In the golden age of air travel, flying was sold as glamorous, luxurious, and effortlessly chic. But for the young women working the aisles at 30,000 feet, the reality was very different. When Patt Gibbs joined American Airlines in the 1960s, she was trained to be slim, smiling, and subservient. Stewardesses like her were weighed like luggage, forced to retire at 32 years old, banned from marriage, and expected to endure sexual harassment with grace. One extra pound, one birthday too many, or one wedding ring and your wings were clipped. But when Patt walks into a union meeting on a whim, everything changes. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight tells the story of the stewardesses who refused to be grounded. From secret meetings to landmark discrimination cases to high-stakes union votes, these women challenged America’s biggest airlines and the sexism baked into the industry itself. A powerful sisterhood began to form across cabin aisles and crew lounges. They weren’t just fighting for better contracts. They were fighting for control of their own lives. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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True Crime
On a January night in 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike and two other teenagers lured 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer to a secluded area near the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They taunted, beat, and slashed Colleen, carving a pentagram into her chest, before Christa picked up a piece of concrete and smashed Colleen’s skull, killing her. Those salacious details stood out during a national Satanic Panic over ritual abuse and suburban cults. The Knoxville News Sentinel later accused Christa of killing “for love and Satan.” She was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by electrocution—one of the youngest women ever to be sentenced to death in the United States. Thirty years later, Christa is still alive, incarcerated at a Nashville prison and the only woman on death row in Tennessee. She has spent much of her adult life in solitary confinement. In the decades since the murder, evolving understanding about brain science and trauma have cast Christa’s wildly violent act—and death sentence—in a new light. We now know that the brain of an 18-year-old remains underdeveloped and impulsive. Christa has a horrific history of abuse, violence, and family neglect; the first time she attempted suicide, she was 9 years old. That kind of trauma can arrest healthy development, leading some young adults down a disastrous path. As Christa approaches her final appeals, a team of state and federal defenders are urgently trying to save Christa’s life. Her date of execution could be set any time. If executed, she will be the first woman killed by Tennessee in almost 200 years. Should a woman who committed a violent crime as a damaged teenager be granted a chance at rehabilitation? And is justice best served through retribution or mercy?
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True Crime
For one mother, believing the truth cost her everything. After a contentious divorce, Cindy was ready to begin again. To her surprise, she found a new partner, Kenny. Days after their engagement came a devastating allegation that Kenny abused her 9-year-old son. To Cindy, the facts behind the accusation didn’t add up. She believed the claims had less to do with reality, and more to do with retribution by her ex-husband. As the allegation tore her family apart, Cindy faced an impossible choice: stand by her child or stand by what she believed to be the truth. Her decision led to years of frustrating court battles and a war over what really happened. In the third season of Burden of Guilt, one family’s painful unraveling raises difficult questions about loyalty, manipulation, and what happens when the people you love no longer agree on what is true. You can reach out to the Burden of Guilt team at Burdenofguiltpod@gmail.com. For more Burden of Guilt, follow us on Instagram @glasspodcasts. The first season of Burden of Guilt has been turned into a docuseries, now streaming only on Paramount+. Available to watch HERE! Make sure to binge all episodes of the podcast that inspired the show before you watch!
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True Crime
In a small Tennessee town, a local serial killer was caught by the most unlikely investigators: A group of high school students, led by their teacher, Alex Campbell. Throughout the course of one school semester, the class pieced together a 30-year-old mystery and identified the killer behind at least six brutal murders. Shockingly, while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations publicly agrees with their theory, no charges have been filed against the murderer. While some sleuthing students already have graduated, they, along with a fresh crop of current high schoolers, still want to finish the assignment, once and for all.
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True Crime
Season 1 Betrayal is an eight-episode podcast hosted by Andrea Gunning. It's the story of Jenifer Faison, a woman who reconnected with her college sweetheart, Spencer Herron, later in life. Jen, a reality television producer, picked up and moved cross-country to her new husband’s small town in Acworth, Georgia to be with her first love. Spencer was a popular soccer coach and a two-time "Teacher of the Year" award winner at a local high school. After seven years of a wonderful marriage, she came home to find Spencer clutching a search warrant. He was soon taken by the police and prosecuted for a crime she never could have imagined. She hasn’t seen him since he was taken from their home in handcuffs on June 1, 2018. After his arrest, Jenifer uncovered a double life her husband had been living the entire duration of their marriage. To heal, Jenifer decides to learn who she was married to from the people who knew the other side of Spencer. She talks with the victim of his crimes and the other women he preyed on in a series of stunningly candid and sensitive interviews. Through these exchanges, Jen can let go of the shame and emerge from the hold this chapter has had on life. Season 2 Ashley Lytton was a typical mom and wife in suburban Utah with three children until she discovered her husband’s horrifying secret. It was a shocking crime that would alter Ashley’s life and jeopardize the safety of her children. This season of Betrayal will focus on one mother’s fight to find justice for her daughter and protection from a predator too close to home. Once we hear her story, we learn the same crime is happening every day in households all over the country. It’s a betrayal of our families, communities and everything we value in society. Season Two lays the issue bare through the family’s story and takes an honest look at a huge problem most people don’t want to even want to acknowledge. Season 3 Stacey Rutherford thought she met her soulmate when she laid eyes on Dr. Justin Rutherford. They fell in love, and it was better than she ever imagined. But this family doctor, beloved father, and cherished husband had dark secrets. He had sworn to do no harm but would resort to any means necessary to save himself. Season 4 Karoline Borega married a man of honor – a respected Colorado Springs Police officer. She knew there would be sacrifices to accommodate her husband’s career. But she had no idea that he was using his badge to fool everyone. This season, we expose a man who swore two sacred oaths—one to his badge, one to his bride—and broke them both. We follow Karoline as she questions everything she thought she knew about her partner of over 20 years. Season 5 Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
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True Crime
For Melissa Moore, 1995 was a nightmare. That’s the year the teenager learned her father, Keith Hunter Jesperson, was a serial killer. It’s also the year Melissa Moore’s doubt spiral began: When you look like your father, and you share his intelligence and charisma, how do you know you’re not a psychopath, too? Happy Face is the story of Keith Hunter Jesperson, his brutal crimes, and the cat and mouse game he played with detectives and the media. But it’s also the story of the horrific legacy he gifted his children. Join Melissa Moore as she investigates her father’s crimes, reckons with the past, and wades through her darkest fears as she hunts for a better future. Inspired by Melissa's true-life story, Happy Face is now a Paramount+ Original Series, streaming March 20th. The thrilling drama stars Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid.
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True Crime
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