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. Known as the Pied Piper of Tucson, Schmid lured teenage girls with his Elvis-like charm, eerie makeup, and bizarre swagger - only to reveal a monstrous dark side. 

We unravel the disappearances and murders of Alleen Rowe, Gretchen Fritz, and Wendy Fritz, and the disturbing silence of the friends and followers who knew his secrets. 

Narrator: Curtis Hildreth

Intro and Outro Music: Isaiah Hildreth

Sources Consulted:

https://time.com/archive/6628536/crime-secrets-in-the-sand/

https://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Schmid,%20Charles%20_spring,%202007_.pdf

https://www.myazbar.org/AZAttorney/PDF_Articles/0908Murder.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20080308015308/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,834699,00.html

https://tucson.com/morguetales/tales-from-the-morgue-the-pied-piper-of-tucson-conclusion/article_5b1bf5ec-ef94-11df-8f4c-001cc4c03286.html

https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1973/1720-0.html

https://soundcloud.com/jonderosa/jon-derosa-ladies-in-love (Murder Ballad)

https://melmagazine.com/

https://www.azfamily.com/2025/02/27/ex-wife-pied-piper-tucson-reveals-all-first-interview/

True Crime Arizona Podcast: Widow of Tucson's first serial killer reveals all