Recent Episodes

June 25, 2025

104. Burned Alive: The Martyrdom of Graham Staines and His Sons in India

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.

View more

May 13, 2025

101. Boy in the Walls: The Daniel LaPlante Horror Story

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...

View more

April 15, 2025

99. A Deadly Obsession: The Murder Of Olga Duncan

📍 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...

View more

March 26, 2025

97. Blood in the Quarter: The 1927 Louisiana Trunk Murders

🎙️ 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...

View more

March 12, 2025

95.Caril Ann Fugate: Hostage or Accomplice? The Truth Behind the Starkweather Murder Spree

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 ...

View more

Recent Blog Posts

Aug. 14, 2024

The Tragedy of The Donner Party

On our latest episode we tell about a tragic event in the history of westward expansion. The Donner Party, named for brothers George and Jacob Donner, and included the James Reed family, made some vital mistakes as they took their families across th…

Read the Blog Post

About the Hosts

Melody Gwyn Profile Photo

Melody Gwyn

Melody, married to Tim for over three decades, has spent the bulk of her parenting years homeschooling her five children, while simultaneously working a side hustle or two. She became interested in true crime as a teen after discovering a local author's books at the library. Her love of reading, writing, and murder mysteries converged when she met Darlene and they discovered their mutual desire to produce a podcast telling true crime stories. Since she is the "Type-A" personality in the partnership, she takes care of the filing, back-ups, and techie stuff. This also involves trying to keep Darlene organized and on track while they try out her rather creative and impressive ideas.

Darlene Hildreth Profile Photo

Darlene Hildreth

Darlene loves Southern culture, history and a good story! For her fifteenth birthday, her G-pa gifted her an Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. She owes her fascination of psychology, true crime and fear of the dark to him.

Darlene has been married to her husband ( the narrator) for twenty-five years. They have four children together. They've spent the majority of the past twenty-six years homeschooling and learning how to parent. Just as they were getting the parenting thing figured out, three of the four grew up. This year Curtis and Darlene were blessed with two daughters-in-law and their first grand baby.

Darlene is a true-crime podcast fan as well. As much as she loves to hear good stories, she loves to tell them! Hosting and creating this podcast is a dream come true for her.

Sponsors

Reviews

Lawson family

"Just listened to episode 1. I am a NC native, but had never heard this story before, and I did not know there was a town in NC named "Lawsonville". I am very curious about the song. I am glad you …"

Gary Gaskins | Dec. 23, 2022

Great for the Commute

"I have really enjoyed listening to the Hard Times and True Crimes podcasts on my drives to and from work. I occasionally have to take a detour to give an episode time to finish! I really appreciate…"

Ricky Allred | May 15, 2023

Great true crime podcast

"I just found these two wonderful ladies a couple days ago and I am HOOKED!!! Keep doing a great job ladies!! I absolutely love you podcast"

ellarias mama | June 20, 2023

Hard Times and True Crimes

"You’re uncovering buried stories of hardships and crime reminding us how they often go together. If history is forgotten it will surely be repeated. Ambition and death are alike. Neither one is ever …"

Christinme! | July 9, 2023

So interesting.

"I really love how they tell these stories, to each other and bring us listener in. I'm hooked and now a big fan .can't wait for the next episode"

Timmy | Aug. 6, 2023

Loving It!

"I am enjoying listening to these true crime stories. I have not really listened to podcasts until now. Keep up the great work!"

Fivepowells | July 14, 2024

Excellent stories and presentations.

"I’ve listen to parts of podcasts on YouTube. Never subscribed until now. I’m from Forsyth county. I enjoyed the most recent story about the death of a young woman and execution of her killer in Winst…"

Jim Canter | Aug. 2, 2024

Just an NC girl, living in a True Crime World

"I LOVE this podcast. As a born and bto toar Heel girl, hearing the cases that took place here really pull me in and I feel like I am there. I love hearing the cases from surrounding states as well, i…"

Dancepink09 | Feb. 6, 2025

Mayberry's Dark Day: The 1951 Mt. Airy Bombing

"I really enjoyed this episode. I thought that I knew a lot of the history of Mount Airy, North Carolina. But, I was not aware of this story. I downloaded it to keep with all of my many own memories/s…"

Scott'sLaptop | Jan. 23, 2025

Amazing True Crime Podcast!

"As a lifelong NC girl, it warms my heart to see some fellow NC ladies create such an amazing true crime podcast. I get so excited when I see new episodes based in north carolina. Top notch story t…"

Michelle | Feb. 14, 2025