Episodes
July 8, 2025
105. North Carolina's First Serial Killer: The Chilling Confession of Asbury Respus
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 ...
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…
June 10, 2025
103. Moonshine and Murder in the Smoky Mountains: The Perry’s Camp Murders of 1949
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 ...
May 28, 2025
102. Murder On Route 66: The Welch Family Tragedy
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...
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’…
April 30, 2025
100. The Pied Piper of Tucson: Charles Schmid's Deadly Reign Over 1960s Arizona
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...
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 c…
April 2, 2025
98. The Doctor's Wife: A Searcy, Arkansas Murder Story
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 ...
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 si…
March 19, 2025
96. A True Crime Mystery Solved: The Murders of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen Doyle
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 decade...
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 could…
March 5, 2025
94.Sean Patrick Goble: The Serial Killer Truck Driver
🔎 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 h…
Feb. 26, 2025
93. The Gaffney Strangler: Murder, Mystery and Sweet Potato Pone in South Carolina
🔊 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. Betwe…
Feb. 19, 2025
92. The 1983 Murder of Kathleen Bedsole by David Duren in Birmingham Alabama
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,…
Feb. 13, 2025
91.Love Lost: The Valentine’s Day Murders of Jesse McBane & Patricia Mann in Durham, North Carolina
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. Ove…
Feb. 5, 2025
90. Deadly Connection: The 2006 Chatroom Murder
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 star...
Jan. 28, 2025
89. Murder at Muddy Creek: The Ida Ball Warren Case in Winston Salem, North Carolina
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 f...
Jan. 22, 2025
88. Mayberry's Dark Day: The 1951 Bombing in Mount Airy, North Carolina
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...
Jan. 14, 2025
87. Murder in the North Carolina Mountains: Nancy Ann Kerley
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/LadyFro…
Dec. 24, 2024
86. Charlie and Frankie Silver: Tragedy in Western North Carolina
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 eventuall...
Dec. 18, 2024
85. The Ashland, Kentucky Murders of 1881 (Pt.2)
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 Hi...
Dec. 10, 2024
84. The Ashland Kentucky Murders of 1881 (Pt. 1)
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 H...
Dec. 4, 2024
83. The Morgan Murders: Cumming, Georgia
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. Wer...
Nov. 26, 2024
82. Thanksgiving- Eve Murders of the Germond Family
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 kn...