Season Two:
Queens of Crime
Season Two Coming Soon!
Season Sneak Peek
01/23/2021 | 3 min
Episode 6
01/29/2021 | 61 min
Cold-Blooded Murderesses
In this episode we discuss two of the most famous female murder suspects in history Elizabeth Báthory and Lizzie Borden, their lives, and why their stories continue to reverberate even today. For this episode we read Cara Robertson's The Trial of Lizzie Borden and various other sources to inform our discussion.
To purchase The Trial of Lizzie Borden click the link here.
And the research we used in this episode can be found here.
The Carpet Bag Killer
Episode 7
02/13/2021 | 59 min
In this episode we discuss one of the most notorious serial killers of the Victorian period, Amelia Dyer. Dyer murdered infants in her care over a thirty-year period in the United Kingdom. Originally a nurse, she turned to baby farming after she was widowed in 1869. She initially cared for the children put in her care, but at some point a number of them died and she began murdering the children she "adopted". This episode looks at Dyer's story and breaks down the conditions of the time period and her downfall. For this episode we read Alison Rattle and Allison Vale's Amelia Dyer Angel Maker : The Woman Who Murdered Babies for Money and various other sources.
To purchase Amelia Dyer Angel Maker click the link here.
And the research we used in this episode can be found here.
The Murder of Helen Jewett
Episode 8
03/01/2021 | 46 min
In this episode we discuss the 1836 murder of young prostitute, Helen Jewett. Jewett's murder made the headlines in New York City and around the country. This case has still has no closure nor conviction and has haunted the country to this day. Some believe Helen to be a heroine others a sex scandal. This episode looks at Jewett's story and breaks down the conditions of the time period and her death. For this episode we read Patricia Cline Cohen's The Murder of Helen Jewett, which goes behind these first lurid accounts to reconstruct the story of the mysterious victim, Helen Jewett.
To purchase The Murder of Helen Jewett click the link here.
And the research we used in this episode can be found here.
Aileen Wuornos: Killer or Victim?
Episode 9
03/14/2021 | 50 min
In this episode we discuss Aileen Carol "Lee" Wuornos who was convicted as a serial killer and prostitute. She was charged with murdering seven men in Florida from 1989 to 1990. She is notorious for claiming self-defense and that she killed her victims because they had raped or attempted to rape her while they were soliciting here for sex. Aileen was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Still to this day people question if she really was a monster or a victim. Listen along to decide for yourself!
The research we used in this episode can be found here.
Episode 10
The Queens of New York:
Race, Gender, and the Criminal Underworld
03/28/2021 | 50 min
In this episode we discuss LaShawn Harris' book Sex Workers, Psychics, and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City's Underground. The focus of our episode is on a diverse group of African American women carved out unique niches for themselves within New York City's expansive informal economy. We look at these women, their surroundings, the social climate at the time, and how they created unique spaces to participate in the city’s informal economy and in turn impacted the working-class women around them.
You can purchase Sex Workers, Psychics, and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City's Underground here.
The research we used in this episode can be found here.
Episode 11
Cult Crimes: NXIVM and Sex Trafficking
04/11/2021 | 50 min
In this episode we discuss the infamous group NXIVM. The focus of our episode is about the lives of people and mainly women who were a part of NXIVM. Our discussion today is based on research from the New York Times and the fantastic podcast “Uncover” by CBC Podcasts. Season One of Uncover is entitled “Escaping NXIVM” and CBC Documentarian Josh Bloch, investigates and follows a high-level member, Sarah Edmondson, and how she found out she was branded with Keith Raniere’s initials, which led her to escape from the self-help group, NXIVM.
You can find the podcast Uncover by CBC Podcasts here.
The research we used in this episode can be found here.
.png)
Episode 12
Innocent or Guilty?
05/05/2021 | 48 min
In this episode we each present to you one or two women who we believe were falsely accused of a crime and explain why we think they are or were they actually innocent. We cover a pretty wide range of time periods today from 1672 through the modern day. The women we will cover today are Ann Schmieg, Josefa “Chipita” Rodriguez, Mattie Crawford, and Cyntoia Brown.
You can find the research here.