Southern Fried True Crime Erica Kelley

In May of 1993, 18-year-old student Charlotte Childs was eagerly anticipating her high school graduation in Holly Hill, South Carolina. She was busy attending all sorts of pre-graduation celebrations in the lead-up to the big day, including a get-together for her fellow high school seniors the evening before. But after dropping her best friend home in the early hours of graduation day, Charlotte never made it home. Instead, her parents were woken by a call in the dark early hours that their daughter was in the hospital, fighting for her life. 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES:
US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.orgCanada: visit this website to find the hotline in your areaUK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247For resources in other countries, visit this websiteHosted and produced by Erica Kelley 
Researched and written by Gemma Harris 
Additional writing by Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio 
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/charlotte-childs

This episode is brought to you by:  
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For nearly a decade, the Wellnitz family murders haunted the small town of Columbia, Kentucky. The tight knit community had no clue why these good people were mercilessly executed in their own home. They were known for their thriving veterinary clinic and their kind hearts. But someone had been viciously murdered the family and even though investigators were pretty sure they knew who did it, the case went cold. It took ten years and heroic undercover work to get justice for the Wellnitz family. 

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley 
Researched and written by Andrea Marshbank 
Additional writing by Erica Kelley
Edited and Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio 
Suggested by Dana Schmidt

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/wellnitz-family

This episode is brought to you by:  
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Parents have to trust caregivers. It’s just a fact of life. Often we feel more comfortable with a family friend than a daycare. That’s what Tiffany and David Shell did for their daughter Annie. They trusted Brandi Giannunzio. She babysat their two youngest daughters. She was good with their girls. They had no reason to believe Brandi would leave their girls with her boyfriend. They had never met Benjamin Brown. But on August 9, 2018, he was left alone with their daughters. And then they had to face the unthinkable. 

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley 
Researched and written by Erica Kelley & Gemma Harris
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder and Erica Kelley 

RESOURCES FOR CHILD ABUSE
Visit this website for preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
US National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
For resources specific to each state, visit this website
Canada: visit this website to find the hotline in your area
UK Child Abuse Hotline: 0808 800 5000
Visit this website for help recognizing child abuse

Sources: https://southernfriedtruecrime.com/annie-burkett-shell

This episode is brought to you by:  
Don’t pull the covers over your head, your health is too important. Download the Teladoc Health app today, or go to TelaDocHealth.com, to make scheduling your next doctor’s appointment so much easier.  Indulge in affordable luxury! Go to Quince.com and use promo code SFTC for free shipping. Give all the “moms” in your life a unique, heartfelt gift you’ll all cherish for years—go to StoryWorth.com/southernfried and save $10 of your first purchase. 

Nancy Brophy fills her novels with romantic betrayals and murder. It’s a far cry from her quiet life in the suburbs, where she and her chef husband, Dan, are living out their golden years. But when Dan is shot dead, Nancy finds herself at the center of a murder case that could be ripped from the pages of her novels.

From Wondery, this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality. Listen to Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. https://wondery.app.link/HNADN_SFTC

After Laura Ackerson lost full custody of her sons, she was heartbroken, but she sprang into action. Within 2 weeks, she got another hearing but she still only got weekends. She had to completely overhaul her life. Within a year, Laura found a great apartment and opened her own ad agency—not just a stable job, but a career she was proud of. Meanwhile, Grant Hayes had blown through most of his new wife’s money. His life was swirling down the drain. And with the court ordered pysch evaluation, he knew he was about to lose custody of his kids. Laura had won. He couldn’t let that happen. So when she went missing a month before their next custody hearing, her friends immediately feared the worst. But I’m not sure in their worst nightmares, they could have been prepared to what happened to Laura Ackerson. 

RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
US National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.orgCanada: visit this website to find the hotline in your areaUK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247For resources in other countries, visit this website
Hosted, produced and written by Erica Kelley 
Researched by Erica and Andrea Marshbank
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio 
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley 
Case suggested by Marcia

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/laura-ackerson-part-2

This episode is brought to you by:  
Visit SimpliSafe.com/southernfried to get 20% off any new system with Fast Protect Monitoring. There’s no safe like SimpliSafe.They say time waits for no one, and neither should payday--See EarnIn.com/TOS for more details.Treat yourself to the best bras and shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/SFTC.Nutrition the way nature intended, with real fruits and vegetables, not extracts. Go to FieldOfGreens.com and use promo code SOUTHERNFRIED for 15% off your first order plus free shipping. Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get 15% off with promo code SFTC at LumeDeodorant.com! #lumepodFüm: Start the Good Habit at https://tryfum.com/sftc  to save 10% off the Journey Pack today.Don’t pull the covers over your head, your health is too important. Download the Teladoc Health app today, or go to TelaDocHealth.com, to make scheduling your next doctor’s appointment so much easier.  

27-year-old Laura Jean Ackerson had a really tough start in life. The single mother of two worked hard to build her own small support system in Kinston, North Carolina. Her brother and best friend were the only people she really had. After Laura survived a whirlwind relationship with a charismatic but narcissistic musician, she faced a vicious custody battle with him. Grant Hayes was a glorified bar star and lazy husband and father. But by July 2011, Laura was finally slipping out of his controlling and abusive grasp. She was winning. Her abuser had lost control. The most dangerous time for a woman. 

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley 
Researched and written by Erica Kelley Andrea Marshbank
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio 
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley 
Case suggested by Marcia

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/laura-ackerson

RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCEUS National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233National Domestic Violence Hotline: thehotline.orgCanada: visit this website to find the hotline in your areaUK Domestic Abuse Hotline: 0808 2000 247For resources in other countries, visit this website

This episode is brought to you by:  
Unlock Jennifer Anniston approved hair at LolaVie.com and use code SFTC at check out to get 15% off your order.  Treat yourself to the best bras and shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/SFTC