prison, Syed was free. Prosecutors dropped all charges against Adnan. Did prosecutors have the wrong guy all along? If they did, then who is responsible for Hae Min Lee’s murder?
Sources:
https://viewfromll2.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/hae-diary.pdf
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/03/read-hae-min-lee-diary/
https://www.biography.com/news/adnan-syed-hae-min-lee-timeline-facts
Today, we’ll be talking about 4 locations in Los Angeles known to be some of the most haunted in the city. All of them have true crime intertwined throughout them, but the main focus here is the ghosts. These four locations are: Colorado Street Bridge, Griffith Park, The Queen Mary and The Cecil Hotel.
Sources:
http://creepyla.com/2016/10/04/haunted-curse-ghosts-monsters-griffith-park/
https://patch.com/california/northhollywood/griffith-park-haunted-cursed-heart-los-angeles
https://www.travelandleisure.com/hotels-resorts/most-haunted-hotel-america-queen-mary
https://allthatsinteresting.com/cecil-hotel-los-angeles
In the early morning of October 2nd 1999, in Austin Texas, 75 year old Steven Beard, a self-made millionaire and retired TV media personnel, woke up to agonizing pain. He looked down and saw he was bleeding from his stomach and his guts were in his hand. He was able to make a 911 call and responders took him to the hospital.
The suspect was his wife’s lover.
Was this a crime of an obsessive lover who wanted Steven’s wife and money? Or was this a planned act by Steven’s wife to run off with his money and her lover?
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/tx-court-of-appeals/1175149.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_Beard
https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=131984&page=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFeZEUACjKk
On May 20 of 1947, Christina Kettlewell was found deceased in Severn Falls, Ontario, her body lying in nine inches of river water. She was lying 150 feet away from a cottage where she and her new husband had been spending their honeymoon. The cottage had been burnt to the ground. When her death was investigated, a confusing tale was spun of insurance money, suicide letters, and even a possible love triangle.
Sources:
https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/gta/2017/07/04/what-happened-to-torontos-eight-day-bride.html
https://sites.psu.edu/heidimoustafapassionblog/2020/10/18/case-4-the-mysterious-death-of-the-eight-day-bride/
Teresita Basa, a 47 year old Filipino woman was brutally murdered in her apartment. Many believe she rose from her grave to solve her own murder.
Mary Day was a 13-year-old girl from Seaside, California, who disappeared in 1981. Her parents claimed she ran away, while investigators were determined to prove that she was murdered. In 2003, twenty-two years after her disappearance, a woman came forward claiming to be the runaway Mary Day. However, she had almost no memories of her childhood, especially from when she was 13 or younger. So…was Mary Day murdered, or did she really run away and return 22 years later?
Source:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mary-day-suspected-murder-victim-back-dead-dna-48-hours/
The Lady of the Dunes. On July 26, 1974, a woman’s body was found in Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The woman was lying on a beach towel with her head on top of a pair of folded jeans and a blue bandana. The woman was estimated to have been there anywhere from 10 days to three weeks. She was almost decapitated and missing her hands. Nobody could identify her for years, until recently.
Sources:
https://allthatsinteresting.com/lady-of-the-dunes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Marie_Terry#:~:text=Ruth%20Marie%20Terry%20(September%208,efforts%20to%20identify%20her%20killer.&text=Terry%20in%20her%2020s.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/us/provincetown-body-lady-of-the-dunes.html
Part two of Charles Frederick Albright also known as The Eyeball Killer, was an American serial killer from Dallas, Texas, who was convicted of killing one woman and suspected of killing two others in 1991. This case is a two-parter, so today we’ll discuss Charles’ victims and his conviction.
Charles Frederick Albright also known as The Eyeball Killer, was an American serial killer from Dallas, Texas, who was convicted of killing one woman and suspected of killing two others in 1991. This case is a two-parter, so today we’ll discuss Charles’ early life and his first murder.
Sources:
https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/see-no-evil-3/
The 1920s were known as the Roaring Twenties where plenty of Americans spent their time at extravagant parties, Albert Fish spent his time craving human flesh. Albert was known as the Brooklyn Vampire because he lured children into abandoned homes to kill them. In 1934, Albert Fish, a known serial killer, wrote a letter to Grace Budd’s mother and described the gruesome murder.
Sources:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christinekenneally/orphanage-death-catholic-abuse-nuns-st-josephs
https://www.nydailynews.com/true-crime-justice-story/ny-true-crime-justice-story-albert-fish-grace-budd-20201227-cmdvb5fasvazvi7iyrxdj4ftly-story.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/serial-killer-albert-fish-973157
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish#:~:text=Early%20life,-Albert%20Fish%20was&text=Fish%20was%20the%20youngest%20child,a%20history%20of%20mental%20illness.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/albert-fish-letter
https://magazine.atavist.com/angel-killer/
Katelin Akens was a 19-year-old girl from Spotsylvania, Virginia. On December 5th, 2015, Katelin was supposed to board a 5:40 flight to Arizona. That time came and went, and Katelin never got on that plane. She has never been seen from or heard from again. Katelin’s family and fiancé received a series of troubling texts from Katelin, hinting that something was wrong— but police have never been able to find evidence of foul play. To this day, Katelin has seemingly vanished into thin air.
Sources:
https://www.andthentheyweregone.com/blog/katelin-akens
https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/missing-katelin-akens/
On March 12,2011, in the Washington D.C suburb of Bethesda, Maryland. Bethesda Row, a nice, shopping avenue lined with festive lights and retail outlets, the manager of the Lululemon Athletica store arrived before 8 am to open the store for the day. She walked into one of the most gruesome and inexplicable crime narratives in recent history. One of the employees, 30-year-old Jayna Murray, had been stabbed over 330 times.
Sources:
https://murderpedia.org/female.N/n/norwood-brittany.htm
https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/The-Lululemon-Murder
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2aEukQxM1KXhaKKOEE9fnL
On September 27, 2020, Ashley Benefield, a 28-year-old former ballerina, walked to her neighbors house and announced that she had shot her husband, Doug, in self-defense. She, along with her mother and her lawyer, claimed that she had been living in fear of Doug for the last three years.
Ashley Reeves was found nearly dead in the woods 30 hours after her disappearance and just 15 minutes away from her home in Illinois. Samson Shelton, a teacher, tried to strangle her and left her for dead.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbH6S4z57hE
https://www.vizaca.com/ashley-reeves-story/
One of the biggest cults in American history, and one that led to hundreds upon hundreds of deaths, the people’s temple was a cult founded by Jim Jones, an influential preacher that convinced thousands of people to follow his every command. Jones’ whole life revolved around religion, control, and power. Slice of Murder takes you through Jones’ entire history, from his birth to his death that changed American culture forever.
Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old first grade teacher was found dead on January 26, 2011. Ellen's body had been found by her fiancé, television producer Samuel Goldberg, with whom she lived with. This was after he was reportedly coming back from the gym at their apartment complex. Sam said the door was locked through the inside with the latch lock so he broke down the door and there he found his fiance bloody and with multiple stab wounds to the back of her neck, chest, and abdomen. Authorities eventually ruled Ellen’s death a suicide, but her parents believe she was murdered and have fought for nearly 11 years to have officials reopen her case and conduct a thorough investigation.
Sources:
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis LifelineCheck Out These
Justice for Ellen: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-ellen-rae-greenberg-justiceforellen
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9193183/Family-Philadelphia-school-teacher-stabbed-20-times-new-evidence-MURDERED.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/parents-ellen-greenberg-believe-new-evidence-submitted-philadelphia-attorney-general-n1286606
https://gavinfish.com/cases/ellen-greenberg/
https://www.crimescoop.org/news/ten-years-ago-ellen-greenberg-was-fatally-stabbed-20-times-10-times-in-the-back-of-the-neck-why-is-her-horrific-death-still-being-called-a-suicide
On December 2, 2016, Sarah Stern, a 19-year-old from Neptune City, was murdered in her home by her childhood friend. Her car was found abandoned on a bridge over Shark River in Belmar, New Jersey, but her body has never been recovered. This case marked the first 'no-body' homicide case to go to trial in Monmouth County since 1975. What could have caused her childhood friends to resort to such a heinous crime? Slice of Murder details the motives and events of that December day as well as the aftermath of Sarah’s murder.
Check out these resources for more information:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10247354/
Kristin Smart, a 19-year old Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student disappeared in 1996 and was declared legally dead in 2002. The last time she was seen she was walking to her dormitory after a party and to this day her remains have not been found. Just last year (2021), 25 years later, two people were charged with her murder.
Check out these resources on the case:
https://www.yourownbackyardpodcast.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/article/kristin-smart-case-timeline.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kristin-smart-missing-woman-investigation-digital-watch-48-hours/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-13/paul-flores-arrested-1996-disappearance-kristin-smart
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-13/paul-flores-arrested-1996-disappearance-kristin-smart
https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/kristin-smart-was-once-buried-below-deck-suspects-home-court-document-alleges/CYJJRUDROFBBVCXBPBCVEKCIPU/
Voted the most beautiful small town in America in 2012, Bardstown, Kentucky seems like a safe place to live – but has been the home for multiple mysterious tragedies. On July 5, 2015, Crystal Rogers, a 35 year old mother of 5, was reported missing. So what happened to Crystal Rogers, and who is responsible?
Check out the resources on this case:
https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-crystal-rogers
https://www.bardstownpodcast.com/