Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast - Blue Ewe Media

Latest Episodes:

380: Murder in Blackout London w/ Amy Helen Bell Mar 01, 2025

Show notes

My guest today is Dr. Amy Helen Bell, author of "Under Cover of Darkness: Murders in Blackout London". She shares accounts of the terror, tragedy and crime experienced by Londoners during the blackout and the blitz in 1940s wartime Britain.

More about the author here: https://amyhelenbell.com/

Interested in revisiting the serial killers mentioned in this episode?

John Reginald Christie: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/12/17/serial-killer-john-reginald-christie-the-great-london-smog-w-kate-winkler-dawson/

John George Haigh ("The Acid Bath Murderer"). https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/11/22/the-acid-bath-murderer-w-gordon-lowe/

This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious

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379: The Pan Am Flight 7 Seven Crash w/ Ken Fortenberry Feb 21, 2025

Show notes

My guest this week is award-winning journalist Ken Fortenberry, author of "Flight 7 Is Missing: The Search for My Father's Killer". He walks us through the ill-fated flight of Pan Am's luxurious "Romance of the Skies", a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser that mysteriously crashed into the Pacific Ocean in November of 1957. Forty-four people were killed, including his own father, who copiloted and navigated the plane. His decades long investigation of the crash has led him to the conclusion that the victims were murdered, and he shares with us who he believes the killer is.

The author's website: https://kenfortenberry.com/

The author's publisher page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Flight-7-is-Missing/Ken-Fortenberry/9781949024074

This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious

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MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders - The Reverend Lyn George Kelly w/ Edgar Epperly Feb 15, 2025

Show notes

(Original publish date: 6/7/22)

In this third and final part of my interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, the "little minister" Lyn George Jacklin Kelly is examined as a primary suspect in the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. Although Kelly spoke obsessively about the case and even confessed to the murders, many believed that the confession was the result of mental illness and police coercion.

Dr. Epperly also offers his thoughts on whether the murders might be the work of a serial killer named Paul Mueller (aka The Man From the Train). Dr. Epperly's book, the result of almost seventy years of research, is called "Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912".

Listener discretion is advised on this episode, as it contains adult themes and language.

Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/

More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/

Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/

This episode is sponsored by Strawberry dot me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious

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MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders: Wilkerson Vs. Jones w/ Edgar Epperly Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

(Original Publish Date: 5/31/22)

Frank Fernando (F.F.) Jones seemed to be one of the most obvious suspects in the aftermath of the horrific 1912 Villisca Axe murders. He had a contentious business rivalry with the patriarch of the slain Moore family, Josiah (Joe) Moore, intensified further because Moore was having an affair with his daughter-in-law. However there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime. Enter James Wilkerson, a pugnacious and cunning private detective who made it his mission to connect Jones to the murders, even if it meant manufacturing evidence.

In this second part of my three part interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, author of " Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912", we delve into Wilkerson's trumped-up charges against Jones and bitter obsession with pinning the murders on him.

Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/

More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/

Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/

This episode is sponsored by Strawberry dot me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious

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MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders: Crime Scene w/ Edgar Epperly Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

One of my absolute favorites! This is the first of a three part interview I did with Dr. Ed Epperly about the notorious 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. (Original publish date 5/23/2022)

This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious

On June 9th (or) 10th, 1912, America experienced of the most notorious crimes in its history - the brutal axe murders of Josiah and Sarah Moore, their four children (Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul) and Ina and Lena Stillinger, two neighbor girls who had the terrible misfortune of sleeping over that night. It's a case steeped in mystery, with a gruesome crime scene, puzzling evidence, twists and turns and compelling suspects.

My guest - Dr. Edgar Epperly - has spent almost seventy years interviewing eyewitnesses and key figures and pouring over historical records related to the crime. He is considered the foremost authority on the case. The culmination of his decades of work is a comprehensive book on the subject published at the end of 2021, called "Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912". This is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the case.

Listener discretion is advised on this episode, as it contains adult themes and language.

Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/

More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/

Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/

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378: The Murder of "Elvis Girl" Jenny Maxwell w/ Buddy Moorehouse Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jenny Maxwell was one of Hollywood's "it girls", appearing in countless television shows and films. Arguably her most memorable role was that of Ellie Corbett in Elvis Presley's 1961 movie "Blue Hawaii", where she stole every scene she was in. But despite her professional success, her personal life was a mess, much of it due to alcohol, drugs and wild Hollywood parties. By 1981 she was seeking a divorce from her second husband (mob lawyer Tip Roeder) when they were both gunned down outside her condo in Beverly Hills.

My guest Buddy Moorehouse, author of "Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case", has a family connection to this case. His mother was first cousins with Jenny, and solving the mystery of her death was of personal importance to him. He joins me to talk about Jenny and his investigation into her murder almost 40 years after that fateful day.

More about the Buddy and his book on his FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063693114310

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377: The Murder of Anna Wilkens & The Birth of the Lie Detector w/ Amit Katwala Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

Late one evening in the summer of 1922, Henry Wilkens burst through the doors of the emergency room covered in his wife's blood. But was he a grieving husband or a ruthless killer who conspired with bandits to have her murdered? To find out, the San Francisco police turned to technology and a new machine that had just been invented in Berkeley by a rookie detective, a visionary police chief, and a teenage magician with a showman's touch. John Larson, Gus Vollmer, and Leonarde Keeler hoped the lie detector would make the justice system fairer, but the flawed device soon grew too powerful for them to control. It poisoned their lives, turned fast friends into bitter enemies, and, as it conquered America and the world, transformed our relationship with the truth in ways that are still being felt.

My guest today is Amit Katwala, writer and editor for Wired in London. His book is called "Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector."

More about the author here at his website: https://www.amitkatwala.co.uk/

The author's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/amitkatwala

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376: Erie's Mausoleum Mystery w/ Justin Dombrowski Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

On February 8, 1911, the Scott Mausoleum, a symbol of wealth for the Scott and Strong families in Erie, Pennsylvania, was desecrated by unknown vandals, coined by nationwide papers as ghouls. With the inside of the mausoleum heavily damaged - and a body missing - the crime set off shockwaves throughout the country during a time in which grave robbery, extortion and murder reigned supreme.

Hundreds of reporters and newspaper correspondents throughout the country and world descend upon the Great Lakes port city. Private Detectives from the Perkins Detective Agency in Pittsburgh took charge of the case, pitted against rival detectives from the famous Burns Detective Agency. The case took a sinister turn when a series of letters were sent to wealthy local philanthropist Charles Hamot Strong, threatening to blow up his mausoleum and murder his granddaughter.

My guest Justin Dombrowski is the author of "Erie's Great Mausoleum Mystery: Ghouls, Grave Robbers & Extortion".

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ErieTrueCrime

Purchase the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Eries-Great-Mausoleum-Mystery-Extortion/dp/1467156612

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375: The Murder of Virginia Olson w/ Brian & Cameron Santana Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

On April 15, 1973, the body of Virginia Olson was discovered near the campus of the University of North Carolina-Asheville in an area known as the Botanical Gardens. She had been raped and stabbed to death in horrifically brutal fashion. Police would investigate this crime for decades, and even hone in one one particular suspect, but it still remains unsolved today.

My guests are brothers Brian Santana, a professor, and Cameron Santana, a police officer. They combined their skills and experience to write "A MURDER ON CAMPUS: The Professor, The Cop, And North Carolina's Most Notorious Cold Case". In our interview they walk us through the case, share some of their research challenges, and discuss a number of possible suspects, including a well-known serial killer living in the area at the time.

A link to the authors' page through WildBlue Press: https://wildbluepress.com/murder-on-campus-true-crime-santana/

X/Twitter for Brian: https://x.com/bsantana84729?s=21

The brothers' joint Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/santanabrotherstruecrime/profilecard/?igsh=MWZhN2J6aDZrZTgydQ%3D%3D

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American Criminal: John Gotti - Making a Man Jan 18, 2025

Show notes

This is the first episode of Airship's new series about John Gotti on their American Criminal podcast.

"Living in poverty as a young kid, John Gotti takes up mafia work very early on. He knows that the Gambino family is his ticket out, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to climb the ranks. Even if it means killing a guy."

For more information about the podcast visit Airship's American Criminal website: https://www.americancriminal.com/ and listen to the rest of the series by subscribing to American Criminal on your favorite podcast listening platform.

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