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PODCAST

Once Upon A Crime

Step into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Hosted by an expert storyteller, Esther Ludlow, each episode unravels the mysteries behind notorious crimes, exploring the lives of victims, perpetrators, and the intricate details of the investigations that followed. With carefully researched narratives, thematic series, and thoughtful insights, Once Upon A Crime offers listeners a captivating blend

true crime

All Episodes

00:41:48

Bonus Episode - Bill Mann - “The Black Dahlia”...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2026/01/27

A recent Los Angeles Times article has reignited worldwide interest in the Black Dahlia murder, spotlighting an amateur sleuth’s theory that attempts to link the case to the Zodiac Killer—and naming Marvin Margolis as a “new” prime suspect.But Marvin Margolis is not new. In this bonus episode, we’re joined once again by author William J. Mann, whose extensively researched new book, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, is released today. Long before the headlines,

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00:24:43

Ted Bundy for the Defense – Part One: Beginnings

Once Upon A Crime ·

2026/01/20

In Ted Bundy for the Defense: Part One, we examine the earliest confirmed crimes of Ted Bundy and the investigation that led to his first conviction. This episode follows Bundy’s documented attacks beginning in 1974, starting with the brutal assault of Karen Sparks and the murder of University of Washington student Lynda Ann Healy. As young women continue to disappear across Washington State, investigators begin to notice a disturbing pattern—college-aged victims with similar physical

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00:13:59

Ted Bundy for the Defense - The Myth on Trial

Once Upon A Crime ·

2026/01/13

Ted Bundy is often remembered as charming, intelligent, and dangerously persuasive—a serial killer who outsmarted investigators and manipulated everyone around him. But how much of that story is myth?In this introductory episode of Ted Bundy for the Defense, we set the stage for a three-part series that examines Bundy not through the lens of legend, but through the courtroom—where his greatest gamble wasn’t murder, but his decision to represent himself. Bundy believed he was smarter than his

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00:30:15

Interview: Crystal Gutierrez on the Disappearance of...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2026/01/09

In this special bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther sits down with journalist and investigator Crystal Gutierrez to discuss the missing persons case she and her team are actively investigating. The disappearance of 9-year-old Anthonette Cayedito, who vanished from her home in Gallup, New Mexico, in 1986.Crystal shares what it’s like to reinvestigate a decades-old disappearance, what keeps this case at the forefront of public memory, and why awareness still matters. Esther and Crystal also

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00:19:16

Bonus: John Wayne Gacy: A Case Review & Peacock’s...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/12/16

In this bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther revisits the horrific crimes of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, often referred to as “The Killer Clown,” and reviews the 2025 Peacock docu-drama Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. The episode explores Gacy’s background, his crimes, the investigation's failures, and how the new series approaches the case from a victim-centered perspective.🔍 Episode OverviewA concise but comprehensive summary of John Wayne Gacy’s life, early red flags, criminal

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01:17:14

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder — Bonus Episode:...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/12/08

In this special bonus episode, Esther and producer Lorena answer listener questions and share their own reflections after a six-week deep dive into the life, death, and murder of Elizabeth Short.Topics include: • Who the real Elizabeth Short was versus the myth of “The Black Dahlia” • Whether her killer was someone she knew or a stranger • Whether the murderer had medical training • The possibility of solving the case today with DNA • Theories on whether more than one person was

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00:31:32

The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Six: The Black Dahlia...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/12/02

In the sixth and final episode of our series Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder, we explore the enduring cultural legacy of one of America’s most haunting unsolved crimes. For nearly eight decades, Elizabeth Short’s name, and the moniker “The Black Dahlia”. Has inspired countless books, films, television shows, and theories. But in the process, the real woman behind the legend has often been overshadowed by sensationalism, myths, and misinformation.In this episode, we revisit the most persistent

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00:42:33

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Five: Severed

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/11/25

In Part Five of Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder, we examine the discovery of Elizabeth Short’s mutilated body, the forensic evidence revealed by the autopsy, and how early investigative missteps and media sensationalism derailed the search for her killer.We break down the crime scene on Norton Avenue, the medical examiner’s key findings—including signs of strangulation, postmortem mutilation, and the surgical precision of the bisection—and how these details shaped investigators’ understanding of

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00:11:50

Bonus: The First Suspects - The Black Dahlia Files

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/11/18

In this bonus episode, Esther takes listeners back to the earliest days of the Black Dahlia investigation — before the world even knew the victim’s name.Detectives faced a gruesome and mystifying crime scene in a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood. Who was the young woman whose body had been staged so deliberately? And who could have committed such a shocking crime? Using witness statements, police reports, and historical accounts, Esther reveals how investigators built their first list of suspects —

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00:35:42

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Four: The...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/11/11

In this fourth installment of Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder, we trace Elizabeth Short’s final, mysterious days — the missing week between her last confirmed sightings in early January 1947 and the shocking discovery of her body on January 15th.This episode follows “The Lost Week” through the eyes of those who crossed her path, beginning with Robert “Red” Manley, the married salesman who would become the first and most infamous suspect in the case. Listeners will hear how Manley’s brief encounter

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00:27:37

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Three: City of...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/11/04

In 1946, Elizabeth Short – the young woman the world would later know as The Black Dahlia – returned to California chasing love, glamour, and a new beginning. Instead, she found herself drifting through a postwar Los Angeles filled with promise, danger, and people who would soon become key figures in one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American history.In this episode, we follow Beth — now calling herself Betty — from Long Beach to Hollywood and finally to San Diego in the final weeks

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00:10:56

Bonus: Love Letters from The Black Dahlia

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/10/27

Before Elizabeth Short became known to the world as The Black Dahlia, she was a young woman searching for love and belonging in a world still recovering from war.In this bonus episode, Esther reads excerpts from Elizabeth’s personal correspondence with Lt. Joseph Gordon Fickling and Major Matthew “Matt” Gordon — two men who loved her deeply, and who reveal, through their letters, the hopes and heartbreaks of a woman who has too often been reduced to myth. These intimate writings offer a rare

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00:34:39

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Two: Becoming...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/10/20

Before she became The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short was simply Beth — a young woman with big dreams, an open heart, and a longing for something beyond the ordinary. In Part Two: Becoming Elizabeth, we step back in time to uncover the story of the woman behind the legend.From her childhood in Medford, Massachusetts, through family tragedy, illness, and the Great Depression, we follow Elizabeth’s journey into adolescence — a girl fascinated by Hollywood glamour and determined to create a better life

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00:23:53

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part One: The Girl...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/10/13

In January 1947, a mother walking through a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood made a horrifying discovery — the bisected body of a young woman posed in a vacant lot.Within hours, newspapers had a headline that would echo for decades: The Black Dahlia Murder. In this first episode of BROKEN: The Black Dahlia Murder, host Esther Ludlow revisits the shocking discovery of Elizabeth Short’s body and explores how the media turned one of America’s most brutal crimes into legend. You’ll learn how police

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00:03:13

Introducing “Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder” - A...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/10/06

In January 1947, Elizabeth Short’s brutal murder shocked Los Angeles — and turned her into the enduring legend known as The Black Dahlia.In this new six-part Once Upon a Crime series, host Esther Ludlow goes beyond the headlines to uncover the real woman behind the myth. Drawing on her background in criminal psychology and nearly a decade of experience researching and narrating Once Upon a Crime, Esther takes a deep dive into one of history’s most infamous unsolved murders — revealing new

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01:28:47

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Q&A...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/10/02

In this special Aftershow episode, Esther and Lorena answer listener questions and reflect on the powerful story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom.Together, we unpack the psychology, the heartbreak, and the social forces behind one of Britain’s most infamous true crime cases. From Ruth’s volatile relationship with David Blakely to the justice system that sealed her fate, we dive deeper into what drove her — and what doomed her. Plus, Esther reflects on Ruth’s

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00:14:56

Bonus Episode: Hanged: Those She Left Behind

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/09/25

In this special bonus wrap-up episode of Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion, we step beyond the execution chamber and trace the ripple effects of Ruth’s final act—the shockwaves that forever altered the lives of those left behind. We’ll look at the family who grieved and struggled in the aftermath, the friends and supporters who fought to save her but could not, and even the men whose choices sealed her fate.👉 Don’t miss this final look at the lasting legacy of Britain’s last woman to be

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00:01:19

Save Big on Our Mexico City Trip!

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/09/19

By now you’ve probably heard that Esther is leading an exclusive group trip to Mexico Cityfrom March 27–30, 2026. If you’ve been thinking about joining us for this unforgettable four-day adventure, the time to act is RIGHT NOW!For the next THREE people who book, we’re giving you an extra $50 OFF our already discounted Early Bird Price. That’s a total of $150 in savings when you use code TT150MC at checkout (case sensitive). But hurry—this deal EXPIRES on 9/22or as soon as those 3 spots are

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00:37:30

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Part...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/09/08

In this final installment of our seven-part series, we follow Ruth Ellis through her last days and hours at Holloway Prison. Convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, Ruth became the last woman hanged in Britain.We trace the frantic efforts made by friends, family, and even members of the public to win her a reprieve—and the powerful voices calling for her execution to go forward. We recount the haunting details of her final letters, her last walk to the gallows, and her shocking

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00:46:01

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Part...

Once Upon A Crime ·

2025/08/25

In this episode, Ruth Ellis takes the stand in her own defense during her murder trial at the Old Bailey. What unfolds is one of the most disastrous testimonies in British legal history.Ruth answers questions with little emotion, even while recounting her tumultuous relationship with David Blakely, his violence, her miscarriage, and her decision to end their affair. Her matter-of-fact answers shock the jury, and her own attorney is stunned when she calmly admits, “I had an idea I wanted to kill

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418 results

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