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

Latest Episodes:

147: The "American Sherlock Holmes" Dr. Edward Oscar Heinrich w/ Kate Winkler Dawson Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

Some of the most notorious cases in American history were solved by the masterful techniques of forensics expert Dr. Edward Oscar Heinrich. He was known as the "American Sherlock Holmes" for his use of science and deduction to solve what many considered unsolvable cases, including Oregon's infamous 1923 Siskiyou "train robbery"/multi-murder, and San Francisco's 1921 Fatty Arbuckle murder case.

My guest, once again, is Kate Winkler Dawson. She talks about Heinrich's pioneering crime-solving techniques, his compelling, complicated personality, and his personal troubles as well. She is the author of "American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI".

The author's website: https://www.katewinklerdawson.com/

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146: The Mysterious Death of "Furnace Girl" Elfrieda Knaak w/ Kraig Moreland - A True Crime History Podcast Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

In late October of 1928, authorities in the small town of Lake Bluff, Illinois discovered a grisly scene in the village hall basement. They found a young woman named Elfreida Knaak, naked, horribly burned and barely clinging to life, next to a furnace. From that point on, investigators would uncover a bizarre story, including a secret affair, mystical Christian rituals, and contradictory deathbed confessions.

My guest is historian Kraig Moreland, who has researched this hometown mystery for years. His book is called "Furnace Girl: The Mysterious Case of Elfrieda Knaak".

The author's website: https://www.thefurnacegirl.com/

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145: The Smuttynose Ax Murders w/ J. Dennis Robinson - A True Crime History Podcast Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

On March 6th, 1873, a brutal double ax murder took the lives of two Norwegian women living on the isolated Smuttynose Island, one of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire.

My guest is J. Dennis Robinson, a prolific writer, historian and steward of Smuttynose Island, and author of "Mystery on the Isles of Shoals: Closing the Case on the Smuttynose Ax Murders of 1873". He not only tells the story of the murders of Karen and Anethe Christensen, the harrowing escape by Karen's sister, Marin, and the capture and trial of Louis Wagner, but of the rocky and desolate island itself, and it's role in the horrific and bloody affair. He also addresses the recent conspiracy theories, fueled by a popular novel, that Marin was the actual murderer.

The author's website: http://www.jdennisrobinson.com/

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144: Oklahoma's Osage Murders (Killers of the Flower Moon) w/ David Grann - A True Crime History Podcast Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

David Grann, author of the New York Times Bestselling "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI", is my guest on this week's episode of Most Notorious. He talks about his research into a spree of murders of oil-rich Osage Indians in 1920s Oklahoma. Dozens and dozens of people were being murdered in a crime wave that became so sensational that J Edgar Hoover and his fledgling F.B.I. were forced to intercede. A team of agents, led by famed lawman Tom White would eventually uncover a diabolical plot to slaughter an entire family.

More information about the author's work here: https://www.davidgrann.com/

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143: The "Babes of Inglewood" Murders w/ Pamela Everett - A True Crime History Podcast Feb 08, 2020

Show notes

In the summer of 1937, in an idyllic neighborhood of Los Angeles called Inglewood, the unspeakable happened. Three little girls were lured from a park, assaulted and murdered. The sensational case, known as the "Babes of Inglewood" Murders, would shake Depression-era America.

My guest, Pamela Everett, is not only an attorney with the InnocenceProject and a UNR professor of criminal justice, but also the niece of two of the girls who were killed that day, Madeline and Melba Marie. She draws some very interesting conclusions from her research into the case, and shares her serious doubts about the guilt of the man convicted of the murders. A second suspect, instead, seems more likely to be the killer. Her bestselling book is called "Little Shoes: The Sensational Depression-Era Murders That Became My Family's Secret".

The author's publisher page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Little-Shoes/Pamela-Everett/9781510755710

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142: Alvin "Creepy" Karpis w/ Julie Thompson - A True Crime History Podcast Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Alvin "Creepy" Karpis could claim many things in his life. He was not only the brains behind the Barker-Karpis Gang, but the last public enemy of the 1930s, one of J. Edgar Hoover's most hated adversaries, and the longest serving inmate in Alcatraz history.

Julie Thompson, author of "The Hunt for the Last Public Enemy in Northeastern Ohio: Alvin "Creepy" Karpis and his Road to Alcatraz" is my guest on this week's episode of Most Notorious. She reveals fascinating details about this brilliant, cunning and dangerous bankrobber-killer. She also tells the little known story of Karpis's final heist in Garrettsville, Ohio - the last successful train robbery in American history.

Episode correction: Alvin Karpis died on August 26th, 1979.

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141: The Salem Witch Hunt w/ Mary Beth Norton - A True Crime History Podcast Jan 24, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, we examine the most notorious witch hunt in American history, in Salem, Massachusetts. Hundreds of women and men were accused of witchcraft by young, "afflicted" girls, and many were executed.

My guest is Mary Beth Norton, award-winning historian and professor of American history at Cornell University. She joins me to talk about her book, "In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692". Besides explaining the details on how the crisis unfolded, she dispels some of the common myths surrounding this infamous historical event.

More about the author: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/22365/mary-beth-norton/

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140: The Texarkana Phantom Serial Killer w/ James Presley - A True Crime History Podcast Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

In early 1946, a serial killer nicknamed "The Phantom Killer" (aka the "Moonlight Killer") terrorized the citizens of Texarkana (Arkansas and Texas). It was one of the most sensational series of murders in post-war America.

Dr. James Presley is my guest, and the author of "The Phantom Killer - Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders: The Story of a Town In Terror". He walks us through the terrible slayings and builds a case for who he thinks the real killer was. He also tells the story of meeting the likely murderer under unusual circumstances.

More about the author here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/James-Presley/172140980

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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139: Tom Dooley & the Murder of Laura Foster w/ Charlotte Corbin Barnes - A True Crime History Podcast Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

Most of us are probably familiar with the Kingston Trio song, "Tom Dooley", but fewer may realize that it was based on the true life murder of Laura Foster in 1866 North Carolina.

Charlotte Corbin Barnes is an unapologetic supporter of Tom Dooley's innocence, and explains the crime, the complications of the trial due to the intense political climate in North Carolina in the era of Reconstruction, and her suspicions on what might have really happened. Her book is called "The Tom Dooley Files: My Search for the Truth Behind the Legend".

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138: The Murder of Percy Thompson & Execution of Edith Thompson w/ Laura Thompson Jan 03, 2020

Show notes

In October 1922, a sensational murder gripped the city of London. While on a walk home after a show, Percy Thompson was stabbed by Freddy Bywaters, the lover of his wife, Edith. Passionate love letters written by her, including mentions of the desire to murder Percy, helped send not only Bywaters to the gallows, but her as well.

My guest is bestselling author Laura Thompson, and she joins Most Notorious to talk about her book, "A Tale of Two Murders: Guilt, Innocence and the Execution of Edith Thompson".

More about the author here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Tale-of-Two-Murders/Laura-Thompson/9781681778716

Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious

Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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