Shows
Crime To BurnThe Fire Folklore that Convicted Butch Martin - The ConclusionEpisode 98
In 1999, Garland “Butch” Martin was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Marcia Poole, and her two young children, Brady and Kristin, and was sentenced on three counts of capital murder in Midland, Texas. The State told a compelling story: domestic abuse, accelerant-driven fire, pre-fire blunt force trauma, and motive. A jury believed it.
Twenty-four years later, Butch Martin was exonerated.
In Part Two of this two-part series, April breaks down what the jury didn’t hear: conflicting fire science, flawed forensic anthropology testimony, discarded physical evidence, and the physics of fire that contradict the St...
2026-01-2639 min
Crime To BurnThe Fire Folklore that Convicted Butch MartinEpisode 97
In this first episode of our two-part series, we go to Midland, Texas, where a fatal house fire claimed the lives of Marcia Pool and two children, Brady and Kristin. In the aftermath, investigators concluded the blaze was intentionally set — and they pointed to one man: Butch Martin.
The state built its theory around burn patterns, accelerant findings, eyewitness accounts, and interpretations of fire behavior that were considered reliable at the time, but would later come under scrutiny as fire folklore. Claims about liquid accelerants, pour patterns, and “arson indicators” formed the backbone of the pr...
2026-01-1939 min
Crime To BurnDealing Disaster - The Dupont Plaza Hotel FireEpisode 96
On December 31, 1986, just hours before Puerto Rico would ring in the New Year, flames tore through the luxurious Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino in San Juan. What began as a labor dispute escalated into one of the deadliest hotel fires in U.S. history, killing 97 people and injuring more than 140. In the aftermath, investigators would uncover arson, negligence, ignored safety recommendations, a chaotic evacuation, and a legal battle that reshaped fire codes across the hospitality industry.
In this episode, we examine:
The labor tensions and strike that set the stage for disaster
2026-01-1242 min
Crime To BurnThe Weakest Link: The Fire that Threatened the IRAEpisode 95
In 1980, a seemingly unremarkable fire threatened to expose something far more dangerous than arson.
What investigators uncovered was a trail that pointed toward an arms pipeline linked directly to the Irish Republican Army, operating quietly while The Troubles raged overseas.
At the center of it all was Charles Galant—a small-time thief who never set out to be part of something so vast, but who became the sole link between a suspicious fire and an armory heist that tied someone in his network to the IRA.
In this episode of Cr...
2026-01-0534 min
Crime To BurnFireproof - The Iroquois Theater Fire - The ConclusionEpisode 94
In Part 2 of our series on the Iroquois Theatre Fire, we examine what happened after the flames went out — and why, despite hundreds of deaths, no one was ever held criminally accountable.
Although the fire was accidental, the failures that made it lethal were anything but unforeseeable. In the aftermath, Chicago demanded answers. A coroner’s inquest, multiple grand juries, and a wave of indictments followed — implicating theater owners, city officials, inspectors, fire officials, and contractors. For a brief moment, it looked like accountability might finally arrive.
But the law proved unequal to the...
2025-12-2939 min
Crime To BurnFireproof - The Iroquois Theater FireEpisode 93
On December 30, 1903, Chicago gathered for a matinee performance at the Iroquois Theater—a venue that had opened just five weeks earlier and was widely promoted as one of the safest, most modern theaters in the country.
It was advertised as “absolutely fireproof.”
It was anything but.
In this episode of Crime to Burn, we examine the Iroquois Theater Fire, one of the deadliest single-building fires in U.S. history—and a catastrophe that unfolded in minutes inside a brand-new building that had never been tested by an emergency evacuation.
What b...
2025-12-2242 min
Crime To BurnThe Sweet Sixteen of Samarcand Reformatory - The ConclusionEpisode 92
In the conclusion of Samarcand, we turn away from the fire itself and examine what happened after sixteen teenage girls were arrested — and what the justice system did when it realized it had no good options left.
With Samarcand no longer able to house them, the state faced a question it wasn’t prepared to answer:
What do you do with traumatized, rebellious, and violently angry teenage girls the system has already failed?
In this episode, we explore:
The debate over how — or whether — the girls should be tried
...
2025-12-1542 min
Crime To BurnThe Sweet Sixteen of Samarcand ReformatoryEpisode 91
Sixteen girls. Multiple fires. A system built to control them — and a desperate act that forced the nation to look closer.
In this episode, we step inside the walls of the Samarcand Reform School for Girls in North Carolina, where young women lived under harsh discipline, forced labor, and relentless institutional oversight. On the night they began setting fires, they weren’t just striking a match — they were striking back.
This is a story of defiance, injustice, and the blurred line between rebellion and survival. Were these girls arsonists — or victims fighting for auto...
2025-12-0850 min
Crime To BurnBurn, Marry, Kill: The Wicked Web of Sarah Hartsfield - The FinaleEpisode 90
In the final installment of our deep dive into the deadly world of Sarah Hartsfield, we unravel the last threads of a case that spiraled from chaos to calculated cruelty. This episode pulls together the full picture of Sarah’s violent history, her pattern of manipulation, and the chilling timeline that led investigators—and ultimately a jury—to label her actions for what they were.
We break down the pivotal moments from Sarah's past that shifted the direction of the trial. From the ignored medical alarms to her past partners’ harrowing accounts, we follow every re...
2025-12-0134 min
Crime To BurnBurn, Marry, Kill - The Wicked Web of Sarah Hartsfield - Part 2Episode 89
In Part 2 of our deep dive into the life and crimes of Sarah Hartsfield, we follow the tangled threads back to the beginning. Because before the alleged poisoning, before the string of dead or endangered husbands, before the Dateline episode…
there was a childhood already splintered by chaos.
This week, we explore:
Sarah’s early life — the patterns that began long before her first “I do.”
Marriage #1: A relationship marked by volatility, control, and infidelity
Her marriage to Chris — the escalating behaviors, the violence, and the fear her family l...
2025-11-2448 min
Crime To BurnBurn, Marry, Kill - The Wicked Web of Sarah HartsfieldEpisode 88
Sarah Hartsfield didn’t weave a web of silk — she wove a web of control.
A web of manipulation.
A web she masked with charisma and charm until it finally snapped under its own weight.
In October 2025, a jury convicted Sarah Hartsfield of murdering her husband, Joseph Hartsfield, after deliberating for just one hour. One hour — despite the fact that the physical evidence was thin, the investigation delayed, and the medical questions complex. But what wasn’t thin was the pattern that emerged the moment investigators stepped back and looked at Sarah’s life in...
2025-11-1745 min
Crime To BurnDual Disasters: The Dawson Mine ExplosionsEpisode 87
Hidden beneath the hills of northeast New Mexico lies a ghost that industry left behind. Dawson was once a model mining town — a company-built community boasting schools, golf courses, and an opera house. Phelps Dodge called it progress. But twice, in just ten years, that progress went up in smoke.
In 1913 and again in 1923, massive explosions ripped through Dawson’s coal mines, killing 383 miners — fathers, sons, and brothers — in two of the deadliest mining disasters in American history.
This episode digs deep into how “safety-forward” operations, good intentions, and one impatient decision turned an id...
2025-11-1043 min
Crime To BurnFrance's Disco Inferno: The Club Cinq-Sept FireEpisode 86
In the early hours of November 1st, 1970, celebration turned to catastrophe when a fire tore through the Club Cinq-Sept near Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France. Within minutes, 146 young people were dead — trapped behind padlocked exits, a full-height turnstile, and flammable décor that turned the dance floor into a death trap.
This wasn’t just a fire — it was the inevitable result of greed, negligence, and a system that valued profit over safety. In this episode, April breaks down how the building’s design doomed its occupants, why its owners never should’ve been allowed to open, and how Fre...
2025-11-0343 min
Crime To BurnDevil's Night: Detroit's Arson ReckoningEpisode 85
Each October, the city of Detroit braced for three nights of chaos known as Devil’s Night—a grim tradition of arson and destruction that peaked in the 1980s with hundreds of fires set across the city. But behind the headlines and the flames lies a story of resilience, strategy, and a community that refused to burn.
In this episode, we take you inside the rise and fall of Devil’s Night—how economic collapse, political scandal, and desperation turned mischief into mayhem, and how Detroit’s residents, firefighters, and city leaders fought back through th...
2025-10-2738 min
Crime To BurnBonus Episode: Interview with Arnie Bernstein (Author of Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing)Episode 84:
In this week’s bonus episode of Crime to Burn, April sits down with author Arnie Bernstein to discuss the 1927 Bath School disaster, the investigation that followed, and what it takes to responsibly tell true stories of mass violence nearly a century later.
Together, they explore how the bombing changed one American town — and why its echoes still shape today’s conversations about justice, memory, and the human cost of tragedy.
Arnie Bernstein’s Website: arniebernstein.com
Arnie’s Substack – The Typewriter’s Collage: arniebernstein.substack.com
Buy the Book: Bath Massacre: Amer...
2025-10-2256 min
Crime To BurnHer Own Witness: The Judy Malinowski StoryEpisode 83
This week on Crime to Burn, we’re doing something a little different. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this episode honors the extraordinary courage of Judy Malinowski — a woman whose strength changed the law and gave victims of domestic violence a voice that could never again be silenced.
Judy was burned alive by her abuser and spent nearly two years in the hospital, fighting through unimaginable pain to testify against him. Her recorded testimony would later make history — becoming the first time in U.S. history that a victim testified at her own mu...
2025-10-2042 min
Crime To BurnTexas Justice: Revisiting Cameron Todd Willingham's Wrongful Execution - The ConclusionEpisode 82
In this episode, we follow the fallout of the Cameron Todd Willingham case — a story that didn’t end at the execution chamber.
When fire scientist Dr. Gerald Hurst sounded the alarm that the arson evidence used to convict Willingham was based on junk science, Texas had a choice: pause and reevaluate, or push forward and protect its image.
It chose the latter.
We’ll unpack how political pressure and flawed forensics collided, how the Texas Forensic Science Commission became a battleground for truth, and how one governor’s ambition may have buried accounta...
2025-10-1341 min
Crime To BurnTexas Justice: Revisiting Cameron Todd Willingham's Wrongful ExecutionEpisode 81
A fire, a flawed science, and a state that still hasn’t learned.
In 1991, Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted of setting the house fire that killed his three young children. Despite a mountain of later evidence debunking the “arson indicators” used against him, Texas executed Willingham in 2004—long after leading fire scientists warned that the case rested on junk science.
Two decades later, Texas is preparing to repeat history. On October 16th, the state is scheduled to execute Robert Roberson, a man condemned under similarly discredited forensic theories and medical misunderstandings that doomed W...
2025-10-0647 min
Crime To BurnPermission to Burn: The Ballantynes Fire of Christchurch, NZEpisode 80
On November 18, 1947, a fire tore through Ballantynes department store in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 41 people and changing the nation forever. It remains New Zealand’s deadliest fire disaster — and one that exposed shocking negligence.
In this episode, we retrace the events leading up to the blaze, the chaos of the evacuation, and the devastating aftermath. We’ll look at how overcrowding, building construction, and a lack of fire protection systems turned a busy shopping day into tragedy, and how the disaster forced long-overdue changes to fire safety and labor laws.
Ballantynes wasn’t just a...
2025-09-2941 min
Crime To BurnBath School Massacre: The Making of America's First School Bomber - The ConclusionEpisode 79
In Part 2 of our Bath School Massacre series, we step back from the timeline to ask the harder questions: what drives an otherwise rational man to the brink of ruin—and what finally pushes him over the edge? We’ll uncover just how long, and how meticulously, Andrew Kehoe had been planning his attack, and the unsettling foresight that made the tragedy possible.
From there, we confront the psychology behind Kehoe’s actions, the societal pressures that fed his resentment, and the dangerous mix of grievance and obsession that culminated in tragedy. We don’t shy aw...
2025-09-2242 min
Crime To BurnBath School Massacre: The Making of America's First School BomberEpisode 78
On May 18, 1927, the quiet farming town of Bath, Michigan, was shattered by the deadliest school massacre in U.S. history. Long before Columbine, Sandy Hook, or Parkland, one man wired an entire school with explosives — and changed the way America would understand mass violence forever.
In this episode of Crime to Burn, we dig into the life and mind of Andrew Kehoe — a farmer, a school board treasurer, and the man who became America’s first school bomber. What drove him from grievances and financial struggles to an act of calculated terror? Was it narcis...
2025-09-1541 min
Crime To BurnElusive Evidence: Florida's Botched Arson Case Against Randal WagonerEpisode 77
In this episode of Crime to Burn, we revisit the devastating fire at Greybeard’s Tavern in Jacksonville, Florida, and the deeply flawed arson case that followed. Randal Wagoner, a local truck driver, was arrested and charged with both arson and murder after the fire claimed the life of Katherine Johnson.
What first looked like an open-and-shut case unraveled. Investigators leaned on experts who couldn’t back up their findings with scientific proof, relied on questionable witnesses, and overlooked other possible suspects.
Was Katherine Johnson’s death really a murder — or a tragic a...
2025-09-0843 min
Crime To BurnThe Flora Four: Between Rumors and Reality - The FinaleEpisode 76
In the finale of The Flora Four: Between Rumors and Reality, we bring the story full circle. Nearly a decade after the fire that claimed the lives of four young sisters in Flora, Indiana, we examine why this case remains unsolved — and who really benefitted from the official arson ruling.
From conflicting investigator depositions to shifting fire science, we uncover how shaky evidence and rushed conclusions may have shaped the narrative. Was this truly a deliberate act of arson, or did the label itself protect powerful interests from facing criminal negligence charges?
As...
2025-09-0155 min
Crime To BurnThe Flora Four: Between Rumors and Reality - Part 2Episode 75
In Part 2 of The Flora Four: Between Rumors and Reality, we dig into the tangled web of suspects, motives, and unanswered questions surrounding the fire that claimed the lives of four young sisters in Flora, Indiana.
From Gaylin Rose’s boyfriend Colten Creasy to the complicated history of Jennifer Dean (a.k.a. Jennifer Barnes, Jennifer Miller), we examine the relationships, rumors, and criminal connections that kept investigators circling. Was this a case of small-town drama spilling into something darker—or did Gaylin’s circle of friends pull her into dangerous territory?
Then w...
2025-08-2551 min
Crime To BurnThe Flora Four: Between Rumors and Reality - Part 1Episode 74
On November 21, 2016, a fire tore through a home in Flora, Indiana, claiming the lives of four young sisters: Keyana, Keyara, Kerriele, Kionnie. Nearly nine years later, the case remains unsolved, mired in contradictions, unanswered questions, and a community still searching for justice.
In this episode of Crime to Burn, we sift through the layers of rumor and fact surrounding the Flora fire. From conflicting reports about accelerant use to the shifting narratives in the press, we trace how early investigative missteps and public speculation blurred the line between truth and gossip. We’ll examine the...
2025-08-1855 min
Crime To BurnPizza, Powder & Pyrotechnics: The Boy that Bombed the FedsEpisode 73
In the late 1980s, Florida’s Gulf Coast was a powder keg of cocaine, cash, and violence. In this episode, we dive into the wild case of Jeff Matthews — a drug kingpin whose ego was as big as his rap sheet, and whose grudges were… explosive.
When a federal investigation started closing in, Matthews didn’t just lawyer up — he plotted bombings. One of his alleged targets? A Fort Myer's Florida fire marshal. And somehow, in the tangled web of suspects, an innocent-sounding pizza joint landed in the crosshairs of investigators.
From late-night...
2025-08-1137 min
Crime To BurnBuilt to Burn: The Untold Conspiracy of the Beverly Hills Supper Club - The FinaleEpisode 72
Was it arson—or was it a tragic accident?
In the final installment of our five-part series, we walk through the evidence from the perspective of a fire protection engineer. We’ll dissect the fire’s behavior, ignition theories, the official investigation, and what was left out—and we’ll finally ask the big question: does the science match the story we were told?
From code violations and wiring issues to survivor testimony and suspected cover-ups, this episode brings it all together. If you've been waiting for the fire nerd deep dive... this is it...
2025-08-041h 01
Crime To BurnEmergency Bonus Episode - The Murder of Paul Clifford and the Fight for JusticeEpisode 72 (Emergency Bonus Episode)
This is not a regular episode.
This is a plea for action.
In 2024, Paul Clifford was brutally murdered—his body set on fire in an act of unspeakable violence. Now, the Pima County Attorney’s Office is preparing to offer plea deals that could allow 2 people accused of murdering him to walk with barely a slap on the wrist.
Paul’s wife, Christina Clifford, is speaking out. In this urgent bonus episode, she shares her story—and her outrage. With court decisions looming, she’s asking for your help.
...
2025-07-2817 min
Crime To BurnBuilt to Burn: The Untold Conspiracy of the Beverly Hills Supper Club - Part 4Episode 71
What if the official story is a lie?
In this episode, you’ll hear from someone who was there that night—an employee who worked the wedding reception in the Zebra Room just hours before it ignited. For decades, she stayed silent. But now, she’s ready to talk. And what she has to say could rewrite everything we thought we knew about the fire.
She says the investigators were hiding something.
She says this fire wasn’t an accident.
And she saw the warning signs with her own eyes.
Pa...
2025-07-2841 min
Crime To BurnBuilt to Burn: The Untold Conspiracy of the Beverly Hills Supper Club - Part 3Episode 70
As smoke begins to creep into the Cabaret Room, the audience still doesn’t realize the nightmare unfolding just beyond the doors. In this episode, we follow the chilling timeline from the moment busboy Walter Bailey issues his warning—largely ignored—to the split-second decisions that determine who makes it out, and who doesn’t.
We also dive into the club’s architectural failures, the inadequate exits, and the chaotic evacuation as hundreds of patrons tried to flee a room never designed to hold them safely. And as the fire flashes over, we begin peeling ba...
2025-07-2147 min
Crime To BurnBuilt to Burn: The Untold Conspiracy of the Beverly Hills Supper Club - Part 2Episode 69
The Beverly Hills Supper Club wasn’t built to burn—but it sure wasn’t built to last either. In Part 2, we peel back the velvet curtain to reveal a firetrap disguised as Kentucky’s swankiest hotspot: no sprinklers, no fire alarms, a patchwork of unpermitted construction, and enough aluminum wiring to make an electrician weep.
We walk you through the timeline leading up to the fire—starting with strange heat in the Zebra Room during a wedding reception—and follow the flames as they race toward the jam-packed Cabaret Room. Spoiler: it’s worse than you...
2025-07-1442 min
Crime To BurnBuilt to Burn: The Untold Conspiracy of the Beverly Hills Supper Club - Part 1Episode 68
On May 28, 1977, the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky went up in flames, claiming the lives of 165 people. The official ruling? Accidental fire. But decades later, that conclusion is still under scrutiny.
In Part 1 of this explosive new series, we begin unraveling the story from the ground up: the layout of the building, the overlooked warnings, and the dangerously overloaded showrooms. As a fire protection engineer, I’ll walk you through the facts—because when a fire moves this fast and takes this many lives, we have to ask: was it really just negl...
2025-07-0745 min
Crime To BurnCulture on Trial: The Wrongful Conviction of Han Tak LeeEpisode 67
In 1989, a fire at a religious camp in Pennsylvania claimed the life of 20-year-old Ji Yun Lee. Her father, Han Tak Lee, a Korean immigrant with no criminal record, was swiftly arrested, tried, and sentenced to life in prison. But what seemed like a clear-cut arson case quickly unraveled into a cautionary tale of flawed fire science, cultural bias, and the dangers of rushing to judgment.
In this episode, we examine how prosecutors built a case on burn patterns and cultural ignorance—and how modern fire investigation and one relentless expert helped expose the tr...
2025-06-3046 min
Crime To BurnObedience to Ashes: Cults, Chaos and Criminal Fires - The FinaleEpisode 66
The story of the Lords of Chaos comes to a close in this final installment. After the murder of Mark Schwebes, the cracks begin to show. Confessions spill. Arrests are made. And the twisted empire Kevin Foster built starts to collapse under the weight of its own violence and paranoia.
In this episode, we follow the unraveling—how a confession born of manipulation ultimately led to the group’s downfall, how law enforcement closed in, and how the trials exposed the devastating consequences of ego, fear, and blind loyalty. We also explore what happened afte...
2025-06-2353 min
Crime To BurnObedience to Ashes: Cults, Chaos and Criminal Fires - Part 2Episode 65
In Part 2, the Lords of Chaos escalate from chaos to carnage. What began as vandalism and firebombs takes a darker turn when Kevin Foster declares war—not just on authority, but on anyone who stands in his way. As their plans spiral, the group bombs a Coca-Cola plant and stalks their high school band director, Mark Schwebes, ultimately ambushing him at his front door. In this episode, we unravel the events that led to Schwebes’ murder, the manipulation tactics Kevin used to turn fear into compliance, and the unraveling of group loyalty as reality sets in. It’s...
2025-06-1650 min
Crime To BurnObedience to Ashes: Cults, Chaos and Criminal Fires - Part 1Episode 64
Obedience to Ashes, Part 1
It started with friendship.
With a promise of belonging.
With a charismatic—yet deeply flawed—leader.
But beneath the surface of this group of misfit boys, something much darker was brewing.
In Part 1 of this series, we examine how Kevin Foster recruited the teens who would become his self-proclaimed militia: the Lords of Chaos. We explore how this band of rebels ended up on the wrong side of the razor-thin wire separating camaraderie from cult.
A warped ideology, a hierarchy built on fear, and a to...
2025-06-0943 min
Crime To BurnExploding Pants: A Chemical Criminal SagaEpisode 63
The Pants, the Plot, and the Pickle Rain: Sodium Chlorate's Wild Ride
This week on Crime to Burn, we celebrate our one-year podiversary with an explosive tale—literally. From flaming trousers and banned weedkillers to accidental city-shaking disasters caused by petty crime, we trace the chaotic path of sodium chlorate: the chemical that just couldn’t stop stealing the spotlight.
We cover:
The fiery fashion faux pas that haunted New Zealand farmers
The whiskey heist that accidentally leveled part of Vancouver
The bad-boy redemption arc that now...
2025-06-0242 min
Crime To BurnThe Girls are Gone - The Case of Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible - The FinaleEpisode 62
The Finale.
For over two decades, Lorene Bible has chased whispers through rural Oklahoma—across backroads, into burned-out houses, and deep into the shadows of fear and corruption. In this final chapter, we follow her relentless pursuit as it collides with rumors of meth, murder, and men who believed themselves untouchable.
We’ll trace the steps of private investigators blocked by politics, uncover the objects that linked killers to the crime, and examine how a mother—just a mother—did what no law enforcement agency would: she kept going.
This is the c...
2025-05-2641 min
Crime To BurnThe Girls are Gone - The Case of Ashely Freeman and Lauria Bible - Part 2Episode 61
Whispers. The town of Welch, Oklahoma was full of whispers after the bodies of Danny and Kathy Freeman were located in the burned out Freeman home. Whispers about drugs, wrongful deaths, police involvement, intentionally botched investigations, and whispers about where the girls were and who had taken them. The whispers swirled around allegations related to Shane Freeman's death after a Craig County Sheriff's Deputy shot him on a rural Oklahoma road nearly a year before. The whispers discussed accusations of drug debts and methamphetamine rings. The whispers built theories. And some of the whispers would eventually...
2025-05-1937 min
Crime To BurnThe Girls are Gone - The Case of Ashley Freeman and Lauria BibleEpisode 60
In the early hours of December 30, 1999, a mobile home in Welch, Oklahoma went up in flames. Inside, the bodies of Kathy and Danny Freeman were discovered—but their daughter Ashley and her best friend Lauria Bible were gone. In this episode, we unravel the tangled first 24 hours of the case that would come to haunt two families and an entire community. From missing evidence to missteps in the fire investigation, we explore how two teenage girls vanished into the smoke—and why it took nearly two decades for answers to emerge.
Background music by Not...
2025-05-1237 min
Crime To BurnBehind the Byline: An Interview with Liliana SeguraEpisode 59
In this special episode of Crime to Burn, we go beyond the headlines with investigative journalist Liliana Segura of The Intercept, one of the first reporters to dig into the troubling details of the Michelle Taylor arson case. From flawed forensic science to systemic failures in the justice system, Liliana shares what drew her to the story, worrisome problems about the crime lab she learned while reporting, and why this case matters far beyond one woman’s conviction. If you've ever wondered what it takes to uncover the truth in a wrongful conviction case, this interview pu...
2025-05-051h 08
Crime To BurnScience Fiction - The Forensics that Framed Michelle TaylorEpisode 58
When Michelle Taylor lost her son in a tragic house fire, she thought the nightmare couldn’t get worse. She was wrong. Fueled by junk science, broken forensics, and a crime lab running on expired credibility, the prosecutors turned a grieving mother into a murder suspect. Twelve debris samples. Twelve false positives. And a justice system more interested in closing a case than finding the truth. This is the story of how bad science—and worse judgment—can burn an innocent life to the ground. Michelle Taylor stands for sentencing on May 30th. The fire didn’t destro...
2025-04-2845 min
Crime To BurnThe Happy Land Social Club Fire - New York CityEpisode 57
An illegal nightclub in the Bronx was the scene of the largest mass murder in US HIstory at the time it occurred in 1990. A scorned lover went to the club to persuade his ex-girlfriend to take him back and when his attempts were unsuccessful, he did the unthinkable. With a bottle he found in the street and a dollar worth of gasoline purchased at a nearby gas station, he returned to the club and committed an arson attack that would claim 87 lives. What could drive a man to such drastic measures and how could one fire...
2025-04-2144 min
Crime To BurnThe Ghost Train Fire at Luna Park in Sydney, Australia - THE FINALEEpisode 56
This is the finale of our coverage of the Sydney Ghost Train fire that took 7 innocent lives. Was the fire accidental as the original inquest determined or was it arson and murder orchestrated to allow a greedy man to get control of the valuable real estate the park occupied? While the circumstantial evidence pointing to corruption is very convincing, just how high did the corruption extend into Sydney's government? Some allege that it went all the way to the top and in this episode, we explore those theories. What do you think? Were the Ghost Train's...
2025-04-1446 min
Crime To BurnThe Ghost Train Fire at Luna Park in Sydney, Australia - Part 2Episode 55
This week we continue our coverage of the Ghost Train fire that occurred in July of 1979 at Luna Park in Sydney, Australia. The fire ultimately claimed 7 lives and investigators initially told the public it was an accidental electrical fire. However, an electrical engineer showed up at the inquest explaining that there was no way this fire was an electrical fire. Many people believe it was intentional arson arranged by an organized crime boss that wanted the valuable real estate upon which Luna Park sat. Thus begins our trek through a twisted web of crooked cops, corrupt...
2025-04-0752 min
Crime To BurnThe Ghost Train Fire at Luna Park in Sydney, AustraliaEpisode 54
In July of 1979, seven people would walk through the iconic clown face gates at the Luna Park amusement park in Sydney, Australia but they would not walk out. That July night, a horrific fire occurred in the Ghost Train ride that would claim the lives of six children and one adult. The fire was devastating and despite the nearly total destruction of the site, investigators would announce less than 24 hours after the fire that they'd identified the cause, an electrical fault. However, one man spent the next 3 decades of his life on a crusade to prove...
2025-03-3146 min
Crime To BurnThe Deadliest Fire in Iowa History - St. Elizabeth Hospital - THE CONCLUSIONEpisode 53
This is the conclusion of our coverage of the horrific fire that claimed 41 lives at the St. Elizabeth Hospital and Davenport, Iowa in January 1950. The fire, wtill the deadliest fire in state history, was set by a patient at the hospital and this week we cover her confession and the subsequent legal proceedings. We also take a look at the heroes that stepped up to help save lives during the fire, including some very unlikely heroes. Ultimately 40 patients and one nurse lost their lives. Those 40 patients were at St. Elizabeth Hospital for help and their tragic...
2025-03-2450 minCrime To BurnThe Deadliest Fire in Iowa History - St. Elizabeth HospitalEpisode 52
Today we are revisiting the deadliest fire in Iowa's history. On January 7, 1950, a fire occurred at a mental health facility called St. Elizabeth Hospital on the Mercy Hospital campus in Davenport, Iowa. When a diagnosed schizophrenic woman, due to be released that day, acted in paranoid desperation, she caused a fire that claimed the lives of 41 people including one staff member. What factors led her to take such drastic measures? More importantly, why was the fire so deadly? We cover entire case including the fire and building code issues that exacerbated the fire and hampered the...
2025-03-1745 minCrime To BurnDark Plea - The Wrongful Arson Conviction of Angela Garcia - The FinaleEpisode 51:
In this episode we conclude our coverage of Angela Garcia's case on Crime to Burn. Angela was faced with an impossible decision, risk another trial or accept what is known as a Dark Plea from prosecutors to secure her freedom. However, when he offered her the plea, prosecutor Richard Bell knew just how flawed his case against her was and many have suggested that his offer of this plea was really an effort to try to prevent his office from negative optics related to the mishandling of this case. And perhaps they're right, after all Richard B...
2025-03-1043 minCrime To BurnDark Plea - The Wrongful Arson Conviction of Angela Garcia - Part 2Episode 50. Angela Garcia was a 22 year old mother of two when her house caught fire claiming the lives of her two toddler daughters. After her first trial ended in a hung jury, prosecutors tried Angela a second time. However, this time they had new witnesses and new statements "remembered" by investigators 8 months after the event. When her second trial ended in another hung jury, prosecutors completely changed their tactics for a third go at Angela Garcia. But Angela Garcia didn't commit arson. There were some guilty people in the courtroom though, they just weren't the ones sitting at the...
2025-03-0343 minCrime To BurnDark Plea - The Wrongful Arson Conviction of Angela GarciaEpisode 49. Angela Garcia was a 22 year old mother of two when her house caught fire claiming the lives of her two toddler daughters. Angela soon found herself standing in a courtroom accused of arson, murder, and insurance fraud. What evidence did investigators have to prove Angela had done such a horrible deed? They had some photos and some arson investigation myths that had been debunked already by the time she was tried. Two juries couldn't be convinced of her guilt and resulted in back-to-back mistrials after the juries reported they were hopelessly deadlocked. A third jury would send her...
2025-02-2450 minCrime To BurnCrime, Cover-up, or Conspiracy in Centralia, Pennsylvania - THE FINALEThis is the finale of our series on the mine fire that destroyed an entire community. From the government missteps to the toxic attitudes that drove division in the town, so many factors compounded and the residents of Centralia paid the price. This week we cover how divided the town's residents became including death threats and a firebombing. We discuss the government's final plan for Centralia, and what remains today where Centralia once stood.
Correction: Around the 22 minute mark I indicate that residents within a 16 mile zone were offered relocation. It should have said a 16 acre acre z...
2025-02-1753 minCrime To BurnCrime, Cover-up, or Conspiracy in Centralia, Pennsylvania? Part 4As we continue our deep dive into everything that went wrong in the government's response to the Centralia, Pennsylvania mine fire tragedy, we can't ignore the conspiracy theories that were rampant among many town residents. This week we discuss how such conspiracies started and what made them easy for some residents to believe. We discuss the evidence in support of and in opposition to those theories so you can make a decision about whether there was any conspiracy between private mining companies and the government related to the Centralia disaster. Tell us what you think.
This podcast i...
2025-02-1045 minCrime To BurnCrime, Cover-up, or Conspiracy in Centralia, Pennsylvania? Part 3We've all heard about the canary in the coal mine being an indicator to miners that the air quality in the mine was getting dangerous to breathe. When one Centralia family woke up one morning after suffering unusual and unexplainable ailments in recent weeks to find their pet canary dead in its cage, the people of Centralia could no longer ignore the deadly fire that had been inching closer to their town year after year while they waited for the government to find a way to control it. As the first Centralia families were forced to evacuate their homes...
2025-02-0343 minCrime To BurnCrime, Cover-up, or Conspiracy in Centralia, Pennsylvania? Part 2This week we continue our coverage of the mine fire that has burned in rural Pennsylvania for over 60 years. Last week we covered the physics of a mine fire and the most widely accepted theory of how the fire started. This week in addition to covering the other theories of how the fire may have started, we also discuss the initial projects undertaken to control the fire. What went wrong? While it's easy to look in hindsight and see how certain missteps by government officials contributed to the disaster that destroyed an entire town, the question we seek to...
2025-01-2747 minCrime To BurnCrime, Cover-up, or Conspiracy in Centralia, Pennsylvania?In central Pennsylvania, there's a fire that's been burning for over 60 years and it's still burning. They said it was just a tragic accident. A fire burning in the underground abandoned coal mines in Centralia, Pennsylvania was at first a nuisance, then a concern, then a crisis of epic consequence. However, many investigators over the decades have uncovered evidence that this fire wasn't actually an accident at all. We'll bring you not just the evidence uncovered in support of the different theories presented, but we'll bring you an in-depth understanding of the challenges of a mine fire from the...
2025-01-2043 minCrime To BurnMurder by Arson - The Conclusion of the Evelyn Zigerelli Henderson CaseIn this week's episode we conclude our coverage of the Evelyn Zigerelli Henderson case out of Harrisburg, PA. Evelyn was tried and convicted for setting her husband, a former sheriff's deputy, on fire on the back porch of their home following an argument over money. This week we evaluate the interpretations of the physical evidence by the fire investigator hired by the defense. I take you through his interpretations of the evidence and explain why it didn't sway a jury to find Evelyn not guilty. Do you think the jury got this one right? Let us know your thoughts.
2025-01-1349 minCrime To BurnMurder by Arson - The Evelyn Zigerelli Henderson CaseIn June of 2022, Evelyn Zigerelli Henderson called 911 to report that her husband of more than 30 years, a former sheriff's deputy, had either intentionally or accidentally set himself on fire. However, police quickly suspected foul play. Evelyn changed her story multiple times but ultimately, she was convicted for the murder of her husband by arson. Does the evidence presented in court stand up to scientific scrutiny? We'll go through it all so you can decide for yourself. This is a case of Murder by Arson in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Crime to Burn.
This podcast is a true crime p...
2025-01-0655 minCrime To BurnCrime to Burn - The TrailerCrime to Burn is a true crime podcast about criminal fires including arson, bombings, and criminal negligence. Hosted by April, a fire protection engineer with over 20 years of industry experience. Her husband, a self-proclaimed professional idiot, is her hilarious co-host and he may not be a fire expert but he's seen the movie Backdraft at least twice.
2025-01-0200 minCrime To BurnA Holiday Arson Tradition in Sweden - The Gävle GoatLet's close out 2024 with some festive... arson? Turns out that one holiday tradition in Sweden, the Gävle Goat or Gävlebocken has a dark and sinister history associated with the otherwise festive tradition. The Gävle Goat has been damaged or destroyed 42 out of 58 years. It's been hit by cars, beaten with clubs, and even subjected to an Alfred Hitchcock style bird massacre. However, the most popular way to dispatch the over 40 foot tall goat is arson. It's been roasted a record 38 times. As of the time of this recording, on Christmas Day, 2024, the Gävlebocken was still stan...
2024-12-3046 minCrime To Burn40. The Wrongful Arson Conviction of Juwan Deering - Finale (Part 3)In this final episode of the Juwan Deering Wrongful Arson Conviction Case, we learn even more allegations of investigatory and prosecutorial misconduct. We find out what evidence the independent investigator found indicating that Deering's rights were violated and who was allegedly responsible for those actions. In addition, we uncovered new court documents for a civil suit that sheds new light on some of the undisclosed witness testimony and offers an alternative plausible theory of how the fire started.
We also remember the victims of this horrific tragedy: Taleigha Dean, Age 10; Craig Dean, Age 8; Aaron Dean, Age 7, Eugene D...
2024-12-2351 minCrime To Burn39. The Wrongful Arson Conviction of Juwan Deering - Part 2This week we continue our coverage of the Juwan Deering wrongful conviction. Juwan Deering was a Michigan man accused of setting a fatal fire that killed 5 children in Royal Oak Township, Michigan. Deering was convicted based on now-debunked arson investigation myths but that isn't the only reason he was convicted. The prosecutor in the case stands accused of some shocking misconduct and we get into it in this episode. Could it be that political motives pushed a prosecutor violate ethics standards to secure a conviction in a mass murder that had been languishing for 6 years? We'll tell you what...
2024-12-1650 minCrime To Burn38. The Wrongful Arson Conviction of Juwan DeeringJuwan Deering was charged and convicted for setting a fire at a home that killed five children. However, investigators based their determination of how the fire began on now-debunked arson investigation myths. Juwan Deering was seen by investigators and the court system in a negative light and as a result he did not receive a fair trial nor did investigators behave in an ethical manner in prosecuting the case. Find out all the details of Juwan Deering's case on Crime to Burn.
Special thanks to the University of Michigan Law school for providing the court transcripts for t...
2024-12-0944 minCrime To Burn37. The Facebook Live Fire in Norfolk VirginiaIn November 2017, a "volunteer reporter" went viral for her coverage of a house fire in Norfolk, Virginia for all the right reasons. What she lacks in professional broadcast training and polished vocabulary, she makes up for with her enthusiasm. While her reporting is nothing short of a national treasure, the fact is that in her coverage of this fire, she happened to actually solve a crime. Our hats off to you Rhoda Young. We are in your debt as a society and this episode is dedicated to you.
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2024-12-0239 minCrime To Burn36. The Murder of Angie AbdullahAngie Abdullah should be alive today. She should be celebrating the accomplishments and successes of her now-adult children. Instead she was prematurely silenced by a controlling husband who carried out a gruesome murder and attempted to cover his crime with arson, risking the lives of four children in the process. However, her husband, Azad Abdullah, was as inept an arsonist as he was a husband and provider. As a result of his ineptitude, police quickly figured out Azad was responsible for arson, murder, attempted murder, and felony injury to a child. He was sentenced to death for his crimes...
2024-11-2437 minCrime To Burn35. Exonerated! - The Kristine Bunch InterviewThis is a special feature on Crime to Burn. On Sunday, November 10, I was able to sit down and have a conversation with Kristine Bunch. We covered Kristine's case in episodes 32 and 33. Kristine was accused of intentionally setting a fire at her home that claimed the life of her toddler son. Investigators developed their theory of what happened based on a now debunked arson investigation myth that was once widely believed. When the forensic testing didn't support investigators' theories, they allegedly colluded to falsify test reports that were presented in court to secure Kristine's conviction for arson and murder...
2024-11-181h 25Crime To Burn34: Clarence Roberts - The Man that Died Twice?Clarence Roberts was reported to have died in a fire in 1970... and then he died in another fire in 1980. But we know a man cannot die twice but we have two bodies and many believe he died in 1970 while others believe he died in 1980 and at least one that believes he wasn't killed in either fire. This case is a crazy story of desperation, murder, and arson. So, if only one of the bodies can be Clarence Roberts, who exactly is the second body? Find out what we know on Crime to Burn.
IMPORTANT NEWS:
A...
2024-11-1157 minCrime To Burn33. The Wrongful Conviction of Kristine Bunch - The ConclusionIn this episode we conclude the story of Kristine Bunch's wrongful conviction for arson and murder. When Kristine was 21, her trailer home burned down taking the life of her toddler son. At 22, Kristine was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Last week we had an in-depth discussion of fire dynamics and what arson investigators found. This week we uncover the dark truth about the alleged collusion between investigators and an ATF forensic chemist that altered test results and ultimately sent Kristine to prison for 17 years. We discuss Kristine's agonizingly long fight and wait...
2024-11-0439 minCrime To Burn32. The Wrongful Conviction of Kristine BunchWhat happens when we allow junk science and fire investigation mythology into the halls of justice? Kristine Bunch can tell you. She spent 17 years paying a debt to society that she didn't owe after being wrongfully convicted of the arson that killed her toddler son. But Kristine Bunch never stopped fighting for truth and even after her release, she continued the fight to help others that have been wrongfully convicted.
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2024-10-2851 minCrime To BurnEpisode 31: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 10This is the FINALE of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. In this episode we share some updates with you. We discuss the prosecution's rebuttal of the defense's closing arguments. The jury's verdict. The sentence handed down by the judge and some of Crawford's statements at sentencing. We discuss the grounds for appeal and we'll give you a bit of information on some other fires that occurred in the area and have some ties to David Crawford although we'll have to wait for the full investigation reports to bring you the whole story. We'll obviously bring you follow...
2024-10-2153 minCrime To BurnEpisode 30: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 9In this episode of the David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case, we finally get into the defense and closing arguments that the jury heard as they considered whether or not Crawford should be found guilty for 8 counts of first degree attempted murder. I have to admit, the defense strategy isn't what I expected, but did it work? Listen now to find out.
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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com We welcome any construct...
2024-10-1459 minCrime To BurnEpisode 29: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 8This week on Crime to Burn, we cover the second fire Crawford was convicted of setting at Evelyn and Scott Henderson's home. Evelyn and Scott were weeks away from moving back into the home Crawford had burned once already while they slept inside after a 9 month rebuilding process. The family still had no idea who had targeted them or why but with two fires at their home, there was no doubt someone out in the world was targeting their family. The fear of not knowing who or why and the constant worry that they might attack again plagued this...
2024-10-0744 minCrime To BurnEpisode 28: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 7In Part 7 of the David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case, we address the final name on Crawford's "target list" found by investigators in his phone. The entry simply read "Evelyn 2" which sounds as benign as a dinner reservation. However, this entry represents a living nightmare for one Howard County family. Crawford was charged with attempting to kill them in their home by burning it down while they slept. He was convicted of attempted murder but his case is currently pending appeal in Maryland. Listen now to the 7th part in the David Crawford arson saga right now on Crime...
2024-09-3048 minCrime To BurnEpisode 27: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 6In this sixth part of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case, we cover two more of the fires Crawford is accused of setting. The first fire is a truck fire belonging to the son of a former colleague of Crawford's. The second is the home of a husband and wife chiropractor team that had treated Crawford. Then we take all the fires we've covered and put them into chronological order along with the electronic evidence that police found when they executed the search warrant at Crawford's home. Let me tell you, some of the information they found will...
2024-09-231h 04Crime To BurnEpisode 26: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 5In Part 5 of the David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case, we have brand new information provided by people that knew Crawford and are familiar with the case plus we have the police reports in the alleged harassment Crawford is accused of committing against his own daughter. We also begin digging into the list of victims found on Crawford's phone. We'll even tell you about a celebrity connection to this case and explore another one of the fires Crawford is accused of setting. So, buckle up buttercup, this case is getting wild. Crawford's appeal in Howard County, Maryland is currently...
2024-09-161h 00Crime To BurnEpisode 25: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 4In part 4 of the David Michael Crawford case, we get into some truly horrifying allegations made by David's daughter Carrie against her father. We don't have any proof that David is responsible for these crimes but Carrie made allegations in several news sources after her dad was found guilty. If these allegations are true, one word comes to mind: psychopath. If these allegations are true, it's horrifying to think that Crawford had a more than 30 year career as a cop. Tune in now to hear the continuation of the serial arsonist case that rocked Maryland for over a decade.
2024-09-0944 minCrime To BurnEpisode 24: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 3This week we continue the saga of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. Today we dig deep into family drama that allegedly resulted in three separate fires targeting a single family. The most shocking part is that the family targeted was that of David Crawford's own stepson. But the drama doesn't end here. Crawford's own daughter has some really insane allegations to lob at her father that have nothing to do with the serial arson case. This already unbelievable case is about to go completely off the rails.
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2024-09-0246 minCrime To BurnEpisode 23: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 2This week we continue our in-depth coverage of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. Crawford was a retired police chief that spent over 30 years serving the citizens of Baltimore City, Prince George's County, District Heights, and finally ending his career as the Chief of Police for the City of Laurel, MD. After he retired, he is accused of having spent the next 10 years on an arson spree over at least 6 Maryland counties. This week we continue the story covering two more of the alleged fires that were presented in Crawford's jury trial in Howard County. Crawford was convicted...
2024-08-2641 minCrime To BurnEpisode 22: The David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case Part 1See below for timestamps!
In today's episode we kick off the case of David Michael Crawford, a retired Maryland Police Chief turned serial arsonist. We will be starting with the first arson in a series he was linked to in court with a fire at the home of a fellow city employee. We're bringing you a deep dive into a case I've been researching for over 6 months and currently this case is pending appeal in Maryland. Join us as we dive into one twisted and shocking serial arson case on Crime to Burn.
We begin t...
2024-08-1955 minCrime To BurnEpisode 21: Fanning the Flames in FargoIn 1995, after weeks of harassment, a restaurant owned by an immigrant family was set aflame with one of the family members inside the building. She managed to escape and an enraged community rallied in support of the family and to decry the racism that had nearly cost them a neighbor. Police worked quickly and it wasn't long until they were able to make an arrest in this horrific crime. However, the identify of the arsonist only fanned the flames in Fargo, North Dakota. Find out why on this episode of Crime to Burn
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2024-08-1236 minCrime To BurnEpisode 20: Pyros and Pornos - Arson and an Adult Entertainment EmpireIt's one of the weirdest cases of arson I've ever heard. A one-eyed hitman, an adult entertainment and novelty empire, cocaine, tax fraud, hand grenades, bombings, and of course, arson... actually a few arsons. There's no easy way to sum up this case neatly in one coherent description so you're just going to need to go click play and make sure you're sitting down because this case has more crazy than you can shake a rubber anatomically correct appendage at. Join us to find out how "stiff" competition led to this faux phallus flambé on Crime to Burn.
2024-08-0539 minCrime To BurnEpisode 19: Animal "Tails" - Stories of Animal ArsonistsOn this Episode of Crime to Burn, we cover what happens when good animals go bad. From feathered friends joining together to commit arson to beavers chewing their way into felonious behavior, and even the offspring of dear old Smokey the Bear burning down cabins, we're bringing you a series of tails... er tales about animals that started fires. And before you go thinking that all animal-involved conflagrations are accidental and lack intent, you better listen because there is one particular animal that scientists believe intentionally sets fires. Join us to hear all about arsonists of the animal world...
2024-07-2946 minCrime To BurnEpisode 18: The Benson Car Bombing Part 8This is the finale of the Benson Car Bombing Case. You'll finally find out the fate of Steven Benson. But don't get too comfortable, this episode is all brand new twists and turns. There are errors in discovery, errors discovered in testimony, and most shocking, a witness attempts to recant their entire statement to the prosecution. Join us now to find out how this insane case concludes.
We'd love to hear what you think about this series. You can email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com or you can reach out to us through social media. We're on...
2024-07-2250 minCrime To BurnEpisode 17: The Benson Car Bombing Part 7On this seventh part of the Benson Car Bombing case we go through what happened in the trial. We'll cover the prosecution and defense strategies and the witnesses for each side. There are even more bombshells in the course of the court trial so strap in for a wild one.
For a complete list of sources, see Part 1 of the Benson Car Bombing case and please listen to Part 1 for important disclaimers.
Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and X and subscribe to our YouTube Channel. We'd love to hear what you thi...
2024-07-151h 05Crime To BurnEpisode 16: The Benson Car Bombing Part 6In this sixth part of the Benson Family Car Bombing Case we discuss exactly how the police conducted their investigation into the horrific car bombing that severely injured Carol Lynn Benson Kendall and killed her mother and adopted brother. We unearth some serious concerns. Is it possible for anyone to get a fair trial with the way the police manipulated witness statements to get the warrants they wanted? You be the judge.
See part 1 for all source information and some important disclaimers.
Please be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and X and subscribe to...
2024-07-081h 02Crime To BurnEpisode 15: The Benson Car Bombing Part 5In part 5 of the Benson Car Bombing Case, we get into questions of Margaret Benson's will as well as the physical evidence they were able to find. We also go through some of the points of Carol Lynn's official statement to police including her absolutely unhinged accusations about Steven's wife. We also discuss some first-of-their-kind legal maneuvers that investigtors used to tie a suspect to the evidence. Did investigators behave ethically? Listen now to find out.
Refer to the show notes for Episode 11 for the full list of sources used for this series.
You can re...
2024-07-011h 00Crime To BurnEpisode 14: The Benson Car Bombing Part 4In this fourth instalment of the Benson Car Bombing Case, we get into the investigation of the horrific crime that killed Margaret and Scott Benson and severely injured Carol Lynn. Police begin to develop a list of suspects and we start discussing who would have motive, means, and opportunity.
Refer to the show notes for Episode 11 for the full list of sources used.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X or email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com. We appreciate your positive reviews and we're happy to accept constructive feedback at our email address or...
2024-06-241h 17Crime To BurnEpisode 13: The Benson Car Bombing Part 3As we continue the Benson Family Car Bombing Case, we'll look even deeper into the family history. We'll learn some shocking bombshells about Carol Lynn's past that remained buried until the investigation into the bombing unearthed them and laid them bare in the press for the entire world to see. In addition, we learn about Scott and his addiction to fast cars, drugs, girls, and delusions about a professional tennis career. Scott also left in his wake plenty of angry people, could one of them have plotted to murder the entire family?
Crime to Burn is a tr...
2024-06-1752 minCrime To BurnEpisode 12: The Benson Car Bombing Part 2In part 2 of the Benson Car Bombing Case we dive into the Benson family's history to understand the dynamics at play so we can better understand who they were and who might want to hurt them.
For a detailed list of sources, please refer to the show notes for Episode 11: The Benson Car Bombing Case Part 1.
Follow Crime to Burn on X, Facebook, and Instagram for frequent updates and news. You can also email us at crimetoburn@gmail.com. You can also listen to us on youtube now, search for Crime to B...
2024-06-1054 minCrime To BurnEpisode 11: The Benson Car Bombing Part 1We're back after a very long hiatus with a new co-host and a new horrific case. In July 1985, a widowed tobacco heiress and her three children were preparing to leave for an errand when their Chevrolet Suburban exploded in their driveway, killing Margaret Benson and her son, Scott and severely injuring her daughter, Carol Lynn. Unraveling this case exposes the soft white underbelly of a wealthy yet dysfunctional family including dark family secrets, decades of manipulation, and a cancerous greed. But who could hate the Bensons enough to want the entire family dead?
Sources:
M...
2024-06-0350 minCrime To BurnEpisode 10: The Sultana Part 2Join us for the highly anticipated conclusion to the case of the Steamboat Sultana. This week we return to the Mississippi River for the investigations that followed the explosion, fire, and sinking of the Steamboat Sultana that was carrying over 2,000 Union POWs following the Civil War. Was this negligence? Was it a terrible accident? Or was it sabotage and intentional murder? We'll give you the evidence for you to decide.
Visit the Sultana Museum and consider contributing to their current brick drive here: https://www.sultanadisastermuseum.com/
Book Sources:
Sultana, A Ca...
2022-08-281h 06Crime To BurnEpisode 9: The Sultana Part 1Join us as we step back in history to the close of the US Civil War when one of the largest maritime disasters in US history claimed the lives of 1,800 people on the Mississippi River. The tragic explosion and subsequent fire on the Steamboat Sultana was so greatly overshadowed by other events at the time, that less than 2% of Americans surveyed knew about the disaster. However, this story includes criminal negligence, bribery, and corruption that leads all the way to the front door of the White House. In addition, there are even allegations of sabotage. How did such a...
2022-08-141h 08Crime To BurnEpisode 8: The Conclusion of the Frito BanditoWe're finally back with the incredibly tardy conclusion to the John Orr case (aka: the Frito Bandito or the Pillowcase Pyro). If you haven't listened to parts 1 and 2, go do that before you listen to this part. But we owe you a huge apology. April's husband spent the summer without the use of one of his legs and as the only adult in the house with two working legs while undergoing a home renovation project and working a full time job, April had to put the pod on hold for a couple months. But we are back! Thanks for...
2022-08-081h 25Crime To BurnEpisode 7: The Frito Bandito, Part 2This week we continue our series on the prolific arsonist once known as the Frito Bandito or the Pillowcase Pyro that terrorized California in the late 1980s. This week's episode brings you a plot twist as the investigators struggle to bring this horrific arsonist to justice.
Sources will be released with the last episode of the series.
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2022-04-271h 24Crime To BurnEpisode 6: The Frito Bandito, Part 1What started as a normal day in October of 1984 quickly turned to horror as a serial arsonist claimed 4 lives in a fire he set at an Ole's Hardware store in California. In Part 1, we'll cover his most deadly fire and how he achieved such nicknames as "The Pillow Pyro" and "The Frito Bandito." Will he be caught? Will all his crimes catch up to him? Listen to find out. Welcome to Crime to Burn created and hosted by Jenny and April.
Sources will be posted with part 2 so as not to reveal any spoilers.
2022-04-031h 24Crime To BurnEpisode 5: Mizpah Hotel in Reno, NV Part 2In part 2 of this series dedicated to the memory of Reno Firefighter Mike Lackore, we get into the investigation and criminal trial following the Mizpah Hotel Fire in Reno, NV. Mike was on one of the first responding units to the Mizpah Hotel fire that occurred on Halloween night in 2006 in Reno, NV. This multi-fatality fire had a profound mental impact on the firefighters that reported to the scene and Mike Lackore’s good friend Battalion Chief Roger Mooney shared with me that he and Mike were forever changed by the horrific events of that night. Mike passed away in...
2022-03-2356 minCrime To BurnEpisode 4: Mizpah Hotel in Reno, NV Part 1This week’s episode is dedicated to the memory of Reno Firefighter Mike Lackore. Mike was on one of the first responding units to the Mizpah Hotel fire that occurred on Halloween night in 2006 in Reno, NV. This multi-fatality fire had a profound mental impact on the firefighters that reported to the scene and Mike Lackore’s good friend Battalion Chief Roger Mooney shared with me that he and Mike were forever changed by the horrific events of that night. Mike passed away in 2011 but this fire always stayed with him and so we dedicate this episode to Mike Lack...
2022-03-151h 25Crime To BurnEpisode 3: Corsicana,TX Part 2In our continuation of the investigation of the horrific fire that took the lives of three toddlers in Corsicana, TX, we really pick apart the investigation and the conviction of Cameron Todd Willingham. So, was an innocent man sentenced to death for a tragic accident or was it arson? Join us as we dig deeper into this case.
Sources:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/09/07/trial-by-fire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Todd_Willingham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Hurst
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2014/08/03/did-texas-execute-an-innocent-man-willingham
https://innocenceproject.org/the-texas-forensic-science-commission-and-the-willingham-case/
https://innocenceproject.or...
2022-03-041h 09Crime To BurnEpisode 2: Corsicana,TX Part 1In this first of a two-part episode, we explore the horrific fire that took the lives of three toddlers in Corsicana, TX only 3 days before Christmas in 1991. A distraught and injured father told a neighbor to call 911 because his babies were inside his burning home. Was this a tragic accident or was it something more sinister? Join us as we pick apart the investigation and remember the three precious victims.
Stay tuned for Part 2
Sources will be provided after part 2 is available.
2022-02-251h 05Crime To BurnEpisode 1: Everett Community College ArsonOn February 16, 1987, Warren Burns, a seasoned firefighter, was a newly appointed fire investigator on duty in Everett, Washington when a fire was reported at Everett Community College, where Burns himself had studied Fire Science. On his way to the scene, he heard the unthinkable over the radio, a firefighter had been separated from his team and was trapped inside the burning Library. The firefighter was Gary Parks, a close personal friend of Burns’. Gary Parks died that night in the line of duty and when the fire was declared arson, Burns’ vowed to never give up on holding the arso...
2022-02-1354 min