Episodes

  • 217: The Murder of Charlotte Childs

    217: The Murder of Charlotte Childs
    May 28 2024
    In May of 1993, 18-year-old student Charlotte Childs was eagerly anticipating her high school graduation in Holly Hill, South Carolina. She was busy attending all sorts of pre-graduation celebrations in the lead-up to the big day, including a get-together for her fellow high school seniors the evening before. But after dropping her best friend home in the early hours of graduation day, Charlotte never made it home. Instead, her parents were woken by a call in the dark early hours that their daughter was in the hospital, fighting for her life.

    DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES:
    • US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
    • National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.org
    • Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
    • UK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247
    • For resources in other countries, visit this website
    Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
    Researched and written by Gemma Harris
    Additional writing by Erica Kelley
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley

    Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/charlotte-childs

    This episode is brought to you by:
    • This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/SOUTHERN and get on your way to being your best self.
    • Visit SimpliSafe.com/southernfried to get 20% off any new system with Fast Protect Monitoring. There’s no safe like SimpliSafe.
    • Don’t pull the covers over your head, your health is too important. Download the Teladoc Health app today, or go to TelaDocHealth.com, to make scheduling your next doctor’s appointment so much easier.
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    34 mins
  • 216: The Wellnitz Family Murders

    216: The Wellnitz Family Murders
    May 24 2024
    For nearly a decade, the Wellnitz family murders haunted the small town of Columbia, Kentucky. The tight knit community had no clue why these good people were mercilessly executed in their own home. They were known for their thriving veterinary clinic and their kind hearts. But someone had been viciously murdered the family and even though investigators were pretty sure they knew who did it, the case went cold. It took ten years and heroic undercover work to get justice for the Wellnitz family.

    Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
    Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank
    Additional writing by Erica Kelley
    Edited and Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Suggested by Dana Schmidt

    Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/wellnitz-family

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    • Download the Teladoc Health app today, or go to TelaDocHealth.com, to schedule your next doctor’s appointment. Don’t pull the covers over your head, your health is too important!
    • This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get it off your chest and try online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/SOUTHERN.
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • 215: The Death of Annie Burkett Shell

    215: The Death of Annie Burkett Shell
    May 11 2024
    Parents have to trust caregivers. It’s just a fact of life. Often we feel more comfortable with a family friend than a daycare. That’s what Tiffany and David Shell did for their daughter Annie. They trusted Brandi Giannunzio. She babysat their two youngest daughters. She was good with their girls. They had no reason to believe Brandi would leave their girls with her boyfriend. They had never met Benjamin Brown. But on August 9, 2018, he was left alone with their daughters. And then they had to face the unthinkable.

    Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
    Researched and written by Erica Kelley & Gemma Harris
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder and Erica Kelley

    RESOURCES FOR CHILD ABUSE
    Visit this website for preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
    US National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
    For resources specific to each state, visit this website
    Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
    UK Child Abuse Hotline: 0808 800 5000
    Visit this website for help recognizing child abuse

    Sources: https://southernfriedtruecrime.com/annie-burkett-shell

    This episode is brought to you by:
    • Don’t pull the covers over your head, your health is too important. Download the Teladoc Health app today, or go to TelaDocHealth.com, to make scheduling your next doctor’s appointment so much easier.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Listen Now: Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy

    Listen Now: Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy
    May 9 2024
    Nancy Brophy fills her novels with romantic betrayals and murder. It’s a far cry from her quiet life in the suburbs, where she and her chef husband, Dan, are living out their golden years. But when Dan is shot dead, Nancy finds herself at the center of a murder case that could be ripped from the pages of her novels.

    From Wondery, this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality. Listen to Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. https://wondery.app.link/HNADN_SFTC
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    5 mins
  • 214: Erasing Laura Ackerson, Part 2

    214: Erasing Laura Ackerson, Part 2
    May 1 2024
    After Laura Ackerson lost full custody of her sons, she was heartbroken, but she sprang into action. Within 2 weeks, she got another hearing but she still only got weekends. She had to completely overhaul her life. Within a year, Laura found a great apartment and opened her own ad agency—not just a stable job, but a career she was proud of. Meanwhile, Grant Hayes had blown through most of his new wife’s money. His life was swirling down the drain. And with the court ordered pysch evaluation, he knew he was about to lose custody of his kids. Laura had won. He couldn’t let that happen. So when she went missing a month before their next custody hearing, her friends immediately feared the worst. But I’m not sure in their worst nightmares, they could have been prepared to what happened to Laura Ackerson.

    RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
    • US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
    • National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.org
    • Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
    • UK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247
    • For resources in other countries, visit this website

    Hosted, produced and written by Erica Kelley
    Researched by Erica and Andrea Marshbank
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley
    Case suggested by Marcia

    Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/laura-ackerson-part-2

    This episode is brought to you by:
    • Visit SimpliSafe.com/southernfried to get 20% off any new system with Fast Protect Monitoring. There’s no safe like SimpliSafe.
    • They say time waits for no one, and neither should payday--See EarnIn.com/TOS for more details.
    • Treat yourself to the best bras and shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/SFTC.
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    • Füm: Start the Good Habit at https://tryfum.com/sftc to save 10% off the Journey Pack today.
    • Don’t pull the covers over your head, your health is too important. Download the Teladoc Health app today, or go to TelaDocHealth.com, to make scheduling your next doctor’s appointment so much easier.
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    1 hr and 41 mins
  • 213: Erasing Laura Ackerson, Part 1

    213: Erasing Laura Ackerson, Part 1
    Apr 22 2024
    27-year-old Laura Jean Ackerson had a really tough start in life. The single mother of two worked hard to build her own small support system in Kinston, North Carolina. Her brother and best friend were the only people she really had. After Laura survived a whirlwind relationship with a charismatic but narcissistic musician, she faced a vicious custody battle with him. Grant Hayes was a glorified bar star and lazy husband and father. But by July 2011, Laura was finally slipping out of his controlling and abusive grasp. She was winning. Her abuser had lost control. The most dangerous time for a woman.

    Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
    Researched and written by Erica Kelley Andrea Marshbank
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley
    Case suggested by Marcia

    Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/laura-ackerson

    RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
    • US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
    • National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.org
    • Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
    • UK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247
    • For resources in other countries, visit this website


    This episode is brought to you by:
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    • Treat yourself to the best bras and shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/SFTC
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    53 mins
  • 212: The Whitaker Family Slayings

    212: The Whitaker Family Slayings
    Mar 26 2024
    In December of 2003, 23-year-old Bart Whitaker had just finished his finals and was about to graduate from college. That night, he went to dinner to celebrate with his parents, Tricia and Kent, and his younger brother Kevin. As they returned home and walked through their door, they were ambushed by a masked gunman. Initially, authorities suspected that this was a burglary gone wrong. But before the funerals had even taken place, detectives discovered that Bart had lied about graduating. And that was just the beginning.

    Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
    Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank and Erica Kelley
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder and Erica Kelley
    Suggested by Jessica, Donna, Michelle, and Kyle

    Sources: https://southernfriedtruecrime.com/whitaker-family-massacre

    This episode is brought to you by:
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 211: Evil or Innocent Twins: Betty, Peggy & The Murder of Dr Jack Wilson

    211: Evil or Innocent Twins: Betty, Peggy & The Murder of Dr Jack Wilson
    Mar 10 2024
    On May 22 1992, Betty Wilson frantically called 911 from her Huntsville, Alabama home. She found her husband, the esteemed Dr. Jack Wilson, in a pool of blood. Someone had bludgeoned and stabbed him to death. Initially, police had no suspects. Until an anonymous tip led them to a man named James White. James confessed to killing Dr. Wilson to prove his love for Betty’s twin sister, Peggy. According to James, Peggy had insisted that he murder her sister’s husband. But, according to Peggy and Betty, James was nothing but a deranged liar.

    Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
    Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank and Erica Kelley
    Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
    Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
    Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley

    Sources: https://southernfriedtruecrime.com/jack-wilson

    This episode is brought to you by:
    • This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/SOUTHERN and get on your way to being your best self.
    • Treat yourself to the best bras and shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/SFTC.
    • Get a special 20% off any new SimpliSafe system when you sign up for Fast Protect Monitoring at SimpliSafe.com/southernfried - “There’s no safe like SimpliSafe”
    • True Crime Podcast Training: Go to TrueCrimePodcastTraining.com today and enter code SFTC to get $150 off ANY course.
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    1 hr and 26 mins