Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Diane Whipple lost her life on January 26, 2001 after she was attacked by two dangerous dogs. You'll hear about the public outcry after this horrible incident and how the owners, Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, made matters worse by insisting they had no responsibility for Whipple's death. This is part two of The Pacific Heights Dog Mauling Case.  Resources: Book: Red Zone: The Behind the Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling by Aphrodite Jones Article:  "Mad Dogs and Lawyers" by Evan Wright, Rolling Stone Magazine, February 28, 2002. 

A fatal dog mauling case shocked the San Francisco Bay Area and the world in early 2001.  When the details were revealed about the dogs and their owners the story took a bizarre twist. Join me for part one of this two-part episode as I detail the tragic death of a young, lacrosse coach and the strange and unusual backstory that lead to her demise.  Resources: Book: Red Zone: The Behind the Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling by Aphrodite Jones Article: Mad Dogs and Lawyers by Evan Wright, Rolling Stone Magazine, February 28, 2002. 

Dian Fossey became the foremost expert on the mountain gorillas of the Congo.  She conducted the first long-term field study of these animals and her story was immortalized in the book and movie Gorillas in the Mist. A few days after Christmas 1985 Dian Fossey was found brutally murdered in her cabin at the primate research center she founded.  People around the world wanted to know who killed Dian Fossey? #Rwanda #poachers #gorillaconservation #Virunga #Karisoke  Resources: Nicholas Gordon, Murders in the Mist: Who Killed Dian Fossey? (London: Hodder & Stoughton) 1993.  Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist (2017), National Geographic Channel.  Social Media Links: www.twitter.com/uponacrime www.instagram.com/onceuponacrimepod www.facebook.com/onceuponacrimepod www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

If true crime stories teach us anything it's that man is the most dangerous animal of all. In this new series I will detail cases where human's behavior results in wild animals becoming involved in crime stories.   This series will NOT detail cases of animal cruelty. First up, a tiger escapes its enclosure at a zoo and attacks three men? Was the tiger provoked? What would cause an animal to attack humans out of the blue?  Resources: Patricia Yollin, Tanya Schevitz, and Kevin Fagan, SFGate.com, "SF Zoo visitor saw 2 victims of tiger attack teasing lions," Jan 3, 2008.  Linda Goldston, San Jose Mercury News, "Tiger attack: San Jose brothers receive $900,000 settlement from San Franciscio Zoo," May 29, 2009. 

On this bonus episode I discuss the 4-part documentary series "Dead North" that premiered on A&E in late May.  My special co-host is my brother, Tony.   Ways to watch: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/dead-north/about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfAvQ-DZtzo https://play.google.com/store/tv/show?id=hJP2D07sNYvoOnuQy60VqA&cdid=tvseason-iDb1vI20xZwH3DauTgXuyw&gdid=tvepisode-gfAvQ-DZtzo https://www.amazon.com/Winter-is-Coming-Part-1/dp/B07DC6WGST/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1530203353&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=dead+north+documentary Today's sponsors: www.campaignliving.com - Use offer code ONCE to get $75 off your order. www.pb.com/once for a 60-day free trial for all C200 models.  www.Talkspace.com/ouac and use offer code OUAC to get $45 off your first month.  

A young, Canadian college students goes missing from the Cecil while visiting Los Angeles in 2013.  The hotel's surveillance camera captures bizarre behavior by the young woman adding to the mystery.   #ElisaLam #mysteriousdeaths #elevatorvideo  Resources: Elevator video - last sighting of Elisa Lam: https://youtu.be/3TjVBpyTeZM TX Files episode where I discuss the connection between the Elisa Lam case and the film Dark Water. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/27-the-sierra-diablo-murders-part-1/id1153817822?i=1000385825759&mt=2 www.patreon.com/OnceUponaCrime 

We continue the series "Infamous Locales" with another true crime story from the infamous Cecil Hotel. This time, I'll tell you about another serial killer who made the Cecil his base of operations -  Jack Unterweger, "The Vienna Woods Killer".  #serialkillers #Austria #Vienna #ViennaWoodsKiller Resources: Books: Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer by John Leake The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us by Gregg O. McCrary

The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles has been home to at least two serial killers, numerous tragic deaths, a sniper shooting and one mysterious death.  Join me for this first installment of a 3-part episode covering the Cecil Hotel's history. #serial killers #RichardRamirez #TheNightStalker  Resources: Book: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo 

In this special episode I give a wrap-up of CrimeCon - all the true crime celebrity sightings, the true crime podcast rockstars I got to hang out with, and all the inside gossip and info.  I also discuss a couple of cases related to what I learned in CrimeCon sessions this year. I'll talk about the Patsy Ramsey 911 call, Ted Bundy and Jodi Arias.  Shout outs to many, many podcasts including Southern Fried True Crime, Trace Evidence, InSight, True Crime Fan Club, The Fall Line, Minds of Madness, Misconduct, Crime and Precedents, Undisclosed, Red Wing Audio Drama, and many, many more.  With The Manks (Josh Mankiewicz, Dateline) Resources: The Netflix series I referenced is "Manhunt: Unabomber".   The CBS special I referenced was "The Case of Jon Benet Ramsey".  You can find it at www.dailymotion.com.

The district of Whitechapel in London, England was the location of one of the most infamous, unsolved serial murders in history - the Jack the Ripper Murders. But, there was possibly a second serial murderer operating at the same time. Journey with us to Whitechapel for some historical true crime cases. Warning: This episode details more graphic details than normal. I give you a trigger warning before it begins in the episode if you'd like to skip ahead.  #whitechapel #London #JacktheRipper #historicalcrime #crimehistory #TorsoMurders #ThamesTorsoMurders 

One intersection in Beverly Hills has been the site of many events from airplane crashes, car accidents, and murders. Could it be a coincidence or is the area cursed?  #beverlyhills #bermudatriangle #howardhughes #hollywood #bugsysiegel #ronnichasen  A.J. Benza: Fame is a Bitch - Subscribe on ITunes

Surprise! Here's an extra episode for you since I'm off this week.  This is as bonus episode that I would normally make available only for Patreon members, but I'll give you a little sneak peek of Patreon bonus content by sharing it with everyone. This is the story of another murder committed by the Aum Doomsday Cult that did I did not talk about on Episode #86: Last Stop: Chapter 3: The Tokyo Subway Attack.  To become a Patreon supporter of Once Upon a Crime go to www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime.  

A woman takes revenge for hundreds of raped and murdered women in Juarez, Mexico by targeting city bus drivers. Resources: For more information about women's organizations in Juarez:  https://hiponline.org/how-casa-amiga-helps-free-the-women-of-juarez/  https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/meet-the-mexican-activists-fighting-for-womens-rights/  https://web.archive.org/web/20040414134540/http://www.mujeresdejuarez.org/ Book: The Daughters of Juarez: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border by Teresa Rodriguez Paper: The Femicide Machine by Sergio Gonzalez Rodriguez, published by Semiotext (c) with support from Mexico's National Fund for Culture and the Arts 2011-2013.

On March 20, 1995 a group of men board the Tokyo Metro subway system and release deadly sarin gas.  The mass murder was ordered by Aum Supreme Truth cult leader Shoko Asahara. #massmurder #cults #Japan #terrorism #chemicalweapons Resources: Books: The Cult at the End of the World by David Kaplan and Andrew Marshall Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Mrakami www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime to become a patron and get bonus content and merchandise. Social Media Links: www.facebook.com/onceuponacrimepod  www.twitter.com/uponacrime www.instagram.com/onceuponacrimepod

A hijacking on a bus unfolds live on television in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June of 2000.  #hijacking #hostagecrisis #Brazil  Resources: Documentary: Bus 174 (2002) directed by Jose Padilha Podcast Recommendations: Trace Evidence https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/trace-evidence/id1239217007?mt=2 Not Perfect or Functional https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/not-perfect-or-functional-podcast-true-crime-sports/id1273572626?mt=2

In 1976, in the small farming community of Chowchilla, California, a school bus full of children is kidnapped for ransom.  #kidnappings #Chowchilla #ransom #crimehistory #California Resources: Dan Noyes, ABC7 News, "Parole hearing reveals new details about Chowchilla kidnapping," Nov 29, 2012.  Holly Yan, CNN, "California mass kidnapping: After being buried alive, victims relive nightmare," Dec 28, 2015.  Robert Lindsey, The New York Times, "26 Children Found Safe After Being Kidnapped from Bus in Caliifornia," July 17, 1976.  Follow us at: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime www.twitter.com/uponacrime www.instagram.com/onceuponacrimepod www.facebook.com/onceuponacrimepod

A 16-year-old boy from a well-to-do Fort Worth family commits a quadruple vehicular homicide.  His attorneys will argue that his overprivileged upbringing resulted in him not knowing how to discern right from wrong. The term "affluenza" was coined to describe defendants like Ethan Couch - wealthy, spoiled and held unaccountable for their bad behavior.  I'll also describe how this same defense was used in 1924 to defend the wealthy teenaged murderers Leopold and Loeb.  #LeopoldandLoeb #CrimeoftheCentury #EthanCouch #Affluenza Resources: Manny Fernandez, Richard Perez-Pena and Azam Ahmed, The New York Times, "Ethan Couch, 'Affluenza' Teenager, Had Last Party Before Fleeing," Dec 29, 2015.  Michael J. Mooney, D Magazine, "The Worst Parents Ever," May 2015.   American Experience, PBS Television, "The Perfect Crime: Leopold and Loeb". 

Supervisor Dan White murders San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. His defense would claim "diminished capacity" to keep him from being sentenced to death. The media dubbed this "The Twinkie Defense". But, what really caused Dan White to become a double murderer? Resources John Geluardi, SF Weekly, "Dan White's motive more about betrayal than homophobia," Jan 30, 2008. Carol Pogash, SFGate.com, "Myth of the 'Twinkie Defense', Nov 23, 2003. 

Three cases are outlined where a person commits murder and then blames the crime on sleepwalking.  First up, Albert Tirrell murders his mistress in 1846 claiming he was in a trance-like state at the time. Kenneth Parks travels 23 km to commit a murder - all while asleep, he claimed. Finally, another man tries to use the sleepwalking defense after killing his wife in Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. Resources: Karen Abbott, Smithsonian.com, "The Case of the Sleepwalking Killer," April 30, 2012.  Paul Rubin, NewTimes.com, "A Killer Sleep Disorder," Nov 19, 1998.  True Crime Truant, "Scott Falater: Sleepwalking Killer Gets a Wakeup Call," July 20, 2017.  Berit Brogaard and Kristian Marlow, Psychology Today, "Sleep Driving and Sleep Killing: The Kenneth Parks Case," Dec 13, 2012. 

The last chapter of this series continues with stories of the darker side of the Academy Awards.  You'll hear about missing and stolen Oscars, the tragic story of the Oscar Night Streaker and a murder committed by the son of an Oscar winning songwriter. #Oscars #AcademyAwards #CelebrityCrimes #HollywoodCrime Resources: Documentary - Uncle Bob, written, produced and directed by Robert Oppel Television Show: Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors - Season 1, Episode 1 - Power, Privilege and Passion, (Investigation Discovery Channel) - This episode details the case of the murder of Sylvie Cachay.