"The Scandalous Screen Siren" Pt. 1: Mae West

Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ...  Show more

In South Carolina, legend tells of a woman who lured weary travelers to their deaths — turning her inn into a murder house. But there’s more to Lavinia Fisher’s story than bodies beneath floorboards. Was she really America’s first female serial killer? Or was she really only guil ...  Show more

She was a young barmaid who rose to be the ruthless matriarch of a Melbourne crime family in the 1980s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

In 1836, a 23-year-old sex worker named Helen Jewett was found dead in bed at her upscale Manhattan brothel. Once the city's tabloids got a hold of the scandalous details, the case quickly became one of the most divisive in 19th century America. Learn more about your ad choices. ...  Show more

In 1779, James Hackman's toxic fixation on Martha Ray erupted in violence. When her lover, the fourth Earl of Sandwich got involved, the scandal shocked the nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

In 1999, a former homicide detective flipped through a photo album belonging to his late father. One face stood out above the rest: Elizabeth Short, an aspiring actress whose gruesome murder decades earlier was still unsolved — but not, perhaps, for long. Learn more about your ad ...  Show more