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A man leads police to a body buried in a snowbank on Christmas Day, 1977. This murder in Madison, Wisconsin, would captivate the public with a tale of sex, murder, drugs and money.
Resources:
Book: Winter of Frozen Dreams - by Karl Harter
Video: Winter of Frozen Dreams
On Christmas Day, 1929, one of the country's worst mass murders took place in North Carolina. This is Chapter 2 of Holiday Homicides: The Lawson Family Murders. 
The Lawson family portrait - part of Charlie Lawson's "Christmas surprise".
The crime scene became a tourist attraction complete with blood splatter.
Resources:
Book: The Meaning of Our Tears: The True Story of the Lawson Family Murders by Trudy J. Smith
Ballad: The Lawson Family Murder by Doc Watson
In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, 1881, a brutal attack was perpetrated on three sleeping teens in Ashland, Kentucky.
The three suspects in the Ashland murders
Poem: The Ashland Tragedy, composed as a ballad by Peyton Buckner Byrne of Greenup County, Kentucky.
Music: The Cherry Tree Carol and Carol of the Bells from An Appalachian Christmas, Composer Mark O'Connor
A 9-year-old girl is abducted in Arlington, Texas. The community and, ultimately, the country would call for changes in the way law enforcement responds to missing and abducted children
You can find the video about Amber and her family here: WFAA Amber Hagerman Documentary
Click here to find out more about the AMBER Alert System
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can be contacted at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.missingkids.org .
You can see a list of active AMBER alerts here.
Tips to keep your children safe:
1) Have a code word phrase. This is a phrase that you would share with your children, especially as it relates to adults they should and can trust. They should know that if you send someone to pick them up from school or any activity, the code word will be used. Make it something funny or personal so it’s easy for the kids to remember. A child should only go with someone who tells them that phrase. 2) Teach your kids that adults don’t need help from kids. If an adult needs directions, help finding a pet or anything else, they should ask another adult, not a child.
3) Let your child know it’s OK to yell, scream, and say no to an adult if they feel uncomfortable or scared. We teach children to listen to adults and not to be disruptive, but there are times they should disobey and be loud. It’s a good idea to practice with your kids. Give them a scenario and have them practice say no firmly and loudly, screaming, and running away.
4) Be careful of sharing too much identifying information on the internet. Of course, we like to share pictures and information about the cute and fun things are children do on Facebook and other social media. But predators can get information about a child's location, routine, etc., if identifying information is shared such as school names, names of parks you frequent, even locations of meeting places like scout troop meetings, sports fields, etc. So, just keep that information to a minimum and without details. Family members and good friends already probably know it so it's not necessary to share.
The murder of a young girls leads to sweeping changes in sentencing laws.
Polly Hannah Klaas was 12 years old when she was abducted by a stranger out of her own bedroom.
Resources:
People v. Davis, Appeal Record, Superior Court of California, June 1, 2009
"The Man Who Kept Going Free" by Jeffrey Toobin for The New Yorker, March 7, 1994.
Polly's Story - www.pollyklaas.org
"An Angel Named Polly" by Elizabeth Gleick and Maria Eftimiades for People Magazine, Nov 28, 1994.
Book recommendation: American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin
Happy Thanksgiving! Just sharing some info about the holiday schedule of podcast releases and some shout outs to listeners and podcasters!
Thanks to our new sponsor Audible who is offering our listeners a 30-day free trial and a free audiobook download! Go to www.audibletrial.com/onceuponacrime for your free offer.
An abused woman spends years being beaten and terrorized by her husband while police and others turn a blind eye. In desperation, she takes the law into her own hands.
Resources:
The National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.) 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Victim Support (U.K.) www.victimsupport.org.uk
Domestic Violence Resource Centre (AU) www.dvrcv.org.au
U.S. Dept. of Justice Office on Violence Against Women www.justice.gov/ovw
Book: The Burning Bed by Faith McNulty
People show support for the defendant at the trial of Francine Hughes./Farrah Fawcett's portrayal of Francine in "The Burning Bed".
A young woman's murder becomes and indictment on American apathy and changes the way crime is reported.
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Resources:
Film: The Witness Book: Kitty Genovese: The Murder, The Bystanders, The Crime that Changed America - Kevin Cook
On this special bonus Halloween episode I share something a little different. Instead of the usual true crime case I'm sharing two ghost stories with you. Feel free to listen in the dark! Happy Halloween!
#Halloween #ghoststories #spooky Please rate and review the show on iTunes! And tell a friend. Thanks!
John Hinckley, Jr. tries to impress an actress by killing President Ronald Reagan. Was he legally insane? This is the final chapter in the series "Fatal Fans".
John Hinckley's mug shot - dated 3/30/81 - the day he tried to kill President Reagan.
Please rate and review us on iTunes! Twitter: @UponACrime Facebook: OnceUponaCrimePod
Resources: "At the Edge of Death" by Edmund Morris for Newsweek, October 4, 1999.
Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Regan by Edmund Morris, Random House, 1999.
Mark David Chapman stalks and murders John Lennon on a New York city street in 1980. This is Chapter 3 of Fatal Fans.
John Lennon autographs his album for Mark Chapman a few hours before Chapman shoots him dead on December 8, 1980.
Resources:
Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman by Jack Jones
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An unhinged fan has murderous plans towards young actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Rebecca Schaeffer
Robert John Bardo in court.
Resources:
"An Innocent Life, A Heartbreaking Death" by Pete Axthelm, People Magazine, July 31, 1989.
"In the Mind of a Stalker" by M. Tharp, U.S. News and World Report, Feb 17, 1992.
A young actress is stalked by an unhinged drifter who is intent on killing her.
Facebook: OnceUponACrimePod Twitter: @UponACrime Celebrity crime, stalking victims, true crime.
Theresa Saldana arrives at the court house 2 weeks after her near fatal attack.
Arthur Jackson in court charged with first degree attempted murder.
The Queen of Tejano Music is gunned down by a fan in 1995.
Resources: Music: Selena - Ones - (Greatest Hits Album)
DVD: Selena - the Movie
Book: To Selena with Love - by Chris Perez
To connect with the show: On Twitter: @uponacrime On Facebook and Instagram @OnceUponaCrimePod Website: www.truecrimepodcast.com
Two of music's biggest rap stars are cut down in their prime. But, who killed them? This week's episode - Tupac and Biggie.
Follow us on Twitter @UponACrime and on Facebook and Instagram @OnceUponaCrimePod
Resources for this episode:
Music: 2Pac's Greatest Hits The Notorious B.I.G. Greatest Hits
Books: Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon - Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Fred L. Johnson III, PhD Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of Tupc, Biggie and Jam Master Jay Investigations - Derrick Parker The Rose that Grew from Concrete: Poems by Tupac Shakur
Movies and Documentaries: Tupac: Resurrection Notorious Biggie and Tupac: The Story Behind the Murders of Rap's Biggest Superstars
The second installment in the series about the tragic endings of musical icons this time I discuss the life and death of Nirvana's frontman, Kurt Cobain. Justin Evans from the Generation Why and The Peripheral podcasts weighs in on "Soaked in Bleach" and the murder theory.
www.TheGenerationWhyPodcast.com
Click on the links below for resources and to purchase the music.
Books: Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain - Charles R. Cross
This series tells the tragic stories of recording artists who were killed or died under mysterious circumstances. In the first chapter, Marvin Gaye, a top R&B recording artist is murdered by a family member in 1984.
Books: Marvin Gaye: My Brother by Frankie Gaye Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz
The first school mass shooting in the U.S. is committed by a 16-year-old year girl. 
Brenda Spencer's mugshot. January 29, 1979. Wearing her "lucky" hat.
Brenda Spencer goes to court.
"Does Anyone Like Mondays? The Brenda Spencer Murder Case" by Eric Hart
Follow us on Twitter @UponACrime
An 11-year-old is accused of murdering two boys in the 1960s.
Several resources were used in the research for this episode including:
Gitta Sereny, The Case of Mary Bell (London:Pimlico), 1995.
Audio Clip: The Mary Bell Case. YouTube, uploaded by chewyisacat, March 7, 2013. https://youtu.be/moFhGzE_xRI
A bonus episode partially recorded at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco, CA. Making a Murderer's Dean Strang and Jerry Buting on their speaking tour "A Conversation on Justice".
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A young serial killer terrorizes South Boston in 1872. 
Fiend: The Shocking True Story of America's Youngest Serial Killer by Harold Schecter
The Autobiography of Jesse H. Pomeroy written by Himself Murder, serial killers, true crime, Jesse Pomeroy, Boston, Massachusetts
When kidnap victims are held for a period of time the public often wants to know "why didn't they try to escape?" This episode explains a psychological phenomenon known as "Stockholm Syndrome", how it might apply to the victims I discussed in the series "Lost and Found", and share probably the most well-known case of Stockholm Syndrome, the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. Kidnappings, true crime, Stockholm Syndrome, Patty Hearst
Three girls go missing over as many years in a Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood. Years go by before they are ever seen again. When it was revealed who had taken them and what they were subjected to the city was stunned to find that the perpetrator had been right under their nose all along. 
Book: The Lost Girls: The True Story of the Cleveland Abductions by John Glatt
True crime stories told one chapter at a time: kidnappings.
This is our second installment in the series "Lost and Found". Elizabeth Smart was a 14-year-old girl from a loving, Mormon family living in Salt Lake City, Utah. The family's kindness towards a local transient would make her a target for kidnapping. Her ordeal would encompass months of captivity and hundreds of miles before the final outcome in her story.
This is the first installment in our series "Lost and Found". When a loved one goes missing the families are left in a terrible limbo. How long do you hold out hope for your loved one to be found? Many never give up hope and, for a few, a miracle happens and their prayers are answered. In this first episode, an 11-year-old girl is abducted by strangers in broad daylight. The abductors have carefully planned for their captive. The story of this well-publicized kidnapping is even more bizarre and unbelievable than you might have heard. 
A Stolen Life: A Memoir - Jaycee Dugard Lost and Found: The True Story of Jaycee Dugard and the Abduction that Shocked the World - John Glatt