We Would Be Dead

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.
 
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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
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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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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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 
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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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