Once Upon A Crime

byEsther Ludlow

HistorySocietyCultureTrue Crime

Step into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Hosted by an expert storyteller, Esther Ludlow, each episode unravels the mysteries behind notorious crimes, exploring the lives of victims, perpetrators, and the intricate details of the investigations that followed. With carefully researched narratives, thematic series, and thoughtful insights, Once Upon A Crime offers listeners a captivating blend of suspense, history, and human psychology. Whether you're a seasoned true-crime fan or just curious about the stories that shaped headlines, Once Upon A Crime pr...

Episodes(40 episodes)

Season 11 Will Be Unlike Anything We’ve Done Before!

For ten years, Once Upon a Crime has explored the world’s most fascinating true crime stories, covering infamous murders, criminal investigations, disappearances, and the hidden truths behind headline-making cases.Now, after hundreds of episodes and millions of downloads, we're preparing for the podcast’s most ambitious season yet.Thanks to all our listeners for supporting the show through ten incredible years of true crime coverage. What’s ahead in Season 11? Brand-new stories, exciting new formats, special guests, major announcements, and an immersive experience that could take some listeners halfway around the world.Thi...

Published: Jun 19, 2026Duration: 57s

Something Big Is Coming - Once Upon A Crime Season 11

For nearly ten years, Once Upon a Crime has taken listeners deep into the world of true crime, uncovering hidden secrets, questioning official narratives, and exploring the stories behind some of history’s most fascinating criminal cases.Host Esther Ludlow has always looked beyond the headlines to reveal the human stories at the center of crime.But now, something bigger is coming.Season Eleven of Once Upon a Crime is unlike anything Esther has ever done before, and this new season promises to take listeners on an unforgettable journey into one of true crime’...

Published: Jun 16, 2026Duration: 52s

Ted Bundy for the Defense - Part Four: Reckoning

In the final chapter of Ted Bundy for the Defense, the mask comes off.After the shocking courtroom moment in which Bundy cross-examined first responders and forced graphic testimony about the Chi Omega crime scene, the trial shifts decisively in the prosecution’s favor. Survivors take the stand. Forensic evidence tightens the noose. And Bundy—convinced he is the smartest man in every room—continues to grandstand, clash with his attorneys, and challenge the judge.Instead of saving himself, he helps convict himself.In this episode, we follow the full arc of Bundy’s reckon...

Published: Mar 3, 2026Duration: 28m 46s

Ted Bundy for the Defense - Part Three: Unhinged

After escaping from a Colorado jail, Ted Bundy fled to Florida — and unraveled.In this episode, we follow Bundy’s path to Tallahassee, the brutal Chi Omega sorority house murders, the attack on Cheryl Thomas, the abduction of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, and Bundy’s eventual arrest in Pensacola after 46 days on the run.Gone is the methodical charmer of the Pacific Northwest. In his place: a reckless, frenzied killer who has lost control.About This Series:Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his cour...

Published: Feb 24, 2026Duration: 27m 32s

The Other Ted Bundy: Suspicion, Denial, and the Warnings That Came Too Early

In the summer of 1974, Seattle was gripped by fear as young women disappeared and witnesses began describing a polite man named “Ted” and his tan Volkswagen. As newspapers cautiously reported on a possible suspect, few believed the man they were describing could be dangerous.He looked like a law student. A volunteer. Someone people trusted.In this Once Upon a Crime minisode, we examine Ted Bundy before his trials—through the people who knew him best and the warning signs that surfaced long before his name became infamous.About This S...

Published: Feb 10, 2026Duration: 14m 58s

Ted Bundy for the Defense - Part Two: The Mask Cracks

In Part Two of Ted Bundy for the Defense, we follow Ted Bundy from his first arrest in Utah through conviction, psychological evaluation, escalating murder charges, and the escape attempts that would ultimately unleash his most violent crimes.About This Series:Ted Bundy for the Defense examines Ted Bundy’s criminal cases through the lens of his courtroom behavior and his insistence on controlling his own fate. This series separates myth from fact, focusing on documented evidence, trial records, and survivor testimony.Next up in Part Three:The Chi Omega sorority ho...

Published: Feb 3, 2026Duration: 25m 10s

Bonus Episode - Bill Mann - “The Black Dahlia” follow-up interview - The Suspect

A recent Los Angeles Times article has reignited worldwide interest in the Black Dahlia murder, spotlighting an amateur sleuth’s theory that attempts to link the case to the Zodiac Killer—and naming Marvin Margolis as a “new” prime suspect.But Marvin Margolis is not new.In this bonus episode, we’re joined once again by author William J. Mann, whose extensively researched new book, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, is released today. Long before the headlines, Mann identified Margolis as the strongest—and most credible—suspect in the history of the case.<...

Published: Jan 27, 2026Duration: 41m 48s

Ted Bundy for the Defense – Part One: Beginnings

In Ted Bundy for the Defense: Part One, we examine the earliest confirmed crimes of Ted Bundy and the investigation that led to his first conviction.This episode follows Bundy’s documented attacks beginning in 1974, starting with the brutal assault of Karen Sparks and the murder of University of Washington student Lynda Ann Healy. As young women continue to disappear across Washington State, investigators begin to notice a disturbing pattern—college-aged victims with similar physical characteristics, abducted under similar circumstances.We track Bundy’s movements from Washington to Utah and Colorado, including the Lake Sammamish abduct...

Published: Jan 20, 2026Duration: 24m 43s

Ted Bundy for the Defense - The Myth on Trial

Ted Bundy is often remembered as charming, intelligent, and dangerously persuasive—a serial killer who outsmarted investigators and manipulated everyone around him. But how much of that story is myth?In this introductory episode of Ted Bundy for the Defense, we set the stage for a three-part series that examines Bundy not through the lens of legend, but through the courtroom—where his greatest gamble wasn’t murder, but his decision to represent himself.Bundy believed he was smarter than his attorneys, smarter than prosecutors, and smarter than the system itself. That belief would lead him to...

Published: Jan 13, 2026Duration: 13m 59s

Interview: Crystal Gutierrez on the Disappearance of Anthonette Cayedito

In this special bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther sits down with journalist and investigator Crystal Gutierrez to discuss the missing persons case she and her team are actively investigating. The disappearance of 9-year-old Anthonette Cayedito, who vanished from her home in Gallup, New Mexico, in 1986.Crystal shares what it’s like to reinvestigate a decades-old disappearance, what keeps this case at the forefront of public memory, and why awareness still matters. Esther and Crystal also talk about the upcoming Beyond the Crime Convention, returning for its second year in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Esther wi...

Published: Jan 9, 2026Duration: 30m 15s

Bonus: John Wayne Gacy: A Case Review & Peacock’s “Devil in Disguise”

In this bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, Esther revisits the horrific crimes of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, often referred to as “The Killer Clown,” and reviews the 2025 Peacock docu-drama Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. The episode explores Gacy’s background, his crimes, the investigation's failures, and how the new series approaches the case from a victim-centered perspective.🔍 Episode OverviewA concise but comprehensive summary of John Wayne Gacy’s life, early red flags, criminal history, and escalation into serial murder.A breakdown of the 1978 investigation that led to the discovery o...

Published: Dec 16, 2025Duration: 19m 16s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder — Bonus Episode: Series Wrap-Up + Q&A

In this special bonus episode, Esther and producer Lorena answer listener questions and share their own reflections after a six-week deep dive into the life, death, and murder of Elizabeth Short.Topics include: • Who the real Elizabeth Short was versus the myth of “The Black Dahlia” • Whether her killer was someone she knew or a stranger • Whether the murderer had medical training • The possibility of solving the case today with DNA • Theories on whether more than one person was involvedEsther and Lorena also discuss what surprised...

Published: Dec 8, 2025Duration: 1h 17m 14s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Six: The Black Dahlia Legacy

In the sixth and final episode of our series Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder, we explore the enduring cultural legacy of one of America’s most haunting unsolved crimes. For nearly eight decades, Elizabeth Short’s name, and the moniker “The Black Dahlia”. Has inspired countless books, films, television shows, and theories. But in the process, the real woman behind the legend has often been overshadowed by sensationalism, myths, and misinformation.In this episode, we revisit the most persistent theories surrounding her murder, including the widely publicized, but deeply controversial claims of the so-called “Black Dahlia Avenger” and retired...

Published: Dec 2, 2025Duration: 31m 32s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Five: Severed

In Part Five of Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder, we examine the discovery of Elizabeth Short’s mutilated body, the forensic evidence revealed by the autopsy, and how early investigative missteps and media sensationalism derailed the search for her killer.We break down the crime scene on Norton Avenue, the medical examiner’s key findings—including signs of strangulation, postmortem mutilation, and the surgical precision of the bisection—and how these details shaped investigators’ understanding of the murder.About This SeriesBROKEN: The Black Dahlia Murder is a six-part Once Upon a Crime original s...

Published: Nov 25, 2025Duration: 42m 33s

Bonus: The First Suspects - The Black Dahlia Files

In this bonus episode, Esther takes listeners back to the earliest days of the Black Dahlia investigation — before the world even knew the victim’s name.Detectives faced a gruesome and mystifying crime scene in a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood. Who was the young woman whose body had been staged so deliberately? And who could have committed such a shocking crime?Using witness statements, police reports, and historical accounts, Esther reveals how investigators built their first list of suspects — and how each was eventually ruled out.From Elizabeth Short’s friends and lovers to shady...

Published: Nov 18, 2025Duration: 11m 50s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Four: The Black Dahlia’s Lost Week

In this fourth installment of Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder, we trace Elizabeth Short’s final, mysterious days — the missing week between her last confirmed sightings in early January 1947 and the shocking discovery of her body on January 15th.This episode follows “The Lost Week” through the eyes of those who crossed her path, beginning with Robert “Red” Manley, the married salesman who would become the first and most infamous suspect in the case. Listeners will hear how Manley’s brief encounter with Elizabeth turned his life into a nightmare — from his interrogation by the LAPD to his tragic decli...

Published: Nov 11, 2025Duration: 35m 42s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Three: City of Broken Dreams

In 1946, Elizabeth Short – the young woman the world would later know as The Black Dahlia – returned to California chasing love, glamour, and a new beginning. Instead, she found herself drifting through a postwar Los Angeles filled with promise, danger, and people who would soon become key figures in one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American history.In this episode, we follow Beth — now calling herself Betty — from Long Beach to Hollywood and finally to San Diego in the final weeks before her disappearance. Along the way, she crosses paths with men who offer affection and opportun...

Published: Nov 4, 2025Duration: 27m 37s

Bonus: Love Letters from The Black Dahlia

Before Elizabeth Short became known to the world as The Black Dahlia, she was a young woman searching for love and belonging in a world still recovering from war.In this bonus episode, Esther reads excerpts from Elizabeth’s personal correspondence with Lt. Joseph Gordon Fickling and Major Matthew “Matt” Gordon — two men who loved her deeply, and who reveal, through their letters, the hopes and heartbreaks of a woman who has too often been reduced to myth.These intimate writings offer a rare glimpse into Elizabeth’s voice — tender, romantic, and filled with dreams. Through her...

Published: Oct 27, 2025Duration: 10m 56s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Two: Becoming Elizabeth

Before she became The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short was simply Beth — a young woman with big dreams, an open heart, and a longing for something beyond the ordinary. In Part Two: Becoming Elizabeth, we step back in time to uncover the story of the woman behind the legend.From her childhood in Medford, Massachusetts, through family tragedy, illness, and the Great Depression, we follow Elizabeth’s journey into adolescence — a girl fascinated by Hollywood glamour and determined to create a better life for herself.We trace her adventures from the frozen streets of New England to the...

Published: Oct 20, 2025Duration: 34m 39s

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part One: The Girl in the Empty Lot

In January 1947, a mother walking through a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood made a horrifying discovery — the bisected body of a young woman posed in a vacant lot. Within hours, newspapers had a headline that would echo for decades: The Black Dahlia Murder.In this first episode of BROKEN: The Black Dahlia Murder, host Esther Ludlow revisits the shocking discovery of Elizabeth Short’s body and explores how the media turned one of America’s most brutal crimes into legend.You’ll learn how police handed reporters nearly unrestricted access to the case, how wild spe...

Published: Oct 13, 2025Duration: 23m 53s