Once Upon A Crime

In July 2022, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla was behind the wheel of a car that slammed into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, at nearly 100 miles per hour. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic “Dom” Russo, and their friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, were killed. Mackenzie survived.What initially appeared to be a horrific accident soon became a double-murder investigation.Mackenzie maintained that she couldn't remember the moments before the crash, and her defense raised the possibility that a medical condition caused her to black out. But investigators pointed to surveillance footage, vehicle data showing full acceleration and no braking in t...

In this bonus episode, Esther shares the complete interview with journalist Annette McGivney, author of Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness, expanding on the 2009 Sedona sweat lodge tragedy and self-help guru James Arthur Ray. McGivney details Ray’s rise from 1990s business motivational speaking to fame via The Secret and Oprah, his blending of secular “prosperity gospel” with spirituality, and prior warning incidents of heat illness before 2009. They discuss why attendees stayed in the dangerously hot lodge (cost, credibility, coercion, impaired thinking), staff dynamics, and prof...

In 2009, self-help superstar James Arthur Ray invited dozens of followers to a six-day retreat near Sedona, Arizona, promising a life-changing journey of spiritual transformation. Instead, his Spiritual Warrior program ended in tragedy when three participants—Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman—died following an extreme sweat lodge ceremony.Once Upon a Crime first covered the case in 2019 as part of our Deadly Therapy series. Now, Esther revisits the story with new insight from journalist and author Annette McGivney, whose new book, Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for We...

In this bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, we ask a disturbing question: did the Scott Peterson case inspire other men to murder their wives?We examine the cases of Lori Hacking, Jennifer Corbin, and Teresa Lane, three women whose murders shared striking similarities with the Peterson case. In some instances, the connection went beyond coincidence. One killer reportedly followed Peterson’s trial closely, while another allegedly referenced Peterson directly before murdering his wife.We also turn the question around: could Scott Peterson himself have been influenced by earlier disappearances and murders that occurred wh...

In Part Two of Scott Peterson Revisited, Esther is joined by her sister Yolanda to take a closer look at the claims now being made on behalf of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.In 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced that it was investigating Peterson’s claims of actual innocence. The following year, his attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that new evidence and scientific analysis undermined key elements of the prosecution’s case. A judge rejected those claims in April 2026, but the LA Innocence Project has said it plans to appeal.Now Esther and Yola...

In this bonus episode of Scott Peterson Revisited, we look beyond the evidence to examine the man at the center of the case. Was Scott Peterson capable of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner?We explore Scott’s family history, childhood, relationships, repeated infidelities, and carefully cultivated image as the family’s “Golden Boy” and “Mr. Perfect.” We also consider the patterns of deception and compartmentalization that emerged throughout his life and ask whether they offer clues to how he could commit such a devastating crime—and continue to deny responsibility more than two decades la...

Twenty-three years after the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner, the case against Scott Peterson is once again under scrutiny.In January 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced that it was representing Peterson and investigating his claims of actual innocence. Since then, his attorneys have filed new challenges to his conviction, arguing that previously overlooked evidence and new scientific analysis undermine the prosecution’s case.In July 2026, A&E aired the two-part documentary Scott Peterson: The New Evidence, produced by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, bringing many of these claims back into th...

More than twenty years after Laci Peterson's murder captivated the nation, one of America's most infamous true crime cases is back in the spotlight.In this upcoming special two-part series, Once Upon a Crime host Esther Ludlow revisits the case with fan-favorite co-host Yolanda, taking a fresh look at the investigation, the evidence, and the questions that continue to divide the public. Originally covered by the podcast in 2016, this updated series examines what's changed, and why so many people are debating Scott Peterson's guilt once again.The disappearance of eight-months-pregnant Laci Peterson on Christmas Eve 2002...

In this episode of Once Upon a Crime, we revisits the murder of Sheila von Wiese Mack through the new book When Lambs Become Wolves by retired Sergeant Rasul T. Freelain, who knew Sheila and her daughter Heather years before the Bali killing. Freelain recounts how a 2010 theft report led to repeated police contact, revealing escalating child-to-parent violence: Heather’s manipulation, financial fraud, and assaults that included breaking Sheila’s arm and later a brutal attack. Despite diversion programs, mentoring, probation, and numerous calls for service, Sheila often refused to press charges, focused on saving her fa...

Part 2 of the Sylvia Likens case examines the heartbreaking final hours of Sylvia Likens, one of the most horrific child abuse and murder cases in American history. On October 26, 1965, after months of unimaginable torture inside a home in Indianapolis, Indiana, 16-year-old Sylvia was carried upstairs for a bath before she was discovered unresponsive. As Gertrude Baniszewski scrambled to cover up the abuse with a fabricated confession letter, investigators immediately recognized the devastating evidence of prolonged torture. Including severe burns, starvation, countless injuries, a fatal subdural hematoma, and the chilling message carved into Sylvia's abdomen.The...

Police arrived at the New York Street house and quickly realized the story didn’t add up. Within hours, Gertrude Baniszewski, her children, and neighborhood teens were arrested in the torture of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens. In court, everyone pointed fingers—mother against children, children against mother. Leaving one question: who was lying?Subscribe and listen to Once Upon a Crime for part two.Episode drops Monday July 13, 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some crimes are so shocking that they force us to ask a question that seems impossible to answer. Not 'Who did it?' We know who did it. Not even 'Why?' Though we'll spend this series trying to understand that. The question is this:How did an entire neighborhood watch a teenage girl disappear in plain sight?Over three months in the fall of 1965, dozens of people entered a small house on East New York Street in Indianapolis. Children played there. Teenagers gathered there. Neighbors stopped by. A minister visited. Police responded to the...

How does an ordinary home become the scene of extraordinary evil, and how does a community fail to save a sixteen-year-old girl? This week on Once Upon a Crime, we begin a two-part series on the murder of Sylvia Likens, examining the heartbreaking facts of the case and the psychological forces that turned one Indianapolis home into an innocent girl’s torture chamber, drawing seemingly ordinary children into unimaginable cruelty. Follow Once Upon a Crime, new episodes drop every MondaySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr...

In the summer of 1965, 16-year-old Sylvia Likens was left in the care of a mother of seven while her parents traveled for work. What should have been a temporary arrangement turned into one of the most horrifying child abuse and torture cases in American history. As the abuse escalated behind closed doors, an entire neighborhood witnessed signs of cruelty, manipulation, and neglect. Yet Sylvia’s suffering continued in plain sight.Next week, Once Upon a Crime takes a deep dive into one of the most infamous true crime cases of the 20th century. A st...

A black widow. A poisoner. A con artist. A master manipulator.This week on Once Upon a Crime, Esther dives into the unbelievable case of Marie Hilley. A woman accused of murdering her husband, nearly killing her own daughter, disappearing while out on bail, and creating entirely new identities to stay one step ahead of the truth.As investigators closed in, Marie spun outrageous stories and convinced friends, family, and complete strangers to believe them. The deeper this case goes, the stranger it gets.One of the most bizarre and fascinating true crime s...

She poisoned her husband.She nearly killed her own daughter.She vanished while out on bail.Then she reinvented herself with a brand-new identity… and somehow convinced people she was her own twin sister.This week on Once Upon a Crime, we unravel the unbelievable case of Marie Hilley. One of the most notorious Black Widows in American true crime history.What began as the life of a seemingly ordinary wife and mother spiraled into a shocking saga of poisoning, manipulation, fraud, and deception that stretched across multiple states and...

She could become whoever people needed her to be.A devoted wife.A loving mother.A trusted friend.A helpless victim.But behind the carefully crafted image was one of the most manipulative and deceptive women in true crime history.In this chilling new episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther dives into the shocking case of Marie Hilley. A woman whose lies, manipulation, and alleged poisoning crimes left devastation everywhere she went. When Marie’s husband died unexpectedly, no one suspected murder. Later, as her daughter bec...

What happens when a killer reinvents herself so completely that even the people closest to her believe the lie?In this shocking new episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther explores the bizarre and twisted case of Marie Hilley. A woman accused of poisoning her husband to death, later poisoning her own daughter, escaping justice, and creating an entirely new identity to avoid capture.But Marie’s deception didn’t stop there.... The deeper this case goes, the stranger it becomes.From poisoning and fraud to identity theft and psychological manipulation, “Marie Hilley: The Wom...

After the explosive Bundy For the Defense series, Once Upon a Crime took its first extended hiatus in the podcast’s ten-year history. But behind the scenes, the team has been busier than ever.What’s been happening during the break? Appearances at the Beyond the Crime Convention in Albuquerque and Crime Con in Las Vegas, being featured on Impact x Nightline’s “Terror on the Trail” exploring the Trailside Killer case, as well as interviews for two upcoming History Channel episodes.As Once Upon a Crime celebrates its tenth anniversary on June 9th, the podcast is enterin...

For ten years, Once Upon a Crime has explored some of the world’s most haunting true crime stories. Uncovering secrets, examining criminal investigations, and telling the stories of victims, survivors, investigators, and killers whose lives were forever changed by crime.But now, for the first time, host Esther Ludlow is ready to tell her own story.In this deeply personal teaser for Season 11, Esther reveals that her fascination with true crime began with an experience that profoundly shaped how she sees justice, trauma, and the ripple effects crime leaves behind. After a decade of tell...