We Would Be Dead

Prima Belladonna (Part 2: Gironima Spana) [REBROADCAST EPISODE 150]

Poison artisans Giulia Tofana and Gironima Spana took all the power held hostage in their time by men and placed it in the hands of women. Join us as we go deep into the rise and fall of the world’s most infamous poison and sought after skin care line: Aqua Tofana.
Last week we told Guilia's story and this week we tell Gironima's.  Gironima Spana was a savvy business woman who took the recipe for Aqua Tofana and created an empire run by women for women. Empires however, have a tendency to fall. In its own time the Spana Prosecution as it came to be known was a sensational, news worthy event, but after the pope locked away all the documents from the trial, the true story of the women poisoners of Rome disappeared and all that remained was a half baked legend. Thankfully the documents resurfaced over 200 years later and they revealed a nuanced, intelligent and incredibly dramatic tale that we cannot wait to share with you.
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*The Black Widows of the Eternal City: The True Story of Rome's Most Infamous Prisoners
A famous and incredibly thorough article by Mike Dash
*Affiliated link
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Prima Belladonna (Part 1: Giulia Tofana) [REBROADCAST EPISODE 149]

We wanted to end women’s history month with a bang, so we decided to deliver this much requested case in a way you’ve probably never heard it before, the way it actually happened. What was once thought to be the story of one woman, is actually that of a mother daughter dynasty. Poison artisans Giulia Tofana and Gironima Spana took all the power held hostage in their time by men and placed it in the hands of women. Join us as we go deep into the rise and fall of the world’s most infamous poison and sought after skin care line: Aqua Tofana.
 
Click to learn more
*The Black Widows of the Eternal City: The True Story of Rome's Most Infamous Prisoners
A famous and incredibly thorough article by Mike Dash
Leiden Medievalists Blog - Female Make Up and Beauty Standards of the 1600s
Evie Magazine - The Weird and Dangerous Beauty Standards of Renaissance Italy
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The Pit (The Murders of Su Hong)

In a quiet rural village in China, a respected local doctor, Su Hong, harbors secrets darker than anyone could imagine. When two brothers suddenly vanish, a police investigation reveals twisted layers of deceit, desperation, and revenge buried in the doctor’s root cellar. What starts as a missing person’s case unravels into a chilling tale of betrayal, hidden violence, and a woman pushed to the edge by the very people she trusted. As the truth comes to light, the village—and the nation—must reckon with the haunting story of Su Hong and the lengths she went to escape her pain.
 
Opening Monologue - written and read by Jon Katity
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YouTube: A betrayal turned her into a serial killer. The case of Su Hong.
Reddit True Crime Forum - Two Brothers Went Missing From Their Village
The WWBD Team
Holly Knapp, Co-Host 
Leslie Weidel, Co-Host
Jon Katity, Composer & Audio Engineer
 
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Welcome to Thrill House (An Original Story by Holly Knapp)

Dear Fiends, We cordially invite you to spend some time with the terrifying spirits of Thrill house. We hope you enjoy this original gothic horror story! Consider it a treat from us to you. Happy Halloween!
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The WWBD Team
Holly Knapp, Co-Host 
Leslie Weidel, Co-Host
Jon Katity, Composer & Audio Engineer
 
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Consumed (Mercy Brown and the New England Vampires)

On a sunny day in November of 1990 three young boys decide to sneak off and play in the gravel pits at a local landscaping store for the afternoon. Little did they know that they were about to open a doorway into the world of colonial American vampires. 
This week we plunge head first into the strange and mysterious practice of vampire exhumations. Along the way we'll uncover the stories of a serial killer hiding in a sleepy Connecticut town, an ancient family graveyard that seemed to appear from out of nowhere, and finally we'll share the tale of Mercy Lena Brown, the last American vampire.  Happy Hallowmonth fiends!
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Article on Mercy Brown from NewEngland.com
The Smithsonian's coverage of The New England Vampire Panic
How Tuberculosis shaped fashion
NY Times article on the discovery of JB 55
The Walton family graveyard
Article on the last American vampire
Vintage Chicago Tribune Article on Mercy Brown
Ötzi the Iceman
Children of Llullaillaco
Sister Mary Wilhelmina Lancaster
 
 
 
 
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Daddy's Home (The Burari Deaths)

We're starting off spooky season with one of the most haunting cases in true crime history. This case, referred to internationally as “The Burari Deaths” walks the thin line between devotion and madness, faith and delusion, mortal and paranormal. 
At 7:15 AM on July 1st, 2018  Gurcharan Singh went outside to meet his neighbor, Lalit Chundawat, for their morning walk. That morning however, Lalit was not waiting for him. The normally bustling Chundawat household and general store stood dark and quiet. Realizing that something must be terribly wrong Gurcharan entered the Chundawat's house to see if they needed help, and what he found was nothing short of a nightmare. Ten people, including Lalit Chundawat, were hanging from the ceiling in the livng room. The Chundawat family had been wiped out in one fell, silent swoop as their neighbors slept peacefully.
This case begs us to examine how one person, everyone and no one were all to blame for the deaths of eleven people in one fell swoop. 
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House Of Secrets
 
 
 
 
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Dragonflies (The Murder of Laci and Connor Peterson, Part 2)

Sorry for leaving you all with a crazy cliff hanger last week but it had to be done! When we left off Laci Peterson had gone missing from her Modesto CA home on Christmas Eve day 2002. After a cursory investigation authorities had their eyes on her husband scott. This week we'll see how a pair of burglars with the worst luck in the world threw this case for a loop, a loop that could only be closed by a starting confession from Scott's unaware lover Amber Frey. We'll reveal what became of Laci  and Conner  and examine how one woman's bravery allowed justice to be served.
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Susan Medina's testimony
Watch American Murder: Laci Peterson
click here to learn what happened to the dog
local article on the burglary
additional burglary information
The People Versus Peterson transcript (this is everything)
Excerpts from "For Laci" by Sharon Rocha
Witness by Amber Frey
Comprehensive Rolling Stone Article
CNN's Coverage of Karen's Testimony
Autopsy details, TW we do not go into this in either episode. It is very disturbing.
 
 
 
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Dragonflies (The Disappearance of Laci and Connor Peterson, Part 1)

On Christmas Eve morning 2002 Scott Peterson said goodbye to his pregnant wife Laci, got in his car and left to go golfing. When he returned home late that afternoon Laci was gone. Friends and family members leapt into action furiously trying to find Laci. Little did they know that they would find themselves launched into a horrifying media circus.  Soon after, Laci's loved ones began to realize that maybe they devil they knew was far more terrifying than the devil they didn't.  
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References will be listed in part 2. No spoilers!
 
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Copycat (The Friday the 13th Killer with Jon Katity) [REBROADCAST OF EPISODE 167]

OH MAN! IT'S FRIDAY THE 13TH!! Remember last year when Leslie had just had her baby so she sent her husband, our composer and editor, Jon, in to take her place?! If you don't, well lucky you, because we are rebroadcasting our Friday the 13th episode that Holly and Jon recorded on 10.13.23. And if you do remember, well you get to enjoy twice!!! Jon's knowledge of the Friday the 13th franchise is reason enough to listen to this episode (again)!
HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH FIENDS!!!!!!!!-----Hey there fiends, Leslie is taking a little time off to be the cutest and spookiest new mom in all the land, which means...(imagine a drum roll) guest hosts!
Happy Friday the 13th! This week in honor of this the luckiest unlucky of all days we brought our editor and composer Jon Katity on to help tell the story of the horrific murder of Sharon Gregory by a man named Mark Branch. Mark was obsessed with horror films, and aren't we all? Mark however took the concept of life imitating art to a new level when  he decided to act out his own horror movie in real life. Knock on wood and cross your fingers because this is the story of the Friday the 13th killer. 
Click to learn more
https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Lake-Memories-Complete-History/dp/B00ETHN9L2
https://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2006/07/26/sharon-gregory-murder/
 
 
 
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True Crime TLDR: The Career Girls Murder

It's a Lesliesode!!! This week's double sized TLDR takes you through the murders of Emily Hoffert & Janice Wylie, deemed the Career Girls Murder. It's a windy, twisty road that finally leads us to justice - but not without really f-ing up first. 
 
Click To Learn More
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/08/29/89957611.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Whitmore_Jr.#:~:text=(May%2026%2C%201944%20%E2%80%93%20October,1966%20ruling%20in%20Miranda%20v.
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,898388,00.html
https://ifearbrooklyn.com/2014/07/06/moving-on-a-tale-of-being-young-dumb-black-in-america/
https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/not_guilty/career_girls/5.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/26/archives/youth-is-accused-in-wylie-slaying-theft-suspect-charged-with.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/29/archives/brooklyn-indicts-3slaying-suspect-accuses-youth-in-stabbing-of.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20150210060034/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/not_guilty/career_girls/3.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/23/archives/in-shadow-of-brother.html
 
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