Hard Times and True Crimes
Listen to two Southern, Christian women tell each other historical true crime stories.
Episodes
125 episodes
123. Jimmy Dale Hudson: The Greensboro Dentist Who Killed His Family
In March of 1986, Greensboro, North Carolina was shaken by a brutal crime. On the surface, Dr. Jimmy Dale Hudson appeared to have the perfect life. He was a respected dentist, a UNC supporter, a husband, and a father. But behind the image...
122. Emily Anderson: The Full Story (What Happened After Part 1)
Some stories don't feel finished - and this is one of them.In 2005 and 2006, in Caldwell County, NC, the story of Emily Anderson began to unfold - one that would leave more questions than answers. Some listeners may have hear...
121. Reverend: The Case That Drew Harper Lee
Beginning in 1972, a series of suspicious deaths in rural Alabama left a community fearful, divided, and searching for answers. At the center of it all was a man known simply as “The Reverend,” whose life seemed marked by tragedy, rumor, and li...
120. MJ Auman: Suicide or Murder? The Heather Hicks Auman Trial in Randolph County, NC
In this episode of Hard Times & True Crimes, we take a deep dive into a local Randolph County case that captured the community's attention - the trial of Heather Auman, accused in the death of her husband, MJ, a local firefighter. ...
119. The Murder of Bridget Cleary: The Irish Fairy Burning of 1895
In March of 1895, a young Irish woman named Bridget Cleary was brutally murdered by her husband and several relatives in the small village of Ballyvadlea in County Tipperary. For several days, Bri...
118. Bitter Blood (Part 2): The Collapse of a Southern Dynasty — Re-Released in Memory of Jerry Bledsoe
In Part 2 of our Bitter Blood series, we continue the shocking true story made famous by North Carolina author Jerry Bledsoe in his bestselling book Bitter Blood.What began as a volatile marriage spiraled into paranoia, obsession, and a ...
117. Bitter Blood Pt. I (Re-Release) | In Memory of Jerry Bledsoe | North Carolina True Crime
Jerry Bledsoe, North Carolina’s #1 New York Times bestselling true crime author, passed away on December 31, 2025, in Asheboro, NC. In honor of his life and legacy, we are re-releasing our two-part episode on Bitter Blood — the book that brough...
116. Marion Parker: The Infamous 1927 Los Angeles Kidnapping and Murder
In this special Christmas episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we examine one of the most disturbing crimes in American history: The kidnapping and murder of Marion Parker in Los Angeles in 1927. In December...
115. A Christmas Nightmare: The Crimes of Ronald Gene Simmons
Ronald Gene Simmons lived quietly in Arkansas throughout the 1980s, keeping mostly to himself and his large family. Outwardly, he appeared to be living a simple life in the country—but behind closed doors was a world shaped by control, fear, an...
114. Erin Patterson Australia Mushroom Poisoning Case: The True Crime Story Everyone's Searching For
In 2023, Erin Patterson sat down to lunch with her in-laws. A fatal family lunch in rural Australia. A handful of mushrooms. Three deaths. One survivor. And a woman at the center of a case that grabbed the world's attention almost overnight.&nb...
113. Halloween Special: The Asylum Edition
Episode Summary:In our Halloween special, we step into the dark history of women’s mental health in early 20th-century America. Two women — Catherine Ward and Carrie Selvage — entered the asylum system from different directions. On...
112. The Real Amityville Horror Story: What Really Happened
🎙️ In this episode, we uncover the chilling truth behind The Amityville Horror — separating fact from fiction in one of America’s most infamous stories. Long before the bestselling book and Hollywood movies, there was a real tragedy inside 112 ...
111. The Phillips Family Murders: Winston-Salem’s New Year’s Eve Tragedy (1947)
On New Year’s Eve, 1947, Winston-Salem was still glowing with Christmas decorations when a tragedy unfolded that shocked Forsyth County and made headlines across the state of North Carolina. Everett and Margaret Phillips were ...
110. The Murder of Dr. Cozart in Fuquay-Varina | True Crime in Wake County
In the early 1950s, the quiet community then known as Fuquay Springs - today's Fuquay-Varina in Wake County, North Carolina - was shaken by the violent killing of Dr. Cozart, a respected local physician. His sudden death stunned the to...
109.The Rowan County Axe Murders: The Lyerly Family
In July of 1906, Rowan County, North Carolina, was shaken by one of the most brutal crimes in state history. Isaac Lyerly, his wife Augusta, and two of their young children were murdered in their farmhouse near Barber Junction. Bludgeoned with ...
108. A Shot in the Dark: The Barbara Stager Case
In February 1988, a single gunshot shattered the quiet of a Durham, North Carolina, neighborhood. Barbara Stager told police her husband Russ's death was a tragic accident. But as investigators dug deeper, the picture-perfect image of a devoted...
107. Paradise Lost: The Chillingworth Murders of 1950s Florida
In the warm summer of 1955, Judge Curtis Chillingworth, Florida’s youngest ever circuit judge and a man known for his fairness would vanish from his beachside cottage in Manalapan, just south of West Palm Beach. His wife, Marjorie, d...
106. A Crime, A Conversion, A Controversy: The Karla Faye Tucker Case
In 1983, a brutal double homicide in Houston, Texas shocked the public—not just because of the violence, but because of who was eventually held responsible. Karla Faye Tucker, a 23-year-old woman with a troubled past, quickly became one of the ...
MINI Episode - A Supernatural Turn in the Welch Family Case
In this special mini-episode, we revisit 102. Murder on Route 66: The Welch Family Tragedy with a surprising update. You can listen to the original episode here: https://www.h...
105. North Carolina's First Serial Killer: The Chilling Confession of Asbury Respus
In 1931, a little girl named Vera Leonard vanished while waiting for the school bus in Guilford County, NC. Hours later, her body was found in the ashes of her burned-down home. The man arrested—“Will Moore”—turned out to be an escaped...
104. Burned Alive: The Martyrdom of Graham Staines and His Sons in India
In this gripping true crime episode, we explore the harrowing and heartbreaking story of Graham Staines, an Australian missionary who was burned alive along with his two young sons by a radical mob in Odisha, India, in 1999. Even in...
103. Moonshine and Murder in the Smoky Mountains: The Perry’s Camp Murders of 1949
In 1949, deep in the Smoky Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee, a savage double murder shattered the stillness of a quiet Appalachian community.Charlie Perry—a former Knoxville bootlegger turned tourist camp owner—and his longti...
102. Murder On Route 66: The Welch Family Tragedy
In June 1961, JD and Utha Welch packed up their car, their four young sons, and headed west from Oklahoma to visit family in California.It was supposed to be a simple road trip — a summer memory in the making.But one quiet ...
101. Boy in the Walls: The Daniel LaPlante Horror Story
Show Notes:In 1986, Tina and Karen Bowen were just teenage girls when their mother passed away from cancer. Not long after, strange things started happening in their home.Knocking from inside the walls.Furniture move...
100. The Pied Piper of Tucson: Charles Schmid's Deadly Reign Over 1960s Arizona
In this chilling episode of Hard Times and True Crimes, we dive deep into the twisted tale of Charles Schmid, the manipulative and charismatic serial killer who terrorized the young women of Tucson, Arizona, during the 1960s. Kn...