Nightmares

Sword and Scale (Ad Free)

5.0 (11)
TRUE CRIME
UPDATED WEEKLY

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

2 DAYS AGO • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

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.

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
1 JAN

Family Meal

The town of Chickasha, Oklahoma was shaken to its core when they heard the news that two were dead, one of which was a four year old child, and another was seriously maimed. Their outrage grew when they learned the name of the culprit was Lawrence Paul Anderson, a career criminal that should have never been out of prison. But nothing prepared them for when he confessed to his crimes and revealed they were far worse than first presumed. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

26 min
27/11/2024

Mom

Kimberly Cargill was evil personified. She abused her children for years, circumventing the system to keep them in her clutches. Finally, the state caught on and what she did to keep from trouble was worse than the abuse itself. Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

35 min

See All (59)

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.

4.3 (313)

DOCUMENTARY
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.

5.0 (1)

TRUE CRIME
+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.

5.0 (6)

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.

4.2 (34)

TRUE CRIME