PODCAST

Hard Times and True Crimes

Darlene Hildreth and Melody Gwyn

Listen to two Southern, Christian women tell each other historical true crime stories.

true crime

All Episodes

69:04

75. A Murder Farm in Quiet Dell, West Virginia

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/10/02

In August 1931, police were investigating the disappearances of Asta Eicher and her three children. They found love letters, which led them to a man named Harry Powers in Quiet Dell, West Virginia.Nespresso Vertuo Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4eO75xy Music by Isaiah HildrethMale Narrator: Curtis HildrethSources:newspapers.comfindagrave.comwikipedia.commurderpedia.comhttps://www.wvencyclopedia.org/print/Article/1911https://news.lib.wvu.edu/2014/10/28/the-harry-powers-mu...

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50:17

74. Evil On The Well-Deserved

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/09/18

To retire early and live their days sailing on a yacht is the dream of many a couple. Some actually get to live that dream. Such was the case for Tom and Jackie Hawks until the day another dream came true - a grandbaby was on the way. When the couple decided to sell their yacht and move closer to family, they thought they had found the perfect family to enjoy the Well-Deserved. But something sinister was in the works that Tom and Jackie did not see coming. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and O...

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35:39

73. Mean Marie's Revenge

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/09/11

Marie Dean Arrington was a professional criminal in Florida during the 1960's. After she committed a brutal murder, Marie became the second woman to be put on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Male Narrator- Curtis HildrethMusic by Isaiah HildrethSourcesFind a Grave findagrave.comWikipedia wikipedia.comMurderpediaSouthern Mysteries PodcastAmazon Prime Young Adult Offer: https://amzn.to/4gpn1aY Free for 6 months and then 50% off a regular membership. *If you purchase with...

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61:22

72. Murder in Asheboro - The Melissa Mickey Story

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/09/04

The murder of a mother of two in a small town in Randolph County has investigators baffled. She had no enemies to speak of. Sometimes an enemy is closer than we think though and is not someone we consider an enemy. One man is arrested and one man turns himself in. The question is did they work together or did one work alone?Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Interview with Detective Sargeant Jeff Wilhoithttps://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/scj9095.pdfhttps:/...

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71:16

71. Peggy Carr- A Polk County Murder

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/08/29

The 1988 murder of 41 year old Peggy Carr is one of the most bizarre crimes in Polk County Florida history. Music by Isaiah HildrethNarrator-Curtis HildrethSourcesnewspapers.comPoison Mind : The True Story of the Mensa Murderer and the Policewoman who Risked her Life to Bring Him to Justice By Jeffrey Good and Susan GoreckJustialawThe Murder of Peggy Carr Crime DocumentaryFunctional SpacesSimplifying your space. Organizing your life. Styling with your unique vibe. https://functionalspace...

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52:13

70. The Donner Party Tragedy

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/08/14

A group of families headed west to California in the spring of 1846 during the Westward Expansion movement. They were well provisioned for the journey that was expected to take them 4-6 months. But one delay after another along with a bad leadership decision turned the trip into a nightmare. Never take a shortcut that has not been proven; it could be deadly. Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethNarrator: Curtis HildrethSources:Murphy, Virginia Reed. Zeinert, Karen. Across the Plains in...

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37:53

The Murder of Poor Ellen Smith from Winston Salem

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/07/31

In 1894, poor Ellen Smith was murdered by her ne-er do- well lover, Peter DeGraff in Winston-Salem, NC. This episode will cover a short background, the murder, trial and execution of Peter DeGraff. The story was made famous by a late nineteenth century murder ballad named Poor Ellen Smith that Peter DeGraff supposedly wrote in prison while awaiting his execution. Music by Isaiah Hildreth The Swamp Lilies https://theswamplilies.bandcamp.com/track/poor-ellen-smithMale Narrator ...

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59:58

68. Murder in Amish Country

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/07/17

Edward and Katie Gingerich lived among their people, the Amish, in the early 1990s. When Ed started having various physical ailments and then mental anguish, the church tried to step in but nothing seemed to help; not herbal supplements, prescribed medicines, or hospitalization. This is the story of how Ed became the first Amish person in the US to be tried for murder and the events that led up to the brutal event. Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSou...

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37:25

67. Lost Boys of the Alleghenies Mountains

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/07/10

In the spring of 1856, two brothers, seven year old George and five year old Joseph wondered off together from their cabin home in the Alleghenies Mountains of Pennsylvania. Listen to hear their tragic story. Allison Krauss Music Video Jacob's Dreamhttps://youtu.be/sUtNRK3tYgg?si=TMerX-xqoij1dUGnMale Narrator: Curtis HildrethMusic by Isaiah HildrethSourcesnewspapers.comfindagrave.comThe Lost Children of the Alleghenies Written by Charles McCarthy Pennsylvania Oddi...

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36:46

66. What Happened On The BlueBelle

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/07/03

After a harrowing shipwreck at sea, Captain Julian Harvey was rescued just off the coast of the Bahamas in November 1961. He is pulled from a dinghy along with a deceased seven-year-old girl but none of the other passengers are found. Miraculously, four days later another survivor of the nightmare is rescued and she is barely alive. Her story of the event is far different than the one the captain gave the authorities, raising many questions about what really happened. Narrator: Curtis Hildret...

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57:53

65. Paul Dennis Reid: Nashville's Fast Food Serial...

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/06/26

Paul Dennis Reid also known as The Fast Food Killer is Nashville’s most notorious serial Killer. He was convicted and given seven death sentences for murdering seven people from various fast food restaurants in the Nashville area. Sources:Narrator for today’s episode Darlene HildrethMusic Isaiah HildrethIntro Written by Sherry WhiteSources:When Nashville Bled: The untold stories of serial killer Paul Dennis Reid written by Judith Yatesfindagrave.comnewspapers.commurderpedia.comTrue Crime all ...

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26:40

64. The Icebox Murders

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/06/19

Sometimes a simple "welfare check" for someone's safety turns out to be more than investigators bargained for. For the Houston Police Department in 1965, this was the case when a man called in concerned about his elderly aunt and uncle. What they found when they got inside was a nauseating scene.Narrator: Curtis HildrethIntro and Outro Music: Isaiah HildrethSources:Criminal Podcast - Episode 41https://allthatsinteresting.com/ice-box-murdershttps://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/explanation-of-parric...

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79:18

63. The Ceely Rose Murders

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/06/12

On June 1896, Ceely Rose poisoned her family with arsenic because they wouldn't let her see or speak the name of their neighbor, Guy Berry. Her father, David, died within a week of being poisoned. Walter, her brother, died within two weeks and Rebecca, her mother, lived for a month before getting a second dose and then dying. Listen to hear the whole story. Male Narrator-Curtis HildrethMusic-Isaiah Hildreth Sources:The Ceely Rose Murders at Malabar Farm By Mark Se...

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34:57

62. Lobster Boy - Grady Stiles, Jr.

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/06/05

Since the 1800s the Stiles family had passed down a rare condition called Ectrodactyly that makes the hands look like lobster claws. Grady Stiles turned his family's condition into a lucrative business performing in the traveling carnival. The family was one of the main attractions for many years. But after years of dysfunction, the family became known for abuse and murder instead. Intro Music: Circus Theme (Ragtime Version) by Alexander Nakarada • Julius Fučík | h...

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96:01

61. The Bitter Blood Murders Pt. 2

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/05/29

On June 3, 1985, police cautiously pursued a Chevy Blazer with four passengers. A slow chase had persisted for several miles-- from Greensboro into Summerfield, North Carolina. Suddenly, the Blazer stopped and a bomb was detonated from within. The vehicle and four bodies exploded into pieces on NC Hwy. 150. This is the conclusion to the harrowing story of how bitterness and hatred led to the deaths of nine people and destroyed three families in the process. Narrator: Curtis...

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71:28

60. The Bitter Blood Murders Pt.1

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/05/22

Send us a Text Message.On June 3rd in 1985, police cautiously pursued a Chevy Blazer with four passengers. A slow chase had persisted several miles-- from Greensboro into Summerfield, North Carolina. Suddenly, the Blazer stopped and a bomb was detonated from within. The vehicle and four bodies exploded into pieces on NC highway 150. Two adults and two little innocent boys were dead, three cops were injured and three families were torn to pieces. Susi...

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41:11

59. The Ballroom Murders

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/05/08

Send us a Text Message.An episode of America's Most Wanted in 1989 showcased the story of John List who killed his entire family - wife, mother, and three children - leaving them in the ballroom of their 19-room mansion. More than one viewer called in to say that John List looked strikingly like their neighbor, Bob Clark. After fingerprints prove they were one and the same, he was arrested and the details of his horrible crime came to light. Narrator: Curtis HildrethLetter Reader: Tim GwynInt...

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65:10

58. The Martyrdom of John and Betty Stam

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/05/01

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54:11

57: The Bloody Benders: Homicidal Homesteaders

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/04/24

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41:53

56. North Carolina's Killer Baptist Preacher:...

Hard Times and True Crimes ·

2024/04/17

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Hard Times and True Crimes

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