Susan Polk enters into a relationship with her therapist when she is a young girl. Years later, after 20 years of marriage, she will claim she has been abused by her husband for decades. After he is found dead in their guest house the question would be, was this a case of self-defense or a cold-blooded murder?
Several resources were used in the research of this case including:
Court record: The People, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Susan Mae Polk, Defendant and Applellant, Contra Costa County Super. Ct. No. 031668-7, December 13, 2010
Articles:
A California Murder Raises Troubling Issues by Carol Pogash for The New York Times, September 18, 2005
Obituary of Dr. F. Felix Polk, SFGate.com, November 5, 2002.
Slaying rips apart a family in Orinda by Jason Dearen for Bay Area News Group, October 10, 2005.
Convicted Orinda killer Susan Polk denied parole, kicked out of hearing midway through by Nate Gartrell for Bay Area News Group, July 17, 2019.
Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
A mother seeks help for her special needs child, but a church prayer service ends tragically.
Several resources were used in the research for this episode including:
Book:
True Stories of Law and Order by Kevin Dwyer and Jure Fiorillo
Articles:
Death by Exorcism by David Krajicek for the New York Daily News, October 8, 2006
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In the second chapter of the series "Deadly Therapy" a young girl who grows up in an unstable home is placed up for adoption. Her adoptive mother finds her behavior problematic and has her undergo a new and controversial therapy - with tragic results.
Several resources were used to research this episode including:
Her Name was Candace by Carla Crowder and Peggy Lowe for Denver Rocky Mountain News, Oct. 29, 2000 https://culteducation.com/group/1115-rebirthing/17893-her-name-was-candace.html
Seeking Child’s Love, A Child’s Life is Lost by Barry Siegel for the Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 2001 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-feb-04-mn-21072-story.html
Links from this episode:
In this month's series, "Deadly Therapy", I’ll detail cases of people who sought help from experts, but rather than receiving healing and transformation, their journeys came to an abrupt and deadly end. In this first chapter, you’ll hear how James, Arthur Ray, a self-described success coach and guru required his followers to perform increasingly more extreme mental and physical challenges all in the pursuit of “enlightenment” with deadly results.
Several resources were used in the research for this episode including:
Articles:
The Death Dealer by Matt Stroud in The Verge.
Arizona Sweat Lodge: The Inside Story of James Ray's Fatal Retreat by Miguel Sancho and Kimberley Brown for ABC News.
Blogs:
https://spiritualityisnoexcuse.wordpress.com/james-rays-first-victim-colleen-conaway/
Films:
Enlighten Us: The Rise and Fall of James Arthur Ray (2016)