Today in True Crime

There’s never an ordinary day in true crime history. Flip back the calendar and see how one fateful day can ripple through time. Today in True Crime is a Spotify Original from Parcast.

True Crime
Education
History
151
June 4, 2000: Jonathan Pollard Pleads Guilty
On this day in 2000, the U.S. Justice Department slapped Microsoft with a severe penalty following charges of breaking the law. The company stood accused of engaging in monopolistic practices.
13 min
152
June 3, 1981: The Weepy-Voiced Killer
On this day in 1981, Paul Michael Stephani murdered Kimberly Compton in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephani called 911 and confessed to the crime in tears, earning him the nickname, “The Weepy-Voiced Killer.”
12 min
153
June 2, 2004: Hope Murders
On this day in 2004, 71-year-old Hope Schreiner murdered her husband of 43 years, 78-year-old Robert Schreiner.
10 min
154
June 1, 2004: The Terry Nichols Sentencing
On this day in 2004, Terry Nichols arrived at an Oklahoma State courthouse for the first day of the penalty phase of his trial.
11 min
155
May 31, 455 C.E.: Emperor Petronius Maximus Killed
On this day in 455 C.E., Emperor Petronius Maximus tried to escape Germanic Vandals. However, his own subjects murdered him before the invaders got the chance.
13 min
156
May 30, 1806: The Jackson Duel
On this day in 1806, future president Andrew Jackson killed a man in a duel. Despite this murder, Jackson would face no criminal charges and go on to be seen as a national hero.
9 min
157
May 29, 2005: Jennifer Holiday
On this day in 2005, Texas EMT worker Jennifer Holiday was shot, abducted, tortured, and sexually assaulted—after watching her cousin, Anna Franklin, get murdered in cold blood.
11 min
158
May 28, 2014: Eastern Lightning Strikes McDonalds
On this day in 2014, followers of a Chinese cult, the Church of the Almighty God—also known as Eastern Lightning—killed a woman inside of a shopping mall McDonalds.
12 min
159
May 27, 1934: John Dillinger’s New Look
On this day in 1934, legendary bank robber John Dillinger underwent facial reconstructive surgery to change his appearance. Guest hosted by Richard Rossner from the Dictators podcast.
13 min
160
May 26, 1941: The Sir Broughton Trial
On this day in 1941, Sir Broughton stood trial for the murder of Lord Erroll. Both were English noblemen living in Kenya. And both were carrying on a relationship with one Diana Broughton.
13 min
161
May 25, 1659: Richard Cromwell Resigns
On this day in 1659, Lord Richard Cromwell resigned from the Protectorate of England, ushering in a new era of unrest.
9 min
162
May 24, 1961: Freedom Riders Arrested
On this day in 1961, a group of civil rights activists rode a bus into Jackson, Mississippi. Despite federal protections, all riders were jailed, labeled “criminals” for entering a bus stop.
12 min
163
May 23, 1934: Auto Lite Strike
On this day in 1934, a five-day standoff began. Thirteen-hundred Ohio National Guard troops faced down six-thousand striking auto workers and unemployed civilians in Toledo, Ohio.
10 min
164
May 22, 1998: Clinton’s Secret Service
On this day in 1998, Federal Judge Norma Holloway Johnson ruled that President Bill Clinton’s Secret Service would have to testify about the Monica Lewinsky Scandal.
12 min
165
May 21, 1924: Leopold & Loeb
On this day in 1924, wealthy University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks in cold blood.
11 min
166
May 20, 1983: Church Street Bombing
On this day in 1983, a bomb went off in the South African city of Pretoria, killing 19 people and wounding over a hundred more. As the dust settled, it was clear that the attack was politically motivated, and carried out by the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress.
12 min
167
May 19, 2015: Brian Reader Arrested
On this day in 2015, notorious thief Brian Reader was arrested in connection with one of the largest burglaries in English history.
11 min
168
May 18, 1998: Operation Casablanca
On this day in 1998, the United States Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury announced the arrests of over 20 Mexican bankers—all of them connected to drug cartel money laundering.
13 min
169
May 17, 1968: Tent Girl Found
On this day in 1968, the decaying body of an unidentified young woman was found off Route 25 in backwoods Kentucky. She was dubbed “Tent Girl” by the media, thanks to the fabric her body was wrapped in.
12 min
170
May 16, 1918: Sedition Act Signed
On this day in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Sedition Act of 1918, making it illegal for United States citizens to publicly criticize the government or country’s involvement in World War I.
11 min
171
May 15, 1970: Jackson State Killings
On this day in 1970, armed police forces from across Mississippi were called to the Jackson State University Campus to subdue a group of students protesting the Vietnam War. Shortly after midnight, the police opened fire on the students.
13 min
172
May 14, 1610: The Assassination of Henry IV
On this day in 1610, King Henry IV of France was assassinated. His killer, François Ravaillac, insisted he acted alone…but did he?
11 min
173
May 13, 1787: Captain Arthur Phillip
On this day in 1787, Captain Arthur Phillip set sail from Portsmouth, England with a fleet of eleven ships. They were bound for a new penal colony in Australia.
11 min
174
May 12, 1932: Lindbergh Baby Found
On this day in 1932, 20-month-old Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the kidnapped son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, was found—dead.
10 min
175
May 11, 1988: Kim Philby Dies
On this day in 1988, Soviet spy Harold “Kim” Philby died in Moscow, at the age of 76. It was the end of one of the most storied double-agent careers in espionage history.
12 min