We Would Be Dead

The Man, The Myth, The Monster (Count Dracula) [REBROADCAST OF EPISODE 133]

This week we are rebroadcasting our episode on Count Dracula! The Nosferatu craze has gotten ahold of us too.  Enjoy!
----------- There is much about the myth of the vampire that science will never understand. They crawl from their graves, blood running from their mouths trailing mist in search of innocent victims to join them in monstrosity. They are alluring in their terror and terrifying in their allure, and human kind will never cease to wonder if they are simply a legend, or if there is much more.
This week we explore the origins of most famous and enduring vampire of all time: Count Dracula. If you're thinking this will be a whole episode on Vlad The Impaler, think again. There is so much more to the iconic count than one Transylvanian tyrant with a pointy nose. 
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Lost in Flames (The disappearance of the Sodder children)

On Christmas Eve 1945 in the quiet little town of Fayetteville West Virginia, Jennie Sodder awoke just after one in the morning to find her little farm house filled with smoke, flames licking the walls of her husband's office. She rushed to wake and alert her husband and 9 children. It was clear that they needed to escape quickly. Once out on the lawn Jennie saw her husband, two daughters and two son's, which left 5 children in the house, trapped, or so they thought. No trace of those five children has been found to this very day.
In the seventy nine years since five of the ten Sodder children disappeared during the fire that destroyed their home, no one can say for sure what happened to them and it has driven devoted true crime fans into the deepest rabbit holes.
 
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Article 1
Article 2
Local West Virginia Coverage
Smithsonian Article
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Haunted (A Christmas Carol) [REBROADCAST]

We promised we aren't becoming a rebroadcast podcast haha. We will be back soon with a brand new episode! Until then, enjoy our holiday spooky cheer with another best of Christmas WWBD episode!-----------There is no phrase one can utter that draws a more visceral christmas response, than Bah, Humbug. And so it is with great joy and depth of feeling that this holiday season we bring you an exploration into this the most famous and meaningful of ghost stories. It may be decked with Holly and frosted with snow, but at it’s heart a Christmas carol is a most glorious ghost story, and we hope all the things you learn today will haunt your house pleasantly forever more.
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Washington Post Tiny Tim article
 
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You Have to Want It (The Tragedy of JonBenét Ramsey) [REBROADCAST EPISODE 94]]

Hello Fiends! With the new Netflix documentary, "Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey", we thought we should rebroadcast our coverage of the case! We will be back next week with an all new episode! ----------"People ask me all the time how I think of such dark stories every week. Well, I say, I just take any scenario and think of the worst possible outcome. It’s there if you want it, but you have to want it."
This week we take a look at a crime that captured a nation. The murder of 6-year-old "beauty queen" (their words, not ours) JonBenét Ramsey. The murder that has dominated the covers of tabloid periodicals ever since the day it happened, all the way back in December of 1996. A beautiful, wealthy, 6-year-old girl brutally murdered in her own home on Christmas night while the rest of her family slept in their beds... or did they? The worst part about this story is that we know very little, the rumors are many and the facts are few, and so, it remains unsolved. So who killed her? Why bring such a violent end to such an innocent little creature? Well, we can give you all the credible information available, but what we can't give you is an answer. You'll have to decide what you think yourself... but be careful, your answer could say more about you than it does about the crime.  
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Helpful hints for holiday family stress
 
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Believe (The Origins of Santa) [REBROADCAST EPISODE 95 ]

To start off the holiday season we are sharing one of our favorite episodes from a few years ago, in which we ruin Santa for you. ENJOY!--------We’re back once again to ruin Christmas! This year we’ll explore the dark and fascinating origins of everyone favorite jolly gift giver, Santa Claus. We’ll explore where our modern Santa came from and meet his merry gang of elves, reindeer, monsters and ham babies. So mind your manners and be sure to watch out, Santa Claus is coming to town!
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Helpful hints for holiday family stress
 
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Silent Scream, Part 2 (The Murders of Danny Rolling)

Gainesville Florida is the biggest college town in the sunshine state, but in August of 1990 a dark cloud descended over it. Five people were brutally mutilated and murdered in four short days. All the crime scenes bore the same graphic hallmarks, and local police quickly realized they had a serial killer on their hands. As the media descended on Gainesville, the police were racing the clock to uncover the identity of the so called Gainesville Ripper. 
This week we bring you part two of the horrific crimes of a man named Donny Rolling, crimes that served as the basis for the incredibly popular Scream movie franchise. So go get your blanket and pull it close, because this one is way scarier than any movie. 
 
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ABC news article
Murderpedia's collected articles. (Not all of these are fact checked)
Statement from the prosecution
 
 
 
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Silent Scream, Part 1 (The Gainesville Ripper Murders)

Gainesville Florida is the biggest college town in the sunshine state, but in August of 1990 a dark cloud descended over it. Five people were brutally mutilated and murdered in four short days. All the crime scenes bore the same graphic hallmarks, and local police quickly realized they had a serial killer on their hands. As the media descended on Gainesville, the police were racing the clock to uncover the identity of the so called Gainesville Ripper. 
This week we bring you part one of the horrific crimes of a man named Donny Rolling, crimes that served as the basis for the incredibly popular Scream movie franchise. So go get your blanket and pull it close, because this one is way scarier than any movie. 
 
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ABC news article
Murderpedia's collected articles. (Not all of these are fact checked)
Statement from the prosecution
 
 
 
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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
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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
*Affiliated link
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WWBD Official Soundtrack, Vol. 1
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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
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