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Hard Times and True CrimesA Crime, A Conversion, A Controversy: The Karla Faye Tucker CaseIn 1983, a brutal double homicide in Houston, Texas shocked the public—not just because of the violence, but because of who was eventually held responsible. Karla Faye Tucker, a 23-year-old woman with a troubled past, quickly became one of the most controversial figures in modern true crime history.But this isn’t just a story about murder. It’s about transformation.It’s about a young woman who claimed to find God behind bars.It’s about a justice system unprepared for the public outcry that followed.And it’s about the power—and limits—of rede...2025-07-2355 minHard Times and True Crimes104. Burned Alive: The Martyrdom of Graham Staines and His Sons in IndiaIn 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. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:https://web.archive.org/web/20110409123228/http://www.hvk.org/specialrepo/wadhwa/Graham.htmlhttps://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/st...2025-06-2530 minHard Times and True Crimes102. Murder On Route 66: The Welch Family TragedyIn 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...2025-05-2834 minHard Times and True Crimes100. The Pied Piper of Tucson: Charles Schmid's Deadly Reign Over 1960s ArizonaIn 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 silence of the friends and followers who knew his secrets. ...2025-04-3058 minHard Times and True Crimes98. The Doctor's Wife: A Searcy, Arkansas Murder StoryIn 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 #SouthernGothicHosts: Melody Gwyn and Darlene HildrethNarrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth2025-04-021h 16Hard Times and True Crimes97. Blood in the Quarter: The 1927 Louisiana Trunk Murders🎙️ Hard Times & True CrimesShow 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 other.In this episode, we take you deep into the French Quarter—through the gas...2025-03-2646 minHard Times and True Crimes96. A True Crime Mystery Solved: The Murders of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen DoyleIn 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 searching. This episode also explores Kathleen Doyle’s case...2025-03-191h 02Hard Times and True Crimes95.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✔️ The role Caril Ann Fugate p...2025-03-121h 19Hard Times and True Crimes94.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 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-killer whose crimes spanned Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina...2025-03-0543 minHard Times and True Crimes93. The Gaffney Strangler: Murder, Mystery and Sweet Potato Pone in South Carolina 🔊 Narrator: Curtis Hildreth🎼 Music by: Isaiah HildrethEpisode 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 de...2025-02-2642 minHard Times and True Crimes92. The 1983 Murder of Kathleen Bedsole by David Duren in Birmingham AlabamaIn 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, and the immediate aftermath that sent shockwaves through the c...2025-02-1933 minHard Times and True Crimes91.Love Lost: The Valentine’s Day Murders of Jesse McBane & Patricia Mann in Durham, North CarolinaEpisode 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 details of the murders and explore the theories that still haunt the couples friends, family and commu...2025-02-1442 minHard Times and True Crimes90. Deadly Connection: The 2006 Chatroom MurderIn 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 events, discuss the key players, and examine how the anonymity of the i...2025-02-0544 minHard Times and True Crimes89. Murder at Muddy Creek: The Ida Ball Warren Case in Winston Salem, North CarolinaIn 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 EpisodeThe events leading up to Garrett Warren’s murder.How the discovery in Muddy Creek led investigators to Ida.Public reaction to Ida Ball Warren.Insight into early 20th-cen...2025-01-2838 minHard Times and True Crimes88. Mayberry's Dark Day: The 1951 Bombing in Mount Airy, North CarolinaOn 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 HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Pickens, Cathy. True Crime Stories of Western North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing, 2022.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-high-point-enterprise-mt-airy-bombi/24079081/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-news-mt-airy-bombing-ca/11451814/2025-01-2230 minHard Times and True Crimes86. Charlie and Frankie Silver: Tragedy in Western North CarolinaDays 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 HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethNarrator of The Ballad Of Frankie Silver excerpt - Lily HildrethSources:You Tube Documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6DViANMIcMcCrumb, Sharyn. The Ballad of Frankie Silver. The...2024-12-2448 minHard Times and True Crimes85. 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 HildrethSources:https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kycarter/journals/neal_craft_murder.htmThe Story of the First Hanging in Carter County by Glen R. Haneyfindagrave.comnewspapers.comThe Ashland Tragedy: Murder, a Mob and a Militia in Kentucky by H E Joe Castle and J. M. HuffFresh H...2024-12-1848 minHard Times and True Crimes84. 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 HildrethSources:findagrave.comwikipedia.comThe Ashland Tragedy: MURDER, A MOB & A MILITIA IN KENTUCKY by Joe Castle and JM HuffFresh Hell Podcasthttps://sites.rootsweb.com/~kycarter/journals/neal_craft_murder.htmSend us a textSupport the showhardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.c...2024-12-1140 minHard Times and True Crimes83. The Morgan Murders: Cumming, GeorgiaThe 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 HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth Sources:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62SuK3_9mR4https://www.newspapers.com/image/398617568/?match=1&terms=hollis%20morganhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/398240286/?match=1&te...2024-12-0439 minHard Times and True Crimes82. Thanksgiving- Eve Murders of the Germond FamilyOn 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 HildrethMusic: Isaiah HildrethSources:findagrave.comnewspapers.commodernfarmer.comThe Germond Family Murders: A Scientific Conclusion to a Cold Case by Vincent Cookingham PHDOld Timey Crimey PodcastBetween the Cracks PodcastSend us a textSupport the show...2024-11-2745 minHard Times and True Crimes80. The Murder of Crystal Faye Todd in Conway, South CarolinaIn 1991, seventeen year old Crystal Faye Todd didn't come after a night out with friends. Her mother instinctively knew something was wrong. Listen to the story of the disappearance, rape and brutal murder of an all-American girl from Conway, South Carolina. Music by Isaiah HildrethSources:newspapers.comfindagrave.comForensic FilesSouthern Fried True CrimeCarolina CrimesSend us a textSupport the showhardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC 2024-11-1355 minHard Times and True Crimes79. Undark: The Story of The Radium GirlsWith the discovery of radium by the Curies in 1898, great strides were made in the scientific field. Along with the possibilities were risks not yet known. One of the inventions - luminous paint- made painting watch dials big business in the early 1900s. But within two decades the dangers were coming to light.Sources:Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSound Effect Music: Radium Dance - Composer: Schwartz, Jean , Victor Dance Orchestra. Public Domain: Recorded Sound Section, Library of Congresshttps://www.mentalfloss...2024-11-0653 min