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Hard Times and True Crimes100. The Pied Piper of Tucson: Charles Schmid's Deadly Reign Over 1960s ArizonaSend us a textIn 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 f...2025-04-3058 minHard Times and True Crimes98. The Doctor's Wife: A Searcy, Arkansas Murder StorySend us a textIn 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 M...2025-04-021h 16Hard Times and True Crimes97. Blood in the Quarter: The 1927 Louisiana Trunk MurdersSend us a text🎙️ 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...2025-03-2646 minHard Times and True Crimes96. A True Crime Mystery Solved: The Murders of Aundria Bowman and Kathleen DoyleSend us a textIn 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...2025-03-191h 02Hard Times and True Crimes95.Caril Ann Fugate: Hostage or Accomplice? The Truth Behind the Starkweather Murder SpreeSend us a text 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 viol...2025-03-121h 19Hard Times and True Crimes94.Sean Patrick Goble: The Serial Killer Truck DriverSend us a text🔎 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 s...2025-03-0543 minHard Times and True Crimes93. The Gaffney Strangler: Murder, Mystery and Sweet Potato Pone in South CarolinaSend us a text 🔊 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, leav...2025-02-2642 minHard Times and True Crimes92. The 1983 Murder of Kathleen Bedsole by David Duren in Birmingham AlabamaSend us a textIn 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 a...2025-02-1933 minHard Times and True Crimes91.Love Lost: The Valentine’s Day Murders of Jesse McBane & Patricia Mann in Durham, North CarolinaSend us a textEpisode 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...2025-02-1442 minHard Times and True Crimes90. Deadly Connection: The 2006 Chatroom MurderSend us a textIn 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 e...2025-02-0544 minHard Times and True Crimes89. Murder at Muddy Creek: The Ida Ball Warren Case in Winston Salem, North CarolinaSend us a textIn 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 Ba...2025-01-2838 minHard Times and True Crimes88. Mayberry's Dark Day: The 1951 Bombing in Mount Airy, North CarolinaSend us a textOn 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/...2025-01-2230 minHard Times and True Crimes86. Charlie and Frankie Silver: Tragedy in Western North CarolinaSend us a textDays 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...2024-12-2448 minHard Times and True Crimes85. The Ashland, Kentucky Murders of 1881 (Pt.2)Send us a textOn 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 a...2024-12-1848 minHard Times and True Crimes84. The Ashland Kentucky Murders of 1881 (Pt. 1)Send us a textOn 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.htmSupport the showhardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.c...2024-12-1140 minHard Times and True Crimes83. The Morgan Murders: Cumming, GeorgiaSend us a textThe 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%20morganht...2024-12-0439 minHard Times and True Crimes82. Thanksgiving- Eve Murders of the Germond FamilySend us a textOn 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 PodcastSupport the show...2024-11-2745 minHard Times and True Crimes80. The Murder of Crystal Faye Todd in Conway, South CarolinaSend us a textIn 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 CrimesSupport the showhardtimesandtruecrimes.com buymeacoffee.com/hardtimesTC 2024-11-1355 minHard Times and True Crimes79. Undark: The Story of The Radium GirlsSend us a textWith 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...2024-11-0653 minHard Times and True Crimes78. The Real ExorcistSend us a textIn 1973 a movie opened in theaters that scared the nation - The Exorcist. But you may not be aware that it was based on true events that took place in 1949. Billy Graham urged audiences not to see it due to its depiction of evil, but audiences continued to flock to see it for its scare factor. These are the details of what happened and the truth is scarier than fiction. Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethNarrator: Curtis HildrethSources:O'Reilly, B., & Dugard, M. (2023). Killing t...2024-10-3040 min