Nightmares

Sword and Scale (Ad Free)

4.8 (313)
TRUE CRIME
UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Nightmares. True-Crime for Bedtime. Your nightmare begins now…

5 DAYS AGO • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Echo Chamber

When an 83-year-old woman is found dead inside her quiet Old Greenwich home, investigators start piecing together the final months of her life, and the unraveling of her son, Erik Soelberg. What first appears to be a private family tragedy reveals a disturbing descent shaped by isolation, certainty, and a voice that never challenged his fears. This episode examines how belief hardens, reality fractures, and how one ordinary house became the setting for an irreversible outcome.

25 min
6 DAYS AGO

Hollywood

It's March 2006 in Villa Park Illinois and nineteen-year-old Rose thinks she’s found an escape, until a woman vanishes and the search starts pointing somewhere darker. As detectives close in, Rose is forced to replay every late-night call, every story, every “coincidence,” realizing the truth was being rehearsed right in front of her. By the time the case breaks, Rose understands she was never just a witness… Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

29 min
18 FEB

Snap

Thirteen-year-old Thad Phillips fell asleep on his couch—and woke up in a nightmare. Trapped in a decaying house with a smiling teen and sinister intentions, he would spend two harrowing days fighting to survive when all hope seemed lost. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

29 min
4 FEB

Party

James Rackover looked like someone who had it all. He had style, status, and a last name that carried weight. But the truth behind the image was darker. When a man goes missing after a night in Manhattan, investigators start to uncover the kind of past James hoped no one would find. He wasn’t who he said he was. And he wasn’t done breaking the rules. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

30 min
28 JAN

Trouble Ahead

A teenage girl’s discovery of a human skull on Iowa’s Greenbelt River Trail led investigators to the murder of missing 29-year-old Angela Nicole Bradbury. The case unraveled into a chilling confession by Nathan James Gilmore, whose digital trail and coded clues revealed a cold, deliberate killing. What began as a missing person report ended as one of Iowa’s most disturbing murder cases. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

20 min
21 JAN

Consumed

When a devastating fire consumed the lives of an affluent British family, suspicions arose, pointing fingers at those who knew business tycoon Chris Foster and may have wanted him dead. As detectives sifted through the ashes and debris, they uncovered even more secrets buried within the Shropshire mansion. From hidden affairs and financial troubles to long-buried grudges and shattered dreams, investigators didn’t know which direction to look in next until the killer was revealed in the family’s own CCTV footage. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

23 min
14 JAN

One Percent

62-year-old Kathy Hughes Anderson spent her career tending to trees, preserving beauty and order across the towns she served. In retirement, she brought that same quiet dedication to her life at home - until one December evening when a stranger walked through her front door. Kathy had no idea who he was. But Francis Wolke had been convinced he needed to kill to join the one percent. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

24 min
7 JAN

Room Service

17-year-old Linda Bury’s home life was a mess, so she turned to social media to reinvent herself. There she met Joshua Mebane and this unassuming, wealthy monster would change her life forever. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

38 min

See All (62)

Sword and Scale is a weekly true crime podcast covering the dark underworld of crime and the criminal justice system’s response to it. The first episode launched January 1st, 2014 and feature stories of murder, abduction, rape, and even more bizarre forms of crime. It’s the purest form of true-crime where the raw uncensored audio tells the story. Everything from 911 calls to court testimony, interviews with victims and sometimes with perpetrators give listeners a 360 degree look at the seedy underbelly of human nature and so-called civilized society. Sword and scale proves that the worst monsters are real.

4.2 (3142)

DOCUMENTARY
+PLUS Episodes are exclusive to your Sword and Scale +PLUS Light Subscription. These full-length commercial free episodes cover stories not heard on the regular Sword and Scale feed.

4.8 (94)

TRUE CRIME
A 77-year-old grandmother stranded on the side of the road. A chance encounter with pure evil. A crime so brutal it shattered an entire family and left a town in shock. From the creators of Sword and Scale comes a gripping ten-part true crime series that unravels the horrifying story of Tina Lohman—a woman who should have been safe, but wasn’t. As the case unfolds, we follow the chilling investigation, the relentless pursuit of justice, and the jaw-dropping courtroom chaos that no one saw coming. But beyond the crime itself lies a deeper truth about the failures of the system, the resilience of a family, and the unsettling reality that monsters don’t always lurk in the shadows—they walk among us. Listen now to This Doesn’t Happen to People Like Me—because sometimes, the unimaginable becomes reality. Show will launch on 3/3/2025. Please SUBSCRIBE to get updates when each episode drops. If you like the show, please review it, rate it, and tell your friends. An Ad-Free version of the show is available via a Sword and Scale +PLUS subscription at any tier level. You can find out more at swordandscale.com.

4.7 (43)

TRUE CRIME
The heart of a man is darkness...No person, place or culture is immune to extreme violence. The worst of the worst cases have occurred all over the world. Be prepared to take a journey, a tour of the world, where the most horrible atrocities have occurred. Murder, rape, incest, dismemberment, & cannibalism... no terrifying detail will be unexplored.Based on actual events, this immersive audio experience will shock you, terrify you, and possibly make you ill. From the creators of Sword and Scale, Dark Topic & The Westside Fairytales comes MONSTRUO, the most terrifying podcast you will ever hear.

3.8 (468)

TRUE CRIME
Daily true-crime news and coverage of high-profile criminal cases from around the country and around the globe, five days a week.

0.0 (0)

DAILY NEWS
Sword and Scale Rewind, hosted by Matt Fondiler and Ian Bagg, is the comedy aftershow for the popular true-crime podcast Sword and Scale. Each episode number corresponds to it's counterpart on it's sister podcast. So kick back, have a pot or two and listen to some murder-comedy...

0.0 (0)

TRUE CRIME

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Mike Boudet

Host

4.8

out of 5

313 Ratings

Love this!

02/03/2025

Blondemilly

Great true crime stories that are (funnily enough) relaxing to listen to with a great calm voice and atmospheric music
Spoiled by frequent advertising

20 Jan

Pennygeturownwifi

The host is a good enough storyteller and the show could even be great, but instead its like he's trying to see how many ads he can get away with per episode
Long time listener

4 Jan

G HArper

Always well crafted, but….. This has been one of the most outstanding true crime podcasts over a long time. Unfortunately, the host has recently decided that political asides are appropriate - they are not. What was a fantastic, well researched podcast is now also littered with ‘I wonder what party they belong to’ type quips. A real shame.
Fantastic show overall

22/02/2025

Ditsha1

Great content, love the hosting, his style especially