Legally Brunette

Halloween is all about costumes, candy, and spooky fun, but these true crime stories are scarier than fiction. 🎃 Jen Fessler and Elisa Donovan discuss three chilling cases involving a Halloween-night murder, a devastating family massacre, and a father who poisoned his child’s Halloween candy. It’s a haunting look at the real-life horrors behind the holiday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth Holmes is back in mainstream media, but she’s almost a different person… What happened to the black turtlenecks and the fake, deep voice? Is this just another front? What did Elizabeth do, exactly, to end up in prison for 11 years? How did her company Theranos manage to get away with fraud for so long? Is it her fault? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What did romantic rejection have to do with the Unabomber's murderous rage? Possibly more than anyone realized. Former FBI profiler James Fitzgerald joins Elisa Donovan to reveal the disturbing stories buried in Ted Kaczynski's private writings: including a disastrous date, a humiliating workplace incident, and the resentment Fitzgerald believes helped fuel his violence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lee Gilley was convicted of killing his pregnant wife in Texas while his two children slept in the same home. However, before his trial, he managed to escape to Italy… How did he gain a 60-hour head start from authorities, despite having an ankle monitor? How are Italy’s laws influencing the outcome of this case? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Convicted sex offender Howard John Gombert Jr. is nearing release from prison, and investigative journalist Paul Solotaroff believes he may hold the key to solving the 30-year-old disappearance of 17-year-old Robin Murphy. Jennifer Fessler speaks with the host of The Devil’s Quarry about the clues investigators may have missed, why Gombert was never aggressively pursued as a suspect, and whether new developments could finally bring answers to Robin’s family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, Legally Brunette Listeners! We want to share a new show you might enjoy, it’s Curse of: Miss America !!! About the Show: Miss America used to be a national icon. At its peak, the pageant was appointment television, drawing TV audiences that rivaled the Superbowl. But now, the crown is slipping. The organization is at the center of a tabloid courtroom drama. Two people are claiming to be the rightful owner of the Miss America pageant. And the fight is getting ugly. In one corner, a pageant girl boss. In the other, a self-proclaimed Palm Beach billionaire with a controversial past. After decades of leadership failures and declining interest, today’s scandal is the only the latest in a long line of controversies in the pageant world. And yet, thousands of young women continue to compete every year. What keeps drawing contestants to an institution that so many former insiders believe has failed them? Over the course of 10 episodes, we'll hear directly from former titleholders, participants, and whistleblowers. Hosted by pop culture journalist Bridget Armstrong, Curse of Miss America is an investigation into the unraveling of an American institution. Listen here and subscribe to Curse of: Miss America on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ken McElroy terrorized an entire town and kept getting away with it. Until the day his luck ran out. He was gunned down in front of dozens of witnesses, and suddenly “nobody saw a thing.” In Broad Daylight author Harry MacLean joins Elisa Donovan to unpack this wild true crime story, how McElroy became untouchable, and why everyone stayed silent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elisa Donovan and Jenn Fessler are still trying to process Nathan Fielder's You Can See Everything . From outrageous revelations to laugh-out-loud absurdity, the new Elizabeth Holmes documentary is unlike anything they've ever watched. Elisa and Jenn break down the wildest moments and debate the question at the heart of it all: Who's manipulating whom? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandra Birchmore was failed by law enforcement as an adolescent, and it followed her through adulthood. She was groomed, taken advantage of by authority figures, and her life was taken. Allegedly, someone wanted to ensure that she kept their secrets… Emily and Shane are diving into the background of this case, what happened to Sandra, and the main players in this horrific crime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What did relatives know, and what did they keep secret? Actress Marlene Forte, who played the brothers' aunt in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story , joins Killer Thriller to reveal the disturbing family secrets, the warning signs that may have been ignored, and why José Menendez's own sister defended the nephews who murdered him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Winger portrayed himself as a hero. His wife, Donnah, was allegedly murdered by a lunatic, and Mark tried to avenge her. However, after Mark remarried, he had three more children and started a new life for himself. Then, detectives received new information that painted him as Donnah’s murderer. Why did he kill his wife? What was the evidence against him? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A teenage girl, a major cocaine operation, and seven years in federal prison. Jennifer Fessler sits down with Denise Trigo Fleming, author of Dealing : Memoirs of a Cocaine Teenpin , to explore how she went from a teenager caught up in Southern California’s glamorous drug scene to serving time in federal prison. Denise opens up about the dangerous relationships and fierce loyalties that kept pulling her deeper into that world, the devastating loss of her best friend, and the choices that changed her life forever. She also reflects on surviving prison, rebuilding her life, and how she sees her past today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He may seem sweet, attentive and genuinely interested in your daughter. But what if the romance is actually a trap? In Stolen From the Suburbs , starring Sydney Sweeney, teenage girls are manipulated by young men they think they can trust before being abducted into a sex trafficking ring.Actress Brooke Nevin explains the real grooming tactic known as the “Romeo trap,” how traffickers exploit emotional vulnerability and her warning to unsuspecting parents that this can happen anywhere. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Gypsy Rose back in headlines after her ex-fiancés tragic passing, Emily and Shane are diving into the crime that initially put her behind bars. What did Münchausen syndrome by proxy look like for Gypsy growing up? How far did her mother’s abuse extend? Did Dee Dee have everyone, including Gypsy, fooled? There is no justification for murder; was it Gypsy’s only way out? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ted Kaczynski has been remembered as a brilliant, isolated killer, but people who actually knew him described another side. A local librarian who befriended him said he tutored her child and could make her laugh for hours. Sharlto Copley, who plays him in Ted K , reveals the startling details he uncovered while researching Kaczynski and the side of the notorious killer most people have never heard about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas Randolph was married six times, yet four of his wives had died… What happened to these women? How did he get away with these crimes for so long? Plus, there’s a Rod Stewart song about killing your wife and it’s a detail that Shane can’t quite get over. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman is murdered, her body dumped in the Mississippi River, and nearly 30 years later, her ghost may help lead investigators back to her killer. Jennifer Fessler sits down with writer and director Philip Cairney to unpack HBO’s The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story , a chilling true-crime investigation filled with mob ties, buried secrets, shocking twists, and eerie encounters that challenge even the biggest skeptics. Is it guilt, coincidence, or something paranormal? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first woman to be executed in Tennessee in over 200 years actually…survived. Christa Pike was given two lethal injections and has since recovered. According to her attorneys, she is now speaking and walking. This is not the first botched lethal injection in Tennessee this year. So, what happens next? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denise Brown recounts the terrifying night she says she watched O.J. Simpson grab Nicole by the throat and lift her off the ground as Denise desperately tried to pull him away. Nicole left with her that night but returned the next day. Denise explains why she once blamed herself and what she now understands about why victims go back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may remember Jenny Lupton, the Southwest flight attendant who allegedly jumped off of a 24th floor hotel room in Honolulu, HI. Emily and Shane are sitting down with two of Jenny’s best friends to discuss this mysterious case and WHY the alleged suicide attempt doesn’t make sense… How was her body conveniently found in a dumpster? Why is her family not getting any answers? Would she ever leave her teenage son without saying goodbye? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.